013 - Why I Want To 30K

I've been sniffing around the possibility of starting a 30k force for quite a while. I really like the aesthetic of the older marks of armour and equipment. I think I could get a really good looking force which is very different to the hordes of 40k Space Marines that are about.
The fluff is second to none. I keep up to date with the novels and they have really fleshed out a part of the lore which was very important but had very little content. The story is really progressing for what started out as a side project to become the main focus of both the Black Library and the Forgeworld studio.
I also think the cost isn't prohibitive either. This may sound like a bold statement to make but I am not going to be buying a whole army at once. I'll be getting one unit at a time and really focus on that unit until it's finished and then order another. I will also use plastic kits where I feel it's appropriate for example I prefer the plastic Land Raiders to the Forgeworld Land Raiders.
I'm not a very fast painter (or  too good if I'm honest) but I I don't think I'm getting any better dry brushing Iron Warriors.
I recently did a Deamon Prince and it was one of the best painting experiences I have ever had. I got to sit down and get stuck in on making one model look as good as I could make it. So I feel that with the slightly better quality of the Forgeworld models I could have a good go at having a fantastic looking force.
So to conclude I have talked myself into starting 30k and I can't wait.

012 - Age Of Sigmarines

The big talking point of the launch of The Age Of Sigmar (well apart from the round bases and four page rule book) was the introduction of the new faction The Stormcast Eternals.

I am a big fan of the amount of models that you get in the Age Of Sigmar starter set. Just on the Sigmarites side you get a Lord-Celestlan on a Dracoth, a Lord-Relictor, two units of five Liberators, three Retributers and three Proscetuors.  So that is one monster mounted character and seventeen infantry. These are big models, a little bigger than Terminators armoured sized models so I you get quite a good small army. Games Workshop have also released a warscroll to use the force as a detachment.

I like the new models. I get that everybody's first impression are that they are fantasy space amrines but I think that Games Workshop have done really well to get a new faction with a unique design asthetic. However one thing I'm not such a fan of is that the models are very busy with details. Some times I like my models a little simpler to paint but I suppose that extra detail is quite a  nice problem to have! I may just keep the boxed army and paint it and then see where I am. I could expand it with other Stormcast Eternals or just add some other factions such as Elves or Dwarfs in a similar colour scheme to get a nice Grand Alliance army.

I haven't decided what colour scheme to do as I'm not sure about painting gold! The Age Of Sigmar book has a few different colour schemes including a snazzy turqiose one. As I have a pot of Swooping Hawk Tourquize from 1989 that is still viable I might have my scheme right there!

As you can see the I have a little bit of work to be getting on with!

011 - To Forgeworld or not to Forgeworld

Collecting Games Workshop armies and models is a costly affair. Even after the set up of a boxed game, paints glues and equipment, the price of each model is huge.
Then comes the premium brand of Games Workshop which is called Forge World.
Forge World was created in 1998 to mainly create terrain but has since expanded to large  scale resin models and even into new more specialist armies and tanks and in recent years created the Horus Hersey series of rules and models.
Forge World creates model in a  polymer resin. Compared to plastic, resin is brittle and  softer. You have to be aware of this when you use certain modelling techniques. You also have to bathe your kits in warm soapy water to wash off the mould release fluid that clings to the resin.
Also I have found that resin is much like the old metal kits where individual pieces can be warped or bent. This is not too bad with individual single piece sculpts but with complex multi-part kits you have to break out a bowl of warm water to bend it or some green stuff to cover any poor moulding. I have heard that Forge World are very good with replacing any damaged parts and will rush these right out to you.
Unfortunately, Forge World models are the only official way to get into 30k gaming at the moment. When a the minimum ten man tactical squad bundle costs £61 compared to £25 for the equvalent 40k unit it things get real expensive real quick.
However my gaming buddy Adam justifies the Forge World choice by saying that if the regular Games Workshop kits have gotten so expensive then why not go the extra mile and get a much higher quality of kit.
Hope fully the rumours of a plastic Horus Heresy starter set are true. I imagine that the core troops will be in plastic but the  more exotic units stay in resin. This will give players and collectors a relatively cheap way to get into 30k gaming and open it up to a whole new swathe of customers.
Until then I'll  have to put the overtime in so I can afford that Spartan Assault tank.

010 - Space Marine Predictions

A few months ago we all saw the pictures of new mkIV plastic sprue for the rumoured 30k boxed set (the link is here). They were plastic space marines apparently for 30k but seemed to have codex weapon options like the normal tactical squad rather than the more simplistic weapon load-outs of just bolters which would follow the the larger Legion army list. This seemed a little strange until I saw this news report here.
Putting two and two together (and possibly coming up with five) I asked myself what fits in with really old armour marks in a codex formation? Bingo! Mk4 Astartes fighting Orks in the 31st Millennium. This fits in the time line with the Space Marines following the Codex Astartes but having easy access to older marks of amour. Hopefully we do get the rumoured 30k boxed set but I think that that a 31st Millennium (31k?) boxed set might be a real possibility to support the new 2016 campaign.
As a disclaimer this is a super duper shot in the dark!

009 - Ebay Tips

I have been buying alot of models from sellers on Ebay and wanted to share a few of my tips that I have picked up along the way. This is no means an exhaustive list of the best strategies that can be used they are just a few pointers I have picked up along the way.

First and foremost be patient! Unless you have a tournament coming up or another deadline of sorts you don't need that model. So if you don't get the item you want for the price you think is appropriate don't get sucked into a bidding war and if you don't get what you want remember it will always come back around.Even that limited run Skulls Mechanicus model will come back on sooner or later.

Be realistic with what price you can get. Chances are you won't get a Land Raider for £1 but you can get a significant saving. Don't be disappointed that you got out bid on an army when you only bid £5 for eighty models. I find the best way to not overpay is to put down what you think is worth for the model as your first bid and then not check it till the auction is over. This is stop you getting into a bidding war and paying more than you wanted to.

Don't be afraid to get older sculpts. Although they might be metal and a little smaller then current kits some of the older sculpts are perfectly good. Some of the older styles are a little dated but some definitely hold up to today's standard of production.

Instead of going for individual models, job lots are often model for model alot cheaper. You might spend a little more but you can get a whole lot back and if you are clever  selling some of the models you don't want can recoup some of if not all of the initial outlay.

Be clever about when you buy. Get in early for auctions. Use the filters on the searches to narrow down what you want. Put in misspellings on certain models to find cheaper auctions. There are so many different standard tactic to use you can use a little nous and save alot of money on you purchases.
Until next time!