Prepare for War!

I haven't posted much , because I haven't done much. I have bought a few more peices to get up to a 1000 point army.

I am playing my friend soon though! We are the ones that decided to venture into this and finally we get to play. It will be a 500 point or so battle between Tau and Ultra Marines. Mine will be the same army as my first battle report. His will be the Ultramarines from Assault On Black Reach.

WAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!

Tanks!

Some New Terrain Pieces

This first one is half done but looks nice as is. I plan to add stairs, more i-beams, and some rebar.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Kroot and some terrain

The Kroot are almost finihsed. Also I made some terrain that counts as difficult terrain and gives a cover save. A nice defensive position for the Kroot

Some Terrain

Rusted pipes, and a half done building.

First Battle

I didn't take a detailed account of this battle for a couple reasons. The main reason was this was our first time playing and I suspected there would be lots of mistakes… mistakes in tactics obviously… but also mistakes in rules. In the future I plan to take a picture of each round.

I just want to give a general overview of how it all went down and things I learned.

This battle was my ~600 point Tau Battle Force versus an equivalent Imperial Guard Force. Note: I am not sure yet if the IG Army was legal. I am not sure if a platoon counts as 1 Troop or 3. If it counts as 1, technically this is 1 Troop unit short. But as long as the points are about the same I don't care that much. We'll figure it out later.

589 of Unlimited Pts - Tau Empire

Elite: Stealthsuits (4#, 137 pts)

2x Stealthsuits 137

Grp
Elite

WS
2

BS
3

S
4

T
3

Wo
1

I
2

A
2

Ld
8

Save
3+

Infiltrate, Deep Strike, Acute Senses, Stealth Field, Jump Infantry (Jet Pack); Add Team Leader; Burst Cannon (x2) (18" Range; S5; AP5; Assault 3)

Stealthsuit Shas'vre [77]

Grp
-

WS
3

BS
3

S
4

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
2

Ld
8

Save
3+

Infiltrate, Deep Strike, Acute Senses, Stealth Field, Jump Infantry (Jet Pack); Bonding Knife (Helps with regrouping. C:TE page 26.); Fusion Blaster (12" Range; S8; AP1; Melta Assault 1; See page 26 of Codex: Tau Empire); Hard-wired Drone Controller (Allows controlling of Shield, Marker or Gun Drones. C:TE page 26.); Shas'vre Upgrade; Marker Drone

Marker Drone [30]

Grp
-

WS
2

BS
2/3

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
4

A
1

Ld
0

Save
4+

Causes IC to count as a unit for targeting; Networked Markerlight (36" Range; See page 29 of Codex: Tau Empire); Targeting Array (Add 1 to BS. C:TE page 28.)

Troops: Fire Warrior (15#, 220 pts)

11x Fire Warrior 220

Grp
Troops

WS
2

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
2

A
1

Ld
7

Save
4+

Infantry ; Add Shas'ui; Pulse Rifle (x11) (30" Range; S5; AP5; Rapid Fire)

Devilfish [85]

Grp: BS: 3 FA: 12 SA: 11 RA: 10

Carries up to 12 models (no XV battlesuits); Transport, Tank, Skimmer; Access Points: 2 side hatches, 1 rear hatch; Fire Points: 0; Burst Cannon (18" Range; S5; AP5; Assault 3); Gun Drones; Decoy Launchers (Allows a reroll on the Glancing hit table. 2nd roll must be taken. C:TE page 30.); Landing Gear (Allows vehicle to not count as Skimmer. C:TE page 30.)

2x Gun Drones [0]

Grp
-

WS
2

BS
2

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
4

A
1

Ld
0

Save
4+

Twin Linked Pulse Carbines (18" Range; S5; AP5; Assault 1; Twin Linked; Pinning)

Shas'ui [25]

Grp
-

WS
2

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
2

A
2

Ld
8

Save
4+

Bonding Knife (Helps with regrouping. C:TE page 26.); Pulse Rifle (30" Range; S5; AP5; Rapid Fire)

Troops: Kroot Carnivore Squad (12#, 84 pts)

12x Kroot Carnivore Squad 84

Grp
Troops

WS
4

BS
3

S
4

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
1/2

Ld
7

Save
-

Field Craft, Infiltrate, Infantry; Kroot Rifle (x12) (24" Range; S4; AP6; Rapid Fire; See page 29 of Codex: Tau Empire)

HQ: Commander Shas'el (1#, 100 pts)

Commander Shas'el 100

Grp
HQ

WS
3

BS
4/5

S
5

T
4

Wo
3

I
3

A
3

Ld
9

Save
3+

Independant Character, Deep Strike, Acute Senses, Jump Infantry (Jet Pack); Hard-wired Blacksun Filter (Doubles Nightfighting distance rolls. C:TE page 26.); Hard-wired Multi-tracker (Allows 2 Battlesuit weapons in same turn. C:TE page 26.); Missile Pod (36" Range; S7; AP4; Assault 2); Plasma Rifle (24" Range; S6; AP2; Rapid Fire); Targeting Array (Add 1 to BS. C:TE page 28.)

Fast Attack: Gun Drone Squadron (4#, 48 pts)

4x Gun Drone Squadron 48

Grp
Fast

WS
2

BS
2

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
4

A
1

Ld
7

Save
4+

Deep Strike, Jump Infantry (Jet Pack); Twin Linked Pulse Carbines (x4) (18" Range; S5; AP5; Assault 1; Twin Linked; Pinning)

Option Footnotes

Vehicle Upgrades

Decoy Launchers - Allows a reroll on the Glancing hit table. 2nd roll must be taken. C:TE page 30.

Landing Gear - Allows vehicle to not count as Skimmer. C:TE page 30.

Wargear

Bonding Knife - Helps with regrouping. C:TE page 26.

Hard-wired Blacksun Filter - Doubles Nightfighting distance rolls. C:TE page 26.

Hard-wired Drone Controller - Allows controlling of Shield, Marker or Gun Drones. C:TE page 26.

Hard-wired Multi-tracker - Allows 2 Battlesuit weapons in same turn. C:TE page 26.

Targeting Array - Add 1 to BS. C:TE page 28.

Weapons

Burst Cannon - 18" Range; S5; AP5; Assault 3

Fusion Blaster - 12" Range; S8; AP1; Melta Assault 1; See page 26 of Codex: Tau Empire

Kroot Rifle - 24" Range; S4; AP6; Rapid Fire; See page 29 of Codex: Tau Empire

Missile Pod - 36" Range; S7; AP4; Assault 2

Networked Markerlight - 36" Range; See page 29 of Codex: Tau Empire

Plasma Rifle - 24" Range; S6; AP2; Rapid Fire

Pulse Rifle - 30" Range; S5; AP5; Rapid Fire

Targeting Array - Add 1 to BS. C:TE page 28.

Twin Linked Pulse Carbines - 18" Range; S5; AP5; Assault 1; Twin Linked; Pinning

Validation Report

c-1. File Version: 1.04a For Bug Reports/www.ab40k.org; b-1. Roster Options: Special Characters; a-1. Scenario: Normal Mission; 1. Enclaves: Tau Empire

Roster satisfies all enforced validation rules

Roster Statistics

% Elite: 23.3

% Fast: 8.1

% Heavy: 0.0

% HQ: 17.0

Model Count: 36

% Troops: 51.6

% Wargear: 0.0

Files version: 1.04

Seeker Missiles: 0

Composition Report

HQ - 1 (1 to 2)

Elite - 1 (0 to 3)

Troops - 2 (2 to 6)

Fast - 1 (0 to 3)

Heavy - 0 (0 to 3)

Created with Army Builder - Copyright (c) 1997-2009 Lone Wolf Development, Inc. All rights reserved.

505 of Unlimited Pts - 5th Edition

HQ: Company Command Squad (5#, 80 pts)

2x Company Command Squad 80

Grp
HQ

WS
3

BS
4

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
1

Ld
7

Save
5+

Infantry; Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Close Combat Weapon (x2) (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Lasgun (x1) (24" Range; S3; AP-; Rapid); Meltagun (x1) (12" Range; S8; AP1; Assault 1; Melta.); Heavy Weapons Team

Heavy Weapons Team [10]

WS
3

BS
4

S
3

T
3

Wo
2

I
3

A
2

Ld
7

Save
5+

Infantry; Note C:IG, pg. 29 in regards to composition (e.g., two models for transport, but a single model for all other purposes); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Close Combat Weapon (x1) (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Lasgun (x1) (24" Range; S3; AP-; Rapid); Autocannon (48" Range; S7; AP4; Heavy 2)

Company Commander [36]

WS
4

BS
4

S
3

T
3

Wo
3

I
3

A
3/4

Ld
9

Save
5+/5(i)

Infantry; Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Refractor Field (Confers a 5+ Invulnerable save (see C:IG, pg. 35).); Close Combat Weapon (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Plasma Pistol (12" Range; S7; AP2; Pistol; Gets Hot!); Senior Officer (The Senior Officer may issue 2 orders per turn with a 12" command radius: Bring it Down, Fire on my Target!, Get Back in the Fight!, First Rank, FIRE! Second Rank, FIRE!, Incoming! and Move! Move! Move! (see C:IG, pg. 30).)

Troops: Infantry Platoon (25#, 215 pts)

Infantry Platoon 215

Grp: Troops

4x Platoon Command Squad [35]

WS
3

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
1

Ld
7

Save
5+

Infantry; Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Close Combat Weapon (x4) (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Lasgun (x3) (24" Range; S3; AP-; Rapid); Flamer (x1) (Template; S4; AP5; Assault 1)

Platoon Commander [6]

WS
4

BS
4

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
2/3

Ld
8

Save
5+

Infantry; Junior Officer; Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Laspistol (12" Range; S3; AP-; Pistol); Close Combat Weapon (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Junior Officer (The Junior Officer may issue 1 order per turn with a 6" command radius: First Rank, FIRE! Second Rank, FIRE!, Incoming! and Move! Move! Move! (see C:IG, pg. 36).)

7x Infantry Squad [90]

WS
3

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
1

Ld
7

Save
5+

Infantry; Combined Squad; Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Close Combat Weapon (x6) (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Lasgun (x7) (24" Range; S3; AP-; Rapid); Krak Grenades (One attack with 6+D6 AP (exceptions apply p72 WH40K)); Vox Caster (If an officer is attempting to issue an order to a friendly unit and both the officer's Command Squad and the chosen unit contain a model with a vox caster, the Leadership test to see if the order has been understood can be re-rolled if failed (see C:IG, pg. 71).); Grenade Launcher (x1) (Frag: 24" Range; S3; AP6; Assault 1; Blast.Krak: 24" Range; S6; AP4; Assault 1.); Heavy Weapons Team

Heavy Weapons Team [20]

WS
3

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
2

I
3

A
2

Ld
7

Save
5+

Infantry; Note C:IG, pg. 29 in regards to composition (e.g., two models for transport, but a single model for all other purposes); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Close Combat Weapon (x1) (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Lasgun (x1) (24" Range; S3; AP-; Rapid); Krak Grenades (One attack with 6+D6 AP (exceptions apply p72 WH40K)); Lascannon (48" Range; S9; AP2; Heavy 1)

Sergeant [5]

WS
3

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
2/3

Ld
8

Save
5+

Infantry; Combined Squad; Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Laspistol (12" Range; S3; AP-; Pistol); Close Combat Weapon (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Krak Grenades (One attack with 6+D6 AP (exceptions apply p72 WH40K))

7x Infantry Squad [90]

WS
3

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
1

Ld
7

Save
5+

Infantry; Combined Squad; Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Close Combat Weapon (x6) (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Lasgun (x7) (24" Range; S3; AP-; Rapid); Krak Grenades (One attack with 6+D6 AP (exceptions apply p72 WH40K)); Vox Caster (If an officer is attempting to issue an order to a friendly unit and both the officer's Command Squad and the chosen unit contain a model with a vox caster, the Leadership test to see if the order has been understood can be re-rolled if failed (see C:IG, pg. 71).); Grenade Launcher (x1) (Frag: 24" Range; S3; AP6; Assault 1; Blast.Krak: 24" Range; S6; AP4; Assault 1.); Heavy Weapons Team

Heavy Weapons Team [20]

WS
3

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
2

I
3

A
2

Ld
7

Save
5+

Infantry; Note C:IG, pg. 29 in regards to composition (e.g., two models for transport, but a single model for all other purposes); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Close Combat Weapon (x1) (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Lasgun (x1) (24" Range; S3; AP-; Rapid); Krak Grenades (One attack with 6+D6 AP (exceptions apply p72 WH40K)); Lascannon (48" Range; S9; AP2; Heavy 1)

Sergeant [5]

WS
3

BS
3

S
3

T
3

Wo
1

I
3

A
2/3

Ld
8

Save
5+

Infantry; Combined Squad; Flak Armour (Confers a 5+ Armour Save.); Frag Grenades (Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).); Laspistol (12" Range; S3; AP-; Pistol); Close Combat Weapon (If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.); Krak Grenades (One attack with 6+D6 AP (exceptions apply p72 WH40K))

Fast Attack: Armoured Sentinel Squadron (3#, 210 pts)

Armoured Sentinel Squadron 210

Grp: Fast

Armoured Sentinel; Armoured Sentinel

Armoured Sentinel [70]

Grp: WS: 3 BS: 3 St: 5 In: 3 At: 1 FA: 12 SA: 10 RA: 10

Vehicle (Walker); Extra Armor (Count Crew Stunned results on the Vehicle Damage tables as a Crew Shaken result instead. See Wargear, pg. 34.); Autocannon (48" Range; S7; AP4; Heavy 2); Hunter Killer Missile (Unlimited range, S8; AP3; Heavy 1; One use only; See Wargear, pg. 35.)

Armoured Sentinel [70]

Grp: WS: 3 BS: 3 St: 5 In: 3 At: 1 FA: 12 SA: 10 RA: 10

Vehicle (Walker); Extra Armor (Count Crew Stunned results on the Vehicle Damage tables as a Crew Shaken result instead. See Wargear, pg. 34.); Autocannon (48" Range; S7; AP4; Heavy 2); Hunter Killer Missile (Unlimited range, S8; AP3; Heavy 1; One use only; See Wargear, pg. 35.)

Armoured Sentinel [70]

Grp: WS: 3 BS: 3 St: 5 In: 3 At: 1 FA: 12 SA: 10 RA: 10

Vehicle (Walker); Extra Armor (Count Crew Stunned results on the Vehicle Damage tables as a Crew Shaken result instead. See Wargear, pg. 34.); Autocannon (48" Range; S7; AP4; Heavy 2); Hunter Killer Missile (Unlimited range, S8; AP3; Heavy 1; One use only; See Wargear, pg. 35.)

Option Footnotes

Doctrines

Junior Officer - The Junior Officer may issue 1 order per turn with a 6" command radius: First Rank, FIRE! Second Rank, FIRE!, Incoming! and Move! Move! Move! (see C:IG, pg. 36).

Senior Officer - The Senior Officer may issue 2 orders per turn with a 12" command radius: Bring it Down, Fire on my Target!, Get Back in the Fight!, First Rank, FIRE! Second Rank, FIRE!, Incoming! and Move! Move! Move! (see C:IG, pg. 30).

Orders

Bring It Down! - Choose one enemy unit, the weapons the ordered unit fires at this unit count as twin-linked (see C:IG, pg. 30).

Fire on my Target! - Choose one enemy unit, successful cover saves against firing by the ordered unit at this unit must be re-rolled (see C:IG, pg. 30).

First Rank, FIRE! Second Rank, FIRE! - Lasguns in the ordered unit have plus 1 shots, so 3 at up to 12" and 2 at up to 24" with normal Rapid Fire restrictions (see C:IG, pg. 36).

Get Back in the Fight! - The ordered unit immediately regroups or returns to normal. It may shoot and assault normally (see C:IG, pg. 30).

Incoming! - The ordered unit may immediately go to ground, with an additional +1 bonus to cover saves (see C:IG, pg. 36).

Move! Move! Move! - The ordered unit immediately runs, rolling three dice and choosing the highest (see C:IG, pg. 36).

Wargear

Autocannon - 48" Range; S7; AP4; Heavy 2

Close Combat Weapon - If used with another close combat weapon, +1 attack in close combat.

Extra Armor - Count Crew Stunned results on the Vehicle Damage tables as a Crew Shaken result instead. See Wargear, pg. 34.

Flak Armour - Confers a 5+ Armour Save.

Flamer - Template; S4; AP5; Assault 1

Frag Grenades - Models with these do not suffer the initiative penalty for assaulting enemies through cover (p36 WH40K 5E).

Grenade Launcher - Frag: 24" Range; S3; AP6; Assault 1; Blast.Krak: 24" Range; S6; AP4; Assault 1.

Hunter Killer Missile - Unlimited range, S8; AP3; Heavy 1; One use only; See Wargear, pg. 35.

Krak Grenades - One attack with 6+D6 AP (exceptions apply p72 WH40K)

Lascannon - 48" Range; S9; AP2; Heavy 1

Lasgun - 24" Range; S3; AP-; Rapid

Laspistol - 12" Range; S3; AP-; Pistol

Meltagun - 12" Range; S8; AP1; Assault 1; Melta.

Plasma Pistol - 12" Range; S7; AP2; Pistol; Gets Hot!

Refractor Field - Confers a 5+ Invulnerable save (see C:IG, pg. 35).

Vox Caster - If an officer is attempting to issue an order to a friendly unit and both the officer's Command Squad and the chosen unit contain a model with a vox caster, the Leadership test to see if the order has been understood can be re-rolled if failed (see C:IG, pg. 71).

Validation Report

c-1. File Version: 1.04a For Bug Reports/www.ab40k.org; 1. Guard Regiments: 5th Edition Codex; b-1. Roster Options: Special Characters; a-1. Scenario: Normal Mission

Composition requirement 'Troops' not satisfied (1). Valid range 2-6.

Roster Statistics

% Elite: 0.0

% Fast: 41.6

% Heavy: 0.0

% HQ: 15.8

Model Count: 30

% Troops: 42.6

% Wargear: 0.0

Files version: 1.04

Faith Points: 0

Composition Report

HQ - 1 (1 to 2)

Elite - 0 (0 to 3)

Troops - 1 (2 to 6)

Fast - 1 (0 to 3)

Heavy - 0 (0 to 3)

Created with Army Builder - Copyright (c) 1997-2009 Lone Wolf Development, Inc. All rights reserved.

Even though we chose a Area Control mission, it basically was an annihilate everything mission. This was because we got so into trying to learn to play we forgot there were any objectives at all other than kill.

We set up on opposite ends. I placed my HQ virtually on the edge and so did the Imperial Guard.

I put my kroot in the middle behind a building. This was a mistake I think. It took me 3 turns to get into a shooting position, and another 2 turns to get into an assault position. I missed my first assault chance because I did not know you can't assault after firing rapid fire weapons.

I placed my transport with Fire Warriors near the table edge... another mistake. In my head I had this idea that the transport could travel clear across the table in one turn. My plan was to thrust into the enemy position and dump the Fire Warriors out the back. It took me 2 turns to get my transport to where I wanted and then disaster happened which I will talk about later.

I placed my Stealth team off behind a building. Third mistake sort of. I wanted to use their infiltrate, but based on troop placement and terrain, there was nowhere I could place them 12" away and out of site. So I was forced to deploy as normal. I used them poorly after that as you will see.

I placed the gun drones near the Stealth team. I made a mistake with these guys and attempted a frontal assault on an infantry platoon. I should have used their great range and flanked. Instead I took out a couple troops and then was pounded by fire from multiple IG units. I lost 3 drones in 1 turn and on the next turn just kamikaze into an assault with expect failure.

My IG opponent lined his platoon up front almost like Ancient Romans… very little cover. He put his platoon command squad in front of that line, and the 3 Sentinels behind the line. To me this seemed like an odd thing to do with no cover. But I was so poorly placed with mine I could not take advantage of it.

Other than what I talked about above some key things in the battle:

I got my Devilfish into position and unloaded the Fire Warriors. The sentinels immediately unloaded everything on the transport. They hit it and wrecked it. Luckily it did not explode. The problem is I planned to use the Devilfish as cover and fire underneath, but since it wrecked I, lost line of site and was forced to come out into the open. The Fire Warriors annihilated the elite squad, but once in the open, was decimated. I realized a full Fire Warrior team is a juggernaut, while a decimated one is a waste. Once I got down to 6 Warriors, they did little damage.

I realized my stealth Team was far from battle. With little range with weapons I tried to get into battle quick. This forced me to try to jump over the building I was behind and then onto it. Once up there I was still out of range, but the long range of the IG took out my marker drone and one Stealth Suit. I knew I wasn't going to make any progress this way so I retreated and tried to join up with the HG unit.

The building I was jumping over we considered difficult terrain, so I was not able to use the whole 6 inches into it or out of it. I tried to move my HQ unit to them, but after all that I did in 4 turns I finally had the HQ unit added to the depleted stealth team about 2 feet from any action. The mighty stealth team did nothing but jump and die in 6 turns, while the HQ unit only managed to fire its missile pod.

The kroot team managed to finally assault and took out some infantry, but nothing serious.

I tried 4 turns with my HQ unit to take out a Sentinel. This I think was a bad because once I hit I needed a 5 to glance it and a 6 to penetrate. I never did.

Based on the original objective of the mission this was a draw. The reason was I held control of my deployment square, IG held their deployment square. The 3rd square was contended, and the 4th was unoccupied.

However I conceded because I lost like 80% of my troops and he lost maybe 25%.

Many lessons learned here... too many to list.

Objective

This is going to be the objective of my first 40K session!

Foam board, toilet paper tubes, glue,and paint.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Here is a building I am working on. It uses some foam board from Hobby Lobby which coast $1.50 for a 2'x3' sheet and some toilet paper tubes. I am going to cover the gaps with some wood sticks I also got from Hobby Lobby.

Then I will add bits all over it like antens, hathes, doors, etc.

Then I will prime it, and dry brush over the whole thing to give a worn metal look.

Lasty I will paint Tau lettering all over it.

Tau Commander In Progress

CLICK TO ENLARGE

The Tau Commander isn't finished yet, but I threw it up here since I hadn't posted in a while.

The foundation paint is amazing. I wish I would have used it on my Fire Warriors. The foundation paint is not the same color as what I painted the Fire Warriors but it's close. It goes on in one smooth coat, is easier to push into corners, and stays out of the places you don't want it to go.

Gaming Table

I got pretty far with my gaming table. It was a lot of trial and error. I still need to reinforce the legs. It's actually OK as is, but I am afraid I might lean on it too hard and collapse it. It actually collapsed one because I only used wood glue on the legs. After that I used L brackets instead with wood screws. I need to add a few more brackets for stability.

The table top is spray painted a sand color, then I put some buff colored ballast all over it. I finished it by spraying a mixture of water and white glue.


CLICK TO ENLARGE


CLICK TO ENLARGE

Fire Warrior Complete

Painting minitures is a tedius thing, at least for me right now. I'll probably get faster and better though. This is my first completed one. I didn't use Citidel's foundation paint, and as a result I had to use two coats. I think in the future I will use the foundation paints so I only have to do one coat.

The hardest part on this was the leg plates. I pretty much gave up trying to get it perfect. In the future I am going to try and paint the leg plate in one solid color then go back with a darker color to do the pattern. Otherwise its just too hard to paint the individual plates, staying in the line so to speak.

Also I am going to consider painting the peices before gluing together, but after cutting out of the sprue. I think I can be more accurate, and reach places that would be otherwise difficult to reach.

Fire Warrior Painting

Here's where the true artist starts to shine... unfortunately I am not an artist. Instead I am learning as I go.

For my first attempt I followed Game Workshop's step by step. Unfortunately by the time I got to the main color there was no detail left because of primer, basecoat, and color. I suspect this is because I was learning to fly before I learned to walk. I feel those techniques are for someone experienced, or willing to fail many times.



Actually it's not that bad, just lacks the nice contrasting detail. I think I can do better.

So I tried to do drybrushing. This was an epic fail. I think this would look very good with many hours and experience, but I am not there yet.



My third and best attempt follows. I skipped the basecoat and went straight to the color. Also by now I was much better at pushing the brush. I stayed in the lines so to speak.



This is the way I will go for now. It looks pretty good for a first army. I will finish the details such as gun, pants, shoulder emblem, etc.

All in all this was pretty hard for me. At this pace, I can do 1 model every 2 hours. Hopefully I get better and faster.

Primed and Ready

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Everything is primed! This took me less than an hour. At first I did them one by one, but then did them in groups of 5. It's nice because the Chaos Black primer dries so fast, you can rotate the minis without any issues.

The bases are done by brushing on PVA glue, which is basically fancy Elmer's glue, and then sprinkling on bird gravel from the pet store. Do this before priming.

Assembly Complete

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I decided to just go without a squad leader. I didn't feel it was worth the extra 10 points. Also I didn't add any photon grenades. They supposedly take away the +1 assault bonus of your opponent, but if my Fire Warriors are being assaulted, I'm doing something wrong.

These were easier to put together than the Kroot, because the left arm and left hand are together already. So its just a matter of positioning the arm in a realistic position.

For the ones that are kneeling and aiming, I found it best to turn the torso slightly to the left and then turn the head drastically to make it look like he is aiming down the barrel.

Next is the priming!

Shas'El Reporting For Duty

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This is the HQ unit, the Shas'El with Plasma Rifle and Missile Pod.

This was very easy to put together. I noticed there is a right and left leg as well as left and right feet, even though they look similar. Also I found that the ankle balls fit directly into the feet and don't rest on top of them.

This unit also has a multi-tracker, targeting array, and black sun filter, though I don't think there are any parts to represent this.

I am going to start using Flickr for photo storing, since Blogspot doesn't seem to like linking to larger versions of images anymore.

Kroot Madness

The Kroot were pretty hard to put together, but in the end I think they turned out well.

The biggest struggle on this one was the arms. They give you about 16 or 18 gus for 12 different models. The guns have the right arm attached and left hand. The left arm is separate. I cannot stress enough that you should make sure the left arm and gun/hands piece match. The first one I put together I didn't do this only to find out the pieces weren't anywhere close to matching.

Quickly I found what worked best for me was to get an idea of the arm positions and then glue the left arm to the gun/right arm. Once the glue set enough where I could let go I glued it to the torso. The glue I am using is kind of gummy, which is really helpful. It allows me to make minor adjustments before it really sets in.

There are 3 guns that don't require you to glue a left arm, since the left hand is holding a knife. I took full advantage of that, because it is much easier. As for the other ones, I found the longer the left arm, the easier to glue. However, I did want variety, so I toughed out some of the more difficult shorter arms as well.

I noticed when putting the legs and torso on the base it looks like its crooked. Once you get the arms and head on through, you'll find it's how it should be. It just makes them look like they are ready to pounce.

Another thing I had a problem with at first was the back pieces. I don't know if they are satchels or capes, but I got them to fit ok. The satchels look better than the capes. Maybe I put them on wrong. I don't know.

Overall this was very challenging, but worth it. I'm guessing the true challenge will be painting them.

The Battleforce Has Arrived!

After a shipping mishap I finally got my Tau Battleforce. It was undamaged and nothing appears missing, so that's a good start.

I've decieded to glue everything together first, and there is a lot to glue. I started with the Devilfish and moved on to the Stealth Team.

I made an attempt at Warhammer 40k back in college and even have some Space Marines left over from that. Back then, saving money was key and as a result I cut corners. I think it's OK to save money, but not by cutting corners. So this time around I got two things that have made things much, much, easier.

I bought a sprue cutter for one. The thing the minis come molded into is called a sprue. These are like wire cutters a bit, but they have a flat edge on one side for a very flush cut. Better than a regular hobby knife, butter knife, or simply twisting the minis out.

The other thing was a new little glue bottle invention. Testors makes it and it's very accurate and sets on the table very neatly when not in use.

Things went pretty smooth. The only gotcha I will mention so far is when assembling the Devilfish. Note that the assembly lines on the instructions don't neccessarily denote order of assembly. I put the Devilfish together thinking that, and got to a part where it was impossible to attach the top and bottom part together. Luckily, the glue had not 100% dried and I was able to pull it back apart.

Instead, work from the bottom up. Put the center panel and back panel on to the bottom panel.
Add the top piece and then put the side panels on.

One thing to note about assembling the Stealth Team is there didn't seem to be a correct atenna for the drone controller on the Shas'Vre squad leader. So I cut one of the left over atennas down a bit to make it fit better.

For the Greater Good

I thought I would start a blog to show off models and terrain I do. I am no expert, but I do feel that I will get better with experience.

Also, I might do battle reports at some point.

Hopefully, you will enjoy it and maybe even get some ideas from it.

I am starting from scratch at this point. I am in the middle of making a gaming table and waiting for my Tau Battleforce to arrive. My goal is to have them glued and primed by the end of the week. But I don't want to rush it, espeicially with Father's day. So maybe the weekend after is a better goal.

***IMAGE PLACEHOLDERS***