I started playing 40k back in the "Rogue Trader" days and played lots of 1st Edition and even more of Space Hulk when it first came out. It's how I fell in love with Deathwing and it's one of the reasons I play them now instead of any other army out there.
As it always seems to do, life comes along and the hobby takes a back seat to things for a while. I stopped playing 40k for a few years and came back to it in the middle of Fourth Ed. by picking up the brand new Black Templar Codex. These guys seemed to be right up there with Dark Angels I though and having some free time to get back into the hobby meant I could spread my wings a little bit. Besides, I had no idea where all my Dark Angel models were.
I played Black Templars for a while and my list moved from straight Templars to a combined force of Black Templars and White Scars (for the painting variety only, I still used Templar rules). Then I added an Inquisitor to the force to give it some more variety. I even tossed in a few Grey Knight Terminators for good measure. Talk about an eclectic bunch.
That was the birth of the dual Land Raider list for me as well at 1500 points. A fun list to play, but not very forgiving. After having my fill with this list, I sold them to make room for my next project. A fully converted "counts as" Lustwing army.
This marked the start of my transition from playing towards more of the modeling and painting aspect of the hobby. These guys were a ton of fun to build and paint and just as much fun to put down on the table. I eventually sold them to a good home as I wanted to get back into a mechanized force because an all foot slogging list like this one kept me feeling limited.
I briefly tried my hand at an all jetbike and Vyper Saim-Hann list, but found it to be so far from my playing style that I just couldn't get into playing the army and enjoying it. I sold it to make room for my new Deathwing army. My new Mechanized Deathwing at that.
Combining all the elements from previous armies, I built my Deathwing army to be the one I always wanted. I kept the mech portion I loved from playing my Templars and the terminators and dreads were an all elite force that could take on anything. I managed to get my hands on some original MK1 Land Raiders to give the army some character too.
It's the culmination of everything I've got at this point. I know what kind of army I love to play and I know how I want them to look on the tabletop. With all the practice I've had over the past couple years painting, I'm finally able to get them to look the way I want them to.
Here's how I am planning on painting my new force when I do get the time to paint them.
I don't play a "legal" list anymore. I use Forge World rules for all my armour and I've got some things in my squads that aren't allowed by the current Dark Angels codex. Remember how I mentioned I'm more into the other aspects of the hobby now? It doesn't seem to be a problem for my opponents so far, but I really only play a select few people and they are starting to stretch the boundaries for their armies as well. It makes from some real enjoyable games that are laid back and pleasant.
These days, I continue to share my commission work and share what I'm learning as I move through the hobby. I do more commission work than actually playing now. I realize that I enjoy the modeling and painting aspect of the hobby far more than playing. I do sneak the occasional game in, but they are few and far between. Most of my free time is spent in my studio.
So take a minute to check out my commission work, I'm constantly trying to keep it updated with new work and if you're interested in having something commissioned, please contact me... I'd love to hear about your project.
As it always seems to do, life comes along and the hobby takes a back seat to things for a while. I stopped playing 40k for a few years and came back to it in the middle of Fourth Ed. by picking up the brand new Black Templar Codex. These guys seemed to be right up there with Dark Angels I though and having some free time to get back into the hobby meant I could spread my wings a little bit. Besides, I had no idea where all my Dark Angel models were.
I played Black Templars for a while and my list moved from straight Templars to a combined force of Black Templars and White Scars (for the painting variety only, I still used Templar rules). Then I added an Inquisitor to the force to give it some more variety. I even tossed in a few Grey Knight Terminators for good measure. Talk about an eclectic bunch.
That was the birth of the dual Land Raider list for me as well at 1500 points. A fun list to play, but not very forgiving. After having my fill with this list, I sold them to make room for my next project. A fully converted "counts as" Lustwing army.
This marked the start of my transition from playing towards more of the modeling and painting aspect of the hobby. These guys were a ton of fun to build and paint and just as much fun to put down on the table. I eventually sold them to a good home as I wanted to get back into a mechanized force because an all foot slogging list like this one kept me feeling limited.
I briefly tried my hand at an all jetbike and Vyper Saim-Hann list, but found it to be so far from my playing style that I just couldn't get into playing the army and enjoying it. I sold it to make room for my new Deathwing army. My new Mechanized Deathwing at that.
Combining all the elements from previous armies, I built my Deathwing army to be the one I always wanted. I kept the mech portion I loved from playing my Templars and the terminators and dreads were an all elite force that could take on anything. I managed to get my hands on some original MK1 Land Raiders to give the army some character too.
It's the culmination of everything I've got at this point. I know what kind of army I love to play and I know how I want them to look on the tabletop. With all the practice I've had over the past couple years painting, I'm finally able to get them to look the way I want them to.
Here's how I am planning on painting my new force when I do get the time to paint them.
I don't play a "legal" list anymore. I use Forge World rules for all my armour and I've got some things in my squads that aren't allowed by the current Dark Angels codex. Remember how I mentioned I'm more into the other aspects of the hobby now? It doesn't seem to be a problem for my opponents so far, but I really only play a select few people and they are starting to stretch the boundaries for their armies as well. It makes from some real enjoyable games that are laid back and pleasant.
These days, I continue to share my commission work and share what I'm learning as I move through the hobby. I do more commission work than actually playing now. I realize that I enjoy the modeling and painting aspect of the hobby far more than playing. I do sneak the occasional game in, but they are few and far between. Most of my free time is spent in my studio.
So take a minute to check out my commission work, I'm constantly trying to keep it updated with new work and if you're interested in having something commissioned, please contact me... I'd love to hear about your project.