A New Squad -

Yes, my army is through the modeling phase and on to painting...

But that doesn't mean I can't model a new unit, right?

I thought not.

For a few years now I have had a standing Deathwatch Kill Team that has never really seen combat beyond a skirmish with some Tyranids a couple years back. They sit on the shelf. They look nice, and they always bother me that there are ten marines that I can't do a thing with.

I was playing a game with my friend who is in the Air Force this past weekend, and his marines were tough. A bit of min-maxing and doing stuff that probably won't make it into the next Codex (like 6-man Las/Plas squads with Razorbacks w/TL-Las), but overall a fun game. I lost, but it was close, and he never imagined that I'd give him the beating I did before succumbing to my own grevious wounds.

Well, the game got me thinking about what I was missing in the Wolves army. Not necessarily in my list, but just in my army in general. After some thought, I hit it: A Grey Hunters pack that shoots stuff up beyond reason.

So, my modeling project for this week will be to turn my Deathwatch Kill Team into a Grey Hunters pack with the following load-out:

9 Grey Hunters
- 2 Plasma Pistols
- 2 Power Fists
- Plasmagun
-Wolf Guard Pack Leader
--Plasma Pistol
--Power Fist
- Drop Pod

I'd like the unit to replace the Wolf Guard Battle Leader and his terminators, as that unit, I have found, can sometimes find itself out of the actions and away from harm. And that's the last place I need that unit to be. The unit above is also cheap enough for me to upgrade my Dreadnought to Venerable (thus filling in the now empty HQ slot), which is one thing I haven't been completely sold on with my other 2000 point list.

For Russ,

D.G.

The Saddest Part -

Well, I have come to what is for me the saddest part of any army project. I am done with the modeling of my Space Wolves models. Oh sure, there might be another squad or character in the future, but my army is done being modeled. I started this run back in January, with the ultimate beginnings of the project located somewhere in 2006.

Next comes the painting, and more importantly, the playing. I will probably be taking the Wolves into my local gaming store now for games.

As I get units painted and fight many glorious battles I will, of course, continue to keep you posted. But I thought it noteworthy to consider the end of my favorite part of the process.

For Russ,

D.G.

The Predator Annihilator

A friend of mine recently pointed me to the article in Index Astartes IV that talks about the Predator tank. According to the article, the Space Wolves themselves are fully responsible for the Annihilator variant of the Predator.

Well, I couldn't in good faith sit around and not have one for my Space Wolves! So, in the coming few days I will be building a Predator Annihilator for my Space Wolves in order to have it as an option, my only Heavy Support option to date, actually. I like that the article itself supports a stroy reason why I would have a Predator and not a Long Fang Pack. I like those units, but the cost prohibits me using them in my army.

I did a bit of searching, but I can't find any place online that has the Index Astartes article I am talking about. However, the article can be found in White Dwarf 271, I believe.

For Russ,

D.G.

New Rune Priest -

From the ashes of one model, rises another. When I originally bought the Forge World Terminator upgrades for the Space Wolves, one of the models was made into an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor. After a few years of constantly changing and being unsatisfied with the model, I decided to disassemble it and turn it into a Rune Priest.

The total process took me the better part of a day, and the model is comprised of parts from the Space Marines Assault Terminator box, Forge World upgrades, Grey Knights Terminator weaponry, Space Wolves Venerable Dreanought standard, and Space Wolves plastic upgrade sprue.

He is pictures below after a round of spray paint, before touchups and detailing.

On the battlefield, the Rune Priest will be have the following equipment:

- Terminator Armour
- Rune Staff
- Frost Blade or Rune Weapon
- Runic Charm
- Wolf Tooth Necklace

For Russ,

D.G.

Space Wolf Spray -

In my continued efforts to see if I can spray paint my models and save literally hundreds of brush strokes per model, I have tested a spray paint on my Wolf Priest to see if it might be possible to use the technique for the Space Wolves (below).

The paint is a tad shiny, but I think that GW paints are kinda shiny anyway. I believe that the color itself is a good match, and I am excited to see how the model will look after detail work.

The Battle for Stones River tournament is in a little over a week, so most of my work for the next week will be on my Grey Knights.

For Russ,

D.G.

5th Edition Article and Comments

I recently read an article on some comments from Jervis Johnson, one of the guys in charge of 40k development. The article was from the Bell of Lost Souls blog, found here.

In the interview covered, Jervis comments on the future of the Space Wolves in particular, saying:

"'A Space Wolf codex is high on the priority list,' and he revealed they're among his favourite chapters, purely because they actually care about the civilians, they're the good guys as he put it."

This could end up being good news for the hundreds (thousands?) of Wolf Lords who have waited patiently for the Wolves to get an updated Codex. I don't know that I am that excited to hear that Jervis considers the Space Wolves one of his favorite chapters, largely due to the fact that Jervis is, at present, not very popular with a large segment of the gaming popluation.

With all of the other rumors flying around, though, it is nice to hear that the guys at GW are remembering the Wolves. My personal hope is for the best Codex yet to be that of the Space Wolves, as the chapter badly needs no only new rules but also an increase of standing within the gaming community.

Though my personal experience playing the chapter is thus far only private and limited to a small number of games, I have noticed that most Space Wolves players are regarded in the same "you're insane" manner as the plastic models that they place on the field. To some extent, I have to agree with that assessment. As long as we play with rules that are this out of date, it will continue to be a more and more crazy thing to put our army on the table. Can we win? Yes! Wolf Lords do it all the time, but that doesn't mean that it is getting any easier to sift through the rules problems, the outdated unit selections, and the aging model lines.

For a Space Marine chapter that is considered the most foul-tempered, easily angered, and swiftest to exact retribution upon our enemies, we've been, I think, far more accommodating to this Codex situation than anyone had the right to ask us to be.

But at least we can now complain that they're just not fast enough instead that they've forgotten us altogether. That is, at least, a small comfort.

For Russ,

D.G.

The Pack Slumbers

February may well be a slow month for the Space Wolves, but that is not to say that I am having a slow month.

Just speaking about the hobby, I have a 40k tournament on the 23rd, in which I will be playing my Grey Knights, and I believe that my gaming group will be starting a Dark Heresy campaign some time in the near future.

These two topics are being discussed in detail over at my Grey Knights blog.

For Russ,

D.G.