Long time no post

It has been way to long since my last post and I am unsure how long it might be for the next one.  Having shifted back to Bundaberg, we find out that the house that we are renting has been set for when the NBN is completed in our estate.  As a result we have incompatible infrastructure with the ‘normal’ set up and therefore cannot get a phone line or access to ADSL.

We have been told that it should only be a ‘couple’ of months before NBN connection is complete but until then we have to go on wireless.  Telstra in their infinite wisdom won’t give out anything less than 24 month contracts and when told that we only want it for a few months they said that we could just pay for the remainder of the contract for internet that we won’t be using.

As a result we have gone through Dodo who at least offer 6 month contracts but as they piggyback of the Optus network, the signal strength here is crap and as a result I average 5 KB/second which is just painful.  So this is a test post to see how long it takes to upload and I shudder to think how long it might take to upload a post with photos in it (even if reduced in size).

Any way whinge over so a quick update of what I have been doing over the last couple of months.

1. Dystopian wars – Kingdom of Britannia fleet (KOB)

2. Learning how to air brush using my KOB fleet as my test subjects

3. Firestorm Armada – Aquan fleet waiting to get my air brushing skills up as I really would like to have a similar paint scheme in the rule book.

4. Making up more scenery for Dystopian Wars.

Pictures will follow when I can go around to a friend’s place and use my tablet for my next post.

 

Hope all are well.

Hive Fleet Megalodon evolves

I have finally gotten around to building some mycetic spores for my Tyranid army, they are the tyranid version of space marine drop pods.  These were made using a method that I found on TerraGenesis for alien polyps. I envision them to be a combination of an egg and carnivorous plant.

I have been wanting to make these up for the last couple of years and never got around to it until now.  I slightly modified the process and the open one is of my own design.  I would like to have varnished them in a gloss coat but as I don’t have any yet, that will have to wait. 

This may be my last post for a couple of weeks as we are hoping to shift towns in the next few weeks so all my gaming stuff is being packed up.  As it it I was ‘in trouble’ for making up more things when I should be packing

Golden Phoenix Chapter founding background

I have been trying to create a background for my 40k marine chapter.  It is a combination of Dark Angel, Blood Angel and Vanilla marine miniatures.  I like the idea of using certain miniatures so I want to be able to use Space Marine, Dark Angel and Blood Angel codexes.  I realise that I can just use them any way but I felt I needed to have my background in place first.  Any way it is not Black Library standard but hopefully a reasonable read.

“My Lord, we have just received this communiqué from the Golden Angels chapter master. It appears to have been sent some 80 years ago. We have run it through decryption algorithms twice to attempt to boost the signal but there is still some data bytes missing from the message.”
“Why has it taken so long to get here?”
“Warp storm activity my Lord”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ATTENTION HIGH LORD ALPHON
641.M38
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PRIORITY OMEGA NOVEMBER ECHO
FROM CHAPTER MASTER – GOLDEN ANGELS
5^TH SUBMISSION ATTEMPT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IT IS WITH THE HIGEST PRIORITY, MISGIVINGS AND PERIL THAT I SUB....T THIS REQUEST FOR AID. OUR SECTOR HAS BEEN ....OLOPED BY A WARP STORM OF THE LIKES UNSEEN IN MIL....NIA. WE HAVE BEEN BESEIGED FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS BY CHAOS MARINES FROM THE ........... .........PTER.
THE EMPORER PROTECTS US BUT WE ARE IN URGENT NEED OF BOTH REINFORCEMENTS AND SUPPLI.... TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE VICTORIOUS.
EMPEROR PROTECT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Until the warp storm abates, we are unable to send assistance. Let us pray to the Emperor that He intervenes on his children’s behalf and this damned storm dissipates quickly. Send for my personal psyker and see that she should bring her tarot cards.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ATTENTION HIGH LORD ALPHON
653.M38
WE HAVE MANAGED AT GREAT COST TO HOLD OUT AGAINST OUR DAMNED BRETHEREN SO FAR. THERE ARE LESS THAN 100 BROTHERS OF COMBAT READY STATUS LEFT. THERE ARE SIGNS THAT REINFORCEMENTS SHOULD NOW BE ABLE TO BREACH THE WARP STORM AS IT IS SEEMS TO BE DIMINISHING.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ADDENDUM....
A GREAT DISHONOUR HAS BEFALLEN US, THE ENEMY HAS BREACHED OUR INNERMOST DEFENCES AND HAS STOLEN A LARGE PORTION OF OUR PRECIOUS GENE-SEED BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THEM OFF. IF OUR CHAPTER IS TO CONTINUE TO BRING HIS GOLORIOUS LIGHT TO THE GALAXY WE NEED TO REPLENISH OUR NUMBERS.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Dispatch the nearest Ultramarine cruiser to assist them as soon as possible and provide them with the pure Ultramarine Gene-seed to splice with their own to assist in rebuilding.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The sleek hull of the Emperor’s Gift glides silently through the shifting eddies of the warp. The occasional rainbow coloured halo briefly coalesces around the cruiser as unseen entities try unsuccessfully to gain entry. The serenity inside suddenly shatters as an extremely bright flash erupts from the Emperor’s Gift and the warp envelops her whole.
Even though sirens scream inside, the occupants move purposefully from room to room. “Captain, the Geller field has gone down,” a robotic servitor droned.
“All crew to battle stations; brother marines prepare for possible daemonic borders” calmly ordered Captain Jameuk in to the vox on his chair.
Suddenly the servitor to Jameuk’s left whirrs, “multiple contacts on decks epsilon, delta & zeta.” “Squads Theo, Halpin and Franco repel borders. Remember your faith in the Emperor is your shield,” Jameuk orders as he moves towards the display, studying it even as he walks closer.
“Squad Liunc, move towa.....” the Captain freezes mid-sentence.
Down in the hull, a translucent mist starts to take form and other shapes appear just seconds later around it. A large bird like creature stands before a large adamantium door with an evil smile on its beak. A dozen pink creatures hold jars in their arms and one receives a not so gentle shove and asks, “Master what are we here for and what’s in the jars.”
With a malevolent stare, the Greater Daemon, KR’ KIIR, gives a slight chuckle, “my dear underling, these jars contain what the humans call gene-seed. They take their weak children and by splicing the gene-seed with their own genes it makes them in to the soldiers that are present on this ship.” The pink horror looks up confused, “why then are we giving them more of it? So they can make more?”
With a sigh of exasperation, KR’KIIR continues, “The gene-seed in this vault comes from a group of humans that have a pure and stable genetic makeup, while the seed from the humans known as the Blood Angels, is flawed and our Master has seen that by switching the seed, it will further his one of his great plans.”
“Why don’t we just kill them then,” an inquisitive horror blurts out from behind. KR’KIIR shoots an irritated glance at the horror and with a squeal it agonisingly splits in two and they both take on a pale blue colour and it continues, “All you have to know is that if we kill them, it is over too quickly, BUT if we alter their genes, the grand Tzeentch has seen that great confusion can be sown and the fate of a human sector is at stake.”
“How will we get past the wards on the vault,” the first horror tentatively asked. “With the shields of the ship down, I can access the full power of the warp to bypass the wards, but leave them there so as to not generate suspicion,” replies KR’KIIR as it stares intently at the door. With a wave of its feathered hand, the contents of the jars within the vault slowly dissolve into the amniotic fluid they are floating in, and with another wave the contents of the Blood Angel jars vanish and appear inside the jars in the vault.
Then as suddenly as they appear they disappear.
“.........rds the armoury and secure it.”
“Captain, this is Sergeant Den’ves. The daemons have suddenly vanished.”
“All stations - damage report NOW!” barked the Captain.
“No damage or casualties to report and the Gellar Field is back on line.”
“Monitor all stations and let’s make all haste to help our brothers.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ATTENTION HIGH LORD ALPHON
CAPTAIN JAMEUK’S REPORT
653.M38
THE VALOUR AND BRAVERY OF THE ULTRAMARINES HAS SHONE ONCE MORE. THE ENEMY, UPON SEEING OUR ARRIVAL, MADE HASTE TO LEAVE THE PLANET AS SOON AS THEY COULD. WE WERE UNABLE TO GIVE CHASE AS WE NEEDED TO HAND OVER THE MUCH NEEDED GENE-SEED. IT WILL BE A SLOW PROCESS BUT THE GOLDEN ANGELS WILL RETURN IN TIME.
THROUGH US, GUILLIMAN LIVES ON
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MAGOS BIOLOGUS QWENTIN’S REPORT
421.M39
I WAS CALLED IN TO INVESTIGATE THE UNFORSEEN RESULTS OF THE SPLICING OF THE ULTRAMARINE AND GOLDEN ANGELS GENE-SEED. THE RATE AT WHICH THE ZYGOTES WERE GROWING WAS AT AN ACCEPTIBLE LEVEL BUT ROUGHLY 200 YEARS AFTER THE INTIAL MODIFICATION WERE COMPLETED THE MARINES OF THIS CHAPTER ARE NOW SHOWING SOME SIGNS OF THE RED THIRST. WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A CHAPTER SPECIFIC FLAW TO THE BLOOD ANGELS AND OF THEIR SUCCESSORS BUT IT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PRESENT HERE.
ALL POSSIBILITIES WERE INVESTIGATED AND I EVENTUALLY DISCOVERED THAT THE INSTEAD OF THE ULTRAMARINES GENE-SEED, SOME HOW BLOOD ANGEL SEED WAS CONTAINED WITHIN THE CRYO TUBES. NORMALLY THE SPLICNG WOULD NOT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY UNITED, SO THIS THEN LEAD ME TO THE DISCOVERY THAT THE CRYO TUBES CONTAINED MINUTE TRACES OF THE ULTRAMARINE GENE-SEED AND AS A RESULT OF THE PURE NATURE OF THIS GENE-SEED IT SOMEHOW COMBINED THE OTHER TWO.
I HAVE BEEN UNSUCESSFUL IN REPLICATING THIS PROCESS SO I AM HUMBLED TO ADMIT THAT I CANNOT EXPLAIN WHY THIS HAS OCCURRED. ALL I CAN GIVE ARE THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS:
# MONITOR THE CHAPTER FOR ANY FUTURE DEVIATION OR MUTATION
# SO AS TO AID THIS CHAPTER IN ITS RECOVERY AND TO UNDERSTAND THE NATRE OF THIS FLAW, SEND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BLOOD ANGELS TO OFFER WHAT GUIDANCE THAT THEY CAN.
HIS GUIDANCE BE PRAISED
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HIGH LORD FITHE
763.M39
I TAKE GREAT HONOUR IN REPORTING THAT OUR ONCE GLORIOUS CHAPTER HAS RISEN ANEW FROM THE FLAMES OF DESTRUCTION. TWO HAVE BECOME ONE AND ONCE AGAIN WE WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE GALAXY AND WE WILL TAKE REVENGE ON THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED US AND NO MERCY WILL BE SHOWN.
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD WE TAKE ON A NAME THAT BEARS OUR PAST GLORIES AND SYMBOLISES THE NEW HONOURS THAT AWAIT US.
I PRESENT TO YOU THE:
GOLDEN PHOENIX CHAPTER.

British Napoleonic Army

I have finally managed to paint up all my Napoleon @ War British figures.  This gives me a basic army but I believe that I need to add 1 more box of infantry (4 units) to make it ‘legal’.  I also intend to use it for Lasalle as well.  I have already posted up photos of it but I finally had the enthusiasm (and lack of work this week) to paint up the rest. As well as the box of infantry I would like to buy a horse artillery set as well.

More Vietnam terrain

I have made up some more buildings and some bunkers/foxholes.

Vietnam village planners sacked

Over the last couple of days I have been building some Vietnam buildings called hooches.  I must admit that the first 4 buildings built were looking good until I painted them.  As hooches are made with grass/bamboo I tried to give the impression by using textured paint that I quickly slapped together.  I was not impressed but kept going and then painted them a nice green colour (of grass).  I then posted them up on the Fields of Fire forum and the helpful members reinforced my thoughts and was given extremely useful advice.

Using this information I have then constructed a new building (based on one I saw in a battle report) and I am much happier with the new version.  It is more labour intensive but so much more worth the effort.  The pictures go from the crappy ones to the new improved version.

The old

The new

Let me know your thoughts.

Termite Mounds

Here are a couple of photos of termite mounds that can be used for FNG 2nd Tour.  The rules are as follows courtesy of the author Darby:

Termite mounds- DV3 or DV4 (even chance). Each is approx 1"-2" wide and 4"-6" long (yes, they are linear), and are half as tall as a person. Troops standing behind a mound count as in cover, but not concealment from the ground. Troops prone behind mounds are considered to be out of direct LOS for being fired upon.  Troops behind termite mounds only count as in cover from the air if the mound is between the target and the aircraft.

Anyway on to the photos.