August 2014 Update

A hobby is a hobby. It's not a job.

Missing Mojo
My real life has been busy and frustrating in equal measure. I put a lot of effort into work in order to keep up to speed, and it has paid dividends. I have a new job - a promotion, at that - starting in September, and it will be a somewhat unusual experience to be in a position of authority. On top of that, my dad has had some health issues which've meant it's pretty hard to keep on top of the grim darkness of the far future.

This year has passed us by without INQvitational 2014 materialising. I'm frustrated and disappointed that that's been the case. Still, others have stepped into the breach - Peter has organised a number of games this year (as you can see from this post by Migsula) that've gone very well indeed. The INQ28 forum on the Ammobunker goes from strength to strength, with a number of new posters regularly appearing. Jeff Vader himself seems to outpace everyone else put together, of course.


+DEI CASTIGATOR+
These summer holidays have played host to an unusual milestone, though.

Those of you who are familiar with my internet exploits may remember the Castigators, my DIY Chapter. You can read up on them here, on the Bolter and Chainsword. I posted that thread nine years ago, which is crazy when you think about it. Crazier still when you consider that in those nine years I've never had a completed 40k Castigators army. Abortive attempts have never really managed to get me to where I wanted to be.

And it feels to me like that's nearly always the case - my projects never quite seem to materialise as I want them to. This blog is a shadow of its former self - with all the previous posts disappeared - because I was involved in an effort to create an INQ28 website, which never quite turned out how I wanted it to. I'm not the central innovator of the INQ28 scene anymore - I'm not one of these elite hobbyists - I'm just following the crowd.I want to get some more games in, I want to play around in the 40k universe, but it is difficult with work and family and SWMBO and friends who've in some ways moved on from wargaming.

I've found it difficult to get comments on my latest project, The Battle for Swordpoint. I'm hoping to use it to tie together a lot of the projects that're lying half-finished in my workroom at my parents' house. That's made it somewhat harder to sustain the enthusiasm, but I feel like I might be getting somewhere in trying to create true-scale Space Marines I'm happy with.

My initial attempts were been sporadic. Based on Sebastian Stuart's Brother Stavus, I first started working with plastic terminators, using power armoured arms. Originally I was very happy with the concept, though it does produce Marines that look like T-Rexes - they have very short arms.

My most complete true-scaler, painted by El Diablo

For the Requiem event, I moved towards techniques favoured by Apologist, particularly the use of terminator-armour for the arms. Here you can see the next True-Scaled Marine I made - this one a Chaos Marine, made partly with Dark Vengeance bits and partly with the Terminator Lord kit.

The Dark Apostle created for the "Requiem" Event.

But it was seeing this Grey Knight by Thomas Kyrsting that changed everything for me. He was the first modeller I'd seen who used Tartaros legs for true-scaled Space Marines, and it seemed to work so well that it ignited something in me. I began work on a true-scaled Black Templar for the 2014 INQvitational:

 

This has led me to my project - to create a squad of ten Deathwatch and a small true-scaled force of Castigators. I have begun with the Deathwatch - being more individualistic and unique, it allows me to refine my technique before embarking upon the Castigators. The Deathwatch have always been a real favourite of mine - for a player like me, knowing I'll never have five different 12,000-point armies, it allows me to include some of the Chapters that I love and wish I could collect. 

I currently have four of the Deathwatch in a semi-serviceable condition: The Black Templar you see above, reworked slightly; a Scythes of the Emperor Marine; a Space Wolf; and a Black Shield Librarian. 

The Space Wolf, made with parts from the limited Krom Dragongaze, and the Scythe of the Emperor

Tancrede, a Blackshield of questionable origins and unquestioned psychic ability.

Of course, it takes time to finish these guys, and it will likely take me quite a while to get it all done, but I am pleased to be sharing my progress with you and hope you'll all enjoy it. 

I will try to update when I have some progress to share.

Hope you're all well, 

Mol.