The Soviet project!

  Waaaaaay back in June, I had a good buddy ask me to do a commission job for him.  He's a big fan of the game Bolt Action but was finding time to paint his armies very difficult.  I happily took the project, especially for a good friend who's been burned by commission painters in the past.  He tossed me a couple coins and sent me the army box.

  As you know if you've followed me, I enjoy doing contract painting work.  Usually it's for D&D models.  But every once in while, I also get some other games going.  In this case, I was working on Warlord Games products, which are COMPLETELY different quality and style than the GW models I'm used to working with and even the Reaper models I've started to delve into.  The models are much smaller and thinner, with significantly less detail.  But this is how real life works- there's not 'trinkets' floating all over every soldier and character and little in the way of tech-y stuff.  And after working with the samurai for Test of Honour (which I never posted about, apparently), I was a bit worried.  I'm so used to the 'Eavy Metal standards and Citadel system that these models were going to be interesting.

  So I did what any new project manager would do- I chose to use this as an opportunity to learn some new skills.  I had received an airbrush kit from my sis-in-law for Christmas and it seemed like a good project to use this on.  After all, that army box came with over 60 infantry!  I also wanted to go with some directional highlighting since these were such small models.  Most importantly, though, was making sure to stick to a generally historically-accurate scheme and not going super-cartoony in style like GW and D&D miniatures typically use.  This was going to be interesting.


  I should note that it took me four months to get this army completed.  In reality, I spent almost a week cleaning and building the models, then a couple of days playing with the airbrush, and then another six days doing basecoats and highlights.  All in all, I could have finished this job in two weeks, but I took many weeks-long breaks.  Most of it was due to laziness (hey- it's summer and the kids are home and I wanted to spend time with them, okay!?!), but some of it was due to other priorities.  But I have to admit that there was no reason for this to have taken so long.  Unlike my buddy's previous hires, I at least finished the project.  Small consolation for the immense guilt I feel.

  Beyond that, let's look at a bunch of pics.  I've already been wordy enough for this post, so just scroll down and enjoy the progress.

After the building and initial basecoat of English Uniform

Oh no!  I grabbed the glossy version of the wash!  Rookie mistake...

All the colors I used across the whole army as I start work on the weapons teams...

Guess I have to be consistent- glossy wash it is!

The best example of the directional highlighting on the uniform colors.

Finished with the basic work, so now for the finishing stuff...

Never put iconography on this tank because, well, it's hard!!!  Well, by hand, anyway...

After painting Bobby G, I LOVE painting fire!

A little basing and DONE!

 
  And there we go!  A totally finished 1000 point army for the Soviets ready to invade Germany from the east and whoop some Nazi rear!  Now my buddy has to get his Germans painted.  And his Americans.  If he's happy enough, maybe he'll send those to me to paint as well...

  Oh, and that's army number two (of four) painted for the year!!!  Now maybe I can get back to my Word Bearers...

  Let me know what you think below and, as always, Happy Hobbying!

I love this game!!!

  It's been a busy couple of months for the old Geedubs.  The new Warcry game, new Space Marine rules, and even the upcoming leaks have all made for some interesting stuff.  But here's the problem-
I ain't got no money!!!  I can't express just how broke I am right now, and GW isn't helping that cause. 

The irony in this likely-copyrighted image...

  By the way, that's why I've been absent the past many weeks- looking for work is a lot of work!  Especially in this ridiculous town...  But I digress.

  There's two reasons that I'm suddenly writing this post- the first is about how much the Space Marine redo seems to have people in a tissy.  This includes me since I can't afford $70 just to get the rules and another $15 for the cards.  I haven't even had the means to pick up the Shadowspear box and I really wanted that.  But my tissy isn't the same as everyone else's.  I'll get to that. 

  The other reason is how me and my son are playing and, rather that taking pics and videos, I'm taking the time to teach him the 'strategy' of the game.  While it's nice to win against him using rather weak armies, it will be much nicer to have that urge to adjust my army lists to try and overcome the onset of a losing streak.  To use that awesome analogy that every father knows- I don't mind beating my son at basketball until he grows tall enough to block my shots.  Then I mind it quite a bit. 

  In our most recent game, it ended after two turns and I won 10-7 using ITC rules.  But he learned quite a bit.  We talked about how I make him react to my army and that automatically leads to a win for me.  We discussed how scoring points should always be the focus rather than trying to kill what he perceives as the biggest threats.  In the case of my Chaos Marines versus his Dark Angels, he falls for the Helldrake rush every time and that gives my recyclable marines and shredder-style Possessed all the time they need to move up and wipe him out.  When it's not about slaughtering, the game is actually a blast!

  Which brings me to my first point- we're still using the older books for our armies.  Obviously, we use the FAQs to include the bonus attacks for our forces and updated rules and points, but I don't have the ability to use the Ultramarines in their newer, bluer glory.  And with how our games currently go, I don't think that the game would be fun as my armies would crush him even faster.  And who wants to play a game where setup takes longer than losing?  

  While I'm voluntarily (sorta) choosing to play the 1.0 codex rules (or 1.5 if you count the big FAQ stuff in there), it seems that the gamers on the internet that have the 2.0 codex are still complaining incessantly.  Either Space Marines are too powerful (like having a jump captain with 12 attacks at S6 causing multiple damage each wound roll) or they are still not good (like Bobby G getting a fair taste of the nerf-bat).  And this got me to wondering who these people are playing against to take this stuff so seriously. 

Wait, I'm less powerful now?  Ooookaaayy....

  Let me make another analogy- I'm an old Advanced Dungeons and Dragon player, primarily from the 2nd edition days.  I still understand THAC0 and remember the huge chart for saves on page 99 of the PHB (the one with the mounted ranger on the cover).  But I've played 3.cheese (that's right, I refuse to call it 3.5), 4th edition (go go video game skill trees!), and now 5th edition.  I absolutely adore 5th edition, but there's no reason I can't just pull out the old 1st and 2nd edition books and play that.  I know people that still do.  I just happen to have all the books for 40k from 1st edition on (minus a codex or two here and there) and we could legitimately play those instead of this new edition.  But any gamer worth their salt tries to stay up-to-date.  Why?

No really- why?

  Many of the whingers that I read online (the internet- the place for whining anonymously!) seem to believe that 5th edition 40k is better.  The "rules were tighter" or "there was less rules bloat".  Those that remember 3rd and 4th editions fondly seem to have similar mentalities.  Worse, they go on the various blog-sites and wax authoritatively about how GW has no idea how to write rules and the new versions of the game and its armies are absolutely terrible, telling young little Timmies how 'their day' was better for the game.  I couldn't disagree more, simply because the solution is easy-

Just go play those old editions already!  

  After all, any gamer worth their salt has bookshelves and long-boxes full of old rules sets that they've played in the past.  Why not just bust that old stuff out and use it?  If I wanted to play original Necromunda because the new version is terrible (it's not), I have it all and could do so.  I'd rather do that than go online and ruin other peoples' gaming experience based on my... what's that word?  Oh yeah- opinion!  I know that my son has played the last three editions of 40k and he loves this edition the best.  And you know what?  

  I love this edition as well!  I loved 2nd edition when my boyz-in-blue could punch Leman Russes to death.  I loved 3rd edition with those boyz-in-blue were the worst army in their own book.  I loved 4th edition when my boyz-in-blue could arm themselves with chainswords and extra special weapons.  I loved 5th edition when I finally figured out that lightning-claw armed captains could wreck those cursed gray armies.  I loved 6th edition when those boyz-in-blue finally got their due and were no longer the worst army in their own book.  I loved 7th edition because I owned every formation you could think of (did I mention that I had an addiction?).  And now I love this edition because my boyz-in-blue are actually the poster-child in rules and imagery.  At the end of the day, I feel bad for those complainers with funny handles, because it turns out that I just love this game!

  Let me know how you feel in the comments below (and please comment, my page is bare enough!).  If you disagree, please give me a  more unique argument.  If you agree with me, share some stories of some of the best whining you've heard recently.  Most importantly, pull out some gaming stuff and enjoy.

  Happy gaming!