Return pt.1

Many months a go I started this blog with the intention of posting things I've been doing in my hobby. But I found something out, blogging takes time and effort, and knowledge of words. Of course, a hobby blog would require doing hobby as well, and I'm a nightmare for not getting things finished.

But don't panic, all is not lost. I've actually painted some stuff and done some genuine hobby.

This is the Dark Angels Company Master from the Dark Vengeance set. Such a lovely model to paint. This one I worked on for GW:Hereford and was a great opportunity to try blending my colours from dark to light as can be seen on the cloak. I started at Mournfang Brown and worked all the way up to White Scar via Screaming Skull.

If you've got any comments or questions, drop me an e-mail at;
Adman.cooper@gmail.com

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On my hobby table

This week I thought I'd give you a look at what I'm working on in my wonderful world of hobby. I've added a new unit of Obliterators which I received as a wonderful gift from a colleague. I thought the models were going to give me a bit of bother in terms of building, however the kit is wonderfully designed.
There is a ton of bits with this kit for weapons and spikey bits, and being Chaos, the more spikes the better. I did miss one part of the model, a point on the left arm on all 3 models to put in another weapon/blade. Using a bit of magic, I used the spines from the mutilator kit to fill this gap, and with some liquid green stuff later, all was fixed.

In the background of the picture you might spot a certain forge world model, but more on that another time.
Over the coming posts I will be updating my progress with these guys. I have 3 built and sprayed, with the painting to do. My aim is to have them ready to go in the next 2 weeks, a normal painter would get them done in a few hours, however my hobby time is limited of late, so 2 weeks is a fair aim. In between painting these miniatures, I'm also working on a new 'The Hobbit' army, based around Helms Deep, the Galadhrim Elves and Haldir will be gracing my workstation in the coming weeks. Its something I'm really looking forward to, adding my own touch and making a unique looking Warband for the Hobbit Strategy Battle Game.

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Beyond the monocolour

Recently in my games of MtG I've tried to expand my horizons and play decks of multiple colours, beyond that of my faithful white/red flanking deck. This has come about for a number of reasons.

Firstly, monocolour decks can be quite predictable. After you've played against a few green elf decks you know when to save your counters to stop that overrun you know is coming. That white deck full of small 1/1 creatures becomes fodder as a mono red deck knocks out each one every turn. The games stagnate and become boring, this isn't good.

Secondly, having dual, tri, quad or 5 colour decks adds a lot of tactical variety and high risk/reward. The feeling of throwing out that massive 5 colour card or dropping door to nothingness comes with a certain amount of pride and awe.

Looking over Return to Ravnica and soon to be released Gatecrash gives players an amazing opportunity for some solid dual colour decks. As I've mentioned in previous posts, and indeed in this one, I enjoy red/white decks and decks with a theme. The Boros guild gives me a great opportunity to start with something I know before venturing into my second pick which is green/blue or even Izzet with it's red/blue combo.

The standout thing about these  two sets for me is that they each have guilds with personality, and awesome keywords to give theme and flavour to your decks. Izzet with overload, and Boros with Battalion are two I like the most, changing how you play your hand and getting you to think when it's best to attack or cast devastating spells. Every guild has it's own flavour and it is just what works for you. If you're struggling to pick a guild to build your deck around, the MtG website even has a fun questionnaire to help pick your guild. I followed it and it suggested Izzet, with Boros as a secondary suggestion.

Now, I'm not saying mono decks aren't fun, they are, and offer a fair few options, however I want to broaden my deck building skills and experiment a bit more. Keep my opponent guessing. I'll still use my mono red deck from time to time and my mono white has its place at the table. Return to Ravnica and gatecrash offer a lot and I want to explore the possibilities of these sets.

In later posts I shall write out my decks on mtg vault and post the links for you to check out.

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New Dark Angels Codex

The Word is out, the Dark Angels have been released today over at Games-Workshop.com and with it a brand new codex.  Great news for everyone then.

Well, not necessarily.  You see, during this  recent run of warhammer 40,000 codexes, starting back in October with the Chaos Space Marines, each release has seen a limited edition copy of the book.  Now this is great for die hard fans of the army and collectors alike, but my major issue comes from availability and price.  I'm well aware that limiting a products numbers makes it more special, especially if each one has a number of authenticity, but I'm just a little concerned by the almost doubled price tag of the standard copy.

The new book looks absolutely fantastic however.  Black edged pages, cloth cover with the ravenwing and deathwing logos printed onto it with the words of "never forget, never forgive" and custom from and back cover to the hardback book itself.  It really is a bit special and a great way to kick start a new collection of miniatures that will give you hours of fun, especially with all those plasma cannons.  Just checking out the new releases, even Terminators can take a plasma cannon, the new land speeder has 2 of them attached, and the bikes have twin linked plasma guns on the front.  It's insanely cool.

I come from a strange hobby background and as such have a varied range of hobbyists I'd call friends.  One of which loves his collectors items, on the off chance he swooped a limited edition Chaos Space Marine codex and has now deemed himself invested in completing a full set of limited edition codexes.  I think that's a really cool thing to want to do, but isn't something everyone can do.  I for one would love to join him on his holy crusade.  I love collectors editions, limited edition products and so on, but nearly doubling the cost of the standard book really took me by surprise and made me really consider buying it, which was a really strange one for me as I see myself as an impulsive buyer and tend to hit that buy button without thinking.

This doesn't stop me wanting the book itself, even now I'm trying to work out a valid reason to part with £55, or how I can keep my finances in check over this long period between paydays. If you can think of a good reason for me to buy it then please tell me, and fast, with only 2000 copies time is running short.

For the Emperor, and for the Primarch!
- Adam

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Gatecrasher

After a lovely sneak peek posted by Wizards on their Facebook page we have a lovely look into the future and see what's on the cards for 2013's first new card set; Gatecrash.

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To Christmas and beyond

To start off this festive post I've included a very cool gift I received off a buddy of mine. This awesome lego hobbit kit. It really sparked my imagination and made me realise why I do all the hobbies I do.

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