Hunt For Voldorius by Andy Hoare

I was able to get my hands on this book before it hit store shelves back in August 2010.   It hit shelves a month later in September.

I just finished reading this book a short while ago so I could pick up the new Space Marines Battles novel The Purging Of Kadillus.  Why did it take me seven months to read?  Because this book is just that BAD.

I struggled to finish this book.  It was not captivating nor was it even interesting.  In fact it was rather dull and laughable.  I don’t even really care to discuss the content of the book as the only enjoyment I received from this novel was Mr. Hoare’s gripping obsession with the word “cacophony”.  Every other sentence seemed to use this damn word.  Let me give you the gist of the novel and save you $12.00… Captain Kor'sarro Khan of the White Scars tracks down his arch nemesis Lord Voldorius (an Alpha Legion daemon prince), some ridiculous shit happens, Captain Shrike and the Raven Guard show up, some more stupid shit happens, Marvel’s Silver Surfer swings on by and then Voldorius is slain… The End!

My concluding thought on this novel is two parts: One, do not waste your money on this book and; two, for Mr. Hoare, “ Andy, it’s called a fething thesaurus… Try using it.”

Helsreach by Aaron Dembski Bowden

Move over Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill, there’s a new hard hitting, heavy weight in the ranks of The Black Library and his name is Aaron Dembski Bowden.

Once again the world of Armageddon is besieged by orks and a small crusade of 100  Black Templars led by Chaplain Grimaldus are among its defenders, charged with defending Hive Helsreach.  As the war wages on and Hive Helsreach starts to fall, any hope of victory is crushed as the ork horde constructs a Great Gargant whose size dwarfs even the mighty Imperator titan, but legend tells of a secret, great and powerful weapon from the first war for Armageddon; one that the Adeptus Mechanicus would rather sacrifice the planet than awaken… it may be the very salvation they seek.

This book is… Awesome!  The writing is so eloquent and impassioned that it draws you in from the very first sentence.  Helsreach is a must read in my opinion.  If you can spare the $12.00 I highly suggest you run out and buy it before you can’t find it anymore.

Cheers!

Rynn’s World by Steve Parker

I just finished Rynn’s World by Steve Parker the other night.  A good thing too as Helsreach, the next installment of the Space Marine Battle Novel series is starting to hit bookshelves.

Rynn’s World tells the tail of an Ork invasion on the Crimson Fists home planet of Rynn’s World.  Shortly after the Orks make planet fall a great and terrible tragedy strikes the Crimson Fists as they suffer massive losses due to their fortress monastery being reduced to a pile of rubble.  The book follows the chapter master Pedro Kantor as he struggles to keep his chapter from being completely annihilated.

Overall I really enjoyed the book.  It was very captivating at times and had me eagerly flipping the pages.  There are however, times where scenes ended rather abruptly and left me wanting more.  Sadly there are also a plethora of type-o’s, but none that any average reader can’t get past.  If you’re a fan of the Crimson Fists or even just like Space Marines and their few versus many battle stories then I definitely recommend this book.

Titanicus by Dan Abnett

I finished reading Titanicus and I have to say that this book is incredible.  It’s due for re release in paperback soon so I strongly suggest buying it.  Surely I am not the first person to give this book rave reviews and I hope I’m not the last.

Titanicus is actually my first Black Library purchase and a fine one I have to admit.  This book has single handedly sunk its claws into my imagination and thrusted me into all that is grim and dark and magnificent in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  For the first time ever I’m more than just fascinated by the Warhammer 40,000 universe and its stories.  For the first time I want to know more, I want to read more and I can give my thanks to Dan Abnett for that.

Titanicus is the book that I will forever compare future Black Library books to and I honestly think the bar is set high.

R.I.P. Frosty The Snow Marine 8/09 – 10/09

This post is dedicated in loving memory of Frosty the Snow Marine.  May the emperor bless.  “We had some good times ‘ol buddy, I’ll miss ya.”

Frosty met his demise in the green abyss a.k.a.  Simple Green.

I have to say that this stuff has done it again.  Another successful Simple Green story to add to the pile.  I left my frosted tactical squad soak for a little more than 24 hours, pulled them out and got busy scrubbing them with an old tooth brush.  About 98% of the paint came off.  Good enough for most I’d assume, but I’m a perfectionist so back into the green abyss they went for another 24 hours.  After the second dip and scrubbing I was much happier with the results.  You can see below that the primer was left almost wholly unscathed, the plastic completely unharmed and the paint 99.9% gone.

The squad is ready for paint once more, but this time will not be subject to the horrors of GW’s Purity Seal.  Instead I have two cans of Testors Dullcote on standby.

Aside from this I haven’t been able to accomplish much.  I’ve been in Florida this past week on business.  I have however managed to get my Hive Tyrant and my super exclusive closed claw Lictor assembled.  I want another Hive Tyrant, but I will most definitely be waiting for the new plastic kit.  Why?  Three reasons: 1. It’s plastic. 2. Wings.  3. It’s plastic… The metal kit is a slutty whore and pushed my patients to the limit.

Until next post, thanks for stopping.  Cheers!

Battle Foam Space Hulk Trays

I got my Space Hulk trays from Battle Foam tonight and as soon as I could I put them to use.  The trays fit very nicely into the Space Hulk box which I have to say is the nicest thing about them.

Model Tray – First, this tray is a must have for anyone that intends to paint the models.  The model tray amazingly is able to fit all 12 Terminators and 22 Genestealers albeit very snugly, but this is to be expected.  Trying to figure out what model goes where and how it fits can be a bit of a chore.  Battle Foam does give you a black & white print out of where things go, but it’s a Xerox copy and is a bit tough to interpret.  Once I figured it out I immediately took a picture with my cell phone so I’ll always have it handy, even if I travel to a friends house.  If you’re masochistic and  up for a puzzle challenge than you could try to figure it out on your own… Good luck if you try.

Some of the Genestealers at the very top stick up a bit, but nothing too bad.  Once the box top is on it doesn’t matter.

Game Tray – The game tray is just as much a puzzle as the model tray.  It took me a awhile to figure out how to arrange all of the pieces so that nothing came up to high and made the model tray stick out.  Once everything was in place I again took a picture so I’ll have an idea of how to put it all back in.  Oh yea, the larger than life Mission Status Display and books do not fit.  They’ll need to be placed either on the very top or in between the trays.

What to look out for – Because the model tray has such tight tolerances, the Genestealers claws snag the foam.  Over time I can see this being an issue as  the foam will get shredded.  The game tray (at least mine) had hair thin stands of glue all over the inner bottom portion where the corridor pieces go.  I didn’t think much of it at first, but amidst my fumbling around trying to make things fit I found pieces sticking together.  It was the glue and it did not come off, so be warned and be careful.

Conclusion – Despite the whole glue ordeal and knowing that eventually the Genestealers will not only tear the Terminators to bits, but also my model try… I give this product 3.5 Golden Aquila’s out of 5.

Battle Foam PACK 432 – Product Review

After waiting exactly one month for my PACK 432 to show up… it showed up.  Fridays really are the best day of the week.

My initial impressions were very good and remained good after looking the bag over thoroughly.  The fabric is a durable nylon that should withstand a fair bit of use.  There’s a hard shell on all sides of the bag in between the fabric, this gives it a very rugged feel and gives me a sense of comfort that my models are well protected.  This bag has plenty of pockets to hold my gamming aids and dice too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The large pocket on the front is big enough to hold a codex and the mini rule book and also your army lists.

One of the many great designs of this bag is how snugly it holds the foam, there’s very little room for movement.  Again, this gives me a sense of comfort that my models are going to stay in place and not end up in a pool in the bottom of the bag.

My final thoughts on this bag is that it’s a great product.  It’s a little pricy weighing in at $150.00 before shipping with the custom foam load out, but quality usually is expensive.  I’m giving Battle Foam’s PACK 432, 4.5 golden Aquila's out of 5.  The only reason I didn’t give a perfect 5 is because of the lengthy wait despite my foam selection being standard offerings.

Black Lava by Vallejo

On my adventure to a new gaming store this weekend I was introduced to a new hobby product, Acrylicos Vallejo’s Black Lava.  Black Lava is a thick black  paste that contains small stone fragments and can be used for all sorts of rough textures. 

I bought it up thinking it would be superb for doing terrain.  While I was right, I got to brain storming of all the different things this amazing product could be used for.  Eureka!  Black Lava is the miracle product perfect for mud on tank tracks and model bases.

To the right is a picture of Black Lava painted onto a base.  This was a slot base so I filled it with green stuff first and then used a large flat brush to coat the surface with the Black Lava. 

After letting it dry for a good period of time. I moved on to painting.  Vallejo suggest 45 minutes to several hours of drying time depending on thickness.

 

Here we have the final product.  I actually like using the Black Lava a lot better than using traditional PVA glue and basing sand.  Black Lava is quicker, easier and I think results in a much better base.  Although, I bet that a combination of the two would make for some outstanding results.

In case you’re wondering how I painted the base: Paint Scorched Brown > Heavy dry brush Dark Flesh > Dry brush Bestial Brown sparingly to create unevenness > Dry brush Bubonic Brown > Dry brush Bleached Bone concentrating on only the highest points.

I highly recommend this product and I’m sure there are hundreds of uses for it.  If I come up with anything else I’ll be sure to post.  Thanks for reading.

I Got Mail!

Yeah! My order from Gail Force Nine was waiting for me when I got home from work. As you can plainly see what I got in the picture to the left, I won't bother telling you.

First let me say that I am thoroughly impressed at the quality of these products. They exceeded my expectations ten fold, even the packaging is nice.

The dice are a little bigger than what I expected, but no matter they're quite awesome. The six is replaced by a skull to make them extra killy - though my girlfriend of all people pointed out that the skull doesn't make sense for saving throws. I'm so proud of her. The T.A.C. Template is just freekin' sweet in every regard. Now that I own one I can see why every 40K player should have one. Lastly, the fire markers - I bought these because they make the Vehicle Destroyed result more 'cinematic' and I like that.

My conclusion is that GF9 is awesome and will most definitely be purchasing more product from them.

My Miniatures New Digs

I've always felt that putting so much time and effort into painting an army just to hide it away in a travel case was such a waste.  Thanks to IKEA I was able to get a nice glass display case on the cheap.  How much on the cheap?  $59.99 plus, another $10 for the light.  A complete glass tower display case for $70.00 how could I walk away from that?

Since this piece is from IKEA it's not the Ferrari of display cases, but it's decent and looks nice.  There's enough surface area per shelf to hold a small army of maybe 1000 points depending on what the army consists of. Assembly was easy, but does require two people.  I should also mention that this thing weighs 93lbs.  I grabbed mine at the store, but you may want to take that into account if you want one and need to pay shipping.

Overall I'm happy with it and I'm very excited to fill it.  It's motivating in a way. If you're looking or thinking about getting a display case and don't want to spend a bunch of money then I definitely recommend this one.

Decals - Getting That "Painted On" Look

Ok, if you like that "Painted On" look, but lack the free-hand painting skills to do it than I highly suggest these two products. Microscale Industries, Inc. Micro Set and Micro Sol. They are absolutely wonderful.

Micro Set is a very versatile decal setting solution that does several things, it softens the decal so that it can conform better to the model's surface, and can be used as a decal remover / lifter after the decal has already been put into place.

Micro Sol setting solution is for the most difficult irregular surfaces. It completely softens the decal allowing it to drape down onto the surface of the model conforming perfectly and without distortion.

Brush a little Micro Set onto the surface where the decal is to be applied. Place your decal and than carefully brush some more Micro Set onto the decal. Wait a few minute for the setting solution to work. If needed apply more Micro Set -OR- use Micro Sol for more softening strength. Once Micro Sol has been used, leave it alone, it does the work. Don't touch it before it's dry as the decal is very soft at this stage and could be easily damaged.

Here are some examples: