Old Fang Keep

Progress.....Yesssss!!!

2010-06-10T22:09:00.003-05:00

I've been home recovering from a brief hospital stay and I was able to get some work done on my Wolves. I actually finished assembling my Long Fangs Pack and my Swift Claws Biker Pack. I equipped the Biker Pack with a melta gun, but couldn't get the damn thing to fit right in the hand of the rider, so I decided to 'mag lock' it to the right side of the bike next to the front tile. Kinda like a quick draw thing.

Any way, all I've got left to do is build the Predator and I can make some time to at least get a game in. I do have a Wolf Priest to convert, but I can use Ulrik as a proxy for now.

Space Wolves - 1500 point List

2010-06-06T19:04:00.003-05:00

Here's my stab at an army list:

Ulrik the Slayer = 180

Rune Priest w/ runic armor, plasma pistol, wolf neclace, Saga of the Beastslayer - 155

Wolf Guard Pack - 265

WG in TDA w/ wolf claws, WG in TDA w/ AC and PF, WG in TDA w/ TH and SS, WG in TDA w/SB and CF, WG in TDA w/ SB and power sword

8 GH w/ plasma gun, power fist - 155

8 GH w/ flamer, power fist - 145

9 BC w/ power weapon - 150

3 Swift Claws w/ melta gun, power fist - 110

6 LF w/ 2HB, 2LC, 1 ML, squad leader w/ power weapon - 175

Predator w/ TL lascannon, lascannon sponsons - 165

Total - 1,500

My Apologies

2010-06-05T13:53:00.000-05:00

My apologies, dear followers, for my absence. It seems that sometimes real life can indeed become a hassle. Which is why I've been away for so long. But...I have vowed to live life better and MAKE time to do some of the little things that I enjoy. Namely, modeling, painting and gaming. So that said, I have pulled my Space Wolves out and dusted them off and am ready to get back to it. So stay tuned - there's more to come.

Wolfman

2010-02-16T19:39:00.003-06:00

I got to check out the new Wolfman movie this weekend. Being a fan of the original 1941 Lon Chaney, Jr. classic, I was anxious to see what a 21st Century facelift would look like on this old classic. I have to say that I was not disappointed. The gothic horror, 19th Century english feel was awesome. The mist-shrouded country side, the full moon periodically obscured by cloud banks and the cobblestone streets really looked great.

The main characters from the original were in this version as well. Though the story varied a bit, I thought it flowed well. While popular opinion stated that it was too gorey, I have to disagree. Were there eviscerations? Yes. Were there decapitations? You betcha. Were there blood spatters? Oh yeah. But I've seen way worse and I believe the gore was necessary to illustrate the savagery of the beast unleashed.

Again, it was a great movie and I can't wait to see it again.

Grey Hunter - Test Model

2010-02-15T21:59:00.004-06:00

Before people start thinking that I'm not really building a Space Wolf army, I had to sit down and finish painting a model. I decided to stay away from the Blue-Grey power armor. Not so much because I don't like the way it looks, but I don't think that I can do the models justice. Historically, I'm really bad with light colors, so I went with the darker shade.

Sorry about the lousy images, as you can see I'm not much of photographer either.

Anyway, here's a completed test model. I'm leaning toward Bjorn Stormwolf's Great Company, just to be different. So, you'll probably see the 'stalking wolf' badge on the left shoulder.

Beastmen - 1,000 point list

2010-02-11T22:00:00.003-06:00

I haven't played Warhammer Fantasy in quite some time, but I am going to try and give it another go with the new Beastmen. As I am focusing most of my attention on my Space Wolves, I'm going to keep this project small at only 1k. Here's what I'm going to start with:

Wargor - hvy armour, Axes of Khorgor

Bray-Shaman - level 2, hand weapon, 2 Dispel Scrolls

20 Gors - shields, hand weapons, full cmd

5 Ungor Raiders x2 - hand weapons, shortbows

5 Chaos Warhounds x2 - scaly skin

10 Bestigors - hvy armour, great weapons, full cmd

3 Minotaurs - Bloodkine (champion), light armour, hand weapons

1 Chaos Spawn

994 points

I picked up a box of Ungors and the Beast Lord with two hand weapons, which I will use as my Wargor. I grabbed the Ungors first, because it was the least expensive way to get started AND get two units in the list built. Before I drop any more cash, I need to check and see if I have any of the hounds or spawn laying around my basement.

Comics - Mighty Thor

2010-02-09T15:52:00.004-06:00

As with most Space Wolf players, I have grown increasingly interested in Norse mythology. I have begun conducting some research on some of the viking legends (sagas). The viking mythology is filled with mighty heroes, gods, giants, dragons, and monsters of every kind. As a child I poured over comic books (sometimes I still do) and one of my favorites was always the Mighty Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder.

So I figured would be a fun way to start researching, so I picked up this Graphic Novel. Hopefully I'll find some great background stuff for my Space Wolves.

Meanwhile, on the hobby front, the work continues apace and the painting has started. I'm working on painting my first Grey Hunter. I've got two Grey Hunter Packs, one Blood Claw Pack, a unit of Wolf Guard terminators, a Rune Priest and Ulrik the Slayer all built. I just need to get the Predator and Long Fangs together and then I'll think about maybe getting a game or two in, just to see how they play.

Battle Missions & Dreadnoughts

2010-02-08T19:40:00.002-06:00

Games Workshop announced the release date for these two goodies. On March 6th, the new Battle Missions supplement comes out. It's basically a set of all new missions for Warhammer 40k. Looks like some of the missions are tailored to each of the different armies in the game and it also includes a couple of generic missions that can be played no matter what army you own. It's also full of backgrounds and maps. Niice.

To go along with the new supplement, GW has released a plastic Space Marine Venerable Dreadnought. Ya gotta love the plastic kits. The Imperial Guard and Orks are getting some love too with plastic Deff Dreads and Killa Kans. The Chimera and Basilisk has also been updated to include variations in the new IG Codex.

It looks like March is going to be a 40k month. Now, when are they going to make some more Wolves???

WFB - Beastmen

2010-02-07T11:59:00.003-06:00

It's been a number of years since I've spent any kind of time, playing Warhammer Fantasy. 40k has simply become more appealing to me. That doesn't mean that I exlcude all other GW products. I do continue to collect all codices and army books for all three game systems. But with the release of the new Beastmen Army Book, my interest in returning to Fantasy, at least on a small, limited scale is increasing. I picked up a copy of the army book yesterday and figured that I'd read through it and see what the new book has to offer. The models are fantastic and with the ever-increasing line of plastic models, it's hard to resist. The other aspect I like are the primitive weapons and shields that the new Beastmen are using. What could be cooler than a Space Wolf Grey Hunter adorned with trophies from a fallen mutant?

Over the coming days, I'll read through the book and maybe consider a 1,000 point army, just to get my feet wet. If the interest doesn't stike, at least I'll have some cool-looking bad guys for my Space Wolves to hunt. Can you say Space Wolf custom version of Space Hulk?

Thunder From Fenris and Wolf Substitutes

2010-02-04T21:51:00.007-06:00

I know this one is old news, but I finally got around to picking upd this audio book from Black Library and I already listened to it twice. I gotta say that I loved every second of it. Aside from the really bad Arnold Schwarznegger impression, it was a great story. I was in my local GW store today picking up another box of Space Wolves. The audio novel got me thinking about the next wave of Space Wolf models. According to one of the staffers, the second waves traditionally release about six months to a year after the initial release. That sucks. I'm not so hot on the WFB Wolves and I haven't been able to find any cool-looking wolves to use as a substitute. If anyone has any suggestions about any other acceptable substitutes, I'd appreciate a heads up.

Re-boot

2010-02-03T20:05:00.001-06:00

I'M BACK!!!! I've been away for a couple of months dealing with life, work, family, holidays, etc. and ended up being too tired to really do anything about my Space Wolves. Well now, it's time to keep one of the New Year's resolutions that I made for 2010: Actually get an army completed and on the gaming table. True, my life is busier than I care to discuss, but being a husband and father of three daughters AND having a wife that works straight afternoon shifts should be no reason that I can't sneak a little time for myself and return to my favorite hobby, right?

So, I've picked up my codex, clippers, and glue and decided to get back to work on my Space Wolves. I initially had a 1,500 point list that I ended up changing a couple of time, so I figured that I might as well start over. One of the other things I plan on doing, aside from re-reading the codex again cover to cover, is to immerse myself in the history of the northmen and the Norse mythology. I'm betting that I'll be able to dig up a ton information that I can use to flesh out my collection. And that's just for starters.

All of that said, I better get busy. Now where did I put my Thor comic books?

Short Update

2009-10-01T11:31:00.001-05:00

I used what bits that I had left and assembled another Grey Hunter, using a Chaos Marauder shield and pelt together with a Space Wolf head and torso. Part of the fun in collecting Space Wolves so far (for me at least), is taking the time to build one at a time and asking myself the question, 'How do I make this model look different from the rest?' If you can figure that out every time, then you can find real satisfaction in painting and playing with your army.

Painting - I tried painting a test model model last night using a straight grey scheme. Codex Grey, with Badab Black wash and then a Fortress Grey drybrush. I didn't like the way it turned out so, I chucked that one. Can anyone provide a good tutorial for painting Space Wolves?

My Ulrik the Slayer arrived yesterday from GW and I'm half way finished assembling the metal Wolf Guard - which will serve as my Lone Wolf.

New TV Series - Stargate Universe

2009-09-27T22:40:00.000-05:00

Only five more days until the premiere of Syfy's new show, Stargate Universe. I'm a huge fan of it's two predecessors, so I'm pretty excited about this one as well. The show is boasting an All Star cast and judging from the trailer, some world class special effects. After a summer without any new science fiction, it'll be refreshing to see something new. Check out the trailer here.

Just Gettin' Started...

2009-09-26T18:56:00.000-05:00

My little care package from GW arrived today. Earlier this week, I ordered a Rune Priest and the new Direct Only Wolf Guard model. The Rune Priest has always been, in my opinion one of the coolest miniatures ever produced by GW. The pose is very dynamic and well-detailed with runes talismans - a true wolf brother.

The Wolf Guard is labeled as a SW Captain - honestly I'm not sure how I'll play him. He looks every bit the Lone Wolf, but I think he would serve well as a Wolf Guard Battle Leader or Pack Leader. But in any case, I'm glad to have that model as part of my small, but growing collection.

Update - I've got two Grey Hunters built from the old set and the work continues on that. Pics of those coming soon. My only concern with the old set is that they don't have the SW detail that the new ones do, so I'll probably add some bits from the new kits when they are released.

First Post

2009-09-23T12:35:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Old Fang Keep. One of my favorite hobbies is gaming/modelling. I primarily play Warhammer 40,000, but I also enjoy board games and RPGs. So in the posts that follow in the coming days, weeks, and months, I'll share my adventures in gaming and daily life with anyone who cares to read about it.

As I write this post, I thought what better way to kickoff a blog than by starting a new army? Since I broke into 40k about six years ago, I have always wanted to play Space Wolves, but I was never overly happy with the selection of models (especially the scouts) and I didn’t like the idea of carting around two codices just to run the army. But now GW has re-designed the Space Wolves with new models and their very own codex. Finally, the Sons of Russ are getting the attention that they deserve!!

The new codex and new models get released on October 3rd (the day before a full moon - how cool is that?!) at which time I will officially start the project. Only ten days to go!!! What will I do in the meantime, you ask? I have no idea...just kidding. Right now, I'm surfing through the web, looking for modelling ideas, studying preliminary lists of fellow Space Wolf players and generally preparing for the project. My initial purchases have been in the form of foam trays to store the models and a box of last edition Grey Hunters - I thought that it would be a good idea to have some of the older bits around, to help expand on the collection. And lastly, I picked up my copy of the latest White Dwarf yesterday, which is chock full of Space Wolf material, so I'll be reading that and drooling over the models.