The Death of Specialist Games

It seems over the last few days that a consensus has arrived; that GW is pulling all support from its line of specialist games.  The models they have in stock will be the last ones they ever produce.  If this news is true it's a pretty sad time for me as far as wargaming goes.  BFG was the second game system I ever tried and collected and I hold it on par with 40k as far as collecting and modelling goes. It's probably my favorite game to play and I had planned on continuing to expand my fleet in years to come. Instead I had to try and get what I could from my wish list.  Already a list I cannot complete, since some entries were not available this morning when I made my last order.

If this whole thing turns out to be true and I finally get casting supplies then I will probably continue collecting by producing my own models.  Add to that my scratch builds and I suppose it will be okay.

It's just sad to see such great games given the axe.  I've played BFG, Mordhiem, and Necromunda and they are all well built and fun games.  If entire companies can survive making similar games, then why can't GW support them?  Probably because they would need to acquire new resources and refresh them all, which would require them to cut into profits for a time and make less money.  We all know that they looove money.

There are some other rumors that it's due to a planned relaunch, but with Forge World also dropping their specialist lines, including their own game Aeronautica Imperialis, I doubt  it.  A whole swath of great models will no longer be available to buy at will and for that we should all be a bit saddened. 

Litany of Hate

My latest project is complete.  My brother bought this Modified Ryza Patter Vanquisher turret from FW last year and I bought the hull from a friend who was selling off his guard army.  As with most of my vehicles throughout the years I added another step or process in painting this one.  On the one side, it means this tank looks better than those which came before, on the other side, it means most of my tanks look slightly different.  The turret is where my new techniques which were mentioned last post can really be seen, as the hull's lines were muddled my old paint which I could not get to come off.

Now, with what I learned on this tank I can make my next one look better, hopefully.  All of the filters and washes and such dulled out the modulation a bit more than I expected them to, so next time I will probably make the bright tone a little lighter.

Here it is, the Leman Russ Vanquisher Litany of Hate:

They see me rollin, they dying.

This is the side you want to keep away from any enemies.

You can see the co-axial mounted heavy stubber and just how long the barrel on that cannon is. 

This is the end you want your enemies to see.

I added some inspirational script on the barrel of the cannon.

Acetylene gear for all of the crew's in the field repair jobs.  For those times when the Tech Priests just don't need to know.

Name on the front, as I usually do.  The lascannon is made from a multilaser as I had no lascannons.  Oh well.

So, that's it for now.  My next project will be finishing my brother's display board as I have delayed that long enough.  After that I think I will paint my Baneblade or perhaps some infantry.

WIP: Vanquisher

Finally decided to start painting one of the Forge World turreted Vanquishers that I got last year.  Using this one as a testbed for some new techniques and thus a whole new sequence of steps in painting my armor.

The steps I go through will be
-Base color
-Modulation
-Decals & Scripting
-Filters
-Chipping
-Washes
-Streaking
-Pick out details
-Clear coat
-Powder pigments

The steps that are added with this tank are the color modulation, filter, washes, and streaking.  The modulation was made possible by my new Badger Anthem aribrush which I mentioned in my last post.  The latter are all made possible my AK Interactive's weathering line which I found at a local hobby store, Section 8 Hobbies.  They are all spirit based and thus allow plenty of time for clean up and add the ability to apply and then dilute and streak with the solvent while on the model.  I got this hull painted and stripped it as best I could, but it's still come out kinda rough with a few details with too much old paint.  The washes have allowed me to bring the lines out much better than if I had not started doing all this extra work.

As of right now I am on the streaking grime step, which is completed on the turret and the hull I will get to tomorrow.  Really glad I found these products, they really make the vehicles come out so much better with just a bit more effort than I already put into it.  Another new technique I used was doing the chipping with a sponge.  Overall, I think that technique worked out great on my Dust walker, but not as well on this.  I think it's better suited to light colored armor. For future IG tanks I will use it, but as a secondary effect to my brushed on chips and scratches.

Of course, it's not complete without an addition from the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer.

I think my next project is going to be the repainting of my Baneblade, Zeal.  I was really happy when I first painted it, but as I have progressed so far it's time for an update.  Expect a finished summary of this tank this week.