Redcoats everywhere...

Well, getting over the plague again...  I didn't get hit nearly so badly as my wife and kids, but that did kill a lot of my "hobby" time...  So, just got back to painting a bit last night and I got the main hull cut out of press-board for the Airship...

Another random "concept" shot:

Oh, got a new phone last week too, and it does take some amazing pictures...

The lads are coming along, still not COMPLETELY bored and burned out...  Still have yet to actually play the army in this edition though...  Played against it a fair number of times, and I think this codex is certainly still among the more powerful ones.  Getting the vehicles repainted in the "Brown Violet" (what I used to call OD Green, Vallejo Flames of War paints), coming along slowly as I am focusing mostly on the "Light Rifles" for the moment.  I do not have any particular doubt that the Armored Division approach is still insanely powerful, at least in our local scene...  So filling the ancient Armory/Chessex figure case with repainted and sealed minis...  And realizing that I'll be filling 2 cases for my Infantry alone...

All of this is just in time for the DA codex to be released...  I'll be dropping by the Gopher later to pre-order/pay for one...  So, looking like one of my 2 4th edition Codices  will be updated...  I'll be in my "Wait and See" mode for this as well.  I HAVE a giant Deathwing based force already, if the Terminators are viable still as rumored, might be breaking out my Consecrators for a bit while the Praetorians get redone...  Will likely be fabricating weapon swaps and doing more magnets as I see what I can actually field in the new era...  Guessing my old standard 5 man unit of 3 TH/SS, 2 LC with one having the CML will not be allowed...  I am kind of hoping (though really doubt) they go back to the 2 HW/5 man Squad on the Terminators and that the Assault Cannon drops a LOT in price...  :-)  I still have a bunch of them, and for nostalgia reasons I still fielded them in "fun" games...  Counting on "roll lots of 6's" to do much of anything against modern armies just doesn't cut it in a more competitive force though... Just my opinion of course, I'm just an Engineer, what would I know :-)  I guess we'll know for sure in a few weeks...  This stealth product drop just HAS to drive retailers nuts...  To announce it officially less than 2 weeks before it ships?  Seems "less than well thought out", but again, Engineer, not business or marketing, so these things are likely beyond my poor comprehension :-)...

Air Assets and Bases...

Well, beginning to get the Airships built...  Stealing the idea/inspiration from

http://22ndpraetorian.blogspot.com/2010/08/air-mobile-building-air-assault-platoon.html

but going slightly different in a few respects...  I am basing mine on:

HMS Aphid Class, HMS Wasp

Though the HMS Dauntless might be an interesting one as well...  Have to see what I feel like doing...  Space 1889 for the pictures of course, thought that particular style fit the Praetorian IG.

I have a bit of free time in the shop with no one else around :-)  So, being given free reign over the scrap wood there and all the tools to knock out a mess of 60mm bases and a few decks at the least...  Press-board seems like it will be light enough and certainly sturdy enough to base the model on.  I have balso scraps to build the deck house and make planks I think for the deck...

But first things first, realizing I need another dozen or so bases for my mass o Heavy Weapon crews...  Guess I never really considered just how MANY of them I really could field...  Plus side, with the drill press I can knock them out really quickly once I get it all set up...  Thanks again to Eric for the attachment for thet!

Well, hobbies stalled for the moment...

Well, Maggie has Pneumonia and both of the little girls are ill...  Flu for them I think...  And I am feeling like crap too.  Way behind on Christmas preparations and  family coming in tomorrow...  Yea...

Kind of stalled out on the hobby stuff this week.  Got my Heavy Bolters with barrels extended and now they are "Auto Cannon MK II" :-)...  So, guessing I will have a big blob squad with 3-5 Auto Cannons and Grenade Launchers.  Ad Hoc AA fire with "Bring It Down" to twin link the shots, and I should be able to throw down a GIANT footprint to keep my last army off of my tanks.  Having played the Air Assault force I know quite a bit about how to defend against the Meltas dropping out of the sky...

Now, I just have to get the bloody army reassembled and painted...  20 fully painted, and several times that number "mostly"...  I have a dozen or so of the 60mm bases my old friend Eric made for me, and I have borrowed the tool with which to make more...  A project for next week.  Along with the hull for my Airship...  Not sure what I'll name the first of the series, but I suspect I'll be making at least 3...  Maybe as many as 9 if I REALLY feel like being a jackass :-)...

"Am I Stupid?" Apparently :-)

The repaint of the Praetorians continues apace...  20 fully painted, another 80 or so in various stages of painting.  All of them have paint on them, stripping complete, kind of glad I never really finished any of this before with the watercolors coming off in the industrial strength de-greaser.

Now I just need to come up with an army to play :-)  Oh, and decide if I am fielding the "Hydra", building the Airship as a Valkyrie/Vendetta, tanks, etc...  Ogres are pretty much out I think unless we go to sill high point levels.  They don't die easily, just no sure they DO enough to justify their cost.  Artillery, yes...  But how much I guess and will that be my focus?  Powerful, but I think boring.  I snagged a 1/32 scale WWII M-16 to use as a stand in Hydra.  Looks OK, and with my repainting the vehicles in WWII American colors, it fits...  The M-2's (.50 Machine guns, M-2 Brownings, the track had 4 of them in a turret, set up for AA support of the Armored columns) are a bit small for "40K scale" so will swap them out in the long run.  The 4 M-2's will become "Heavy Stubbers" on other vehicles.

Airship project is getting revived too...  I'll have access to the shop over break so will be cutting the pattern for the hull out of a this press-board or the like.  Going to be a bit different than the other versions out there as I am basing it on a Wasp class flier rather than the Aphid I think...  A bit longer I think, but it should look OK when I get her done.

Sadly, I also repainted one of my RT Era Assault Marines as a Grey Hunter...  Looks pretty good, and I think they'll get the same treatment once this project is done or I just move on :-)...

Heavy Bolters, is there a point?

Quiet day here as finals begin for the University...  And it is a "No Change" period for IT, so more or less just sit tight and hope nothing major breaks...

Got me thinking about Heavy Bolters though...  Mind, I've been using them since RT, and in the ancient times they were certainly weapons to fear or at least respect.  150 points bought you the Imperial Army's 10 man Squad with 5 Heavy Bolters, I can't remember what the Squat Thunderers were, but I think they were sub 100 points for the 5 Squat Squad of all Heavy Bolters...  The change went from "keep firing until you miss or fail to wound" to 1 die for the rate of fire...  "Special" d6, jam on 1 face 2x1, 2x2 1x3, so 1-3 hits averaging in the 1.5-2 hits...  Oh, and it was Str 5 -3 save modifier, so the vaunted 3+ save Powered Armor (with flak in the old rules) went to a 6+ save...  Not so good if you were a Marine really...  Now it is Heavy 3, so three shots at least.  Not horrible, but then the 3+ to wound most things followed by the 3+ save or the 3-4++  cover save and in some cases then the FnP save...  I just do not see them killing enough really to justify a large points investment.

Yes, the new rules DO allow me to move and snap fire, and I can keep specific models not moving so Heavy Weapons overall are a bit better...  And on the odd chance they snap fire into something Charging me, that might be nice too, but...  Nothing to count on I think...

The Marine Scout one IS cheap(ish) and has the optional fire mode where they throw out a small blast template, wounding on a 2+...  So at least against a lot of things I CAN throw out a wound or so...  'course, most of the really nasty things like that also have good saves and multiple wounds and I get one HB/Squad there...  NOT so effective, might get me a snip kill combined with Sniper Rifles, but even then...  "Eh", in almost all cases the Missile Launcher is at least as good, mostly better.  So, "Neat", but still I'd consider it a failure...  I happen to HAVE a half dozen of the damn things, so likely continue to field them in my CF army, but...

For the IG the situation is similar, but...  In a HW Squad 5 points buys me either a Heavy Bolter or an Auto Cannon.  Heavy 3 vs Heavy 2, 36" range vs 48" and Str 5 vs Str 7...  I hate saying it is a no brainer, but the Auto Cannon just seems better all around.  Higher range, better Str so CAN actually pose a threat to vehicles heavier than AV 10-11...  Really only loses RoF, and that is I think OK given the extra 12" range and STR.

Sponson mounts I can see just to add weight of fire.  But, really?  15 points in some cases for a weapon that has to be fired at the same target as the main guns?  Eh might be an overstatement except for the Valkyrie/Vendetta with the Flier rules allowing 4 weapons to be fired as normal...  I guess if I have points to spare and need an anti horde option...

Otherwise, Marine Dev Squads?  Anyone actually field these?  I certainly wouldn't...  Long Fangs are not bad and I bring one or two HBs to allow them to split fire and take down Infantry targets and to be frankly "red shirts" for the rest of the Pack...  These are the first losses, nothing personal :-)...  On my Attack Bikes? Maybe, if points are short for the Armies it makes a difference, but frankly with the Multi Melta being an option, again why bother asking?

Got to say, the Heavy Bolter was one thing I was hoping would get changed with the new edition, but it remains more in the "why bother" bin.  Anyone else have anything I am missing here?

Rambling and caffeinated...

OTOH, LOVING the Google Nexus 7 tablet...  Easy to carry around and does almost everything I need to so on a mobile platform...

The repainting project continues...

Well, it looks like I get through about 15-16 things before I get tired of it :-)....  Well, 30 pairs of boots last night.  And the irony of that many boots being done by someone who spent 8 years playing Army and successfully avoiding shining boots...  Being in a line combat unit, this was NOT important at all.

I had also forgotten that each Platoon could have 5 Heavy Weapon Squads...  And realizing just how many Heavy Weapons I actually have...  Could be completely useless, but planning on bringing at least one Mortar Squad, one Heavy Bolter Squad and one Las Cannon Squad to go with my standard Missile Launchers  Mortars I figure will just sit on a back edge and be annoying.  Heavy Bolters will just throw out the 9 shots/turn, figure they will be a low priority target for a lot of the people I play against...  Well, at least until I get around to converting them to Autocannons...  Guessing the AC will be far better than the Heavy Bolters. But then I only have 3 of them I think, and they're in the line Platoon...

Still need a way around the low LD for them to get orders, so the Lord Commissar might be making an appearance should we go over 1500 points...

Finally a few pictures...

Stole the wife's phone for a bit :-)  Thinking this month is the time to upgrade my POS phone, and the one she has is nice...  Though have to admit I am spoiled by my Nexus 7's ease of use and inter-operability with my computers...  But in any case a few of the "work in progress" shots...

Not great pictures, and I'll have to get some with the zoom to see if I can capture some actual detail.  The SGT with the light green base is one I base coated a year or so back the last time I cycled through my "Zulu" phase.  Have to say, after the basecoat, the Minwax and Matte spray really changes it from a "eh" paint job to something that at least looks good on the table.  So, just another 80+ to go :-)

Oh, and repainting almost all of my Vehicles...  From the ancient RT era "Death Chicken" class Sentinels to the various AFVs...  Ogres as well probably.  I know they are not popular in various internet blogs, but locally, having a good, solid "Linebacker" unit is really nice to have...  But once I get all of my Heavy Weapon Squads painted up (yes, I still have blisters of them), might drop them for a straight "we just shoot things" army...