Product Review: Matlida Battle Tank "Fury"

Today I present to you another product review. This time from Victoria Miniatures. Long time readers of this blog will know that I have done a few Victoria Miniatures reviews for her Border World Rangers before but never a vehicle.

The Matilda Battle Tank has been on my list of "to buy" items for a long time. This Battle tank was a gift from my friends for my birthday. They bought me not only the tank itself, but also the gun pack and the sponson pack. Shipping took the normal amount of time to reach the US from Australia and was not bad at all. When the tank arrived, it arrived it a single box with the bits in one part of the box and the main tank located in another box. The Tank was then washed and dry fitted together.

The casting on the tank is beautiful. The way the turret guns fit into the turret is flawless and does not even require magnets to work. It should be noted that the tank also has spots for magnets built into the sponsons. Assembly was easy and once I got started it was hard to put it down. I was able to assemble the model in one sitting but after that it was a few weeks before I could get the courage to airbrush her. When I finally did it was well worth it. I have taken the model to my local store many times and get questions about who makes it all the time. It is certainly a conversation starter and eye candy for the table.

I think sometime in the future I certainly will be ordering a few more! Victoria Miniatures has hit a home run with this model. I would certainly recommend this model to anyone looking for a change to the standard Leman Russ. If you are a fan of historical tanks but want a touch of science fiction to your 40k models you cant go wrong! Let me know your own feelings on this beautiful tank! In the mean time I got to get back to painting her.

Until Next time!

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Tau Sept: Shadow sun

To Follow any other path other than the Tau'va is to doom us all. Only together through courage and discipline shall we stand victorious. Fight with fire and courage and nothing can stand against us! - Shadow Sun (Tau Codex 4th Edition) 

So I hope you all will forgive me but I have been busy this last month with school and work. Today I present to you something thats been in my "to write" list for a while. Tau Commander Shadow Sun! 

This model is from Wargame Exclusive and is the Greater Good Dash Commander model. Sharp eyed viewers will notice that this version of Shadow Sun is a lot more "anime" than Games workshops version. The design was fine for what I wanted it for and so I put in a order for it.

 This model took about two weeks to get to the United States and then I washed it as per normal. Afterwords I put down a purple ink layer and then did the jade wash on the model. From start to finish the model only took 1 full night of work. This was unusual for me and I carefully checked to make sure that I did not miss any detail on the model. I tried to also highlight her face as to make it seem more "cute" but I dont think I did as good a job as I could have. You be the judge. 

Lately I've been searching for a better job and so my post have become fewer and far between. This means in the future I might be down to only 1 post per month. Hopefully I can keep the pace up but we will see. How do you all feel about WIP post? I usually try to make sure a post is about a finished project but Ive been thinking more WIP post might help me to get more motivated? Let me know in the comments!

Anyway Today I also broke out my air brush and did two more chimeras for my Inquisition and Tanith Army. After they were dried, I got out my tanks and took a group photo as a tease of what I want to do a future post on for my "Armored Company" list I play at times. So since I've had you all wait for so long I hope this teaser will do. 

Work In Progress Armored Company. Notice that the red chimera is a Inquisition Chimera as is the one on the far left in the same row.

Till next time! Keep rolling those dice! Leave a comment, say hi, or just let us know you were here. Every little bit helps.  

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Product Review: Gideon Tank by MadRobot Miniatures

Look at that Armored Beauty

Its time for another Product review! This time coming from MadRobotMiniatures.

 A quick disclaimer: This was not the first time that I had ordered from the Mad Robot (AKA: Steve) but it was the first time that I had done a significant dollar value order that I felt it would be the proper time to do such a review.

So without further ado, lets get started. The concept for the Gideon Tank first appeared years ago with this concept art piece seen at the top. There it stayed until Steve was able to acquire the rights for it and started in on making this beautiful piece of 40k fan work into a 3D model. After following this project for months, a full view of the tank was finally released in Spring 2016 before its release date in the Summer.

The Tank in 3D render form

When my birthday rolled around I was able to buy myself three of these tanks to start off my armored company list. Steve was very kind and helped walk my through the process of making sure that the order was completed fully. He even allowed me to use my points on his company store to add to the order. A huge thank you to Steve!

Once the models arrived (very fast and in wonderful condition), I set about putting them together. The video on the MadRobot Facebook page allowed me to quickly understand how this beast was meant to be put together and assembly was flawless and fast. It should be noted that there are areas on the bottom of the treads that need to be sanded or shaved off if your OCD about your miniatures like I am. Im not sure if this was part of the casting process or just my batch but it did not hinder the model in any form. Next it was off to be primed before being magnetized. I would highly recommend that for this beast, you get a set of N52 strength magnets in order to make the best use of this bad boy.

Unprimed

So once I got my supply drop in I started painting this tank. First, I primed it in a light grey. Then I did a airbrush spray of German Grey on top of it. One that had dried, I did a Vallejo Grey-black on the treads and the hatch. The Tank commander (Captain LeGuin of the Pardus 8th) was done with Vallejo Khaki and then a brown agrax earthshade wash. Then on top of the German Grey I did patches of Vallejo Basalt Grey.  From there I also did the wheels in Basalt Grey and then did the metal colors. All of the windows were done with a blue base and then a layer before a glaze was added.

Once the colors were done, I added a nuln oil on the metals before a highlight of silver was added.

Leman Russ Tank for Pardus 8th

Rear View

This tank has multiple variations that can be added or taken away from the tank with magnets or putty. Steve has done a excellent job of making this tank a one of a kind German- Tiger-ish tank for those historians among us. My Pardus 8th Armored is done up for city fight colors so I might add one more lighter grey before I call it a day.

Front View

Overall, I would rate these tanks a strong 10/10! Steven and his company have made a strong alternative tank for our favorite wargame that any gamer would want to have multiples of in his or her army. If you are a fan of treads, this tank is a must for your army. For me, it was my love for history that made me want to add this to my army. I know for certain I am going to order at least a few more to finish off my Armored Company. Once the Plasma and other missing variations are released, I can strongly say this tank becoming a top candidate among Tread heads wanting something new in their army.


Until Next Time! Happy Gaming!

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Pardus 8th Armored: Line of Death

Line of Death

Today we have another addition to the Pardus! I present to you, Line of Death. This Leman Russ Tank is commanded by Captain Le Guin, seen both in the Tanith First and Only novels as well as the Phantine novels. This Leman Russ Tank carries two auto cannons and a hull heavy bolter. Sharp eyed views can note that the side panels have had the words "Pardus" added onto them for detail.  This tank was a joy to work on and I hope that sometime in the near future I will be able to make them some track covers for the top area. Captain Le Guin remains one of my personal favorite characters from the Gaunt's Ghost series due to his loyalty and caring for his men.

Front View

WIP at the moment!

Sometime in the future, I hope to make it so that Line can join her brothers and sisters as a Battle cannon tank as well. The battle cannon piece was modeled on a converted Thunderer that I sent off to Bandogora for his birthday. Maybe he'll let me do a post about that soon enough! In the meantime I am letting Line of Death be my main hunter for heavy infantry and light vehicles. I hope to get a 4th tank soon to run as a Command Tank for the squadrons. We'll see how that turns out.

So what else has been going on here? Glad you asked! I've taken to working on my next flyer to paint up: my converted Vulture Gunship! This flyer is heavily armed with Punisher cannons and a heavy bolter meant to take down light targets. It will be painted up in the colors of the 352nd "Blue Nose Bastards of Bodney, a P-51D Mustang unit from World War II. However, in game terms, it will be from the world of Phantine for their aviators. That at the moment is a major WIP.

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Pardus 8th Armored: Drum Roll Please!

Drum Roll in her glory

So here we are with the second part of my Pardus 8th Armored update! Today I present to you  "Drum Roll" commanded by Captain Hancot. This tank first appeared in the Gaunt's Ghost series of books. Since my Tanith are working with the Pardus 8th I figured I would add another tank into their ranks. This tank joins Fury of Pardus as the second member of the three part squadron I intend to make up for my 2000 point army.

Front View

This paint scheme was the same as other tanks in my Pardus Armored. The only problem painting this time was that I've been sick with a very nasty cold. As Im sure many of you know, feeling sick and painting models is not a fun feeling. Nonetheless I was determined to paint up this tank for the weekend. There are a few bits I intend to buy for this tank so that it looks more uniform with the others. Also I'm trying to think of ways to jury rig it so that the side weapons can be added onto the tank.hopefully in the future i'll have something done up.

So whats coming in the future? Well Im planning to finish the last of these three tanks. That tank is currently sitting here next to me on my work bench. After that I intend to go back to the Ad Mech or maybe work on some Menoth from Warmachine.

Also, that secret project that I keep mentioning has made major gains in the last few weeks. In the near future I hope to be able to talk to you all about it. I hope you all are as excited as I am. For the moment I think Im going to go lay back down. This sickness is terrible...


Till next time, leave a comment, say hi or give me a follow, every little bit helps!

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Pardus 8th Armored: Fury of Pardus

A New Year means new models to try and build. This  time around its the Pardus 8th Armored! Yes Im finally back working on my tank company. Last time I had messed around with these guys was way back in 2012 when I started to paint up my Leman Russ tanks. Those were sold and traded away on a (much regretted) whim. Now I've been forced to restart from scratch.

Originally, I was gonna wait for Victoria Lamb or Mad robot miniatures to release there own versions of the Leman Russ tank (and I still might) but in the mean time, I have converted up my 3 extra Chimeras into a Leman Russ Tanks with the power of magnets! Since my own regretted whim left me without tanks, I put away playing my IG for tau as of late. However, this does not mean that I have been slacking. Instead, I decided to convert up these models as proof of concepts to show that it could be done.

Today I think the proof is in the pictures. This is the first conversion I did. Its named Fury on the side, which is short for "Fury of Pardua" found in the book "Double Eagle" by Dan Abnett. It was commanded by Lt. Klodas and was abandoned in the desert on Enothis. Here, it before that fateful battle. It was also a nod to the movie "fury" which came out last year about the tank crews in WWII. Although I havent seen it, It was too good of a opportunity to pass up.

I did my paint scheme up in a urban environment since my armies are suppose to be fighting to retake a Hive world in the Sabbat Worlds. Since these pictures were taken, I have converted up two more tanks to add to the Pardus. With the news that Madrobot is coming out March 1st with the new Gideon Tanks of his, Im not sure how long these tanks will remain tanks but in the mean time I hope to have some fun with them and enjoy a few more games with my guard. Its been too long since they've seen action and a few of the squads have been done up (as seen here).

In other news, The Adeptus Mech have been getting some love and painted. Forge World Metallica is growing and I hope to soon be able to post their pictures here along side my Tanith army. One of the coolest things about the Ad Mech is their weird playing style. Its like a battery that starts off strong and weakens the longer the game goes on. They truly are a alpha strike army. Hopefully I will get to take them out soon! My regular opponent has now picked up a Ork army also. This means guardsmen vs ork battles might soon be a thing. Fingers crossed for some exciting battle reports.

Until next time!

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Wargaming and Attitude discussion

This has been a topic that I've been heavily considering writing on a for a while. In the course of painting models, a few topics came up the other day on one of my recent pictures posted online. The paint job in general was considered "unfinished" , "Just primer" and "Shit" by many that commented on it.

First off, let me make something clear. This is not a whining post! 

This is a discussion on how we as war gamers are not always welcoming to others that might wish to join in on our hobby of plastic soldiers (No matter the system!) When I posted the picture I never imaged the hatred I would receive from people that were looking to either boost their own egos or put down others. The worst part was that this was a group of gamers that I frequented often. This group has a wonderful membership but the fact remains that people will begin to feel uncomfortable posting their own models if they are only going to get told that their work sucks.

Over the course of the last few days I have been watching the group. In that time I've painted a few more models here and there. Detailed a few and enjoyed painting. However I am hesitant to show anyone my work. If I, a veteran painter and player am hesitant to post my work, how must a new player feel watching the community tear itself apart over one or two "bad" paint jobs. This is unacceptable.

Primer or Paint? Can you tell the difference?
side note: This was not the model in the discussion

The facts remain on those models. First off, it was not "just primer" or "unfinished". There were two coats of paint and two different washes on there for just the body alone. The rest of the model was covered in colors ranging from golds to grey. Secondly, anytime you call somebody's work "shit" or "unfinished", please realize that you are not adding anything to the conversation. A more helpful attitude would have been to suggest a way to better the model or talk about what the positives of the model were.  Thirdly, if the model in question is not one that you like or feel is to YOUR standards, instead of posting on it, leave it alone. It cost you nothing. I will be the first to admit that I am not a class A+ painter. However, this was shockingly below the average post quality of the group in question.


So what can we do to encourage people to post their work and not feel judged? Be welcoming for starters. Encourage people to show off your work and give helpful, good advice on what they can do. Be friendly, even if it is the internet, people still want to feel good about their models they put time into. "The Thin your paints!" and "My eyes drill your barrels" post are funny but tried memes at this point. Offer painting tips to new painters and new players alike. Finally, realize that people paint to their own standards. What might be "Unfinished" to your eyes might be a new timers "master piece".


I hope these ideas and topics encourage you to think about your own painting. If you got anything to add post in the comments below!

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March on Tanith, March on.... (Part 1)

New Fresh Recruits in the resin

So where have I been these past few months? Well after the end of the semester came I found out I passed my classes and will be starting my thesis. This great news meant that I will be able to start on the final road to earning my Master's Degree in History.

In the mean time I've been putting together this giant pile of resin and priming it to get started. These photos and this post have been waiting for months to get posted. However, the timing was never right till now.

Whats in the Box?

These photo's were day 1 photos of my big project for 2015. A brand new 100% Victoria Lamb and 3rd party Imperial Guard army. Having gotten this project assembled. I decided to take it slowly making this army my baby. Even the Phantine troopers have gotten redone in order to make sure everything is up to standard as I want it. Sometimes I wonder if its just me who wants to make a perfect, true to lore army or if others want to do it with their forces too.

Test Scheme

My next step is to start working slowly on rebuilding this army to its former glory. One of the biggest opportunities is that Victoria Lamb's female guard allow for me to get some Verghast female snipers as well as a distinguished look for my Verghast over my Tanith. Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen. In the coming months I hope to have more to show you with these forces.

Seen here is the first test scheme model that i completed today. Please note that the tattoos have not been done yet as I am unsure what trooper I wish for this model to be. I have been trying to find a list of each trooper's tattoos. If anyone knows please message me!!! This trooper was done in a new paint scheme that ive been trying out. Most of the model is done up in Vallejo paints. The texture paint on the base was provided to me by my good friend Bandogora who trade them to me for some commissions seen earlier in this blog. Besides this trooper I have also gotten "Try Again" Bragg done too. His model will be showing up in another post that I had planned to write months ago. Any and all comments are welcome.

Test Scheme side shot

Another note is about the All Guardsmen party as done by Shoggy. The banners now seen as the top of my blog are done by the wonderful Kurt Metz. I traded away my first verison of the All Guardsmen Party (AGP) to him in order to get a few custom art pieces done. However, the final detailed models were never shown outside of TG and 1d4chan. So I plan to release images of them here with the V2 editions once they are finished.

The V2 editions actually include a full 10 man squad. This time new faces such as Heavy, Fumbles the Pysker, and Spots the Wonder drone join the party in a attempt to make a INQ legal squad for Kill Team games. I actually got a chance to take them out and play a few games with them two weekends ago. They preformed well in the hands of a novice learning the game of 40k. Hopefully once they get painted they will be joining my INQ forces as full members of Inquisitor Greg Sargent retinue.  A lot of time and effort has gone into making the army the best that it can be.

I know at the beginning of the year i promised to talk about a secret project. That project is still being worked on and news will be coming soon. Until next time. Keep rolling those dice. The Emperor Protects..........

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All in the Squad....

The All Guardsmen party!

Well today is both a sad and exciting day indeed. Today, (February 28th 2015) I sold my first ever Tanith army. The winning bidder is lucky getting a army that has served me well across the various battles of the 41st millennium. The Emperor Protects...

However, this means that my second Tanith army that I have been posting about finally was ordered as well. This army will be composed of Brother Vinni's Models, as well as Victoria Lamb's.  So not all is lost. I kept my vehicles of the Padrus 8th Armored and the Phantine Forge world models that are made from Elysians.  With this force, I intend to start off my new army right with a new paint scheme and many new techniques.

Twitch, Tink, Doc, Cutter

However, what I have for today is taken from Shoggy's "All Guardsmen Party". These collection of stories follow Shoggy's Role playing game group as they try to survive in the Inquisition as Imperial Guardsmen. Sarge, Tink,Doc, Cutter,Nubby, and Twitch have been been the focus of this small project of late.

These characters instantly spoke to me. Many of the heroics told throughout the story are of simple men trying to survive in the universe that hates them. If you haven't gotten the chance to read the stories I highly recommend it! Shoggy is a wonderful story teller!

Doc, Cutter, Sarge, and Nubby

So far I have started on Sarge, (now Inquisitor Greg Sargent) and Cutter. From the story, Cutter and Sarge are two of my favorite characters. Sarge repeatedly proves himself to be a capable leader. His use of leadership and the "NCO disaster manual"  proves to be repeatedly used throughout the story. Cutter for his own replaced Heavy after the latter's death early on. Cutter was once a scribe that quickly learned to love his chain sword and close quarters battle. Cutter would end up on many of the parties early adventures. In one instance he threw himself down a shaft after his beloved chain sword swinging it into the body of a possessed tech priest. Only quick thinking on the part of Nubby would save him. Yet like others, death came for him at the hands of two Chaos Space Marines and a Heritek. His chain sword cutting into the half man, half machine, the last words he heard were "burn" as a massive explosion went off around him burning him and the heretic to death as they fell into oblivion. In tribute to these awesome characters I am making them into model form.

Another thing I wanted to post about was the Phantine Skyborne I've been working on. Since they were saved from the E bay, I wanted to get a community opinion. In one of my earlier stories I wrote about the recruitment poster that my character Jonus Remaus had stood in for. Many posters responded positively to the lore and background. When I found this poster I couldn't help but smile. It seemed to match everything I had written about the Phantine born man. Although the poster is for the PDF, the viewer can imagine it being for the Skyborne or even the aviator corps.

So I'm asking you my dear readers. Should I repaint my Phantine to better match this pilot and the look of a World War II aviator? I think the look would better match what i had expected from the Phantine but at the same time I feel that I like the state they are at now. Maybe time will tell, since i'm redoing my Valkyries to match the Phantine aviator corps.

As always there is more to come and many new exciting things I wish to share with all of you! However at the moment I am unable to disclose more,

Till next time, keep rolling those dice......!

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Product Review: Victoria Miniatures Border World Rangers

                Well here we are our first new project for 2015!  My long term goal for the New Year is to build myself a fighting force of Victoria Miniatures "Border World Rangers" to gradually phase out my Games Workshop conversions in my Tanith First and Only force. This was a decision by me in order to focus on a better look to my Tanith, I have always wanted to push my painting skills and I believe that the lessons I learned from my first army will help me to improve upon this army to be even better.

This new army is going to be made up of entirely 3rd party miniatures as far as I can go. Future plans include both male and female Rangers as well as custom Commissar Gaunt and Viktor Hark models. I hope to be able to make this my pride and joy army. So since this is a product review lets get to it.

The Ranger body and cloaks

This will not be the first time I have worked with Victoria Lamb models. That experience came when I ordered the camo cloaks from her back in 2013. However, I put off this review for a long time due to wanting to make sure I could give a fair and balanced review. Having decided to start this project, I felt now was the time to do it.

Let me start off by saying that the models are even more gorgeous in the resin then the pictures can tell. After having seen some of the Tannenburg models that a friend of mine ordered, I knew I would get excellent results for this army.

bases,scopes and bodies

legs,arms,heads and bits

The models came excellently wrapped and bubble wrapped to protect them against the shipping and handling. I ordered about 100$ worth to avoid the shipping fees that disappears at 50$ USD (highly recommended). They arrived after about two weeks from Australia to the United States.

The models were examined and found to have been in good shape. They had survived their journey well. After opening the packages, I placed the model spurs into warm soapy water. This was for two reasons. One was to clean off the resin release agent that all resin models have. Without this step the paint will not attach itself to the model. Second, it was to re-bend the models back into proper form on those that had bent in transit.

Overall the models arrived in very good time and order, Right now they are undergoing a wash to make sure they are thoroughly cleaned. I would highly recommend Victoria Miniatures not only for their price, but for their quality. Vic's minis are some of the best I've seen on the miniature market. Anyone looking for an alternative model in 28mm heroic would be advised to check out this wonderful company.

As this is the start of the first project of the New Year, I hope to be able to finish this army in the long term. Its something we'll have to see about though.

Till next time, keep rolling those dice...

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New Year, New Projects: Hello 2015!

Hello and welcome to the 2015 edition of Behind the Lines Gaming. As a new year gets underway we look forward to the new start that a new year will bring. Like last year I will be attempting to post every two weeks but again graduate school might  get in the way. As with last year, this is more a attempt to regulate myself than a true schedule or promise. 

First off, I will be starting off this year with a new army project. I am going to be attempting to create a full Victoria Miniatures army of Border World Rangers. This will be a ambitious attempt to create a true feeling Tanith first and only army of Non-GW models. A review of Victoria Miniatures will also be forthcoming once the start of the army arrives.

 Also I will be working on my Tau army to get it all painted. Some of my flyers have been stripped of their paint and will be redone once I can find time to get to them.  

In non Games workshop terms, I also intend to fully paint up my Menoth army for Warmachine. Right now this project hasn't been shown on here but it is coming along. nonetheless it is underway. (White is a pain to paint) but I am hopeful for the learning experience.

In other Gaming Related news for the New Year:

Also I will be starting my second season of the Edge of the Empire game that I am Game mastering. This time the heroes will head off into the galaxy to fight against the evil Empire. Although the hero's don't know whats in store for them, the galaxy is a wide place. Already in season 1 they had faced death numerous times before. This time they better be ready for true consequences. The Empire wont allow the Rebels to escape this time.

Also underway is a major ambitious goal of Renegade09, Pwnzilla789, and my own that I hope to be able to talk about in the near future. This goal is the largest yet to date but at the moment all is looking to be on track! Stay tuned for a major update soon. I hope that you all are excited as I am.

2015 is going to be a exciting new year that we here at Behind the Lines gaming hope everyone will be excited for! Stay tuned for a much more to come!

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2014: A year in Review

Roll that D6

Its about that time of the year again! 2014 is drawing to a close and 2015 is on the way! What a year it has been! This year started off with a new case and my Imperial guard army becoming a completed project. As this year draws to a close this blog will continue to expand with new content. 2015 is going to be a exciting year full of new projects, new models and expansions. 

First off is going to be the start of a full Victoria Miniatures army full of "Border world Rangers". These models are excellent resin models and contain large amounts of character. I will intend to do a full review on Victoria miniatures that I had planned to do in 2014. Also in the works is my Tau army that is being painted up in a brand new color scheme. This scheme is the result of a lot of trial and error. 

Tau scheme and paints

 Secondly I have also started on my Menoth force. Although no models have been shown yet, the force is well underway. The miniatures market paints have allowed my color palette to expand.  There might be plans to redo my Forge world models in a new scheme in 2015 but that for the moment has been back burned. One of my Valkyries has also been stripped of its paint and a new planned paint job is in the works for 2015. How many of these goals I achieve is still unknown.

As always at the end of the year, Its time to review the top 3 projects. This year has seen many exciting and new things come across my work bench.

#3 would have to be my salamander command vehicle that i built out of a old hellhound. The model was in rough shape when i got her but after some tough love and care she was restored and commissioned into my Padrus 8th armored force. She is still unnamed at this point but the model was one of my favorite to work on!

#2 was  my assassins that i worked on for my inquisitional army. This assassin named A-68 was done up with eldar parts as well as imperial guard, space marine and warhammer fantasy models.  

#1 then for 2014 is a hard choice. Overall i think it would have to be the heavy weapons teams that i redid from scratch. These models took the most time but the end results were way above what i had expected! Although the number of models in the group felt like they were going to take forever, the task actually went by really quickly once the army had gotten started again. It was a proud moment of accomplishment for the year and left me room to start with my tau army.

 As this year comes to a close I want to thank everyone that has kept with this blog! Knowing that people read and watch this blog helps to motivate me to accomplish these task. If you like what you see please become a follower and tell your wargaming friends about this blog. Every little bit helps!
Also leave a comment or just say hello, Every little bit helps! :)

As the year comes to end all i can say is keep rolling those dice. 2015 is coming with many new and exciting projects, Stay Tuned~!

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