Two more Necron Canoptek Spyders...

Nick speaking,

Many thanks to Mercer for supplying me with a couple of his old Necron Tomb Spyders, we swiftly negotiated a very reasonable price and they are now in my hands. If you are not already following his Blog Imperius Dominatus, then please go and check it out as soon as you have finished reading this post and start following him.

The two Spyders will need a bit of work to get them ready for my Soulless Necron army, and I intend to strip them down, add a bit of green stuff to a few areas and file them down ready for painting. One of them has a Particle Projector, but the front of the gun has gone astray. I am going to add the front section of a Gauss Cannon as a replacement, and I think I will reposition some of the arms whilst I am at it.

As you can see from the picture, one of them has a sticky out leg. I am not sure if this was on purpose, or if it's had an accident one day and broken off. Either way, I like it, and plan to make it a main feature. I was thinking of having a load of Scarabs running down and around the leg as if it's making some swarms! Maybe something like this...

Well that's it for now, going to start work on these guys and get them painted up the same as my other three Spyders. Thanks again Mark

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Saim-Hann Eldar Vs Terminator Blood Angels

Nick speaking,

First game with my fully painted Saim-Hann themed IDIC Hann army...

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New Paint Testing!

Nick speaking,

I managed to get to my local GW yesterday and have a go with some of the new paints. They didn't have them all, but there was a few in each range there for me to try. I have to say, from what I have seen so far, the new paints seem excellent. The new White covering black will make a huge difference to many I am sure! The new dry brush was amazing, and the new shadow (washes) were exceptionally good, but...

What I went in the store to find out really, was if all my old colours were going to be anywhere near the same. I am half way through two of my armies (Eldar and Nids) and of course, still expanding on my Necrons. They didn't have the new equivalent of my Liche Purple, but they did have the new equivalent of Mordian blue, Macragge blue. Sadly, Maggragge blue is a totally difference colour to the old version, and that was worrying!

I have just got myself a couple of Ghost Arks and Venomthropes with my birthday money from a few days ago. I was going to buy a Tervigon with what I had left over, but this new paint viewing has scared me into buying up loads of my favourite old paints instead! I am sure, if you are starting a new army, like when I eventually get around to painting my Space Wolves, the new paints will be amazing, but I would recommend anyone who is half way through an army to go out and buy as many of the old paints as you can, especially if you want the army to look the same!

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Necron Codex Conclusions so far!

Nick speaking,

Well it's March 25th 2012, which means it's my 40th birthday! I started playing 40k with Necrons about ten years ago, so I thought I would celebrate my 40th on my 40k Blog with some Necron stuff. Since the Codex hit I have been having some real fun with the new rules. I still haven't tried out all the units, but I think I am starting to come to some conclusions on what I have experienced so far. I have currently played eight games, with seven different lists, I know it's not a massive amount, but even so, I have racked up six wins and two loses, and I thought it would be nice to share my thoughts and see if anyone else agrees, or disagrees with my findings...

HQ

Well, to be honest I have only played with The Stormlord, Traveller and Overlords so far. I really want to try out a Destroyer lord with some Wraiths at some point, but I am finding it difficult to pay the points for him, especially when he does not unlock Crypteks! Before we talk about Crypteks though...

Imotekh The Stormlord seems like a great choice at first, free lightning attacks and night fight to protect your units. To get the best out of Stormy you have to have the right units to get the most out of his abilities. The lighting attacks are random and unreliable, but we already know that, and without a Crono Cryptek attached to re-roll for the storm, the Storm can easily fail early on in the game. With night fight going off in both your turn and your enemies turn, you need your army to take full advantage of it. There is no point having too much Lance spam with Stormy because of the night fight, but it's ideal for moving Scarabs and Wraiths into position mid table! You could of course take a Solar Pulse Cryptek, to maintain night fight if Stormy fails, or to override night fight in your turn, but then you will lose the lighting attacks from Stormy, and that's why we are taking him instead of two Solar Pulses right? Main problem with Stormy is his abilities can be overridden by some armies, either with good anti night fight abilities, or those that can bypass the night fight and deep strike in!

Anrakyr The Traveller has a cool option of taking over your enemies vehicles and shooting them at their own army. I have had five games with the Traveller, and as yet have not had the opportunity to use his powers! First I was Veiling him in with Warriors/Immortals and a Veil Cryptek, but that proved too random, and usless in Annihilation games where it wasn't worth the risk. Then I tried him in a Barge, but there has been some debate on wether you can use his attacks from the Barge after the main rulebook FAQ hit, so a basic Overloard in a Barge seems to be a much better option...

Overlords in Barges are great, and they seem to be the main choice for most competitive lists. Two Overlords in Barges will unlock two Royal Courts and all the Lance Spam goodness, whilst the Overlords zoom around the board with their sweep attacks! Overlords also work well joined to a main unit of foot Immortals. Give him a Resurrection orb for the 4+ RP on the unit, and then Phaeron so you can move and shoot with their Gauss Blasters.

Crypteks and the Royal Court! What can I say, without The Stormlord, I like to take at least one Solar pulse, but ideally two, and then as many Lances as I can. I know there are a few other cool Crypteks like the Tremor Staff and Harps, but as yet I haven't tried them. I think I can sum up Crypteks in the words of someone I was playing once, he said "those lance Crypteks are starting to get quite annoying!"

TROOPS

First up, I have no Ghost Arks at the moment, which I have discovered is going to be a great help to keep my troops alive. I have been experimenting with both Warriors and Immortals. Warriors aren't as bad as everyone thought when the Codex hit, and even a five men units with a Lance Cryptek can be very useful, especially if protected by Stormy or Pulses. I have never used more than five Warriors when on foot because the unit will go down in the assault regardless of how many Warriors you have in the unit. Foot Immortals are a bit different, five Immortals don't really do much more than Warriors, when you take into account night fight and cover saves from terrain, but units of ten can really put out some firepower, especially with a Phaeron attached like I said previously. As for Tesla or Gauss Blasters, it's really a 50/50 for me on this one depending on how the unit is operating. I foresee me having two units of Warriors in Ghost arks and a large unit of immortals on foot as my standard Troops choice in the near future.

ELITES

I think I will be able to skip over this one quite quickly! I have tried Flayed Ones in big and small units, and they are as useless as I first thought. I had a go with some Lychguard once and they did nothing all game! The C'tan seems to be the best option in this slot that I have tried so far, although he can be easily taken out and is a bit unreliable for the points, but he can bring something to the game with some of his wargear like Writhing Worldscape. I will use him sometimes for a change, but he is not a standard selection for my army. Having said that, I think he will be awesome in a Cities of Death game and I plan to try that out soon.

FAST ATTACK

I have played around with Destroyers and Heavy Destroyer combinations and they are actually still pretty good, all things considering, but by no means the best fast choice. Heavy Destroyers give you a nice long range option for when you have Solar Pulse up, but essentially they are an easy kill point. If all the rumours are true for 6th edition and preferred enemy really does mean you can re-roll hits, then this unit has a lot of potential. Tomb Blades seem a reasonable alternative, but as yet there are no models for them, and I haven't got around to proxy them, so no comments from me on these at the moment.

Wraiths are one of my favourite units from the new Codex, I have used a unit of six in all my games so far except for one, and they have always performed really well, easily gaining their points back. They are not an uber unit, but they are resilient in numbers and the Whip Coils really help them in close combat. I am sure I will get myself another unit of Wraiths as soon as any new models hit!

Scarab Swarms are of course a no brainier in most Necron lists! How many units you take and in what quantity is a post all in itself. Then you have to add in how many Spyders you need. My preferred choice at the moment is two groups of ten Scarabs backed up with a unit of three Spyders., which means I can still take my Wraiths. Farm the front Scarabs the first few turns, then when that unit goes out to do the business I can start farming the second unit.

HEAVY SUPPORT

It's a real shame the Pylon didn't make it into the Codex as I don't really play big enough games to pay the 420pts to take it at the moment. Oh well, maybe in the next Codex! I have already said I take three Spyders to back up my Scarabs, usually with one Gloom Prism for the Psychic defence and a bit of wound allocation. They tend to perform pretty well and are a nice counter assault unit if really needed. I tried the Monolith once, but that was a disaster! I really need to give it another go and this time not deep strike it in and scatter 12" for a mishap! Just got my Annihilation Barges and they are a solid cheap Heavy Support choice, I foresee me having two Barges with double Tesla and the Spyders to fill out my Heavy support slots as standard.

Well that's it for now, and like I said, this is just from my experience so far. So please feel free to post your comments below...

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Anyone using Necron Lords?

Nick speaking,

I am sure that almost everyone who played the previous Necron Codex would have owned at least one Necron Lord. After all, Resurrection Orb Lords were the bread and butter of any Necron army, and with only the Destroyer Lord and C'tan as a second option, it is pretty obvious that GW would have sold a very large amount of foot Lords. I myself have three, which were almost the very first models I painted and converted...

Having sold so many Lords, of course, meant the Lords HAD to get dumbed down in the new book to make everyone buy the new HQ models. OK, Lords can make good stand in models, which is fine at first, but if your anything like me, you will want to get the new models at some point. I mean, who couldn't resist Imotekh...

Anyway, the real reason behind this post, is to try and find out if anyone out there is successfully using Necron Lords in their army, other than stand in models? It seems to me, that when looking at the Royal Court options, the Crypteks and their Staffs/Wargear win hands down for single wounded models. So is anyone really paying the points for Lords instead of Crypteks? and if so, how are they performing?

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How to Magnetise Belial Terminator Arms

Nick speaking,

I was recently asked by one of my YouTube followers dunk1978bamker, to help him magnetise his Belial Terminator arms for his new Dark Angels army. Dunk has already done a couple of great paint jobs for me, so I was more than happy to help him out. First I got him to glue everything together, except for the magnetised sections, before he sent him out to me...

I started by trimming off the sticky out circle that the arm would normally sit onto. I then drilled out a hole big enough for a magnet to go into it. The picture below just shows my initial drill hole, but in the end, I had to make a bigger hole for the magnets I finally used...

Don't forget to put a small piece of green stuff/grey stuff in the hole before you glue the magnet in, as it will help it stick better. I also did opposite polarities on the left and right sides, so that the arms will only magnetise onto the correct side of the body. This also gives you the added bonus of the arms being able to magnetise together when they are not on the body, making it easier for storage purposes. I recessed the magnets slightly, so that I could fill in the hole with grey stuff and file it down nice as flat...

Dunk sent me the usual arm combinations of, TH/SS, Lighting Claws and Power Sword/Gun. I used some 5x1mm magnets for the arms (you can get them from eBay), which are the perfect size for the arm joints. Once again I started with a small hole in the arm, but this time it was just to put a piece of grey stuff in to help the magnets bond. The magnets sit right into the joint with no problems at all, but I did add a bit of grey stuff next to the magnet on the arm, where the armpit is, to fully hide the magnets.

All done and ready to post back to Dunk for him to do one of his amazing paint jobs on him. I am sure Dunk will send me a picture of him when he's finished for me to share with you guy's...

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Necrons Vs Blood Angels Battle Report

Nick speaking,

We roll the same mission and deployment, in this second game against my buddies Blood Angels Jump army. I am using my double Command Barge list for the first time in this game, so I am hoping to get some revenge for the massive slaughtering he give me in our last game...

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Warhammer 40k hits the BBC News!!

Nick speaking,

40k hits the UK BBC News....

  13 March 2012 Last updated at 00:58 By Samira Ahmed BBC

 

Fan Andrew Ruddick explains how Warhammer 40,000 is played

Warhammer 40,000 - set in a science fantasy universe - has just turned 25. Why are grown men still launching tabletop war? You may have walked past one of the hundreds of Games Workshops on the High Street. You may even have wandered in, especially if you are a teenage boy or the parent of one. If you know your Necrons (virtually invincible soulless metal warriors) from your Dark Eldar (sadistic elfin pirates), the chances are you are one of the dedicated tribe who have signed up to what fans call The Hobby. Most days of the week, on table tops in "hobby centre" shops, in office lunchrooms, and bedrooms, players gather around home-constructed battle fields with miniature ruins and petrified forests. They assemble and paint small model fighters from a chosen army (several to collect) and using dice, tape measures and special rule books, battle rival militia in a fictional science fiction universe set in the 41st Millennium, called Warhammer 40,000. Launched 25 years ago, 40K was so named to distinguish it from traditional fantasy Warhammer of elves and vampires. Both lines, together with a Lord of the Rings brand, continue to attract hundreds of thousands of new fans in Britain and across the world - 70% of sales are abroad.

   

Dark Eldars on left (photos by Jordan Louis); Necrons on right (photos by AdmGR and Victor Yoon) The appeal is in collecting, assembling and painting the models, for play, which are manufactured in Nottingham (and Memphis, Tennessee) and sold through the Games Workshops chain and by mail order. Blood, torn flesh, grimacing skulls and very large guns and tanks feature prominently in the detailed artwork. Despite the competition from online or console-based gaming, Warhammer continues to thrive, with successful spin-off novels set in the 40K universe. How many other British companies, for example, could report a 40% rise in their latest half-year pre-tax profits?

   

A tournament at the company's castle-themed HQ "It's like why theatre remains popular in the age of cinema," says 32-year-old Andrew Ruddick from Cambridge, explaining its enduring appeal. He describes himself as a "relapsed" Warhammer gamer, slipping back into it in his 20s with friends. "There's an intimacy. With tabletop gaming you are there." Several hundred such gamers gather regularly at Games Workshop's Hall of Fame, next to its Nottingham factory, for tournaments. Most, but certainly not all, are male. They play on teams with names like Alfa Geek, Purple Pain and I See Lead People. Heavy rule books or codices (all published by GW) are consulted intently. Templates and tape measures are used to confirm terrain advanced and numbers of casualties. Occasionally a whoop of victory goes up from a table. Kathryn Turner, 13, is playing a doubles match with her father Stephen against two strapping 30-something blokes. The poker-face calm with which she deploys her Tyranids (world-devouring aliens) is impressive.

Craig London "It's fun and I like spending this time with my dad," she says. Her mother Sue is one of the crop of self-confessed Warhammer Widows who spend all day in the cafe. Kathryn admits to sometimes wearing pink on the first day to psych out the male opponents. "I'm moving on to play with Sisters of Battle next," she says - it's an army of fanatical warrior nuns with flamethrowers. The whole aesthetic is, as Andrew Ruddick puts it "very masculine". But the appeal is its epic scale, says Warhammer fan and Marvel X-Men comic writer, Kieron Gillen. "It's a hilariously OTT maximalist universe at an operatic pitch. There are some people who think less is more. Warhammer, conversely, believes that more is always more." Foot-high model Titans can be brought out for particular battles. "Warhammer gone nuts," as my 12-year-old son puts it.

 

Figurines are painted by hand Gillen contrasts Warhammer 40K to role-playing fantasy gaming like the online World of Warcraft (the modern equivalent of Dungeons and Dragons). "In Warcraft it's made so there are no bad guys. In Warhammer there are no good guys. They're all bad. It's a universe that's simultaneously nihilistic and joyous. It's incredibly British in that way." Gary Chalk, a 59-year-old fantasy game creator and illustrator, knows all about its Britishness. He used to design Warhammer and Warhammer 40K games in the 1980s and 90s. His trademark wit is evident in Bloodbath at Orc's Drift (an elvish version of the Michael Caine film Zulu) and a naval ship battle he called "All the Dwarves Love a Sailor". Still an enthusiastic table-top gamer, he does, however, believe Games Workshop uses its monopoly on the products to target and exploit increasingly younger fans. The prices for essential models, paints and books are "eyewatering", he says. "They are not selling a hobby. They are selling a craze." Several players say they feel exploited. "You need at least £200 just to set up a half-decent legal army for a game, and if you want a board and scenery to go to play with friends you're looking at least £200 on top of that," says Craig Lowdon, 25, of Crewe

   

Women and girls do play, but are outnumbered And Chalk claims the game is now less interesting. "The original rules were about fantasy combat and creating character. Now the rules only work within their imaginary world, with their figures and it cuts out all the other influences." But its legion of fans, including older fans, see a timeless appeal. "[There's] the satisfaction of looking at ranks of badly-daubed Skaven (man-sized anthropomorphic rats) and knowing they're yours and you made them in a real way," says Kieron Gillen. "It's absolutely the part of the brain that made other generations make model trains."

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Necron Overlord Painted

Nick speaking,

Here is my Overlord as promised, and like my Stormlord, I tried to match him in with my old Necron Lords. I converted his Warscythe to take a green rod, and magnetised both his arms to give me plenty of posing options, including having him holding onto the Command Barge. I hope you like him, please let me know what you think...

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Necron Stormlord Painted

Nick speaking,

Here is my finished Imotekh the Stormlord. I tried to paint him up to match in with my Necron Lords that I did about ten years ago. I am one of those very few people who actually like the green rods, so I converted him up with a rod as well. I have been trying to get my picture quality up a little, so let me know what you think, and I hope you like him. Next up will be my painted Overlord...

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Saim-Hann Army Finished!

Nick speaking,

Here are a few picture I took of my recently finished IDIC Hann army. The Dire Avenger picture isn't that great, but you can see them in more detail here. Hope you like them...

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Necron Annihilation Scarabs Battle Report

Nick speaking,

My first game, and maybe my last, with this version of my Annihilation Scarab list, was against a Jump Pack based Blood Angels list. Right from the outset, I knew It was going to be an up hill struggle. Necrons, in a spearhead, annihilation mission, against a Dante based deep strike list with loads of FNP re-rolls, was always going to be hard. I was also hit with two Flanking Baals on my side of the board, which really didn't help. I learnt a lot from this game, and it really was nice to see my Annihilation Barges in action for the first time. They perform really well and I am now thinking that I need to get myself a couple of Ghost Arks as well! What do you think?

Here is my list and the Battle report, if you dare watch it!

HQ
1 x Stormlord (225) (Joins Immortals)
Royal Court:
1x Cryptek Harbringer of Eternity/Cronometron (40) (Joins Immortals)
1 x Cryptek Harbringer of Despair/Veil of Darkness/Nightmare Shroud (70) (Joins Warriors)

ELITES
1 x C’Tan Shard/Spirit Dust/Writhing Worldscape (240)
5 x Flayed Ones (65)

TROOPS
1) 10 x Necron Immortals/Tesla (170)
2) 5 x Necron Warriors (65)
3) 5 x Necron Warriors (65)
4) 5 x Necron Warriors (65)
5) 5 x Necron Warriors (65)
6) 5 x Necron Warriors (65)

FAST
10 x Canoptek Scarabs (150)
10 x Canoptek Scarabs (150)
9x Canoptek Scarabs (135)

HEAVY
1x Annihilation Barge/Tesla Cannon (90)
1x Annihilation Barge/Tesla Cannon (90)

Points 1750

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Old Stuff Day 2012 Tervigon Conversion Still Valid?

Nick speaking,


For this years Old stuff Day post, I went through last years posts and found this one that didn't get any comments at the time. It is pictures of my completed Tervigon and Spawn marker conversion, but now that the new Tervigon kit is out, is it still valid? I based it on the large oval base, and it's about two inches shorter than a Trygon! I was thinking of using it as a HQ Tervy, and then the new models as Troops Tervies to distinguish them, but is it still valid! What do you think? 

Here are a few pictures of my now completed first Stinger Hive Fleet Tervigon and Spawn Marker, hope you like him...

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