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Warhammer 40k Zeppelin... So, the Rob Hawkins blog entry from 2013 (appropriately entitled "Oh the Humanity") really remains the key inspiration. Length You can see it's actually fairly big. It's also then a pain to transport on it's own. Lots of fiddly bits on the bottom. Unfortunately I also wanted double heavy stubber emplacements on the top, matching old WW1 artwork. This doesn't really work for transport. It needs to lay on one side. And though it does stand upright... I also wanted to add a left to right rudder (presently I only have up and down). I suppose again here that if I were to keep the project sectionalized/modular then separate pieces could be transported and put together at location. If (a big "if") I make a bigger one, I'd certainly figure out a way to make it in separate sections. Texture Here is one area where I departed from the inspiration. I tried to paper mache a texture, or more specifically a cloth mache. So I got some cheese cloth and used wood glue. The cheese cloth was too unwieldy. It streches when cut, and doesn't like being cut to the point it clings on stretches out in unexpected ways. In short, it worked, but was really uneven. Fixing it was going to be a terribly long endeavor. On a whim, I'd previously thought to look for athletic/cloth tape, thinking that would make it easier to cover gaps. This however turned out to be the better solution for the whole blimp. It's hard to cut really uniform lines on the curved rear and front sections, but it's good enough. Also, 100x easier than cloth mache. 100x. Lines. I wasn't sure that I really needed to run a pattern of supports like the Hawkins blimp. Also it was going to take a lot of time. I decided to just run a few lengthwise, and abandoned the plan to run them widthwise too. In the immediate run up to Adepticon there just wasn't time. I used evergreen #175 styrene strips (square shaped). I did this instead of balsa, as I found much the same as in the Hawkins blimp that balsa just didn't bend well. To be sure, styrene also doesn't like to bend too much. It was a pain to glue. With more time I'd have run some caulk down each lateral styrene strip to blend it in more with the texture (glue spots are obvious at present). Engines. Part of where this project came from was seeing the engine bits on that new ork buggie. Shokk jumpa or whatever. I saw that and thought I could make a blimp engine. An odd thought, but it stayed with me. Notably, styrene is not really that strong, so this design is not recommended. Some kind of brazed brass cage would be much better. The Sharpie marker design isn't necessarily what I wanted, but it was in the ballpark, easily reproducible, and saved me several hours of custom fabrication on each engine. I'd imagine many household items might have stood in here just fine - small bottles or travel bottles. The fins are from RC/drones, I found on ebay for fairly cheap. Steering. The old WW1 artwork had some really cool designs for steering, that wouldn't make much sense with modern innovation. But, 40k isn't about engineering efficiency, it should look a little crazy. So we're doing four fins - elevators controlling pitch, up and down. I'm not a pilot. I'm learning this. This was a bit of a catastrophe to get straight and aligned. Brass rod and plates might have been much stronger and reliable. Also, it still needs a lot of detailing. I'm not satisfied, but i'm out of time. Painting. I wanted grey, I think, but didn't have any on me in the time crunch. So, I went green. I then realized I had created a giant pickle. Facing a literal and metaphorical pickle, I went and found some brown and black. So, camo it is. In hindsight I should have sealed the whole thing with a spray varnish first as the cloth didn't take paint well at all. Also, since it's so big, I just used craft paint through the airbrush. This is not really a great way of doing it, cheap though it may be. I think a couple of cans of spray paint would do just fine. I should mention since this is foam... I did worry it would melt with spray paint so that was a limiting factor I did consider (but I'm not sure what all melts this particular foam and it certainly could work - I just couldn't risk melting my project this far in and days before the tournament). Burning the midnight oil!

Death Korps of Krieg Display Board 2023 - Adepticon and Beyond. So, I'm catching up from work these past two months. 100+ hours in, but never finished. Anyway, step one, I'm building a blimp display board this year. Last year was great. I got a lot of really great feedback at Adepticon and on B&C. People were really kind. But, the question is how to improve it? The problem with going to a new army is that I have to paint a new army, and make a new display, and learn all the rules. Huge, if not insurmountable, time commitment in my context. But, doing Krieg again... we'll it's more of the same. So it's got to stand out. Time to make a Zeppelin. Inspiration & Options. WW1 "dirgibles," "airships," "zeppelins." Now, in practical hobby terms, the Rob Hawkins hobby blog did it 10 years ago - "Rivet Wars Diorama: The Blimp." It's really great. I've also seen on various forums people attempted zeppelins in 40k via the mechanicus terrain (it being roughly cylindrical in shape. You can buy skeleton frames made of laser cut MDF. But they didn't fit my size expectations. Also, the cost was more than what I'd be ok with to test it out. If I didn't like it, it'd never get used. Construction of the shape. First, I attempted to use a 3-liter bottle filled with expanding foam. it was roughly a usable shape from the start. Expanding foam however, can only be added to a certain depth in one use or it will not set properly. So, go slow with the expanding foam can if you build it this way. I think it'll work just fine. I just didn't get a good effect and gave up on it. Second, I switched to cutting circles out of foam with a proxxon wire cutter table. That works great. 1" x 2' x 2' foam sheets (menards, home depot, lowes). I also got a circle cutter jig made of MDF. It's not strictly necessary, but it's helpful. Gorilla Construction Adhesive (for use in a caulk gun) is the magic glue. It doesn't dry fast and it's not super strong. But, it dries regardless of air supply. It also doesn't dissolve the foam creating noxious fumes. A hot glue gun can work, and it is very fast, but it is a fumes hazard and may melt the project to some degree (I suppose more or less depending on the heat of the glue gun). With the rough cylinder cut, it's time for shaping. For the rear and front cone shapes I used a knife to cut a rough cone. Then I used an electric sander with 120 and 220 grit to soften it up and shape it more. This can be easier without the whole blimp constructed. I think it's better to make a front cone, middle cylinder, and rear cone. Put them together only at the end. *Note: the electric sander kicks and gouges into the foam very easily - proceed with caution or it makes a lot more work. *Note: I used plastic bags and rubber bands to secure the end of the caulk gun - that way the gorilla construction adhesive didn't dry out when i stopped the project for the day. Worked great. Construction of the fins. I used Basswood sheets, 1/8" x 4" x 24." I didn't want to cut any more than necessary as the tiniest mistakes really show. So, the 4" width was very close to the radius I needed to install the fins. The 24" length was too long, but not a hard cut to make. Later on I came to realize styrene sheets might have been better because the stabilizers I installed were a real chore - breaking constantly. Not great. Gluing styrene to styrene is easy enough. Gluing styrene to wood or whatever doesn't work well. Maybe there's a better glue to consider. In hindsight I also should have been cognizant of the glue used to secure the foam discs to each other in making the overall shape. So I did it wrong - I glued the foam discs together and then went ahead and cut out foam for the fins to fit in. Don't be dumb like me. Glue doesn't cut easily with the hot foam knife. Plan the glue so perfect cuts can be made for the fins to attach. Actually the rear cone could have just been cut in 4 equal pieces, really. Transportation. Ultimately moving this thing is a disaster. I believe designing this in three separate sections would have been better. I think a center hole through the length of the ship, with a rod installed along the length would have been a better way to make this and also be able to transport it. Seams from the three sections could be easily hidden.

Ok guys, I’m trying to plan a list to build to. The theme is an Artillery Company of the 3rd Siege Regiment. This list is all the models I currently have (though I don’t have all the Infantry Squads) I already own the rest but need to paint them. I’d like it to be fun and make for some interesting games. I think I have a bit of everything. Here’s the list: ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium - Death Korps of Krieg) [85 PL, 1,654pts, 12CP] ++ + Configuration + Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost Gametype: Matched Regimental Doctrine: Death Korps of Krieg + HQ + Death Korps Marshal [2 PL, 35pts]: Laspistol, Power sword, Warlord Death Rider Squadron Commander [3 PL, 45pts]: Laspistol, Power sword + Troops + Infantry Squad [3 PL, 60pts] . 8x Guardsman: 8x Lasgun . Guardsman W/ Special Weapon: Plasma gun . Sergeant: Laspistol Infantry Squad [3 PL, 65pts] . 8x Guardsman: 8x Lasgun . Guardsman W/ Special Weapon: Flamer . Sergeant: Laspistol, Power sword Infantry Squad [3 PL, 65pts] . 8x Guardsman: 8x Lasgun . Guardsman W/ Special Weapon: Meltagun . Sergeant: Laspistol, Power sword Infantry Squad [3 PL, 65pts] . 8x Guardsman: 8x Lasgun . Guardsman W/ Special Weapon: Flamer . Sergeant: Laspistol, Power sword + Elites + Combat Engineer Squad [4 PL, 73pts]: Engineer Watch Master . 5x Combat Engineers: 5x Engineer shotgun, 5x Frag & Krak grenades, 5x Gas bombs . Engineer Weapons Team Combat Engineer Squad [4 PL, 56pts]: Engineer Watch Master . 6x Combat Engineers: 6x Engineer shotgun, 6x Frag & Krak grenades, 6x Gas bombs Command Squad [2 PL, 30pts] . Veteran: Lasgun . Veteran: Lasgun . Veteran: Lasgun . Veteran w/ Regimental Standard: Lasgun, Regimental Standard + Fast Attack + Death Rider Squadron [3 PL, 75pts] . 4x Death Korps Death Riders: 4x Death Rider Hunting Lance, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Laspistol, 4x Savage claws . Ridemaster: Death Rider Hunting Lance, Laspistol Death Rider Squadron [3 PL, 75pts] . 4x Death Korps Death Riders: 4x Death Rider Hunting Lance, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Laspistol, 4x Savage claws . Ridemaster: Death Rider Hunting Lance, Laspistol + Heavy Support + Earthshaker Carriage Battery [18 PL, 360pts]: Earthshaker Carriage, Earthshaker Carriage, Earthshaker Carriage Heavy Mortar Battery [12 PL, 210pts]: Heavy Mortar, Heavy Mortar, Heavy Mortar Medusa Carriage Battery [18 PL, 360pts]: Medusa Carriage, Medusa Carriage, Medusa Carriage + Dedicated Transport + Hades Breaching Drill [4 PL, 80pts] ++ Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment -3CP (Imperium - Astra Militarum) [17 PL, 345pts, -3CP] ++ + Configuration + Detachment Command Cost [-3CP] Regimental Doctrine + Lord of War + Macharius Vanquisher [17 PL, 345pts]: 2 Heavy Bolters, Heavy Stubber, Hull-down Deployment ++ Total: [102 PL, 1,999pts, 9CP] ++ Created with BattleScribe The only models I’m wedded to are the Earthshaker Carriages, Medusa Carriages and the Mecharius Vanquisher. My only caveat is that I want the whole force to be Death Korps of Krieg. So please can anyone in the know give me some tips?

Working on some Blood Angel Captains with jump packs. Parts list: Stormcast Relictor Halo, Sanguinary Guard Head, jump pack and wings, Dark Angel's Hammer, Custodes Shield, Dragonforge white metal cable, green stuff scrolls, armorum cherub, empire standard/general cherub, Dark imperium intercessor body, vanguard vet arms. If I had a better hammer I'd use it, but I've just got a couple thunder hammers about. I think the grey knight one-handed hammer is the most visually appealing. I'm not concerned about primaris size in game play, i just like the way it looks. The base is really a bit tall. This is the first time i've tried some sharp corners on cork basing. I wanted to try to get a city ruins feel to it, not just rocks. Making scrolls out of green stuff was easier than I thought. The question is whether I add more. I think I want to try some water effects... Paints: Vallejo Metal gold with 91% isypropyl thinned easily. Really nice four color gold set off of amazon. It dries really fast so pouring it in a disposable cup to use with brush painting is necessary. I like the colors, but using citadel washes was unusually difficult, and changed the complexion entirely. Not sure on what I'll do next. Using my Testors dull coat was a really bad idea in that it reacted with the vallejo metal color like a thinner. So I ended up repainting and using a non-alcohol based protective coat (pledge future floor finish--love that stuff). So I think there's a lot of promise in these gold colors, I just need to learn to use them more. I also used a badger 105 to spray it and it worked perfectly fine. The other paint techniques I want to work on are flesh tones and scroll work. All can be improved.

This year I am celebrating the 25th anniversary of me entering this hobby (right before the release of 2nd edition). Yet despite being in this hobby for 25 years, I never really fully painted and based an army. I've have/had painted armies, certainly, but they were either commissioned or bought/traded for second-hand. I actually abandoned 40K for pretty much the entirety of 6th and 7th edition, but did find solace in 30K. However, I really want to do that army justice, so I've decided to practice on the Krieg I've been amassing* over the years. This helps me kill two birds with one stone: one, get used to painting my own miniatures, and I've been greatly enjoying 8th edition Imperial Guard. Without further ado, this will be a (hopefully) frequently updated blog as I paint my Krieg. It will be a long trek, as I am not kidding when I say amassing. We're talking nearly 10,000 points of Krieg, with around 250 infantry models all told. Here are my first models, the Company Command and a pair of Tempestor Scions. I am using Quartermasters for the Scions, using the command rods I bought on eBay. I don't know how I feel about the empty holsters, but I guess it IS WYSIWYG for Tempestor options. As a bonus, there is also my test model for the Grenadiers (Scions) and some super WIP banners. I hate taking pictures of my models in some regard, because it makes otherwise hidden flaws glaringly obvious. I definitely need to clean up the edge highlights a bit. Comments greatly appreciated! --- Update 3-16: Had a day off yesterday, and could feel my OCD kicking in over the HQs. I dig how the grey coat turned out on the commander (inspired by a WW2 Hugo Boss uniform), but I feel they wash out the Quartermasters a bit. When I revisit the models I may paint the inside of the cloaks a deep red to frame the model more. Anyway, decided to spend my time working on more grenadiers who I don't hold to as high a standard and thus doesn't trigger my neuroses. I still got to do plenty of work on the masks (keeping that black line between the red eyes and the skull mask has been an ordeal), and decide just how dense I want the grass on the bases, but otherwise they are pretty much good to go. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =UPDATE 3-21: I am calling the Grenadiers complete. I decided to skip the final highlight both for time constraints, and to keep the models kind of dark. When the rest of this blog is complete, I am sure I will return to them with lessons learned. The skulls totally suck since they are so damn samey, even the ones I cut up... I wish I had bought the Wargames Exclusive skulls, since they have a lot of variety and wicked battle damage. Another thing to be revisited. GRENADIERS HQ - Scion Tempestor - Command Rod, Power Maul, Laurels of Command HQ - Scion Tempestor - Command Rod, Power Maul ELITE - Command Squad - Banner, Medic/Vox, 2x Plasma Guns ELITE - Command Squad - 4x Hot-shot Volley Guns TROOPS - 10x Scions - 4x Plasma Guns, Sgt with power sword & plasma pistol TROOPS - 10x Scions - 4x Plasma Guns, Sgt with power sword & plasma pistol TROOPS - 6x Scions - 2x Melta Guns, Sgt with power maul & plasma pistol TROOPS - 6x Scions - 2x Melta Guns, Sgt with power sword & plasma pistol TOTAL: 753 points (748 with vox)

https://www.battle-report.com/2018/03/05/thousand-sons-vs-death-korps-of-krieg-adeptus-custodes/ How not to run the Sons... Cheers, Thoth

https://www.battle-report.com/2018/02/07/death-korps-of-krieg-vs-thousand-sons/ War is long, Chaos is fickle. Cheers, Thoth

https://www.battle-report.com/2018/02/12/death-korps-of-krieg-adeptus-custodes-vs-thousand-sons/ You boys came down to Prospero that one time, eh? Cheers, Thoth