Stripping the Paint of the Past

Hello all! Aseldi here. Recently, I appear to have been making a backwards move with my goal to paint up a 1250pts Space Wolf army for Conflict Scotland... I've been removing the paint of totally unrelated models!

My first army when I came to the hobby was the Dark Angels... Back when Codexes cost £12... Well, many things have changed since then, not least the price of the codex, or my allegiances. The Lion would not be pleased, but Russ showed him who's boss, so no losses there.

Anyway, my point. I had Azrael and Ezekiel (the latter happens to be one of my favourite models in the whole game actually...) sitting on the shelf, bearing the splatters of a far younger self. I'd even gone to the extent of varnishing them, so their shine seemed to congeal all the mess already upon them.

But anyway, to my point: acetone is really effective for stripping the paint off metal models! Basically nail varnish, I just poured some into a jar, put my models in, and left them overnight.
By the next morning, the paint and varnish had softened enough to be removed with a bit of scrubbing from an old tooth brush, and the acetone had also dissolved the superglue.

So now I'm left with the models as good as new! Maybe I'll get round to painting them again some day...
-Aseldi

Land Raider Variants and Space Wolves

This is a topic which has been causing me no end of wonder recently. In my most recent article, the 1250pts Space Wolf list, you will see I opted for the Land Raider Redeemer eventually to deliver my Wolf Guard (maybe a bit Deathstar(ish)) unit into the heat of battle! (excuse the pun)

But I believe this topic to be one worthy of a little more debate. In our codex, we have access to 3 Land Raider Patterns, the usual, the Crusader and the Redeemer. Here I hope to list the reasons for taking each, and my opinions on them.

Right, so first up we have the usual Land Raider. Weighing in at 250pts, it's expensive as always. (one thing I'm surprised at is that the points weren't lowered in the Dark Angels Codex, but I'm sure they have their reasons). Armed with 2 twin-linked Lascannons, and a twin-linked heavy bolter, it's got a lot of firepower! As well as a transport capacity of 10 and AV 14/14/14 with 4 HPs, all for 250pts. This is the variant I feel is hardest to decide upon the role. For a start, it carries the long range weapons of our arsenal, is the most survivable vehicle we have access to. So I feel sitting it at the back of the battlefield, putting the Lascannons to good use is wasting the overall potential. But sticking a squad of Wolf Guard and the like inside it and pushing it forward is also a little risky, since it reduces the fire ability. For these reasons, I tend to leave this one back in The Fang, it doesn't know what it wants to do with itself.

The Crusader. Again, 250pts, but this time armed with 2 Hurricane Bolters and a twin-linked assault cannon, frag assault launchers, with a transport capacity of 16!! Definitely the dedicated assault vehicle we want to deliver the death star to define all deathstars. The hurricane bolters are effective at the grange this vehicle wants to operate at, close, as does the assault cannon. The one thing it lacks is the straight up fire power. You could argue this is offset by the sheer volume of shots it can deliver, and the payload it will probably be carrying, but when I'm spending 250pts on something, I'd like it to do a little more than simply deliver a unit to the battle safely. This is something the standard Land Raider does well, with it's Lascannons able to de-mech enemy units for the occupants to charge. But with the Crusader, unless it's Dark Eldar you're fighting, with their paper aeroplanes, you're unlikely to get much in the way of de-meching, or softening of the more elite units. Instead, you get something which can soften up an enemy unit moderately, before a 16 (or 8 terminator) model unit finishes it off. Frankly, even I don't take squads this big. Despite the safety of its armour, I still feel there's too much risk involved. And as mentioned above, I like to feel my vehicles do something in the battle, other than merely soften an enemy unit.

This leads me on to the final variant, the Land Raider Redeemer! 10pts less than the other 2, at 240pts (for some reason...) it comes with a transport capacity of 12, a twin-linked assault cannon, frag assault launchers, and my favourite bit: 2 flame storm cannons!! Possibly my favourite weapon in the game - These S6 Ap3 beauties reduce even marine units to molten slag in one shot, even if they decide to cower in cover!
But back on track. Personally, I feel that a capacity of 12 is perfect. It allows for a terminator armoured character to accompany our Wolf Guard Terminators, nothing more I could really wish for. A 10pts multi-melta brings it up to 250pts along with the others, and adds the extra firepower we need to do some serious damage to enemy tanks. The assault cannon is a very useful weapon (the amount of times i've seen it destroy Rhinos...). And the Flamestorm cannons are perfect for dealing with the many MEQ units in the local meta. Unfortunately, the positioning of shots can sometimes be difficult, and if the enemy is optimising model spacing... A dismissed kill count will be achieved (as well as a disgruntled look). But overall, this is my favourite variant.
Able to decisively reduce units threatening to get close with melta weapons, and soften the enemy unit before it's occupants charge in.

Hopefully an article which will help you decide which variant to field, and not too long winded... If you feel I've missed anything out, or have some gay ideas/feedback of your own, as always, feel free to leave a comment!
-Aseldi

1250pts Space Wolf Army List

Greetings! Aseldi here once again, this time with a 1250pts army list I've been working on. Originally, this was intended to be taken down to Conflict Scotland, but due to financial reasons, unfortunately can't.
So here it is!

HQ:
Rune Priest - 120pts
-runic armour


TROOPS:
Grey Hunter Pack (10) - 245pts
(Rhino)
-plasma gun
-plasma gun
-power fist
-Wolf Standard
-Mark of the Wulfen

Grey Hunter Pack (10) - 235pts
(Rhino)
-flamer
-plasma gun
-power fist
-Wolf Standard
-Mark of the Wulfen


ELITES:
Wolf Guard Pack (5) - 510pts
(Land Raider Redeemer, multi-melta)
-wolf claw, power fist
-wolf claw, power fist
-wolf claw, power fist
-power fist, storm shield
-power fist, storm shield


HEAVY SUPPORT:
Long Fangs Pack - 140pts
-5x missile launchers


TOTAL: 1250pts


Ok, tactics for this list.
Normally, I would deploy the Rune Priest with the Long Fangs, with 2 spells from Divination (thanks to what was pointed out on my last army list, it seems that we can't pick and choose, unfortunately). Another tactic might be, for extra fun, putting it with the Wolf Guard. But this I feel is a little suicidal, as he can be challenged out and killed too easily. But imagine the carnage that could be inflicted with a well placed Jaws of the Wolf Wolf?!

The Grey Hunters, as usual, would push up the midfield and stand on objectives, the Rhinos acting as shields after they'd deployed the troops in their positions, or acting as a quick getaway vehicle in case of an impending charge from a powerful enemy unit.

Now, the Wolf Guard. I though for a while on how to arm these guys, and how to play them, since I've just bought my first pack and want to give them a go. As it turns out, they've become quite a death star! Risky, I know, for a 1250pts list, but I do have some reasons. The total lack of range is offset by the Land Raider Redeemer they've been given. At AV 14 all round, and 4HP, it's a very sturdy beast! And I stand by this, despite some claims that HP have merged vehicles. The Flamestorm Cannons are insane! Especially with the amount of MEQ armies running about, this will make short work of them. The multi-melta was added in the case of needed to de-mech a juicy target for the WG to dispose of. The WG should make short work of any squad in CC. The WC/PF combo is a little 'power play', but it costs the same points as dual WCs, with the added bonus of getting to choose a PF or WC. I imagine this tactic may be changed in future, meaning that two of the same specialist weapon must be used for the bonus attack, but for now I'm sticking with this. Hence the magnetising (more on that in a future post). The SS also give a bit of staying power.
Overall, this unit will be very hit and miss, it does contain nearly half the armies points, but I imagine, if used well, would be able to make them back brilliantly! It will also act as a great distraction, taking the brunt of the enemy fire off the far more valuable Grey Hunters, as they claim objectives. So the idea with these guys: point them at an important enemy unit. Watch it die.

And finally to the Long Fangs. A veteran unit of many battles, these guys are a must have in an army. As discussed before, disgustingly cheap, with the ability to take 5 missiles, and split fire, just brilliant. These will be offering fire support to anything threatening the Wolf Guard or Land Raided Redeemer.


There we have it! As always, thoughts and feedback welcome in the comments. As a thought, is the layout ok? As in how I display the units. And is the tactics discussion too in depth or lengthly? Let me know, and I'll see what I can change!

That's all for now, may the dice always roll in favour of the brethren of the Russ!
-Aseldi

To Take, or Not to Take the Metal Box?

Greetings all, Aseldi here to look over the changes brought upon general army composition brought by 6th edition. More specifically, whether to take a footslogging list, or transports?

Firstly, I'll state that by transports, I mean 10 Grey Hunters in a Rhino.  I've never been a fan off the MSU list, and I seem incapable of taking squads of fewer than 10 marines...

Right, to business.  Space Wolves are the perfect choice, out of marines at least, for both of these lists.  We can do footslogging well, and rhinos are nice and conforming with What Russ Intended.

Footslogging, we can easily take a Wolf Guard Squad leader in terminator armour, and stick him on the front of a unit. He acts like a small tank, soaking up all incoming fire on his 2+ armour save, and seriously annoying your opponent.  He also adds a nice wee challenge ability to a squad that wouldn't otherwise have it, and with a variety of wargear at his disposal, can be kitted out to deal with almost any threat. So all sounds good so far doesn't it? And it looks great having squads led by a terminator marching across the battlefield towards an enemy!

But I don't use this one... Despite the benefits above.  This is mainly because I have the worst luck with armour saves ever.  Every time I've used this tactic, my terminator has died to the first bolter shot his way, removing the unit's whole utility, but by no means their effectiveness (they are Grey Hunters after all!).  I just dislike this possibility, and as it happens so often, I rarely feel inclined to spend roughly 35pts on the guy...

Now to our old friend the Rhino! At the beginning of 6th, it seemed to be an endangered species, people proclaiming left right and centre that mech lists were on the down (and to an extent they were right), and Rhinos had been hit by the nerf bat.  However, in my opinion, the situation is quite the contrary! 

Lets look at the stats: For 35pts we get a 11/11/10 vehicle which can boost our Grey Hunters 18" up the board right towards the objectives, where they want to be.  Armour 11 negates most armies' basic weaponry too.  And if they happen to survive past the first turn, they can act as a screening unit, which can be invaluable!  3 HP is also pretty survivable, but with the rise of plasma, still a little tenuous.

In conclusion, currently I am using the Rhino tactic. It has more reliability, and adds a huge amount of manoeuvrability to an otherwise relatively slow army, and can allow a Grey Hunter squad to stay nearby those Thunderwolves.
-Aseldi

Painting Space Wolves

Here's a brief showcase of a couple of the Space Wolves I have managed to paint.  I'm hoping to complete all of them in the summer, having purchased the full 2000pts list I posted before, giving me my first ever completed project! Here's hoping I'm able to stay focused for that long...

Overall, I'm pleased with how they turned out, and I am definitely sticking with the colour scheme (the one recommended on the Games Workshop paint guide).  It's very wash heavy, and I like the rugged look it gives them.

-Aseldi

The Question of Selling.

Aseldi here, and I'm stuck in a rut.  I am left with increasingly less money to spend on the hobby, and have been left with multiple unfinished projects... In fact, to date, I have never actually completed one. Very few of my models are painted, a few aren't even built! And there are stacks of vanilla Marines which sit there collecting dust; remnants from my first forays into the hobby.

So now I'm left with the question: What do I do with these masses of vanilla marines sitting gathering dust? I probably won't ever use them in their current state, seeing as I far prefer the aesthetic of Space Wolves, and am trying to create a Dark Angel army based on Raven/Deathwing.  Their layout is also reflective of someone inexperienced, and the paint jobs on a couple of them... Well, i was young.

Though I hate the idea of parting with models I have bought, built, and to an extent, painted, overall I think it could be of benefit.
The money I make could be put towards getting the last bits of my 2000pts Space Wolf army, and finally purchasing the new Dark Angel Codex.  This would leave me with a far more coherent collection, and a much less daunting pile of grey to paint.

So, I put the question out to anyone who reads this blog, have you ever been in the dilemma where you have masses of models you can't see any hope of ever using? And if so, would you be in favour of selling them to fund current projects, or allow them to gather dust for years until you get round to using them?

For the Glory of Chaos(2000pt Army List)

Sorry this took so long

So I’m listening to “Call to the Warrior” by Affiance so Ifeel it only proper that honour of this great song I post my first Chaos SpaceMarine army list. The following list is one that I have only played a couple oftimes but I haven’t lost with it at all so far. It’s a 2000pt list and quitefluffy for those of us who like Father Nurgle (I say here fluffy and by that Imean there are no Tzeentch based units). I have given all my units Veterans ofthe Long War (VOTLW) and that was because this list was originally designed tofight the first army list posted by Aseldi. But I digress. So here is the armylist:

HQ

Chaos Lord – Terminator Armour, Mark of Nurgle, MurderSword, - 160pts

                        VOTLW,Ichor Blood (This was really a points filler)

This lord is quite tough with toughness 5 and a 2+ Armoursave. My idea here was to have this guy be used mainly as a deterrent to Logan(because lets face it, that is one scary wolf). However that tactic works justas well with any other character. You’ll find that most players aren’tparticularly keen to pit their prized lord up against S8 AP1 Instant Death.Though beware of thinking this guy is invincible. Your opponent will aim everyweapon they can at this guy to keep him off their lord so stick him in a niceLand Raider or, for a cheap alternative, a unit of cultists. You could even tryDeep Striking him though this is something I haven’t tried.

Chaos Sorcerer – Mark of Nurgle, VOTLW, Lvl 2, SpellFamiliar – 120pts

Here is a unit that has never failed to under-perform in thegames I’ve played. But the upside here is that it is a cheap psyker that (ifyou roll well for your spells) can do devastating amounts of damage to yourenemies elite units. I recommend putting your second roll on telepathy, as thisis personally my favourite discipline especially if your enemy decides to fieldDark Reapers (If you don’t know what these are then you are incredibly lucky)and you roll “Puppet Master”. Otherwise I tend to just go for Psychic Shriek,an awesome power even against Marines (remember they are only Ld 8-9 unlessthey have a HQ with them and they don’t even get there shiny 3+ armour). Sothis guy you just put into a rhino with one of the squads of Plague Marines andcause havoc.

Troops

(7)Plague Marines – 2xPlasma Gun, VOTLW, Rhino – 240pts

(7)Plague Marines  - 2xPlasmaGun, VOTLW, Rhino – 240pts

So these are the two units that this army revolves around.Plague Marines are undoubtedly one of the best units available to any CSMplayer and even though they aren’t automatically troops anymore the simpleinclusion of a chaos lord with Mark of Nurgle unlocks them as troops (Meaningthey can hold objectives!). There may only be 7 of them per squad but youropponent will cower in fear when your two filth-encrusted Rhinos charge forwardblasting up to 4 S7 AP2 shots each! On top of that if you plonk a squad ofthese on an objective nothing short of a Genestealer assault (and even theymight have difficulty) will shift them.

(20)Cultists –(No upgrades) – 90pts

(20)Cultists –(No upgrades) – 90pts

Cheap and cheerful is the motto here. Having 40 cheap fleshwoun- I mean uhh…. Loyal followers…. Yeah…. But anyway the fact that you canfield so many of these for so little points means that you can easily use theseguys to tar-pit units or just use them to hold an objective.

(10) Chaos Space Marines - (No upgrades)-140pts

Well these guys might seam a little pointless in the armyand that’s fair enough these guys do however make an excellent hiding spot forthe Lord or the Sorcerer if their squad gets destroyed and they happen to benearby. To be perfectly honest this unit was really just a points-filler butwith careful manipulation of the list you could probably turn this unit into aunit of Raptors or such-like things.

Elites

(8) Khorne Berzerkers - VOTLW, Icon of Wrath(Optional) – 185pts

So here we have the close combat monster unit. But lets faceit, after all these editions everyone knows that. So these guys will be amassive bullet magnet. Now… How do we fix this problem? The answer: PUT THEM INA LAND RAIDER! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! No but seriously putting these guys inthe Land Raider with the Chaos Lord gives them a quick ride into enemy linesand putting them with the Chaos Lord as well gives you an insane close combatunit which your opponent will put a lot of effort into destroying.

Fast Attack

Helldrake – Bale Flamer – 170pts

Never leave your house without one. That simple. This is byfar one of the best fliers in the game. If you need it to hunt the enemiesfliers and vehicles just leave the Hades Autocannon on it. With the Daemonforgethis thing will take out any vehicle that you point it at (Bar maybe a Monolithor Land Raider). Alternatively with a Bale Flamer this flying monstrositybecomes the bane of your enemies ranged infantry squads (Long Fangs beware!).This guy will reach them instantly burn them to ash and has the ability tovector strike a Dreadnought to death in the same turn! And if that’s not enoughto convince you to put this in your list, then fact that it is a flying, metalchaos DRAGON(!!!!!!) will!

Heavy Support

Land Raider – Dirge Caster – 235pts

So this is the awesome clump of metal that safely gets yourlovely disciples of the Blood God (Talking about the ‘Zerkers here) intocombat.  However in recent games afterdoing that this unit tends to be spectacularly underwhelming. It might be ableto pop another vehicle or so but apart from that the only real value of thisvehicle is the fact that it stops enemies from Overwatching near it. (For a cheapalternative hear consider a Rhino with a Dirge Caster: 40pts). So allconsidered this unit is quite a personal choice because it is pricey but unlessyour enemy is overflowing with melta or haywire weaponry (beware Wyches here)nothing will kill your massive clump of metal.

Mauler Fiend – (No upgrades) – 125pts

As with the Land Raider this is quite a personal decision.Personally I love the Mauler Fiend model and this particular army is lackinganything that could deal with a threat like a Land Raider or Monolith so thisunit seemed ideal to fill that gap. On another note this thing makes for anexcellent bullet magnet, as the sheer size of thing will usually attract a halftonne of firepower. But fear not, having “It will not die” and a 5++ save frombeing a Daemon is very nice to save you from that.

(10)Havocs – 4xPlasma Gun, Rhino – 200pts

This is perhaps my favourite unit in this whole list. Its worthit purely for the look on the opponents face when you disembark these guys nextto the enemies Terminator squad and unleash 8(!!!!) S7 AP2 shots. Not much willstand against these guys for long at range and anybody trying to enter combatstill has a devastating Overwatch to deal with. These guys have incredibly highmobility and terrifying firepower meaning they should almost always be whereyou need them and will almost always kill whatever you point them at. Theseguys can deal out a fair bit of damage against Vehicles but my advice would be don’twaste them on anything above AV11 its simply a waste of 8 AP2 shots which willmow through any infantry formation.

So there you have it! 2000pts of beautiful Choas. I hopethis was helpful and helps you bring glory to the Chaos Gods! BLOOD FOR THEBLOOD GOD!