Last of the Trollbloods: Dire Troll Bomber Painted!

Like my Khador and Imperial Fists, who have all wrapped up in the last month or so, my Trollbloods are finished now with this fantastic model, who brings the entire collection up around 110 points.  concept and pose of the Bomber, and wanted to add him in.

Unlike my Khador, my Trolls aren't going up for sale.  For now, they'll sit in the cabinet while old projects (Dark Elves and Beastmen) get upgraded for Eighth Edition and new projects (Blood Angels, Space Wolves, High Elves and Skaven) get started.  In the long run, I think this fella has a great gaming future...as a Hellcannon in a Warriors of Chaos Troll army. 

Tale of Painters for May!

I just thought I'd share some rough shots of the models I painted for Tale of Painters this month.  I painted over 2,000 points combined.  These were the pictures that went up to make the deadline.  They're a bit rough, but good shots should come over the next few weeks of the various models!

The Quiet Limit of the World is "The Trader of the Week" at The Trading Post!

Whooo!  For those of you who aren't familiar with "The Trading Post" http://the-tradingpost.blogspot.com/, it's a blog that serves as a great hub for other Warhammer Fantasy blogs.  This week, The Quiet Limit is featured as "The Trader of the Week"!  I've copied the interview, and hope you enjoy it!


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again we have another Fantasy blog up for promotion.  This is good old blog, lots of content - especially about Beastmen.  Go check it out folks:

http://quietlimit.blogspot.com/

The Interview

Real name or Avatar
My real name is Ben, and I use the moniker of "Tekore" on forums.  I'm based in Durham, North Carolina, in the United States.  Other occasional contributors are Blair and Tom.

What fantasy army(ies) do you play?
I have around 8,000 points each of Bretonnians and Dark Elves, and am currently playing Beastmen in their latest incarnation.
 

Beastlordette?

What projects are you currently working on?
I run the Tale of Painters over at Librarium Online, and usually have a lot of different projects brewing at the same time.  I believe that by running multiple projects you can paint regularly without becoming bored or burning out as much. Currently, I'm painting:

* Around 5,000 points of Beastmen
* A 2,000 point Imperial Fist Space Marine army.
* 100 points of Khador for Warmachine.
* 100 points of Trollbloods for Hordes.
* Various Malifaux gangs.

I recently finished my entire Dark Elf army, and always have Bretonnians to paint if I get bored.  I'm looking to finish my Imperial Fists, Trollbloods, and Khador in the next few months, and am considering taking on a Blood Angels / Space Wolves dual army project after finishing.  For Fantasy, I'm not sure what I'll work on after Beasts, but am thinking about a joint High Elves / Wood Elves Avelorn themed army.

Barbarian hero

What is the main focus of your blog?
When I created The Quiet Limit of the World, I wanted it to show aspects of all aspects of the hobby.  I love to model and convert, to paint and bring those models to life, and to game in both casual and tournament settings.  A lot of blogs only focus on one of those things, and while they are all interesting, I like a little bit of everything.  I'm also interested in a lot of different games, so I flit around there as well.  So I suppose The Quiet Limit doesn't have a main focus, but is rather a general blog on the hobby. 

What are we to expect in the future from your blog?
I'm going to strive for continued quality and quantity.  I like to try and update every weekday morning if possible with something fresh and new.  I'd also like to get more battle reports in, as it's an area that I'm not particularly good at.  2011 also is supposedly the Flames of War year coming up at the Friendly Local Game Store, so there may be some of that coming up. 

What/who is your biggest inspiration?
In terms of painting and modeling, I've always looked up to a few gentlemen over at Librarium Online.  I draw inspiration from several of the contributors there who have beautiful models, such as Minus_t, King Ulrik Flamebeard, and Andusciassus, and also from Cyric the Mad, who ran the first Tale of Painters and taught me to actually get projects done.

 Vargulf alert!

 In terms of playing the game, I draw inspiration from the players at my local gaming club, The Team Caribbean Breeze Women's Lacrosse and Warhammer Club (it's a long story).  We've got national GT winners and brand new players, but I think the general spirit of good sporting competitiveness is the thing that keeps me wanting to play each week.  To play as hard a game as you can every time and still have a fun, laughing game is a real pleasure.

What is your number one hobby tip?
Just do it.  Trite?  Absolutely, but true nonetheless.  The only way you'll improve with painting is with practice, and the same goes for green stuff and every other aspect of making your army look good.  Don't be afraid to make mistakes.  They're fixable, and you can always strip your miniatures if you're really unhappy.  Make some time to sit down and paint most days, if only for five or ten minutes.  You'll improve as a hobbyist, and you'll have the joy of actually seeing your army progress. 

Dark Elves Army

What is your number one gaming tip?
Don't be a jerk.  We're (generally) a bunch of grown folk playing a child's game.  Don't roll over if your opponent is cheating, but other than that, relax and have a good time, reveling in the great social experience that wargaming could be.  I've gotten to travel around and play a ton of people that I never would have met otherwise due to Warhammer, and it's been a real pleasure.  Don't soil the experience by turning your hobby into an unpleasant jaunt for you and your opponent. 

What is your proudest moment in wargaming?
I have a lot of tournament wins, but the tournaments I remember the best are the ones where I've gotten the very highest sportsmanship scores and painting scores.  Those are the days that I know I'm at the top of the hobby fully.  I especially enjoy when I'm put down as someone's favorite opponent of the day at a tournament.  It's a great feeling.
 

Dark Elf Dreadlord

 

If you could have a miniature made for a character or unit that does not currently have one, which would it be?
I've always thought a Crone Hellebron model for the Dark Elves would be a cool opportunity to make a really "over the top" Witch Elf.  Mostly, though, I'm happy to convert models that don't exist.  I think getting to play around on how I wanted to make my Cygor (converted Giant), Ghorgon (converted Shaggoth) and Jabbersclythe (LotR Fel Beast) was pretty great.

What are the top three Fantasy blogs you follow?
Drinkin' and Modelin'

- Randroid paints, models and plays in Warhammer, just like me.  Plus, we have the mutual interest of beer in common, although I'm a wheat beer guy myself for the most part.

The Painting Corps

- This is my site to read for great painting and modeling ideas.  I love that they post to different sites where they find the great stuff that I aspire to one day be able to do myself.

The Trading Post, ++ From the Warp ++, and Bell of Lost Souls

- I use these sites for their generally good daily information and to sort through other blogs for things I want to read.   It's kind of like the wargaming equivalent of the morning paper!

Tale of Painters for April (Month 8)

I got a bit of work done this month for the Tale of Painters project on Librarium Online.  I managed to turn something in on all five of my armies in progress, which is always a challenge.  I submitted:

20 Corsairs with Full Command
Six Doom Reavers
Wrong Eye and Snapjaw (also used as Beastmen models)
An Imperial Fists Dreadnought.

For the next month, I'm hoping to finish:

An Imperial Fists Tactical Squad
Khador Mechanics and a Greylord Ternion for Khador.
Rorsch and Brine for Trollbloods (with Brine also being a Beastmen Razorgor)

I'm also entering a contest on Librarium Online to paint 1,000 points in 24 hours, and will do so with Beastmen next week.  So I suppose whatever I manage to finish there will be my entry.

Tale of Painters for March (Month 7)

Vroom!  The Tale of Painters deadline for this month came and went, and so I had some entries.  Last month I painted (for ToP):

One Lysander of the Imperial Fists
One Khador Marauder
Lug and Brun Cragback for the Trollbloods
Ten Ungors for Beastmen (and Lug the Minotaur)
Fifteen Dark Elf Executioners

Pictures of all the craziness!

Lug

 

 

Yesterday I managed to finish up painting Lug, one of my absolute favorite models from Privateer Press.  Heck, he's probably one of my favorite models from anywhere, and he was a blast to paint.  Not only that, but he after assembling GW's metal models the past couple weeks, Lug was a joy to put together, in that his pieces actually fit together with very little green stuff. 

You'll notice he's currently on a 40mm x 40mm square base.  This is because he's too cool to just play in Hordes, and is going to pull Minotaur duty as a Beastman (along with a lot of the other Minion models).  Rargh!

An Interview with You, the Wargamer

I love reading the stories that people have about wargaming...what it means to them, how they got started, things like that.  I started a thread over at Librarium Online for people to contribute their stories, and thought it'd be fun for people to do so here or there.  I came up with some basic questions to get people started, and hopefully I'll have some great responses.  Here we go!

1. Name (or username) and location.

2. How did you get started in wargaming?

3. Are you primarily a gamer, or more into painting and modelling, or perhaps both equally?

4. Which games do you play? What is your primary game?

5. Tell us about your greatest and / or proudest achievement in the hobby.

6. What is your favorite model? What's your best painted or converted model?

7. Do you play more on a casual level, or in tournaments?

8. What are the best and worst experiences you've had in gaming?

9. What are some wargaming websites that you really like?

10. What should we know about you as a wargamer?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll start.

1. Name (or username) and location.

Ben T. (Tekore on most forums). Durham, NC

2. How did you get started in wargaming?

I got sick a few years ago, and was looking for a relaxing, low stress hobby. Painting army men sounded like fun, and soon I was hooked! I remember seeing the cover of the Bretonnian book from Warhammer Fantasy in a storefront, and thinking that I really liked the look of the Knights...one thing led to another, and I've never regretted a thing!

3. Are you primarily a gamer, or more into painting and modelling, or perhaps both equally?

I got into the hobby to paint and model, but I have grown to enjoy playing games as well, and do so quite successfully. If forced to choose, I suppose I'd go with painting, but only by a bit. I think I'm a good all around wargamer.

4. Which games do you play? What is your primary game? What armies do you have?

I have armies for Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, Hordes, and Warmachine. WFB, however, is my main game. I get a few games of 40K in a year, and very little of the Privateer Press games.

My armies are:
Warmachine - Khador
Hordes - Trollbloods
40K - Raven Guard, Imperial Fists
Fantasy - Bretonnians, Dark Elves, Beastmen

5. Tell us about your greatest and / or proudest achievement in the hobby.

Wow. Finishing a fully painted Raven Guard army was a big moment for me, and my Dark Elves are looking pretty good as well. On the gaming side, any tournament where I get top sportsmanship and painting scores makes me pretty proud.

I also run a Fantasy tournament each year in Durham, NC, called Grail Quest. It's at www.thebigbluewaaagh.com/grailquest. It's been a big success, and is something I'm proud of.

6. What is your favorite model? What's your best painted or converted model?

My favorite model is the Harbinger of Menoth from Privateer Press. I've owned it for years, and haven't had the nerve to paint it yet. The painted models that I'm most proud of are my Dark Elf army, as I managed a unique and good looking paint scheme universally across a large army.

7. Do you play more on a casual level, or in tournaments?

I'm very much a tournament player, as those are the events I'm best able to schedule around my work, as compared to weekday night games. I also enjoy playing to the best of my ability and challenging myself.

8. What are the best and worst experiences you've had in gaming?

Best - I think the best experiences I've had in games are those cinematic moments that come from throwing caution to the wind, like a lowly Scout Sergeant charging and killing Abaddon in close combat. The greatest thing I've gotten from the hobby are the people I've gotten to know, near and far, through the game.

Worst - Rude and unfriendly gamers ruin my experience. I've had a few just outright hostile opponents, especially in tournaments, and they can really flush my day. However, I've found that these folks tend to work themselves out of the scene, so it's worked out in the long run.

9. What are some wargaming websites that you really like?

One of the first sites I came across, and one of my absolute favorites, is Librarium Online. It's friendly and helpful. I'm also a regular reader of Warseer, although I don't post there much. I have my own blog, The Quiet Limit of the World, at quietlimit.blogspot.com. Also, a great site for the North Carolina and surround community is http://www.thebigbluewaaagh.com/.

10. What should we know about you as a wargamer?

I'm a perfectionist with my own play, but I think the most important thing in a game is for both players to have a great time. I'm constantly friendly and cracking jokes at the table, or at least I try to be that way. I'll almost always give you the benefit of the doubt.

Minions Madness 2010!

I recently completed painting what used to be, under the old Privateer Press system, 1000 points of Trollbloods.  It was a lot of fun for Tale of Painters on Librarium Online.  I still have six months of Tale of Painters entries, however.  So for those last entries, I decided to work on Minions.  Specifically, I'm going to work on the four Minion Warlocks. 

As soon as I saw the picture of Wrong Eye and Snapjaw (the Gators), I had to pick them up, and the Armored Bear wasn't far behind.  At that point, since they can all work with Trollbloods, it just seemed natural to go for all four.  So these will be my projects for the next few months (on the Trollblood side of things), and it looks like a great time. 

Happy New Year (Plus some Pesky Resolutions)

First, for those who haven't seen it, one of the funniest Warhammer videos ever produced:


My Dark Elf army is the greatest power for evil! from Flyweight Films on Vimeo.

Here's what I accomplished last year:

- Eleven local WFB tournament first place finishes, one second place finish, and one third place finish.
- One local 40K third place finish.
- Expanded my tournament visits to Fayetteville, High Point, and Charlotte, NC.
- Finished painting my 3,000 point Raven Guard Army, 500 points of Trollbloods, and on 4,000 points of Bretonnians.
 - Started painting 3,000 points of Imperial Fists, 1000 points of Trollbloods, 1000 points of Khador, and 5,000-6,000 points of Dark Elves.
- Administered Tale of Painters of Librarium Online.
- Started this Blog.

And my resolutions for next year:

-  Get into some Warhammer Fantasy GT's.  Specifically, I'm thinking Brawler Bash III in Raleigh, NC, and Battle on Beale in Memphis, TN.
- Finish the above painting projects.
- Start my Beastmen army and work on painting it throughout the year.
- More magnetizing!
- Compete in the NC Master's Rankings.  

Cheers!

I Promise We're Going to Stop Talking About These Spearmen

Alright.  Here we are.

Spearmen, check.  Shields, check.  Everything assembled, painted, and based.  Life was good for the evening yesterday. 

Now, I just need some painted Shades for January 9th and 10th, and to work on getting an Imperial Fist Tactical Squad, Eiryss, a Manhunter, and Viktor Pendrake done for the Tale of Painters Deadline on January 14th.  Oh yeah, and I'd like to paint and magnetize my bases.

Piece of cake.

Dire Troll Blitzer

I still haven't worked out this new camera, so forgive the dullness of the photo.

Like the Witch Elves, this was a model that I really didn't like to begin with. The Mauler is the model that sold me on Trollbloods. The Blitzer, on the other hand, is the Mauler's goofy bald cousin.

But hey, you make some changes and with your own paint, these things can really look a lot better. I took off a lot of the extra bits, such as the ammo boxes, that normally go on the model. I felt that they cluttered it up and looked cluttered. I then repositioned the model just a little so it was coming off the base more and lunging forward.

I'm happy with the results. Lots of fun.

Widowmaker the First

It's been slow progress lately, but at least things are beginning to move a bit. Big blocks of Dark Elf Spearmen continue to look at me balefully, but some progress begins to stir. Over the weekend, I finished three out of four Widowmakers and put down a bit of green on Eiryss. I also put together a Dire Troll Blitzer and twenty-one more Dark Elf Spearmen, and fixed all the broken Dark Elves that accumulate over multiple tournaments. I won't have any spectacular entries this month for Tale of Painters, but might be able to keep from not having entries this month if I can finish the fourth (female) Widowmaker, Eiryss, the Blitzer, a Dark Elf Sorceress, and Lysander...by this Sunday. We shall see. I'm certainly not going to do a poor job on something just to meet the deadline.

So yeah, with this Widowmaker I thought I'd shoot for a stealthy, shadowy snow look (much like the Vindicare). I already fixed the problems that you can see on the lower hand, where the fingertips were painted metal. I like that I'm getting eyes down a lot better these days, so there's an area of improvement.

My wife's camera was stolen, so I'm working with a new one, and so far haven't really mastered the flash and focusing options. I think I'm going to have to actually build a lighted little paper booth to take pictures in, to improve the quality somewhat with the new camera.

Madrak Ironhide

I really enjoy painting Trollbloods. They're monsters, but with a lot of human qualities. I suppose it's why people paint GW's Ogres as well, perhaps. My troll recipe:

1. Paint the skin in Tallarn Flesh.
2. Wash with dark blue.
3. If you're working with a troll unit, stop there to keep the blues light. For a light warbeast, wash again. For a heavy warbeast, wash a third time. Basically, the more monstrous the model, the more "non-pink" I want to make it, removing any "human" qualities and making it something fantastic.
4. Highlight with a mixture of flesh and blue.
5. For "albino" trolls like Madrak and Grim, use mixes of pale flesh and blues to make them pale. I hate the pink albino troll look, and wanted a pale blue instead.

As I approach 1,000 points of painted trolls, Hoarluk will come next. At 1,500, I would imagine I'll work on the rest of them, since I probably won't go any higher.

What Helps You Pick Your Army?

It's the pictures and models grab me, and off I go.

I started 40K with Space Marines, and remain years later playing only Space Marines. It's the cover art and imagery, the armor and swords and the huge guns blazing. Shrike screaming down from the sky and slashing at his foes. Implacable Lysander lumbering slowly across the field, shouldering aside huge blasts and scattering tanks with his hammer. I started with Raven Guard, and at 3,000 odd points switched to Imperial Fists. Another chapter, and another, will follow.

Cover art got me into Bretonnians as well. I love that image on the cover of the knight wading into the spawn of Chaos. Open the book, and you see the faded pennants. Loved it. It burns me out, painting all the different colors and patterns, and at around 4,000 points of painted models (with 4,000 left unpainted), I've had to put them on hold for a bit.

The models got me into Dark Elves. By the time I bought into them, I had improved my painting at least to the point where I knew that I wanted to paint beautiful and intriguing models, and Dark Elves were it. Leaked Cold One Knights just looked so fantastic, and when I saw Lokhir Fellheart, I was doomed forever. I'm more than halfway done painting the army, and I can't wait to finish it off.

Khador and Trollbloods from Privateer Press grabbed me with the models. It's the Khadoran infantry, all in red, that I love, but for the Trolls I simply fell in love with the Mauler model. It's amazing and dynamic and all I needed to collect the whole army.

So yeah, pictures sell me. I'll play good armies or bad, but the art on the box and the sculpts inside, that's what gets me and keeps me.

Troll Bouncer

One of the great things about Privateer Press is their ability to make models in dynamic poses that somehow manage to hold together well. There are some models that I own that I worry about moving our touching, or that I can only pick up if I do so in a certain way. Most Privateer Press stuff, I'm lucky not to have that problem (GW's High Elf Dragon is another great example of a sturdy sculpt).

One of the models that really stands out as holding together well despite its design is the Troll Bouncer, which I painted recently. He's got that huge (and rockin') ball and chain going, but the chain fits snugly into the hand, and while the weight of the ball should be rough and pulling things apart, it holds well with a little green stuff.

Sure makes for an awesome model.

Trollblood Dire Troll Mauler

I painted this up about three weeks ago. Previously, when I did any work with the smaller Trollbloods I kept the skin blue with a hint of pale tan, to show a "fleshiness" that comes out pretty well and gives them a people like quality. This gentleman, from the looks of him, didn't need to look like any kind of person, and so he's dark blue and red. Getting the wet effect into the mouth was a lot of fun. Weighing in at roughly the size and weight of a baseball, the Dire Troll Mauler is one of the largest models that Privateer Press makes in its regular line. The second picture should give some idea of the scale. I love the pose as well, as it really gives a sense of motion.

Alten Ashley, Monster Hunter

I've always liked the Alten Ashley model, and lately I've been doing a lot of bright reds and blues, not to mention an entire line of bright yellow miniatures. Doing a model in subdued browns and greens was really appealing. I wanted Alten to really be a model that would blend into the background. After all, it's my understanding that you can't do much "monster hunting" if you're wearing hot pink.