My New Army Painter Speedpaints

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My New Vallejo Paints

Since my painting binge last year, I have come back find that many of the Formula P3 paints in my collection have dried up :( After taking inventory, I found that I would need to replace at least 1/3 of my collection - which would not be cheap!

 The price of my P3 paints (like most things) has been slowly increasing and, unfortunately, the stockists for my favorite paint line have also been decreasing.

After considering the price it would cost to replace my dried up P3 paints, the growing scarcity of the stockists of this paint line, and the fact that I am a casual hobbyist at best - I made the decision to switch to Vallejo Game Color Paints. 

Vallejo paints are stocked almost everywhere, are cheaper per bottle, and are less likely to dry out (because they use dropper bottles instead of capped pots).

So I picked up two paint sets from Vallejo today, for an even bigger saving per bottle, and with a total of 32 colours it's a great base to build my new paint collection.

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Kings of War Third Edition

Since it's launch, I have loved the concept of Kings of War, and I've made multiple, unsuccessful, attempts at getting into Kings of War through each of the editions with various armies:

• Abyssal Dwarfs (v0, before there was even a rulebook!)
• Undead (v1)
• Goblins (v2)

During v0 and v1, there wasn't enough of a local community (Sydney, Australia) around Kings of War to sustain my attention, so my interest moved onto other systems.

With the decimation of The Old World, v2 saw an influx of refugees, and a significant boom in the growth of the Kings of War community. Unfortunately, the horde play-style of the Goblin army that I had chosen really didn't click with me.

Kings of War Third Edition launched in October last year, and Cancon (the biggest wargaming convention in Australia) wrapped up last week with a huge turn out for the Kings of War event!
But for me, the biggest news was that Ronnie Renton (CEO of Mantic Games) was in attendance at Cancon!
The fact that Ronnie made the trip down to be a part of the community is awesome - he even made stops at my favorite local gaming stores here in Sydney on his way to Cancon!

Now that's a gaming company I wanted to continue supporting!

Tabletop Empires

Games Empire

So I decided to pick-up another army for Kings of War, which will be made of miniatures entirely from Mantic Games of course, and have another go at getting into Kings of War.
There is now a thriving local community, and I've chosen an army that I've always loved - Dwarfs!
I've printed out my PDF rulebook from Mantic Digital, and was lucky to find one of the old Dwarf Army Sets online (the one from 2014) which includes the awesome Berserker Brock Riders I've wanted to paint up since their release.
Oh - AND I've signed-up for a local Kings of War Tournament to be held on March 15th, at Tabletop Empires.

More Kings of War action coming soon!

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Pan Oceania - Take Two!

After posting the photos of my Pan Oceania on our local forums, a recurring criticism I received was that the guns on my models were the same colour as the armour.

A valid, and very constructive, criticism - they do look the same!

So, I picked up another silver metallic Formula P3 paint (Cold Steel) from my FLGS, and spent the better part of a Saturday repainting all the weapons on my Pan Oceania! I've taken a whole bunch of new photos, that I'll be putting up throughout the week.

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Infinity - Initial Thoughts

After my first few games of Infinity at the local club, I thought I'd share some of my initial game play impressions. Keep in mind that I'm only just starting out, and there are still a lot of concepts I haven't got a grip on yet!

Active and Reactive Turns

This is a great concept that I believe has been implemented well in Infinity, and opens up another dimension of tactical gameplay. Sometimes the best offence is a good defence, and positioning your troops for AROs and abilities like Suppression is the strong option... although charging in guns blazing is still cool.
I'm sure there is still so much depth to this format that I need to learn, but my initial thoughts are - AWESOME.

Infinity Specific Terrain

Currently, my FLGS has an abundance of Citadel 40K Terrain, which I have found difficult to use for Infinity. We had apply house rules (can't draw LOF through full windows) and at times balance models precariously to ensure they are in cover. If we hadn't blocked the numerous windows, AROs would have been flying all over the place, and it would have been near impossible to reach objectives. We also missed a fair few AROs, as we didn't realise that models actually had LOF to each other during activations because of all the skulls and pointy things sticking out of the buildings.
Luckily, with the growing Infinity community at the LGS, the owner has opted to buy up a bunch of the official Micro Art Studio stuff - which should make gameplay much more enjoyable.

Perfect for Infinity - geometrically shaped terrain pieces!

Laser Pointer!

With LOF being such an important factor in the game, having a Laser Pointer is mandatory. Even if it just used to settle disputes, anything that moves the game forward amicably is a necessity as far as I'm concerned. I got one before hitting the FLGS last night, and it was the most useful tool on the table! Well, maybe the tape measure came first.

I haven't been really excited about a system in while, and I'm really optimistic about how our little Infinity community is growing. More Infinity action to come!

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To Infinity... AND BEYOND!

It was only a matter of time before I got into Infinity... it fits my wargaming preferences (skirmish games) and I think the models are absolutely fantastic.

The only reason I hadn’t gotten into Infinity before was that I wouldn’t have anyone to play with. Not that that reason ever really stopped me from buying and painting models before, but I already have MERCS as my sci-fi skirmish game. The difference now is, my FLGS has a small community blossoming for this game – and that was pretty much all the excuse I needed to get into Infinity.

I mentioned in a previous post that my wife had given me some birthday money to spend, with the stipulation that I need to use the cash to start a brand new army. Well, I decided I’d start a Pan Oceania army for Infinity!

So I’ve bought up some boxes and models, already started painting them up (I’ll post photos soon), and I thought that I’d make a few notes on my journey to Infinity... AND BEYOND.

Skirmish!

Infinity is a low model count game, with a tournament sized army having 10-15 models required. I think that low model count games, that are still able to give a very tactical gameplay experience, are fantastic, and Infinity is shaping up to be just that.

Low model counts mean less models to buy (a cheaper entry cost into the game) and less models to get table-top ready means that having a fully painted army isn't too far out of reach.

Free Rules, Tutorial Videos, Scenarios, Templates and Tokens

Can a company make entry into their game any easier? Free rules, scenarios, templates and tokens available to download free from the website, is a fantastic move in the right direction. There is also the option for official Templates and Tokens from Micro Arts Studios, as well as Full Colour Rulebooks.

They have also provided tutorial videos on youtube for some of the basic concepts and faction background. +1 Infinity!  Find the free Infinity Downloads here.

Terrain... Lots of terrain

This is probably the biggest barrier of entry into Infinity. I guess the money that you save buying models for your army you can spend on terrain, and there are lots of options for great Infinity terrain pieces, including official terrain pieces from Micro Art Studio. I’ll list a few of my recommendations, though I’m sure there are plenty more.

• BPLaser
• CNC Miniatures
• Sarissa Precision

Oh, there’s also the papercrafting terrain option, and you can’t go past Toposolitario for his free papercraft options!

More Infinity to come... stay tuned!

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Back 2 Base-ix Paint Rack Review

Last night, the replacement parts for my Back 2 Base-ix Paint Rack arrived! The original shipment arrived heavily damaged, but Back 2 Base-ix's brilliant customer service prevailed and I've now got my completed Paint Rack, and I couldn't be happier with the product. Totally worth the wait!

That's product, and I paid AU$55 including postage. There are a bunch of reviews online available already, all of which have been positive (which lead me to my purchase), and this will be more of the same. If you need a paint storage solution, look no further!

The acrylic pieces come with a peel-off protective coating on both sides (to protect from scratching), which is little tricky to get off if you keep your fingernails short - but the wife and I managed to get them peeled and ready for assembly in 10 minutes.

Now, it was just a simple (and somewhat fun) assembly process, following the instructional videos that Back 2 Base-ix provides. The videos are VERY clear and concise, and they build the product in real-time. The music is quite soothing as well, which rounds off the whole construction experience.
The design of the product is brilliant, considering all the pieces are flat-packed sheets of acrylic.

After about 15 minutes (18 minutes if you include receiving a phone call from Mom) my Paint Rack was complete! Sturdy, functional and stylish. It's the pride of my desk, and I've been glowing everytime I look over at it.
No more rummaging around a drawer for my paints like a chump!

Oh, when I purchased the product, there were options for different styles of paint pot - I prefer painting with the Formula P3 paints, but there are also options for your Paint Rack to fit Citadel, Vallejo and other major paint ranges. You also had the choice of different colours for your acrylic pieces too - I chose clear shelves, with a dark grey translucent chassis (although in the photos it comes out looking black).

I think that's all there is to say really - a fantastic product, from a customer-driven company. I couldn't recommend this product more - if you need a paint pot storage solution, grab one of these bad boys (or another stylish variant from their wide range) today! This was actually a birthday present from my two awesome brothers, so of course a special thank you to them!

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Miniature Photography - eBay Style

I mentioned in a previous post that for my birthday I ordered one of these sets from eBay (AU$35 including postage). It arrived during the week, and I finally got the chance to open it up over the weekend.

I've taken photos of my Mercs, and I'm already happy with the small investment I made. The amount of time I spent looking for the right lamp, the right lightbulbs for the lamp, as well setting it up the right distance from the model etc etc made this a great purchase, which I can highly recommend for miniature photography.

I think I'll dedicate an entire weekend to retaking photos of all my models, and reposting them on this blog over the span of a few weeks. I'll be posting the photos of my WM Mercenaries up over the next week - stay tuned!

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Broken Dreams

I was really excited to find a package waiting for me when I got home from work today - and it was from Back 2 Base-ix! My Paint rack was finally here!

Alas, my elation turned to disappointment when I opened up my package to find that there were massive cracks and breaks the pieces. Below are the worst of the cracks, but the other pieces included also had splits through them as well.

Looks like I'll have to get back to Back 2 Base-ix for a replacement. I've heard very good things about their customer service, and have ordered other products from them in the past with no issues before.

UPDATE: Within 12 minutes of contacting Back 2 Base-ix, my issue is resolved and replacement parts are on the way. Customer service does not get any better than that.

Hopefully I won't have to wait another 12 days to receive my birthday day present :(
UPDATE: Looks like I won't have to wait that long!

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Birthday Update!

I have been painting like a madman since my last post, and I’ve almost finished off what will be my [WM] Mercs 20 point list for this week’s WM/H League at Good Games CBD, continuing tomorrow night (I'll post on that after the fact).

This weekend was my birthday, and while I did spend a few minutes contemplating my passing youth, I was actually more excited about PRESENTS! Most wargamers know that we are quite difficult to shop for – I know that at any given time I could be focused on any army/faction from any game/system. This makes it hard for friends and relatives to buy me what I really want, and almost as hard to try and slip that subtlety into conversation.

So the system we have for these situations is that everyone just gives me money, and I go off and buy what I want. This seems to work out for everyone, and this year my relatives have actually taken to adding stipulations to what I can do with my birthday money – which is great because it feels like they are adding a little bit more thought to their gifts!

The Paint Rack - Back to Base-ix

My brothers said: “With this birthday money, buy something that you want, but would never buy for yourself because you’d think it was too expensive.”

So something fancy, but unnecessary... I had the perfect thing in mind! I ordered this last week, so it should be arriving any day now.

  

AU$52 including post from the Back-to-Base-ix website

All my paints currently live my desk drawer, and being Formula P3 paints, are a nightmare to sift through to find the right colour. As all the lids of the paints are white, I usually have to lift up each pot one by one to inspect the colour, before finding the one I am looking for. For army painting, I pull out the paints I use frequently, and scatter them across my desk so I don’t have to delve into the drawer to find them again. This gift fits my brothers' criteria nicely, and looks pretty freakin sweet.

Mini Photography Studio

My Dad said: “Buy something that would make your hobby easier.”

Yeah, he's a practical kinda Dad. The paint rack above would has suited Dad’s criteria as well, but one thing that's harder for me to work around is taking photos of my models - this causes me a world more pain than sifting through paints, so this product I found on eBay should do the trick. I know I could make my own lightbox, but I thought Dad (who likes his cameras and gadgets) would like to see me using something like this.

AU$35 including post from eBay

A New Army...

My wife said: “Spend this cash to start a brand new army of your little toys with. You’re not allowed to buy models for an army you already own.”

My wife knows that I like bouncing around game systems and armies/factions within game systems, and that I get a real kick out of painting models for a brand new army for the first time. Given that I’m currently immersed in painting through my [WM] Mercs army for the ongoing League, I’ll hold onto this birthday cash for a time until another army tickles my fancy!

I’m pretty happy with my birthday this year, and although none of this stuff was particularly expensive, the little bit of extra thought my family put into their gifts made their gifts more meaningful. I haven’t actually received anything yet, but I’ll post some quick reviews when I do. Oh, and when the mini-photography studio set comes in, I’ll get around to taking photos of my [WM] Mercs!

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Change of Plan

After a short overseas holiday, I returned home to find an unfortunate change in my schedule - due to family commitments, I won't be able to be part of the LGS's Malifaux League! The league runs on Tuesday nights, which I will no longer be available for. And after painting all those Malifaux models! Cest la vie...

Well, the good news is that the LGS is also running a WM/H League on Wednesday nights - which I am available for! I could use my existing Cryx and Khador, but this is great a opportunity to take advantage of the league motivation, and get my unpainted Mercs army table-top ready! So I dusted them off and have spent the last week assembling and painting that like a madman! I'll get some photos up soon.

So I'll be hitting the LGS tonight for some WM/H action - first night of the league will be 15 point Highlander format, and I'll post an update (and hopefully some photos) tomorrow.

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Chaos Dreadnought

The local club is holding another painting competition, and the category is Modern/Sci-Fi Vehicle/Warmachine.

I had initially entered the painting competition with my Forge Father Jotunn Hailstorm Cannon, but now that I'm painting through my Chaos Space Marines, I thought it would be better for me to enter something I plan on using on the table.
I've had this second-hand Chaos Dreadnought sitting around, waiting for some attention - so I'll be entering this model for the competition.

Here's my registration photo. The completed entry isn't due until August 23rd, which is still a while off. I plan on painting through the units for my planned army lists first, so that I have nice models to wage table-top warfare with - but then it'll be onto this bad boy.

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First Steps

With rumours of a new Chaos Space Marine Codex, as well as Chaos Space Marines being included as part of the upcoming Warhammer 40k 6^th Edition Starter Set, I’m reluctant to buy more models.

40K 6th Edition Starter Set: Dark Angels and Chaos Space Marines?

With this in mind, I made trip to Games Workshop in an attempt to fulfil my pledge and learn how to play WH40K. Before entering the store, I prepared myself for the inevitable hard-sell that would follow a demo game by going through some practiced responses in my mind. I steeled my resolve, and went in...

The store staff were friendly and attentive, and very happy to run my friend and I through a demo game of WH40k under the 6^th Edition rules. The demo itself was great, going through the basics of gameplay using the store’s pre-painted AoBR set and Citadel terrain, which made for a fantastic little game. The staff answered my questions succinctly, and explained things very clearly – but the best thing was the enthusiasm and passion for the game that came through.

Following the game, and after explaining my situation (making it clear that I was reluctant to buy anything on the day), I braced myself for the sale pitch... “Well, I’ll just be around the store – let me know if you need anything or have any more questions.” And off he went.

I was shocked that he didn’t try to push through (what would have been) a painful and awkward sales pitch. After the shock wore-off, a pleasant calm came over me and I realised something - that the staffer was just a nice guy. I guess not all Games Workshop staff are the monsters I’d read about online. After walking around the store for a while checking out the models, I decided I’d purchase something at the eye-gouging Australian Games Workshop retail prices. I didn’t feel like I had gone back on my resolve though, because I didn’t feel like I was buying from Games Workshop, I felt like I was buying from the nice staffer that spent the last 1.5 hours taking my buddy and I through a demo game.

Anyways, that was my pleasant experience in a Games Workshop store, and I’ve now got a new Chaos Daemon Prince to lead my Chaos Space Marine Army!

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Snow Table

One of my favorite things about mini-wargaming is the ability to create amazing worlds. Creating fantastic battlegrounds where armies can battle over scenic terrain pieces really helps bring the world to life.
There's something about a frozen battlefield - a cold, harsh environment, that is really appealing to me... maybe it's because I've only been to the snow 3 times, and I've only actually seen it snow once. Either way, I want to make a snow table for wargaming!

I wish I had the ability, budget and living room space to make something like the above, but for now I'll have to settle for something more practical. I've done a few terrain pieces before, but no 'snow themed' pieces - although I might look at modifying my existing terrain pieces to suit a snow theme.

Anyway, I'm really excited about this project, and with my pledge to learn Warhammer 40K my motivation to make a snow wargaming table is at dangerously high levels! It won't be for a 6'x4' - the limited space I have is 5'x3' dining table (that I'm assuming would suit games at lower points level) which I'll probably just put a grass or snow mat over. It'll be a humble little project, but I'm still really excited about it.

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A Pledge

The local gaming club is dominated by Warhammer 40k - there are some regular Flames of War players as well, but 40k is the staple played by most of the members. With the launch of Warhammer 40k's 6th Edition, I have made a pledge to learn the rules and become a Warhammer 40k player.

I made an attempt to learn to play Warhammer 40k in the past, and even have Deathwing and Chaos Space Marine armies. After spending 2-3 months collecting, assembling and painting my Frozen Fists, I got them to the local club and just couldn't get over the steep learning curve of the game. The rulebook is quite intricate compared to other systems I've played, and learning my own army, as well as that of my opponent, was too daunting.
So I put the 40k armies on the shelf and pursued other wargames. I found that, while those other wargames are awesome, it doesn't matter how great a game is if no one else plays it. So I'm now going to bite the bullet, climb that learning curve, and learn how to play 40k!

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Something WICKED this way comes!

I've had a hard time trying to chase down a copy of Project Pandora; Grim Cargo. With the lack of Mantic support down here in Australia, I’ve had to order a copy from the UK, which means I’m going to be waiting a long while for delivery!

That’s a long wait, especially if you’re really excited about a game – so I thought I’d start on a little side project while in an attempt to sate my excitement. I’m going to create some proxy models to use for Project Pandora with some existing models I’ve got lying around.

I’ve got a bunch of Space Marines lying around (I think most miniature wargamers do!) so I thought I’d start on them to make up a proxy force for the Corporation. I’ve got a few ideas about what models I can proxy for the Ver-myn but I’ll confirm what I’ve got hiding in my collection before I make any decisions.

Stay tuned for Project Pandora: Grim Cargo action!

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I'm Back!

It's been over 3 months since my last post! A few important real life issues forced me to pack away my wargaming stuff, but now that's resolved I'm ready to get back into some miniwargaming action :)
A few recent reviews brought this game to my attention - Project Pandora: Grim Cargo from Mantic Games.

I haven't played a 'dungeon crawler' style boardgame before, but the concept of this miniatures boardgame really appeals to me. Everything you need to for a fun, tactical wargame all contained in a single box. You don’t need a huge army to enjoy a wargame – of course there is a great appeal to it, but at this point in my life I don’t really have the time for army building any more.

But again, this has the problem of finding people to play with! Well, hopefully it will appeal to the Space Hulk fans at the local club!

Anyways, more Grim Cargo action to come!

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Special Operations: Killzone

After spending the last few months painting through Warmachine, and now Hordes, I have developed a thirst to paint some sci-fi - 40K in particular.
40K, and army wargames in general, are great, but I just don't have the time to invest in building them anymore.
I've found that good skirmish games have the same tactical depth, but with lower model count - meaning cheaper forces and less time required for army building. The games are usually quicker as well, and still provide me with the same level of enjoyment.

Anyways, a quick browse online lead me to Kill Team - a 40K based skirmish game that had been released during the 4th Edition of 40K. A little more browsing took me to a fan-developed and community driven evolution of the system - Special Operations: Killzone, posted by Big Jim at Galaxy in Flames.

Special Operations: Kill Zone

Killzone Rulebook - a supplementary rule set which builds upon the established 40K rules.
Codex: Operatives - a codex specifying the troop restrictions that can be taken from each 40K Army Book, as well as some Killzone specific abilities and wargear.

After reading page 2 of the Rulebook I was hooked - "To be a man in such times is to one amongst uncounted billions... but there are moments when the actions of just one man can recalibrate the entire merciless Universe." A narrative-driven 40K skirmish game - perfect!

So I spent yesterday evening going through my substantial collection of neglected 40K models (the perfect excuse to get them painted!) reading over army lists and going through codexes.

More Killzone action to come!

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They See Me Rollin'

Left: Black and Pink, Top: Opaque Pink, Bottom: Velvet Pink

I finally got my hands on what I plan to use as my new Warmachine/Hordes dice! Being a long time reader of 3++ is the new black, I snapped up the opportunity to score myself some of their official dice sets, and I'll be using these for all future Warmachine and Hordes games.

Previously I'd been using various sets from the Chessex 12mm range, which were a remnant from my short-lived excursions into WHFB, 40K and Kings of War.
For Warmachine and Hordes though, the maximum number of die I'll ever be rolling at a time is 4, so sets of 16mm die seemed a lot more practical. I'm really happy with the three sets of 4 I got from 3++, and can't wait to get them on the table!

Thanks Kirby!

Close up of the 3++ logo

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A New Year's Resolution

Now that I've got a two Warmachine armies under my belt, and have two Hordes armies to paint up, I've decided that they'll need a battlefield on which to wage war.
I've set myself the goal of creating a gaming table, as well as all the terrain and scenic elements too. I'll be trying to balance my hobbying time between this project and my army painting projects too - oh, and making sure I get to the local club once a fortnight to get my game on.

I've always loved the modular elements of the Citadel Realm of Battle
Gameboard - but for AUD$450 definitely not an option.

I haven't decided on the theme for my battlefield yet, but with so much inspiration to be found online, I'm sure the trouble will be deciding which theme to pursue!
I'd like to make a proper table specifically dedicated to my mini-wargaming, but sadly our apartment doesn't have the space for one. So it looks like I'll be exploring the option of making a gameboard which can be stored when not in use.

Warmachine Gameboard - Commissioned by Penny Arcade

I'm very excited about this project, and I've decided that I'll be splitting my hobby time evenly between my army painting projects and terrain making projects. That'll mean my armies will take longer to finish of course, but hopefully I'll still be able to maintain a steady pace with them.

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