Progress Report 2/25/17 - 52 Minis week 8 (a bit of a cheat week)

Another week means another painted mini! Well... sort of. I re-based and added to three minis I had previously painted the last time I started working on a larger Malal themed Warriors of Chaos army (back in 2012? 2013??). So here are three of the newly touched up Horns of Malal! 

I touched up the warpaint and added a bit more black to make the contrast a little starker. I may go back and add a few more detail highlights on some of the hair but overall I'd say these are done. 

Spent a bit of time this past week transforming two different toys into one bad ass Chaos Lord on Manticore stand in model. Here are a few WIP photos of where that project is at:

Scale is pretty much perfect for a Manticore but it looks cooler I think. This plastic is glow in the dark which I was thinking of keeping in some areas but I am undecided as of yet. Got it for $15 and it's got a lot of detail. Added a few bits and presto! Just need to get it on a base next...

The Chaos Lord was some old DC toy of Darkseid. I chopped off his head and added some bits to make him a bit more "chaos" but I wanted to keep his folded arms and "I really don't give a shit.." pose. Seems to work well on the back of a big monster! 

Speaking of monsters... I built another Exalted Hero/Chaos Lord for the footsloggin' and choppin' needed in a world gone mad. 

Started with a very cool Reaper Bones mini and added a different head and shield. Wanted to make him slightly WYSIWYG so I threw on the sheathed sword to represent two hand weapons. Very excited to get this mini painted up in a suitably Malal style!  

Another chaos warrior of Malal. I didn't like the head this one came with so I put on one I had left over from the Blightkings box and I think it is a great fit! 

And lastly I wanted another decrepit magic user of chaos to have as an option so I based up this custom Blood Bowl mini from a Chaos Cup (I think?) - was originally meant to be a Wizard or Coach I guess. Not easy to see here but he has a shield strapped to his back as well. 

Less painting this week but plenty more prep for the painting table was completed! Assuming I can get through my piles of homework I hope to get some more done this week so tune in next time...

Progress Report 8/3/14 - Slow rolling... into the grave.

Well I am officially (statistically) half way to dead and another year older. Yesterday was my birthday and I spent it at the movies, making pizzas, drinking beers, and playing games. Not tabletop games (I wish!!) just some low impact board games like Carcassone and Shadow Hunters. I did get to spend just a tiny bit of time painting and assembling some minis too. 

Here is where things sit on the table at the moment...

This big guy was a pain to assemble

Hoping to paint him up for a painting competition in September

Look familiar?

A new addition to our Pathfinder Societies party

Just working on base coats here

Dwarf Cleric on Sarenrae done except the base

I like how it turned out

I wanted to give the red a softer tone

Not so soft there is the Gnome Barbarian

I like painting bright orange hair!

Human (was Dwarf) Druid

Kinda looks like a Ranger but whatever!

Halfling Rogue ready for action

If by action you mean missing a lot of backstabs

Goblin conversion for a BB secret weapon (chainsaw)

I like the chainsaw on a stick idea

A goblin chucking explosives

Another conversion for BB secret weapon action

Need to get all these finished plus a commission that just rolled in all in the next few weeks! Should be a busy bit of painting time. Really itching to finish my Mordheim band as well and I think I might compete in a WHFB tournament in a few months which means I need to finish and/or repaint and touch up one of my armies. Probably my Vampire Counts though the Ogres are tempting me...

Beer Review - Arbor Brewing Company Violin Monster.

Ann Arbor Brewing Company - Violin Monster Autumn Ale

Beer Type: Belgian Strong Dark Ale - 9.50% ABV

Appearance: 12 brown bottle with a freakin' VIOLIN MONSTER on it!! Some kinda werewolf looking dude playing a violin under a dark red moon. Awesome. Beer pours a dark pitch brown with hints of red (like the red moon AROOOWWWW) with a thin light brown head.

Smell: All kinds of sweet spices. A melange of autumn beer smells. Sweet brown sugar, malt, and all kinds of warming spices.          

First Drink: Nutmeg and clove come through strong with a nice brown sugar malted backbone. A little bit of booze on the finish. 

Mouthfeel: Not as sticky as you might expect from the sweet nose and flavor. A nice full bodied big beer.      

Last Drink: A bit more yeast and alcohol coming through now. Still plenty of spice. Where is the pumpkin!!?            

Drinkability: Not sure if this is a new seasonal brew or not. Never seen it until this fall but I dig it! A nice change of pace from the pumpkin ales.            

Notes: I really love this label and this is a great selection from the ABC catalog of brews. Now to try it on tap!              

Verdict: 4 out of 5. Big spice, dark flavors, and a kick ass werewolf on the label.  

Skaven - 2,250 Clan Moulder Freak Rat Romp!

I love monsters. The Skaven have their Clan Moulder who love monstrous rat creatures. Here is a monstrous rat creature list made with the new Skaven book that I hope to proxy and try out (perhaps collect, assemble, and paint):

LORDS: (225)
Throt the Unclean (225)

HEROES: (270)
Warlock Engineer(15) - Level 2, Shadow Magnet Trinket, Warp-Energy Condenser (150)
Warlock Engineer - Level 1, Dispel Scroll, Warpstone Token, Warpmusket (120)

CORE: (1255)
Rat Ogres x 10 - Master Moulder w/ Electro Whip, Packmasters x 3, Skweel Gnawtooth (580)
Rat Ogres x 10 - Master Moulder w/ Thingcatcher, Packmasters x 4 (485)
Giant Rats x 26 - Master Moulder w/ Thingcatcher, Packmasters x 3 (155)
Giant Rats x 9 - Packmaster (35)

RARE: (500)
Hellpit Abomination - Warpstone Spikes (250)
Hellpit Abomination - Warpstone Spikes (250)

Total Points: 2,250 (of 2,250)

Two big units of Rat Ogres w/ Packmasters and a big block of Giant Rats with Engineers. The smaller pack of Giant Rats is for harassing flanks or claiming table quarters. Giant monsters do what they do best - kill things! I have never played Skaven. Just looking for something fun to play with and model and huge mutant rats seem to be on my mind at the moment. Suggestions for the list are welcomed and encouraged!

It has been awhile since I featured a beer review on the site. I still have a huge backlog of beers I need to review but I thought this one was thematically appropriate.

Indian Wells Brewing Company - Lobotomy Bock

Beer Type: Doppelbock

Appearance: 12 oz. brown bottle with a red "cartoony" label on it. Beer poured a dark reddish black color with a thick head.

Smell: Bready... a bit of sweet dark aroma (chocolate?).

First Drink: A little bit of chocolate but nothing that really sticks around.

Mouthfeel: Thin and a little flat feeling (more carbonation would be nice).

Last Drink: More malt and bread flavors but overall this is a very simple beer.

Drinkability: Seems a bit like Shiner Bock in taste and mouthfeel, but I feel like there should be more going on.

Notes: This beer is 10% alchohol but you can't really taste it. Not great, not bad, this one is just alright (and my brains are still intact).

Verdict: 3 out of 5

Links: Beer Advocate and Indian Wells Brewing Company.

New Skaven madness has been unleashed!

The new Skaven book is upon us! Run for your lives!!

I have only seen one game with the new book but it was a doozy - a classic Skaven SAD list vs a zombie spamming Vampire list. The Skaven won the game but blew up half their force in the process. Fun!

Today I will be playing a few games here at home with the new book. I will post my thoughts on the book as a whole after seeing a few more games in action.

I have already noticed a continuation of the trend started with the Warriors of Chaos book - I could probably make a better Ogre-type force from the Skaven book. Is it really a new trend or do I just really love armies with nothing but Monsters and 40mm troops? Double Hellpit Abomination and Rat Ogre madness lists ahoy!

*chitter-chitter*

Trolls! Gamezone releases new Chaos Troll models.

As you may or may not know I am a little bit obsessed with the Warriors of Chaos Trolls. Trolls! They are big and dumb. Trolls! They puke on everyone. Trolls! Mutant Regen gets them fun new things. Trolls! You never know what kind of game they'll bring.

I am still working towards having my very own monster-centric Troll list at some point in the future, and I have played quite a few proxy games with the Throgg and his Chaos Troll companions. It is mostly a coin toss as to if you will win or lose with the Trolls but I always have fun playing with them and that is the most important thing for me.

The only problem I have with Chaos Trolls is their crappy GW model. I decided I was going to use Ogre, Gorger, and Spawn bits to fashion my own "Trolls" for use on the table but then Gamezone Miniatures has to go and ruin everything by releasing these bad boys:

Hell, you could even use these as Yhettees or Gorgers in an Ogre Kingdoms army and be doing well! I wish they looked a little less hairy but overall I am impressed with their Trollish bad looks.

While we are on the topic of Trolls, here is a quick and dirty Monster/Troll list I came up with for 2,250. I dropped all magic and magic defense to focus on straight Monster brutality. I really want to give this a shot sometime soon and see how it fares against some of the nastier lists out there.

LORDS: (605)
Kholek Suneater (605)

HEROES: (175)
Throgg the Troll King (175)

CORE: (540)
Trolls x 3 (135)
Trolls x 3 (135)
Trolls x 3 (135)
Trolls x 3 (135)

Chaos Warhounds x 5 (30)

SPECIAL: (693)
Dragon Ogres x 3 - Great Weapons (231)
Dragon Ogres x 3 - Great Weapons (231)
Dragon Ogres x 3 - Great Weapons (231)

RARE: (205)
Hellcannon (205)

Total Points: 2,248 (of 2,250)

Dragon Ogres will stay near Kholek - Trolls near Throgg. Hopefully their Ld bonuses will overlap enough to deal with the Stupidity. Hellcannon is there as a random source of problems for my opponent. I don't really care what it does as long as it is killing things or being an active threat. Hounds are throwaway fast cav blockers, bait, or flank guards for whichever side needs it. Possibly even a screen for the Dragon Ogres.

I considered adding two Shaggoths to this list but I just can't see them being worth the points! You can get more attacks with Dragon Ogres for less points and they don't take up a Rare slot. Anybody have any luck with them?