Follow the ETC 2012

http://etc40k.wordpress.com/

Use the above link to follow the progress of the teams involved including Scotland :), so you may even see some of me up on there - winning hopefully, lol.

Forged for Battle - Canoptek Acanthrites

Can be seen here

So FW have released a new Necron unit the Canoptek Acanthrites. These guys look pretty awesome and in fact pretty scary too from a cinematic point of view, buzzing around with all those blades. So in terms of model it’s a win for me and a future purchase (a given really).

The big question for me is are they better than or equal to Wraiths which these are just a variant of, from a game play point of view. That is because both are Fast Attack choices, Jump Infantry and have Rending so very similar.

So on the plus side are more durable as while the loose the 3++ save, T5 W3 and Stealth is better at keeping them alive against most weapon big and small, although if you have crazy hot dice all the time then nothing can stop a Wraith no matter what hits them although im sure most people would agree they tend not to have that kind of luck when needed. From an offensive point of view they are worse losing an attack, the option for whip coils and St6 is a massive blow and means they can get bogged down in combat easily for their points. Also not being able to ignore terrain will slow them down which will also hinder them. The only offensive advantage they have is the Cutting Beam which while useful can only offset the amount of time in a protracted combat not help them win it.

If I were to use these in an army it would have to be a largish squad of 6-9 to maximise the durability of the unit that can really anchor a flank or tie up anything that’s not a GK’s squad of any type with a Force Weapon.

So are the better than a Wraith being my initial questions, well at the moment no they are not. Wraiths are just cheaper and better at what they are meant to do these are not, but in no way are they a bad unit in fact there a very good unit for what points you pay, they’re just not Wraith good, which if you take a look at the UK Tournament scene at the moment is full of them, attesting to their potent nature.

Hobby update

So Battlefield Birmingham is now over and i ended up taking 23/38 which im very happy with considering the lack of playtesting and lack of any plan in the construction of the army, so just below midway is an achivment especially considering over 25% of all armies present were Grey Knights (BOO!).

So i would like to thank Harry for organising the event and also my 5 opponants Matt, Adam, Gaz, James and Andy for 5 fun games that i learnt a lot from.

The main thing i learnt though from the whole event is how much fun i can have with the Tyranid dex and glad to announce that i have submitted my list for the 40K UK GT and it will be another random and seemingly confused list that will keep me entertained for a weekends gaming. So if anyone has any opinions please comment.


Tyranid Prime80
Boneswords x2 10
Deathspitter 5
Adrenal Gland 10 105

Hive Guard x3 150

Zoanthropes x3 180
Mycetic Spore 40

Doom of Malan’tai 90
Mycetic Spore 40

Genestelers x8 112

Termagants x15 75
Devourers 75 150

Tervigon 160
Catalyst 15
Scything Talons 5 180

Mawloc 170

Tyrannofex 250
Rupture Cannon 15
Cluster Spines 0 265

Tyrannofex 250
Rupture Cannon 15
Cluster Spines 0 265

Total Points 1747

I miss my Blog.... It will be returning soon.

Just a heads up, its been almost a year since i last post and have missed out on posting loads of really good content so will be back soon with some coverage of Battlefield Birmingham which takes place this coming weekend, where i well be taking my Tyanid Army.

Also i will be covering where my Raptors army is now, my thoughts on the new Eldar Corsair list form IA 11, the planning for the UK Games Expo as well as the 40kUK GT and also the buildup to this years ETC in Poland where i will be the Scottish Vice Captain this year. So stick around there is a lot to come.

Wraithseer

Behold the dead are marching to war once again.... Well having picked up this model on Sunday its now compleate within 3 days so I'm very happy. The colour scheme is the start of my own Craftworld who's name and back story is yet to be written but I'm hoping to do that soon. As a project overall though these guys are to distract and not take over as my Raptors and Orks are in more need at this time for there own reasons mentioned in other articles. The plan is every 2-3 weeks paint up a small unit and by the time i want to play ill have a core force ready to go. Ill be working on my troops 1st and Wraithguard as i can only take the Wraithseer as a HQ if i also have Wraithguard which is a pain but i can live with it. Well that's it for now laters.

FW Open Day - My review

Well first off id like to say thanks to all the people i got to speak to on the day from fellow Bloggers such as Sorrowshard, fellow Freebootas and gamers from around my local area that made the trip to WW to share there resin addictions with the rest of us.

So what did i think of the day?

Overall it was a lot of fun, there were a lot of people there as expected (obviously those who prioritise resin over there mothers) and overall more or less the same as the previous years that I've been. What were the good bits then?

Well having access to the all the FW staff and designers means you get a really personnel feel from the company and a lot of insight into how they work and the thinking that goes into all there kits.

The ability to buy pre-release stuff is also a nice thing and this years releases were amazing, more so in person, than any picture Ive seen to date especially the RoB expansion tile which is a must get (note a trench tile maybe in the works). What i also liked about this was they limited how much of the show model you could order to 1 and made you order the rest so that everyone could get one - they should have done this years ago.

The reservation system was also much improved as you paid and collected on the day which is much better than the system at games day.

What were the bad bits?

The que as it lasted forever. Now this is partly there fault and partly unavoidable. The problem was having only 2 tills and 1 card reader as the venue didn't have a socket for a 2nd machine. Well that is something that cannot be helped but they should no this in advance and warned people to pay cash to speed things up.

The cabinets, by this i mean there back catalogue of models were no where to be seen only the really recent stuff which was a shame and made it feel very empty. I like looking through the older stuff as sometime you forget a certain part and it can inspire you when you see it in person to want to buy it.

No new game, all the had was a rehashed titan game from last year which while cool and I'm sure exciting for new people was a bit blah for the vets. I really think they should have some cool tables and have some cool events or scenarios that involves there figures.

Did anything you did/saw really stand out?

The new Dark Eldar were a bit of a surprise and a good one. The chance to look though IA 11 was cool although its much further of than i would like. And special mention goes to the Phantom Titan which needs to be seen to be truly appreciated it is immense for all the right reasons.

Did you buy anything?

Well dur it would be rude not to although my budget this year is super tight, i managed to convince myself i needed the Show Only Boarding Marine which is cool and comes with a combi melta which is always useful and i also bought a Wraithseer as its like sex on legs amongst the already stunning Eldar line. Pictures of that will be up soon as Ive already almost finished painting it.

Would you go again?

Forgeworld day = Me there, i wouldn't miss it no matter how bad a day it is i love my resin.

Badab Objective Markers

Well been relaxing the last few days and put these together as a bit of fun and variation in the painting schedule, with the thinking of the Raptors doing battle over hotly contested ground fought over by there allies.

I'm really happy with the Marine Errant (in the centre) i actually enjoyed painting him the Star Phantom and the Red Scorpion were fun but glad i only have to do as one offs.

So from now (at least for the next couple of weeks) on the painting bench will be green with Orks as i game with my Raptors which is giving me some good hobby structure while the stress of buying and moving into a new house fills real life with stress!!!!!