A returning warboss (painting blog)

[tom_gore]

Hello fellow Destruction fans!

I recently came back to my once favorite hobby of miniature gaming, after not painting a single model or playing a game in about 7 years. Yeah, I know - a long time! Like the first real bite of enthusiasm to this noble pastime, the inspiration to pick up the brush again came in the form of a computer game. Back then it was the original Dawn of War, now it was Total War: Warhammer. GW really knows the power of licensing.

Anyway, I used to play a pretty basic Orcs & Goblins army, so naturally that's where I picked things up again. Unfortunately, no matter how much I dug into the closets I just couldn't find my "metals box", a small wooden box that held all my painted metal miniatures. This means I started the hobby anew with no leaders and no war machines, but with a bunch of rank and file soldiers made of trusty plastic.

Digging deeper, I did recover some unpainted metallic models, so all I had to do is purchase some more models and my army was ready to play. I had the first Vanguard game two weeks ago, with the following list.

• Orc Warboss on Boar
• Black Orc Big Boss
• Orc Boar Chariot
• 10 boyz with shields
• 10 boyz with two choppas
• 5 grot wolf riders
• 20 night goblins with spears (no fanatics because I found 2 of them only later)
• 2 speak chukkas

The game was against Khorne Bloodbound and naturally, after making pretty much every mistake I could, I lost the game only in 4 rounds, losing every single mini on the board. Which - to be honest - was the result I was pretty much expecting, so no bad blood there.

After the game I've made some more purchases, painted and converted some more models and here are a few of them to show for now. Next game is this sunday. We will be playing with the original GHB because we both wanted some more time to dig into GHB2017 before playing a game using it, so my list for the game (another Vanguard match) will be:

• Orruk Warboss on Boar (see I'm learning the new names)
• Black Orc Big Boss
• Moonclan Grot Shaman
• 20 Moonclan Grots with spears (this time with 2 fanatics, 3 netters and all the other bells and whistles)
• 10 Orruks with Twin Choppas
• 2 Grot Spear Chukkas
• 1 Aleguzzler Gargant

The gargant I bought ready painted from a friend of mine who had been sitting it in the shelf for 10 years (he never managed to get his O&G army in a playable state).

I'll see how the game goes, but my plans are to field a full 40 strong unit of Orruks with the new GHB, but not sure how I will fill out the rest of the battleline yet. I also bought a used wyvern boss which is currently sitting in paint remover. In the shelf there is also the starters of an Ironjawz army, but to be honest I'd like to get my classic O&G army to at least 1500 painted points before going for the Ironjawz - maybe except a unit of Brutes to mix in. My biggest beefs with the Ironjawz is that I don't like either the Megaboss or the Megaboss on Maw-Krusha models that much. Might be the Ironjawz will always be only sidekicks and allies in my army - unless GW releases some prettier generals for them.

That's all for now. Sorry for the wall of text! Will be taking more shots of the models as they are completed/rebased/retouched for the new rise of my Warhammer gaming.

Let the WAAAGH! go on!

[GrimTeef]

These guys are looking fantastic! Makes me want to start on my orcs - and with the backlog of stuff I have already, that's saying something!

[Lysandestolpe]

Best thing about this.. the eyebrow on the Bad Moon logo, it is brill! I am excited to see more.

[tom_gore]

So the second game was played on sunday. It ended in three rounds with me losing all my models - again. Khorne really hurts! This time though he had only 4 wounds left on the 'thirster, three warmongers and an unit of bloodreavers remaining, so it could have ended in my favor too. I also had missed the chukka rule that if they're fielded close to each other they can reroll failed hit rolls! Next time that 'thirster will be shish-kebab!

Painting-wise, I have almost finished the second chukka, pictures to come later of that. For now, you'll have to contend with my converted netters, made from the regular plastic Night Goblin Regiment and some fiberglass tape. The skulls are actually from an '88 Skeleton Army box! I'm semi-happy with how they turned out, but will probably replace with the metallic 6th edition netters if I just can get my hands on some that are not overpriced on ebay.

The next game - not yet confirmed but probably next weekend, my army list will hopefully include the wyvern boss I just primed (after stripping off the paint and a metric ton of superglue, filing down all moldlines, pinning and assembling, and finally greenstuffing it - yeah it was one of those pre-owned models).

I'm also in the process of assembling 40-strong units of Orruks. Will take a "family photo" when I get one of them ready. Have to get their banners re-done since they were painted back in the year when I didn't possess even the current freehand skillz...

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have more pictures for you in the next update.

[Chris Tomlin]

Hey @tom_gore,

Welcome back to Warhammer! Most of us take a break at some point in our lives and inevitably get drawn back in. You've certainly returned at a great time as the game is doing fantastically and GW's community involvement is at an all time high.

You certainly haven't lost your touch with a paintbrush. Your models look great. They have that old skool vibe of which I am a fan of, but then with the round basing and new techniques manage to still look modern. It's an awesome look overall.

I'm excited to follow the thread and see what you add next!

[tom_gore]

Thanks Chris!

I mean to rebase my 100+ other orcs and goblin models eventually to round bases, but not until I have 2000 pts worth of painted models ready to field. I'm working on the Wyvern Boss right now and just remembered why I hate painting big models without an airbrush...

[Banglesprout]

Hey @tom_gore I've got some of the old metal netters and I think your converted nets, with all the holes in, actually look better! Great job.

[tom_gore]

2 hours ago, Banglesprout said:

Hey @tom_gore I've got some of the old metal netters and I think your converted nets, with all the holes in, actually look better! Great job.

Thanks! The nets themselves I'm pretty happy with, but you just gotta love the painstaking detail in the 6th edition metallic netters. The Night Goblin Regiment box grots are quite plain in comparison.

[Furious]

Ahh man those old Night Goblins! I love them. The new ones are fine, but too small... though these ones are too big as well - their fists are the size of a human's head, now aren't they?

Love the OG O&G. Glad to see they're still getting table time somewhere! Look forward to seeing and reading more.

[tom_gore]

Yeah especially the ngobbo regiment fists are comically oversized. Metallic models have a tad smaller hands, but still way too big of course. I don't really mind since the comical stuff works for goblins, IMO

Got my hands on the magnetic sheets I ordered and they work nicely for moving large troops around. They have an adhesive side which means I could apply static grass on them by just peeling the film off the adhesive side and scattering. I'll take shots of the "formations" later so you can see my rank & file in all its glory.

[tom_gore]

A new blog post! Huzzah!

Last weekend I got to play 2 games at 1250 pts with the new GHB (Vanguard restrictions). My list was:

• Orruk Warboss on Wyvern, ravager, battle brew
• 2x Moonclan Grot Shaman
• 20x Orruks with Choppa & Shield
• 40x Moonclan Grots with Spear & Shield (only 3 netters since I didn't get the missing 3 in mail in time)
• 2x Grot Spear Chukka
• Aleguzzler Gargant

My oppponent had an Ironjawz list with Gordrakk, 10x Ardboyz, 5x Brutes, Megaboss on foot and a Weirdnob Shaman.

Short story short, my oppponent hadn't prepared for the weakened Destroyers rules and his list was "stuck in the mud" for most of the game. Gordrakk was often alone against my forces and when the brutes finally arrived, the game was already over. First game of Knife to the Heart he surrendered after turn 2 (!). Second game of Scorched earth went to 4 full rounds before we determined I was going to win on points no matter what. We concluded that his list desperately needed more speed (Ironfist would help a lot, obviously) and some bulk. My MVP of both games were the Chukkas that helped bring down Gordrakk with the shamans.

I'm still working on fully painting a 2000 pts list. The models are now ready and primed, so it's just a matter of getting that paintbrush swingin'.

As always, I'll finish the blog with some models. I finished the second chukka, but since that's just a bit different colors on the wooden parts I figured I'll skip photographing that. Instead, here are the grot shamans! I'll probably add some dags still to make their robes a bit more interesting. The Wyvern Boss is almost ready, too, so stay tuned!

[tom_gore]

No gaming this weekend meant more painting, and paint I did. The Warboss on Wyvern is ready, and I'm almost done with the waagh banner boss and the fanatics. There's an upcoming 1200 pts tournament in october, which I might have to pass due to other stuff overwhelming my calendar at the month turn. If I do have time, I'll probably go with the list above, minus one shaman to go 30 points under the limit.

I tried doing dags on the banner boss and noted I have no idea how to do them well. Gotta check some hints and tips online and try again later.

Anyhow, hopefully I'll be able to play a 2000 point game next weekend. Until then, here's the boss

 

[tom_gore]

We got more models to show! Painting frenzy!!

To-paint list for 2000 points has now been reduced to:

• 3 netters (working on them now)
• 5 brutes
• boar chariot
• some 20 orruks to be able to play the list without proxying weapons

If I can keep my motivation up, I'd assume I'm done in less than a month. What's coming after that, you say? I dunno yet. I've got the beginnings of a Wanderer army painted, but what I've read they're not very good in the game at the moment - plus my dragon is no longer part of the Wanderers (curses!). I've also got the starting box for Ironjawz, which would be the easiest choice if I want to field them (as I can add allies from my O&G list obviously).

We'll see when we're closer to finishing this army. For now, here's the banner boss and fanatics. One of them was missing his ball and chain (along with the right arm and hand) so I converted a suitable weapon from a spearman arm and brute boss smasha.

I like the way the banner turned out. What do you think?

 

[Chris Tomlin]

@tom_gore - Wow man, you're really cranking it out here. Loving the old skool WFB Orcs getting some AoS love...just seeing them on round bases is awesome. All your stuff looks great. Love the old skool vibe (skin tone etc) as I mentioned before.

My only criticism, which tbh is more of a personal thing really, is that I think I'd prefer to see black rims here.

Keep it up though, I'm super jealous of the painting hours you're getting in!

[tom_gore]

Thanks Chris! To be honest I can usually squeeze in maybe a hour and a half a day for the hobby and more on the weekends. Lately I've just been enthusiastic enough to pick up the brush every time I've had a bit of time.

The netters are now finished, which means the 40-strong Moonclan Grots posse is ready for a group shot! This little tarpit is not to be underestimated, especially if backed up by Inspiring Presence and/or Mystic Shield.

 

[tom_gore]

Update time!

It's been a "slow season" for me the last couple weeks. Well not really, just for AoS. Been painting some Skorne on my Hordes army - can't revive a hobby without reviving the spark for all the games you love, right?

Last weekend I played another 1250 pts game of AoS, against the Khorne player who had beaten me two times before. This time, the game was ultra-tight, ending at 5 full rounds with him having one Warmonger left on the board and myself still having a big bunch or orcs and two chukkas. He still won on scenario points, as we rolled the hero/behemoth scenario and my list only had one of those (the Wyvern boss) while he had four (bummer). Next time I'll get him!

I've also cracked open the Start Collecting box for Ironjawz, hoping to have a 1000 pts Ironjawz army ready to play in a few weeks (not fully painted at that point obviously). The previously purchased brutes are now under the brush, with two of them finished. Here they are! I'm not quite sure of the deep black armor, might opt for a lighter shade on them which I will experiment on the next two models. Stay tuned!

 

[tom_gore]

Update time! Been lazy posting, not painting, really. Had a long stint of Warmachine/Hordes and then some Shadespire and then Necromunda, but now I'm working on my Ironjawz again! Brutes are all done at this point, along with a Warchanter and some Ardboyz. Last weekend I also finished up painting the Megaboss and Weirdnob Shaman. Here they are, all at their glory. Note that I've changed my basing style for the Ironjawz. At some point I'll probably retouch the Brutes so they fit in better, but that's secondary to painting the Gore-Gruntas and the rest of the Ardboyz for a tournament happening in end of July.

 

[Skabnoze]

On 8/30/2017 at 8:24 AM, Furious said:

Ahh man those old Night Goblins! I love them. The new ones are fine, but too small... though these ones are too big as well - their fists are the size of a human's head, now aren't they?

I appreciated when GW scaled down the gobbos in the Battle For Skulls Pass set and then kept that size.  It is a return to the same scale as the old-school Kev Adams Metal gobbo minis.  I have a bunch of those so I was happy that they now fit in with the current gobbos.

I use the larger plastic ones that Tom has in this thread to convert up various hero models. The larger metal fanatics work well for that also.

[tom_gore]

Grunta fur is a great platform to practice wet blending. Lots of area, but still "sliced" into small enough areas to cover up the worst blunders!

 

[tom_gore]

Moar images. The army is now ready to march into the first tournament battle!

 

[tom_gore]

Alrighty then! First tournament coming up tomorrow. Here's my list:

Allegiance: Ironjawz
Orruk Megaboss (140)
- General
- Trait: Ironclad 
- Artefact: Destroyer 
Orruk Warchanter (80)
- Artefact: The Golden Toof 
Orruk Weirdnob Shaman (120)
Orruk Warboss (140)
- Great Waaagh Banner
- Allies
Moonclan Grot Shaman (80)
- Allies
10 x Orruk Ardboys (160)
- 6x Pair of Choppas or Smashas
- 4x Big Choppas
5 x Orruk Brutes (180)
- 1x Gore Choppas
5 x Orruk Brutes (180)
- 1x Gore Choppas
3 x Orruk Gore Gruntas (140)
Ironfist (180)
Balewind Vortex (40)
Chronomantic Cogs (60)

Total: 1500 / 1500
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 220 / 400
Wounds: 94
 

It's a three round tournament and my target is to get at least one victory (major or minor). Attached is a group shot of my boyz (now named Goretoofs!). I intend to get some pictures from the tourney and write up a short description of each match. Wish me luck!

[tom_gore]

Aand here are the results! Goretoofs came in fourth place from twelve players with two major victories and one major loss.

1st match vs. Stormcast Eternals, Starstrike

The opponents list consisted of a stardrake, lord castellant, 2x2 fulminators, a unit of judicators and 2 units of liberators. Short story, I underestimated the sheer touhhness of a stardrake with a 2+ save with rerolls on 1s. Managed to put 4 mortal wounds into it, but not a single normal wound before it ate my army with the fulminators. The third round objectives both fell into my opponents hands so I shook his hand and congratulated him on round three.

2nd match vs. Fyreslayers, The Better Part of Valour

Opponents army had three units of berkerers, a magmadroth, and a few foot heroes. I blundered and handed one of my side objectives to my opponent on round 2 by not moving my Gore-Gruntas far enough forward to stop the berserkers from charging and then piling into the contesting range. Fortunately my brutes performed admirably, taking down the magmadroth in a single dual-waaagh charge and causing the most of the enemy berserker casualties. In the end, I managed to force my opponent to burn his objectives for 2,  4 and 8 points each while I managed to hold two of mine for all five rounds and recapture the lost objective before my opponent had a chance to burn it, scoring a major victory.

3rd match vs. Stormcast Eternals, Focal Points

Opponents army was a lord-veritant, a knight-incantor, two ballistas, two units of liberators, two units of vanguard hunters, a unit of judicators, vanguard palladors and a unit of retributors. I thought I needed to get into those ballistas quickly to keep them from eradicating my heroes so I demonstrated the Ironjaws advance speed by successfully summoning the cogs and proceeding to thrust my brutes 30 inches forward on my first turn! Who needs deep strike eh? It was a long game still, with me invoking no less than four waaghs on consequtive turns. We ran out of time after 4 rounds with me pulling a single point ahead and scoring another major victory.

 

[tom_gore]

In retrospect, if I would participate again with the same ruleset, I would probably replace the Weirdnob and the Balewind Vortex with another 10 Ardboys.

Possibly also switching the Grot Shaman for the Fungoid Cave Shaman.

And of course put the banner warboss on a boar.