Hobby Update: In Which Things Come Together

One of the interesting things about HADD (Hobby Attention Deficit Disorder) is that, every once in a while, multiple projects all seem to finish at roughly the same time.  That can be in a number of different areas, whether assembly, painting, or converting.  In this case, it's over all of the above.

The Land Raider is "finished."  I guess I "need" to do a little clean up on the script on one side of a banner and do the second set of weapons so I can make it a Redeemer or a Crusader pattern, but I will proudly put it on the table and let other folks blow it up as fast as humanly possible.  Though it was definitely labor intensive, I ended up really enjoying painting it, and I'm even contemplating doing another one at this point, though I think that is a ways down the road if I ever get to it.

On the other hand, the Vargheists are finished.  Flat out.  I've never run into such a disconnect between models being good looking, yet utterly unenjoyable to work on.  I think they look great and I'm glad to have them in the army, but I'm done trying to improve the models themselves.

What I did really enjoy working on were the bases.  One of the guys at the local shop volunteered his bits box and I decided to go a little nuts.  The bases are built from various building sets, though it may have been mostly the basilica.  The plastic is quite thick, so it was a workout to get them into the shape of the bases.  In the end, definitely worth it as I think the look and the effect are very good.  They complement the models as well.  They'll be dark, but there are a few places I can add some splashes of color to make them more interesting.

I've also managed to assemble the Death Company models that I've acquired.  I'm planning on putting my tournament winnings towards the other half of the squad, and will likely try to score a Chaplain for them too.  The plan is to have nine painted in the traditional black color scheme, while the tenth will be in white.  A little deduction will tell you which one of these is not like the other.  The guy with no helmet will be in the opening stages of "the change."    He's got a little conversion done to him with a pair of ghoul hands.  His skin will be the same color as the Vargheists and his hair will be a light shade of gray.  I think he'll be quite striking.

The Word Bearers are also getting some love in anticipation of a coming codex release.  I busted out the airbrush and put on the initial basecoat of Mechrite Red, then began applying a 2:1 Red Gore/Scab Red mix in the traditional fashion.  Two of the models actually got coats of Chaos Black.  They'll end up being the Aspiring Champions for now, but we'll see what options are available in the new book.

Finally, I really enjoyed assembling a Chaos Manticore.  Of course, I'm not sure what I'm going to use it for.  I initially bought it for my Chaos Warriors army, but I'm debating using it as the first Daemon Prince for a 40K army that continues to occupy my interest.  I'm considering trying to do both, but I'm not sure the two color schemes will work.  Obviously, for the Warriors, red really is the only option.  For the Daemons, the scheme is going to be green.  Yes, they're complementary, but I'm worried about the beast looking like a giant Christmas tree.  Magnetizing the head will be easy enough, but I think I'm going to take some more time and consider the options before finalizing my decision.

Hobby Progress
-See above

Hobby Goals
-Get all the basing done for the Blood Wing
-Get the basecoating done on the Possessed

-Time allowing for it, work on the Chaos Dragon

New Hotness: Vargheists and my Thoughts on Them

I recently broke down and picked up the new Vargheist/Crypt Horror boxed set, and I felt like sharing a few of my personal thoughts.

I originally bought the models because I really liked the look of them and they fit the vampiric theme of the Blood Angels.  I originally planned on using Varghulfs to count as Thunderwolves so I could add a new element to my original all-Terminator list.  They would represent the members of the veteran company that had truly succumbed to  the Black Rage.  You can imagine how happy I was when the new Vampire Counts photos leaked and there was Monstrous Infantry boxed set along the same line, especially after the Varghulf was released in "Finecast" and the price went up from $25 to $35, but that is a rant for another post. 

They'll look like this every time

I don't know about you, but I don't let new models stay in the box for long.  About an hour after getting home, I sat down to assemble them.  I am still a big fan of the way the models look, but I was less than impressed with them from a modelling standpoint.  Aside from choosing to assemble them as Crypt Horrors or Vargheists, there aren't really any options for customization.  Unless you have some pretty good green stuff skills, none of the wings are really interchangeable.  There aren't any extra bits.  The legs and torsos only fit together one way.  So outside of an inconsequential head swap, Vargheist 1 will always look exactly like Vargheist 1 and so on.  If you wanted to have a bigger unit, you'll either need to customize with stuff pulled from elsewhere or have three sets of twins. 

Compact but bigger than a Terminator

Additionally, the models aren't exactly a joy to put together.  Model assembly is probably my favorite part of the hobby, and while this wasn't "Old Metal High Elf Dragon" tedious, you had to get everything just so or it would leave open seams.  This also meant there was zero posing involved.  While the models are dynamic by themselves, this sucks a lot of the joy out of building them.  I feel like being able to pose the wings isn't a big ask.  The contact points were also rather thin so getting the glue to set properly was a pain. 

The set also feels like it doesn't need to be a combo box.  Outside of sharing a set of legs and the front part of the torso, the Horrors and the Vargheists don't have anything in common.  It's a tremendous waste of plastic.  It would also be incredibly hard to magnetize or to recycle the bits to another project.  If the kit had been planned better, it could have been a pair of single unit kits and wasted less plastic.  It also could have made it cheaper, but we all know that wasn't happening.

Very nice individually

The form of the models is very nice.  Though they are absolutely cut, they don't suffer from the same overly muscle-bound look as the Minotaurs.  They look like they've been mixing in a fair amount of cardio alongside plenty of powerlifting and core work, so good for them.  The faces are emotive and predatory.  Two of the three poses look very active, like they are on the hunt.  The third is a little confusing as far as what he's trying to do.  The fur and the wings are all nicely detailed. 

The Verdict:
I know it seems like I'm very down on the kit, but once they're painted and on the table, the unit will look very nice.  It's sub-par from a modelling standpoint and you're going to have to do a lot of work if you want a unit of individual looking models that's bigger than three or to get them to look different from your buddies.  But if what you want is exactly three feral-looking vampiric monsters, these are very nice models that will look good on the table top.