On a personal note...

 

Hi folks,

Something a little different today, so if you are just here for the hobby stuff, feel free to just skip to the photos.

In January this year I was diagnosed with a nerve sheath tumour, hidden underneath my shoulder blade and between my 6th and 7th rib. It was a relief to finally have an explanation for the intense chest pain I had been experiencing for 6 months. These tumours are usually benign, and mine seemed to be ok, apart from the awful, unrelenting, pain.

Most doctors didn't want to touch it, as the risks of surgery were worse than just keeping it where it was. It took 5 specialists and another 6 months to get a procedure that actually provided any relief. During that time I got my affairs in order and downgraded my hobby space, just in case. I also had time to reflect on what this hobby means to me, which resulted in cutting back on my social media presence in favour of family time.

I spent the last weekend before the procedure painting a bunch of Orks with my son, which was lovely. 

The procedure in July, which involved cryogenically ablating the nerve and tumour, was very successful. The pain relief has allowed me to slowly build back my health and I'm hoping to stay healthy for as long as possible. 

As soon as I had recovered enough, my son and I added the finishing touches to his Squighogs and "Unicorn the Attack Squig".

He's now 2 Kopters and a mob of 10 Boys away from completing his first 1000 point army. 

Needless to say, the last 12 months have been a mess. I have done a good job in some parts of my life pretending that I am ok but the reality has been more complicated. Painting and gaming, particularly with family and friends, has been a glowing beacon in the night. Similarly, my faith and church community, and the patient love of my family, have held me up when every physical and mental fibre gave way. I don't know what comes next (do we ever?), but I am planning on doubling down on the things that I love. 

Chances are, that means I'll be painting a Dreadnought sometime soon...

See you across the table,

Marc

Blanchitsu Lictor TO-DONE!!!

 

Hi folks,

July was the last month of the 2nd Edition Army challenge. I had a couple of models lined up, including some bonus projects that were not in my original pledge. As usual, no plan survives contact with the enemy and I ended up just scraping through a single model.

I wasn't really in the mood for painting my usual scheme on this model, so I decided to have a go at an idea I have had rattling around my head for a while. I decided to have a go at painting it in a "Blanchitsu" style, using the kind of colour palette we see in John Blanche's iconic artworks. If you are not familiar with his work, this would have to be my favourite, a Dark Mechanicus character from the Horus Heresy:

I mixed a bunch of these colours on my wet palette and just dived into the flow-state, not surfacing until it was finished. It was quite liberating to not worry too much about where each colour was going and just paint for once. I am really happy with the result; I will let you decide whether it was a successful foray into Blanchitsu or not.

Strangely enough, the Lictor doesn't look that out of place with the rest of my Tyranids. The use of fairly neutral colours was very forgiving in that regard.

When the final post goes up on the challenge website I will do a wrap up article with some shots of the final army.

See you across the table,

Marc

2nd Edition Malefactor TO-DONE!!!

 

Hi folks,

This month I have been working on a Tyranid Malefactor for 2nd Ed. 40k. The Tyranid army list of that era was conspicuous in its lack of transport options for Tyranids. Many players at the time were ok with this, as transports were considered to be rolling coffins anyway, except perhaps for Landraiders, which were very expensive. Armorcast released this beauty, which is capable of transporting a mid sized brood of beasties into the heart of combat. 

It has some lightweight point defence weapons, which have the tendency to nibble away at a few models that get too close. It can also attack in close combat, which elevated it above the level of other transports in my opinion. It is like having a Rhino with two powerfists!

Of course, in 10th Edition, every transport can make close combat attacks with its tracks, etc. But in 2nd Ed. it was a real novelty to be able to hit back.

Painting this model was a real joy, though all the orange/brown blending did drive me a little crazy. It is just a great old sculpt, well worth headhunting if you are an old school Tyranid collector. I particularly love the gills/spiracles at the back, where the Nids can probably chill out during transport.

With one month to go in the painting challenge I can feel myself running out of steam. My health has been declining as well, which means I am going to have to make the final push to finish a little earlier in the month than usual. 

See you across the table,

Marc

2nd Edition Gargoyles and Friends TO-DONE!!!

 

Hi folks,

Month 4 of the 2nd Edition Army Painting challenge is done and dusted. My slice has been many months in the making, with the construction of these Gargoyles completed in 2023.

I have been quietly dreading this paint job, the Gargoyles have such tiny features where the flamespurts meet the mouth and hands. I think I managed to do them justice in the end, but it really was a real challenge for me. The flamespurts in 2nd Ed. use the flamer template, so a brood of Gargoyles can really disrupt enemy squads and open-topped vehicles (the driver is going to take a hit). 

To top off the slice, I painted 8 Spore Mines to use with my Biovores from last month. I used some older models which I feel have a little more character. I think they look like little see creatures. I really love how they turned out; the extra time I spent on blending in some lighter green shades was worth it.

I have already started on my June slice, which includes another massive Armorcast figure. The Maleceptor can be used to deliver a brood deep into the heart of an enemy formation, or... It can burst into goop and take the brood with it; them's the breaks in 2nd Ed.!!

See you across the table,

Marc