Warmachine BattleReport 25pt Cygnar v. Cryx

I had the pleasure of a 25 pt. WM battle with Kara Sloan leading an alliance of Cygnarians and their Mercenary hires against Lich Lord Asphyxious and his ghastly Cryxian minions.  It was a great battle which saw an early Cygnarian wave of success suddenly met with a fierce Cryx counter-attack.  Watch the BatReps below to see what happened...

Cygnar/Merc Army

Warcaster: Kara Sloan

Warjacks: Ironclad(H), Charger(L), Lancer(L)

Units: Trencher Chaingun Crew, Hammerfall High Shield Gun Corps, Dannon Blythe & Bull

Solos: Eiryss

Cryx Army

Warcaster: Lich Lord Asphyxious

Helljacks/Bonejacks: Slayer(H), Harrower(H), Canker Worm(B), Defiler(B)

Units:-

Solos: Pistol Wraith, Necrotech/Scrapthrall, Gorman Di Wulfe

Stone-Wood Split Fence Tutorial

Always a fan of small, simple terrain accents in addition to large structures, I have put together a video tutorial for an archaic-looking stone/wood fence.

Here are a couple of stills of the easily made fences(supplies=coffee stirrers, cardboard, small bits of styrofoam):

  The vids can be found on my Youtube channel(Iron Kingdoms at War) at the links below...
(the embedded vids below may be cut off, double-click on a video to see it at youtube)





My next project will be "Patchwork Slate Road Sections".

Figure Feature: Butcher of Khardov and Wardog

Sorry it's been so long since posting- a lot going on!  That being said, I'm back(with a vengeance) to terrain-making and mini-painting for Warmachine!  Yes, I have the pictures(and soon more vids) to prove it!

First up is the Butcher of Khardov(I always want to say "Kharkov" after the famous WWII battle!).

I think I've almost shed my rustiness after months off from painting and I'm pretty happy with how he turned out.  Usually I don't do "gore" on a figure but a figure named "Butcher" screamed for a little blood in my opinion.  I look forward to taking this Khadorian Warcaster into battle, especially because of his earth-shaking "Obliteration" spell.

Next up is the Khadorian War Dog...

The greatest challenge for the Wardog was trying to get the coloration of the fur correct- again, I'm pretty happy with the result.  I used some photos of Bull Mastiffs as a reference.  At first I thought of having him jumping over a fence, but I used a watch part gear instead(on the base).  I've been wanting to field this solo figure for a while now to support my Khadorian 'casters...now I can!

Finally, here's the two figures together.  For both I chose a Thornwood Green/Khador Red armor combination(such as seen on the Kodiak in the Forces of Warmachine book)- I just like the way the colors look together. 

 

If you are curious about how I made the "snow" from easily available materials watch the video below...

Fallen Tree Terrain Tutorial

Having become very favorable to caulking as one of my newest favorite terrain-making material, I set out on an experimental piece.  I've seen some nice pre-fabbed over-sized fallen trees available and I wanted to see if I could make one myself- I was very happy with the results

The materials I used were as follows:
-Caulking(White DAP brand)
-Tin Foil
-Matting Board(for base)

-Sand/Kitty Litter(for earth texture)

1.I began by cutting out my base and then ripping off a 10" or so long piece of good old tin foil.  I scrunched it into the basic cylindrical shape of my fallen tree. 
2.I coated the foil roughly with caulking using a caulking gun.  Using a butter knife, I assured a smooth and complete coating of the tin foil form.
3.Using a toothpick, I engraved lines into the tree running the length of the piece to simulate a bark texture.  I also crafted some small knotholes.
4.I let the caulking dry, then based the piece with sand/kitty litter mix.  I added some small aquarium stones.  After painting I flocked the edges with static grass and added some small foliage.

The pic above gives a sense of scale.  I wanted the piece to represent and impressively large fallen tree that would provide cover to a nice-sized unit on the battlefield(although with the above method you could make trees or stumps of just about any size).  I am sure I will refine the technique but I like my initial results- especially for such a simple process.

For a complete video tutorial on this piece click on the links below...

Brrrr! Frozen Pond Terrain

I recently put together a frozen pond for my winter gaming terrain(scroll to bottom for video).

 It was a real "throw together" project that I did on a whim, but I really like the result.  Construction was very easy...
-base was made from thick "For Sale" sign
-ridge around pond was made from plain white DAP caulking
(pebbles/field grass embedded within)
-ice effect was done using Envirotex

 I didn't need to paint the caulking(white will do for snow of course) but for the pond I...
-gave the whole thing a thick basecoat of white paint
-watered down some slate blue and worked it into the still wet white paint in a swirling pattern
(not photorealistic, but I wanted a "wargamey" piece with a hint of blue)
-sealed with Envirotex
You can't really tell from the photos but the Envirotex gives it a fitting, icey sheen.

Best of all, because we're talking all flexible materials(plastic sign, caulking, dried Envirotex), the piece is very durable and flexible as illustrated above- it'll last me forever.
 

Dirt Roads Terrain Tutorial

I had some people on my Youtube channel asking me how I made my dirt roads that are in some of my battle reports. As I finally got around to doing a terrain tutorial on these I thought I'd mention it here.  My approach is simple, quick and inexpensive. Though it's nothing ground-breaking, it yields nice results for anyone looking to crank out some nice scenery in a short amount of time.

The materials used are...
-matting board
-caulking
-sand/kitty litter
-grass flocking

You can see a two part video tutorial on how to make these road sections, here...

Terrain Tutorial: Mucky Swamp

Inspired by my Mariner base, I wanted to create a nice swamp terrain piece for my Warmachine boards.  I have made some of these in the past but with much more crude techniques- so I wanted to "take it to the next level".  The project was a simple one using the following materials:
-hardboard(1/8") (for the base)
-spackle a.ka.a. "filler"(for embankment)
-twigs(for downed trees)
-small stones(for rocks)
-dress pins and green stuff(for cattails)
-make-up brush strands(for field grass)
-green stuff(for lily pads)
-sand/kitty litter mix(for dirt texture)
-Envirotex Lite(for water effect)

I was happy with the finished product.  If you want a step-by-step tutorial, be sure to scroll down to the embedded videos or click here...

 

Warmachine Battle Report: 25pt Stryker v. Irusk

After a string of embarrassing, decisive losses, the chain has been broken; my Khadorians have finally triumphed! GDog played Cygnar and chose Stryker as his warcaster, while I brought Irusk with his red horde in tow.  It was a great game.   From the beginning I was used the nice range of my Winterguard Mortar Crew and Bull to slice up his infantry.  However, once the heavies were engaged, his Ironclad and Mule were getting the better of my Destroyer and Juggernaut.  However, in the end, superior numbers allowed me to give him too many targets, and for me to nip away at Stryker.

See the full video Battle Report below(double click to open in a regular window):

Figure Feature: Mariner

Envisioning my Mariner as a forgotten 'jack tucked away amongst the refuse of a dockside warehouse, I wanted to give it a "mucky", dirty and rusted look as if its only barely fit for duty. I want the thing to look like it's going to creak and grind as its oxidized limbs try to move the behemoth inland from the marshy coast.
(scroll down for video)

I went a little rust crazy(and muck crazy) to get the effect I was looking for...

Introducing: Tiny Townsfolk...

My quest to find suitable "townspeople" and civilians to populate my Iron Kingdoms terrain has led me to discover a plethora of great figures that fit this theme.  Knowing that there may be others out there interested in similar figures I will share my discoveries with others through Iron Kingdoms at War's new sister blog: Tiny Townfolk.  Be sure to visit the link below to see the blog:
Tiny Townsfolk Blog

I will regularly update the blog with newly painted figures and point you to where you can acquire these figures if interested.

Figure Feature: Sam MacHorne & The Devil Dogs

Having decided to build a Highborn Covenant Merc Army I was immediately attracted to the very versatile and tactically useful Devil Dogs unit.  In addition to their array of melee, ranged and special abilities, as well as their solid stat line, Sam is a Jack Marshall who can drive up to two Merc Warjacks.  Essentially, that means the Devil Dogs are practically an army in their own right when on the field.

The Slug Guns of the Devil Dogs are VERY short range but high power weapons, but the Pick Axes they all carry for melee deal extra damage to knocked down models- convenient given that one of the Dogs carries a metal net with which to knock down enemy 'jacks.

They were a pleasure to paint, and each sculpt in the six figure box set is a unique sculpt.  Click below to see my "Video Figure Feature" for more information...
 

Terrain Tutorial: Rocky Outcroppings

Recently I completed a "Rocky Outcropping" piece of difficult terrain for my Warmachine battlefields. It is mainly comprised of blue styrofoam(2") boulders plastered with Liquitex Stucco(for the stone effect). I designed the piece not as a solid obstacle but to allow for the movement of minis through the terrain(with cover). I may add a little foliage, but its already a functional bit of terrain.  This is a great alternative to similar pieces made by Pegasus Hobbies, and you can knock these off in no time!
Below are some stills, but please be sure to check out my video tutorials for more information...

 
 

Rural Homestead Terrain

I recently completed a small "Rural Homestead" which consists of a small cottage with adjoining stone walls on a slight elevation. It has a squarish base as I was going for the "wargamey" over "realism" approach. Below are some stills, but if you scroll down you can see a four part tutorial on how to make the piece as well as a video describing its painting/flocking...

Video Tutorials

Terrain Tutorial: Warjack Repair Shop

I have completed a six part video tutorial for how to make a Warjack Repair Shop for your Warmachine battlefield.  Though I suppose the regular armies of Khador and Cygnar have their own, advanced facilities for mechanics, I pictured a small row-house type garage where locals service 'jacks that are 'just passing through' their town.  Or, perhaps this is a simple little shop where the likes of Dirty Meg service shoestring machines like Mules and Mariners!  Here are some shots of the unpainted(except for priming) structure.  I will have the model painted up in the future and be sure to post that here.  Be sure to scroll down to the video tutorials...

Six Part Video Tutorial...