Horus Heresy - more WIP Death Guard

I have the first of two Heavy Support Squads complete now, my lascannon-toting buddies : )
It has been such a long time since I fielded the first three guys, as part of three different squads back when we were forced to use the Space Marine or Chaos Space Marine codices.

Although the Death Guard don't really go in for ornamentation, I figured it would be alright if I added a little Devastator insignia to their right shoulder pads.

My gaming group's little Kill Zone campaign is escalating next session, to games of 1,000 points. I figured it might be important to get my army leader painted up. Not sure if I'll run him as a Praetor or Consul for the 1,000 point games.

These Apothecaries are also underway : )

Cheers
Dave

Painting for Incursion - Part One

I've just recently finished painting up the lovely new models from the Incursion Kickstarter that my friends Jim and John ran last year. I'd like to thank them both for their faith in me, and their inspiration to get Dave Taylor Miniatures (the business) off the ground!

Here are the first batch of new models from the Kickstarter. Above is Hugo von X, the mad scientist behind the creation of the zombies in the game.

Above are the two new Bomberzombies - zombies that have had their bellies replaced with naval mines ; )

The British Ack Pack - a flamethrower perfect for clearing the tunnels under the Rock.

Nigel, the British bulldog who has been tainted by a terrible chemical concoction.

Bridgitte, the resistance fighter who is not quite as she seems.

Rosie the Riveter, on deck to help the boys of the Lucky 7th keep their APE suits running smoothly.

And Gretel von X, this is the exclusive Kickstarter mini, not available through any other means.

Next time, the German Droptroopers!

Cheers
Dave

Wargames Illustrated presents The HISTORICON Painting Competition - Year Two

Here's the Public Service Announcement to let you all know that although I'm no longer working full time for Wargames Illustrated, I will be running the Painting Competition at HISTORICON 2014.

Last year was the first year that WI had been involved in the running of the event, and with the promotional and logistical support of the HMGS crew (particularly Heather Blush and the Hobby University team) we had a very successful showing, around 130 entries. For coverage of the 2013 event, check out this link here.

This year will be more of the same (or hopefully more AND MORE), with the categories remaining the same and the medals ready to be draped around the winners necks. The competition will be run on Saturday July 19, between the hours of 9am and 6pm. At the moment it is unsure whether we'll be at the Flames Of War booth in the Vendor Hall, or in the hallway near the event registration.

Entries will be accepted from 9am until 12 noon. Judging will be complete by 4pm and entries can be collected (along with any awards) from 4pm until 6pm. Please note: entries will NOT be accepted earlier than 9am on the Saturday as we have no control over the security of the cases and will not accept liability.

For a rundown on the categories (and other rules) you can check out the Wargames Illustrated website here.

In addition to the custom medals for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each of the ten categories, we have three additional prizes:

• Best of Show - the best painted entry into the competition will win this prize.

• Best of Theme - the best painted entry that fits with the theme of the convention (2014 is Big Wars, Little Soldiers - World Wars throughout time) will be judged by the HISTORICON convention director.

• The Iron Cross - sponsored by Battlefront, this will go to the best painted Flames Of War entry, and will be judged by the Battlefront representatives at the show.

I hope to see you in Fredericksburg in a few weeks from now!

Cheers

Dave

Michael Jaques - Chasseur au Cheval

Horus Heresy - WIP Death Guard

Just a quick one today, I managed to get in 90 minutes of airbrushing time on the weekend. The result?

Basecoats and two highlights on 40+ models to expand my HH Death Guard army. First up on deck are my Heavy Support squads (one with 5 lascannons and another with 5 missile launchers). Then it's on to some more detailed fun stuff : )

Cheers
Dave

The Infamous Mr Hyde

Over the last couple of weeks I've been chatting with James Griffiths, the man behind the curtain at Infamy Miniatures. During this time I've plucked up the courage to start working on this beast of a man, Frank Hyde. I'll provide this link HERE to give you some more background on Hyde in the world of Infamy.

Chemically enhanced/distorted musculature is obviously the key feature of Frank, and I've enjoyed trying out a few new (for me) approaches which are leading me to a more "painterly"feel. I hope it translates through the rest of the model.

Frank sits atop a display plinth from Secret Weapon Miniatures, and the Infamy Kickstarter begins in just three weeks - July 10 to be precise : )

I hope you enjoy the progress.

Cheers
Dave

NOCF - Ultramarine Centurions.

With all of the Old Line Massacre hubbub going on, I've neglected to post some photos of my progress for the NOVA Open Charity Foundation army raffles. For that I apologize. My role in this year's effort is an interesting one. Not only do I get to contribute this squad of Centurions, I've also helped guide both the Ultramarine and Tyranid teams. Over the next six weeks you can expect to see quite a few posts about our progress.

Anyway, onto the Centurions. I was tasked with putting together a squad of Grav-cannon toting guys, but I wasn't completely sure how I wanted to convert them.

Some of you may remember this conversion I did last year, stripping back some of the bulk of the gun arms I wasn't particularly fond of. Well, this conversion inspired Erik Jung to build the Imperial Fists Centurion you see below. I liked the fluidity of Erik's conversion so much, I asked if I could steal it for this project. Erik gave me his blessing. You can even recognize the same pose he used in my Sergeant : ) The cables are the metal power cables from Dragon Forge.

Thanks Erik!

The other very cool thing about this project is that we'll all be using these bases. My friend, Thomas Wynn, teamed up with Justin McCoy from Secret Weapon Miniatures to create this line of Omega Bases. Not only did SWM cast them up for the two complete armies, but they are selling them now. 50% of every sale will be donated directly to the NOCF, so buying these cool bases helps out our chosen charity too - Doctors Without Borders.

Of course, buying raffle tickets puts you in the running for some fantastic looking armies too ; )

Until next time, have fun and keep painting!

Cheers
Dave

Waterloo… couldn't escape if I wanted to.

A little change of pace after posting all of those photos from the excellent Old Line Massacre event (HERE, HERE, and HERE if you missed them).

Next June I'll be heading off to Belgium to check out the battlefields of the 100 Days campaign, and check out the re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo on the 200th Anniversary of that most famous of battles. Will I be doing it alone? Heavens no! I'll be doing it as a part of the Geek Nation Tour's Signature Battlefield series!!!

Haven't heard of it? Well, clink on this link HERE. Read all about it, then hurry back : )

I'm very excited indeed!

To celebrate, I figured I'd show you a couple of shots of a Napoleonic French Supply Wagon (by Perry Miniatures) that I painted up recently for my friend Brien. It was a fun project, and I based much of the color scheme off those seen on the French artillery and their limbers and caissons. Brien is painting up the crew.

No doubt there were hundreds of similar wagons parked behind the lines at Waterloo ; )

Until next time!

Cheers
Dave

Old Line Massacre - Apocalypse

Thanks for your patience, here is a huge dump of photos from the final day of the Old Line Massacre, the Apocalypse game. Each player fielded roughly 3,000 points and the variety of infantry, vehicles, and super-heavies was very impressive!

On the Traitor's side we had Chris Bowers (Emperor's Children), Jay Feigenheimer (Night Lords), Nate Taylor (Night Lords with Curze), and Marc Raley (Alpha Legion). Their three major objectives to hold were the three sections of the massive bastion you can see in the photos.

On the Loyalist side we had myself (Mechanicum), Ty Finochiarro/Jake Landis (Survivors mix of units), John Stiening (Sons of Horus), and Robin Everrett-McGuirl (Alpha Legion). Our three major objectives were the Skyshield Landing Pad (held by my Castellax and Thallax), the Reaver Titan itself, and a secure bunker on our right flank.

I won't go into too much detail, but instead let the photos do the talking.

After four turns of fighting, we had smashed each other up pretty well. One section of the bastion had been destroyed, and my Reaver was down to 5 Hull points. Curze was in combat with the Contemptor dreadnoughts, and Traitor forces were struggling a little in the killing zones.

The final result was a considerable victory to the Loyalists (by about 20 VPs, if I recall correctly).

If you have any questions about the game/models, feel free to sound off below.

Cheers
Dave