Secret Weapon Tablescapes progress

Been making some good progress on my Tablescapes table this past week. Above is after the first oil wash. 

  

Tiles in different stages of airbrushing/washes

I've gone for a wind blown martial landscape

I did not go down the zenithal highlight route like some tutorials have done. To me they don't look right and limit options of variation with the 1x1' tiles. I like the more weathered look compared to the over highlighting.

Street tiles in the early stages. Pictured above is the airbrushing and oil washes all done before cleanup

Then prepped for road markings

Almost done. Just need to weather up the yellow road marking and then apply the burnt sienna wash to the street tiles to match the others. Yes I have already cleaned up the overspray...

Im very pleased with how the worn rusted look of the car lift and storm grates have turned out. Will be adding some additional grime to the gutters and oil/fuel stains to the roads

After the streets are done its onto the rolling fields... Here they are primed up red oxide for the martian like landscape theme. I'm looking to make these WHFB compatible as well.

New Airbrush has arrived

My new airbrush arrived over the weekend. A Custom Micron CM-B2 by Iwata

It came complete with a very nice powder-coated stainless steel case with polished end caps

  

With being able to buy these direct our of Japan they are as affordable as the local RRP of the High Performance series, which was what I used before (HP-BP+)

Still yet to arrive is my new quieter compressor and the other brush that will be used for undercoats/basecoats (a HP-BC+)

New paints arrived a few weeks back

Now I just have to clean up the chaos

First pictures of Harlequins emerge

Very small, very grainy but obviously a Harlequin

New Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought up for pre-prders

Forgeworld have released rules and pre-orders for their new pattern of Dreadnought

Experimental rules can be found here

 185 points for a BS5 chassis and twin linked Anvilus Autocannon array is not too shabby.

Not entirely sold on that chassis though, and that name sounds like Doritos Corn Chips...

The new paint scheme is a nod to the next HH book having Ultramarines in...

Tomb Kings army book goes softback...

In an interesting development, the Tomb Kings army book, recently discontinued as reported here, has now re-appeared as a softback title!

With being so close to the rumoured 9th edition release, we live in interesting times...

What this means for the rumours regarding combined army books and consolidation of factions... well, at this point its any ones guess

Maybe the End is not so catastrophic!

WHFB Allies have arrived...

We all knew it was coming (unless you have been living under a rock that is), but this seems to be the first piece of concrete evidence indicating it as reality. Allies are here.

Now to be fair, WHFB 8th edition has always had the allowance to field allied contingents, however they have always been regarded as one of those 'back of the book' options that nobody chose to play. But with the advent of battlescrolls, itself a large shift in the structure of WHFB, it is spelt out.

Could this be the end of the percentage based army selection? Will 9th usher in a new area structured closer to 40k. It is not hard to jump to conclusions based on the above limited information, but indeed Battlescrolls and battlesheets draw a lot of similarities to primary and secondary/allied detachments. Specific battlescrolls easily representing the equivalent of a special formation in 40k.

At first glance, I can see a lot of advantages to this format, indeed putting further restrictions on overpowered units and even balancing them out by the requirement to field certain inefficient choices to take a formation. but then again, no doubt GW would throw in the 'unbound' battlescroll, or take whatever you like, ok I guess for friendly games (bring all your models!).

Only Tzeentch knows, the next 6 months will be a rough ride for some...

WHFB coming to an End!

Weee I can make a shock jock headline too...

But in all seriousness. Darnok, via his network of rumour informing "birdy's" has made a rather brash thread over at Warseer about the impending doom of Warhammer Fantasy as we know it. And its all the rage to talk about it atm.

All I can say is about time, and don't you dear touch my game!

You can have a read of the impeding doom to our game here

The End of times has been lauded as a much needed refresher to what some have said is a stagnant system. My thoughts are somewhat different, feeling that 8th edition is one of the best renditions of WHFB that has been released to date. I am not alone here.

I for one am not drinking the cool aid. Well, lets be honest, I have sipped it a little.

For the last few editions of Warhammer, the usual suspects have called a complete destruction of the game and refresh. From complete new rules sets to scraping of army books and a combined bestiary, its all been floated. Whether it was wish listing or trolling only they will know, but this time there appears to be some truth to the hype.

Over the past few months GW has released the End of Times series on the unsuspecting masses, and it has been well received to say the least. In a large shift from historical release cycles, Warhammer has entered into an all encompassing timeline shift injecting a lot of refreshing advances to the scope of the game. A Game of Thrones style axe has been taken to the character setting and a slew of new ones introduced, and a large investment has been made in expanding the model range...

So it dosn't make sense where Darnok's birdys talk of a huge model consolidation? Or does it...

As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Just as 6 months ago talk was of all army books being made invalid, and 4 or 5 combined beastary books being made. Reality, EoT campaign set introducing new ways of running combined armies and nothing being invalidated. GW is a business, and business does not throw out everything to start again when it has millions invested in the current system.

...

Predictions:

9th edition is coming. With 9th edition there will be changes. As far as the rules set goes, there will be nothing drastic. It will be a revised 8th edition rule set, with some new things introduced and tightened up, just like 40k 7th edition was to 6th. That formula has been proven to work, and GW are not going to throw the book out with that.

As far as the armies go, there will be change, but nothing so jaw dropping drastic as to alienate the fanbase, well not entirely. We will see a consolidation of books, just like has been eluded to with end of times. This however, will not be to reduce the scope and scale of the game like some "trolls" have been calling, but more a way to increase and add variation to the stage. Introducing: Warhammer allies. Combined books (such as "Undead" and "Elves) will allow players to field either pure armies or allied forces. That has been obvious for a while (40k ally matrix would not entirely work in WHFB).

The timeline will be advanced, as a way to introduce new units, scenarios, characters and expand the range. Games Workshop is a business and they want to sell models. The caviet is, if your favorite unit is not in plastic, its either getting updated or its gone. This has been true for years now (think the great metal exodus, or failcastgate).

...

I for one am looking forward to 9th. The introduction of an allied matrix to allow me to field a greater variety of models will be welcomed by me. New models, new rules, new characters, new stories/fluff...

My only wish is that the new ruleset will be very tight and balanced... now that is just wishlisting...

Thanquol and Boneripper pictures leaking

Looks to be Thanquol/Boneripper and the next EoT book this weekend...

New Imperial Fist kits from Forgeworld

Finally some Imperial Fist love in the form of the Templar Brethren. However I cannot but feel its a hollow victory, as it is just an upgrade kit. I am left somewhat disappointed as not only is it based on using a MKIII kit, you have to buy the whole MkIII kit separately as this is just an "upgrade"

So this comes in at 22 quid, or $52 locally (inc shipping), add to that you need to purchase the MkIII despoiler kit to make the set whole for an additional $76 and you come to a massive $128 (inc shipping) for the 5 man squad!

Compare that to the similar Palatine Blades (which come as a complete kit) or Rampager squads which are approx $76 for 5, I can't help but feel let down...

Templar Brethren are the elite of the VIIth Legion. They are guardians of the Temple of Oaths aboard the Imperial Fists' great fortress-ship the Phalanx and the Legion's most highly accomplished warriors. With their superior skill in battle and the finest weapons at their disposal, they are at the spearhead of the Emperor’s Crusade to unify Mankind.
Excelling in close combat, the Templar Brethren wield power swords in battle, whilst their combat shields provide much-needed protection as they fight on the frontline in addition to their ornate artificer armour. Few enemies of Mankind seldom survive the first shattering charge of the Templar Brethren and have little chance of overcoming their defences.
The Templar Brethren Squad upgrade set is a 36 piece resin upgrade kit which includes 6 heads, 5 torsos, 5 combat shields, 5 power swords, 1 Champion’s power sword, 10 shoulder pads, a nuncio-vox backpack, a Legion vexilla, a Solarite power gauntlet and an archaeotech pistol. This set allows you to upgrade a squad of Space Marines to a Templar Brethren Squad as part of an Imperial Fists Legion army in Horus Heresy games. Their rules can be found in The Horus Heresy Book Three – Extermination and Legiones Astartes – Isstvan Campaign Legions.
Completed models shown built using the Legion Mk III Despoiler Squad, available separatelyThis set is available to pre-order now and will be despatched from Friday 9th January 2015.

Hmm, not even sold on the models, they just look like the normal MKIII marines with a few bits tagged on. It feels like a cop out.

They do look better in greystyle, maybe it is the paint job...

Then we head to the Phalanx Warder breacher squad kit, yet another "upgrade" based on a standard kit, and coming in at the same price point almost doubling the base kits value.

They do however look very good! Must have been the paint job on the Brethren.

The VIIth Legion's warships are defended from boarding assaults by the Phalanx Warders, warriors selected from amongst the best of the Imperial Fists Breacher squads. Staunch and immovable, they are the last line of defence when attack threatens and the first into the fray when the Legion boards enemy vessels.
Heavily armoured and carrying slab-like boarding shields, Phalanx Warders are trained to fight from behind their shield wall to deadly effect; its armoured protection and the immense firepower at their command proving a deadly match for any foes who dare to assail them.
The Phalanx Warder Squad upgrade set is a 40 piece resin upgrade kit which includes 7 heads, 5 torsos, 5 boarding shields with arms, 5 power axes, 10 shoulder pads, a nuncio-vox backpack, a Legion vexilla and a breaching charge. This set allows you to upgrade a squad of Space Marines to a Phalanx Warder Squad as part of an Imperial Fists Legion army in Horus Heresy games. Their rules can be found in The Horus Heresy Book Three – Extermination and Legiones Astartes – Isstvan Campaign Legions.
Completed models shown in some images built using the Legion Mk IV Despoiler Squad, available separately.
This set is available to pre-order now and will be despatched from Friday 9th January 2015.

 Then we get new shoulder pads for MKII, III, and IV kits. Pass, I like the transfer look for my pleb warriors.

Forgeworld, this is terrible. You should have just released the upgrade kit with the backpacks, legs and arms to make a complete kit.