Package from GW...

Waiting for me when I just arrived home from work today was a rather sturdy cardbaord package, inside was the shiney new Grey Knight Codex.

I know this has been leaked online but I like to have an actual book to read over any electronic media and codexs are the only thing I ever preorder direct from GW. They always arrive well before the release date. After 20 min I've read through the initial fluff concerning their founding and historical battles and have yet to tackle the rules or list entries them selves.

I will go perform the afternoon post work chores then study it some more but alas like Blood Angels last year I don't think they'l lead me away from the Craftworld. Shame as I want a new 40k army...

High Elf Archers & Spearmen

In the last couple of weeks I have still been painting for the rapidly upcoming Runefang weekend. I admit I was distracted by the fantastic Dragon Age 2 on xbox, but as I finished it yesterday morning I can now better focus on my painting again... good excuse eh. I finished the archers last week but had not posted them yet, again blame Bioware.

I finished the bases on the Spearmen yesterday post game completion. Time permitting I will free hand the banner and paint the gemstones along the top but they're tabletop ready for now. I had to do some extensive cutting and trimming on these and thankfully most of the 'ugly' is on the back of the models but thats what you get for a cheap trademe purchase so Im not too fussed.

Currently working on Dragon Princes and Lothern Seaguard, everything else is assembled and basecoated so with knowing what corners to cut I should churn them all out fairly quickly with time to lavish some extra effort on my foot slogging Prince and Mage.

Show your appreciation for your long suffering GM

Found this gem while looking at scenery, wow!

Go have a look, don't you guys think this would be an awesome gift for your ever so long time weekly monday night GM?

http://www.gf9.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=591&osCsid=357vfjggskrfig9hi0t7u41060

2nd Wave Dark Eldar

Since Coldbane made comment in the last post about it I'd like to put my 2 cents in. GW had vague mention that more Dark Eldar are on the way on the coming months and it seems very doable as the beastmasters were slid in alongside the new Orc and Goblin releases.

Please bring on Scourges and the Haemonculi faction, if they are up to the standard of the rest of the range and look like the artwork then... happy times =D

While putting out the washing today I had thoughts of kitbashing a vampire counts corpse cart with a raider for a Haemonculi coven Raider, cool huh.

So Coldbane, going to start buying some accesories for me to play with... for your own army of course ;)

Prospero Burns

I have just finished Prospero Burns by Dan Abnett and I must say that after a lackluster start where I really struggled to get through the first few chapters it picked up a momentum that kept building right on through to the end of the book. Dan Abnett still delivers great detail and action and seasons the events with his own little pieces of 40k lore such as Enuncia which I remember from his fantastic Inquisitor trilogies.

I have never been a fan of the Space Wolves and having read Thousand Sons by Graham McNeil when it was released I felt sympathy for the 15th legion under Magnus' rule. However thankfully the account of the Space Wolves does not repeat the events of its sister book but expands on them and shos the other side in the final part of the story. The purpose for the Space Wolves as designed by the Emperor and their purposeful propagation of their barbaric reputation has made me like the Space Wolves a lot more. It saddens me that their current incarnation in 40K seems to be razorback and Longfang spam WTF.

I pulled out the Space Wolves codex and will probably proxy a list for fun. Big units of Blood Claws lead by Wolf Guard and elite Wolf Guard packs joined by heroic warriors is what the Space Wolves are supposed to be, IMO at least. Maybe its just because Im such a fan of the great 'fluff' that comes out but you can still make a functional army without breaking the flavour of an army and being a dick.

So anyway after a slow start the book gets a big recommendation from me and those of you who know my enthusiasm for good background/fluff know thats a good thing.

Swordmasters

Just finished these Sowrdmasters from Island of Blood, I have to add another 5 to the unit before Runefang but they won't be far away.

Really happy with how they turned out and it establishes the colour pallet for the rest of the army.

10 Archers in progress on the coffee table so they should make an appearence this week.

WIP Dark Eldar Raider

Heres Some work in progress shots of Coldbane's 1st Raider I'm working on in between High Elves. Its 'redder' in real life but you get the idea. Black undercoat with mechrite red drybrush foloowed by blood red then blazing orange drybrushing. Red and black wash til the tone looks right then a little toned down vomit brown on hard edges. The metalwork is tin bitz and dwarf bronze.