GAMES WORKSHOP in stock! The Hobby Corner Continues to Expand!

Just a quick post to share how well our Hobby Corner has been going! We've had a superb first month with a great level of support by the local gamers and modellers and even from those further afield!

Big thanks to Bob and the guys up Palmy way, and to Simon and the rest of the crew from the Hutt Club - who are choosing to support a store that's not in their immediate locale - much appreciated guys!!!

On the back of this initial success, we have decided to expand the section and range of products, and have just last week become a GW stockist, through their stockist program. We've now got a 1m wide module in store with AoS and 40K stocked, and anything else that's wanted that we don't have , we can order in each week for delivery the following week! Just let us know by Thursday for delivery next week...

We've also expanded the Warlord Games selection, by stocking Black Powder, Hail Caesar, and Pike and Shotte to cater for the Historical Gamers, with starter sets and boxed figure sets available...

More from Warlord Games to come in the coming months ... August sees the release of Konflict '47... a 'what-if' expansion on the classic Bolt Action game that will see large robot like walkers and Nazi zombies entering the fray! Cant wait for that one!

Also with the current zombie craze, we'll be stocking their Project Z game, once its available again - it sold out and is just awaiting the next print run to complete for shipment.

Bolt Action sees a revamp in the rules in September and we'll be getting those new rules in with the new starter sets too.

And having see how good a game Bolt Action is with its order dice mechanism, I have decided to also get in Warlords' Beyond the Gates of Antares - Sci-Fi battle game... which uses the same order and pinning mechanisms - looking forward to giving that one a whirl!

As you can see from the pictures above we're also stocking Star Wars X-Wing and Star Wars Armada - both very popular games - playable straight out of the box with no painting required... and definitely in gaming vogue at the mo' with the new movies coming out for Star Wars!

We'll also be stocking a range of board and card gamer like Munckkin , Fluxx, Carcasonne, Settlers, Talisman etc etc ...

So if you're in the area and in need of a gaming or modelling fix, come on down and check us out!

The Hobby Corner
Paraparaumu Beach Pharmacy
17 Seaview Road
Paraparaumu Beach
Kapiti, NZ.
04 2988882

AliExpress and GW...

Just a quick follow up...

I had ordered a GW 40K Ork Ghazkull for my son's ork army through these guys a wee while ago...

At the end of last week I got an email from AliExpress stating my ordered had been cancelled, as the seller (Miranda Irene) had not shipped the goods within 7 days of order being placed...

I would receive a refund to my credit card with 7-10 days...

I have been asked to leave feedback...

I'll wait and see if my credit turns up before I spit the dummy...

Stay tuned!

40K - Ork Trukk - WIP

In an attempt to increase the Ork forces for my sons army, I started a bit of conversion work.

He has long wanted a trukk for his orks, and rather than spend a small fortune on a GW one, the Scrooge in me decided to have a go at converting an old toy.

Chris had a large old toy '18 wheeler' that had seen better days... so I disconnected the tractor unit, and set to...

I didn't take a fully before shot, but having got to where I did over a few days, I thought it might be interesting to put back the bits and show how it started...

Here is more or less how it began...

The top canopy of the cab was cut away as was the rear cab area. The chassis was shortened by removing the mid section (black bit below).

Removed bits

The Chassis was glued back together, with several plastic panels glued across the join, to conceal it and strengthen it. A rear deck area was added. The side fuel tanks were re-positioned and the front wheel arch boxed in.

The most tricky bit was refitting the internal space of the cab, several pieces of plastic card cut and glued into position. I thought about adding a steering wheel and the various levers, and perhaps converting an ork into a proper driver, in a seat... but Chris liked the idea of just being able to stand an ork model in the cab area, and then be able to charge him out...so that may have to suffice.

Cab internal space fitted out...

So all this work got us to this point...

Ork Trukk WIP

At this point its a fairly regular truck again, but now its given me a foundation to work on, to fully 'ork-ify' it up...

Various riveted panels will be added all around, as will a spiked ram at the front. Then there's the spiked wrecking ball a on chain suspended from a pivoting gantry to add, and an assault ramp...

And of course some kind of Big Shoota!

It's been a rather fun exercise so far, and having some holiday time off with the kids mid term break has helped too.

One word of caution to the wise though, I did get a couple of minor chemical burns on my hand... while supergluing bits together, I was also using a spray zip-kicker too, and sprayed just as some of the glue dripped from the model onto my hand... OUCH! that stuff gets darn hot as it sets! Lesson learned indeed!

So more work to come...

In other news, I have finished brick etching the last wall of Victorian terrace #2 and managed to get done the rear facing yard wall. Just the internal yard walls to go...

Busy busy... must press on...

New 40K rules... and a new source of 'Cheap' GW figures?

40K !

I 'bit the bullet', ordered the rules from the UK, and they arrived yesterday...

I managed to read through the main rules up to the Morale section last night. Looking forward to giving them a whirl with my young son, (who's mad keen), with my old figures, and those I got in the 'BlackReach' set.... trying to squeeze in the odd 40K marine and terminator in among the EotD stuff and FoW stuff on my workbench... to keep him happy...

I have always bemoaned the pricing and quality ('Failcast/Finecost') of GW figures in recent years, but something has occurred and been brought to my attention, that has me rather intrigued, amused and dare I even say even excited...

As has been the case for what seems like decades now, those fine little folk in the Orient have been taking ideas from the west, and invariably copying them, often making them far cheaper and perhaps in some cases even better?

Well that now appears to be the case with GW figures...

Various Chinese based suppliers are offering what amount to be copies of GW figures, made from a plastic/resin(?) material that seems as good if not better than than GW current Failcast...

They don't come pretty - no box, no instructions, just a plastic ziplock bag full of the bits you need...

As yet I have not ordered any, but am watching blog details of others who have..., so can't comment from personal experience...

If they turn out to be 'legit' and good quality, I'll be in with both feet...

To put things in perspective... if I were to buy the current Ghazkull (sp?) model for my son, prices:
From GW (NZ);     NZ$73
From UK source; ~NZ$40 delivered
From China;         ~NZ$25 delivered...

Its a no brainer really who's going to get my money... the traders have feedback ratings like on Ebay so you can 'buy' with confidence...

Watch these spaces...

Those wishing to check out more, go to

www.aliexpress.com , and search on Warhammer, 40k, etc... not the easiest site to navigate but you get there eventually...

It does of course leave you wondering what GW will do, or indeed can do about this, if anything?
Dropping local prices would be a start!

If any of you out there have experience in purchases from 'aliexpress', I'd be grateful for your feedback, comments below please...

Updates to this post...
http://scottswargaming.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/aliexpress-and-gw.html
http://scottswargaming.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/aliexpress-refunded.html

... and further interesting observations from DiceOdyssey:
http://thediceodyssey.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/explain-or-why-i-removed-recaster-posts.html

Liber Lexicum Dictata Novicius?

Remember this?
http://scottswargaming.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/oh-gods-what-have-i-done.html

And these?
http://scottswargaming.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/40k-squats.html
http://scottswargaming.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/old-school-40k-squats-pictorial.html

Well after Sundays game of 40K with No.1 Son, and relearning all the rules again, after about a year since the last game, but from my rulebook, which is from the rule incarnation one variant back from the current, my question is...

How much have the rules changed from the rules I got in the Black Reach set to the current rules?

Perhaps I am reaching out those friendly folk down at the KWC, or perhaps readers from BoLS?

Would any kind person care to fill me in on any rules changes I need to know about?... And at the end of the day, do I NEED to buy the new rules book?

As much as I'd like to play FoW or LOTR with my son, his interest is in 40K when it comes to rolling dice, so if I want game with him, and see him painting again, seems I have to commit to a certain amount of 40K time... ah well, ...I'll try and fit some terminators and marines in among everything else on the painting table! And give the guy pictured above some comrades...

Comments below greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Scott

German armoured recce - Half Tracked Panzerspah, and SoTR?

Another platoon I have long been wanting to add to my Wehrmacht forces for FoW, an armoured recce platoon, half track panzerspah, comprising one SdKfz 250/1, and two SdKfz 250/9.

As recce, their role is to advance ahead of the main armoured troops, seeking out enemy ambushes and revealing gone to ground, on hiding enemy troops.

They also come equipped with sufficient fire power to spoil the day of exposed infantry, and the rapid firing 2cm gun of the 250/9's will make lightly armoured vehicles think twice about getting close...

Painted in my usual 3 colour camo style for late war...

On patrol...

Recce scout ahead past a French cafe, looking for hidden enemy...

...but wait, whats that they are scouting ahead for?

What is this? Some new devious terror weapon? A 'Secret of the Third Reich'...?

Some of you may remember a post I did some time ago about buying a 40K set for my son... well back then I threatened to do something like this, and recently I found time to do it, this guy is a test paint, but I think he's come out OK, not that I am an expert in painting 40k stuff...

I decided to mimic the late war German camo scheme and decals... The idea being the marine chapter has its roots in ancient Earth history... The marine chapter suitably being called 'Das Reich'...

I figured this would be one place where the GW overzealous use of skulls on everything would actually work, mimicking the silver deaths head motif of the Waffen SS units...

The only thing I wasn't sure about was whether I should have conduit tubes on the back of the arms, maybe black or metallic...

I figured with their camo pattern they will be perfect for use on an earth style temperate zone type planet, and so did a traditional 'grassy' base...

I will gradually work through the rest of the boxed set, probably adding another figure to a set of German armour I am working on each time...

My painting of this figure, combined with watching Alien & Aliens with my young son for the first time this week, has had him glued to the painting seat again, working on his orks, for the first time in months...

OK, so who's going to come up with some FoW stats for this bad boy... rapid firing 88mm? Yes please ;-)