Making Las-Plas Razorbacks

The Razorback has become a very common site on the battlefields of the 41st millennium since the advent of the 5th edition marine codices.  With a transport capacity and the ability to put out some good support fire they have become a staple of many marine forces (so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if GW nerfs them in 6th ed so we have to buy new models heh...).  The most popular variants are the Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter, because it comes standard at 40 points and is therefore "free", the Twin-Linked Assault Cannon, and the Lascannon Twin-Linked Plasmagun.  Almost all the variants for the turret are readily available; the TLHB and TLLC come with the Razorback kit, and the TLAC can be bits ordered easily from Land Raider Redeemer/Crusader boxes.  The two variants that are not so easily accessible are the Twin-Linked Heavy Flamer (which is sort of pointless on the Razorback) and the ever popular Lascannon and Twin-Linked Plasmagun variant.  Luckily for us this most popular variant can be converted with relative ease.

Review: Army Painter Red Primer

 

Colored Primers have always been a hit or miss in our hobby.  If you could find one that covered well the color was usually too dissimilar to any of your paints to make it worth using (it being dissimilar from your paints makes it hard to fix mistakes or touch things up).  I have had success with three colored primers both from Osh, I am a huge proponent of the Osh Primers, the Osh Grey, Red, and White primers are all excellent.  Just like the Osh Black Primer their colored primers give excellent non-clumping coverage that dries quickly without flaking.  The only problem is the Grey and Red don't match any colors I have found in wither the GW or P3 range so touch ups become tricky.  Recently Army Painter released a set of colored primers, which were reported to me as being excellent.  I decided I wanted to try the Red out because it was supposed to be GWs Blood Red in a can.  I am painting some Blood Angels to sell because I got the models as prizes from tournaments and realized I did not want to play BA so ebay seems a good way to go.  Review of the primer after the break!

And They Shall Know No Fear: Elites Dreads

The Elite choices in Codex: Space Marines are unfortunately the most popular and best units in the codex.  I say unfortunately because you can, generally, only take 3 of them.  With Sternguard, Assault Terminators, Terminators, and Dreadnoughts sharing the same 3 FOC slots you will more than likely be maxing out your elite choices quickly leaving you wishing for more.  We have already discussed the greatness that is Sternguard and Terminators (here and here) now let's take a look at a unit which is rarely left out of my lists.  The Dreadnought.  Dreadnoughts are mighty warmachines which house the crippled body of a Space Marine so that the hero of the Emperor (who is more than likely millenia old) can continue to fight one.  In game turns they are a relatively stable weapons platform with decent assault capabilities.  In C:SM the Dreadnought comes in 3 variations, let's take a look.

Warhammer 40k FAQ update

Hey 40k Fans,

Just noticed that GW has a new 40k FAQ update on their website. Check it out, any game changers?

http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1490286a_FAQ_40Krulebook_version1_1.pdf

Lists: Is Razorback spam really that good?

It's all over the internet and tournament scene today.  Razorbacks spammed in every Space Wolf and Blood Angel list that is supposedly "the best."  But is RB Spam really that good?  Yesterday in an RTT at our local FLGS the dreaded SW Las Plas Razorback list reared it's ugly head.  First things first lets take a look at the list.

Stormraven in bound!

Well here it is!  Straight off the GW site where it was "accidentally" posted for a few hours.  The model exists, and I am hoping for an Early Summer release accompanied by a WD article giving it to my Salamanders and Wolves to use also.  If not, I will still be getting a few for Apocalypse games!  Here is the link to Warseer where the news broke first.  As a side note...  Looks like a plastic Furioso Dread in the background to me!  Could be next wave of BA is SR and Furioso/Librarian Dread kit?  Hope so.

http://www.warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5112324&postcount=1

Restoring your interest in the game.

If you've ever had a hobby of any kind that you were involved in for more than a month you probably experienced a drop in interest with the hobby or even flat out boredom with it.  It's not necessarily a hobby crippling sensation where you lose interest entirely sell everything off and walk away for ever.  But small burnouts occur with anything, especially if you over do it.  I have friends who have done this with a myriad of activities, pool, golf, Halo, Gears of War, the gym, poker, 40k, Warmachine, you name it someone has burned out on it.  The struggle, for me, has always been to find a way to get around or through the dip in interest.

A Tail of Two Conversions: Part 4

PythNutD here, back again after a busy working vacation.

I finished my Thunderwolf Cavalry last month and have been enjoying using them on the battlefield. I used the same painting methods that I discussed in one of my previous Space Wolf articles. Take a look if you are interested:

http://captureandcontrol.blogspot.com/2010/09/space-wolves-round-2.html

I have been running the TWC with a Power fist and several Storm Shields. In most games that I use them I have included an attached Wolf Lord decked out with a frost weapon, Belt of Russ or Storm Shield, two attached Fenrisian wolves, and when I have the points available I give him the Saga of the Bear (eternal warrior). On occasion I add a Wolf Guard battle leader mounted on TW with a frost weapon, Storm Shield, and two attached Fenrisian wolves.

Warhammer 40k 5th edition: Going first, an evolutionary perspective.

I don't know what it was like at your FLGS or in your gaming club when 5th ed hit, but I can clearly remember the knee jerk reactions that occurred at ours.  Many people loved the new true line of sight rules, myself included, but a lot of them have jumped ship now.  They long for the days of minuscule hills blocking LOS to their giant tanks and wanting, what are essentially, small groups of trees to stand for giant impermeable forests that grow impossibly thick in very small areas.  Some people lauded the change in assault rules so you couldn't consolidate into a new round of combat to be death knell of assault based armies.  Other people believed the improved tank rules would ruin the game and some people simply jumped ship altogether, unwilling to learn a new system.  Of all the complaints and issues that arose the least discussed/maligned was the change to deployment and turn choice.  A few people at our FLGS soon took up the mantle that going first was the way to win and that if you got second turn you had to pray to seize the initiative.  I didn't agree with that assessment then and I still don't today, but a more in depth look at going first and what it means is certainly in order.