Poundland Scratch-build Idea

I found this in Poundland the other day. Whatever it was originally meant to be, it caught my eye as a good base onto which I can scratch-build an Arvus Lighter for my Militia/ Warp Cult:

If it doesn't work out, it's no big deal. It only cost me a quid, so I figured it's worth a try. If I can make it work properly though, I can build myself a fleet of flyers for not very much money at all.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Thoughts on the new codex

With pre-orders going up last night, then the chaos of trying to access the site today, my mind's been firmly focused on the new Space Marine codex today and how I'm going to make use of it. I thought I'd post up my thoughts.

Ok so far, I've got three forces planned, all of which I've been had in the works on and off for years now:

1. Soul Drinkers

These guys are going to be my main SM force and my go-to army if I want a game using the codex. In keeping with the background laid out in the novels, I'm not including any vehicles in there save for maybe a counts-as Stormraven to represent the shuttles they use to get around in.

It'll be a very fast moving, rapid strike force, albeit using Imperial Fists rules (it's only fitting, considering their origins), probably led by a Tigerius counts-as to represent Sarpedon.That's subject to change though when I read the full rules for him. If the rules don't match up to what I want, I may end up using him as a Chapter Master or allying in some BA allies in order to gain access to Fear of the Darkness to properly represent Sarpedons psychic power: 'The Hell'

Model-wise I'm stripping, rebuilding and repainting my old force to match my current painting skills (my old scheme looks awful by my current standards). On my painting list atm are:

Sarpedon's Force Axe
Chaplain (Iktinos) - probably the new Chaplain with conversion work done
Terminator Captain
Lightning Claw Captain (Luko)
2 x Librarians
10 x Marines to represent Iktinos' "Flock" (to be used as Assault Marines on foot)
20 x Tactical Marines
10 x Assault Marines, including a Tellos conversion
10 x Vanguard Veterans
9 x Scouts
8 x Sternguard

I'm aiming to get these guys done by early next year at the latest.

2. Thousand Sons


Due to the fact that the Sons of Magnus don't have their own rules from FW yet, I thinking of using these guys as a Sternguard-heavy force (to represent their powers), backed up by another Tigerius count-as and maybe some counts-as Centurions to represent Mechanicum support. This is of course, in games where I can't use FW rules. Most of the time, they'll be fielded using the FW Legion list

Having been building them very slowly for over 2 years now, I've got bits and pieces done for this force, but nothing fieldable yet. On my painting list for these guys are:

Ahriman conversion, made from the new Librarian model
2 other Librarians
18 x Scarab Occult Veterans
15 x Spireguard Support (scouts)
6 x Terminators
1 x Land Speeder (FW Javelin - still to buy)
1 x Contemptor (still to buy)

The fact that GW is releasing a Mephiston Red spray will considerably speed up progress on these guys. Even so, I'm putting a longer time scale on these guys. I'm hoping to get them done by summer next year

3. Ragtag RenegadesThe idea for this army came partially from 'Dead Sky, Black Sun' by Graham McNeil and also from the fact that from time to time I like just painting up random marines that don't match my main armies, just to keep things fresh.

The idea behind the army is that renegade and outcast marines from various different chapters have banded together for mutual protection and survival. They aren't chaos yet, but they're renegades who straddle the edge of 'good', surviving in the harshest areas of the galaxy. They still fight the emperors wars, just not as part of their parent chapters any more, stealing and raiding to survive.

It basically allows me to paint single or small groups of models whatever chapters I like and still have the chance to use them in-game. I used to play this force years ago, but the marines got siphoned off for other projects. It was the first army I played with the 5th Edition codex, so I felt it was only right and good that I resurrect it for the 6th Edition book. I'll probably use them as either allies from other codices for my Soul Drinkers, or as a stand alone army using whichever traits I feel like trying out at the time.

Owing to the way I'm building this force, I don't have a set painting list for these guys, aside from a few bits and pieces I already have tucked away in the depths of my hobby cupboard. The following are definitely going to be in there:

5 x Black Templar Sword Brethren (I picked up a box on ebay just in case they went OOP with the merger)
1 x Imperial Fist Sergeant
13 x Tactical Marines of various chapters (to be decided on later)
1 x Dreadnought of indeterminate origin (at the moment)
1 x either Blood Angels or Blood Raven Librarian

With a bit of luck, this should put a crimp in my 'new army itch' as well, saving me money and sanity. I'll only be painting up models I already own, save for a few particularly nice bits and pieces I might pick up through trades or on Ebay (the Iron Hands Sergeant in metal for a start)

So as you can see, I've got big plans for this codex, but it's mainly making use of what I already have and setting myself goals to get it all painted.

I'll still be working on my Sons of Horus and Hochland force alongside these (plus another side-project which I'll reveal soon), but I won't be making any major purchases model-wise for a while,. Obviously I need to keep up with current rules, so the new SM codex and the FW 'Massacre' book are on my 'to buy' list, but those are separate and justified really.

Hopefully I'll get on well with this new plan. We'll see though...

New Dark Mechanicum Candidates

Ok so the new Necron models are full of disappointment. With the exception of possibly the Tomb Blades, they look more like they belong in a Dark Eldar army rather than amongst the simplicty of a Necron force. Many Necron players around my local GW agree with me too.

However the new models look like great candidates for Dark Mechanicum conversions. As soon as I've got the money, I'm adding a contingent of twisted warmachines to my Blood Pact and Chaos Space Marines based off these beauties.

Considering Malifaux

On the advice of a friend, I checked out a new gaming club tonight (Aftermath in Norwich), seeing as my gaming life has suffered in the last few months since moving into my new flat.

Seems a decent enough place, with plenty of 40k and Fantasy players, but there were also a lot of other games going on, from Battle for Westeros to Warmachine and various trading card games . One game that particularly drew my attention though was Malifaux.

I got to sit in on a game and it seems a pretty nifty and streamlined rule set. There's also the fact that I've been eyeing up the models in my local gaming shop for months now - you've got to love steampunk.

Anyway, to cut a long story short: one of the players has offered to take me through a couple of test games, so I can get the hang of the rules before joining the regulars down at the club

It gives me a good excuse to pick up a set of those gorgeous models that Wyrd Miniatures is doing, as well as learn a new system that could keep me gaming for the next few months (money's going to be tight), seeing as you get everything you need for a crew in one box and the rulebook's cheap enough to pick up.

So yeah, going down to my LGS tomorrow, see which crew i most like. At the moment, I'm leaning towards these these lovely ladies:



They'll be a nice painting challenge for me and hopefully they'll do well in-game too. I'll let you know how I get on

1750 Christmas Deathwing

So I'm sitting here at my parents for Christmas and I'm bored witless. No access to my hobby desk, which is well over 100 miles away. To amuse myself, I've been doodling ideas for army lists I'd like to do in the future.



One army that's always interested me are the Deathwing and the Dark Angels in general. I've always wanted to do a pure Deathwing force, but the idea of not being able to use Mortis Dreadnoughts has always bothered me and the purist in me balked at the idea of using the Space Wolves book to represent the Sons of the Lion, so the idea was shelved.

That's until my friend handed me a copy of Imperial Armour Apocalypse Second Edition yesterday as an early Christmas present. One of the (many many) options in the book is to field a Mortis Pattern Contemptor - the godsend I was waiting for and that sparked off a melting pot of ideas in my mind

So here's the 1750 point list I've been working out whilst steadily working my way through a bottle of rum:

Azrael, Supreme Grand Master

Belial, Master of the Deathwing

Deathwing Squad Azrael

Heavy Flamer, 2 x Lightning claws, Apothecary, Standard Bearer with Chapter Banner

Deathwing Squad Retribution

Lightning Claws, TH/SS, Assault Cannon, Chainfist, Power Fist

Deathwing Squad Deliverance

TH/SS, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist, Lightning Claws, Power Fist

Deathwing Squad Heavenfall

Assault Cannon, Chainfist, Lightning Claws, TH/SS, Power Fist

Contemptor Brethren Azakion, Mortis Pattern

2 x Kheres Assault Cannon, Extra Armour, Searchlight, Cyclone Launcher

Revered Brother Raziel

Venerable Dreadnought, Multi-Melta


The aim behind the list was to use Squads Azrael and Deliverance, led by Azrael and Belial respectively to spearhead the charge, while the other two squads and the Dreads give fire support.

I deliberately steered away from the usual Interrogator Chaplain as my second HQ, instead i felt that Azraels combat skills and 4+ blanket save over a squad were a better choice, especially when combined with LC's, FnP and a Chapter Banner in the squad he leads.

What do you think?

Cygor Bloodthirster WIP

Ok, plans for new hobby area have been put on hold, due to the need to find a new flat, but in the meantime, I'm still working on clearing my backlog of projects for the new year.

First up is my Bloodthirster, converted from the Cygor/Ghorgon kit. I know I said in my original list that it was going to be made from a Zombie Dragon, but that was before I saw this kit. Right from the moment I saw it i knew I'd found the donor model for my plastic Bloodthrister. The Zombie Dragon pieces (minus the wings) have been put aside for another project.



As you can see it's closer to the original model than much of the rest of my Deamon army and still very WIP, but it's getting there.



So far I've started sculpting on the chest armour (to be finished over Christmas) and started adding the distinctive mane of hair that appears on the metal/finecast version. This is going to take the longest, i think, as i'm modelling each strand of hair individually

I'm also going to be scratch-building an axe and whip for him, as well as obviously adding the other wing.



He's obviously going to be quite a bit bigger than the GW version, but I've always thought that the current Bloodthirster is way too small and goofy looking for a walking demi-god of war anyway.

By the looks of things my one is going to end up sized about halfway between the GW and Forgeworld version, which means I should be able to use it as either.

More on this very soon, as well as the other projects...

Quest for a new Hobby Area

OK, before my big plans for a fresh start come the new year (see last post) can flourish, I need a new hobby area.

I figure instead of simply carting my woefully inadequate hobby desk into the new space, it's a great opportunity to revamp my working area.

So I've drawn up a list of everything I've ever wanted or needed from my hobby desk, which I'm going to incorporate into my new area.

1. Obviously I need a surface to work on

2. A place to tidy away my paints, brushes, glues, etc, away from marauding kittens and little hands (my first kid is due in march, so this is especially important)

3. Shelves to display finished projects and store current WIP's

4. Storage for my many bitz boxes (I have nearly ten years worth of these, which number in the dozens), or at least a way to categorise the bitz for easy access

5. A decent lighting set up

6. Noticeboard to store ideas, army lists, sketches and painting recipes

7. Space for my laptop (i need music, videos and access to the blogosphere when i work), but far enough from the working area to avoid splashes and spillages

8. (although optional, due to space restraints) A light box for photographing models

9. Storage for all my old projects that I've thought I'd abandoned but could switch back to at a moments notice


It's fairly basic stuff, but every bit of it's important for me, seeing as i only have about half this list in my current kitten-infested set up and if I'm going to make this change, I'm going to do this properly.

While this seems simple enough, I also only have a small space to work in, so all this also needs to be quite compact.

I'm going shopping tomorrow to see what i can pick up and hopefully by the end of the weekend i should have something that's at least starting to resemble the idea I have in my head.

Plans for Rebirth

Ok I'm back. I've been away for a while, due to the need to move flat and lack of internet, but i'm back and i've got big plans.

1. First of all, I'm going to start doing reviews and maybe even articles on The Wandering Mind, instead of just my few-and-far-between painting and modelling updates. The reasons are twofold really:

- I'm very opinionated when it comes to GW and gaming in general and this blog is going to be my outlet for it all.

- I'm doing a writing degree at the moment, with a view to go into journalism at the end of it, part of which is writing reviews, so it'll be good practice for me as well

I picked up the Sabbat Worlds Anthology yesterday, so i think this'll probably be my first review.

2. Next up I've taken it upon myself to get most, if not all my armies done by the end of the year, (mainly due to the lack of funds to start new ones),so you should be seeing a lot more progress on projects that you've seen me start but never finish.
My first point of call will probably be my Blood Pact. I want to add some of Heritor Asphodels 'Woe Engines' to the mix, including a Stumble Gun and a unique take on a Deathstrike Missile Launcher. I might even get these done in time for Armies on Parade.

3. Finally (and i may regret saying this), I'm going to try and post on here at least once a week. The blog's been a bit neglected recently and in serious need of reinvigoration, so this is hopefully what it needs.

So watch this space i will be back very soon.

Welcome to a World of Pain

While I'm waiting for the weather to improve so I can fully photograph my Deamons, i've decided to work through my backlog of pictures i've taken of my many, many works in progress.

First up are my Grotesques and Talos Pain Engine for my new DE force. I really wasn't all that impressed with the official GW offerings so I've decided to make my own.

Don't ask what the Grotesques were built from, as I really can't remember. I know there's some Orks in there, Bloodletter parts and a BfSP Troll (a highlty underrated model), as well as a ton of Green Stuff



The Talos is far easier to identify, being built from a Wraithlord, a Manitcore's tail and Tyranid bits (including the carapace from the classic Zoanthrope i picked up in Holland last year). The idea behind this was that a Haemonculus would consider it the sweetest irony to capture one of the machines of his craftworld cousins, rip out the soul and replace it with something far more terrible, before turning it back on them.



I'll post more up soon, but for now, let me know what you think

Volley Gun and Dwarfs

Here's my first war machine for my Nuln army almost finished, complete with Dwarf advisor, who I'm sure will offer much grumbling and cursing about humans and the 'proper' way to operate a war machine (not even a full beard between them...grumble...).

I'm planning on having all my war machines have at least one Dwarf each for two reasons: 1. I have the models knockign around from Battle for Skull Pass, and 2. even the famed marksmen of the famous and celebrated Imperial Gunnery School can always benefit from advice from the race that developed the handguns before the Empire was even born.

I'm also planning to use these guys as a detachment for a much large Handgunner unit...



The weird thing in the musicians trumpets is going to be painted up as an experimental device that's being 'field tested' - counting as just a handgun. I figure dwarfs living away from their holds would be far more open to experimentation than the more old-fashoined Engineers in the mountains (this is probably the reason why they aren't still living in the mountains in the first place)

I'll have pics of my first full handgunner units very soon

The Winged Contraption of Hedvig von Nearostaffen

Has anyone worked it out?





It's the start of a Steam Powered airship that I'm building for my planned Nuln-based Empire force, after being inspired by seeing this on Warseer (scroll down a bit to see it).

It'll be a very slow project due to my lack of funds until May (gods bless student loans), but i have a large supply of plasticard and no less than 12 bitz boxes to draw on, so i'm cobbling together what i can.

Anyway, turning our attention back to the Winged Contraption itself, my aim is to create a set of wings to propel it forward similar to Leonardo De Vinci's flying machine and having it held aloft by a Zeppelin-style gas bag. Hopefully it should turn out looking awesome, but I'll just have wait and see.

What do people think so far?

The Shadowblade

This new Mandrake model by GW is quite frankly amazing and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have to for my Dark Elves. In my mind that thing would make a perfect counts-as Shadowblade.


I've always said that Shadowblade has to have some form of magical abilities, given the fact that he's able to hide effortlessly amongstthe likes of Dwarfs and Undead without detection. Now it's ok for him to hide in the ranks of the likes for High Elves, Empire, Bretonnias, or any basically man-shaped force, but to remain undetected amongst most of the races out there, there has to be some magic at work.

Surely the Vampire controlling hordes of undead would notice there's a still-living mind sneaking about in his army?

Surely the Black Orcs notice that Gabnutz actually looks a bit skinny and pale?

Surely the Lizardmen notice that one of their number doesn't have scales?

Come to think of it, most DE Assassins don't make sense to me. For example, you can hide an Assassin in a Witch Elf unit. But you'd think the Brides of Khaine would notice that one of their sisters was actually a bloke and wore rather a lot of clothes, or at the very least the enemy would be able to see the black hooded and cloaked figure in the sea of pale elf flesh.

All this has always cemented in my mind the idea of magical concealment - it doesn't matter what the Assassin looks like physically, because it's magic that's really concealing them.

Which is why I feel Mandrakes would be perfect for representing them. I'll be watching rather closely to see what other Mandrake models they bring out, I may get a few, one for Shadowblade and a couple for 'mundane' assassins, but at the very least I'm getting this one for the Master Assassin himself. I can just picture how epic it'd look leaping up out of the enemy ranks, throwing off his magical disguise as he plunges his blade into the chest of the enemy general...

Just wish they'd hurry up and put it on pre-order already!

New Night Goblins

Despite the lack of money to buy the 8th edition book, i'm building a force to use in 8th Edition.

An army that's sat unpainted on my shelf for nearly a year now are my Night Goblins, so a long summer holiday before I head to off to uni and the shift of the game to focus on large hordes is the perfect excuse to get them done.

So without further ado, i present...

Slugart, Lord of not-very-much-at-all-but-has-a-troll-so-there.




Bit of a mouthful i know, but it's something me and my friend came up with when i was bouncing ideas off him for this army. He's my 'counts as' Skarsnik and Gobbla, the idea being he's an ambitious Night Goblin who's rise to power has mainly been due to the troll he's managed to train as his bodyguard (would you argue with that thing?). The full background for him and the other heroes of the force is coming in a later post.

He and his big unit of 40 gobbos are still WIP, but when they're done they're gonna form the core of my army, being a bunker for Slugart and a pair of Shamans.
Don't worry about the fact he's missing a hand and his weapon, i've just seperated it for painting purposes, to be reattached at a later date.

I've also built this...



What can i say? I've been watching Monty Python recently and i just got an overwhelming urge to build it. I didn't have a particular unit type in mind when making it, but with a bit of jiggling about, it can fit onto a chariot base, so it's probably going to be used either as a Snotling Pump Wagon or a Chariot of some description.

I'm open to suggestions if people have them.

That's it for now, mainly because I need a new battery for my camera, but there's plenty more where that came from.

New Army for (almost) nothing

In honour of GW's announcement of a second wave of Daemons in August (only 2 years too late, but never mind), I've decided to finally start the army I've been promising myself since the codex was released.

Now, i have more bitz than I'll ever know what to do with, so i might as well make use of them and convert myself up a batch of daemons, rather than have them cluttering my desks, shelves, cupboard, floor.... you get the idea.

Anyway, onto the models I've made so far, heavily inspired by Dead Emperors project log on Warseer. ( here if you're interested).

Possessed dreadnought. The marine within is channelling the power of A Lord of Change. I'm going to modelling wings on him at some point and the hull's going to be painted up in the colours of one of my regular opponents




My first Horror squad

If the rumoured plastic Horrors come out, I'm going to be mix and matching parts from the Cadian and Horror boxed sets, if not, I'll just get hold of some of the awesome metal ones to mix into the squads, maybe as leaders - I just don't like the idea of an all-metal army.






This old-school rhino has been through many incarnations in its long life. It was the second GW model i ever owned (the first being one of those old snap-fit Khorne Berserkers). It's been a Rhino, a Vindicator, a Rhino again, an Iron Warriors artillery piece, an Ork Looted Wagon, Trukk, had a brief stint as a Battlewagon, before finally being consigned to the cupboard.



Fast forward to yesterday, as i dug it out looking for bitz to scavenge and came up with the idea of turning it into a Soul Grinder - a fitting end to such a long and varied career. A fitting thing is that in it's last game before disappearing into the depths of the cupboard it got zapped by a Tzeentch Sorcerer, so I'll stay it got taken into the warp as an offering for the Forge of Souls, only to reemerge to plague the mortal realm once more.

As you can see, I've cut it up and rebuilt it with the aid of Plasticard. When i get paid I'm going on a bitz website and grabbing the Soul Grinder torso (I'm not paying £30 if I'm not going to be using the legs), then use green stuff to build it up from there

Painting over Lunch

Between being an art student going into my final major product, the pressures of home life and having a girlfriend to keep happy, i often find that I've got very little free time to sit down and do hobby stuff.

However I've also said to myself that i won't buy any more models till i paint most of the ones I've already got, in an effort to clear my backlog

Unfortunately, i have all this and more to work through



So after much pondering, I've come up with a novel solution to my problem. It goes something like this:

I'm very lucky to live right next to where i study - five minutes walk each way

I get between 30-60 minutes of lunch break each day.

Take off walking time there and back and i can squeeze in between 20-50 minutes of hobby time into my otherwise jam-packed day, before returning to an afternoon of lectures

Sure, this time restraint means that i can't do anything too ambitious. It forces me to work in little steps. but also i find it's improving my painting skills by forcing me to think about things and plan them more thoroughly before i do them - something I've always had trouble with.

It's helped to set a task for myself for each session, like basecoat all my crossbowmen, or flock 20 bases, ensuring that slowly but surely, my armies are getting painted.

Here are some of my fruits of my labour so far


Dark Elf Crossbowmen



Space Hulk Terminator with Heavy Flamer. The flame was made from Green Stuff



Skull Pass Troll, painted over 2 lunch breaks, starting from a grey undercoat, then just using washes for the colours



A rather gruesome base for my Khaine-themed Dark Elves. This took the better part of a week to complete



WIP DE Manticore to be mounted on the base shown above. The other wing is being finished tomorrow


I'll post more up as they get done, but for now, what do you think?