My minis are worth 1p more than yours!

Because plastic models are so light and fall over all the time, Ive glued 1 pence coins to under their bases... Now my Tau are worth 30p more than yours! haha

Now I need more 1p coins and metal glue to do my 171st Rangers...

Small Update

So I've ordered a few bits to finish off the armies and squads that I currently have (like Tau fire warrior bodies for the last few guys... thank you ebay!), so hopefully that will all come soon and I'll take some proper pictures.

I also converted a pulse pistol from a pulse carbine for my Inq28 Tau model, so that looks pretty cool. I did some googling and found various reference pics to use for ideas... (for the record, none of these pics or models are mine).

I've also been fleshing out my Inq28 character 'Mira', who was originally going to be based around the female Gaunt's Ghosts model, but I'm coming away from that idea. I saw a cut scene from the Space Marine game, and the female Cadian officer looked really cool (and yes, thats where I got the name from).

So she's kind of what I want to base my Mira on... unfortunately there ARE no female Imperial guard models. I did some googling, and someone, somewhere, some time ago made this cool conversion kit:

Which makes awesome models like this one on the right:

I'd kill for the model on the right. Its perfect, I don't know whose it is but I want it.

Anyway, unfortunately that conversion set, it seems, is no longer available. Which is annoying to say the least. I looked around and theres various conversion guides, but most involve sculpting with GS (something I'm not capable of) or using ugly models or things from other ranges. Not cool.

However I FINALLY found a site in AUSTRALIA that makes this kit:

I think that's as close as I'll ever find... I've emailed them to ask about costs and shipping etc, and am waiting to hear back. In the mean time I've ebayed some Cadian legs, accessories and the two arms from the model in the image above the one above.... if that makes sense. The ones holding the helmet and lasgun, from the new command sprue. So hopefully if i can get the above conversion kit I'll be able to make Mira!

In other news I've also started writing a story for my Inq warband, though I'm only 1000 words in, so I'm going to keep that all hush hush for now.

Ive also divided my 9 man Inq28 war band (my macbook pro keeps correcting warband to war band, so just go with it cos I can't be bothered to keep correcting it) into two smaller allied war bands, one for each inquisitor.

They break down like so:

Band 1:
Nate Carter
Mira Chase
Aun'ui Kais
Rico (cadian sniper)
Buck (harker model)

Band 2:
Aiden Veredus
The Commissar
The Assassin
Jokaero

I see band 1 as being a kind of 'hands on, feet on the ground' team with the second acting as support back up in the ship... or at least thats how its going in my story at the mo.

I've also become quite interested in starting a Tyranid army at some point. Yesterday my girlfriend mentioned she was playing dinosaurs with her nephew, and it got me thinking that dinosaurs would be a cool addition to 40K. Then realised they already existed in the form on Tyranids.... after doing some reading and watching the awesome film Starship Troops (Imperial Guard vs Tyranids: The Movie), I've decided that I'd quite like to make a Tyranid army at some point, as they're really different from anything else that I've ever collected. Though I think I should probably get my first 3 forces fully painted first!

... surely, though, the starter set and a hive tyrant can't hurt? and maybe one of those things that sounds like a trex? Money money money....

Anyway, everything else has kind of stalled until I get these bits I need... I also need to buy PVA glue, basing flock and undercoat everything before I can even THINK about starting to paint.

Oh yeah, and theres also that small matter of finishing my final year photography project for my degree. Had a whole year to do it, its due in less than a month... Really should probably start that :/

Finally i've been thinking about designing a smuggler ship for my Inq28 war bands (design, not make!)... but its difficult to get scale right! Im basing it on 1-in-game-inch = 1.8 real-world-meters... does that sound about right?

Im looking at the Millennium Falcon and Firefly as inspirations. All I've got so far in that theres two cargo holds, one for cargo and the other will house the Valkyrie and a Rhino. Im kind of using the table that all my models are sitting on as an idea for the size of the ship, so trying to convert that into real world dimensions, I think its about 70x35meters... but I don't really know (the table is 36x18 inches).

heres the table with models on for comparison:

Anyway, Im gonna go... do.. something.. I dunno. Maybe watch Starship Troopers 2!

Carry Case Nightmare

Oh man... this is a nightmare.

So I have three armies (plus 'nice one offs' which Im now calling 'Hero Models') all of which formerly lived in shoe boxes all just thrown in together... NOT happening again!

So I need to sort out some nice foam cases for all the models. Preferably 3 army cases and one smaller case for the Hero Models (I actually own an old small GW case... Its just foamless atm, so if I get some foam that can be used for the hero models)

But looking at army cases is just giving me a massive headache. Seriously. They are RIDICULOUSLY expensive for what they are. Come on!

The GW case looks really good, and it seems like one case will hold a whole army of mine with space for expansion... which is cool. Heres a pic of it:

I like how its now twice as big as the old case that I have, so one side can hold the infantry and the other side can hold heavier stuff. I really like it, and I'd love to have... well, three of em.

But its £62?! So if I wanted three that would be £186... thats just stupid. Really, come on, thats stupid. No way. No way.

But I'm trying to shop around and everything just seems so stupidly expensive! I can't believe I'd ever say this, but for what you get.... the GW case actually seems to be the most practical and affordable. and thats crazy.

KR do some nice stuff... and although the crappy cardboard boxes are cheaper than GW, by the time I've bought enough boxes to hold everything, I'm only about £40 shy of getting 3 GW cases. Plus the sheer choice at KR is giving me a headache. Its too complicated and theres too much choice, I can't work out what I want or need....

An example of one (of millions) of variations of the KR case:

Urg, someone please help! All my models are sitting on a table that I nicked from the lounge, and my housemates want it back... I have nowhere to put these damn models! Arrrghhhh!

Rangers Rehash

So after finally getting a look at the Imperial Guard codex I realised that my Rangers weren't organised correctly.

It turns out that an entire platoon comprises just one troop slot, and that a platoon consists of a command squad, troop squads, special weapon squads and heavy weapon squads.

So using my leftover troops (and realising that they worked out exactly right for numbers, and that this must have been my intention when i bought them) I reorganised as follows.

Infantry Platoon:
Command Squad - Officer, standard bearer, medic, plasma gun, vox caster
3 shock troop squads
2 special weapon squads (6 men each, one team with 3 meltaguns and one team with 3 plasma guns)
2 heavy weapon teams (6 men each, 3 heavy weapons each)

I also realised that the veterans form a troop choice, which is good seeing as how the platoon only counted as one choice. So I added a second team of veterans (again using my Gaunt's Ghosts models... I didn't have a sergeant, so I took the Corbec model with his broken lasgun and turned it into a shotgun)

I didn't have a spare vox caster for the platoon command squad, so had to fiddle a bit.... I snipped the lasgun trooper from my Basilisk and replaced him with the old metal Cadian commander, then took a vox set from a Ghost trooper and stuck it to his back, then nicked a base from my ONLY spare model which was a cadian grenadier.

So everything worked out pretty well!

Final army composition is this then:

HQ:
Command Squad (5 men plus psyker)

Elite:
Kasrkin Stormtroopers (10 men)

Troop:
Infantry Platoon
-- Command squad (5 men)
-- 3 10-man Shock Troop Squads
-- 2 6-man Special Weapon Squads
-- 2 6-man Heavy Weapon Squads
2 Veteran Squads (10 men each)

Fast Attack:
Sentinel
Chimera

Heavy Support:
Leman Russ
Basilisk

(that entire right hand column of troop consists of just that one platoon, which is a single troop choice.... crazy! The left hand column is the rest of the army, plus the vehicles. Ignore the Land Raider, thats for the Space Marines!)

That gives a grand total of 95 soldiers! Counting the 3 tanks and sentinel, thats 99 models... I might have to get them a commissar or something just to make it an even 100 - or use that Valkyrie I want! Sweet! (compared to my Tau and Space Marine armies, which are about 50-60 models each)

On a side note... my hammerhead which was paint stripped got dettol all inside its troop compartment, and no matter how much I wash it and let it dry, it still stinks of dettol. Hmm :/

Whatever you want... Just bigger.

My last post was everything in the 40K scale that I wanted.

Now I previously mentioned that I want to get into Inq28, because it seems like fun. But I'd also really like to keep at its 54mm bigger brother too. I said that I wouldn't bother though unless I found my old models... while that still stands, theres no harm in a wish list.

1.) Kal Jerico - I know, I know. You can't get him anymore and that sucks. Big time. Its actually the main reason that I'm reluctant to get back into 54mm Inquisitor, because I wouldn't want to do it without this model. Firstly, it's awesome. Secondly I'd want to make my Inq28 war band and the leader is based on Kal Jerico. Hence I want this model. Now I used to have him, so he is somewhere... I just need to find that damn box! If not... ebay maybe? I just watched one go for £30 earlier today, eep :/

2.) Inquisitor Eisenhorn - one of the best minis GW has ever made, and also one of my favourites. He was the basis of my original Veredus model, and now that I've made the character into an older man, I want to use good old Eisenhorn again to base him on. Cool. Mini.

3.) Severina - the chick on the left, is too cool. Again, part of my Inq28 team and so I want her for the 54mm version. Also really cool models. The one of the right can be sent to the bitz box!

4.) Arbites Judge - I actually already have him somewhere, so if i can find it, great. If not, I want him for the 54mm warband. Im thinking he can be the same character as the Commissar in the Inq28 version.

5.) Artemis - need I say more? I never bought him back in the day. Now I want him. Not for the warband obviously, but just cos he's cool.

Right, that really is all the models I want from GW now!

Of course... I also have a massive list of non-GW models which I think are cool. But we'll leave that or we'll be here forever!

Whats that? Go paint the ones you already have and stop looking at more? .... Maybe. I need to get paints and brushes first!

Whatever you want..

So, while I obviously need to get on with finishing off squads and basing and painting everything, I can still dream of what I want to complete my collection. So get ready for a pic heavy post, cos here comes everything I want / looks cool!

1.) the Valkyrie. Because I love it. and have always wanted one. and i have two uses for it (Guard army and personal transport for Inq28 characters)

2.) Kal Jerico (.. and Scabbs - bin!) - One of my all time favourite GW models and the basis for my Inq28 character Inquisitor Nathan Carter

3.) Aun'Shi - another of my favourite models. I remember when it was first released when Tau first came out and he was the first model i bought (along with a Fire Warrior team). He will be used as Nate's partner in crime for Inq28

4.) Primaris Psyker - another really cool model which reminds me of the 54mm Eisenhorn (one of my favourite models ever). He's going to be used as Carter's mentor, Veredus (my namesake!)

5.) Death Cult Assassins - more cool models (notice a pattern here?) which are based on the awesome 54mm Severina and Sevora minis. The one of the right with the sword will be used for my Inq28 war band while the one on the left with join my Inquisitor Cortez warband in my Spartan army.

6.) Cadian Snipers - again, cool minis. One on the right for Inq28 warband, one of the left for 40K war band.

7.) Commissar - again, cool. Will be used in Inq28 warband.

8.) Harker - really cool dude. He'll be in my Inq28 warband as a Jayne Cobb (Firefly) meets The Rock type character.

9.) Jokaero - random but cool. Gotta have it. He/she/it will act as my Inq28 engineer and mechanic for the warband (so keeping everything working). I see it as an R2-D2 kind of character - extremely resourceful and useful, but also a bit of comic relief.

10.) Lord Commissar - awesome model, will be using him as the Colonel to lead my Sierran Rangers guard army.

11.) Cadian Sergeants - they will lead two of the shock troop squads for the Rangers (the third squad also has a converted one of these guys)

12.) Regimental Advisors - kind of a weird one, but I think they're pretty cool and will go nicely with my Creed and Kell models, along with my limited edition Cadian models. Could make an interesting diorama or something.

13.) Commander Shadowsun - moving on to my Tau army, I think this model is really cool and different and could make a good leader for the force... even though it also has a Shas'O. but whatever.

14.) Tau Sniper Drones - these were coming out just as I quit last time around, but I think they're really cool and will add some more interest to the Tau force.

15.) Tau Vespid Stingwings - again, new and cool for me. Adds diversity and interest to the Tau army (and make up for my lack of Kroot... though I have some Kroot, so might add them anyway. Dunno, I seem to have something against them for some reason.)

16.) Grey Knights Nemesis Dreadknight - whaaaaaaaat the helllllll is this?! It is awesome and a must have for my Spartans. I look at it and gawk. Say whaaaaaaaaaaat?!

17.) Castellan Crowe - a cool looking mini, he could lead my Grey Knight squad as an interesting Sergeant-type.

18.) Vindicare Assassin - I actually used to have one of these and he was one of my favourite models, but I have no idea what happened to him. I want him back, the Spartans could do with an awesome sniper like this.

19.) Master Scout Telion - Ok, admittedly I have absolutely no use for this guy, but he looks really cool and really stood out to me on the website. So I want it.

20.) Thunderwolf Lord - this dude is AWESOME. If i ever find my Space Wolves, I'll be wanting him to lead them.

21.) Thunderwolves - again, if i can find my Space Wolves, then I want these. Maybe they can be bodyguards to the Lord? I dunno, i haven't seen the codex. Cool nonetheless.

22.) Space Wolves standard bearer - dunno, he's just cool. Ish. could be good if I find those missing Space Wolves.

So thats everything I want in the 40K scale! Just a few things then! Anyone wanna add up the final cost? I'm guessing £200-300. Urgh.