Assembling Cygnar

Stupid little pieces! I know they are going to pop off and yet there is no good way to pin them. Grrr... Now I remember why I had not assembled eStryker before. I also have eCaine but he has even more little pieces! I am probably a little spoiled by the ones who come as a single piece.

I picked up some Simple Green the other day and dropped 6 trenchers into a chipped coffee mug. They have been here for 48 hours and layers of paint are peeling off. It is my first time working with Simple Green but I have had these trenchers for 4+ years and they have never been fielded. I bought them already painted (and cheap) along with 4 primed black. I hope to get them cleaned up, buy a box of the new Trencher Commandos, and paint them all together.

Here are my recent purchases. I have the 6 Long Gunners, 2 Officers, and 2 Standard Bearers to fill out my Long Gunner Units. The new Warcaster Kara Sloan is also a new purchase. I already had eHaley, who finally got assembled, and the Squire, who was based along with the rest of them.

The next step will be to attach the washers and a coat of black spray primer to lock down the sand.

My next project

I have to wait a few days before I can afford the Long Gunners I want to buy so I dug these little guys out. They are the extra Bodgers that go with my Field Mechaniks. I like the poses but there are only two and honestly I am too lazy to fiddle with them. I will just have to paint them differently.

I went ahead and cleaned the flashing, glued them to their bases, painted Elmer's glue down and added the sand from my Santa Cruz Basing Kit. Once this was dry, I glued the washers down, thus avoiding trapped sand.


Next, I took them outside and primed them with Krylon Ultra-Flat Black paint. I know it's not the special snazzy stuff but it costs about 1/5th the amount so I am good with it =) I decided I wanted to base them in this order so the black primer would help seal in the sand and coat the washer. I had a difficult time getting the washer coated with brushed on paint. The spray paint coated much better.

Finished Arcane Tempest Gun Mages

I finally have them finished. They have had their last layers of clear coat sprayed on and I am done! I am really happy with the way the blue fabrics came out. I am even satisfied with the flesh tones. I won't feel too bashful about slapping these guys down on the field of combat. (Click any pic for a larger version).


This is the Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Solo and apparently he is a little bashful. The close up still shows where my technique needs work (but my photography is getting pretty good!) but he is the same quality as the above unit so I feel pretty good about him.


The Storm Smiths were also completed with this batch. Again, I am pleased with the result. Thanks for reading!

My Patio

When I arrived home from work the other night, I was met with a wonderful surprise! My significant other had been busy at the local home and garden store.

Originally, I only had the little herb garden but now we have a great little area. I find that we naturally gravitate here, often taking our dinners out side =)

This is my palm tree! There are also little flowery plants at the base to add color. I am not really into plants that aren't edible but the palm tree is kind of fun =)

This is my other non-edible plant. It is a Lamb's Ear and that is exactly what the leaves feel like. I had to leave my last one in Kentucky and this was a beautiful surprise.

Finally, these are my herbs. Oregano was the first to pop up but is still very small. The Cilantro was last to sprout but is growing like crazy. I can't wait to try my hand at salsa!

(above is the little "posted by Picasa" Symbol)

This is my Basil and the Chives are on the right. Thanks for reading and the there will be miniatures in the next post =)

What to buy...

As with all good miniature painters, finishing 10 mini's makes me feel like I have accomplished something. The Gun Mages only lack a final flat coat of varnish before they get their big reveal photo. So last night, I started thinking about what to paint next.

The new Cygnar Forces books are amazing and their warcaster tier builds have some really nice bonuses. I don't believe there are any 'game winner' bonuses but a free officer attachment, lower costing jacks, and a couple of advanced deployments can't hurt. The problem (and the subtly) of the system is that ever caster has a unit they must have two of to get to the top tier. For instance, Commander Coleman Stryker, poster boy of the Cygnar military, must be fielded with 2 or more Long Gunner units in order to get a free Long Gunner Officer attachment. If not, you can't get to his forth tier, take two Lancers, and let his army begin the game with his upkeep spells. The tier builds are optional and none of them are really game winning but they are still enticing to the gamer.

So of course I am going to think about the tier system when I decide what to paint next. The problem is that I don't have two units of Long Gunners! Nor do I have 2 units of Trenchers. Silly me, I only bought and painted 1 unit of Gun Mages!

I began by looking at what I already had, what I had not painted yet, and what I might have to buy to play my favorite casters.

• Prime Stryker - I actually have enough Long Gunners for 2 half units and I could proxy an Ironclad for Ol' Rowdy. To really make the most out of the build, I would want to buy 6 more Long Gunners and 2 officers and standard bearers. Cost = $53 USD.


• Prime Haley - Has the same Long Gunner requirement so I could field her as is. Oh wait, I don't have pHaley so that's $8. To get most out of the build, I would need the same 6 gunners and 4 officers plus 4 more Sword Knights. Cost = $87.


• Darius (my favorite caster) - I would need 6 more Sword Knights to field it but I would not paint just 6. I would want to get the full 14 more plus the two officers and standard bearers. This same unit would allow me to field pNemo but the cost of the 14+4 mini's would = $135. I love Darius but this seems like a lot right now, especially after a move.
  

I continued to break down my options (in a spreadsheet because I'm a nerd) and here is what I came up with for a shopping list:

• 6 Long Gunners + 4 Officer/standard bearers = $53
• pHaley = $8
• Kara Sloan (a new caster) = $12
• 6 Rangers = $31
• Total cost = $104

I can buy it in pieces and this shopping list allows me to play three different casters. I am pretty sure this is the direction I will go.

Then again, I could not buy anything and just paint my orks...

Finishing the Gun Mages

We have finally gotten moved in here in Austin and I am enjoying my new job with Best Buy. I also finally got my paints unpacked and I am almost finished with my Gun Mages. I busted out the basing kit I won from Santa Cruz Warhammer and got to it. Here is the mostly painted Gun Mages, Gun Mage Solo, and 3 Stormsmiths.


Below is the chipped slate included in the kit. There is a nice selection of large and small pieces. The flat sides are great for gluing them to the base.


Here I have glued down the pieces of slate. I am also getting ready to glue the washers underneath.


Here is the sand included in the kit. The sand has good texture and, like the slate, there will be plenty for a ton of minis.


A few of the bases already had washers, but I waited to glue down the rest until after the sand. This way, I avoid getting sand stuck under the base. I have roughed up the washers with my file for a better bond.


After the sand is glued down, I mix Black paint and Elmer's 1:1 and paint the sand. It locks in the sand and provides a base coat.


All lined up with a heavy overbrush of FA's Burnt Umber.


A close up of the basing. Finished pics should be up tomorrow.



Finally, I wanted to show off my herb garden. It is much smaller than my garden last year but it is much more manageable in an apartment space. Basil, Cilantro, Oregano, and Chives.