AToFG: Circle Orboros March Painting Shifting Stones and Stone Keeper

Here is my painting set for the month of March for 'A Tale of Four Gamers' painting challenge:

Set #1: 3 Shifting Stones and Stone Keeper (unit and unit attachment)

AToFG: Circle Orboros February Painting Woldwyrd

Here is my painting set for the month of February for 'A Tale of Four Gamers' painting challenge:

Set #10: Woldwyrd (light warbeast)

Unboxing: The Hobbit Escape from Goblintown

As promised last December, I present in this post the unboxing of the Games Workshop boxed set for the Hobbit: Escape from Goblintown.

The box is the typical size of the starter sets from GW for Fantasy or 40K (it is the French edition that I have received):

The box is pretty full upon opening:

 There is a starter guide with quick start rules and introductory notions to the Hobbit the game. Also included is the A5 full rulebook. These are the complete rules for The Hobbit the Strategy Battle Game which is basically Lord of the Rings, the Strategy Battle Game 2nd Edition. Most of the rules are similar, there are a few changes for the Heroes with an increase of heroic actions possibles as well as some other changes (monsters, magic, etc):

 

Then there is a quick play reminder sheet, a special sheet for Radagst and a couple of assembly guides: 

 

In terms of minis, here is Radagast, a beautifully detailed plastic piece:  



 

Then the first sprue for the Good with Gandald and the whole company of Thorin. Again I was amazed by the details on the minis:

 



 

Then you get two identical sprues for the goblins. Personally I am not a great fan of their look:

On the last minis sprue you get the Goblin King in all its horror as well as some scenery pieces extremely detailed:

 

Then you get two identical sprues of boards and walkways to recreate Goblintown:

And finally you get baggies of bases, dice and a new type of ruler in inches (much better than the wippy sticks of old):

Overall, I like this kit very much. Even after 13 years in the hobby I was amazed by the details on the minis. The facial expressions, every nook and cranies scuplted lavishly all contribute to get looking models. Games Workshop really have surpassed themselves here. The only disappointment I have is the look of the goblins but that is really more a choice from the artistic development team of the movie. I hope this kit gets the fantastic LotR SBG a new breath of fresh air and new players.

AToFG: Circle Orboros January Painting Woldstalkers and Druid Stoneward

Following up on the previous post, here is the first painted set of the Circle of Orboros army I am building as part of the 'A Tale of Four Gamers' challenge with my gaming club.

I chose to start with set#2: Woldstalkers and Druid Stoneward for the first month:

Hobby and Gaming project for 2013

After several intro games and some fluff reading, I have decided to delve into the world of Warmachine and Hordes at last. During this year 2013, I have decided to participate in a painting challenge of the type A Tale of Four Gamers article series from White Dwarf magazine. I have also registered for a 6 months long escalation campaign for WarmaHordes.

The faction of choice for me is Circle of Orboros purely because of the aesthetics of the models, the fluff and the fact that I have received a free starter box at Adepticon 2011.

The theme for my Circle Orboros faction will be 'Seasons Osmosis'. It is based on the idea that each caster has a season of choice in which they thrive and others in which it struggles a little more (do Warpwolves hibernate? :) ). I have decided to start with pBaldur as my Warcaster and go for the 'Winter is coming' part of my force. All the constructs, rocks and twigs will look great covered in snow...

Each month I will be painting one of the following sets of minis (2 months in the year can be taken out as 'Joker months'):

-set 1: Shifting Stones + 1 stone keeper (4 minis)
-set 2: Druid Stoneward and woldstackers (6 minis)
-set 3: Woldwarden (heavy warbeast)
-set 4: Woldguardian (heavy warbeast)
-set 5: Woldwrath (gargantuan) :-O
-set 6: Baldur + Kaya (2 minis)
-set 7: 2 argus (2 light warbeasts)
-set 8: Warpwolf (heavy warbeast)
-set 9: Megalith (heavy warbeast)
-set 10: Woldwyrd (light warbeast)

This list is based on the aforementioned Starter Box and the PP Orboros Holiday Bundle

PS: on an unrelated note, I was lucky enough to get the Hobbit Escape from Goblintown box and the Hobbit Rulebook for my birthday and will be writing an unboxing post soon...

Product Review: Paint Rack Miniaturicum

This post is a quick review of a fantastic product that I heard about thanks to the guys at Tale of Painters Blog.

This paint rack from Miniaturicum can contains a lot of paint pots of all types (GW, Reaper, Vallejo, etc).

 
As you can see, this rack is suited best for GW type of pots but can also work for dripper bottles, pots of glues, etc. This in my opinion is the greatest advantage of not having specific holes designed for each pot. This type of rack is a lot more versatile than other ones than can be found on the market (and also very cheap!)

 
The rack comes in separate parts (and an assembly guide) and the assembly is very easy. You can even choose not to glue the pieces if you'd like (that is what I've done for the moment):

Hobbying while on travel: Epic Space Marine Painting

And.... I'm back! After an overseas move and the start of a new job, I finally have time to get back to hobbying again.

I am currently on several business trips and have found the way to keep up with miniature painting while not at home and wanted to share that.

The solution for me is the Battlefoam Pack Mini !

This small bag fits perfectly in a suitcase and can be filled with paints and minis (although you need to check your bag if you travel by plane or put the paint pots in a transparent ziplock bag). This the paint pots I put in my bag for a weeklong workshop:

The paint brushes are slided into one of the Pack Mini's pocket and minis are put in the remaining spots. I also brought a small rag inserted in the pack mini.

At the hotel, this is the paint station I have set up:

An example of all the Epic 40K minis that can fit in the 11 remaining spots in the pack mini:

And yes... I am getting back into Epic... 8 years later ! Got hooked again after a great (re) introduction game... Am painting my Space Wolves again and can't wait to field them...