The Graey Throng Test Scheme (Plus Cannon)

So, these were the very first models I received when I made my bulk dwarf purchase...and I immediately went about testing colors and mixes and shades. I think I finally found what I wanted, save one detail. I will cover that at the end.

Kazak-Graey's first Cannon and Crew:

So The dwarf scheme. I went with a heavily agrax earthshade washed Waaagh Green for the cloth. Black for boots, gloves, cuffs. Ironbreaker for the metal bits, a leather for the leather. The wood is a mix of like 5 browns in different layers. The skin was a leather, washed with agrax, then a 50% blend of leather and a dwarf skin tone, then washed again. Overall I was super pleased with the skin. And also...I think I am very happy with this as being my color scheme.

The one thing I am unhappy about, the "stone" carriage for the cannon. I wanted a mottled, stony look that would resemble a dappled granite or some such. I don't think it looks BAD, but I am not completely happy with it.

If you have any ideas for getting a stone look, please comment below. Thanks.

The Banners of Kazak-Graey

The Graey Throng has been under rapid assembly. My first focus has been a test group of dwarves to test color schemes, and then the identifying models of the army. THE BANNERS!  One of the biggest differences to me between the fantasy world and the 40k world is the banners. I love how each unit can have a standard bearer and I wanted to put a lot of mind towards those.

So I haven't fully completed any, but I have finalized the majority of the assembly and just had to show them off. To the bannerdwarves!

This is the BSB to the left, and the banner of my Longbeards to the right. The dwarf BSB is pretty awesome on its own but I spent a lot of time thinking about how to do the other banners. I decided to go with 3d relief banners based on bits from the sprues. Its simple and I think it looks great.

The two Dwarf Warrior block banners. I decided to go with the pointed tip banners for all melee units, the squared off banners will be ranged. The banners are simpler, as the unit is not the more elite such as the elaborate longbeards. I could have done Great Weapon axes because that is how I did my warriors...but shields looked better I think.

The thunderer banner on the left. The original icon was taken from the Battle for Skull Pass thunderer bits. On the right is the more simple GW Quarreler unit banner.

On the left is my new second unit of quarrelers' banner. I couldn't do the same, so I did an unloaded crossbow and made a little bolt quiver. On the right is the miner banner. They have a pretty nice banner all by itself, all I had to do was add the pick and a stick of dynamite.

And ALL TOGETHER now. These are the eye catchers of my throng. Dwarves don't go out with all fancy monsters and machines and stuff, even our cannons are small. The standards are where the focus is. Can't wait to get these all painted up.

Drowning in Dwarfs

So, most of the guys at my game shop already know this, but in addition to my already formidable tau and black templar armies...I picked up a third. This time it's in warhammer fantasy, and I may have gone a bit overboard.

Most people start an army small and build up unit by unit. In fact that is how I built up my Templars and tau. But not this time. This time I had NTC coming and being gone from the hobby for the next month and a half only meant I had like 4 paychecks for minis all at once. I found great deal after great deal and soon had a whole dwarf army before I even started assembling them.

How big an army? 200 dwarves. Exactly 200. Only cost me a total of around $380 so I wasn't kidding when I said I got them at great prices. Anyhow, I got pdf copy of the codex while I was waiting for my hardcover to arrive back home, then I spent the next month and a half in the desert writing out army plans so I could immediately start assembling when I got back. And now I am back...and here is what I have:

• Dwarf Lord on Oathstone
• Runelord with Rune Staff
• Thane with BSB
• Slayer
• 27 Longbeards - 3 metal full command and 24 cloak bodies (BSB will attach)
• 30 Dwarf Warriors - Great Weapons
• 30 Dwarf Warriors - Great Weapons
• 12 Dwarf Warriors - Hand Axes and Shields (Auxiliaries to Longbeards)
• 20 Quarrelers - With Great Weapons
• 20 Quarrelers - With Great Weapons
• 14 Thunderers - With Shields
• 28 Miners - With a Blasting Charge and Steam Drill
• 2 Cannons - Crew plus Engineer (8 total)
• 2 Organ Gun - Normal crew (6 total)
•  Master Engineer - Kitbashed from last crewmember and bits 

So there I am, a whole dwarf army. Just recently started and my thumbs already have the cut up pleasure to prove it. Further posts will have pictures of the units as I progress and I will even do a basing tutorial for the cobblestone them I am going for, trays included.

Es'run Sept Hunter Cadre - Current Status

Hello again,

Just like I did with my Black Templars, I will be doing a current status on my other 40k army, the Tau. I have done them all with my own paint and camo scheme, so I based them on a sept of my own. I happened to paint them all a red scheme before the new codex released...which turned out great because now I am going to have the sept be a Farsight Enclave breakaway sept. Farsight kept all his goodies from 4th and they removed all the bad stuff in my opinion. I want to get his model and paint him in my colors...so it will be a "counts as" but still red so it should hold on to the fluffy-ness that I like. I would LOVE to do a farsight/shadowsun cadre, but its just a little too unfluffy for me...even though stealth teams will always have a spot in my heart.

Es'run Sept Hunter Cadre

Current Battle Roster

Shas'o - While the commander of my current tau forces, will probably be demoted to a mere bodyguard when I get a farsight model. Fully magnetized.

Crisis Suits - 2 suits at present. Fully magnetized.

Broadside Suit - Forgeworld broadside. While smaller than the new broadside suits, this model is STILL the sweetest looking broadside in my opinion.

Ethereal - He served his sept well by dying on nearly every battlefield in order to spur the tau on to victory. With the new codex he got EVEN BETTER...but with all the other unique HQ choices, I dont know if he will get a lot of use. Was my first model to try wet blending on for highlights. Improved my painting skills a lot with this guy.

Firewarrior Team - 10 Firewarriors. Has Shas'ui and all rifles.

Firewarrior Team - 10 Firewarriors. Has Shas'ui and all rifles.

Pathfinder Team - Currently uses 4 firewarrior models as stand-ins.

Kroot Squad - Shaper and 11 Kroot. Man I love my kroot. They got nerfed some with the new codex from my point of view. But my cadre just wouldn't be complete without them. Fluffy...and sweet models. I really was hoping a kroot HQ would make a show in the new dex, then I could dream of a whole kroot mercenary force on its lonesome. Maybe some day.

Stealth Team - 3 XV25 suits. Right now my FAVORITE tau unit. They always do crazy awesome things in my games. Usually they die...but they do it in great ways. Got buffed with the new codex, but got easier to kill as they can't bubble wrap themselves in drones now. Shas'vre is magnetized.

Devilfish - I love the model. I was hoping they would make it a little cheaper. Its a tad expensive as a transport...but I cant complain. Good armor and jink saves to deliver my troops to their objectives.

Hammerhead - Convertable to a skyray and fully magnetized for every option. My first REAL tank. Love this thing. It has only gotten blown up ONE time in all the games I have ever fielded it in. Its kill ratio is insane.

A load of drones - No rhyme or reason. Not sure how many I have really.

White - Unit is assembled, but still grey.
Red - Unit is primed.
Orange - Unit is partially painted.
Yellow - Unit is painted but not based or sealed.
Green - Painted, Based and Sealed.

Future Fighting Company Additions:

Farsight - I love the model. I love his fluff. I will have him.

Crisis suits - I want a full bodyguard for Farsight. Super Tau blob of deepstricking doom.

Pathfinder Team - I will use the box to make 2 pathfinder teams. One of the additional models will be customized to be a "counts as" Darkstrider

Sun Shark Bomber/fighter - The tau flyer. It looks awesome. Great stats. Cheap. And not killer of my wallet. It will be mine.

More stealth suits to fill out team or to serve as a second team.

More firewarriors. I want a farsight enclave sept. Means firewarriors are even more important than usual. They will be my anvil. A tempting gunline to draw them in so my hammer (farsight blob) can deepstrike and cause death. Very fluffy tactics...so I need more warriors

Farsight enclave shoulderpads. Because I can...and they look sweet. I need like 4 dozen of them lol.

2 Piranhas - My last priority...but they have always been a cool looking model and I am tempted to try them out.

Fighting Company Hartnackig - Current Status

Hello all,

I just started this and am pretty bored at work right now. I have a satellite that is acting troublesome to find and the people at the other end of the phone are just as confused as I am. So I am writing more. Thankfully, blogger isn't blocked by my job's crazy internet restrictions so I have an outlet.

I thought I would first share the purpose, which was my first post. Then I figured I may as well do a post on the current status of my Black Templars. They are my first 40k army, so they get mentioned before my Tau :)

Fighting Company Hartnackig

Current Battle Roster - Pictures will be added after work

Castellan - Power armor HQ. Power sword and plasma pistol for low points games. Second in command of the company.

Master of Sanctity - First model EVER. Will never repaint. Sealed in all his imperfection. Holy club and plasma pistol.

Reclusiarch - Jump chaplain with his holy club and a plasma pistol, attached to assault marines. Right now my favorite model in my Templars. My first finecast ever as well. I hated finecast while working with it, but after painting it...I love the way he looks. Overall finecast fan.

Emperor's Champion - The DV Company Captain model. I loved the two handed sword pose. I will repaint him. Not because I did a bad job, just because his colors dont match the new scheme I want. Plus I want to glue on more Templar Iconography.

Sword Brethren Assault Terminators - Squad will have 6 terminators. One is still in shipping. All hammers all day. The independant charactors I will attach to the squad will take care of the I5 attacks this squad lacks.

Sword Brethren Terminators - 5 terminator squad with a cyclone and assault cannon. DV models.

Crusader Squad - 5 Initiates, 2 Neophytes. Heavy Bolter and Flamer.

Crusader Squad - 5 Initiates, 1 Neophyte. Plasma Cannon, Plasmagun

Crusader Squad - 5 Initiates, 2 Neophytes.

Biker Squadron - 3 DV Bikes. One with a power sword, another with a plasmagun. Easily my hardest unit to use. I think I need more bikes if I want to field these. They die a lot.

Assault Marines - 5 Assault Marines. Power axe on one for its sweet looks. 2 plasma pistols in squad.

Land Raider Crusader - Easily the largest model I have painted yet. And the largest time sink so far as well. The thing looks amazing, it just takes forever. Also my first real attempts at highlighting and weathering.

Color Key:
White - Unit is assembled, but still grey.
Red - Unit is primed.
Orange - Unit is partially painted.
Yellow - Unit is painted but not based or sealed.
Green - Painted, Based and Sealed.

Future Fighting Company Additions:

Marshal Hartnackig - This will be a Captain Darnath Lysander model that I will modify for my Templars. I wanted a good looking terminator marshal and his model stands above all the other terminator models in my opinion. Also. Helbrecht is sweet...but he has a lot lacking as a HQ choice. Model is in shipping, no idea when I will have it.

Master of Sanctity - A terminator chaplain. I want to put this beast with my assault terms with my marshal in that land raider. I am going to arm him with his Holy Beatstick and a power axe for options to hit things at I5 lightly, or super hard at I1. Man I love the Black Templar power axe bit. Thing looks so sweet. Dont own the model, havent found one I like yet.

Stormtalon - I THINK the new flyer book gave templars access to the smaller new flyer. I will have to research it. If I can...I want this one.

Predator Annihilator - Sweet lascannon-y goodness to distract the enemy from my Land Raider of Doom.

A venerable dreadnought - Forgeworld has a black templar venerable dread model that I drool over having one day. And I will have it. Already have a spot cut out for it in my carrying case.

A drop pod - to deliver sweet dreadnought death in the enemy deployment zone while my terminators thunder club things in the cranium.

More assault marines to max out the squad

One more terminator. Will be armed with another cyclone missile launcher and purpose will be to swap in and out with the assault cannon depending on enemy.

More Initiates and Neophytes. They are my bread and butter...I will always need more.

A Bastion - I want to make a Templar Keep, not only to use in games...but also for my final plan. A full 2' x 2' display board for my army in front of their Keep behind huge medieval-ish walls and trenches in unit formations.

Purpose of the Blog

Hello all,

This will be my first post on my first blog. I have been reading a buddy of mine's for a while and his blog has been something pretty neat to watch as he records his own gaming progress. After some hesitation, I decided I could do the same and this is my attempt to throw one together.

The overall purpose is to have a place to record my own ideas and opinions on the games I play and enjoy. Largely it will be a Warhammer 40k blog as that is what I am enjoying the most recently, but various other games will pop their heads. I am a big Tau fan, but my first 40k love is and always will be my Black Templars. My first ever miniature was a Black Templar Chaplain and I have been hooked since. Even though they are outdated, I will record their struggles in the new 6th edition world they fight in. The Tau have a brand new codex, and while I have had a lot of success with them in the past, I will record their new setup here as well.

Something else that will probably be seen here is Kerbal Space Program, a PC simulator where you run a space program. Think about a space sim with realistic-ish physics and the fact that you build your own stuff in a simple "lego-like" fashion and then watch it blow up...sometimes they even get to orbit.

Other stuff may crop up as I play more games and such. I have no real plan to try to attract readers or followers, this is mostly for myself. But if you enjoy it at all and want to keep on reading, then welcome aboard and let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Isean