How I did it: Flesh-eater Courts Ghouls

Feel the pain from jackals' wrath

Dance in flames for the final quest

Hear the Ghost of Violence

Fear the God of Detriment

-the Stormrider

   The very first Battletome I bought at the beginning of my journey through the Mortal Realms was the Flesh-eater Courts one. I was pleasantly impressed by the layout and I would definitely want to  know more; on top of that, the price is very affordable. I have never been such a fan of undead in Warhammer, indeed I have never had a Death army, but in that case it was different... I simply discovered in the Battletome (one of the best AoS issues so far in my honest opinion, and I have/have read quite everything) that FEC were a bunch of mad cannibals who believed they were noble warriors or knights of all sorts. That was an epiphany... my mind began to gallop wildly the path of background and I promised to me that one day I would have painted a whole army of these deluded fools.

   Two years later that moment arrived, eventually, and I took the chance to improve my skill, painting around three thousands points of them mostly (90% or so) with an airbrush. 

   Let's see how!

How I did it: Shadespire Orks (Ironskull's Boyz)

"Orcses is nevah defeated in battle.

If we win we win, if we die we die so it don't count.

If we runs for it don't die neither, 

'cos we can come back for annuver go, see!"

- Ancient ork adage

    Hi my friends, ciao! As you have just read Orks nevah lose, only push forward (when they mustn't run away for pushing harder next time). This is not something I'm very fond of, as I play races like Dark Eldar, Stormcast, Harlequins, Marines  - and generally, whatever the system, I like to play using tricks, strategies, well-honed lists and so on.... quite stressing, isn't it? Sometimes, anyway, I have my relaxed time, my dice-throwing in (almost) brainless joy, and everytime that coincides with the sheer use of greenskins. Perhaps casting furious curses with goblins, charging in the fray with my Ironjawz, trying to overtake a scrimmage using my troll as a quarterback or... pushing forward in Underworlds just to see a great brawl unfold before my eyes! 

   Ok today is that relaxed time as in the forthcoming tutorial, we'll speak briefly of the bunch of rascals and raiders that indeed the Ironskull's Boys are!

How I did it: Adeptus Mechanicus VTOL APC "Chauliodus" - part I

- Defence department project for tight geometry urban pacification. Rotors are configured to manouver between buildings without recirculation. It has a long uninteresting Wayne Enterprise designation... -

Lucious Fox

There's something better than making your own version of an existing model and it's making your own version of an non-existing model.

During one of the late night chats with the boys, a sentence was casually thrown on the table: "You know, Admech doesn't have any air support vehicles..." And was equally casually followed by an innocent "Well, how should it look like?"

Maybe something like this...

How I did it: Blood Bowl Dwarf Team

- The only place success comes before work 

is in the dictionary.

Vince Lombardi

   Good morning fellow hobbyists,

   Today we will have a chat about Blood Bowl, "the greatest game in the world!" as Bob Bifford utterly claims. We are not talking about the video game of course (though it basically is, exactly we can say, the same ruleset) but the board game, which is, really, the greatest boardgame in the world in my opinion. I couldn't imagine, a few months ago, how vast and rooted this game was in our society. There are world, continental and national (where not regional) championships ruled by the NAF, an international, extremely precise, game system (or tradition), beyond the strict GW's ruling. The fact is that this game has survived, and has thrived, alone just with the help of the (global, and this is the exciting part) community. Wow. I would be part of this family, since I found the game outstanding and really challenging, so I started playing with one of the most ancient and important italian and european Blood Bowl Associations, the Predatori Firenze; learning new tactics and trying new teams, the last of which is one of the hardest to play, dwarves, my Skaldmàl Egillsons.

   Nevertheless this is a tutorial, so let's head straight on to the painting process!

How I did it: Shadespire Stormcasts' Bases

"For more than a thousand years 

the shadow-cloaked riuns of Shadespire lay dormant,

a malevolent scar in the centre of the vast Desert of Bones."

   Hi there, and good morning!

   Finally, after years of painting, an Airbrush made landfall on my shores. Ok, this is not entirely exact: two Airbrushes have landed on my desk... the first one, a beautiful single action Badger, survived just long enough to make around forty models and then it was sacrificed on the Altar of Learning. I've nearly destroyed it in the process of really understanding how an Airbrush works; but no problem, a lot of spare parts are coming (although they are taking too long to arrive), so I hope I'll be able to save it from the edge of oblivion. 

   The second one is an awful, but double action, Fengda, paid around 20 euros (!!!), that made my whole Flesh Eaters Courts army thanks to the sacrifice of his predecessor. And, double action is awesome. Now I'm planning to buy an Iwata and use these three pens to improve my airbrushing skills.

    Another example of models made with my double action Fengda is my Shadespire Stormcast lot, in particular their bases. Stormcasts armour and weapons have been made in the classic Guardians of the Ages way, but bases reflect the gloom of the Mirrored City.

How I did it: Primaris Redemptor Dreadnought

- I have seen worlds burn and crushed nations underfoot, torn down the idols of false gods and slaughtered kings like cattle. Presume not to order me, tiny man, for I am war, and you are no more than chaff before the scythe... -

Venerable Targas

   Ok! This is not meant to be a whole long, boring, tutorial on every single move I did on my Iron hands Redemptor Dreadnought, but instead a smart look on some of its details, such as its base, positioning etc. If you want to start anew the model following some good (and fast) adivices to create black foundations and weathering I suggest you to have a look here, before reading this post.

   

How I did it: Space Marines Razorback (Iron Hands)

- I believe in three tenets of battle: firepower, firepower and more firepower. Should the Omnissiah have wished otherwise, he would not have provided me with such a mighty tool as the Razorback.

- Iron Father Kardan Stronos, leader "de facto" of the Iron Hands Chapter

   Hello my friends! My latest trip was through the cold and merciless Medusa's plains as I finally decided to take over my first Space Marines project and give it a definitive shape. I've always been battled between two (or three, yeah better say three) loyalist Astartes Chapters: Imperial Fists, Iron Hands and Raven Guard.

    Talking about the first, IF, I liked their color scheme, as I love yellow (you can see traces of yellow in almost every army I painted); and, you know, it's quite important digging on when you paint. On the other hand I almost hated their BG; although the defending of Terra is quite evocative, they are definitely too zealous for me.

   Raven Guard and Iron Hands instead offered me both a great background to build an army, even if I didn't like their schemes so much. Black is a beast, and you can make striking black models, but at the very high cost of time. It is also true that if you want to go fast and have some experience, things will simplify. My final choice fell on Iron Hands for I liked much more their way of making war (and play); tanks, dreadnoughts and tactical marines. 

   I know now for sure that my choice was the best and even if it took 2 years to see something born, it was worth the wait. 

How I did it: Blood Bowl Troll

   - I don't do High Fives.

Branch

   A goblin team needs a Troll. Fact. Goblins are weak, and break easily, so a big boy on the line of scrimmage helps a lot, making almost possible to finish a game without 9-8 KOs or so. Not winning a game, for sure, but maybe holding enough to score a TD (that is, believe me, one of the most satisfying things a man can experience, since goblins are not for competitive play) (currently I scored just one in my whole career with them, and I'm feeling so accomplished!).

   Not for competitive play, absolutely; but for fun. A lot of fun; and a Troll makes its own part in the process... you can try to score a one-turn TD throwing the goblin holding the ball, directly over other team's players, straight to their end zone. Of course, you have to be lucky, the Troll can always simply eat the goblin, spitting out the ball... ah, it's so hard to hang fire when you've got a tasty greenling so close to the mouth, who could say otherwise?

   As you know, if you have read something around from this blog, I am a real fan of greenskins so, when GW made the Blood Bowl Troll model I fell in love; and this time I've decided to use lighter tones for the skins, something I felt would be better fitting on a river-drooling beast with a dead instead of the brain (it's not related, isn't it?).

   Let's see how!

How I did it: Blood Bowl Human Team

"Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships"

-Bear Bryant

   I've always loved american football and always watched at Blood Bowl with curiosity and interest. I thought that it was a funny game, something to play while having a break from fantasy or 40k, although all GW's universes are someway filled with "dark humor". 

   As a matter of fact I didn't know absolutely anything about that; for Blood Bowl has a tactical depth I've rarely seen before and this surprise pushed me hard to get in this fantastic game. However I decided to take Blood Bowl as a funny break from AoS and 40k in any case. I bought the starter set and shared it with a friend of mine, picking humans on my own, but just after painting them I switched to goblins. I love goblins (I've got a huge army of them in AoS) and I wanted to play BB really for fun and personal (modeling and gaming) amusement.

   I painted humans, my Talisa's Revenants, according to my Stormcast Eternals color scheme. I know it's a different setting but I already moved (both in my mind and in reality, changing bases and background) all my fantasy armies to Age of Sigmar and so I decided to set in it my Blood Bowl teams as well.

How i did it: Stormcast Eternals Lord Aquilor

- Pain may be my flesh

Death may be my fate

but Victory is my Name

- Tylos Stormbound's Honour Scrolls during the Crucible of Blood's war

Reamlgate Wars - Stormcast

   

   After their second Battletome's release, Stormcast have become a very solid army. almost unbeatable for the majority of AoS factions. I managed to bring havoc on any challenger in my local gaming club: Nurgle, Dwarves, Khorne, Ironjawz, Slaves to Darkness, Death, Skavens, Seraphon, Beastclaw Raiders, Flesh Eaters ecc... Only against Tzeentch I lost a bunch of matches. Exploiting their new command trait Staunch Defender, which adds 1 to any save rolls to any unit within 6" from your general (if not charging) and combining it with Lord Castellant skill on a 15-20 men unit of Liberators will make your 300/400 points Battlelines unkillable; with shields their saves shall be at 2+ with rerolling 1's.

    So be it, but many players begun to grumble about that, and with reasons; so unless I'm playing against Tzeentch or an equal I started to use Vanguard Chamber in the majority of my matches, avoiding Staunch Defender (that's quite un-thematic for an army that rely on speed and ambushes) and using Aefirin, my Lord Aquilor, as general.

   That helps you to change quite a lot your playing style, too; the classic Warrior Chamber set-up was becoming boring, really powerful but boring. This is one of the things I love more in Stormcast: they are unyielding warriors but they have a very yielding way to wage war, able to adapt to each situation on the tabletop very easily.

    Ok... but this is not a tactical corner, although I always love to chat about that, so straight on to the painting tutorial for him, Lord Aquilor, a striking model and a real beast on the battlefield!

How I did it: Militarum Tempestus Scion

  - I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be "Sir". Do you maggots understand that?

- Full Metal Jacket

   I know that it's been almost one month since the last post of the Chamber (and this surely is our longest blank time so far), but hey! Here we are, rocking and modeling as usual! I've painted a lot of things in this month and Francesco hasn't been idle either, completing for now his massively personal Bloodbound reading; I'm sure we will see soon enough the last chapter of his blood adventure.

   Talking about me, I can say that I've finished painting my Stormcast Vanguard Chamber from my mighty Guardians of the Ages stormhost and very soon I'll start too a series of post depicting them, the "Epoch Hounds": with tutorials, fluff and showcases.

   For now I'd like to share with you an easy tutorial about Militarum Tempestus; a friend of mine, from the new club where I'm playing atm, challenged me in a 40k Maelstrom Match vs his Necrons... so I decided to dust off one of my armies and get over my donkey waiting for a new edition of my (once) favoured boardgame. Funnily, to complete that army and play full painted (as this boy is a painting machine as well as me) I miss just one model, a Tempestor. 

   So I painted him in 2 hours the night before the game in the same way I had painted all the rest of the army, nearly 3 years ago. 

How I did it: Khorne Khorgorath

-You're gonna need a bigger boat. -

Brody

The Khorgorath is a strange model.
It has some of the most intriguing bits I've ever seen for a "starting kit" and, at the same time, some of the silliest.

How i did it: Lord Celestant on Dracoth

   - You are my avengers! You are all, each one, warriors who cursed chaos with your last breath! Who called upon me for strenght, not salvation. Strenght! And I answered.

Sigmar addressing Celestial Vindicators

The Realmgate Wars - Storm of Blades

   My personal journey through Stormcast Eternals' dimension go on, reading books, playing tournaments, writing background stories and, of course, painting them. Painting the Guardians of The Ages, my custom stormhost. 

   These are very good times for them; these very days their second Battletome will come out, and many new models are about to join the fray, and the battle for the Mortal Realms, such as the Vanguard Hunters. I'm already planning a new Chamber, but first I wanted to finish the Extremis one, so I bought my first two Dracothian Guards and painted them in few days: tomorrow I'll have the second box of them and, waiting to find enough inspiration for the Stardrake, I'll surely hurl them on the tabletop in my never-ending campaign against a friend of mine who plays the Bloodbound.

   So I decided to share with you a brief tutorial about Guardians' dracoths. Soon we'll move forward to the new range so the time is right.

How I did it: Khorne Bloodstoker

"Chalkface", the butcher

-Ears and noses will be the trophies of the day. But no hand shall touch him.-

Bill Cutting

When I saw the Bloodstoker for the first time I was puzzled. How was this chubby fellow supposed to fit between the ranks of an army where even the so-called-priests look like Dwayne Johnson's cousins? 

Ludicrous Speed: Stormcast Gryph-hound

   

- I'll be there for you.

K-2SO

  It's been a while since the last time but our speed painted corner is here again, more important than ever! We all want to have painted minis on our tabletops and battlefields so better to know few tricks to make all the easier, when we're struggling for a good looking force but ain't aiming to win a Golden Demon with them!

   So, it's time for a ludicrous speed post for a ludicrous speed painted miniature; in the planned Guardians of The Ages army we've got on the desk a well known model of last generation, made for the first time in Warhammer Quest's Silver Tower and then put aside Lord Castellant and Veritant as loyal and mindful companion: Gryph-hound!

How i did it: Knight-Venator

   -Do you want me to take him down, or would you rather send in more guys for him to beat up?

Clint Barton

   I learned to fear Knight-Venators during last local tournament i played for him has been able to took me down general in the blink of an eye; but venators are not only really dangerous attacking, they have survive ability having major movement capacities, a very good armor (saving 3+) and a huge starring air that can lead your opponent into the deepest annoyance (especially after killing you general in just-one-shot)

   Oh well, it is not a tactical corner anyway, but i think i was going to explain why i decided to add a sort of dashboard moving puppet, you know, ones with those quivering big heads atop of small springs, 'cause he's massively fragile. Personally i don't like wings' sculpt so much but his unequivocal power on the battlefield moved me over. After all i'm a player too.

   In this post we'll have a brief wings' tutorial, where we'll see how to make blue-metal shades in just-one-shot (or almost), exactly the same manner he teared down my general, BOOOM! For the making of the armour, weathering and in general for a more complete stormcast eternals tutorial i refer you to this page, where i laid the foundations of the color scheme and overall look of the entire army, Guardians of The Ages.

How i did it: Stormcast Eternals Liberators

   

   -This is where we hold them! This is where we fight! This is where they die!

-King Leonidas

   OOOOK! I'm really excited about this... my latest project, lasted about two months, involved Stormcast Eternals, as you can easily argue by the picture, and has been something heroic; 47 models in less than, actually, 30 days in one of the most intensive time of the whole year for my business but, believe me, i've been boosted by them, Stormcasts. Although i was sceptic in first instance at the time they've been made (by and large 1 year ago, maybe few months more, am i wrong?) i had to think again and get back on my steps because, whatever shall be the angle through you are going to see them, or evaluate them, they're going to be EPIC. They are epic to paint, imagine, built, play.

    

   You can think of them as mighty Riders of the Storm and get back to teen's (although would be better the "on" version ;P) or have them in full cinematic stance, just childish when you are going to crush ANY opponent on the table top, or dramatic as anything else, as they descend from heavens on a desperate world to fight horrors, eternally. 

    So... i'm very proud to present you the Guardians of The Ages, my personal and custom Stormhost that, as you'll can see in the future lurking the blog, have been actually caught somewhere in time and picked up from a distant age by Sigmar himself to better serve in the raging war against Chaos.

    

   However in this post we'll talking of the making of them, not their background; in particular we'll see how to make Liberators, exploring metal-shade-armours, non conventional battle-damaged shields, fast but effective basing using powders alongside the old classical and brown worn-out leather. Let's start!

Elke's Temple Liberators with Sigmarite Shields and Warhammers

How i did it: Ironjawz Gore-Gruntas

- Dude! Boars are only worth two experience points a piece. Do you know how many we would have to kill to get up 30 levels?

Kyle

   Well, quote right above is quite true, talking about Elwyn Forest boars but it is not our case. Because THEY are not boars. They are f****** Gruntas! Actually i don't really know what they are:... ok you have stuff and background in the Ironjawz Battletome but i'm feeling the whole matter needs more time BUT they are huge, ferocious beasts tougher than a boar, and fit lovely under the new big orcs from GW, Ironjawz.

How i did it: Ironjawz Megaboss

-Five horses, five men. More than i like killing on a empty stomach.

Sandor "The Hound" Clegane

   Some of you may think that Marnaldur Gaze of Mork is my favourite model in my Ironjawz army, and this is quite the truth, since him gave me big deals both in making and gaming. Alas in the majority of the matches i played, just the pure dread he's able to instill in the enemy forced my opponents to focus him since the very first turn. So i learned to use, and love, another boss as well, that i named Krugga Pig-arm. Smaller than Marn but really deadly, many warriors paid with their very lives, understimating him; and the model is striking.

How i did it: Chaos Bronze Statue & Dais

- Oh, Mother Night! Fold your dark arms about me. Protect me in your black embrace. I sit alone, an impotent exile, whilst this form, this presence, returns to torment me!

The Lord of Darkness

    I recently bought a 120x180 table to play games at home... i changed location few months ago and in my new house i have a big room where i built my "lab", i put my showcases, PC and so on; last added is the gaming table.

   Well, i thought to buy a gaming mat and some scenery but, since i wanted my table looks very different than the others (and perhaps a little bit less expensive, wasn't a bad idea at all) i decided to build and paint some of those scenery on my own. 

   First of the series is a Chaos "shrine", as i love calling it, made with some pieces of cork, few textures and the slaughterpriest mother GW thought well to gave me with the September Dwarf!