It was an interesting experience painting this model up.  For most of the painting, I wasn’t actually happy with how it was turning out at all.  The large expanses of red (as per the colour scheme I’m using) and boltgun metal were resulting in a hugely bland-looking model, even despite the gold detailing on the front, and the brighter silver I used in the skull emblem.

Once again, the washes came to the rescue, at least partly.  A nice thick black wash on all the boltgun metal parts brought them up a lot more nicely.

However, there were a couple of little touches I made which really seem to have made a difference.  Firstly, was to try and use the mithril silver paint to add a little definition to the gold at the front, which while I’ve still not got the hang of dry-brushing at all, has definitely helped.

The second thing I did was to use the boltgun metal on the red parts of the Dreadnought to give an idea of battle damage.  This I did by putting some of the paint on my brush, and then wiping most of it off (a la dry-brushing) before putting quick strokes on random parts of the dreadnought. It seems to have produced quite a good effect, giving the model a much more beaten, worn look.

I’m also trying to get more into basing my models, which in this case also included using some of the base decorations that came in the Black Reach set.  Being a bit new to the whole thing, I really couldn’t figure out what the random skulls and shell-casings on the sprues were for for quite a while.   Eventually it clicked, so I drilled a couple more holes in the Dreadnought’s base and grabbed the polystyrene cement.  They’re nice little extras in the set for adding a little more to the models.

Its amazing the difference the little bit of battle damage did to the model.  While I wasn’t happy with the model for most of the painting I’m now pretty happy with the way it turned out.  And it now means the only remaining Space Marine from the Black Reach set I’ve got to do is the Space Marine Captain and then they’re finished

1. I suck at Space Hulk
2. Space Hulk rocks

I got the chance to break in my set, and me and a friend sat down for a good couple of hours of gaming.  With both of us having read about the game extensively in White Dwarf a couple of months ago, we were both keen to try it out.

We decided the best thing to do would be to just start at the beginning, setup mission 1 and play through it twice, swapping sides.  After flicking through the rulebook we also decided to ditch the egg timer for the Space Marine turn while we were feeling our way with the game (although as it turned out, with just one unit of Marines and a small map, the timer wasn’t really an issue).

What followed was a play through of the first two missions, allowing us to try out most of the marines.  The second mission especially made good use of the corridor and room pieces, building up to quite a large map.  Sadly, I also discovered my tactics suck, resulting in a 4-nil kicking

It was quite interesting seeing how the game mechanics vary to the main game.  The use of action points and squares on the boards makes many aspects easier.  With combat, while initially strange-looking,  the rules worked really well in practice, removing complex details like armour-saves, and providing something a lot more straight-forward.  The game boards also really help to build up the atmosphere and establish the scene of the mission, especially when coupled with the mission book detailing the overall story that’s unfolding.

It all made for a great fun afternoon.  Despite the kicking I took, we were definitely getting the hang of the rules quickly, and the pace allowed us to fit in all four games in an afternoon.  I’m now really looking forward to my next chance to get a game.

Designed as a subset of 40K, Space Hulk focuses on a simplified rule set and specially designed game boards that represent a seemingly deserted ship, boarded by a group of Space Marine Terminators who then find themselves under attack from the Genestealer hoardes infesting the ship (think Aliens and you’re pretty much there).  On reading about the game, it reminded me very much of the old Space Crusade set which I did play when I was younger, which similarly bridged Warhammer and traditional board games.  Space Hulk seems to sit between the two in terms of complexity and with this latest release, is very much aimed at the collectors market, rather than the mass market that Space Crusade targetted.

I originally had been trying to resist the set, having only just bought Assault on Black Reach, but the White Dwarf issue had done a really good job selling it, and with it in my hands the other week, I couldn’t resist caving and buying it, under the tenuous reasoning that it was probably going to be my only shot at actually owning it.

Its an incredibly nice set.  There’s a large collection of Space Marine Terminators and Genestealers in the set, but Games Workshop have ensured these models have a lot of character.  Whereas they could’ve just thrown in some standard Terminators, each of the models is distinct containing their own identifying details and a unique pose.   The Genestealers do have some duplication, but that’s understandable given the number of them, and even then there’s various different poses available, and care has been taken to ensure each type of Genestealer has been given a suitable dramatic pose (the Genestealers bursting out of the floor plates are a particular favourite).

The other game pieces have had similar attention.  The cardboard game boards are all very high quality.  They feel very thick and sturdy, and have the nice debossing effect to them.

I must admit, the set is currently sitting low down on my “to paint” list though.   Obviously, I’m still working through the Black Reach set anyway, and I just bought the Aegis Defense Line for some extra scenery, and another bike unit (this time the one with a sidecar).  However its also largely down to the detail of the figures.  I’m not brilliant at detail painting at all, and these miniatures (especially the Terminators) are very detailed.  So I’m left feeling that I’d rather leave them unpainted until I’m confident enough that I can do them a level of justice.

In the meantime though, I’m keen to get started gaming with this set.  From what I’ve read both in the rule book and in White Dwarf, it seems like it’ll be a very different feel to the main 40K game, likely much faster.  The addition of the time limit to the Space Marines’ turn should make things very interesting and more tense, helping capture the atmosphere of the setting.

As mentioned in a previous post, the rules can be quite daunting, so we played two games in total, with the first being the cut-down, simplified game suggested in the quick-start guide, consisting solely of the Ork Boyz (2 units of 10) and the Space Marine Tactical Squad (10 miniatures).  Played on an open field with no terrain to complicate matters, it was a pretty quick game, aside from the frequent flicking through the quick-start guide and rule book whenever we were sorting out a move or combat.

Sadly for my Space Marines, they got pretty soundly trounced by the Orks.  The narrow field we’d setup meant their weapons didn’t have enough time to thin out the numbers before the Orks got in close and pummelled them, which led to the next game, where we decided to chuck everything into the game.

This was definitely a lot more complex, and certain situations involved a lot of rule-book reading (like the first time the Dreadnought was attacked, so we had to figure out all the armour rules.  That took a while).  It was definitely a close battle though and a lot of fun.  There were a few big moments, such as when, in the afore-mentioned Dreadnought attack, the 3 Ork Deffkoptas used their twin-linked rokkit launchers to immobilise the Dreadnought and destroy one of its weapons.   Sadly leaving my Dreadnought useless unless any Orks happened to walk infront of it.   However this was then compensated for by a particularly good round for my tactical squad, who annihilated one of the Ork Boyz units in a hail of bolter fire, allowing them to then focus on the Deffkoptas.

It was that kind of balance that led to a really fun game.  At various points it could’ve gone either way, depending on the dice, although I must say, the superb armour save value of the Space Marine Terminator armour helped a lot, with their ability to take a real pounding in close combat.

It was also nice to see the miniatures I’d painted in an actual game.  Since I was behind the Marines the whole time I couldn’t really appreciate them, but the Orks I’d worked on really worked well.

Looking forward to the next games.  And by then I’ll hopefully have even more of the Orks painted.  Maybe this time as well the Dreadnought will last a little longer.

So as a result, I’d not really been focusing on playing the game until the miniatures I’d judged as really needing painted prior to assembly were done.  Realistically this just meant the Marine Tactical Squad and the Deffkoptas.  Now granted there’s still some details on the Deffkoptas I’m meaning to go back to, but the main bits have been done for now.  So now I’m starting to move my focus towards playing the game and to this end I’ve started going through the rulebook.

Its truely quite daunting just reading the rulebook.  You’re bombarded with the various types of checks and die rolls you must perform during the game, whether its combat, morale or traversing different types of terrain.   There’s the undeniable feeling that you’ve just jumped headlong into the deep end of a very, very deep pool.

Fortunately the Quick Start guide works to try and soften the blow.  Filled with lots of nice photographs it carries instructions for small starter games to help ease you into the game, starting with a basic game with just the Ork boyz versus the Space Marine Tactical Squad on a flat battlefield, just running right at one another.  It keeps things a lot more straightforward, and means there’s only a couple of weapon types (the marines for example largely have bolters, although there is the Rocket Launcher and Sergeant’s power sword in there as well).

This’ll definitely be my first move.  Although I’ve previously played a few Warhammer games and I’ve got other units I’ve bought, and a ruined building it makes sense to slowly incorporate them into games one at a time, allowing me the time to properly look up rules as they’re needed, which will probably be a lot more practical than trying to just read the rulebook cold.

And this is an area that got me thinking.  When I was younger, I used to play Space Crusade all the time, which was a much-simplified version of the game, using proper game boards and the like to help make some aspects of the game (measuring distances for example) easier.  Likewise the recently re-released Space Hulk seems to me as a nice bridge between the simplified Space Crusade, and the open, complex world of full 40K games.  I can’t help but wonder if there might be a market for these more specialised versions of the Warhammer games, especially given the detail and complexity of the main game could .  As I say, I’ve got very fond memories of playing Space Crusade with friends, and Space Hulk has been hugely popular even with established gamers of the main game, thanks (from what I can gather) to its faster-paced gameplay (in addition to the general quality of the new set).

I’d definitely also like to see more of the Black Reach style sets as well, perhaps focusing on other armies.  Again, Black Reach has been hugely successful even with established collectors due to its large number of highly detailed miniatures.  Similar sets could spotlight different armies or troop types, and perhaps encourage people’s friends to buy the sets, and combine them to create larger games.

Another thing I’d possibly suggest is that Games Workshop release the version of the rulebook included in the set separately.  I lost mine at one point, and when I checked for a replacement I realised my only option was to buy the full rulebook.  Its a beautiful-looking hardbacked book, however its also £35, and as someone just starting out, the idea of £35 just for the rulebook seems quite a lot and could be a bit off-putting.  Releasing the Black Reach version (fewer pages with backstory etc, smaller pages and paperback) as a cheap alternative could be quite a nice option, with the hardcover remaining a collector’s item.  Just a thought.

I’m certainly looking forward to getting started properly with Black Reach next week.  And from a painting point of view its certainly going to keep me busy for a good while to come.  I’m looking forward to finally getting my head around the game mechanics and rules and it’ll be nice to finally play a few games with the miniatures I’ve been spending the last while painting.

Containing all you need to get started with two reasonably-sized armies (Space Marines and Orks) this is a really nice kit, containing a mixture of units, rule books, dice and the like.

The units are simplified from the normal ones, the same as the basic Space Marines I started out with.   They consist of only a few pieces, and are designed to push together easily without the need for glue.  For example, most of the Space Marine tactical unit are three piece units, consisting of the main body of the marine, their backpack, and their weapon.

However, Games Workshop haven’t used this as an excuse to skimp on these units.  While you may not get to choose their weapons or poses, they’re still very nicely detailed miniatures.  The marines have a variety of backpacks and helmets rather than all looking the same.  One tacitcal marine boasts a rocket launcher, while another can have a flamer.  Even the heavy bolters are of a few different types, some plain, some with telescopic sights and others with carry straps attached.

Likewise the Orks, there’s a variety of appearances throughout the 20 Ork Boyz and 5 Ork Nobz and there’s a selection of arms in the sprues both straight and bent at the elbow to give you a little choice on how they’re posed.

So far, my only issue with the kit is that its a little overwhelming.  Its easy to know where to start with a five pack of Assault Marines, however this requires more time invested.  While some of the units can be put together and painted fairly trouble free later, I’m aware that getting in at the detail of some of them will be difficult once assembled.  For now, I’m painting up the tactical squad, to be sure of getting details like the chest insignia painted before their weapons are attached.  The Terminators aren’t as bad, but given their armour I really want to get the back of it painted before pushing their heads into place.

The only real units that have caused me a bit of hassle are the Ork Deffkoptas.  They’re really nice units, but don’t seem to want to push together properly, so will need their parts glued into place.  And just from looking I can see painting the pilot’s head would be a real pain if done after assembly, so I’ll need to get myself some paints for the Orks soon.   I’m trying to focus for now on painting those units that will really benefit from painting prior to assembly.  That way, other units like the Space Marine Captain I can probably paint later on, but still use them in a game just now.

I’ve attached some pictures of some of the assembled but unpainted units for those that are interested.

While I’m still waiting on the Black Reach set being delivered, I was looking for something to paint, so picked up this set of guys, and like the bike unit, this set offered me yet another aspect of the hobby.

Like the bike unit, these marines requied glueing together.  However, unlike the bike unit, these marines offered a lot of customisation.   While the packaging indicates the set contains five assault marines, this isn’t entirely true.  Yes, in terms of complete marines, you can only assemble five, however there are a wealth of other bits included.   As someone new to the hobby, I’d assumed the picture on the box was what you get.  Not so.   The sprues actually contained a selection of different helmets, bodies and weapons.  Along with various accessory pieces such as smoke and regular grenades and belt pouches.

The leader of the squad came with the most flexibility with a wide range of different weapons to choose from, meaning that assembling these marines was a hobby in its own right, as you have to put thought into how you want the squad to look and be equipped once you’re finished.  It also opens the door to multiple purchases of the same squad, with each being a variation.

Also useful for me, was one of the spare heads.   There’s an option for the leader of the squad to have a regular (i.e. no helmet) head.   This has always concerned me, due to the level of detail involved.  In fact one of the reasons I went with Space Marines was because their armour can be quite forgiving towards basic painting.  So the fact I now have a head I can practice on is a big plus, especially since I know the Black Reach set contains a Space Marine captain.

Highlighting is still something I need to try and practice at.  I tried it a little on the bike, but its still something I’m not too keen on.  Drybrushing is the most obvious way to go for some basic highlights, but thus far my attempts have usually not looked right at all, and ended up painted over.   Hopefully soon though, I’ll have the Black Reach set, and with it a load of new marines to try it on.  Not to mention the Orks, which should provide a change.

The overall process was pretty much the same as a basic unit, clipping everything off of the sprues, building the model, basecoating, foundation paint, detailing and washes.  The main difference aside from the size of the model was in applying the transfers, which was new.

Some have definitely applied better than others.  The skulls on the sides of the front wheel ended up a bit squint sadly, and the transfers on the marine’s shoulders didn’t seem to like curving with the shoulder.  I’ll get more practice at it though, and its nice to have a sheet of transfers to add logos to the shoulders of my marines.  My painting skills aren’t really up to hand painting them like a lot of people do

I’ve attached a gallery of the model at various stages.  Sadly I kept forgetting to take photos as I went along, but you can see, the model unboxed and on the sprues, assembled and base-coated, after its first coat of paint, and then finished.

After a less-than-successful trip to Hobbycraft to get the Assault on Black Reach set, I did end up picking up a bike unit.  I’ve had my eye on the bike+sidecar unit for a while as I think it looks really neat, but as I hadn’t tried any vehicle models before, I thought the cheaper single bike would be a good starting point to practice on.

Its made an interesting change from building up the marines, as the basic marines don’t require glue as they can be nicely pegged together.  Whereas this model doesn’t really have solid pegs so has to be carefully assembled and glued together.  Fortunately this wasn’t particularly difficult, and for most parts, there’s at least guiding pegs which, while they won’t hold the model together, will at least help you figure out where bits go.

I also was unsure about whether to paint parts first and then assemble, or assemble and then paint, so it ended up a bit of a hodge-podge, with me painting some parts, before deciding the glue and paint probably wouldn’t mix and just putting it all together and then going back and painting everything.

As seen in the picture, there’s still a good amount of painting to do (and the eagle-eyed will notice I forgot the shoulder guards on the marine’s armour, so they’ll need to be done).  The bike needs a second coat of red I think, along with a good bit of tidying up.  And then the washes will be applied across the bike and marine to add some depth.  I’m quite happy with how its shaping up though, even if it is quite rough at the moment.

I’ve also been continuing to work on my basic marines.  With 3 painted as the Genesis chapter, I decided to try doing my remaining two as Salamanders to have another go and compliment the Salamander I’d already done.

In the picture I’ve included the first Salamander I did for comparison.  This time I used a Dwarven Bronze paint on the chest logo instead of flat yellow, and applied a wash of Devlan Mud.  The gun’s more detailed as well, with me leaving the body of it black and applying a little white to the skull logo.

I’m very happy with how the bronze paint turned out on the chest, as well as the wash.  As usual, there’s some tidying up required (darn these hi-res pictures showing up the bits I’ve missed) but overall I think its a big improvement.  The wash really improves the look of the miniature with minimal work.

However, today I thought I’d go a bit extra. I’d been meaning to pick up the Citadel Washes pack to try them out, as well as some proper gold paint for the chest detail and shoulders, so tonight I grabbed them from Games Workshop and set about the next two marines I’d been playing with who had a red foundation.

I had been toying with a red and silver colour scheme, but each different mix I tried, I decided I prefered the red and gold scheme I’d used originally (the Genesis Chapter from the Codex). The results of tonight’s painting can be seen on the right. The middle marine is my original one, with the basic red foundation and yellow details. The only changes are I painted up his gun a bit, added black to the joints in his armour legs, and painted his belt pouches.

For the other two marines, I started as usual. Black undercoat, and red foundation. Then green for the eyes, black in the mouthguard, and brown for the belt pouches/holster.

I then used my new shining gold paint on the shoulders and chest detail. I then took the red wash and applied it over the marine, save for his chest, which had a black wash applied.

Once the washes had all dried, I then lightly added another layer of gold to the chest (very lightly with hardly any paint on the brush to try for a dry-brushing effect) and added another layer of gold to the shoulders as normal.  The green in the eyes, and brown for the pouches/holster were re-applied.

For the gun, a basic coat of gunmetal was used, as well as red for the marine’s hands. The insignia was then painted bronze. The hands were given a red wash, the same as the marine, while a black wash was applied to the gun itself.

I’m pretty happy with the results.   The washes definitely add a level of depth to the figures with minimal work, and the gold looks much nicer than the yellow.

Next is to paint up my final two marines with the green and black Salamander paint scheme again I think.  That’ll give me two groups of three in each colour scheme.   I’ve started painting one so far, however this time, rather than gold I’ve applied a light foundation of bronze to the chest logo over the black basecoat, which currently looks quite effective, so I may leave it with that.   For the wash, rather than the obvious green, I’m tempted to try the Devlan Mud wash and see if it gives the whole thing a more battle-worn look.

Oh yeah, and I need to tidy up the left eye of the marine in the top picture.  Bit of a splodge that one