Sunday 28 October 2012

Hobby Update: Sculpting Sunday

This past week has been a whirlwind of hobby, with quite a few models assembled for upcoming games. Having moved countries and lost the usual haunts for my gaming fix, I have been getting my Warhammer fix at the local store in Sundays. The problem? It's crowded! Games are short 1250pt affairs on 4' x 4' tables, far too crowded to really get a real sense for tactics as everything is in up in your grill by turn 2:

Not much room to move!
Recently Strategies Games Hobbies in Vancouver added Thursday night gaming to their weekly schedule, and being the hipster I am I head down there for some 6' x 4' action before anyone else knows about it and things become crowded again. And what does a bigger board mean? Bigger games of course!


Much more room to move (and shoot!)
As such, I have been rapidly assembling all manner of longer range weaponry. My Death Company have acquired Boltguns, for 24" threat range and being relentless they can shoot Rapid Fire and still Assault. I have also unpacked the last of the Heavy Weapon Teams for my Imperial Guard Allies. As with all my Heavy Weapon Teams I like to represent the 2nd Wound as a second, removable Guardsman. This involves cutting holes in the base, and tacking a shallow 'floor' so the whole base can be moved around without the second model falling through. It as worked well with my Missile Launchers in the past, but 'torrent fire' is king in 6th Edition so out with the old and in with the new, the new being Autocannons.

The 'bits box' yielded a suprising number of Death Company!

My trusty Missile Launcher Team with second 'removable' Guardsman

The New Kids on the Block
But why Sculpting Sunday? Well I have recently bought some Fimo and actually spent Saturday playing around with it, adding legs here, arms there and some texture to some of my bases. I really enjoyed the relaxed felling of working with a putty that you can take your time with. Unlike all two-part epoxy resins, Fimo doesn't set hard until you bake it in the oven (giving your significant other due warning, however). All was going swimmingly until it came time to pull the new creations out of the oven...
Bent barrels, arms, and most notably bases!
The worst of it was mercifully thrown into the bin before I could take any snaps (still new to the blogging document-every-step nature of my hobbying) but suffuce to say all the black bases curled up, and at least half the gun barrels bent and weapons sagged. Yuck. Luckily, the actual Fimo only creations not only survived but thrived! I have never tried a full size sculpt before because the Green Stuff always seems to bend even when set, and I am pleasantly surprised at how tough Fimo is once baked or 'cured'. I will keep you updated on my progress but so far I have the makings of a very handsome new HQ unit. The original materials may be obscured by some detail and the addition of some plastics, but the whole model is rigidly constructed from wire frame and Fimo.


Until next time, keep the plastics out of the oven!

Cheers,

Matthew

A previous sculpt to add to the general them of today's blog post.






Monday 22 October 2012

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to "The Far-Seeing Eye". I am a hobbiest/gamer from Melbourne, Australia, living in Vancouver, Canada, on a working holiday visa, and I've only been to Whistler once! I picked up the Warhammer 40,000 hobby in 1995 and despite a few years off I have always enjoyed the "vibe" of the Grim-Dark 41st Milennium. Kudos to Games Workshop for keeping things fresh and outlasting many other interests of mine!

2011 'Squad' Entry, WIP

My blogging goal is to chart my hobby progress for the next 12 months and beyond, and having entered a local painting competition twice since moving here my hobby skill and patience has improved immeasurably.  I can't wait to see what the next 12 months will bring!


2012 'Diorama' Entry

The key differences in the two models is the use of 'Non Metallic Metal' and associated blending, increased brush control, a little freehand painting on the shoulder guard and walker (not pictured), and a dabble into the world of sculpting, as seen on the Trajan's Column themed scenic base. In 2013 I hope to sculpt a great deal more of the models entered, try my hand at 'Object Source Lighting', and create some vivid dioramas of the 41st Millennium, all while making inroads into my two current armies, Imperial Guard and Blood Angels.


Thanks for dropping by!

Matthew