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Ahriman and the Exalted Sorcerers

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Hey there Chaos boys and girls! Welcome back to yet another "exciting" edition of Chaos Corner. I have been working hard to add to my Thousand Sons forces. I have put a lot together, but painting these highly detailed models is slow going. Having done 2 squads of Rubric Marines and 1 squad of Scarab Occult Terminators, I decided to do some work on the other half of the Thousand Sons- their "enlightened" leaders, the sorcerers!


I was fortunate enough to get two boxes of Exalted Sorcerers for the holidays, so I was able to do some mixing and matching to give each sorcerer a different and dynamic look. I also used some staff heads from the other Thousand Sons boxes to spice things up even more. Heck, I even did some minor conversion work on one of them by including some bitz from my box of horrors... er, bitz box.

I have already gone over my paint scheme in a previous post. I did do some alterations on their cloaks and head-dresses to make them stand apart, so I won't get into that too much (except for Ahriman at the end, as he is a bit different). Instead, I'll give you a little fluff/background on each Exalted Sorcerer, since each is an independent character.

Ahmes The Scribe of Magnus:


Ahmes, also known as the "Scribe of Magnus" was one of the Thousand Son's greatest librarians. When the legion began to mutate on the Planet of the Sorcerers, Ahriman did not even attempt to recruit Ahmes to his cause, knowing that Ahmes was loyal to the Primarch to a fault and would not countenance what Ahriman was attempting with the Rubric.


After the casting of the Rubric, Ahmes began to rise in stature in the eyes (or is that eye) of Magnus, becoming one of his most trusted lieutenants and apprentices. At the feet of Magnus, Ahmes learned many of the deepest truths about Tzeentch and Chaos in general. Finally, at the order of Magnus, Ahmes was charged with writing down every scrap of knowledge and wisdom that Magnus had learned since becoming a Daemon Primarch. It is said that Ahmes is assisting Magnus in writing a new book, which will dwarf the mighty Athenaeum of Kallimacus itself.


At certain times, Magnus will task Ahmes with going into the material universe. This may be to find a certain artifact, destroy an important Imperial Shrine, kill a certain individual- anything that will further the schemes of Magnus and his patron, Tzeentch. Ahmes is a superb sorcerer, and an able military tactician. Woe to any foe that crosses the path of one of Magnus' favored sons.

The Blind Seer (formerly known as Kaemqed) 


Many millennia ago, Kaemqed was a librarian and follower of the Corvidae sect. Naturally, Kaemqed was convinced by Ahriman to participate in the casting of the Rubric. In the aftermath, Kaemqed was banished by Magnus for his participation in casting the Rubric.

 Once back in the material realm, Kaemqed roamed with his Rubricae, searching for artifacts that would boost his power. He seemed to wander without any real goal other than the acquisition of such trinkets and books. Several thousand years ago, Kaemqed found a chaos-tainted artifact- a tome known as the Encyclopedic Mathematica. Containing many powerful spells and incantations, Kaemqed's power grew, in fact, his powers now eclipsed many other Exalted Sorcerers.


But it was not enough for Kaemqed, for he sought something more- he wanted to be more powerful than any sorcerer, so that when he returned to the Planet of the Sorcerers Magnus would have no choice but to take him back. Kaemqed would take his rightful place at the right hand of Magnus. With the Encyclopedic Mathematica fully deciphered and in hand, Kaemqed attempted to call out to Tzeentch, offering his eye for great power, as Magnus had so long ago. Tzeentch did answer and promised to give Kaemqed great power indeed- but the cost was both of Kaemqed's eyes!

Kaemeq's power was greatly augmented, and his power to divine the threads of fate and the future became arguably second only to Karios Fateweaver himself. However, the cost was greater than his eyes. Tzeentch allowed Kaemeq to see almost anything- except a path to the Planet of the Sorcerers. Thus, Kaemeq's plans were frustrated, and he continued to wander the galaxy. Since, that time, he has become known as "The Blind Seer". Many Chaos warlords have sought Kaemeq's insight and wisdom to plan future campaigns against the Imperium. The Blind Seer often exacts a high price for the use of his vision, perhaps a great sacrifice, or perhaps an artifact that must be obtained at a great cost. Sometimes, The Blind Seer offers his vision in exchange for a role on the battlefield, as he longs to use his powers to destroy the followers of the false-emperor. At any rate, The Blind Seer has, either directly or indirectly, become a major threat to the Imperium, his foresight allowing him (or other Chaos Warlords) to attack Imperial worlds at exactly the right moment.


(Note- the head of The Blind Seer is from the old "Chaos Mutant" sprue from like 15 years ago- I still have a bunch, as they were so useful that I have hoarded them since. As for the book- that comes from an old metal 40K Inquisitor model. Again, I have a huge bitz box. Hence the Encyclopedic Mathematica is represented on the model- even if he can't actually see to read it! Oh Tzeentch, what a sense of humor you have there)

Nakht The Wanderer


Once a Captain of the Thousand Sons, Nakht was a disciple of the Pyrae cult. Nakht fought furiously at the battle of Prospero, using his powers to kill many Space Wolves. He cursed all of creation when Magnus whisked them away to the Planet of the Sorcerers. Nakht felt further humiliation when so many of his battle brothers began to succumb to the curse of the flesh change. Naturally, he was eager to take part in casting the Rubric of Ahriman.

After being exiled, Nakht and his Rubricae joined forces for a time with a Word Bearer warband known as the "Bloody Betrayal". During those years, Nakht took his frustration out on weakling humans and their foolish Astartes defenders. Although he did not participate in the ceremonial worship practiced by the Word Bearers, he did delight in bringing destruction wherever the warband went. As the warband (and Nakht and his Rubricae) went far and wide, other Thousand Sons sorcerers came to call Nakht "The Wanderer".


In recent years, the "Bloody Betrayal" suffered spectacular defeats at the hands of their ancient enemies, the Ultramarines. As a result, the warband broke up, and Nakht took to space on his own once again. As if by fate (for certainly there is no coincidence to Tzeentch), Nakht was contacted by Ahriman himself, who asked for The Wanderer's aid. This time, Ahriman said, his new Rubric would not fail, if he could access the Webway and learn the secrets of the Black Library. From that time forward, Nakht has pledged himself to Ahriman once more, hoping to make the Rubric successful, so that a newly empowered Thousand Sons could take to the battlefields once more, and cast down the Emperor for good.



(Note- Like a good Chaos fanatic, I am always looking to the past for inspiration, I decided to make Nakht's disc a "Fungoid Disc", which comes from like 2nd edition or something. I used tentacles from Chaos Spawn to make the "fungoid" effect. I didn't use putty to mutate the disc, as I think the finished looking top contrasts greatly with the writhing tentacles.)

Ahriman

Naturally, Ahriman is one of the centerpieces of the army. And like all such models, he should be tied into the army, and yet still somehow distinct. I painted his armor and gold trim just as I had the rest of the Thousand Sons. I also did the gemstones the same way as other Thousand Sons.


The real difference comes in two areas. First, his head-dress / horns. Rather than do them gold (like other Thousand Sons), I painted them silver. After all, the forces of Tzeentch have "Silver Towers", so I thought silver would tie into that and make him stand out.


The other big difference is the cloak. While all my Exalted Sorcerers have variations on their cloaks, I also tied them together. With Ahriman, I went in a completely different direction, by going for a truly dark color. I painted the cloak Kantor Blue, then did washes of Nuln Oil (in the recesses) and a general wash of Nightshade. Then, I highlighted with slightly lighter blues. This gave the cloak a dark but deep color, contrasting him nicely with the brighter cloaks of the other sorcerers.


One thing I am disappointed with in the model is that there is virtually NO posibility. He goes together only one way. I was too nervous to cut the model- if I cut wrong it could be ruined (this isn't the Death Guard or Khorne Bezerkers, where a few tentacles or lots of blood can hide a multitude of sins). As a result, my Ahriman is very "average" looking. I love the model, but as I was unwilling to risk it, he now looks like every other Ahriman (which goes against these old converter's bones). Also, by accident, I dropped him on his head, breaking his horns. One managed to stay on, the other was just such a small break that the glue literally didn't have enough surface area to stay connected. He still looks fine, even slightly battle-worn.


So, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. My Thousand Sons force continues to grow apace. I hope to be able to finish more in the next few weeks. Once all of that is done, I intend on starting Magnus. As Magnus is the other centerpiece, I want to make sure I have my army's look completely down. As of now, I have NO idea what I'll be doing with him LOL...

Until next time... Stay thirsty my friends.

Ahriman

New Exalted Sorcerers and Flamers of Tzeentch

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Hey there Chaos goons! Old Man Chaos is back with another riveting installment of Chaos Corner. All your Chaos needs right in one convenient spot. I have some more Tzeentchian goodness (or badness, if you will): 3 more Exalted Sorcerers and Flamers of Tzeentch. So, without further ado...


First up, my Flamers. These were a gift from my wife for Valentine's Day (yes, she knows exactly what kind of a nerd her husband is). I have a bunch of the metal ones, which I am very fond of. These "new" plastic ones are fine- the flames coming from them are nicely sculpted. The whole model has a nice sense of uneven motion- perfect for the Flamers of Tzeentch.


 However, I was troubled by the multiple heads. Seriously, the detail there is SO damn small. The bodies were fine; I just had a hell of a time with the heads. I decided NOT to paint them much or differentiate them. Instead they are just indistinct- as if they are forming from the Flamer's warping body without actually being different from that body. Leering faces that you may or may not be able to see---- this sounded Tzeentchian enough for me.


Their bodies I painted with Kantor Blue. The long tendrils I did Ahriman Blue as a complementary but also vivid color. As for the highlights, I did each Flamer with a slightly different blue, so each one looks a bit distinct from the others, but still unified (Teclis, Thunderhawk, Thousand Sons, Altdorf, etc).


The part that sticks out the most is the flames. Now, A couple of years back I did an Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch (see pics HERE), and I did the flames green. But, my old metal ones I did with more flame colors- red, yellow, orange. So- I decided since I had 6 I would do both- some green, some burning yellows/oranges. I started with white, then put either yellow or green washes on them. Then I highlighted with Moot Green, or Averland Sunset and Troll Slayer Orange. The bright colors stand in contrast to the darker blues of the Flamers.


 Overall, they are not my best paintwork, but certainly adequate for my Daemons. I worked on them while I was working on my second wave of Exalted Sorcerers, which are far more detailed. Now, I'm not going to go over how I painted these new Exalted Sorcerers, as I have already discussed my Thousand Sons paint scheme (HERE). I will say that the bands of yellow and blue are tough for me, as my hand shakes when I tray to paint such little lines, unfortunately (a problem I don't have with Khorne Bezerkers or Plague Marines). I will instead give a little fluff for each of the new Sorcerers, to compliment my previous three (which you can read about HERE).



Sethos- Prince of the Crimson King

Sethos was, at one time, one of Magnus the Red's closest advisors, behind only Amon and Ahriman. With his red hair, he even resembled his Primarch physically. Sethos was one of the best of the Pavoni Cult, and his reputation for being a master of the use of biomancy on the battlefield. When the Space Wolves attacked Prospero, Sethos was at the forefront, using his powers to initiate the "flesh change" within members of the Space Wolves 13th Company.




After their defeat and retreat to the Planet of the Sorcerers, Sethos would play no part in the casting of the Rubric, as his ego was so overblown that he believed that Ahriman's efforts were doomed to fail and Sethos would not be associated with such a risky venture. As a result, when Ahriman and the others were exiled, Sethos remained, and in the days(?) that followed, Sethos became Magnus' right hand. His power was so great, that many called him "The Prince of the Crimson King".




In recent years, Sethos has worked very hard at unlocking the mutation present in all Space Wolves due to the Canis Helix. With Magnus overseeing, it was Sethos who worked out the original formula- the biomantic process of transforming the Space Wolves into the Wulfen beasts. Magnus was able to take that discovery and magnify it to such a tremendous extent (such is the power of Magnus), that the Magnus would be able to trigger mutation in many of the Space Wolves, leading to the disaster at Fenris. Once again, Sethos proved his worth to the Crimson King, and is the undisputed crown prince.


Banitih, "The Teacher of Tzeentch" 

Banitih served long and faithfully during the Great Crusade; although he was subordinate to Ahriman, he was a fine Librarian in his own right. When not on the battlefield, Banitih worked as a senior- a teacher of the younger Thousand Sons. Not only dud he teach them the history of the Legion, but it was his job to assess each new warriors psychic potential and aid them in discovering their powers and help them to understand the enumerations.




Like so many, Banitih was terrified when his Legion began to mutate on the Planet of the Sorcerers. For him, it was actually very personal, as he had taught so many of these younger legionaries. Banitih blamed himself- if only he had taught them better, maybe they could resist the flesh change wrought by the powers of the warp. When Ahriman proposed his Rubric, Banitih was one of the first to join the Cabal, hoping to save his students (and, erase his own failure). Needless to say, Banitih was horrified by the results of the Rubric. 







After being banished by Magnus, Banitih and his Rubricae traveled from Chaos warband to warband. Banitih would teach the warband's aspiring sorcerers, helping them to truly tap into the powers of the warp. In exchange for his services, Banitih would be given any relics or tomes that the ravaging warbands found on their raids. Thus, Banitih has amassed a large collection of artifacts, although his collection pales in comparison to Ahriman's. That does not dissuade Banitih from trying to acquire more pieces of ancient knowledge and power.

Hanbal The Impure


The story of Hanbal is a tragic one, even by Thousand Sons standards. Hanbal was a powerful sorcerer of the Raptora Cult in the days of the Great Crusade. He was one of the first children of Prospero to survive the implantation of the gene-seed. He fought with Magnus in many battles in the Crusade, and was always looking for knowledge of the civilizations that the Thousand Sons brought into compliance.








When the Thousand Sons retreated into the warp after Prospero fell, Hanbal was horrified when he began to exhibit signs of the flesh change. He fought hard against it, but his body and mind were slipping away. As Ahriman was gathering sorcerers into his Cabal, Hanbal was two steps from being a mindless Chaos spawn, his powers now useless. Once Ahriman cast the Rubric, the mutations in Hanbal stopped and reversed themselves, but not fully.



Hanbal retained many avian mutations, with his head distended into a beak and feathers growing from his arm. But it went no further than that, and his mind and powers were restored and enhanced. After Ahriman and his Cabal were banished, Hanbal remained with the loyal sorcerers at the Tower of Magnus. However, he seemed to not "fit in" as it were- the other sorcerers were not mutated at all, and Hanbal seemed to be a freakish in-betweener- part sorcerer, part mutant. He earned the nickname "The Impure" from Sethos, who saw Hanbal as a weak and imperfect sorcerer.


Eventually, Hanbal took his Rubricae and left the Planet of the Sorcerers. Now, Hanbal did not seek out a cure to his mutation or a way to improve the Rubric (as Ahriman had). No- instead Hanbal swore to become a Daemon Prince, cast in the image of Magnus and the Lords of Change. Hanbal has done horrific things to catch the attention of mighty Tzeentch. Little does Hanbal know that Tzeentch will never give him daemonhood- his rage and energy is much better spent this way, as a frustrated champion of Tzeentch driven to ever greater acts of destruction on the material plane.


So, that makes 6 Exalted Sorcerers for me, plus Ahriman. That's a lot of sorcery right there folks. Sadly, I have played two 2,000 point games with the Thousand Sons, and neither battle went particularly well at all. My first battle saw me virtually defeated on turn one, as my Ultramarine opponent dealt out so much damn firepower that I discovered the old adage "a 3 is a 3 is a 3"- youre going to roll 1s and 2s eventually. But unlike regular marines, you are paying a premium for the Thousand Sons.








My second game went better, though it was still a defeat. My biggest problem was that I didn't have anything to punch through my Dark Angel opponent's armor, which included Dreadnoughts. Ahriman did fairly well casting, as did the exalted sorcerers, but it just wasn't enough. My Scarab Occult Terminators were worth every penny though, as they destroyed a squad of bikers and absorbed a ton of firepower. I think my problem is that the Thousand Son footprint is small (like most Chaos Marine armies). Thus you are outnumbered by virtually any army, and the psychic powers alone can't win you the day. Brian and Joe keep telling me to do Magnus, but I'll be disappointed if my army can ONLY do well with Magnus.

Until Next Time...


I fell off the face of the warp

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Hey there Chaos fanatics! Old Man Chaos is back, with a vengeance as it were. I know I haven't posted for quite a while, but I have been very, very busy. Mrs. Chaos and I bought a new house. As I'm sure you realize, this is a big undertaking- banks, lawyers, etc... but it also meant that we had to move, get settled, do work on the house, paint, rearrange furniture for the 20th time... well you get the picture. Because of all that, I have been unable to post in quite some time. That doesn't mean I haven't been keeping up on my 40K though. I have been doing my models, reading 8th edition rules, etc. I will show the things I've painted up... when I can find my lamps that I use to illuminate the models, that is...

Besides, I have something a bit bigger than that to share with you now, my fellow denizens of the warp. When my wife and I were shopping for a house, she said that I should have a dedicated space for my hobby. Not just a painting desk, but a virtual man-cave sized gaming and hobby area. Now that is an understanding wife, no? At my old family home, I had a gaming table in the basement, but the basement was crowded with a family's lifetime of stuff and clutter. It wasn't that big either. And it had an old boiler that my friend Pete said was the gateway to hell itself (it threw out lots and lots of heat- making it impossible to play down there in the summers). At any rate, my wife wanted me to live the 40K addicts dream with a dedicated space.


With incredible luck, we found such a house that had the perfect space. Yes, it is a basement. But with a little work the basement could be finished, and it would practically double our living space. Great neighborhood, great house, good price... and an area for 40K.

Fast forward a few months. With most of the work done I began planning out my man cave / battle bunker. Half would be dedicated to a good TV and videogame setup. The other half would be 40K central. I moved my painting desk down to the cave and it was perfect (I just have to tidy up a little bit).

When it came time to get a table... I was fucked. I am absolutely NO good with building actual things (plastic models? Yes. A 4x8 table? Hell no.). My previous table was designed and built by Pete (my brother and I certainly helped, but Pete was the boss. And Joe only played with Skorpinok in my basement as we toiled). Pete has since moved far away, and while I see him once in a while there's no way he could build me another table. How could I do it now?

As it turned out, I'd get a ton of help. A bunch of my friends/family put our heads together and came up with a solution. Russ, who has never ever played 40K before is very good at figuring out things. As we described the table I wanted he said that it could certainly be done. And it would be a housewarming present to boot!


 So, a few Saturdays ago, Brian, Russ, Steve, and I went to get all the lumber and screws and such. We took it all back to my basement and began construction. It took several hours, but by the end we had created an incredible table! And despite all our efforts, there were no snags or snafus- heck, no one got hurt either (power tools and us don't mix exactly).


 We started with the legs, framing them out. Russ wanted me to have storage space underneath so that I could store some terrain, dice, models, etc. Now, it could never fit all my terrain crap, but it would certainly be helpful to have that space.



Once the legs and shelf space was set in, we then put the table top on. Now, originally it was just going to be one huge sheet of wood. However, it couldn't fit in any of our vehicles. So I said to have the store cut it down the middle for transport. Russ said he could make it work. With metal braces placed on the undersides, he as able to join them together just fine. Then, the table went on top of the legs and with some screwing, hammering, etc, the table was done.


 But we were not finished. One of the things that always bugged everyone who has ever played warhammer is when dice roll onto the floor. To solve that problem, we put wood molding around the perimeter of the table, as a border. Now, dice won't roll off the table edge.


The other issue we dealt with was WHERE to roll the dice. Now whenever Pete built a table, it was always 4 x 8. Now, usually games are no more than 4x6. I figured that I would only do 4x6. But Brian had a wild idea- build it 4x8 (just in case we wanted an Apoc game or something). Using similar molding as what we placed on the perimeter, we would cut two pieces so they would fit width-wise across the table. If I placed my game mat in the exact middle of the table, I would have a foot on each side. The molding border would be put in, giving us a rolling lane, an area to put Tactical cards or dead models or what have you. This was also accomplished with great ease.


With construction done, I decided to paint the table top black (my multimedia unit and my modelling desk are black so I figured why not match it all). I may or may not paint the table legs at a later date, but I really just wanted to get the top done.


Ah! Now it was finished I put on one of my mats that I got from FAT Mats. And then some terrain. And at that point I knew that I had exactly what I wanted- a gaming table in a place with plenty of space! And the table is just perfect.


So, about a week later, Brian and I decided to break in the new table with two games. His Ultramarines against my Khorne forces- as nature intended. Now I have played a few 8th edition games, as had Brian. I like 8th edition, though I think it still has problems. Brian with his gun line wins against me every time, because I have to go in close to get him. Though close combat is brutal, you still have to GET there, which turned out to be very difficult for me.


In the first game, we had table quarters playing big guns never tire. Brian stole the initiative and shot me to hell. I lost half my army during his turn 1 shooting phase. There was literally nothing I could do. Nothing. And I made decent save rolls too. It was just too much firepower.


 In his turn 2 he wiped out most of what remained. Brian is the type of player who always goes for the throat. Not unfair or cheating- just he plays tough and he plays to win. He said that close combat armies will always lose to that sustained shooting. He feels that alpha strike determines the winner way too much.



The second game was the arrowheads deployment and we played the cleanse and control maelstrom mission. This game Brian also won, but It was back and forth until turn 3. Heck, some of my guys even managed to kill things in combat!


 Kharn killed some stuff (including 4 of my Warp Talons- I forgot he can re-roll to hits. I rolled 4 1s and forgot the re-roll. Ugh). Again, Brian shot me to hell, but I was able to score some points with the cards and hurt him a little bit. The fact that Marines can get re-roll to hits and re-roll of 1s to wound makes their shooting pretty much unstoppable. But I got some skulls so Khorne was happy.


 Two losses in a row was not the ideal way to break in my new table, but that's OK. The table was great- the mat and terrain were just fine, and the rolling lane made it really nice so our dice weren't hitting models, getting cocked every 5 seconds, etc. 


So with that I will close this blog post. I am grateful that I have gotten the chance to have what I have always wanted- a dedicated Warhammer space. Thanks to Brian, Steve, and Russ for making it happen. And my wife, who doesn't mind being married to a nerd.


Until next time...

Magnus The... Blue?!?

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Hey there Chaos fanatics! Welcome to Chaos Corner. Now, I know I've been intermittent in posting. I've been very busy with house stuff and real life. As I said in my previous posting, I have been working on 40K stuff to be sure. So here is one of the big ones that I finished in recent months...


Magnus The Red. He is one of the best characters in 40K. Tragic, brilliant yet stupid, careful and reckless, selfish and selfless in equal measure. Unlike some characters in 40K fiction, he is very 3 dimensional and complex. Of course, he led his Thousand Sons to utter disaster, and in a way, they have all been paying for it ever since. The idea that a man who valued intelligence above all should see his beloved sons reduced to incurious shells of armor without will or knowledge is just an amazing story.



Naturally, with the release of the Thousand Sons, I got into them and I received him as a Christmas gift. However, I didn't want to paint him right away. I wanted to paint some of the army first, so that I could get a feel for how I wanted the overall army to look. My thought was that since Magnus would be the centerpiece, I should flesh out the army first so that he would tie into it, yet be distinct.


First off, I had to do some conversion work on him. I can't help it; its the old Chaos converter for me. The model is great, if slightly fantastical (which befits the Daemon Primarch of Tzeentch). But one of the things that bothered me was the darn chestplate with the horns. I felt that it made the model way too busy, so I decided to do without it.



As a result of that, Magnus looks statuesque- like a Roman god come to life. For his skin, I wanted to keep it darker than how I painted the Thousand Sons rank and file. So I used Kantor Blue for his skin, with lighter blues for highlights (as I feel that Tzeentch's color is blue). I also decided to make his feathers blue, but a bit lighter than his skin. By painting the wings white, with blue washes over it, making them distinct from his body but also tied in.


The other conversion I did was his open palm. I thought it was kinda silly to have that hand just hanging out there. So after some thought, I went and bought ghosts from Fantasy. I took the two that looked best (and would fit properly) and with a little putty made them sit in the palm of his hand. To me, it looks like he is summoning some kind of warp entity. I also took part of another ghost (the swirl but not the head/arms) and put it over Magnus' weapon, so that it looks like there is wrap energy coming from it.


I guess I just wanted my Magnus to look a little different, especially as he is utterly un-posable (something that is bothering me about the new GW products unfortunately). Anything I could do to make my Magnus a little unique. As for the rest of the model, I used a lot of gold for the metal bits, so that my 1K Sons gold helms and his gold would match and tie them all together.



Last but not least, his hair. I have always thought that Magnus The Red implied not red skin but rather red hair. I figured he had a ruddy appearance, but not literal red skin. (Personally I think its rather silly that he's actually RED). So I decided to go with my gut and make only his hair red. The red starts with Khorne Red and some crimson wash followed by successive brighter highlights. The hair looks vibtant and hot, contrasting nicely with his cool blue skin.


Now I haven't used him in battle yet (I finished painting him in June actually). I have decided to wait on playing Thousand Sons until their codex proper is released (which rumors indicate will be by the end of this year). Then I will field them once more as a force to be reckoned with LOL.

Well, thats it for now. I'll be back with later postings of other stuff I've been working on.

Until next time...

Belisarius Cawl and Friends

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Hello once again Chaos people. Welcome to yet another edition of Chaos Corner. As I promised, I would be getting a bit more frequent in my postings, as real life has settled down a bit for me. Today I have something that isn't Chaos (I don't think... but you never know- he does want to muck about with the traitor legions gene seed after all). Without further ado, here he is... Belisarius Cawl (which I'm just going to call Cawl so I don't have to type his full name each time).


I must say that while I am a Chaos player through and through... I love my Ad Mech army. I have tried my hands at other Imperium armies- Grey Knights, Deathwatch, Ultramarines... but they never quite "got me" the way Chaos did. But that is not true of the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are a great "new-ish" faction in 40K gaming.


Besides their storyline (which is cool in its own right), the models are just fantastic. They have a ton of detail without being overwhelming. And while they aren't THE most posable, you CAN do conversions and cool poses with them (particularly the Kastellan Robots). The entire range is just so cool, fitting the Mechanicus perfectly. On some occasions I find myself torn- Chaos or Ad Mech?


So I was very excited to hear a few months ago about the Ad Mech getting their own character- Cawl, who would be playing a huge role in the events that have changed the 40K universe just a bit (8th Edition / Primarus Marines / Great Rift). I didn't want the Triumverate box that he came in though. Luckily my friendly storekeeper arranged to have the box split, so I got my grubby mitts on Cawl.


I didn't paint him at first because I was deep into Thousand Sons and didn't want to be distracted. Then my wife and I bought a new house and craziness ensued. I decided that I would do Cawl right after I finished Magnus, which is exactly what I did.


I love the model. Once again, he is very detailed, but its what one would expect from such a character from the Mechanicus. Cords and wires all over him. I love that he's not really human at all anymore.


He looks more alien than human. Again, it fits the narrative and their background perfectly. As for the assembly of the model, I may have cursed  a few times putting him together, but ultimately it was worth it, as he looks amazing.


As for the paints used, I won't get into that. Previous blog entries have detailed my Ad Mech paint scheme so there's no need to rehash it all here. Needless to say, I tied him into the Ad Mech VERY closely. In fact, I used all the same steps, so that he would look exactly the same as the other Ad Mech (a part of one single machine). The ONLY thing I did was that I used some brass for a couple of his arms, just to make his limbs look older / more unique. Otherwise, he is painted just like all my other Ad Mech.


I had a chance to use Cawl in a game a few weeks back. While I lost the game, Cawl was an absolute beast in the match up. I can just imagine that he will be a major consideration whenever I make an Ad Mech list (though he is expensive, he does a hell of a lot).



Alongside Cawl, I also worked on two more Kastellan Robots (which I got from my friend Pete for Christmas). This brings me up to 8 robots (4 with guns, 4 with the fists). I love these models. There is just something exciting abut them being activated by the Datasmiths to destroy a target. I imagine them moving slowly but inexorably, with heavy footfalls and whirring of their limbs (a sound like Ripley in the cargo lifter in Aliens- you know what I'm talking about).



As I was trying to catch up on my modeling, I decided to just make the Robots straightforward, with no conversions. However I did add one little thing- a grate from the new Shadow war Armageddon set. I had the Robot stepping on it just a little, giving him something interesting to do.



Well, that's it for this round of Chaos corner. I hope you liked it.

Until Next Time

Skarbrand!!

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Blood! Slaughter!! Skulls!! Kill! Oh wait... sorry about that. Got a little excited seeing you come into this corner of the warp. My apologies. At any rate, here we are with yet another maiming edition of Chaos Corner. I bet your burning to find out what I've cooked up this time. So let's take a look at Skarbrand.



To me, one of my best paint jobs was the new Bloodthirster. I've posted pics here many times. It took me quite a while to paint. However, it came out like a dream- it was exactly what I wanted, and it looks just like the fluff and art. Even though there was no conversions or anything crazy, I just think its one of my best paint jobs, period.



Now, I knew I wouldn't top that with Skarbrand. My wife bought him for me quite a while ago, but for some reason I just never got to him. There was always some other model (or army, lets be honest) that distracted me from painting him. Oh I put him together quickly enough, but I just never got around to painting him. Maybe I knew I wouldn't top the Bloodthirster. I don't know. I just didn't paint him for a long time.



Fast forward to this past May/June, right after I moved. I knew absolutely that I wanted to paint Magnus first. But as I unpacked I found Skarbrand and I decided---- why the hell not. So I painted Magnus and Skarbrand side by side. By the end I was seeing dark blue and vibrant red all the time LOL.


I used the same paint scheme that I did with the Bloodthirster- building up the reds, highlights, black horns, etc. I could have done something different (perhaps I should have at that- white horns maybe?), but I decided that he would look like any other Bloodthirster. Hence the same paint scheme.


The only major differences is the face (duh) and the wings. The half exposed skull on Skarbrand is really sick looking, and I do like how it came out. Meanwhile, the wings I did in a similar color, but without the added details as the wings are tatters and not full wings.



All in all, he came out just fine. I still think my original Bloodthirster takes the cake. But considering I hadn't painted anything Khorne in a while, and that I was doing Magnus at the same time... I think Skarbrand turned out quite well. It's just funny how I compare him unfavorably with my first Bloodthirster- even though they are painted the same! Interesting human foible I guess...


Interestingly enough, in early July I went to a local tournament with my Khorne force. I took my Bloodthirster but couldn't afford to take Skarbrand as well, so I didn't. But at the tournament I played a guy that brought 3(!) Bloodthirsters AND Kharn too!! Unfortunately for my opponent, his rolls were terrible and I had 3 Maulerfiends backing up my Bloodthirster. All were locked in combat all over the place. Using the combat interrupt Command Point option, my Bloodthirster struck before his could and I killed him. Meanwhile, my Maulerfiends held their own against the other Thirsters. Mine attacked and killed the second while my Maulers took out the thrird. My opponent refused to give up- he still had Kharn and some Bloodletters and Cultists. My Bloodthirster then flew into Kharn, slicing him in twain. My opponent only laughed, saying it was simply more skulls for the skull throne! LOL

At any rate, that's it for me for now.

Until next time...

Ultramarines You Say?! Bah!!

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Welcome to another edition of Chaos Corner. We interrupt your usual Chaos tidings and tidbits in order to bring you an announcement. The notice comes from none other than a blessed (if also a stick in the mud) Robute Guilliman himself... Yes folks, its true. This posting is all about Ultramarines rather than my usual Chaos.



Like many of you I'm sure, I couldn't resist getting that new fangled Dark Imperium box when it was released early summer 2017. I knew I'd use the Plague stuff (duh), and I do have Ultramarines (that, I admit, I let my friend Brian use). Plus the rule book--- I would have been crazy not to get it.

So, with all the fancy Primaris stuff, I decided to go full bore and do Robute Guilliman too! Again- in for a penny, in for a pound as they say. So yes, I bought the triumvirate set to get him. I will be painting the other two models just for fun at some point in between projects (a bit of a palette cleanser).



Whearas Magnus looks friggin huge, Guilliman is much smaller, though still much bigger than the Primaris Marines. Now, that is about right. I am glad to see Mortarion is somewhere in between- bigger than Guilliman because of the power of Chaos, but not out of all proportion like Magnus.


That aside, this model was fun to put together until I got to the weapon arms- for some reason, they gave me a hard time. Indeed, look closely you'll see I put the flamer on backwards. I justify it by saying he must be really close to his own men so he doesn't want to use it, rather let his sword do the work. Hey why the hell not right?


I do like how he came out. The burnished gold contrasting nicely with his dark blue armor. I am particularly proud of the sword. The gradual buildup of flame colors, from red to orange to yellow- again, another contrast to the rest of the model. I find that the eye is drawn to that or the gold eagle on the top of his backpack.

I also have two stories about my Robute- one funny one dramatic (game wise). First, my friend Brian and I were going to a local tournament and he hoped Guilliman would be finished, so I worked hard to get him done, and I made it just in time. I arrived at the tourney first and paid for myself and Brian (this is important). At the tourney, the store does a best painted contest in between rounds. So Brian entered Guilliman.  As it turns out, he was voted the favorite.  Brian (honest to a fault) then explains that I painted it and not him. Suddenly the store erupted with jeers saying I cheated by having two entries. The fact that I technically paid for two entries wouldn't have swayed anyone. I swear us hobbyists can be crazy sometimes. I didn't get the prize, because I would have been lynched by everyone if I had, it seems. The store owner, knowing it was silly, gave me a free drink in compensation.


The second Guilliman story is game related. My friend Nick and I were playing a game and he asked to borrow Guilliman (so we could play a bigger game). Using Open War cards, the mission involved 2 objectives in each deployment zone. I got the middle of the table as my deployment zone. Great LOL. Anyway, Khorne versus Ultramarines, as nature intended. It was a great match up, though Kharn got killed like a bitch- after he rolled 4 1s, killing a bunch of bezerkers. At any rate, the game was heading to a draw, but Nick had Guilliman advancing to my objective. In the way was a forgefiend and 3 Helbrutes. He just got by the imperial statue and got shot down by massed daemon engine firepower. Then to add insult to injury, he failed his come back to life save. We ended the game as neither could get to the others objective. But it was a heck of an ending.




In addition to Robute Guilliman, I also did some Primaris from the Dark Imperium box. I must say I really like the models. Compared to Imperial Guard, this is how big they should be. It does make the average Marine look small though not too bad.


The models are big enough to be very easy to paint, while also looking good. The two Lieutenants are very dynamically posed, looking badass. I did the red streak on the helm to note his rank.


The Hellbalsters are a bit of overkill I think- that's a ton of firepower in that squad, and it makes non Lascannon Devastators useless, but the models look just fine. I didn't go overboard with squad markings or anything- just the Ultra shoulderpad and a few other things. The effect is very clean (in contrast to the Plague Marines in the box).

Well, that's it for new. Tune in next time for what will be a much more Chaotic posting here at the Chaos Corner.

Until Next time...


Let's Celebrate Mortarion and the New Codex with some new Plague Marines

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Well, after that rather sad interlude in which Robute Guilliman took control of Chaos Corner, I am pleased to say that thanks to Mortarion the Death Lord, Guilliman was chased out and thus Chaos Corner is back in the hands of the gods (and Old Man Chaos himself, naturally).



I am very excited about getting Mortarion and the codex. Plus all the new models (terminators, the vehicles, etc). Great times for us Death Guard players, no doubt. Our own codex? How wild is that? My only regret is that Heldrakes aren't in the book- YES, you can bring them in a Chaos keyword detachment but.. I have 2 Heldrakes of Nurgle after all! LOL It'll be fine, but I wouldn't be doing my job as a Chaos player without complaining about something...



Anyways, I have a bunch of the Plague Marines from the Dark Imperium box set. Lets start with a model that is both cool but a bit weird, the Plaguecaster.




I like the model, but still not sold on the smog he's blowing as it were. I also think the staff is a bit too small for the rest of him (at lease I gave him a Death Guard icon for the top- a small conversion). I do love his guts hanging out there though. Nicely done GW on that, just wish the rest of him was that good.


Speaking of guts hanging out and looking good, the Lord of Contagion is next. I really dig this model. He just looks badass (indeed, I think he looks better than the new Typhus, based on the pics). That axe just poised for action, the direction of the helms spike. The guts spilling out. The dead Nurglings underfoot. What a great model.



Instead of doing his cape dark, I opted to go a light tan color (Rakarth Flesh) with many brown washes at the bottom and recesses, giving it a damp and dirty feel (and not just dirty). This is slick with dirt and filth.


Another model I like is the Noxious Blightbringer. Again, he looks pretty badass, even with the Nurglings capering on him. I wish he were pointing his gun at something, but alas the model only goes together one way.

I love the horns and the bell. The horns are Rakarth with brown washes. The bell I decided to do like brass, rather than outright rust. I just thought it looked better that way. Besides, there would be plenty of rust for the rest of the army...


Now, for the Plague Marines. Most of these models are just amazing. The vents. The potato masher German style grenades. The spiked helms. I would like more blood and guts but perhaps we shouldn't overdo that.

As for painting- I did a few different variations. Some I based in the new Death Guard green (the darkest). Others were done in Nurgling Green (middle), and others still with Ogryn Cammo (the brightest).I used Balthazar Gold for the trim.  Then I washed them with regular Eathshade, making the whole model slightly duller and dirtier.

After all that was done, I added all the slime and blood details. I used greens, purples, or flesh colors for the tentacles and growths. I also did the metals rusty- the plague knives, guns, etc. I started with dark brown, then orange, then Leadbelcher. Again I wanted it rusty and dull.



These models are exactly what I had envisioned when I made my conversions all those years ago. At the time, I used putty for the stomachs. Guitar wire for their air hoses. Nails with the heads cut off and stuck into their helms like a WW1 German helmet (just like the pics). Now with these new models, you get all of that now, without the work of conversion.

That brings me to something a bit more serious. So much GW stuff looks great, but is very very mono-pose. It is more difficult to be creative with these models. Not that I have the time to convert an entire army, but these guys go together one way only (though I did a head swap on one- but that was nothing).

As a Chaos player, I love conversions. I'm glad the models look so good now, but there isn't much to differentiate my new Plague Marines from anyone else's, which hurts Old Man Chaos' feelings a bit.


I now feel compelled to convert Mortarion somehow. I won't know until I get the model if I can do any alteration / personalization. But the fact that GW is proudly proclaiming he has two poses is a bit outrageous. It is almost as if they are challenging me to convert him somehow... LOL



Well, that's it for now. Enjoy the Death Guard goodies!

Until next time...

Mortarion :-(

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Hey there Chaos fanatics! Old Man Chaos is back with yet another piece of hobby goodness (or badness, depending on your point of view). This article is a bit mixed in terms of my own feelings and sentiments. So let's take a look...


So, I must admit to several things. First, I was really excited by the idea of a Death Guard codex and special releases. I was also greatly looking forward to the new units, the new tank particularly. Of course, I was stoked about the impending release of Mortarion. Especially as I loved my finished Magnus- what a great model.


Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed on all fronts. The Death Guard codex is lackluster. It is very gimmicky with the POTENTIAL Mortal Wounds, but it is not strong, relying on hordes of Poxwalkers (which is fine, but I want an all marine option too). As it stands, the Plague Marines are too expensive points wise. Further the book invalidated things like Heldrakes and the like (I guess you could have a separate CSM detachment for them, but that becomes annoying). The Plaguecrawler is also a lackluster vehicle with a poor ballistic skill. I want to get one, but the rules make it suck in my opinion. And then, there's Mortarion...


I have never felt so torn on a GW model. On the one hand, its great to have another Daemon Primarch on the field. Mortarion is a large model, much larger than Robute Guilliman (though smaller than Magnus, which I "get"). The inclusion of Silence and the Lantern shows that GW pays attention to their own fluff. Finally, the face and gas mask is very nicely done- he looks sickly and deformed, but still strong. Love the face. And his armor is quite cool too, complete with pockmarks and the like.



Unfortunately, I have way too many problems with the rest of the model. First, the total lack of posibility. The model only goes together two ways. One way both weapons are down. The other the gun is pointed (obviously I went with that one). But I am really upset about the poses. I envisioned Mortarion sweeping with his scythe like the grim reaper, rather than it just kind of being at his side.


I am also not too fond of Mortarion's pose as a whole. I despise how it looks like Mortarion is leapfrogging. I know its supposed to make him dynamic. But Mortarion shouldn't be dynamic. His is slow creeping death, not a jumpy and hovering. I imagine him standing all nice and decayed, like a monolith. I also dislike how the cloak holds him up- it just looks stupid in my eyes.


Finally, the other things on the model make it look WAAAAAYYYY too busy. There are way too many censers on Mortarion. One would have been sufficient. As it stands there's just too many jutting off him. And then there's the Nurglings. I made a huge mistake in putting them on his base. I did because he MUST have the two flying ones carrying the censers (otherwise you would have to make some nasty cuts on the model).


I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wings. The model comes with two bug wings, which look similar to the wings on the daemon Plague Drones of Nurgle. On a regular daemon prince they would be cool. But Mortarion needs something bigger and more evil looking. The bug wings just look silly on him. So I added different wings, from the old Balrog LoTR set. He looks more like an angel of death instead of moth man. LOL


The model took me forever to paint. Part of the problem is that it is way too busy and detailed. Deatil is fine, but add on the cloak, the nurglings, the censers, etc... well, it tends to slow painting production down quite a bit. Then there is another issue. Enthusiasm. Or the lack thereof. I was just so not into painting him. Unlike say Magnus or the Bloodthirster, I wasn't too excited to paint Mortarion. I just kept feeling indifferent about the model. No doubt the paint job suffered as a direct result.



So how did he turn out? Considering all of the above not too bad, though he pales in comparison to my work on Magnus or the bloodthirster. It's just too bad I don't like the model more. To me, while I get what GW was going for, it just doesn't work for me. I am looking forward to using him in battle sometime soon.


Sorry if this article seemed to be a complain-fest. But hey its my blog so I'm allowed LOL

I am however looking forward to my next projects. I'm finishing up a few more mechanicus pieces (Rangers with Arquebuses). I also have some of the Plague Marine special characters which I got from my friend Pete. Finally, my wife bought Shadespire for me. I just like the idea of a fast paced game that takes less than half an hour. And I love the models in the set. Reminds me of Heroquest a little bit...

Until Next Time... 

Shadespire!?! Where's the 40K???

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Hey there Chaos fanatics! Welcome back to the infamous Chaos Corner! I have gotten over my disappointment regarding the lackluster Mortarion by doing a completely different project. My wife got me Warhmmer: Underworlds Shadespire for my birthday.


I heard that Shadespire was a quick play and fairly straightforward rules-wise. Although 40K isn't AS complex as it used to be, it is still a long game with a ton of rules mechanics, this sounds like something much cleaner. I heard that Shadepsire was something you could play in under half an hour.

Now, I was aware that Necromunda was also coming out... and while I'd wanted to get it I realized that it was something that my friends probably wouldn't play, and it looks to be quite complicated (as it deserves to be). I have always wanted Necromunda, but I thought Shadespire fit into what I wanted- a quick game that anyone can learn to play. So I decided on Shadespire, even though I don't play fantasy and I have never painted a fantasy model before.


The models in the box are great. Each one has a ton of personality and dynamic poses. Now, doing the Chaos Tribesmen was very simple for me, as I have painted plenty of devotees of Khorne in my time (my second biggest army is Khorne Bezerkers).


This time though I painted their armor plates Mephiston Red rather than Khorne Red. I did this as I figured a brighter pallet goes better with Fantasy than 40K. I did however use the same Brass Scorpion that I used for my Khorne Bezerkers for the raised armor trim.


Their flesh I painted with some various skin tones and colors. But I am particularly proud of how I did the scars. Crimson wash over the raised scars, with Bloodletter glaze added to give it a bright look. The wound areas look raw, which is exactly the effect I was going for.


I really like the look of the Khornate warband. They are very nicely tied together but still distinct. I really like the one with the big axe about to be brought down on a victim (his name is "Blooded Saek" for the record). The war chief Gorebeard is also cool with the severed head in hand. I also like Karsus, looking as if he is going to grab his victim and proceed with the chop chop.



The real challenge for me was the Sigmar Knights. I have never painted (or even assembled) these types of models before. Putting them together was easy enough (though one of their arms gave me a hard time).

Now the question was how to paint them? I have seen many color schemes for Sigmar Knights. I was originally going to do bright silver and blue, but I thought better of it- if I was going to get people to try the game, I thought I should paint them as they look on their cards- gold and blue.



I used Retributor  Gold as the base followed by a wash of Argax earth shade. I then proceeded to highlight the edges with Liberator Gold. I used Kantor Blue to do the shield and shoulder plates. Again, these models were a breeze to paint, and I enjoyed working on something completely different.


So it took me a week and a half- from assembly through painting to finish them. Like 40K, I refused to play the game until the models were fully painted. That's just the way Old Man Chaos rolls LOL. On the day I finished, my wife said she'd be willing to try a game. What? My wife playing something Warhammer?? Holy Cow! Forget the Eye of Terror- I'm now in the Twilight Zone!


At any rate, the game was pretty much just as promised. The rules are fairly clear, and the gameplay runs smoothly. I won the first game by a few victory points, but my wife had a good time playing. Then she challenged me to a rematch. I don't mind saying- she kicked my ass. She got like 10 victory points compared to my 2. She apologized for the humiliating defeat, but I laughed and asked "Best 2 out of 3"?


In a sign that she liked the game, she agreed to a third match up. This one was very close indeed- I was down to my warband leader and that was all. Luckily, I managed to draw good objective cards that I was able to secure (on the last round no less). It came down to the wire, and I won 7 to 4. IF I hadn't gotten the lucky draw my wife would have taken the game! My wife said she enjoyed the game and would certainly play it again.


This is fantastic. I never thought I'd see the day that my wife would be playing with Warhammer models in a Games-Workshop game. Now- I wonder if she would like a Necron army or a Tyranid army... Ha Ha. No, that won't happen. But I am very glad I got to share some of my hobby with her. It is telling about Shadespire- it is a good pick up and play game. No army lists. No points. The only thing one could do to make the game more complex is to deck -build, but even then it should be fine.


I am looking forward to trying this game with my friends and maybe even my brother, who hasn't played Warhammer in ages. Uh oh... my wife wants a rematch! And she has that determined look on her face. My win streak (such as it is) may be coming to an end soon lol

Seriously, if you're looking for a quick fast paced game that is easy to learn then Shadespire is your ticket. If my wife could enjoy Warhammer, then that tells you all you need to know. The game is highly recommended by me. Until next time...

My Hobby Lair

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Hello Chaos fanatics and mutant scum! Welcome to yet another fatal and furious edition of Chaos Corner. Old Man Chaos is here for a look behind the curtain if you will. This will be a bit of a look into my hobby life. A look into... THE CHAOS CORNER itself. If you are not prepared for this, turn back now... otherwise, get ready to see horrors beyond imagination...



Recently, my wife and I bought a new house. The house had an unfinished basement that was the footprint of the house. All my life, I have wanted a man cave, complete with big TV, videogames and... dedicated Warhammer space (that is NOT common for a man cave huh?). I really wanted a place where my hobby flag could fly; a place where I could leave my Warhammer out for all to see.

In my previous house, I had a painting station on a desk in my bedroom. All of my armies were kept in foam trays and boxes in my basement. The aforesaid basement was an unfinished basement filled with all my family's stuff. I had a gaming table down there, but it made for a crowded basement. Furthermore, there was a boiler down there and as my friend Pete often said, when the boiler was on it felt like the gates of hell had opened down there (very fuel inefficient too).

At any rate, that was then. Let's talk about now. My wife and I had visions of doing work on our house (new kitchen, etc). The basement beaconed to me---- but would it be feasible? So after a lot of discussion with my wife, and planning and more discussion, we came to it. We would divide the basement into two halves divided by a wall (with a door, obviously). The one side would be laundry, etc. The other half would be my man cave. I would finally get my chance to have a dedicated hobby lair.



First and foremost, was the table. As my loyal readers know, I had some great friends and family build a suitable table. I have made one alteration to the table since then. I got some felt and added it to the sides of the table. These are my "rolling lanes" for the dice. While throwing dice on the war gaming area is nice, the truth is I hate "cocked dice", and I really hate the dice hitting into my lovingly painted (and sometimes delicate) models. Hence the rolling lanes. Now I put the felt so that the table is protected. Further, it makes it look really professional LOL.



The other rolling lane can be used for rolling dice, or as we do, use it for command points, cards, books, dead models, etc. Having the two lanes on either side of the table really gives the table something special. If you are going to build your own table, I strongly recommend a 4x8 table (rather than the traditional 6x4). My friend Joe, who has a gaming table of his own, says that the rolling lanes make a huge difference in both keeping things organized and keeping the game moving (again, no cocked dice, no dice knocking models around).


Another thing that I did was really try to utilize the space under the table for my terrain. Over the years I have collected a ton of terrain. Personally made terrain, odds and ends, GW terrain, friend built terrain, etc. I can't store it all under the table. So I did the best I could, organizing it so I could maximize the amount of terrain that was under there, but having it still be accessible. I got some boxes for the terrain, and used them to add more storage space (terrain won't spill out of the box).


Around my table I have placed some Warhammer art. I found a couple of pieces on Amazon that I really liked. One is a winter scene from one of the Dawn of War games. I love it because it is just so evocative of the Guard, as well as the cold environment. My second piece of art is one of the new renditions of THE battle of the Horus Heresy, with the Warmaster fighting the Emperor with Sangunius laying "dead" in the background. This is the largest art piece and it is near the center of the table. I think this is THE moment in Warhammer, so it deserves the special prominence. Interestingly (and unintentionally) the grey color in the art is similar to the paint color I used on my walls... The third art piece is the Chaos symbol with the artwork from 3.5 edition codex for the Chaos gods. I saw this and said how could Chaos Corner not have this on the wall?! LOL



Finally, I have several pics that I cut (literally) out of the old edition rule books- how many do you recognize? And I have two that came with the box sets of special characters. They just needed an 8 1//2 x 11 frame each. Small, but still effective for my purposes.


Next up in the Chaos Corner is my 40K model display cases. The cases are from Ikea. They go together pretty quickly, though I recommend having at least two people putting them together- I thank my brother for doing that with me. At any rate, I have (many, but not all) of my models on display. Again, this is something that I have always wanted to do- have my models out for all to see.


I have in my cases Ad Mech, Khorne, Thousand Sons, and of course, nearly two cases of Plague Marines (and that doesn't include Plague Zombies). My Ultramarines are not on display, as I let Brian use them and thus they are kept in carry cases.




Up next is my painting station. It is still just a desk, buttressed by two bookshelf units. I get to place extra models and paints on these bookshelves because... its my Chaos Corner and why not? Previously I couldn't have done that. Now I can. I have all my 40K books and White Dwarfs in easy reach too so I consult while painting.


That is the first half of my Chaos Corner. The other half is my multimedia setup. I have connected most of my old videogame systems up to my TV. I can now play my old TurboGrafix 16 system then switch over to my Super Nintendo! Again, a dream I have always had and has now become a reality.


Finally there is my collection of autographs that I have gotten from various ComicCons and I-Cons and the like. I am particularly proud of my George A. Romero signature. I also have Darth Maul, the Emperor, Captain Kirk, and more! I am happy to display these in my Chaos Corner.


So here is the whole thing: 






Well, now the curtain has been lifted, and you can see the complex operations happening in the Chaos Corner. I am very happy to share my gaming area to inspire you as you build yours. It took a long time, and a lot of work, but is such a pleasure for me. I am grateful to my wife for supporting me in what I wanted.

Until Next Time...

A Double Header

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Hey there Chaos friends! Old Man Chaos is back with a brief report on two battles that happened in my subterranean layer the other day. I had a three friends over and we played two 1,500 point games of 40K back to back. We were originally going to do 3 games, but we decided the two games were more than sufficient.

Game 1- Secure and Control... in Hell!

So the first game saw Brian and his Ultramarines against Nick and his brand spanking new Tyranids. Ah. Ultramarines versus Nids in the Ultramar segmentum- just as nature intended LOL. Nick won the roll for deployment and selected the map Hammer and Anvil. At first I thought it was a weird choice for Tyranids (starting so far opposite would mean a long walk to get to grips with the Ultramarines), but Nick had a pretty good plan as it turned out.



With both sides deployed, Brian had more units than Nick so Nick got plus one and won the roll off. Nick set to work immediately by sending in two Trygons followed by 2 units of Genesetalers. Brian had castled up around the objective in the middle of the table and left plenty of room in his backfield for the Trygon to tunnel in and deep strike. Meanwhile, Nick's Hive Tyrand and Swarm Lord left their side, running straight on towards the front- veering to the left flank. Suddenly Nick's deployment made a lot more sense- Brian was swiftly under siege.


Brian immediately used a command point to allow him to shoot at a unit that just arrived via deep strike. His shooting managed to kill a couple of Genestealers on the right flank. Unfortunately, that's about as lucky as Nick got on that flank. On the charge, Brian's overwatch whittled down the Genestealers further. By the time they got to combat there were only three of them, too little to damage Brian's right flank. Nick's left flank attack did better- his Trygon destroyed a Dreadnought and the Genestealers destroyed a squad of bikers. The Tyranids then consolidated into other Ultramarine units.


In the Ultramarine turn, Brian used his Ultramarine tactic to withdraw and fire. This left the bulk of Nick's Tyranids open to an intense barrage of both heavy firepower and a ton of bolters. With some great rolling, Brian whittled down the Tyranids, wiping out the Genstealers and one Trygon. On the other end of the battlefield, Brian deployed his Inceptors near Nick's objective, shooting the babysitting Genestealer squad. They survived, angry with their Broodlord right behind them.


In turn 2, Nick was rapidly running out of options. His lone Trygon was still in the fight, but was weakening rapidly. His only hope was the Swarm Lord and his flying Hive Tyrant. Sadly, he rolled to charge with the Hive Tyrant and fell short. Meanwhile he suffered a few wounds from overwatch. With his Hive Tyrant hanging out there, he would prove to be easy pickings. On the other side of the field, the Genstealers killed two Inceptors, but the third hung on.



In Brian's second turn, he wheeled his castle toward the left flank. He shot the incoming beasts to death, while also dispatching the Trygon. While he made some great 5+ saves, it was just the hail of lead that killed the beasts. The bulk of Nick's army had been destroyed at this point. The Inceptor on the other side killed all but one Genestealer, which promptly killed the last Inceptor.

Although he was out of options, Nick still had the Broodlord and a lone Genstealer. Nick had hopped to babysit on the objective behind the volcano. Unfortunately Nick's advance rolls stunk, and he couldn't make it. Brian then turned all of his heavy firepower on them at distance, slaying them. It was over, but Nick played to the bitter end.

Brian, who never played against Tyranids before said "It was epic. A heroic struggle against the xenos, and such a cunning opponent". Nick said that it was a great game and "We need more biomass". Nick also said it was the "hail of bolter fire" that did him in. As an observer, it was a blast of a game, but it all hinged on die rolls, as both sides had great strategy.

Game 2- The Relic.. and a grand return!

So game two was between me and Joe. I had decided to play my Death Guard for the first time in the new 8th edition. I still don't have all the new models, but it was time to give them a go. And no, at 1500 I didn't use Mortarion. My list included: Lord of Contagion, Plaguecaster, 3 squads of Death Guard with a Meltagun (two squads had Rhinos, the third on foot). I also had 10 poxwalkers, two Drones (with Plaguespitters), and Plague Crawler, and a Preadator with Auotcannon and Heavy Bolters.



Joe took his usual Dark Angels (though this was his first with the new codex. His force included 5 squads of Terminators, a Contemptor Dreadnought, and Azrael and Belial. I must admit that I was intimidated, as I didn't know how I was going to destroy so many Terminators. Yikes.



The mission was The Relic. Joe won the roll off for the deployment, and he decided on Search and Destroy. After placing our models, I won the roll off with a six, so I got to go first. I immediately set to work shooting at the terminators. The Crawler, which I had serious doubts about, did a good job killing a couple of terminators. My Bloat Drones raced to meet them, but still out of range of their 9" weapon. Joe's turn, all his terminators moved toward the objective. He took a lot of shots at my Drones, and their Disgustingly Resilient did a great job allowing them to shrug off a lot (though not all) of their wounds.


It became a war of attrition around that objective. My drones now took shots at the terminators, as did everything else. It was a slow grind, just whittling them down one at a time. I tried to shake up his plans but dropping my Lord of Contagion near his flank, in an attempt to draw off some Terminators. Sadly, the tactic didn't work, and the Lord of Contagion got killed quick enough by the Terminators.

As the game went on, I lost my Bloat Drones. But he was losing Terminators. I still had 21 Plague Marines ready to go, plus my vehicles. By turn three, I had killed his Dreadnought, Azrael, and scores of Terminators. Joe couldn't make a 2+ roll to save his life, and terminators died to massed bolter fire.



At the end, it came down to Belial. He had made it to the relic, with some terminators BEHIND him. It was unavoidable, but Belial was now the closest enemy target. While he endured a shit ton of firepower (and killing off my Plaguecaster), in the end it was case of a wall of lead, and Belial died.

At the end he had only 3 terminators left. He was near the relic, but I had like 19 Plague Marines, the Crawler, the Predator, two Combi Plasma Rhinos, and a handful of Poxwalkers. Joe said that he had to concede, as there was no way 3 terminators could hold off that firepower.



It was a bitterly fought contest, in my opinion. He paid for every inch he advanced, and in the end he just kept rolling two or three 1s for saves, killing off his terminators slowly but inexorably. Joe said "It was a good first time out with a new codex. I still think the key concept is unit synergy and next time I will push that synergy to the max".

The back to back games were a lot of fun. We had a lot of laughs, some snacks, and lots of gaming carnage. Next time I promise to take better pictures- I hadn't intended to do battle reports but that's OK. Next time I will do a better job of it.

Until Next Time

Death Guard drones in all shapes and sizes

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Hey there Chaos fanatics! Old Man Chaos has been busy at work in the laboratory churning out some goodies for the Death Guard. It has been drone city for me the past couple of weeks. So let us delay no longer... lets have a look...

First up is a second Bloat Drone that my wife got me for Christmas. I really like the model, and the multi-part kit is really cool- I like all the faceplate options and the weapons options.


Even though I think the Plaguespitter is the better weapon in-game (2 Plaguespitters for 2D6 auto-hits is better than one Blight-Launcher which is 6 hits but needs 4 to hit), I liked the look of the Blight Launcher- it looks heavy and being dragged around by the drone.


The armor plates are similar to the last Drone I did- Death Guard green with a wash of Earthshade all over it. It gives it that dull, dirty look which I really like (appropriate for Nurgle naturally). The weapons and spikes I did with my usual rusty metal look- Leadbealcher, with Ryza Rust orange with eathshade over it. This gives it a dull but rusty look.


The skin I did a little differently- I did Rakarth Flesh with several washes of violet to give it an unhealthy pallor. I then highlighted with Pallid Wych Flesh to give it some definition. I then used red washes around the boils/sores to complete the effect.


I do have to say that the Blight Drones usually do very well in my games. However, the random 2D6 sometimes goes bad on me (snake eyes!? Again!?). More often than not though, the Drones have been quite effective- fast, survivable and yet too much of a threat to ignore- driving my opponents mad in the process. And on more than once I had it deliberately explode, hurting the surrounding enemy forces- so even when it dies its a bastard. For me, these are a mandatory take, even if they are a bit pricey points wise.


Going from models that have become a mainstay to models I haven't used yet- the Myphitic Blight-Hauler (what a silly, yet trade-marked, name). These models are from the "easy to build" line. The model is nice enough, though it is very static and only goes together one way. Rules wise they sound pretty darn good, though to be at maximum effectiveness you need three of the Haulers.


I was only able to find two of the Haulers at first (visiting many stores near and far to boot). So I painted the two up (and I just got my hands on a third so I haven't painted it yet). I will try them soon, painted or not as I am really curious as what they can do.


Painting the models did go fairly quickly, as they are pretty straightforward to paint up. Again, the plates were Death Guard green with Balthazar Gold for the trim. The metal parts painted rusty as I described above.




The skin I did two different ways. One of them was Zandri Dust with a yellow wash over it (again a sickly yellow look). The other I did with Rakarth Flesh with flesh washes over it. They look like variations of my Bloat Drones.


Finally, as I am a crazy chaos converter, I felt the need to convert 1 of the Haulers. I used spawn bits around the mouth to give it a different look from its brother Hauler. It was just a little conversion but it helps differentiate the two Haulers.

So that's it for now. I'm working on a couple of other big ticket items so be sure to check back sometime next week for more.

Until next time...

Plagueburst Crawler

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Welcome back Chaos followers. I'm back pretty quick with another new addition to my army- the Plagueburst Crawler. This was my other Christmas present from my ever faithful and ever suffering wife (She puts up with my plastic crack habit! She has the patience of a saint).



I am very torn on the look of the Crawler. On the one hand, it is pretty unimaginative looking- it could be a slightly odd Imperial Guard tank. It is also supposed to be a Daemon vehicle, yet there is absolutely nothing Daemonic.


That being said, it is said that Mortarion had a hand in creating the Crawlers. It is deliberately NOT ostentatious because Mortarion is very straightforward and without adornment or embellishment. It is a slab with a mortar on it. Yep- Mortarion would approve.



Well, there is no "Chaos" adornment, so naturally I had to add something. So I did. I placed some "growths" on the tank using green stuff. I also placed Chaos Spawn tentacles in the mortar cannon- it looks like the cannon launches slimey things at the enemy.



Paint scheme is what I've been doing with all of my Drones. Death Guard green with wash of Earthshade. I highlighted with Nurling Green on the raised edges, etc. Some of the metal I did with Balthazar Gold. The rusty metals I did with Leadbelcher with spots of Ryza Rust and yet again more Earthshade. The tentacles I did with Screamer Pink with violet wash over it, giving it that deep look.


It terms of in game play, the Crawler is fairly good but it has a BS of 4 because its a daemon. I get it, but it limits its effectiveness, especially since the mortar is only 1D6. If it was 2D6 for targets with 10 models or something I'd be happier. The Entropy Cannon sponsons have been far more effective, killing a Redemptor Dreadnought in one game and killing a Hive Tyrant in another (on overwatch no less!). But I could just use a Predator for that, right?



I like the Plageburst Crawler, but it is an odd model both in look and in rules. I have taken it in all my games with Death Guard, and I find that teaming him with a Chaos Lord (re-roll 1s to hit) certainly helps.



I'll be back next time with one more "big ticket" model, hope you enjoyed this look at the Plagueburst Crawler.

Until Next Time...

The New Great Unclean One

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Hey there Chaos fanatics! Old Man Chaos is back with a new look at my finished Great Unclean One (just like the title says duh). Let's take a look...


How long I have waited for this model. I have been hoping for a plastic Great Unclean One since they did the plastic version of the Bloodthirster. While the 'Thirster was a tremendous re-envisioning of what came before, the GUO isn't nearly as radical a change. Indeed, his form is more of a natural evolution rather than a major overhaul.


My friend Joe says that he is unimpressed with it, as it looks not unlike the Forgeworld GUO (forgettting his daemon name at the moment). But to me that's the point. They all tend to look like Nurgle himself (check Nurglings... they look like micro GUOs). This model looks exactly how it should- boils, maggots, slimy tentacles, and of course huge open wounds. There is no mistaking what this model is.


I should also comment that the thing is as big as a house. While not the size of a Knight or something it will likely be the biggest single thing on an average battlefield. It is clear that he's "large and in charge" as it were. Certainly a sight to see in a game of 40K that's for sure.




For his skin, I sprayed him Death Guard Green then I did successive washes of Earthshade (heaver in some places than others). Then I highlighted some of the folds with Nurgling Green to make them stand out a bit. The boils I did with yellow and a wash of Earthshade over that to make them duller and dirtier looking.


The wounds / guts were outlined in flesh tones to make their edges stand out from the rest of the model. Then I painted the wounds with screamer pink and then some khorne red. Finally, on the muscles I added some brighter pink to differentiate the muscle strands a bit. The guts I decided to keep dark red, as it contrasts with the rest of the model. Naturally I put the Blood for the Blood God technical on, but used it sparingly.



The tentacles I decided to do purple. Purple and green go together nicely, so I figured why not. Speaking of, I made the GUO look the way I wanted- a big sword but with the sorcerer's (Rotigus') arm- I thought the dagger was stupid, and I just didn't want a flail. If I ever did another I'd do the bell- I like the idea, but since I'm only likely to have one I decided to go with my top choice.


Overall, a very impressive model. I am quite pleased with it. I was also pleased by my paint job. I still feel that my Bloodthirster is still my best. However, it is certainly clear that this thing is the leader of my hordes of Nurgle Daemons.



Though Joe is right about one thing- it is a bit bigger than the forgeworld GUO, but not by a lot. That means that I have two GUOs. I should make up a story about the "Brothers of Ruin" or something like that lol. I wonder how a game with two of these things would go...

Until next time...



Old Man Chaos Where Have You Been????

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Hello there once more Chaos fanatics. I know that I have been away for quite some time. You don't want excuses, so I'll give you the facts. My wife and I recently had a baby boy (well, she did the work and I got the co-credit LOL).

This is a brief post to let everyone know why I have been MIA. With summer around the corner I plan to blog when I can- as well as paint when I can, as well (Oh- how I want that new Knight).

I'll post again soon. I promise.

In (Partial) Defense of The Last Jedi

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Hello once again Chaos fanatics. Welcome back to another red hot edition of Chaos Corner. Sadly, I have no new 40K models for show today (and probably not for a while yet). So I have decided to do a bit of a rhetorical exercise, a "partial" defense of Star Wars The Last Jedi (TLJ). So away we go...



When my wife and I saw TLJ last December, my initial feelings could best be described as "underwhelmed". Not quite disappointed, but certainly not as thrilled as I was when I walked out of The Force Awakens. My wife and I saw it again and I appreciated it more, but the flaws of the film bugged me more as well.

There are some things about TLJ that are pretty bad. The Canto Bight thing is totally shoe-horned in there, at the expense of pacing, but worse, at the expense of ALL logic (if Finn's ship could go to hyperspace to GET TO that casino planet, why couldn't Leia and the others escape like that, or each ship goes to a different destination so Hux can't follow/trace them all, etc.). Sadly, Finn and Rose are wasted on this rather boring subplot. Furthermore, while I liked Poe's growth (what it means to truly lead), it came at a silly cost (why didn't Holdo just tell everyone the plan? This plot point would have worked better if they found out there was a spy aboard or something to make Holdo keep tight lipped about it, whilst making Poe paranoid and rash). I was thrilled to know that Leia could use the force, but floating through space was a bit much (and the effects looked too much like a similar scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 for my tastes). Truth be told, Carrie Fisher's performance is one of the highlights of TLJ ("Dead heroes, but no leaders"), however her floating scene just doesn't sit right with me even now.



Despite those flaws, there are 3 huge positives- Kylo Ren, Ray, and of course, Luke himself.

Let's start with Rey. Some call her a "Mary Sue" for wielding the Force like a pro with absolutely zero training. I would agree, EXCEPT Luke did the same thing in ANH. What? Let's be honest, he knew Obi Wan for like 5 minutes but was suddenly able to use the Force to guide the shot blowing up the Death Star. Later, he trains with Yoda for like a week or something- hardly a lengthy curriculum. So there's that. Hence I discount "Mary Sue" when it comes to Rey.

Despite that debate, what I found compelling about Rey this time out is her search for "her place" (just as Kylo Ren is also seeking his place, more on that later). She is looking to Luke to help her find her place, who she is, why she can do what she can do, etc. Sadly, Luke has no answers for her. Now, this is where the filmmakers pull a doozy- Rey isn't a Skywalker. Or a Kenobi (stupid fan theory). Or anyone in particular. She is a nobody, coming from poor deadbeat parents from Jakku. This does two things: first, you don't have to be a Skywalker to wield the Force; second, its a great contrast to Kylo Ren, who was born in privilege (a Skywalker, son of the Rebellion's greatest heroes, etc). She has nothing but is intrinsically good, whilst he is born with everything and is simply bad. The fact that she is a nobody makes her relatable, and while it is a little sad, it is very realistic (after all, the characters cant all be related, right? Its a bigger galaxy than that). This is one thing I hope they don't "undo" for Episode 9.


Then there's Kylo Ren's equally complicated story arc. Kylo Ren starts the film being chastised and belittled by Snoke- Ren is told that he is "just a child in a mask", hardly the next Darth Vader. Thus, Ren begins to question all that he has done. He destroys his own mask in a fit of impotent rage, and it is clear he is filled with anger, and a lot of doubt (Snoke calling Hux a rabid "cur" certainly applies equally to Ren, and he knows it). Have all of his decisions led him to this? Surely he must be greater than this?

In Ren's next scene, when he is flying toward Leia's ship, he hesitates to shoot the bridge, knowing his mother is on board; again he doubts, just as he felt doubt in killing his father Han Solo. When the other First Order ship blows up the bridge instead, to Ren, Leia is dead. I think that several critics missed that idea- HE thinks Leia is dead, and thus his past is just about dead as well. It is time for him to bury the past (even though he will always be obsessed with it) and forge his own path to greatness. There is nothing- no love, no sentimentality- to hold him back.



Even though a lot of people complain about it, Ren's murder of Snoke fits Ren's arc perfectly. He must get out from under Snoke's shadow, and in doing so does something that even Vader could not do- he becomes the head of his new Empire (or whatever you want to call the First Order at this point). Thus Ren has surpassed the past, even as he claimed to "kill" it. Ren is now the number one threat to the galaxy, his greatness fully achieved. All he must do is get rid of the stragglers of the Resistance (he thinks his mother is dead, so he will feel no hesitation) and he will have achieved it all.

But, his anger and his (continued) obsession with the past blinds him when Luke confronts him. Ren lets his rage blind him to what Luke is doing (more on that in a bit). When that "confrontation" is over, Ren heads inside the old rebel base and finds- Han Solo's dice (another Force projection). Again, something that I bet a lot of viewers miss- by seeing those dice, Ren must surely realize that his mother was there, still alive! Imagine how he must be reeling knowing that he just missed his mother, that his past isn't as dead as he thought. (Sadly, the audience knew that Carrie Fisher died and the Ren/Leia confrontation will never happen. But think about it as if that wasn't the case... )



Finally, this brings us to Luke Skywalker himself. After RotJ, one would have expected everyone to have a happy ending. However, TFA shows that there is still no peace in the galaxy. None of our characters had a "happily ever after". What makes everyone think Luke would have? Whatever happened, he blamed himself and left everything behind. That was all we knew from TFA. We find out, more than we bargained for, in TLJ.

People have had enormous problems with Luke's behavior. First, some have said he was made cowardly by going away and hiding. I don't think I need to remind anyone that Obi Wan and Yoda both went into hiding, waiting for years before getting involved again. Luke is just following a Jedi tradition, if you will. I have no issue here.

Luke is obviously reluctant to jump in again, and tells Rey to "go away". His argument is VERY logical- would he jump out with his "laser sword" and fight the whole First Army war machine singlehandedly whilst blindfolded and jumping through the air? It is unrealistic for many reasons. But, as Luke's story unfolds, there are other, more personal reasons to not get involved.

Luke has many reasons to doubt the Jedi, his father, and himself in terms of their galactic legacy. He makes the case that the prequels tried to make (but couldn't quite figure out how)- that the Jedi, whatever their intentions, had become part of the problem. Subsequently, they have become romanticized figures, but Luke, knowing the truth of it, feels they are not nearly so worthy of veneration. "Failure" is their legacy, Luke says. Is he really wrong?

Finally, the issue that has divided the fanbase ever since- Luke's reaction to the growing power of Ben Solo. During his time training with Ben, Luke feels the darkness stirring within the young man, and, for the briefest of moments, contemplates killing him. I think it is akin to killing a young Hitler- do you kill an innocent child for the evil he may do one day? Luke can see that his nephew is enamored by tales of GrandpaVader (never thought I'd write that), and that he will travel down that path, ruining everything Luke and Leia accomplished. Who could stand aside and LET that happen? Surely such a scenario is a trap of the Dark Side of the force.

He is TEMPTED, but doesn't succumb to that trap. To those fans who say this is a poor way to handle Luke, I have two responses. First, Luke was sorely tempted to kill Vader in ROTJ. Look at the end battle of ROTJ- Luke is enraged, and violently hacks his father's hand off. Luke is certainly about to perform the death blow, but stops just short of the abyss. He will not do this- he will not murder. His actions toward Ben are similar. He is tempted, but doesn't commit the act- thus Luke is certainly consistant. Second, some say that he resisted the Dark Side in ROTJ, and thus shouldn't be so tempted again. Says who? Who said that its a one and done thing? Sure, Luke passed the test in ROTJ. But the future? The future is always in question. Temptation can rear its ugly head again, and no one, not even Luke, is a saint, forever perfect. Luke was tempted, didn't fall into it, but the damage was done. Or was Ben going to go bad no matter what, and this was just the convenient nudge? Truthfully it doesn't matter. Luke blames himself, rightly or wrongly, and runs away from everything.



Now here is what I consider the best part. Luke now realizes that he must learn from his failure and come back to the galaxy. But Luke has sworn to never wield a Lightsaber again. But Leia, the Resistance, and indeed "all hope" is about to be extinguished by Kylo Ren. Luke does something we have never seen a Jedi do- a realistic force projection of himself to Crait and the battlefield. Now, we have never seen a Jedi do that before- such is Luke's power. But the best part of this is- he doesn't actually fight. He turns Ren's rage against him, buying time for the Resistance to escape. Luke does this without bloodshed, without anger. In my opinion, Luke knows this will cost him his life, but the cause is the right one. Luke will save his sister, he will save "hope". Indeed, Luke's "fighting without fighting" is an action that FEELS so true to the Jedi principles, more true than any previous Jedi action in any of the films. Luke is using the force for "defense", not attack. Luke tricks the Dark Side, and saves the light without anger or violence. Luke's explanation to Ren gives me chills whenever I watch it "The rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi". Powerful stuff in my opinion.


There are many problems with TLJ. Pacing is a problem. The Canto Bight subplot is a problem. Some of the humor is a problem. However, I would argue that the main through line of Luke, Leia, Kylo Ren, and Rey is strong, worthy of the best of the Star Wars films. The trick is sifting through the weak stuff to get to the good stuff. In that way its like the Prequels, but unpredictable. I do not know where TLJ will ultimately fall in the pantheon of Star Wars. There is a lot of hate for it right now (some legitimate criticism, some just crazy). But there are defenders of it as well. Only time will tell, depending on how Episode 9 deals with this. Some hope that Ep 9 will reverse all of the big things that happened in Ep 8. I HOPE they double down- Rey is a nobody, Snoke is DEAD, Kylo Ren is the new Emperor, etc. Let this stuff have the opportunity to stick. It is worthwhile, and if Ep 9 can keep this while adding to it, this "sequel trilogy" will be successful.

PS- Carrie Fisher's untimely death certainly impacted how people viewed TLJ. IF she lived to be in Ep 9- the climax to 8 would be stronger in that Luke saves Leia for a future "confrontation" with her son. But, in real life we know she won't be in Ep 9, making Luke's act seem almost futile. Something to ponder...

Until next time...


Examining a Movie: Day of the Dead

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Hey there my friendly neighborhood warp entities! Old Man Chaos is back in action just as I promised.


Almost a year ago, we learned of the passing of George A. Romero. While he was 77 years old and had lived a full life, I was very saddened when I saw it on my phone. If you have read this blog a bit you'll have noticed that Romero's dead films have a special place in my heart. Heck- my Plague Marines and Plague Zombies draw a lot of inspiration from those films!

I was lucky enough to have met Romero once. It was at NY Big Apple Convention at the Hotel Pennsylvania. This was I think in either fall 2005 or 2006 (I can't quite remember). Now this was before "Comicon" became the huge draw. There were plenty of smaller cons then (and now, but Comicon is obviously just huge). At any rate, George Romero was signing autographs. Naturally, I knew exactly what I wanted him to sign- a mini poster for Dawn of the Dead. When I finally got up to him I couldn't believe how tall he was. He was also very friendly and laid back. As he signed my poster I sheepishly asked him if there was going to be another Dead film after Land of the Dead (a film that I like quite a bit actually). He smiled and said something akin to "we shall see what happens". Now, he must have been asked that question 10 million times by every film and horror geek out there. But at no time did he show that. He was a friendly gentleman. Period.

Later in the Con, my brother and our friend Pete went outside to have a hot dogs and soda. While we were out there, Romero came out all by himself for a smoke. I wanted to go over and say "hey" but Pete was like "Let the man smoke in peace". Pete was right and so I left him alone. But it was awesome nevertheless.

The autographed mini poster is one of my most prized possessions. No, it has no certificate of authenticity. It is not numbered. Nor is it an original poster or something. None of that matters. This is special to me. It is now occupies a central place in my man-cave.

A while back, I did reviews of both NotLD and DotD, both as films and their interesting reflections on the times in which they were made. NotLD stands not just as a zombie film, but as a reflection of the uncertainties of a changing world (the 1960s), while DotD is a satire of our media and consumer obsessed society (the 1970s). It is those things for me that elevate the films beyond simple horror films. They have larger things to say about both history and the human condition. That makes them timeless.

After I watched Dawn of the Dead, I immediately sought out Day of the Dead on VHS. And immediately, I was disappointed. I really didn't like the film all that much. The movie lacked both the originality and action of the first two films. I recall watching it, hearing a lot of yelling and indiscriminate cursing, a fairly blood soaked finale, and then... a stupid ending. At the time, it was bland in comparison to the two that came before.

That was years ago, while I was in college. But of course, as one gets older, things change. A refined movie-viewing palette develops. New experiences and knowledge. Perhaps a growing amount of cynicism. But several years later when I revisited it I discovered that it was actually a powerful ending to the trilogy. Now some fans say Day is the best. I won't go that far. NotLD and DotD are superior films. But Day has a lot to offer, again about the human condition and the time period in which it was filmed. In previous reviews I went all out reviewing every nook and cranny of the movies. I won't do a beat for beat review here. Instead, I'll focus on some of the larger points that are threaded throughout the film and the trilogy as a whole.

Reaganism and the 1980s


Like the other two Dead films, this movie is an attempt at reflecting the times Romero was living in. This one is a bit different though, as it was made in the middle of the decade rather than at the end of a decade (which means he's commenting on things unfinished as it were). What exactly is he commenting on?

Well, in the 1960s America was going through a variety of identity crises- we were a changing nation in the 1960s, and NOTLD reflected the uncertainties of those changes. The 1970s saw America become helpless- ending of Vietnam, Watergate, Oil Crisis, etc. It also saw America become a lot more pessimistic and cynical.

The year 1980 became a bit of a turning point for America. The serious, though flailing, Jimmy Carter ran against Ronald Reagan, a Hollywood actor turned politician, promising to restore America via conservative programs. Reagan promised he would cut government spending, whilst increasing the size and power of the military. Trust Reagan, and he would solve the problems. Obviously, Reagan won that election.


At that point, "Reaganism" swept America. Liberals held Reagan in disdain, but also felt his vision was both flawed and dangerous. As Reagan increased the size of the armed forces, some Americans and Western Europeans alike thought he would unleash World War 3- massive protests were held in both America and Europe when Reagan wanted to deploy new missile systems in Europe. His rhetoric was also incendiary, calling the Soviet Union the Evil Empire. Finally (and importantly for this film), Reagan called upon scientists to create better (defensive?) weapons, such as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI- popularly known as Star Wars).

But Reagan's pro-military stance did more than that. It permeated American culture. American films became more violent, more "gung-ho", if you will. Rambo was a popular hero, taking us back to Vietnam and "winning" it retroactively. On TV, cartoons such as G.I. Joe promoted both America's military and the idea that shooting is the answer to any problem. Jingoism was omnipresent in American pop culture.


This is the world of Romero that he is commenting upon in Day of the Dead. A small group of soldiers and scientists have been ordered to solve the "zombie problem". The soldiers are certain of their guns alright; however they are callous, crude, etc. Obviously Romero is criticizing Reagan militarism- for Rhodes, Steel, etc., shooting is the answer to the problem. The scientists don't escape Romero's criticism either, as embodied by the rather amoral but brilliant Dr. Logan. It is clear that Romero thinks that Reaganism isn't going to solve anything, but rather, make it all worse. Neither the soldiers nor the scientists can get us out of this jam, despite what Reagan says. Humanity's days are numbered, and not all the bullets in the world are going to change that.

Is It Just Me or Is Everybody Crazy?

Something that escaped me on first viewing but is now something obvious is that every single character but one is crazy. Yep. Batshit insane. All but one. This is what makes the film difficult to watch, as opposed to the previous Dead films. The world is effectively over- Zombies outnumber humanity by the hundreds of thousands to one. There is simply nothing left. All that's left of humanity might well be in that missile base. That the base is filled with trigger happy soldiers and oblivious scientists make it all the sadder and more pathetic.

As I said, the film must be understood from that point of view. Humanity is dead and the few stragglers are simply crazy. How could they not be? After all of this, how could they not be unhinged? Let's look at Rhodes for example. The death of his superior has put him in charge. Rhodes screams, he threatens, he yells, waves his gun, even at the most innocuous of things. If the zombie apoc hadn't happened he'd be a military prick blowhard. But since all went to hell, Rhodes is just about shattered, and it clearly shows.


Naturally, Dr. Logan (AKA Frankenstein) has also seen better days. It is obvious he is a smart man, but has lost touch with reality. He wants to understand the zombie problem- but at this stage what's the point? He is interested in their memories, and hopes to domesticate them, zombies like Bub. It doesn't seem to register that feeding Bub parts of dead soldiers might be a bad idea for many reasons. Nor does it register that there is no chance of actually solving the problem. Logan just seems interested in his macabre experiments, nothing more or less.



What about John, the chopper pilot? He seems sane on the surface, and he understands that there is no solving the zombie plague. His answer is that they should all forget the past (keep it buried in the silo he basically says) and just live their lives on an island some where How can one do that in the midst of hell on earth I'm not sure- hence I think John isn't too tightly wound either. His belief that the zombie plague is God's punishment against man doesn't make him sound any saner.


Surely the heroine and main character, Sarah, is sane. Again, on the surface she appears to be, but again this is not true. Sarah as it turns out truly believes that a solution can be found. That there is a way to reverse the effects of the zombie plague. She puts up with both Rhodes and Logan, hoping that a cure will be found. Despite her skills and demeanor, she is crazy if she really expects to end this. Her hallucinations/dreams show that she is falling apart as well.

No, the only sane character left in the entirety of the base is McDermott. Why? Because his solution is to drink booze. He is always wanting a drink from his flask throughout the film. He stays with John because he's the least insane and is a capable fighter (to protect McDermott). But the booze helps him cope with the situation- I think that's a rational response LOL. And if this lush is all humanity has left then you can appreciate Romero's sick sense of humor.

Is That Really The End?



One of the things that bugged me was that, once again, our main characters escape by helicopter, this time to a sunny island and Sarah, McDermott, and John live happily ever after. Night's ending was nihilistic, with all the main characters dead. Dawn's wasn't much better- they leave on a helicopter without much fuel left- they won't be getting too far. But this ending seems false- we leave it all behind just like John says and they're all OK?

Perhaps the ending IS false. As you will have noted, Sarah has been plagued by nightmares the whole time, earlier in the film. At the end, just before she gets into the helicopter, a zombie jumps out at her and then... she awakens on that beach. Suppose the zombie really did get her, and this last dream of a happily ever after is just that. It's not real. Her irrational mind is trying one last defense against the inescapable. If that is true, perhaps no one makes it out of that base after all. I do not know what Romero intended, but my hypothesis makes it fit better with Romero's other endings. (It still bugs me though).


At any rate, thus ends Romero's original Dead trilogy. Now he's gone on to make a few more Dead films, but they are all weaker efforts- even Land of the Dead, which I do enjoy, is not on the same level as these three. No contest. However, these three are secure, having originated a genre of film whose power today is undeniable. But it wasn't just blood and guts that made Romero's films. It was the subtext, the combination of real world issues in this apocalyptic setting that makes Romero's films worthy of being called "great". Day of the Dead, though not as strong as the previous two, continued that trend, if in a rather bleak and even more hopeless way (despite its "happy" ending). These three films are commentaries on the times in which they were made, and that makes them all the more unique and special.


New Typhus and a New Plagueburst Crawler

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Hey there Chaos fanatics. I know I've been missing in action for a while, but little children don't raise themselves you know- plus I'm busy at work too! I have had a lot less time to get my modeling and painting in.

I got a new Warlord Titan LOL

I've just had my birthday recently, and got several gifts from friends and family. My wife got me a new Plagueburst Crawler. Originally I wasn't a fan of the design, but it has since grown on me. I also think the rules for it need a bit of improvement (either make it ballistic skill 3 OR make the mortar 2D6 take the highest. A randomized weapon with a BS of 4 really sucks for the Death Guard).



However, the Entropy Cannons are lethal (again, if you get a 4+ BS), and I've discovered if you put a generic Chaos Lord there to babysit them you can re-roll 1s (so just avoid those 2s and 3s). If you are rolling hot, the Crawler is a very interesting tank, especially as its Daemonic and has Disgustingly Resilient to boot. Perhaps the Predator is a better option, but I do like this tank



At any rate, I built the model pretty quickly and wanted to do something to make it stand apart from the previous one I did . So I went to my bitz box and grabbed some Nurglings from the new Great Unclean One . At the time I wanted the model itself to stand out and not be distracted from by the Nurglings. So I had saved them. Now was my chance to use them.


I put two Nurglings on the spiked railings at either side of the tank. One looks like he is just sitting back relaxing as the tank moves forward, which I thought was amusing. The other Nurgling has a mace, ready to swipe at any enemy that gets too close to the Crawler. The third Nurgling was the one being stepped on bu the GUO, so he was kinda flat. Thus, he was the perfect size to place into the mortar of the Crawler. It looks like he is about to be fired at some unsuspecting foe. Again, it is amusing and goes with Nurgle's sense of humor.


I also took my time with the tank rust effects. I used dark browns, moving up to stippling brighter (Mornfang) browns, followed by stipplings of Ryza Rust and Leadbealcher. Thus the rust looks slightly different (and in my opinion better) than my previous tank.


All in all, I think this tank is better than my first. I really feel the Nurglings give the tank a bit of a story or joke. The tank really looks good, and while it looks similar to my previous one its just different enough to be an improvement. Now I need just one more LOL...



My friend Pete got me Typhus for my birthday as well. I didn't get the new Typhus when he came out last year as I already had my old Typhus. However, the old Typhus is very small compared to all the new Death Guard models. The Lord of Contagion is like a monster in comparison. In the end, I decided I wanted the new Typhus and put him on my Amazon list. Pete obliged and made him my birthday present.



I painted him Death Guard Green, with a healthy wash of Earthsahde to tone him down, followed by highlights of Nurgling Green. The plague vents were done with The Fang and darkened with the Earthshade as well. The blade of his Manreaper was done with the same rust technique I talked about above. I really think the blade really looks rusty- yes, I am proud of how that turned out.



So with Typhus done, I finished two painting projects. I am happy with how both came out. As it turns out, I felt the urgency to do these as I am playing a huge game this upcoming Friday. I wanted these two finished for the big birthday game. Nothing like a little motivation to keep the painting juices flowing. Now hopefully I can paint other stuff after the game whilst also raising my Titan, er, son.


Until next time...

A New Bloat Drone Makes Three

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Hey there my fellow Chaos lunatics. Old Man Chaos is back with a rather brief update. I got a couple of goodies from Santa for Christmas. I won't spill the beans on what they all are yet (as I need much more time to build and paint them). So I will show a model that I completed- a new Bloat Drone.


I got my third Bloat Drone from my brother as a Christmas present. So thanks to Steve I now have a trifecta of drones. I imagine that three of these buggers using their plague spitters is pretty lethal to most armies (D6 per spitter- each with 2 spitters). If you're rolling hot you can deal out a lot of damage (as long as you are within 9").  Ohhh... that makes me want to try them on the battlefield ASAP LOL.


So painting-wise, I painted him just like my previous Bloat Drones- Death Guard Green with liberal washes of Earthshade. Yes, Earthshade makes everything better. In Nurgle's case it makes models look nice and dingy.


As for the rust, I followed what I did with Typhus - I did dark browns followed by a stippling of orange and leadbealcher. It looks close enough to the other drones but I prefer it- the browns add a depth to the rusty parts.


The smoke I did tan with yellow washes. It keeps it consistent with the other models for Death Guard that have smoke (or whatever disease or gas) coming from them.





The drone's flesh I did differently from my previous drones. I did Kislev Flesh with successive washes of crimson. It looks like inflamed, diseased, irritated skin. I used Blood for the Blood God technical around some of the sores and gashes in the flesh.




So, thats my new drone. I now have a complete set. I can't wait to see them liquify things on the battlefield. Until next time...


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