Sunday, 18 May 2014

Monster Lab Miniatures

Compared to many other tabletop wargames like Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and Dropzone Commander, Malifaux uses a lot of counters. First off, most Schemes require the placement of Scheme Markers, living creatures drop Corpse Markers, constructs drop Scrap Markers. In the Squatters Rights strategy you need Squat Markers. Then you have to keep track of conditions like Burning and Poison, place Ice Pillars or Flame Walls...



There's going I come a time when you just can't handle that all with blank 30mm bases, trying to remember which is which. So I turned to a different approach with a company called Monster Lab Miniatures. 

Saturday, 17 May 2014

Hire A Crew: Open Graves

In addition to the usual commission services, StormFront Studios also builds and paints crews and boxes of models purely to sell on. The latest of these is the Nicodem crew box for Malifaux.

Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition - First Thoughts

Tonight, Games Workshop have put up the new Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook (7th Edition) for Advance Order. I don't work for the company anymore so I have seen very little of the new rules besides leaked photos of White Dwarf and the videos that they have put up on YouTube. I also have very little money, so I have been unable to Advance Order it myself.



Still, I thought I'd have a gander at the new products and share my thoughts.

Friday, 16 May 2014

Commission: Hired Swords Expanded

It dawned on me today that I've not even mentioned my commission painting work on here, let alone shouted about it or shown off much of the work - and that simply would not do. Don't worry though, I'm not about to go into a full business rant, that's not how I do things.


Instead, I wanted to showcase projects here once I'd completed them. So, without further ado, here is the Expanded "Hired Swords" Crew commission I finished yesterday!

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

By My Reckoning

I've already stated that Malifaux is my new found love, and I've given strong reasons for it - an entire blog post, in fact. I've talked about how the game works, and shown off some of my models (though I've since gone back and made the bases a little more interesting) but I've never really given much comment on how I play, or specific examples of some of the neat little tricks the game encourages.



I played a game on Monday night that highlighted why I love Malifaux, and whilst you won't find a full battle report after the break, you will find a discussion of the game and examples of why I love it. 

Monday, 12 May 2014

Battle Brothers

This weekend I journeyed from Blackpool back down to Nottingham for the Warhammer Battle Brothers event; a doubles tournament at Warhammer World, where I was partnering up with a very good friend of mine from back in Epsom. A few of the other Epsom gang were there too, and it was great seeing them.



Find out how the weekend went after the break!

Wednesday, 7 May 2014

How I Paint: Flames

I'm often asked about my painting, and I've been compiling an FAQ for a while; it might even make the light of day eventually. Beyond the usual "How do you paint so fast?", one of the most common questions is as to how I paint fire and flames on my models, and I must admit that I see an awful lot of models where the flames just aren't believable and it really lets the model down on what may otherwise be a very pleasant painted miniature. That's not to say I always get it perfect...



Now, of course, this is how I paint flame, and that in no way makes it the only way to paint flame. In fact, you may find this method may work with your miniatures and painting style, but it may not. Just as I once saw a tank wonderfully airbrushed and weathered with a commander poking out the hatch painted by hand in bold, bright colours, a mix of techniques and styles can make a jarring effect, and not in a good way. In that example, the tank looked gritty and real, the commander by contrast looked overly clean and cartoony. Both facets were exceptionally well painted, but together they just did not mesh. My style tends to be quite... heroic, in the sense of comic books and animated films. Grit and realism is not my thing, so if that's what you're looking for, sorry. Back to Google, and good luck!

Still here? Cool. Let's show you how I do it.