Promised a friend that I'd enter a local painting competition. Was originally going to go all out and complete a ravager, but time and circumstances have worked against me.
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Promised a friend that I'd enter a local painting competition. Was originally going to go all out and complete a ravager, but time and circumstances have worked against me.
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Between medical issues, two small children, a wife going for her driver's license and a generally increasing level of antipathy towards Games Workshop you'd think I'd not have been working on anything lately.
Yet I have, if a little more slowly than I'd like. If anything's changed, it's more a desire to just paint stuff I like rather than drive towards getting some sort of army together (happily, Dark Eldar at least ticks both those boxes).
See above for my current set up - something I put together in very limited space out of an old cabinet we have in my study. Can't wait to move into a proper sized house!
So here's what's currently on my work bench. From left to right: a Dark Elf crossbowman (Warhammer Fantasy), a Dark Eldar Solarite (40k), a Khadorian Devastator chassis (Warmachine), a Dark Eldar Ravager (40k) and a Legion Carnivean (Hordes).
Phew!
Different gaming systems with varied colour schemes and design styles keep me interested.
Would also like to add some models from Infinity and Dropzone Commander while I'm at it.
Will update on individual projects as progress is made...
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According to various reports, it appears that GW is ending their Specialist Games range - once current stocks are gone, they're gone for good. Forge World will also be ending their relevant lines in these games.
In other words, the only games GW are making from now on are Warhammers 40k & Fantasy and the Lord of the Rings games.
The cold hearted accountant in me can understand the decision (it smells like they're preparing for an impending sale/take over)- very few people are playing these games anyway, but it saddens the geek in me greatly that these are being let go.
Without Epic, we'd never have titans (the only way you'll ever see any on the table anymore - and then only the smaller varieties - is through games of Armageddon), without Inquisitor we'd never have had the Eisenhorn/Ravenor series. Without Blood Bowl we'd never have...well, Blood Bowl.
What makes these universes so enthralling (particularly the 40k one) is the combination of massive scope and little, hidden details. With these games going, much of this lore will be disappear.
I've lost a lot of love for GW recently and this only adds to that feeling. If you're a fan of these worlds - even if you never played or intended to play these games - I thoroughly recommend you go to the below links and download these legally available (but hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for) rule books and references for these games. For the fluff alone, they are worth it.
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Then...
And now...
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Games Workshop and the protection of our trademarks
by Games Workshop on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 4:42am ·Games Workshop owns and protects many valuable trademarks in a number of territories and classes across the world. For example, 'Warhammer' and 'Space Marine' are registered trademarks in a number of classes and territories. In some other territories and classes they are unregistered trademarks protected by commercial use. Whenever we are informed of, or otherwise discover, a commercially available product whose title is or uses a Games Workshop trademark without our consent, we have no choice but to take reasonable action. We would be failing in our duty to our shareholders if we did not protect our property.
To be clear, Games Workshop has never claimed to own words or phrases such as 'warhammer' or 'space marine' as regards their general use in everyday life, for example within a body of prose. By illustration, although Games Workshop clearly owns many registered trademarks for the Warhammer brand, we do not claim to own the word 'warhammer' in common use as a hand weapon.
Trademarks as opposed to use of a word in prose or everyday language are two very different things. Games Workshop is always vigilant in protecting the former, but never makes any claim to owning the latter.
For those that haven't heard, here's a run down from the BBC:
Row blows up over ownership of 'space marine' term
UK toymaker Games Workshop has been criticised for asserting a trademark claim to the phrase 'space marines'.
The claim emerged when it was used to get an American ebook about the futuristic soldiers taken off Amazon.
Science fiction writers have called the firm "absurd" for saying it has a trademark to the use of the term in fiction.
A UK media lawyer said more and more firms were using trademark law to protect their creations.
Generic termThe row started in December 2011 when US writer Maggie Hogarth found out that her novel called "Spots the Space Marine" had been removed from the Amazon ebook store following a complaint from Games Workshop.
In emails sent to Ms Hogarth this week, Games Workshop claims that its entry into digital publishing gives it a "common law trademark claim" over the phrase.
Ms Hogarth wrote a blogpost about the row and expressed her fear that if Games Workshop started actively pursuing its claim, science fiction could lose one of its "fundamental" ideas. Ms Hogarth said a lack of funds meant she was unable to defend herself against the claim. However, she is now in touch with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which campaigns on digital rights, about the case.
The blogpost received a huge amount of publicity and has provoked responses from best-selling SF authors Cory Doctorow, Charles Stross and John Scalzi. Many people sent messages to Games Workshop's Twitter account using the #spacemarines hashtag criticising the firm.
Mr Scalzi, who is currently president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, said it was "absurd" for the firm to claim ownership of the phrase and its use in literature. In a blogpost, Mr Scalzi said it was "pretty damn generic" long before Games Workshop began using it to describe its toy soldiers and in tabletop games,
A spokesman for Games Workshop said it had a "blanket policy" of not talking to the media and had no comment to make about the row or its trademark claim.
Media and intellectual property lawyer Susan Hall from DWF said Games Workshop might struggle to assert its trademark claim in America.
"In the US they'll come straight up against the First Amendment and that's one issue they'll have to overcome," she said.
Ms Hall said Games Workshop could launch a similar protection campaign in Europe as it had had a registered trademark for the term "space marine" since 1995. Its trademark claim covers the use of the word in connection with many aspects of tabletop gaming and video games, she said, but also extended to published works.
"If you have a registered trademark you can stop people using it in the course of trade for goods that are not yours or licensed or approved by you," she said. "It puts the person with the mark in a very strong position."
Many firms, she said, were registering trademarks to help them keep control of intellectual properties that were now out of copyright. There were dangers in this bid for control, said Ms Hall.
"You need strong IP laws," she said, "but you need to have the ability to rub up against those in a way that allows people to be creative and allows creative freedom."
Way to go GW. What a bunch of jerks you've turned into.
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Just a small update. Here's another kabalite warrior, this time bearing a blaster. I managed to drop this model right on its head, snapping the spike at the top (grr), but with the help of some super glue, tweezers and a steady hand I think I've repaired the damage rather well.
Oh, and it's a female kabalite, though I suspect she's not much of a lady...
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Part 3
Far, far too long between drinks.
There will be more coming as I commit myself to completing my Blade of Vect.
In the meantime, here's a couple of photos of models I'm working on utilising some of the cool backgrounds I found over at Gerrie Schenk's website. Enjoy.
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Looks like Warriors of Chaos are on the way. I'm interested, but damn those books are getting expensive...
Oooh...the long rumoured Heresy era release now has a very cool looking teaser. No models that I could see, but the artwork is stunning:
The year was 1995 and a few friends, myself and about one hundred other nerds turned up one warm Saturday morning to the 'Grand Opening' sale of Games Workshop Ringwood.
Sales like that are rarely seen anymore - buy two boxed sets get one free and the same for blister packs. And the discount coupons! Sigh, those were the days...
Fast forward to June 2012 (seventeen years!!??), and the Ringwood store at Eastland - my old stomping ground from even further back - is closing down...
...and reopening on Maroondah Highway about a five minute walk away.
The new store looks a little bigger, and is certainly better laid out. It's still in the process of being renovated and painted, but it looks like it will be an improvement over the original.
Still, goodbye old friend...
And in event better news, Maria and the guys at Realm of Legends have returned, phoenix style, from the ashes of their old store. Smaller, perhaps, but sleeker, and still with access to amazing tables and atmosphere, the store is now located at the top end of Main street Croydon.
They literally only opened their doors yesterday to start taking pre-orders for 6th edition (and good to see that their tempting prices have returned - $99.00 for a preorder versus $124 at GW) - a lot of work to do yet before they're up and running properly - look for a grand opening in a couple of weeks...
Yay!
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Here's a new teaser from Games Workshop detailing some of the art from the upcoming rulebook...
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