Chaos at Christmas

As is traditional between myself and Blackmane, he got me some rather
marvellous additions to my CSM army that I'm currently plotting!

First up I'd Ahriman!

Brilliantly painted as always! And suprisingly thamen came Kharn, though he wasn't painted. Looks like I'm going to have to get some Berserkers and Thousand Sons! That's all from me, just a quick update. Merry Christmas and there'll be more tomorrow! Zebulon

The Raven Has Landed



Hi all,
been a very long time coming this post but it (for me) is worth it. As following Blackmane's tradition of getting me awesomely amazing stuff for birthdays and Christmas, he can up with the corker for my birthday this year!

Covenant of Antartica: Plato Class Cruisers

Hi all

Today I bring some more pictures of some completed Covenant of Antarctica models. This time its the turn of the Plato Class Cruisers. These came in the starter fleet box but I've only just got round to painting these ones. They are very similar in size, shape and style to the Zeno Class Cruisers that I painted in the first batch of models. The obvious difference is that these ships have a turret at the front and rear of the model rather than one main weapon like the Zeno Class ships. I think the best use of these ships will be to gang up on bigger ships and try to inflict damage at range bands 1 or 2 with lots of linked fire. With a shield generator each they may survive a little longer up close but ultimately I won't expect them to survive the whole game at that range against a bigger ship/s.

To the pictures!


Covenant Of Antarctica: Pericles Class Drone Carrier

Hi all,

Today I bring another completed ship for my Covenant of Antarctica fleet. This time its the turn of the Pericles Class Drone Carrier, the last of the big ships I hadn't painted. I've enjoyed painting this model, though the assembly less so. I do quite like the model. Its quite different to the other carriers in that it doesn't have a big flight deck or anything. Instead it has its racks of drones and just launches them straight up into the air. Not quite sure how I'll go about using it in my fleet given Covenant drones aren't as good as other tiny flyers but I'm sure I'll think of a use for it. 

So on with the pictures.
 

Hobby - Homemade Painting Stands

Hi all

Today I bring a little hobby article (hopefully) for your enjoyment.

Now as some of you may know I've recently been busy painting my Covenant of Antarctica fleet for Dystopian Wars (DW). A game I highly recommend. When it comes to undercoating my miniatures I usually attach them to some cardboard strips with double sided sticky tape  allowing me to hold them without touching the models and making a mess of the undercoat. Now I'm sure most of you out there do this is someway and it works well enough for models with bases. The DW ships aren't a problem as I don't need to undercoat the bottom of them so I can just stick them down too. However the flying models are a bit more of a challenge. There's no where I can hold them without stopping parts been undercoated and they don't stick to cardboard so well.

Now I could just put them on their flying stands and spray them but I don't want to get those all covered in paint. I had thought about buying some more from Sparten Games and use them as 'painting stands' but this requires spending money I'd rather not spend. So I decided to make my own stands for the same purpose.

So here's how I went about it


Covenant of Antarctica: Icarus Class Medium Flyer

Hi all

Today I bring some pictures of a couple more of my Covenant of Antarctica fleet. Today its the turn of the Icarus Class Medium Flyers. These are the first two that I've finished. I still have another two to do but I haven't got round to undercoating them yet and its juts not been the right weather for spray paints.

I like the design of these models. Essentially they're flying ships. They just look like they could equally be at home in the sea as well as the air. I think the thing I like most about them is the huge turbine that forms the core of the flyer and the little gyro type thing in the centre. The gyro reminds me of the gravity drive of the space ship in the film Event Horizon.

Now for some pretty pictures, enjoy!


Covenant of Antarctica: Callimachus Time Dilation Orb (Warterlined)

Hi all

Today I bring you some pictures of my Callimachus Time Dilation Orbs. These were the next set of 'ships' I finished for my fleet. I use the term ships loosely as they're not really ships but versions to be used in support of a naval fleet. I like the models very much and I think they have some quite fun rules. Especially the ability to teleport friendly models around the board. I can see that been very fun indeed teleporting my battleship/crusiers/dreadnought around.

So on with the pictures.


Pirate Rich's Retro Ork Army


Hi all, today I bring a bit of a different post. I play a game today with my mate Pirate Rich, who I've never played before, mainly because his stuff was living in Shropshire, but he brought it up not so long ago. I knew it was Orks and i also knew he hadn't played in a while.

Covenant of Antarctica: Aristotle Class Battleship

Hi all.

Today I bring some pictures of the next of my finished Covenant of Antarctica ships the Aristotle Class Battleship. I really like this model. It's one of the reasons I choose the Covenant as my first fleet for Dystopian Wars. It has a nice design but quite simple and has all those broadside guns! It's just studded with them. I also like that it can submerge and even has a template just to represent it (yes I'm easily pleased lol).

So on with the pictures and see what you think.


Tarnhelm 3rd Lord Commissar

Hi all

Today I bring a 40k post for your enjoyment. I've been working on this model for quite a while and I finally got it finished the other day. I would have posted it then but that night I lost the internet for 6 days as it got changed over. What bad timing lol. The model in question is my Commissar Lord. I got it a while ago and have been working on it on and off for a while. Other projects got started and I took up Dystopian Wars so it got pushed further down my queue of unpainted models. However I got tired of it sat on my desk so I got it painted up.

So have a look at the pictures and see what you think.


Covenant of Antarctica: Plutarch Class Destroyers

Hi all.

Today I continue my run of dystopian wars ships for my Covenant of Antarctica fleet. This time I bring you some pictures of the Plutarch Class Destroyers. I got these at the same time as I bought the fleet box. I didn't know anything about them I just liked the way they looked. Now that I've got them painted I think they look even better.

So on with the pictures and you can judge for yourselves.


Covenant of Antarctica: Thales Class Corvet

Hi all.

Today I bring some pictures of the third set of ships I've finished for my Covenant of Antarctica fleet. These are the Thales Class Corvet. Again they are small ships like the Galen Class Escorts from my previous Covenant of Antarctica post (http://signoftheaquila.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/covenant-of-antarctica-galen-class.html). They're very similar to the Galen Escorts both points wise and stats wise. The main difference is that they can move a lot faster. This will make them very good for closing with the enemy fleet and getting in the way while the rest of my fleet closes and get in to a better range band for firing.

Again I've carried on with the simple colour scheme as mentioned in this post http://signoftheaquila.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/covenant-of-antarctica-zeno-class.html .

So on with the pictures!


40k Chaos: Black Fire Upon Us

Hello all,
its been quite a while since I've posted anything here on Sign Of The Aquila, but that doesn't mean things haven't happened. I picked up Dark Vengeance for a start! It was very hard to resist those rather sublime Chaos mini's and so it looks like I'm delving in to Chaos. Just a small force, similar to the Vostroyans I'm working on and the Dark Angels too. Nice choice of allies there lol.

Covenant of Antarctica: Galen Class Escorts

Hi all.

Today I bring some pictures of the next of my finished ships for my Covenant of Antarctica fleet.
The next ships that I've finished are the Galen Class Escorts. Essentially they are ships designed, as their name would suggest, to escort other ships. In the case of dystopian wars they would tend to be the escorts of battleships and dreadnoughts. I will probably use them to block line of sight where possible and generally get in the way of the enemy fleet.


Again I've carried on with the simple colour scheme as mentioned in this post http://signoftheaquila.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/covenant-of-antarctica-zeno-class.html .


On with the pictures!



Covenant of Antarctica: Zeno Class Cruisers

Hi all

Today I bring some pictures of the first of my finished ships for my Covenant of Antarctica fleet.
The first ships that I've finished are the Zeno Class Cruisers. Essentially they are ships built around a single weapon, in this case a particle accelerator.

I've decided to go with a fairly simple colour scheme for my ships. A blue grey colour for the hull, in this case gw shadow grey, a brass/bronze type colour for weapons, archimedes screws and the smoke stacks, and just a plain metal for the visible framework.

So here are the pictures, enjoy!


Dark Eldar Grotesques WIP 1

Hi all.

Today I bring some WIP shots of my latest project. I decided a while ago that I would like some grotesques in my Dark Eldar army, or at least have the option to include them. GW of course brought out a model but I really wasn't keen on it due to the singular pose and the fact that I'm still wary about finecast models. So with that in mind I started looking at ways to make them myself. Luckily for me GW also brought out the Varghiest / Crypt Horror box. I knew this kit would be right for making them so I bought some. I would have set to work on these sooner but at the time I was at uni and I had left the required bits I had intended to use back at home.

So on saturday I decided I'd actually get on with it and get my grotesques converted. So here are some pictures of my work so far. 


Scenery: Imperial Sector Buildings WIP

Hi all

Its been a while since anything new was posted on SotA which I think has been due to both myself and Zebulon having a little break from doing anything major. I've been tinkering with a few bits and pieces for the last few weeks and now find myself ready to get back into the swing of things.

So first up are the buildings from the Imperial Sector box. I was lucky enough to find this box in my local store at the old price of about £52 rather than the new £70 price. I hadn't intended to buy it but I knew I'd regret not buying it. It took me a couple of weeks to assemble the buildings which was slow by my standards (due to the decreased nature of hobby activities).

So lets get on with the pictures.


Tau Ethereal - My First Tau

Hi all

Today I bring a few pictures of a Tau Ethereal that I painted up. Normally when I paint something that isn't for me it, its for Zebulon. This time however it was for my flatmate's birthday (Its not till July but I probably won't see him for a while). He doesn't play Warhammer anymore and hasn't for a long time however I know he used to play with the Tau. So when I saw this now oop metal Tau Ethereal I decided it would be a fitting birthday present.

With that here's the first Tau model I've ever painted.



The Best 40K Building Kit I've Found So Far

Hi all,
righty so a couple of weeks ago I found this "Scorched Ruin" scenery kit on ebay and though for the price, approx £2.50 per kit ($3.94) including postage from Russia! Anyway I decided it was worth a gamble and bought 5 kits thinking that £12.50 for 5 building was a decent enough deal.

Dystopian Wars comes to Sign of the Aquila

Hi all

Today I bring news that I am taking my first step into a new game outside of GW's systems. And of course from the title of the post that new game is Spartan Games Dystopian Wars. I've been looking at Dystopian Wars for quite a while now and finally decided to give it a go. What finally got me started? Well after actually getting round to assembling my Dreadfleet models (Yes I did buy it though I haven't played it yet)  I decided that I would actually quite like to play a game with ships that was more than just a one off game. Of course Sparten Games also does Uncharted Seas but seen as I had already been looking at Dystopian Wars for a while it was a natural choice. So with that I set out to the independent stores in Sheffield in an effort to find out if any of the stocked the stuff. As luck would have it a new store opened up not long ago called The Outpost and they stock Dystopian Wars stuff. I hadn't been in before so didn't know that at the time. Anyway after going in and finding that they did stock it,  I got the chance to actually have a game as well. I have to say that I had still been a little hesitant about starting Dystopian Wars but after playing that game I knew that it was a game I wanted to get in to.

So with that I had a better look at what they had and went with the force I'd already party settled on, The Covenant of Antarctica (or CoA from this point on). The main reason for this is that after looking at the various forces available I liked the models for the CoA the most. Having said that the Kingdom of Britannia fleet that I played my introduction game with were very nice models that I felt didn't really come across well in the pictures I had looked at. I would definitely consider getting them as a second force in the future.

So after deciding on my starting force all I had to do was buy the stuff. So up next are some pictures of the stuff I've bought so far and a few of my initial thoughts.




First up the core rule book itself. Its a very nicely printed and put together book in my opinion. I've only had a brief look through the rules so far but they seem to be in a fairly logical order with plenty of examples dotted throughout. I know some people have said that some of the rules can come across as more complicated than they actually are but that's something I haven't really come across. In terms of price is is also very reasonable at just £16 which is a lot cheaper than GW's big rulebooks and less than many of the current army books and codex's.


V For Victory!: The Vostroyan Option


Hi all,
well today I bring the start of my new slow burner project (as if I don't have enough already!). With all the recent chatter about allies being reintroduced into the 6th Ed rules, I though I might as well try and get a jump start on adding another ally option to my armies. The current rumours have the Tau being protected by the Space Marines, which for me is great! Ultras and Tau in perfect harmony! However I fancied adding something different, just for a bit of variation model wise and tactically too!

New Models and They're Not GW....Shock Horror

HI all,

Today  Sign of the Aquila takes it first step away from GW models. Yes its heresy I know but we'll be coming back to good old GW soon enough. I've been meaning to do this post for about 2 weeks but just haven't had the time.

So where does this first venture from GW take me? To the miniatures produced by Kingdom Death. I've been looking at their models for quite a while now since I first became aware of them through Bell of Lost Souls. So the other week while looking at their site and taking a liking to one of the limited edition models they had at the time, I took the opportunity to order it and one of the others that I liked.

So here we are the first 2 non-GW models that I've come to own.

Mould Making: Blu Stuff

Hi all

The other day I ordered some Blu Stuff off the internet. For those of you not aware of what that is, its a two part putty that is used for making moulds. You can see it in use a few times on this site http://masteroftheforge.com/, as well as the newer liquid version. I've wanted to get some for a while and try making a few things and then making a mould to allow me to make copies.

For my first attempt at using Blu Stuff I've chosen to make a mould of a Space Wolf icon off the old accessory sprue. I only have a couple of them left so been able to make more would be very useful.


This is the piece I'm going to make a mould of.

Ultramarine Additions: Limited Edition Veteran/Sergeant



Well as promised here is my completed Web Only Veteran/Sergeant (can't quite remember when it was listed as). Really took my time with this and tried to do everything super carefully

Time Off Well Spent: Ultramarine Additions


Hi all,
it's been quite a while since I updated you with anything, the last was my Hammerhead tanks which are still underway, just detailing and lenses to do on those. As usual I've been perusing Ebay for bargains and bit and I definitely found one!

Forgeworld Space Wolves Venerable Dreadnought Completed

Hi all

Its been a little while since I last posted but today I bring some pictures of my completed Space Wolves Venerable Dreadnought. I'm really happy with how its turned out and is by far the best dreadnought I've ever painted (technically this is the second one, so not many really lol). Rather than waffle on I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.


Forge World Tartaros Pattern Terminators!



Well look what Forge World have just put up/sent out in the email! WOW! Mini Contemptors is what springs to mind. Safe to say that these guys will be bought on payday! As you can probably tell I'm fairly stoked about these guys and they're only £2 more than normal termys....

Zebulon

The Greater Good Gets a Great Overhaul WIP 1


Well hello all,
its been a very long time since I posted anything, it doesn't help having a very busy life and then moving house and having no internet for a month! But it was all worth it as I'm now relocated closer to friends, work and certain gaming stores.... also I now have a permanent table to throw down on. This has been at least once a week for the last month or so, so i'm getting in practice!

Forgeworld Space Wolves Venerable Dreadnought WIP 3

Hi all

Today I bring an update on my forgeworld dreadnought. Since my last post on it (http://signoftheaquila.blogspot.com/2012/01/forgeworld-space-wolves-venerable_18.html), I have undercoated it, done the silver metal work and (as of this morning) started the armour.
Now for some pictures.


Dreadnought Restoration Part 1.5 WIP

Hi all

Earlier on today I posted the beginning of the restoration work I'm doing on my first dreadnought (here's the link if you didn't see it http://signoftheaquila.blogspot.com/2012/01/dreadnought-restoration-part-1-wip.html). And now at the end of the day I have a small update as to the progress.

First up a slight modification to the front plate. I decided to add the raised piece around the vision slit back on. In the previous version I just greenstuffed over it and left it at that. This time round I decided I wanted to add that little bit more detail to an otherwise flat surface.



Some runes I've sculpted to go on the legs.


My own sculpted Logan Grimnar symbol. Its the first time I've tried doing anything like this and I think it's turned out ok. Whether it will stay or not is to be decided. I may try it a second time and see what happens.

Well that's it for today (it really is, 3 posts in a day is enough). As always thanks for taking the time to have a look and please feel free to leave any comments, be they good or bad or somewhere in between.

Blackmane

Forgeworld Space Wolves Venerable Dreadnought WIP 2

Hi all

For my second post today I bring a small up date on my forgeworld venerable dreadnought. So far I've assembled the major components, magnetized the arms and done any greenstuff work that was required.


As you'll notice the wolf pelt banner isn't attached to it yet. Partly this is because I've noticed its slightly warped and will need correcting and partly because I intend to paint it separately. 

Dreadnought Restoration Part 1 WIP

Hi all

Today I bring a small WIP post on my original dreadnought (pictured below). It was one of the first models I got for my space wolves and has served well many times.However after almost 8 years (I think it will be about that) my dreadnought is starting to look a bit worse for wear. The banner pole is hanging on by a thread. The paint job is poor due to many repaints and touch ups. So i decided it was time to give my dreadnought a bit of TLC and seen as I'm working on a venerable dreadnought too its the prefect time to restore it to its former glory.

The picture below is pretty much how it was before I started to work on it. An exception is the banner pole which in this picture is not broken.


Forgeworld Space Wolves Venerable Dreadnought WIP 1

Hi all

Today I bring a few pictures of my new dreadnought. Its the Space Wolves venerable dreadnought from Forgeworld. I have wanted this model since it first came out and now I finally have it. For the arms I decided to go for an assault cannon, a plasma cannon and of course the humble dreadnought close combat weapon. Now you may be wondering why I have chosen an assault cannon or plasma cannon rather than say going for autocannons, which I know is a very popular load out around the internet. The main reason is, based on the fluff, Space Wolves are rather keen on plasma weaponry so been a more fluff orientated player I decided on a plasma cannon.

And so here are the pictures of the components before and after I'd cleaned up the flash.