3D printers

          Getting the printers up and running again. The filament printer needs a cable created. As the manufacture is chapter 7, a new one is not available. There is a plan. Only time is required. The Resin printer needs only time and effort.

Goal completed

         This was one of the goals this year. Surprisingly the resin print came back on line first. It took 3 days screwing around with the tech support. Another day or so leveling and alignments, greasing, tightening whatever. Now it prints like a champ.

        Then there is the Fabtotum filament printer. Finally got a new ribbon cable. It was up for about 3 hours until it broke the probe thingy. I have a hazy idea for a repair without a part. The probe is linked to the ribbon cable. It is just that its a frustrating little bastard and I am minutes away from selling it as parts.
         The only reason why I have not is material. It prints for 14 dollars a kilo and the resin prints at 85 a liter. 350 would get me one that works out of the box, with available parts, and support. I don’t know how much longer I want to mess with it. I would rather paint.

        I normally run one detachment of Stealth. They are very effective and well worth the points. I the giant suit list, I run two detachments with ghost keels. And I was fine, fat dumb, and happy. Then good old Kal opened his mouth. During our after game chat about lists, mistakes, and the behavior of our dice; he said “if I was you, I would run multiple stealths.”

        Maybe it had always been that way because I had only one detachment. FW stealths are very rare. One of the few items I have never seen floating. 3D printing changes everything. There is no way we don’t go to a print on demand, like renting a movie, in the future.

         I printed a detachment about 5% larger. I have no idea how big a stealth suit is? It must be larger than a regular old Tau man/girl/fish alien. You can see the FW Tau dudes in front. My prints would 7.5 feet if a Tau was 6 foot. The difference is my prints are the new style stealth suits where FW was the 2003ish style. Or an infantry man with extra gear not a whole fancy suit thingy.

         So thanks Kal! Here is another stealth detachment. And they don’t fit in the case, jerk! Its full.

And two of these fighting position/tower thingies. I pretty sure the Imperial Fist list uses them.

     
        Samurai armies are problem army. There are a limited number of enemies they fight, Korea and Mongols. For the most part they fought themselves. Which means you would be painting both sides and hoping to host or run convention games.
        My plan to get around this and get the most usage out of them is to run them through the 3 rule sets above. The high frequency use is Warmaster. It is fairly easy to get 6 games in a year between the PA, NJ, and NE groups. Con games Warmaster Ancients, because it is easy to learn, fast paced, and less likely guess players will get board during the game. Killer Katanas is painful to get through. This would be the house hosted event and would represent samurai warfare less abstractly as the other two.

        The other issue is Samurai are a colorful lot. If one was to try and represent their style with a brush, you would be painting forever or give up. I have chosen 10mm to cut this factor out. There is no point in putting so much detail into such a small scale. The colorful nature can be represented by limiting uniformity across the individuals based together.

         More left overs getting finished up from last year. This group was primed and taking up painting sticks. They will represent the Hill tribes or Latin allies.

Romans

        Oh I struggle with hand painting shield. I practiced drawing them over and over again. There is a  big difference between a pencil and brush, paper and curved lead. Being the smart guy I am, I did start with the back row. Their shields will be mostly hidden by the front rank.

       At arms length its ok. Up close, I suck! One side is easy to do. The mirror image is much more difficult. Also getting them the same height is never happening.

          The bases will get flocked all together as an army. Otherwise there is no way they will look the same or look like they belong together.

          I got 6 blisters of Ashigaru (spearmen) 30 each. Little to no mold lines. They do come with more flash than you would normally see. Almost like the mold was wearing out. You have to inspect each helmet, flag, sword. Each dude gets his stand sanded. It takes about 20 minutes to clean up 30.

From my initial order

Shirakawa. Famous ancient Japanese village.

                                     

Rank distance is too tight for a spear that long. Warmaster stands are double based as standard. So no choice.

         The Samurai did not use shields. The upper arm guards acted as a semi-shield? (I can’t find the reference) They fought in open order. The weapon system determines fighting style.
         I will place 6 to 7 not 10 per base, and they will not be shoulder to shoulder. Nor in a tight well dressed line. More warband looking.

          By using 7 per base, I will save 1 stand plus a dude per unit. Out of the 180 Ashigaru w/ Yari that came, I can get 8 units instead of 6.

        21ish individual dudes in open order won’t allow for the GW 2d warmaster paint job. Speed painting and planning is critical or the project will never finish.
        I have white glued them to paint stirring stick, 1/2 a stack for easy traveling, all facing the same way, well spaced with the second row offset. This helps in painting the same item all at once and being able to get in-between dudes to reach the backside.

        This one I got two years ago while in Argentina. It was 80% finished with 2 extra flat tiles for cost. They haven’t sold extra flat tiles in like 8 years. Well….It arrived at dad’s house and sat there for years. I think it came out once for a HMGS Con. I did nothing with it.
         Now after finishing the repairs for the desert board. Which were easy and not so time consuming. I am hot to finish this one. Then figure out which to extend with the extra tiles.
          The fireworks are not part of the build.

         First step with any GW Realms of Battle Board is filling in those dam skulls. Everyone covers them up. Or they fill them in. How in the hell did they get thru the design process? It is the single down side of the boards.

           I got a starter copy as an early xmas present. Spending that grandma money before I got it. The rule book is shit. It is printed on magazine high gloss paper. Other than that is is a good little one off game. Something easy to learn and can be played in an hour.

          I will paint them up to a very limited effort. Just enough to be barely interesting. It is a fancy board game. 2/3rds of the models took less than an hour. The British boats are next in-between main projects.

         Tomb Kings are done for now. Everyone is on a Shogun magnetic base. All the bases have been re-flocked with MIG desert paste.

        In the future, I would like to create the 4 Egyptian Divisions. That would take repainting part of the army. Maybe 2020, not next year.

          So way back when all this BS started. I was going to buy a painted army. I would use that army to play at AdeptiCon and a few pick up games here and there. Thereby increasing the number of games I would get for my troubles. That was it! I had other stuff going on and no time to cycle another system across the painting table.

         Last AdeptiCon I was issued a loaner. I played with the New England group with a loaner. Then shorty after found a big completely painted Tomb King army for nothing. Which I expanded. Then glued magnetic bases to the bottom. Next I started to rebase and paint the army.

         There went an easy solution.  Which quickly preceded to exploded into a total cluster of unrestraint. I could try to explain my ruination as the resin/plastic/lead crack problem that I am known to have.
          It is more so the down and dirty speed and quality of the Warmaster system. As a gaming rule set/system, it is quick to learn. Yet there remains a depth to it. Strategically challenging. One can replicate historical battle maneuvers with an accuracy to actual results. Including but not limited to the trick battlefield deployments. Most importantly! It has an existing stable player base.

         All along and continuing with the desert theme, I start a Araby army sourcing historical minis. The WM Araby are more Ottoman Turks than actual desert peoples. Using Old Glory I chose all Persian troop types.

         After returning from Japan, of course I just had to buy a Samurai army. Yep I bought Jap terrain too!

        Note: 3 armies that are now unfinished. A Tomb King that requires the basing at the very least completed. An Araby that is 600 points painted. A Samurai army in route, to be smuggled into the house.

It doesn’t end with that.

         In between last Xmas and AdeptiCon 2018, I started looking at ancients in 10mm. 10mm because who in the seven frozen hells can paint that many 28mm. I tried and failed. Boxes of 28mm lead are some where.
         Why not use Warmaster and/or HC? I could host Con ancient games, right? I am an Old Glory Army member.
         I responsibly picked a time period. Responsible in the idea that the period chosen would allow for multiple basic troops to cross from regional power to regional power.
         Irresponsibly I purchased in bulk Rep Rome, Cartho, AtG/Successor, Spanish, Hannibal, Pyrrhus. All of which remain 95% bare lead in baggies.  

         And then there is the terrain. I have a cubic ass ton of 15mm stuff for ACW RF&F. And a bunch of items kicking around. The Old Glory 10mm Viking Village stuff for example. I got in a trade 8 years ago got painted up. I need to complete the river sections. Dusted off all the fields.
           Then I bought a secret weapon table, Military discount. Some Dust Babylonian items, arabic tents, 10mm desert buildings, greek type ruins, a Greek/Roman-ish temple. All of which sits raw and boxed.

         Exactly! Next year will be a 10mm year. I will have to finish multiple armies. What, like 6? And a butt load of terrain. I am so fucked. I need a plan!

Saddness

Castle Arts is closed! In a fit of broken heart-ness, I reached out to the owner. He agreed to sell the left over stock to me. I bought everything he had, 900 + Euro. I will soon be up to my tits in samurai.