Happy BOYLday Fimm McCool's!

It seems incredible, but it was 5 years this weekend that, inspired by blogs such as Mr Saturday's Mumblings and Realm of Chaos 80s, I started writing FimmMcCools blog (then FimmMcCool's Games Orkshop). It's great timing for celebrating that Bring Out Your Lead, the UK annual Oldhammer day, now takes place on that weekend so I can celebrate the two together.

This year it just so happened that the two main games I was involved in (the BFFG (big f'ing fantasy game) and Inquisitor Cynole and the Temple of Gloom) featured my Fimir and AdMech... the two armies I've been mainly featuring in the blog. It was a great excuse to clear off my 'to do' shelves a lot of the figures I've been trying to find time to add to those armies over the last half-decade.

If you've been following my Fimir-oquest diary over on the Oldhammer forum (http://forum.oldhammer.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=8773) you'll have seen the painting pile diminish somewhat, with just over 200 figures done in just under a month. It's been crazy, but it was well worth it for the spectacle and to clear space for some of the side projects I've wanted to get going. Without further ado let the pictorial celebrations commence:

BFFG: The rise of Morcar
The Fimir of clan Maer rock up with their crafty plan to summon the master of dark magic... time to get those standing stones up.

 

 The forces of good arrive to stop the dastardly schemes and surround the Fimir... carnage ensues as the goodies roll for first turn and charge the bog monsters.

Hordes of evil in turn surround the goodies...

The Doomguard arrive, and seeing the cannon pointed directly at them promptly turn and flee off the board again!

The game followed a nice, organic flow with loose time slots marking the end of each turn. Turn 5 was reached in about 10 hours with all dreams of summoning the evil lord back to assume control of the Old World ruined. Ah well, at least everyone got to take home their own little Morcar!

Inside the tent it was hot and sticky... outside it was merely deathworld jungle heat! Bring on the Inquisitor Cynole game, a fantastic RT scenario from Aidan and his able assistant.

 

 

Dr Moenkhaus' Mechanists (not AdMech, honest guv!) arrive at the temple complex to collect the artefact of great technological importance...

 

 

 

Greeted by some less-than-civil members of the Trade Guild they decide to wait outside and let the nobles' hunting party go in first. After all, the temple is on their land. The nobles have brought a film crew with them to record their daring adventure.

 



Whilst waiting for access to the temple some engineers bring up the hover platform for removal of the artefact.

Outside the electric fence lies a secret cache of warbots. When the natives pry too close one of the engineers puts a warning shot across their bows.

Negotiations at the temple entrance take a nasty turn when the Trade Guild and nobles draw on one another. The very expensive Lab Bot receives a las cutter in the face, cutting it clean in half. Enraged, Dr Moenkhaus shoots down the perpetrator with his plasma pistol.

The Mechanists' demolition charge takes out the generator, plunging the temple network into darkness. Two remaining engineers creep inside as the Mercenaries outside start firing indiscriminately at everyone else.

 

The end game had all sorts of nastiness, with a demon erupting in the temple, treachery, slaughter of innocents and the stealing of the Mechanists' ornithopter. Dr Moenkhaus almost got away by stealing the Trade Guild's dropship, but it was gunned from the sky by a defence laser... did the doctor escape? Look out for the revenge of Dr Moenkhaus!

On Sunday morning the Fimir came out again for a 5-way warband skirmish with rival clan warlords trying to gather enough crystal shards to claim the crown of the mystic isle of Chulaine.

One clan tried to stay out of trouble, waiting whilst the others reduced their numbers squabbling amongst themselves.

Another clan was not so restrained. After receiving a spell in the face the Fianna began an unstoppable frenzied killing spree!

After the rest of his guards were slaughtered, his shard was stolen and he was trampled by a unit of shearl the lone armoured Fimir warlord wandered confused around the battlefield. Mistaking it for a foe he ended up attacking a large rock.

Just as the cautious clan approached the stone circle the fabric of space time tore apart and five Fimarines from the far future came storming into the fight, bolters blazing!

Their guns were no match for the axes of the Fimm and they fell in savage close combat, their power armour proving useless against the celtic fury! Seeing the demise of the Fimarines the Frenzied Fianna gathered up their stolen shards and fled the table. Nobody would be going to Chulaine that day!

Thanks one and all for making it another wonderful BOYL weekend, especially thanks to the Foundry staff for making us so welcome. Here's to next year!

Happy BOYLday Fimm McCool's!

Inquisimunding- the return of the AdMech

Many, many months ago a friend brought it to my attention that GW were releasing boxed plastic Skitarii, and that, since I have an AdMech army, I should get some. I did. They sat in a box, unopened, until last weekend when Iw as spurred on by an invite from the same firend to go play some Inquisimunda. I needed an AdMech warband and, whilst I could pick from among the 3000 points of AdMech I already have, I never pass up an opportunity for some modelling, so I dived for the box of Skitarii rangers along with some other recent acquisitions from Ramshackle Games and ebay to see what I could whip up:

 

 

Here's the warband then. A Warfactory/Lancer cultist (from among our own community, and part of a great little but expanding range of cultists) with a Space Crusade fusion gun and Skitarii breastplate is my Genetor. His able assistants are all abhumans which he has 'purified' through technology, the exception being the Arcoflagellant (Ramshackle with my own chainsaw added and the sensers from the Skitarii backpacks) who is an old flame of his. Two Ramshackle squat-types had some Skitarii bits added and the other two are unmodified Bob Olley Scrunts. Lastly there's an Ogryn Gun Servitor with a heavy bolter (modified Hordes Trollkin). Well that was fun, but wait! There are pieces left....:

 

EM4 mixed with Ramshackle and Space Marine bitz to make some Ruststalkers.

My efforts for Orktober then I guess! Ork bodies, Warzone Mutant Chronicles heads, Skitarii legs and big guns...need a lot of green stuffing! Gun servitors.

Ironstriders made from EM4 bits and Void Vasa riders.

 

Some Iron Guard types, experimenting blending the very old with the very new (Heresy!). Green stuff groins will be required as their hip had to shrink somewhat to fit in the Skitarii robes!

 

So, a weekend of fun painting coming up then, maybe. And after all the hype and expectation, how did I finally find the Skitarii box? Well, honestly, a bit rubbish. The details nice and I'm sure they fit together well to make up the models on the box, but as the useful conversion bitz box I hoped it would prove it was a big disappointment. No useful servo skulls or bits of armour to pop on things, no flexible arms, no multi-use torsos. The heads are about the most useful bit and they're all a bit samey. Not wanting to moan too much about the big GW, this does seem to fit the pattern of giving you nicely designed kits to make the stock figures or, at best, do a little kit bashing by changing a pair of arms or a head. This was definitely not a box designed to give you lots of opportunities to AdMech up other figures. Which is a shame, because surely people who want to have AdMech want to play with converting their own unique force don't they? I'd have thought the theme and reputation of the Mechanicus makes it a perfect modellers/converters army- none of which is helped by the very specifically-fitting components of the rangers box. Ah well. Back to Mutant Chronicles/Void for those opportunities then!

Inquisimunding- the return of the AdMech

Adding to the Mech...

Since I've been busy with the Woods, the Space Dorfs and various other bits recently my AdMech force have been rather neglected. But no longer!

Now, after all, there's an official army list, and the first official GW products I've been tempted into buying for a long time...

 



Yes, I bought official GW AdMech Skitarii, but never fear! I shall not be replacing my Warzone minis which form the core of my ADEPTUS MECHANICUS FORCE, I've got these for all the bits I can use to convert with. Alongside them I've also picked up this lovely selection of Urban Mammoth, Lancer Miniatures Warfactory and Ramshackle Games chappies. Yup, the Brotherhood of the Iron Road is about to get Squat and Ape (Jokaero?) additions! Now I need to pick up a copy of the official Skitarii book I suppose so I can make sure my force is legal... or I could just keep running it Guard with Khorne allies as I have been!

Thoroughly recommend the Ramshackle and Lancer miniatures... very good value and splendid detailing, plus they're such nice chaps! Keep looking out for more AdMech goodness in the near future! :)

Adding to the Mech...

Gears of war.... the stormtroopers

Quick snap of some guys I spent a few hours making up last night after deciding I needed some deep striking AP3 weapons to help with some Blood Angels next week. These are pretty much the last of the box of plastic Warzone figures I got back in November, their arms replaced with some old Necromunda guns, Catachan bitz and weapons from the Dark Vengeance cultists. The heads are more of my own cast servitor heads. These were really fun to make up, I love how the different heads and weapons really alter the poses from the ranks and file and veteran squads in the army. The Warzone figures have been really versatile and definitely a top buy for making up the mainstay of an army which could have been very pricey indeed.

Gears of war.... the stormtroopers

Rise of the machines!

Getting close to having all the units painted for the AdMech now, mainly the Arcotechton and the vehicles to finish off. Here are the most recent additions to the force:

Vexillarius Sepulchrade and his Aurer attendant. The perspex top of the ensign has a green LED set into it  for extra special glowy effect.

 This nice little Warzone figure is counting as Marbo. In the one and only game I have fielded him in he managed to overshoot a squad of biovores with his demolition charge and spectacularly failed to slay a lone Termagant... hmm.

The Drogues- special weapon squads equipped with experimental weaponry. A mix of modified Catachans and Dark Vengeance Cultists.

8 servitors for the Enginseers, 4 with servo-arm-type-things and 4 with heavy weapons. Don't know if they'll ever get used but they look pretty.

Rise of the machines!