One Lone Devastator

This is a bit of a cheat, but it's still something I got done, so it gets a mention.

Over the last couple of nights, I've been rearranging my bits.  Noticing that I seemed to be running out of things, I thought it might be a good idea to organize what I have so I could actually, you know, find things.  Turns out that I have a little more than I thought I had and I certainly would have used some of them on my Librarian if I had known.  I also dropped $20 on some new bits and a special spear/lance for the Sergeant of my Black Lancers.  I'm glad I made the purchase and, truth be told, it was needed anyway.  It's not like I'm buying new sets and keeping the extra bits or anything these days.

Anyway, while I was doing my sorting, I found this heavy bolter dude.  His body and weapon were painted.  His other arm was not.  So I took 5 minutes to paint the little stub arm, mixed up a little JB Weld, and put him together.  There are a few places where the paint could be touched up, but he's not bad.  Definitely fine for the table on the day I get around to playing again...

Under him is the sorted case of bits.  Marines everywhere...  And a couple of Ork heads.  Don't know where they came from but I'm sure I can find a use for them.  Behind him are fourteen (count them FOURTEEN) Terminators in various states of paintedness.  They're  from last year's Terminator Saturday.  I've got a few more bikes to assemble and basecoat and Devastators I promised to work on, but I can't look at these guys (especially the Space Hulk Termies) and not feel the urge to finish them.  Heck, another Terminator Saturday could do it.  Not that I see that happening anytime soon because of my current schedule and situation now, but a man can dream, can't he?  Maybe I can do a few per night until I have them all done.  The other thing is that I also found the objective markers I started forever ago and kinda want to do them, too.

The real takeaway from all this is that, well, I'm totally schizophrenic about what I do.  I've still got Rhinobacks undone, bikes needing assembly and painting, Devs needing assembly, and now I want to add on this new project.  No wonder I have so much undone.  I guess, though, I'm doing something.  Slogging forward in a haphazard way is better than being completely stalled.  That, and if I'm doing what I feel like doing, I may have more of a chance to keep going and not burn out or anything like that.

But when that spear gets here, I'm totally making that Sarge ASAP.

Bike Librarian

 Well, here he is.  I started this for a painting challenge.  I have little hope of winning.  One of the first entries was head and shoulders above this guy.  I only had today to get it done after my daughters were asleep and my wife was gone.  But, more importantly  he's done.  Now all I have to do is actually do my jump Librarian and I will have an HQ of each and every type (foot, jump, bike, and termie).  I'll get around to it one of these days.  But, for the moment, I will bask in the joy of completion.  Not bad for two and a half hours, if I do say so myself.

Bike Librarian

Well, there he is, completed and built.  He's not exciting.  Well, sort of.  If you look really, really closely, you will see I sacrificed a Dark Vengeance Librarian to build him.  Not only did I use the force weapon arm, but I also cur off the shoulder pad to mount on the front and the book on his side to add to this one's side.  What I really wanted to do was cut off the force sword and put it on another, more dynamically posed arm.  I also realized I don't have a ton of time to get all that done.  I want to try to have him painted by Friday and I'm not sure I'm going to get that all done.  Monday evening I'm busy, Tuesday I'm working, Wednesday the family goes out for Halloween, and Friday my inlaws come into town.  Add to that that the weather has just gotten pretty cold so it's not a very good time to prime.  I don't think the weather is going to be back into the 60's until Wednesday.  I might be able to find a few hours during the week, but I really doubt it.

Oh, well, even if I don't get it done in time, I've got it built and that means I will get it painted sometime in the next few months along with all the other bikes.  I guess there's something to be said for getting it assembled.

The one other thing that this reminds me is that my bits box is very, very depleted of "flair".  No cruxes, scrolls, books, or a lot of other cool dealies and bobbers.  I had to really dig in to even find extra purity seals.  I may have to bite the bullet, gather $20 and buy some stuff on line or something.  I don't really want to spend money, but I guess I have to put some money to this hobby every year.  I think I've only spent $7 this year and I guess it's time to drop a little more.  Poop.

One last thing...  I acquired templates for a 3d printable item that is remarkably similar (but in no way infringing) to a Drop Pod.  Now all I need is a friend with a 3d printer and I might make a few...

Bike Librarian

Well, this is the beginning of the Bike Librarian.  It's a bike with a couple dealies on the other side.  Also stuck a book on the bike that he can consult while driving.  Note the improvised Psychic hood...  OK, cute, but nothing stellar.  I'm holding off with the weapon arm until I can acquire a force weapon.  It should be easy with the Dark Vengeance Librarian all over the place.  In fact, it is because I have one on the way to me.  I think most of his awesomeness is going to have to be demonstrated via paint job.  I'm going to have to figure out a way to replenish bits soon.  Oh, well.  C'est la guerre...

I also assembled an attack bike, but I didn't take pictures of it.  By the time I was done, I was sick of looking at it.  JB Weld is really good for some things, but the wait time for it to begin to set seems like forever.  That having been said, I applied a little bit to my lancers' hands and spear.  Hopefully, they won't come loose for a very long time.

More Bikes

So,  I got two more lancers done.  I added a few decorative bits and some weapons and now I think all I need is a Sarge and the Black Lancers will be ready to basecoat and maybe even get around to painting.

I notice that my bits box is running out of little decorative stuff.  These are the last of my purity seals.  No bangles or bobbles or cool little things to separate the special from the merely mundane. I'll have to figure something about that.  I may have to raid my unopened Tac Squad box for bits.  I sure never use them on Tac Squads...

That having been said, I have to also admit that I am crazy.  Why do I say this?  Because I was searching for something and ran across another Devastator Squad.  It's a new one so there's actually 8 heavy weapons.  I went through the bits and pulled out every other heavy weapon I have.  So, I think after I'm done with bike stuff, I'm going to put together every heavy weapon dude I can.  I have the unopened box with 4, these 8 I found, three heavy bolters (two of them are old Rogue Trader ones!), three missile launchers, and plasma cannon, bringing my up to a grand total of 19 (!!!) heavy weapons which comes out to four whole crews and three to put in Tac squads.  I'll need two of those teams to create Dev squads for that my current demi-company.  I also know that I have more than enough  to make another Assault squad and another Tac squad to actually fill it out into a full Company.  Many of the others will probably form the Dev squads and the Tac squad heavy weapons for the next Company I start.

Man, I got a lot of stuff...

Bikes! Lancers No Less!!!

I was looking at a box when I noticed that it had a few bike parts in it.  I found two Bikes that I didn't know I had.  So I resolved to do something with them.  I started putting them together and then I was inspired to do something more.  About a thousand years ago, I got a bunch of brass spears and other weapons.  Unfortunately, being 25mm, the other weapons were too small, which is tragic because an assault squad wielding scimitars would have been awesome.  But the spears were fine.  I never did my original idea, but I had come up with the idea for a squad of Veteran Bikers.  I promptly dubbed them the Black Lancers.  I had a set of black Dark Angel bikers from a friend.  I dubbed them the squad in question until I got around to creating my own or until or got around to retrofitting the old ones.  I'm not the kind of guy who goes back to older stuff that often, unfortunately.

The point of all this is that when I put these together, I decided it was time.  I'll give them some spiffy iconography to make them look more veteran, but I've started.  Soon there will be at least 2 more.  Good for me. :)

Hopefully, I'll be starting on a Bike Librarian soon.  I found a guy who's supposedly sending me a force weapon for him.  Part of me is thinking it's probably just a power weapon but I'll give it a chance.  I may have to make something up on my own.  In theory, I'm doing it as part of a competition and it needs to be done by Nov. 3rd.  In reality, I just want to get it done.  It's been in the back of my head for so long I'm a little excited at the thought of getting it done.

Bikes Without Bikers

So I cracked open the boxes and assembled the bikes.  The outer two are the old school ones.  The one in the middle is the newer one.  It's also the one I'm going to use for my bike Librarian.  That's all I had time for last night.  Hopefully I'll be able to assemble the other bikes and the attack bike tonight, but we shall see.

Which also reminds me...  I need to get my hands on a Force Weapon for him.  I'm not anywhere good enough to sculpt details onto a weapon.  I guess if I can't fins one in the very near future, I may have to try.  I do have some two handers I was using as relic weapons that I don't have intended for something else at the moment.  We'll see...