March to War 2018 – Local Hobby Challenge
Happy New Year and welcome to another post from us here at The Brush and Boltgun.
Not content with starting the new year by making things any easier for ourselves, we bring you another challenge. This time it is the “March to War 2018” challenge. This is a hobby challenge organised and promoted by the guys at our local Games Workshop here in Liverpool.
The aim of the challenge is to build and paint 2018 points worth of Citadel miniatures by the end of March 2018. The built and painted models don’t necessarily have to be the same models, but to complete the challenge you must have built 2018 points and painted 2018 points of models by the end of March. The only other restriction is that the painted models only count towards the challenge if they were no more than basecoated before starting. (Sadly, Forge World models do not count towards the total. Though we may ignore that here at B&B).
If you complete the challenge then they immortalise your name on a plaque in store:
Mike:
Last year I used the March to War challenge to finish off most of my Flesh Tearers, to give me a playable army. (Don’t ask me how many games I’ve played with that army since!) I also painted some Imperial Fists and Iron Hands stuff that I was working on when the challenge started. It’s a good challenge as it gives you impetus and focus. I’m the kind of person that thrives on deadlines, and often I set them for myself.
This year I am planning on working mainly on Dark Angels. Dark Angels were my first ever army for Warhammer 40,000. I was just drawn to the Angels of Death codex and the Dark Angels really stood out to me. However, I’ve never really had anything approaching a fully painted, finished army. I would paint units, then they would get lost in house moves, or I would fix them, convert them to the new rules, and repaint them again. Now that the lore for 40k is largely settled, I can focus on getting the core of an army done and adding new bits to that when I feel like it.
I already had assembled the following a while ago, but hadn’t got further than that:
2x Dark Angels Masters
1x Dark Angels Librarian
1x Dark Vengeance Tactical Squad
1x Dark Angels Assault Squad
2x Ravenwing Attack Bikes
2x Deathwing Terminator Squads
1x Deathwing Knights Squad
I will also try and finish these Custodes that have been sat painted gold for a while:
I’m a bit behind, mainly due to my airbrush being broken, so I couldn’t basecoat these models for this challenge. What I did in the meantime was assemble this Dark Angel from the Deathwatch Chaplain Cassius Kill-team, as a regular member of the Dark Angels. I had to replace his left arm (I used his original Plasma Pistol by cutting at the wrist) and find another shoulder pad, but I’m pleased with how he looks:
The good news is that my new airbrush arrived this morning! Now I can get on with painting these, and hopefully you’ll see some progress in our next update.
Adam:
‘I’m not starting another army!’, I exclaimed loudly. ‘I’ve already got too many projects to finish! You can’t make me!’.
Eventually the other guys talked me down from the ledge and explained that, actually, March to War could help me to finish a load of stuff I was already working on. Now, anyone who has read virtually anything we have done before will know that concentrating on finishing forces is not my forte. Whilst I do finish armies it tends to be in a roundabout route, or because there is a set deadline such as a tournament (in which case the army gets finished the night before!).
The main limitation for me is that March to War is only for Games Workshop products and that these must be at most assembled. Whilst this is a good thing and stops me flying off at a tangent and painting, say Ptolemaic Macedonians instead, it also limits me to three armies at present: Astra Militarum, Orks and my Warhammer 30,000 Night Lords. Now, both the Orks and Night Lords have half painted units in them, or, in the case of the Night Lords around 2000 points of stuff! Whilst these may not count towards the points for March to War I will use this as an excuse to get them finished, too.
So far, I have some Ork Boyz, Bikes and Kommandos which are at most spray undercoated as well as more unassembled bikes and a Trukk. I also have the contents of the Betrayal at Calth box partially assembled for my Night Lords and a pair of Apothecaries in a blister.
The Astra Militarum are very much a work in progress, being the product of a conversation with Dave last year about the armies that the Ecclesiarchy may field.
Obviously, this is quite shy of the 2018 points but I am sure I will pick some more stuff up along the way (more Ork bikes for sure). By choosing to expand these armies I am hoping I should be able to paint quite quickly, as I already have my colour schemes mapped out. We shall see…
Dave:
It’s a new year, and the lads at B&B have posed us another challenge!
As the others have said, the aim of the challenge is to complete 2018 points in 3 months, and realistically, with my painting speed that isn’t going to happen, but I can have a crack at it!
For my 2018 points, I’ve decided to resurrect an old doubles tournament army: my Steel Legion Mechanised Imperial Guard.
My priority with these will be to initially have 1000 points for tanks and rough riders which will form a doubles army with Adam’s Orks, then if I get that done in the time frame, I’ll move onto some of the infantry that I have and their Taurox too.
The initial 1000 point force is:
Leman Russ Tank Commander – Vanquisher Battle Tank, Kurov’s Aquila
Leman Russ Battle Tank
Leman Russ Battle Tank
Leman Russ Annihilator
Basilisk
Basilisk
Rough Riders x10
I’ve had the stuff to make them sitting around for a while now, and they were nearly my hobby guilt project over the last couple of months, but I’ve been put off by the tanks. The army is WW2 themed, and I had ideas to make the Leman Russ battletanks look more like Panzer 4s. last time we went to a tournament with this army (with converted tanks) we got told off for using historical miniatures in Warhammer World (they were actually scratch built from plasticard), so the objective this time was to make them look like historical tanks, but also for it to be clear that miniature was made from GW kits.
Here’s what I’ve got for my prototype so far… only another 5 of them to make!
So that’s where I stand with this next hobby challenge, I hope you all enjoy watching me spectacularly fail to hit my goals! (This dislocated shoulder isn’t helping!).
Rob:
When Mike suggested the March to War 2018 for our local GW, I thought it was a great idea to paint up miniatures I was already ready to paint. Then, with a battle cry of ridiculousness, I decided to start the Fallen force I’ve been wanting to build for years. I bought the miniatures last year: a Dark Angels Company Veterans squad and a Burning of Prospero box. The new Heretic Astartes lists are pretty good, and so I’ve started to plan my force.
I’d put a few chaps together, then stopped because I wanted to plan my force properly, not to try and make them OP, but because I often build a force to look good, and end up with a few guys with bolters left over. Not this time!
With lists planned, I’ve littered my desk with too many parts, and found replacement parts for those found wanting, and started construction.
This probably only works out at about 7-800 points I think, so will be adding to them with a Renegade Astartes chapter, so the full force can fight against the Imperium or its enemies. Who knows why they’re fighting? Roll on March!
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