BOOM, Headshot! Completed Vostroyan Snipers

In order to break up the monotony of painting infantry squads, i decided to repaint my beloved Snipers! These were among the first models that i ever bought for the Vostroyan army, way back when they were first released, and are probably my favorite!

These guys will be included in my Command Squad for the Exeter Inquisition tournament. Not because I'm hinging my whole strategy on them, but rather so i could include these cool minis in the army somewhere!!

I kept the bases quite dark for two reasons: firstly its moody! Very indicative of a dark, ruined, futuristic, Gothic city! Secondly, i didn't want to distract the viewers attention away from the minis themselves. As flashy as the Vostroyans are, i didn't want the scene to have so many colours that it looked like something out of a Slaaneshi house party!!

Now, less talk, more pictures!

Sniper 1:

Sniper 2:

Sniper 3:

Sniper 4:

There we have it, another squad of minis done! well, almost. I still need to touch up the Company Commander, but he needs very little work. Two more squads  after that, and I'm ready for the tournament! When they're all done, I'll be revisiting the Elysians for some last minute touch-ups and transfers to get ready for Blog Wars in two weeks! Phew!

The GunGrave

Vostroyan Firstborn: Second Veteran Squad Completed

Firstly, i just want to jump on the 'outraged' band waggon and declare my anger at ANOTHER price rise from GW. Seriously, i think they're taking the piss a bit now. I know their a business, but theres still a lot of problems following the Banking Crisis, so it  just makes no sense to me. I guess the rich get richer and the poor get poorer (well, we will do if we keep on buying up GW models!)

So i got off pretty lightly after Blogger crashed and caused mayhem the other day! I only lost a few comments, but i hear that others lost much more!

On the subject of lost, i nearly lost this laptop to a mug off coffee this morning, when the handle of the mug decided that it wanted a change of scenery and departed from the afore mentioned mug! Not the sort of thing you want at 0530 before work, take my word for it! Fortunately after a day of drying in the airing cupboard, its up and running again, for the time being at least! Which means that i can stop waffling on and bring you the latest installment of the Vostroyan Repaint; Veteran Squad 2:

In terms of photography, this squad doesn't look as good as the other one, but in the flesh they look identical. Think I'm gonna have to sharpen up my photo skills!

In terms of painting im happy with the way this repaint is going. I've muted the colours down a bit compared to the first paint job, giving them a bit more of a gritty look. They were prahaps a bit to flash and bright before! I'll certainly be painting over the paintjob's in the future rather than stripping the paint off - its much quicker!!

So I'm nearly 50% there with the repaint, and to break up the monotony a bit, I'm going to paint the command squad next. The command squad contains my 4 favorite models in the army: The Vostroyan Snipers! I went to town on the bases for these guys, and I'm really looking forward to painting them! More on that next post!

The GunGrave

Firstborn Sons of Vostroya

"Vostroya. Smoking chimneys belch toxic clouds of pollutants into the sky and blast furnaces fend off the bitter chill as vast workforces toil unceasingly for their Imperial masters. These smoke clogged edifices are the only places where heat can be found, choking oases of light and warmth amidst the perpetual icey gloom. Few folk stray from the Manufactoria without good reason.

Vostroya was colonised long ago, when mankind ruled the stars. During the Age of Strife and the breakdown of the galactic empire, Vostroya swore their loyalty to the worshipers of the Machine God who ruled over Mars.

Vostroya is governed by the Techtriarchs, a curious committee of Adeptus Mechanicus administrators and traditional Imperial planetary government, who's primary duty is to ensure that the tithes and production quotas placed upon the Vostroyans are always met.

Vostroyas great shame has its roots in an age long past, when the Master of Humanity strode amoung the stars and when His empire was sundered by the Horus Heresy. As the legions of the traitor Warmaster carved a bloody trail to Terra, a pertition from the Emporer requested that Vostroya raise regiments of soldiers to stand in Horus' path. Every worker that toiled in the great smelteries of Vostroya was already engaged in the imense war effort and the Techtriarchs determined that such a sacrifice in manpower would render the production quotas unattainable. They reasoned that the people of Vostroya were better expended making guns than firing them. Reluctantly, the Techtriarchs refused the request.

It is probable that their actions may have gone unremarked, for in the violence of war many records were destroyed. Unfortunately for the people of Vostroya such anonymity would be denied to them. When the Heresy ended and Exactor Tributii Advocates began to count the cost, Vostroyas refusal to raise arms came to light. The Techtriarchs were called to account - a task that the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Roboute Guilliman, oversaw personally. Faced with the ire of  the Ultramarines Primarch, the people of Vostroya entreated the Techtriarchs to negotiate a settlement that would allow them to make amends for their percieved disloyalty. Robuote warned that their pennance might never end but even when he stated the grievous terms of Vostroyas reprieve the Techtriarchs willingly accepted.

The proposal that Guilliman and the Techtriarchs agreed was simple, but has shaped Vostroyan society ever since. To repay their dept to the Emporer, the Vostroyans have, for the last ten thousand years, have given up the firstborn son of every family for service into the Imperial Guard. Thus the Firstborn were raised.

Unlike other Imperial Guard regiments that are raised en-masse, the Firstborn are regularly furnished with a steady influx of new recruits from their homeworld. To the Vostroyans it is a matter of pride that the Firstborn have exsisted unbroken since their first creation.

Vostroya continues to labour unceacingly to meet the production quottas of their Mechanicus masters, but their repaiment of their dept to the Emporer comes first. Attached to each of the thousands of manufactoria that blot the planets surface is a sacred workshop, where the weapons and wargear of the Firstborn are produced. Every labourer on Vostroya is expected to give one hour in every ten to the upkeep of the Firstborn. With stoic resolve, the Vostroyans steadfastly sacrifice their time, and the weaponry they produce is of the finest quiality, for the Firstborn are their sons and brothers and their only hope of redemption."

(taken from White Dwarf 317)

With such a rich and interesting background, how can any Guard player not have a Vostroyan army in their collection! A background like this perfectly compliments the great models that GW have produced for these guys: beautifully detailed and extravigant Guardsmen. The only problem is painting them.....

Well, i say 'problem' but its not really, it just takes FOREVER! I spent nearly twelve hours on these guys yesterday, which did finally see this squad completed. The problem is that im not gonna get many days like that in before the tournament in Exeter at the end of June. So for future sqauds i'll just address the problem areas on the old paintjob, rather than strip the models completely. Hopefully this will save me a bit  of time in the future.

A few points that you've probably noticed. I haven't painted the eyes, This is because I really can't do it properly! I coped-out and just relied on the wash to do the work for me!! The stocks of the lasguns and special weapons are also missing the 'wood grain' effect that can be seen on the GW paintjobs. I did give it a try, but figured that less-is-more here. As the models are so busy with other colours, having another set of details ruined it a bit for me. As for the bases, well i purposely left the bare for the moment. When all the models are done, i'll embellish the bases a bit. This is mainly to preserve my sanity during this project!

So straight onto the next squad!

The GunGrave

Vostroyan Firstborn: WIP

Just a quick one!

Its been a hell of a slog painting today (0800-1800!!), and this is what i''ve done! (excuse the pic)

They're nearly finished. Just got to to the brown highlights and the bases now. Finished shots tomorrow!

The GunGrave

Repainting the Vostroyan Firstborn

Hello again all!

I decided to  take a week off painting, mainly because i got so frustrated with my Dark Eldar. So much so that i''ve decided to quit the army. I just can''t get into them for some reason, and i don't know why. Rather than try to force the issue, I've redirected my energies.

I'm attending Exeter Inquisition's Nut Up or Shut Up 1500pt 40K tournament at the end of June. This is the second incarnation of the tournament, and (despite the silly name!) I'm quite looking forward to it. I'll be taking the Vostroyan Firstborn to this one, as they haven't attended a tournament in a year now! That being said, they're looking a little worse for wear, so a repaint is in order before the tournament.

As they're metal, i left a squad in some Paint Brush Restorer overnight before scrubbing away the old paint. Apart from a few hard to  reach spots, the old coat came away quite easily. They're now based and ready to go. My painting has come a long way since these guys were first done, so I'm looking forward to updating them with the skills that I've learnt over the last 2 years. And they're cracking models as well!

There's 4 squads and a command squad to do in 2 months, so it shouldn't be difficult (especially as the rains returned to Wales!) The vehicles are OK so they''ll be left. Some WIP shots for you tomorrow with any luck!

The GunGrave

When is Enough Enough?

This weekend, while i was hiking and conquering all that Dartmoor National Park and her Tor's could throw at me:

(hansome devil)

I got to pondering about the hobby that we all love. Now I'm not usually one for insightful debates on this blog (if it can be called that!), but i got to thinking; 'when will i actually stop collecting toy soldiers?'

Now by this i don't mean 'grow up and do some sort of "Adult" hobby', i mean when will i put a cap on the number of models I'm collecting, painting and converting?

This is obviously a question that can't be answered right away, but it did make me look at my motivations for the hobby. My motivation is like the rest of the hobby world: I like collecting, painting and converting wargames models, simple as that. Then i thought about why i like Forgeworld models so much. Again, its probably like the rest of the world, I like finely detailed and superb looking minis. Then it struck me, as my mouse pointer drifted over to the PURCHASE button on the Forgeworld website later that evening. Why am i buying these Cadian Hazardous Environment Conversion Kits? Simple answer, most might say (well, to anyones who's seen the kits anyways!), but i then realised that i might be buying these minis because I'm obsessed with the BRAND, like a guy who likes Nike and not Adidas!

I've got 4 Imperial Guard Armies (3 of which are Forgeworld), why am i buying minis for a new one?? I'm also trying to get my Dark Eldar off the ground as well, so whats the the point in sinking money into an army i don't need especially when the current project has cheaper minis?

I'M OBSESSED WITH FORGEWORLD, AND I NEED HELP!

There, i said it. I'm told its the first step towards a cure! I have found what makes my hobby clock tick, and its a desire to collect a brand, no matter how much I've got already.

So i didn't buy those kits, and decided to stop buying any more models until the DE are done, and then put a cap on it after that. I've got 5 playable armies at the mo, with the sixth being built. For me, for the moment anyways, enough is enough, and its time to slow it down!

All this being said, i comfortably predict that this won't last past the summer, when I'm sure they'll be more models that i want, and buying will resume in full, and probably, with a vengeance!

Out of all that text, i hope that you fellow hobbyists can extract the point that I'm trying to make: when do you stop, and what keeps you going?

The GunGrave

Dear Diary - JACKPOT!

Today i went to see one of my Patients Son after work (i say Son, but he could be my Dad at a push!) He said that he had a load of GW stuff that he wanted to get rid of because he's sadly jacking in the hobby.  So i went to have a look and this is what he presented me:

Its a literature motherload! About 50% of it is old stuff, but the other 50% is good up-to-date stuff! How much? Not a penny! He didn't want any money, and even rejected my idea of selling it on eBay for himself. He just wanted to get rid.

It gets better. When i get back from my trip down south to see my family, they'll be more waiting for me, and this time, MINI's (unopened AND used)!

"How much is a lot?" i said
You'll fill up the boot of your car" he said.

I drive a Ford Focus (as does he) and it has a pretty sizable boot! ('Trunk' for my American cousins!) That's a lot of GW hardware!

A big thank you to Mr Owen - i owe you a drink mate!

Now I can't wait to get back from Exeter.....

The GunGrave