a series of unfortunate events

Hello everyone! Miss me?
First let me apologize for being absent for a few months. My life has been pretty much flipped upside down and I have finally righted myself.

I suppose I should start with the more recent but very major event, about a month ago my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This could be described as a literal round house kick to the face for the family. Its been a bit rough but there is a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel. He has decided to go with a procedure that would require implanting gold seeds in his prostate and long story short he must endure some pretty intense bombardments of radiation. Luckily this has been caught early enough and his success rate is at about 93%. The wound is still pretty raw on this subject but its somewhat pulling the family a bit closer. I'll attempt to keep you all up to date on his status as he progress'.

Another "major" event was the loss of my internet about 3 months ago. Though it could be seen as a lesser problem it still set me into a "depressed" sort of state. You never quite grasp the idea of things you use everyday that have become a natural part of your every day to day routines. Thankfully after battling thru some low points money wise we have managed to bring it back in a way.

A lesser event was the loss of our digital camera. Again a necessary casualty when faced with money issues (along with my x-box...). A simple solution for the time being is to upgrade my phone and or borrow my nieces expensive camera for a few photo sessions.

Then of course there is illness. The worst kind of illness... the summer illness.

Also working full time makes it difficult to get things finished.

So after this post you should hopefully see more progress from me. I will try my hardest to get photos up and to finish my damn commissions.
Thank you to all who have been following, your going to be happy with me soon.

+++Kevin a.k.a. Mr.Malevolent+++

More Raven Guard

So I've been chipping away at the Raven Guard commission.
I'm actually really enjoying it.
One thing I am not enjoying however, is the results from the camera.
But I have to make do with what I have.
So to begin here are some new pics of the Vanguard Veteran squad (3 out of 5).

I love adding gore!

Here's also a shot of the work desk as I begin working on the two five man Scout squads, finishing up some small work on the last two Vanguard Vets, and working away on Captain Shrike.

And we have the first test mini for my Golden Sisters of Battle color scheme.
Haven't picked out a name for them yet but I really like the scheme.
Still hating this camera.....

So there you have it.
Should be nearing the end of the Raven Guard commission soon, then jumping into 100 Guardsmen and all the while hopefully painting my Sisters of Battle army/ working on Iron Warriors with the new starter box set/ painting some Carcharodons again for Adepticon Team Tourney 2013!
Thanks for looking and C&C is always welcome.

+++Kevin+++

Hidden Surprise and Commission Update

 A hidden surprise

So the wife and I decided the other day to switch our bedroom with our "hobby" room.
The idea being that both of our hobbies needed alot more room and our bedroom is only for sleeping anyways....
Well after we finished moving, I found one of my figure cases I havent opened in a long while.
Low and behold I find Ultramarines!
I started painting a small force of Ultramarines after I played through the video game Space Marine (which I absolutely love).
I'm actually really inspired to jump back into these now that I found them.
Hope you like them as much as I do.

Finished Ultramarine

I was and still am so proud of this first finished Ultramarine I did.

I put so much detail work into him and it was the first time I tried out OSL (objective source lighting) on a model. This was also my first try at a new method for "realistic" snow bases which I still currently use and am using for the current Raven Guard commission I am working on.

W.I.P.

Flamer conversion

 

Close up of snow bases

 

The state of the Raven Guard Commission

And here are some pics of my current commission of Raven Guard.

Trying to do something similar to the Ultramarine with OSL.

I've also been closely following the profiles in Imperial Armour Vol 8.

The customer is loving them so far (thank the Emperor).

I have to say I am so thankful for  having him as a customer, he has been so uber-patient with me on this project. If only all my customers could be like him haha.

Hope you all like what you see.
I'll be updating again sometime this week (work permitting) as part of my new "Blogging Rules" which includes forcing myself to post up progress of anything and everything I'm working on no matter what.
C&C is always welcome!

+++Kevin+++

Build a Hero: Part 1, something fun

Bring it on daemon filth!

Hi my name is Kevin and I'm a  Grey Knight Grand Master.

I've always been a HUGE "fanboy" of the Grey Knights even way before Ward got his filthy claws on them and I will probably never stop loving them. 

A tear in reality is bleeding hordes of daemons onto the planets surface as a gunmetal grey Storm Raven slowly descends upon a nearby clearing.

The ramps lower, and six immense figures stomp towards the gibbering hordes.

There is no sign of hestitaion as they brace for the coming impact.

Just as the two lines meet, a blinding white light blooms from the leader of the figures. 

The battle can truly begin.

I can just picture my character wading into a sea of multi-colored daemons, blessed Nemesis Daemon Hammer rising and falling, smashing aside all before me while setting them on fire with my Incinerator. Plus it doesn't help that I'm currently reading "The Emperors Gift". Damn you Aaron Dembski Bowden!

Equipment:
Grand Master, Master-Crafted Nemesis Daemon Hammer, Incinerator, Blind and Rad grenades, and a trio of servo-skulls.

Ok now the entire idea behind this posting comes from a fellow blogger I follow, HERO's Gaming Blog. Choose a character from any of the 40k Codices available that best represents you and kit them out for battle (of course within the normal legal limitations).  More to come as he posts more (he has mentioned that we can actually model the character to represent us on the battlefield). Check out his blog HERE.

+++Kevin+++ 

Going off the grid

Well ladies and gentlemen, the time has come....

I will be off the "grid" for a little while.

Outrageous cable/internet bills are going to leave me with no internet for a few days (at most a week).
So once we change over to another cheaper internet provider, I will be back.
I know you'll all miss me.
It'll be ok.
See you when I get back on the grid.

+++Kevin+++

Orks for sale!

Hello fellow bloggers!

Just letting you all now that I have some Orks up for sale on E-Bay as well as my Necrons.
Let your friends know. Their perfect for anyone beginning the hobby or to add to an existing army.
As long as you live in the United States they are up for grabs to the luckiest bidder.
Check them out and help a hobbyist who's down on his luck.

I also would like to state that I have indeed gotten my old job back!
This job is full time, with a set schedule and I love it.
Basically I deliver auto motive paints to local repair shops and dealerships.
Now I can start putting my commission money back into replenishing my own collections.
Thanks for looking and remember tell your friends about my lots on E-Bay.
Cheers.

+++Kevin+++

Army for sale

So I decided I'm selling my Necrons.
Yep you read that right, selling them and saying goodbye and glad to see you go... Necrons Army: E-Bay This latest FAQ has left a bitter taste in my mouth. Normally I'm not one to complain about the FAQs but I'm just at a loss for the utter sense of "laziness/generalism" toward everything other then Imperial Guard, Grey Knights and Necrons.
The nerf bat was definitely being used with a heavy hand this time. Now you cannot tell me the original authors of the various Codices are actually handling these at all. You just can't. I mean would Phil Kelly really make Webway Portals so utterly useless now that you cannot even assault out of them the turn you walk out? Or would he generalize all the unique weapons like Djinn Blades and Huskblades as "unusual power weapons with AP3"?
The point behind all of this is the simple fact that I as a hobbyist/player am striving to find that project that will on one hand "tickle my fancy" and on the other, give my player side something with strategy. I found that with Dark Eldar. I had been thinking about them for a long time now and with all thats happened since 6th has dropped, has pointed me right in their direction.

Uhm yeah, he doesn't want to kill you. He wants to eat your soul.

They are some of the most beautiful models GW has released and are backed by one of the most in-depth backgrounds an army could ever ask for.  Phil Kelly and Jes Goodwin really out did themselves with this Codex thats for sure. Even with the heavy handed nerf beating they received, I'm jumping right in. Should have a test min up soon.

My next update should be of some pics of my recent Goff Ork army I painted followed by a Kabalite Warrior and maybe even some Raven Guard commission work mixed in for s&g.
Thanks for looking.
Cheers.

Another heretic for the fire

Hey guys and gals.

Small update again.
Finished the Flamer Bearer Marine (I hear that flamers are quite nasty in assaults) for my Emperor's Children Tactical Squad "Alpha" (still thinking of better names). One day I'll sit down and draw up some sketches of shoulder pad designs so I don't have all blank pads.

The Flamer Bearer

And as always, after I take some pics, I have to go back and tidy up some spots (damn camera)....

Anywho... hope you like him as much as I do.

2 down, 3 to go and then maybe a running Dreadnought as a reward for finishing before my deadline!

Cheers!

+++Kevin+++

Something Heretical and something ancient

Hello fellow bloggers!

Commission Update: I FINALLY finished the Goff Ork commission. Now onto the Raven Guard commission.

Now for something with a bit of Heresy.
I took over the reins of a motivational thread on Bolter and Chainsword for a "Tale of 20 gamers, a galaxy asunder". Its basically a motivational thread for the 18 Astartes Legions, the Adeptus Custodes and the Sisters of Silence. I chose my favorite Legion, the Emperor's Children.
Basically at the end of every month each person who chooses a Legion/ Imperial Force is to submit a painted 5 man squad or something equivalent (Contemptors, Primarchs, 10 man squads etc.) The idea being, every member shows their work in progress pics as they move along, which helps motivate others to work and finish their projects. Its all positive and I love it.
Here are some pics of my EC so far.

The beginnings of Squad 1

Vet Sergeant

Converted Flamer bearer

And now for something completely different.

While I have my Emperor's Children I wanted to have another army that I can actually play and play often. Enter the Necrons! I won't go into the whole 6th Edition FAQ and the now super-Necrons debacle I'll just say, I'm glad I chose them to be my primary army. If you're wondering about the Sisters, I'm still interested in them but for now their on the far back burner (sorry girls).

The beginnings of my Warriors

So you'll notice the absence of green rods on the Gauss Flayers.

Yeah I'm not a fan and want to with the inclusion of gardening wire and some good lighting effects, to give them the impression of electricity/arc. I've got 17 more Warriors to "convert", a squad of possibly Deathmarks (if I read right, a roll of 6 to hit/wound lets you choose the target to take the wound with snipers, YAY), an Annhilation Barge and a Ghost Ark.

I'm thinking of either going with a weathered silver and blue electricty or the Kepahk scheme. Decisions...decisions....

Thanks for looking!

Cheers.

+++Kevin+++

Sister of Our Martyred Lady

Just a quick one today folks.
Decided an all silver army may indeed drive me completely bat crap crazy and so chose to try out a new scheme. I ended up on Our Martyred Lady, mostly black, red cloth and white hair.
Actually I was inspired by the following artwork from Aerion the Faithful.

I just love it.
Now onto pics of my test Sister.

I'm actually ok with this one.

Absolutely loving the red cloth.

Decided I'm going to start using a wet pallet again.

My thinning skills are not doing so well.

Anyways, hope you like her.

Any C&C is always welcome.

Cheers!

On the Warpath!

Hey guys and gals!
I'm going to "quick-review" a new game and one of its miniatures today!
The game is Warpath, a 28mm(?) science-fiction table top game complete with FREE rules and army lists developed by Mantic Games.

Taking a bit of a break today from commission work (painting a horde of Orks can make you a bit crazy from time to time) so I had just finished one of my fifteen ForgeFathers! What a great feeling of liberation when you tackle a miniature that allows you to explore and just go with your instinct on color selections. Now if you haven't heard of the game and or played it yet I highly suggest you do. They are hot on the heels of GW and have a wide selection of miniatures to choose from (check out their Kings of War game for some Fantasy love). If your concerned about prices and starting a new game let me just say this... they are a HELLUVA  lot cheaper then GW! If your an Imperial Guard player I would check out their Corporation models as they look very close to Elysian Drop Troops and are again, much cheaper then a box set of Cadians and yet include more models!

So I grabbed their starter set the Fate of the Forgestar back in March, right after I had returned from my vacation at Disney World and boy was I impressed. For $75.00 you get 61 miniatures (more then AoBR by far)! And what miniatures they are! The amount of detail in the kits was really nice, especially for a younger company like Mantic. Though there isn't much variation in the ForgeFather poses I still enjoyed the kits very much (though the Marauder/Orc kit is FULL of extra bits and bobs to customize but more on them in another post for a later date). Remember, this is a new game (roughly 6 months old by now) and the company has only been around for maybe 2-3 years. 

I've gotta say, I absolutely love the helmeted heads of the ForgeFathers. Some of the ForgeFathers head options were a little too Fantasy for my tastes and so I used all the helmets for the head options (other then one "commander" model).

He can take him....

As you can see they are definitely Space Dwarfs! It was just so fun to paint something so much smaller then what I am used to with the GW standard. For being so small they pack quite a bit of detail. Now as you can see the bases are a different size and are actually a type of indentation. What I mean is the base itself has a round indent which you glue the miniature to, as all the miniatures have a small piece of the  base they are attached to. This could create a problem if you were to try and use the Corporation models I mentioned earlier as your Elysian Drop Troops, though if you were careful I bet you could cut off the small base and slap them on a GW base no problem.

The game itself is one built on simplicity, which is definitely not a bad thing in this case. Usually when developers like to simplify rules it ends up being a disaster and or making the game bland (5th Edition 40k I'm looking at you). However Alessio Cavatore (lead rules designer) has developed this rule set with such ease without becoming terribly boring. The premise (for now) is simple, destroy your opponent. Your still moving with your ruler , your still rolling dice but its so self contained that after a turn or two you don't even need to keep checking the rulebook. One major difference in this gaming system from 40k is the idea that this game is about the units. There is no crazy uber - Librarian running around pounding the enemy with his OP psychic powers all by himself and then hiding in a unit when the enemy is in charge range. The focus is all on the units and its very refreshing. I'll be writing a battle report very soon just using the contents of the starter set. 

Let me know how you all feel about my first Space Dwa..... I mean ForgeFather. Thank you for looking and C&C is always welcome.

Alive and kickin'

Well it certainly has been a long time since my last update hasn't it?
Last time I was on here I was leaving for Adepticon!
Perhaps I should begin there then.

Adepticon 2012
First, I drove... which my wife and I both agree, will not be happening next year haha.
That drive was just...exhausting (8 1/2 hours).
It was very overwhelming at first, but once it had sunken in that I was in fact really there, I just soaked it all in like a hobby sponge.
I instantly hit it off with my team and I have to say, they are a really great group of guys.
They were so welcoming and hilarious and one thing above all others won me over, they were accepting and very respectful of my wife. +1
The swag bag was pretty nice.

Swag Bag Contents
Legion of Everblight starter set *painting in progress*
Wreck-Age Adepticon only model *painting in progress*
Adepticon robot model *converted to Penitent Engine for SoB*
Couple of bag 'o' bitz
Malifaux rulebook
Green paint sample from Badger Airbrush
Issue of Game Forces monthly #19 *highly recommended*
Tons of business cards and fliers

I'm really happy with the free Legion of Everblight box set (pics coming soon). So much so I went out and bought the LoE book! I'll definitely be trying out Hordes very soon.
I'm also very interested in Wreck-Age, check them out http://www.facebook.com/HyacinthGames.
After a good nights rest came the serious business, the Team Tournament.
I'll post the specifics in another post so for now just know that I won 2 out of 4 games!
Not bad for my first time out.
Unfortunately I couldn't really go crazy with buying miniatures.
Money was tight although my wife allowed me to pick thru a bitz vendor and I walked away with 10 2nd edition Ork Boyz for $5!
I've made the necessary mental note to put aside enough "crazy money" for next year.

Post - Adepticon
Now we come back into the present.
I'm still coming down from the high of being in the presence of so much hobby greatness and the competitive bug which is making me not concentrate on important things like commission work (which is basically my hobby money as I have no job at the moment).
I've been basically a hobby butterfly the last month or so, jumping from Sisters to Lamenters to Necrons.
Currently I'm working on a small Goff Clan Ork army and then its onto a small Ravenguard 1,000 point army.
Let's update you all with some pics shall we?

Goff Ork Commission

Lamenter Marines

The first test model

Sisters of Battle of the Argent Shroud

The test model

 The unit so far

Thats it for now.

Hope you guys like everything so far.

I'll have a write up of the rounds I played at Adepticon at a later date.

Cheers!