Season's Greetings!

Season's Greetings!

It is hard to imagine that 2019 is coming to an end, marking 7 years of Between the Bolter and Me as a blog! It was a great year, filled with all sorts of excitement. In an age of Instagram and Facebook, there is increasingly less interest in blogs, so we really want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our loyal readers! Happy holidays everyone and we look forward to sharing 2020 with you all!
 

- Adam, Eric, and Greg Wier

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 66: Reflection on 2019

Running towards 2020!

In a special extended episode, we celebrate a productive 2019 with guests Modern Synthesist, Voxmorbus, Red Wet Skeleton, and K0rdhal! First, each of us look back on our favorite personal hobby projects of the year. Then we transition into discussing some of the major events and happenings from the community as a whole, such as Mordheim 2019, Gelida, and the release of the digital 28 magazine. We also consider all of Games Workshop’s releases during 2019 and pick out some of our favorites. We close out the episode by setting some hobby goals for 2020!

Follow Modern Synthesist!

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Oldhammer: Hess Poison Breath

I have no regret. The clues are numerous, and it is reasonable that the truth should exist in proportion to their number. -Kōbō Abe

When building my Undead warband for Mordheim 2019, I got my hands on two ancient Citadel miniatures sculpted by the legendary Jes Goodwin. Both were Chaos Sorcerers from the mid 80s. While one, Sli’ith Ironlung, was converted slightly and turned into a dreg from the undead warband, the other, Hess Poison Breath, was left unused. A month or two ago, I started to paint some of fantasy miniatures we got from Ana Polanscak’s Kickstarter, and realized the model would fit nicely alongside of them as some manner of necromancer. With this in mind, put the model on a base and decided to paint him/her!

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 65: Chatting with Weirding Way

“There is no escape—we pay for the violence of our ancestors.”

In this episode of the podcast we talk to Weirding Way, one of the luminaries of the Inq28/Blanchitsu movement of the miniature wargaming hobby! We ask him about how he was introduced to the hobby and discuss how interacting with other hobbyists has changed since the introduction of the internet and social media. We also talk with him about how he found the Inq28 side of the hobby and how it led him to create his iconic Navigator house, exploring an aspect of 40k lore that was always present but never fully defined. We talk at length about how he approaches building models, from conceptualizing, to converting, and finally painting them.

Follow Weirding Way!

Conversion Corner: Arco-flagellant

Never worth your name.

Ever since the introduction of arco-flagellants into Warhammer 40,000 with the release of the 54mm game Inquisitor, we have been fascinated with them. Their concept is something that represents 40k so well: taking Imperial citizens condemned to capital punishment and converting them into specialized servitors that are pumped full of combat drugs and stims to send them into a bloody frenzy upon the vocalization of a trigger word. The original 54mm Damien 1427 model expertly captured the drug-addled madness of the concept, but the 28mm 40k models always fell far short. Fortunately, better versions are being released with the new Sisters of Battle release. In celebration of this, we decided it would be fun to convert one ourselves for our Conversion Corner series!

On Firearms: Shooting Handguns, a book

A book that I wrote was just published!

Those of you following Between the Bolter and Me for awhile know that we take firearms pretty seriously. We spend a lot of time redesigning Games Workshop’s firearms into devices that look like they could be functional. The three of us grew up shooting handguns and rifles, which is part of the reason we want to realistically represent firearms on the models we create. Recently, Schiffer Publishing released a book that I wrote with my father about shooting handguns! It is called Shooting Handguns: An Introductory Guide to Shooting Safely and Effectively.

WilhelMiniatures Bone Trees

The stuff of nightmares.

Recently, the prolific and incredibly talented Helge Wilhelm Dahl, of WilheMiniatures, created a macabre series of trees that resemble cyclopean bones sprouting from the ground. He created these “bone trees” from real pig bones that he boiled and cleaned. Fortunately for us, he created silicone molds of the trees, and started to sell them them via Etsy! We were able to get the entire set of five of the trees, and wanted to let people know our thoughts about them!

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 64: Spiel 2019 reveals with Modern Synthesist

More Necromunda!

Our friend and talented sculptor Modern Synthesist joins us to discuss the new models Games Workshop revealed at Spiel 2019. Due to the new models primarily being from Specialist Games, we talk about how they tend to be a better source for conversions than most of the models from GW flagship games like Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40k. We also discuss the newest Warcry warband, the Spire Tyrants, and how they attempt to capture the classic Chaos marauder imagery. 

Mordheim 2019: Ogre bodyguard hired sword

Welcome to the Thunderdome!

The Warcry boxed game comes with a lot of nice models, but I was particularly impressed by the ogre in the Iron Golem warband, going as far to say that it might be the nicest in the set. Due to this, I immediately started thinking of applications for the model. Having just participated in the Mordheim 2019 event with a Sister of Sigmar warband, I decided that the ogre could make a perfect hired sword with a little modification!

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 63: Gelida with Magos_Buer

Bring me Ice!

Cody Taylor, Magos_Buer on Instagram, joins us to talk about the series of Inq28 events he masterminded, called Gelida: the Frozen Expanse. We talk about the origin of the project and what inspired it. We speak at length about the importance of narrative in these sorts of collaborative events and how he went about making storytelling the focus of Gelida.

Tabletop Fantasy Miniatures by Ana Polanscak

Blood Simple.

Now that the days are getting shorter and the leaves are falling from the trees in the United States (and October is starting to wind down), it is hard not to think about Halloween! It is a time to carve Jack-o'-lanterns and watch John Carpenter films. With these thoughts in my head, I wanted to paint some miniatures that put me in the same state of mind. It dawned on me that I had a collections of miniatures from Ana Polanscak’s Kickstarter that fit the theme excellently. I particularly like the Blood Fiend and diminutive Skull Familiar included in the set. The lore Ana created for the Blood Fiend is particularly evocative: it harbors the tortured spirit of an old warhorse that was fed on the diet of a carnivore! For these two models, I decided to see if I could paint them quickly using Games Workshop Contrast paints.

The Primogenitor: Death Guard

The Archenemy infects this universe. If we do not pause to fight that infection here, within our own selves, what purpose is there in taking our fight to the stars? - Apothecary Engane from his Treatise on Imperial Medicine

We have always had a soft spot for the Death Guard. Years back, after the release of the Putrid Blightkings, we tried our hands at creating some terminators. Later, when GW reworked their entire model line (which fell short of their potential), we started an initiative to improve them, which culminated in our creating one based on a Primaris model. Recently, Iron Sleet announced their next narrative event, set within a cyclopean space hulk, called the Primogenitor. Alexander Winberg from Echoes of Imperium realized the XIVth Legion would fit effortlessly into this setting, and started to craft a Death Guard warband for the event. It didn’t take much convincing for us to try our hands at creating another Death Guard model for the event. We decided to use a Primaris space marine as the basis for this conversion, and wanted to talk about the process in this post.

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 62: Mordheim 2019 with Echoes of Imperium

Mordheim 2019!

We welcome Alexander Winberg (of Echoes of Imperium) back to the podcast to discuss the Mordheim 2019 collaborative event that he organized. Time is spent discussing how the idea to celebrate Mordheim's 20th anniversary came about. Considerable time is spent talking about how you can get involved in similar events, stressing the importance of getting out there and presenting your work on social media and commenting on the work of those whom you admire. The origin of 28 magazine is commented on, with a consideration towards how it might help shape the Inq28 and AoS28 movements in the future. New collaborative projects are mentioned liked Ondroma, Gelida, and Primogenitor. Finally, we end the episode by talking about everyone's favorite moments from the Mordheim 2019 event, both in game and outside of it.

Follow Echoes of Imperium and visit the blog!

Follow Larsonicminiatures new Ondroma project!

Gelida: Revisiting some old conversions

Into the frozen wastes!

Recently, a group of talented hobbyists gathered to play the first in a series of events set on the frigid death world Gelida. Created by Cody Taylor (magos_buer on Instagram), Gelida is a long forgotten Imperial world that plunged into an ice age sometime around the time of the Great Crusade. Some of its bravest inhabitants venture into the snow-swept wastes in robotic suits, searching for supplies to keep the planet’s few Hive-cities functioning. In the last few months, our Instagram feeds have been filled with all manner of awesome snow-covered mechs and warriors in heavy duty harsh-weather gear for the Gelida events (#gelida40k). Some of the creations from Rougefalcon5 really caught our eye, particularly a few models created from the Imperial Guard Scion kit. They reminded us of some models we converted years back (here, here, and here), soon after the blog started, just as we were venturing into the world of Inq28. Looking through our model cases, we found them as we left them unpainted and unfinished. In honor of Gelida, we decided to modify the models to fit within the setting and send them out to some of the people involved in the games!

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 61: Nova Open previews

The Ossiarch Bonereapers enter Age of Sigmar!

We spend this episode talking about all of the new models shown at Nova Open. We begin talking about the new Howling Banshees and Chapter Master Shrike of the Raven Guard, both previews for the upcoming Psychic Awakening campaign series. Next, we talk at length about the newest Age of Sigmar army, the Ossiarch Bonereapers, which combine elements of the Tomb Kings and Necrons. We end by talking about the Sister of Sigmar army boxed set, which includes a redesigned Penitent Engine.

Mordheim 2019: Using Ana Polanšćak's Witch Hunters at Mordheim 2019

In all these days will a famine lay upon all of your lands, and a plague upon all of your people.

This article was published previously on Echoes of Imperium, describing Greg's thoughts about Mordheim and the Witch Hunter warband that Ana Polanšćak built for him to use at the Mordheim 2019 event.

I started into the miniature wargaming hobby not long before Mordheim was released. Being fairly young, and lacking a disposable income, I was not able to play it at the time. That did not stop me from spending many an hour reading about it in the pages of White Dwarf magazine. Something about the setting really stuck with me, and felt very unique, even for the Warhammer Fantasy setting. It was not until much later that I finally latched on to what it was that made it so distinctive. 

Mordheim 2019: Sisters of Sigmar games

Sound the dread alarm.

The smoke has finally settled after the chaos of Mordheim 2019. We recounted the games played with the Undead and Witch Hunter warbands earlier, and now it is finally time to talk about the exploits of the Sisters of Sigmar!

Mordheim 2019: Sisters of Sigmar warband

Holy Convent of the Order of Merciful Sisters of Sigmar.

I never played Mordheim when it was released in 1999. I was a teenager and had only taken up the miniature wargaming hobby with my two brothers a few years earlier with Warhammer 40,000 and Gorkamorka. While I did not have sufficient funds to delve into another game at the time, I spent a lot of time reading White Dwarf with a keen eye on Mordheim. It was the game that showed me that the Warhammer Fantasy setting was more than just the sum of its influences, managing to rise above genre stereotypes and create something unique. A lot of this was due to the fantastic artwork associated with the game, injecting an otherworldly weirdness to everything with knightly owls and bipedal fish. That was a time when all of the imagery in GW’s books did not have to have a miniature counterpart, and it seemed like the artists had more freedom to illustrate whatever captured their imaginations, building up a world around the characters they drew, not only the characters themselves. If a world feels lived in, it helps give the whole endeavor a sense of believability and realism (even within the realm of the fantastical). Throughout the past 20 years since Mordheim was released, my approach to the hobby has changed and has moved more and more towards trying to make believable and realistic characters, something that I wanted to apply to the Sisters of Sigmar warband.

Conversion Corner: Mad Meg

Concerned only with endings, a life desires closure.

For the next installment of Conversion Corner, I focused my attention on creating another character for my Sister of Sigmar warband. Even though the Mordheim 2019 event has passed, I still have lots of ideas for other sisters to add to the warband.

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 60: New Space Marines!

We focus this episode on the new Space Marine models that are being released along with the newest rendition of the Codex Space Marines. We muse on the the Invictor Tactical Warsuit, and how if fits alongside the other dreadnoughts. We also talk about the Primaris Space Marines’ newest floating pickup truck, the Impulsor. Finally, we marvel at how much worse the multipart Infiltrator and Eliminator Space Marines appear, in comparison to the ones contained in the Shadowspear boxed set. 

We also showcased some of the work of Fabio Vero (fabio_morghot on Instagram), focusing on a fantastic Digganob he created.

Mordheim 2019: Witch Hunter games

The grim figure of the Sigmarite Warrior Priest Vieuxpont goads his pack of blood-thirsty warhounds into battle, followed by two fanatics proclaiming prophecies of impending doom.

As a follow up to Eric’s post describing the endeavors of his undead at the Mordheim 2019 event, I wanted to write about my experience using the incredible Witch Hunter warband that Ana Polanšćak created! The first game was against Johan Egerkrans' Undead Warband, and the second was against Ana Polanšćak’s Cult of the Possessed and Mikko Luoma's Chaos Dwarves.

Mordheim 2019: Undead games

Church of the Ever Burning Saint attempt to banish a vampire twisted and warped by wyrdstone.

My brothers and I played a multitude of games of Mordheim during the Mordheim 2019 event, all of them unique and filled with surprises. With this post, I wanted to describe the two games played with my undead warband, the first against Nicky Grillet‘s Sisters of Sigmar and Alexander Lunde’s Witch Hunters, and the second against Erik Blomqvist’s Sisters of Sigmar.

Mordheim 2019: Undead warband

A living death awaits us all.

It is hard to imagine Mordheim is twenty years old; it means that I have been a part of this hobby for over two decades! And while I never got the opportunity to play the game when it was first released, I remember poring over each new issue of White Dwarf, looking at the new warbands being released, battle reports, and their dedicated magazine the Town Cryer. Games Workshop’s skirmish games have always been my favorite games they release, with GorkaMorka being the first of their games we really played extensively. Games like Necromunda, Inquisitor, and Mordheim allow the player to dive deeply into the strange and morbid worlds Games Workshop has created, and actively encourage you to carve out your own unique niche within their creation. Mordheim 2019 has been a fantastic opportunity to explore the Old World like I have always wanted to, building upon imagery and models that have always inspired us. While Alex defined the basic motivations behind the major factions, Tears of Envy, another incredible hobbyist involved in the event (who made Mordheim 2019’s excellent logo), had the fantastic idea of looking at the city of Mordheim through the lens of the Strugatsky brothers’ Roadside Picnic/Stalker. This science fiction classic explores the aftermath of an extraterrestrial visitation. Despite the alien visitors abrupt departure, their presence irrevocably and mysteriously changed the environment where they visited. These “Zones” were eventually cordoned off from the wider world to be studied. Could the meteorite that hit Mordheim have a similar effect, and what would happen to the city after being poisoned by this wyrdstone for 20 years? How would its inhabitants and the city itself be affected and corrupted? And what sort of adventurers would risk their lives to find fortune by venturing into the City of the Damned? This concept really captured my imagination, leading me to start experimenting with different warband designs.

Mordheim 2019: a recap

A few Witch Hunters carefully advance through the broken streets of Mordheim.

Last weekend was the culmination of over a year of work by many talented hobbyists, who gathered in Helsinki to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Old World Skirmish game, Mordheim. This collaborative event, known as Mordheim 2019, was hosted by Alexander Winberg of the Echoes of Imperium blog. We were fortunate to be able to make the trip to Finland to take part in the event, using the warbands we have been chronicling over the last few months (as well as one created by the estimable Ana Polanšćak of Gardens of Hecate). The event was far too big and filled with all manner of excellent people and exciting happenings to ever be covered in a single post, so we plan to separate our coverage of Mordheim 2019 into multiple posts (covering all of the games we played), and maybe a few podcasts. This post is going to be a short one, showing a few pictures, and ultimately thanking everyone involved, especially Alexander Winberg for inviting us and hosting the event. It is hard to put into words how wonderful the weekend was, filled with fantastic models and even better company. It was great to see old friends and create new ones, putting faces to people we have long admired. And although the event is over now, we are more inspired than ever to keep building models, crafting stories, and connecting with the hobby community!

Mordheim 2019: Additional sisters painted

By the manner of their death we shall know them.

I am still furiously painting models for my Sisters of Sigmar warband for Mordheim 2019, which is happening in just a few weeks! I am pleased to show the next two finished sisters. They were actually the first two I built for the project and it is awesome to finally see them finished!

Mordheim 2019: Sister Superior one painted

Sigmar's Fury.

After finishing painting the first sister in my Sisters of Sigmar warband for Mordheim 2019, I quickly jumped into painting the next, this time one of the heroes, a Sister Superior. This sister was converted from one of the original Sisters of Sigmar models from 20 years ago. In homage to the original warband from all those years ago, I decided to paint the model in a scheme that was reminiscent to those models, with cream colored robes accented with red. Despite largely being a single piece metal model, the Sister Superior took much longer to paint than I had expected.

Mordheim 2019: Choir member painted

“It was a promise unasked for and it was a wall of sound, unbroken.”

With Mordheim 2019 rapidly approaching, I have finally begun painting the Sisters of Sigmar warband in earnest. I decided to paint the last model I converted for the warband first, a member of the Choir, who guards the inner sanctum oubliette of the Rock. As something of an outsider in the group of traditional Sisters of Sigmar, she was a good opportunity to try out some things and get accustomed to painting again. Having come up with the concept behind the Choir, Alex Winberg had already come up with a somber looking paint scheme of black leather and white masks (the flavor text from the first image was penned by him too!). I was excited to try my hand at the monochromatic scheme, knowing it would add a sinister element to the warband.

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 59: UK Games Expo 2019

I am the Law.

We discuss the new products Games Workshop previewed at the UK Games Expo 2019, talking about the newest Necromunda gang, the Palanite Enforcers. We also talk about how GW has a tendency to create models that have awkwardly posed legs that are often overly muscled in relationship to the rest of the model, which is evident on the new Enforcers and some of the new Blackstone Fortress models that were also revealed.

Mordheim 2019: Painting begins - Bases

The painting has begun!

When spending so much effort converting models and making cool characters, it can be easy to forget about the bases for the models. Anyone who has been painting models for awhile knows that a nice base can really tie a model together and make it look complete. It is important to not get too carried away with a base, lest it distract from the model as a whole. With this in mind, to ensure that the bases were cohesive and tied all of the models together, I opted for a relatively simple stone-tile theme. To do this, I used a combination of GW scenic bases from the Eyes of the Nine warband and ones I sculpted by hand. To ease into the painting process for the Sisters of Sigmar warband, I decided to paint a few of the bases, and wanted to showcase them here!

Mordheim 2019: Choir member

"In My Heart The Answer Is Yes, But I Said No."

After months of work, I was able to build 6 members for my Sisters of Sigmar warband, which is a small feat based on the speed at which I build and convert models. Despite this accomplishment, 6 members is pretty small when it comes to an effective warband in Mordheim. With the Mordheim 2019 event close at hand, I knew that I would not have much in the way of time to convert any more and still have time to paint them. “Maybe I could try to convert one more model, and do it quickly, as an entry into my Conversion Corner posts?” I thought. After seeing Alexander Winberg’s own sisters of Sigmar, with their sinister masks and overcoats, I thought that I could make a Sister heralding from his clan to assist my warband. Alexander’s warband are guards to the deepest dungeon of the Sisters of Sigmar’s Fortress-Monastery, the Rock.

Mordheim 2019: Matriarch

Pimeys Yllä Jumalan Maan

With the Mordheim 2019 event less than two months away, I have been busy finishing the last members for my Sister of Sigmar warband. The last major character required is the warband’s leader, the Matriarch.

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 58: Warhammer Fest 2019

Warcry!

We discuss the new products Games Workshop previewed at Warhammer Fest 2019, talking about the newest Warcry warband and the Chaos Knight. We also talk about how GW is increasingly partnering with other companies to expand their market, now bringing Bandai into the fold.

Mordheim 2019: Wraiths

Contrary to widespread belief, the undead are not invulnerable. Bones are scattered or ground to dust, corpses are burned or rot until they are untenable, and finally, the death of the necromancer themselves cuts all motive force. Perhaps that is the true horror of Mordheim, that these inviolate laws no longer hold any sway? That these reanimated relics of a life long past persist indefinitely, with no animating force or corporeal locus. - Naewen, savant of Thrax


While we recently created a model to represent the sorry state of some inhabitants of Mordheim, and the intangible manifestation of raw emotion, months ago we created some models to look at how the corpses and undead creatures that filled the city were affected over 20 long years. Using some Nighthaunt Bladegheist Revenants as a base, I wanted to show how the rotting corpses filling the streets slowly lost their corporeal forms. Since creating the initial two, I went back and modified them slightly, adding more nails to their backs, as well as created a third. With this post I wanted to show the finished conversions, as well as the initial efforts at devising a paint scheme for them.

Conversion Corner: Dreg

Wyrdstone is well know to corrupt, but might it also draw out and strengthen elements that are already present? Perhaps those wretched dregs of humanity, invisible in life, traveled to the City of the Damned to become something greater, only to find themselves more soulless than they were before? - Naewen, savant of Thrax

The last model we created for the undead warband for Mordheim 2019 explored the idea of emotion given intangible, yet lethal form. This closely paralleled some of the anomalies present in the novel Roadside Picnic. Diverging from this, we also wanted to show how wyrdstone might affect the wretched human inhabitants that have persisted in the city all of these years. Perhaps after persistent exposure to the corrupting influence of wyrdstone, some gradually lose their hold on reality and begin to disappear? Having learned how to make silicone molds for resin casting, we decided it would be fun to try to convert a downtrodden inhabitant of Mordheim and cast them in clear resin to represent them becoming invisible.

Mordheim 2019: Sister Superior 2

Only in death does duty end.

Although I recently finished converting a Sister Superior for the Sisters of Sigmar warband, I knew that I needed more, so I set about converting another. In my warband for the Pilgrym event, I converted a series of characters using old classic models. It was fun way to try to reimagine the models for a more modern look. I decided I should do the same for my Mordheim 2019 warband, using one of the old metal Sisters of Sigmar models. Looking over the small range, I selected the old Matriarch model, due to her older looking physiognomy and stouter frame, and started the conversion!

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 57: Carrion Pass

Heist in the Ash Wastes

James Ward (Wardsylvania on Instagram), mastermind of the Carrion Pass Inq28 event that took place at Adepticon 2019, joins us to talk about the event and other aspects of the miniature hobby. We discuss getting involved in the Inq28 community, from hosting collaborative events to building models and sharing them via social media!

Conversion Corner: Blackstone Fortress Eldar Ranger

Now I know where snipers come from.

Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress is filled with a lot of excellent models; I was a little disappointed with the Eldar Ranger due to her awkward pose and over-sized weapons. After playing our first game of Blackstone Fortress, the barrel of her rifle broke off, and we decided it was the ideal opportunity to convert it more to our liking for Conversion Corner!

Mordheim 2019: Sister Superior

We are the Hammer of Sigmar.

Although I already built three Sisters for my Mordheim 2019 warband, the warband is still far from being complete, needing a few more heroes and regular warriors. Since heroes are so important in the game, since they are the only way to acquire wyrdstone, I felt it best to try to build another. Aside from the Auger and the Matriarch herself, the only other hero choice in the Sisters of Sigmar warband is the Sister Superior. I decided I wanted to create a heavily scarred Sister in battered platemail who has survived the last 20 years through her faith and grit.

28 the magazine is here!

Your day has come denizen... 

Almost a year ago, we announced that we were going to be involved in creating/contributing to a digital magazine focusing on Inq28 and Aos28 called 28. We are incredibly excited to say that the first issue is complete and is available to download for free! It is filled with all manner of excellent articles, covering things from painting to the creative process. It has been great to help make the magazine a reality, but most of the credit has to go to all of the talented contributors, and particularly James Sherriff for all of the graphical design, formatting, and editing. We hope you all enjoy the issue! Now time to start thinking about issue two…

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 56: Shadowspear impressions

We talk about our thoughts on the new release for Warhammer 40k, Shadowspear. We discuss the redesigned Chaos Space Marines and the latest Primaris Space Marines, postulating on what it means for Warhammer in the future.

Mordheim 2019: Anomaly

My God's have gone, into the fountain.

The corrupting touch of wyrdstone is manifested in many inexplicable ways. As the years stretch on, hushed rumors tell of rage and malevolence given invisible form, of agony haunting singular locations, that bring doom upon those that haplessly wander too close to the City of the Damned.

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 55: Playing Blackstone Fortress

Ambull!

Having played a few games of Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress, we use this episode to express our thoughts about the game. In previous episodes we talked at length about the models, but this one is focused specifically about the quality of the game itself, and how well the mechanics work to capture a setting and to create a fun gaming experience.

Conversion Corner: Sister of Sigmar Augur

The promise of an age of peace and prosperity is drowned in blood.

With the Mordheim 2019 event rapidly approaching, I thought it apt to devise a Sister of Sigmar conversion suitable for our Conversion Corner segment. Fortunately, Games Workshop had just released the Genestealer Cultist Locus model, which seemed ideal to create a robed Sister of Sigmar. With a little thought, I decided to try to convert the model into one of the hero choices for the warband, the blind Augur. Fortunately, the model came together quite quickly!

Mordheim 2019: First two sisters complete

Come with me, descend into the darkness.

While it has been a long time in coming, I am happy to say that the first two members of my Sisters of Sigmar warband for Mordheim 2019 are finally finished (being built, at least)! I shared some of the work in progress pictures earlier for both (first and second), but with this post I want to show the completed models. Each required extensive green stuff work to finish, but I think it makes the models more cohesive and distances them from the original models.

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 54: Las Vegas Open model reveals

Trigger control?

Games Workshop was at the Las Vegas Open to cover the major Warhammer 40,000 event that was held there. To celebrate this, they revealed a lot of new products, including a host Primaris and Chaos Space Marine models. We spend this episode talking about our thoughts on the models and what it means for each respective model range.

A look back: Notable Hobbyists of 2018

Having reviewed our favorite models of the year, and looked back at our own work on Between the Bolter and Me from 2018, it is finally time for our last annual recap post, highlighting some of our favorite hobbyists of 2018! Like each year before it, it seemed like the quality of work put out by the community was the best it has ever been. Due to this, there is no way we could list all of the people who created excellent models. Instead, we are going to focus on a few hobbyists that really inspired us to keep creating models throughout the year! If you do not see someone on the list that you feel should be, we encourage you to look at some of our previous years (2017, 2016, 2015, 2014), as we have featured many fantastic hobbyists over the years, many of whom are still producing excellent work!

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 53: Pillar of Salt

Death from Above!

We talk about our thoughts on the recently revealed models of Commissar Severina Raine and Sanguinius, as well as the negative criticism that has surrounded them.

Conversion Corner - Space Marine Operative

The Happenin' Habber stands next to her newest Space Marine friend.

For the second installment of Conversion Corner, I decided to focus my attention on converting a Space Marine operative. I have been exploring the design for Space Marine weapons, namely the bolter (True-Scale Marine, Elder One Othalanga; Primaris Marine) for a while now. For this marine I wanted to delve even further into creating a sub-machine gun (SMG) variant of the bolter (and challenge the commonly perceived size of such a weapon). Additionally, I wanted to experiment with equipping a marine with one of the Genestealer cultist shotguns. Since their release, I always thought they would work perfectly on Space Marines, particularly the Primaris-scaled Marines.

Between the Bolter and Me: 2018, a year in review

War has changed.

With 2018 over, Between the Bolter and Me has turned 6 years old! Like past years, 2018 has proven to be a very different year from those past. We were not able to attend any collaborative Inq28 events, but we sent models to a few (Lesotho 2-12, Mare Solum, and the Thorn Moon Crusade), and started working on a few more (Mordheim 2019, Rise of Phaeton). We did a lot of other random things, including starting to stream our podcasts and hobby sessions on Twitch and YouTube! In this post, we wanted to review all of the hobby projects that we worked on during 2018!

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 52: What is Blanchitsu?

We are joined by our good friend Eli Parsons to discuss the rumor that White Dwarf magazine may no longer contain the John Blanche-themed hobby showcase articles, Blanchitsu. We talk about what we think Blanchitsu is to us, as well as what it represents for the hobby, including some of the reservations people have voiced about the feature. We also talk a little about how we got involved in creating models that were featured in Blanchitsu, and how others might go about creating models that represent their own personal visions of Games Workshop’s universes.