Army construction

This has been brewing in my head for a short while. Our whole gang's army list creation meta is pretty similar. We tend to be competitive so our lists are full of F4(or higher) and high defence units. We have almost completely embraced this meta with some slight variations between us. Everyone used to play a themed army centered around one of the army list from Legions of Middle Earth, we also tended to max out on bows, except Fracas, who swears they are a waste.
The new warband rules have changed the meta a little, but it has had the largest impact concerning allies.  The new rules make it easier to have rangers in your minas tirith army, or have those cheap heroes without having to worry about the ally rules that were the backbone of Legions of Middle Earth.  What I have seen it do away with is themed armies.  Now there are shades in almost every evil army, and every evil army has easy access to nazgul without having to worry about ally restrictions.  Both are a cheap and effective single model that can go to any evil army and make a significant impact.  Shade in your easterling army? Sure.  How about that Harad army? sure.  I am not really sure what to make of this yet or if it will really change the style of play in the way that the deployment rules have, we shall see.....

more finecast re releases for August 15th

Which should be the week after the new 40K starter box is released.  GW really seems to be pushing out these finecast conversions.

Haldir with Bow 15-Sep-12 $16.50-Unarmored with Bow
hobbits of the Shire 15-Sep-12 $19.75-Will contain Lobelia SB
Saruman the White 15-Sep-12 $16.50
Galadriel Protectress of Lothlorien 15-Sep-12 $16.50
Kings of Men 15-Sep-12 $29.75
Mauhur 15-Sep-12 $16.50
Sharky and Worm 15-Sep-12 $29.75
Corsair Bo'Sun and Captain 15-Sep-12 $24.75
Mounted Ringwraith 1 15-Sep-12 $24.75
Mounted Ringwraith 2 15-Sep-12 $24.75
Mounted Ringwraith 3 15-Sep-12 $24.75
Haradrim Hasharin 15-Sep-12 $16.50
The Three Hunters 15-Sep-12 $36.25
Shagrat 15-Sep-12 $16.50

New 28mm skirmish

And we have pictures, courtesy of Tabletop Fix, Those tanks are quite large! Can not wait to see the walkers.

As many of you do not  know(but it is now revealed!!!) our group has been dabbling in the Spartan Games Dystopian wars tabletop game.  We have found the models to be quite good and the game mechanics to be fun and contain a high level of player interaction.  None of this I get to move/attack/roll all my dice for 15 minutes, then you get to go.  Well, fresh out of GenCon comes Dystopian Legions.  Time will tell at the size of this skirmish game and it's mechanics.  According the the web site the armies will have access to mini-tanks, walkers, grunts and special leaders capable of....something.  If spartan games can pull off a fun mechanic, I am sure they can do the models, then I would bet they have a winner on their hands.

Someone somewhere may be in some trouble...

This is posted elsewhere, and may be complete rubbish, but when have we ever shied away from rubbish?

This is a lost, of supposedly leaked names of units/boxes from GW coming out next year for their The Hobbit range.

This does not contain sets that are already in production.
Seems like I will have to save some money, since GW stuff is so expensive now.
Some will be finecast as well......"shiver"
GOOD

Dwarves: Kili & Fili & Longbeard Archers 
Dwarves: Bombur with Kettle 
Dwarves: Drogo Baggins & The Tavern Maid 
Dwarves: Dáin & Iron Hill Berserkers 
Dwarves: King Thráin & Longbeard Vanguard 
Dwarves: Young Thorin & Longbeard Mattockguard 
Dwarves: King Thrór 
Dwarves: Dragon Mithril Company of Dwarves 
Dwarves: Dáin Ironfoot & Iron Hill Boar Riders 
Dwarves: Dís, Mother of Kili and Fili 
Dwarves: Gimli (Stubble) 
Dwarves: Samwise Gamgee (Red Book) 

White Council: Mounted Rivendell Nobles 
White Council: Lindir the Harper 
White Council: Arwen & Estel 
White Council: Galadriel (Barrel) 
White Council: Radagast with Roäc & Swoop 
White Council: Galadriel (Water Steed) 
White Council: The War Council 
White Council: Galadriel & Lórien Drumhooves 
White Council: Chief Aravir & Dúnedain Rangers 
White Council: Dúnedain Runecaster 
White Council: Elrond & Rivendell Spearguard 
White Council: Elros & Rivendell Outriders 
White Council: Radagast's Chariot / Spellfire Cart 
White Council: Cirdan the Shipwright 

Men of Esgaroth: King Girion 
Men of Esgaroth: Fram the Watchman 
Men of Esgaroth: The Master of Lake-Town 
Men of Esgaroth: Bard & Greystreak Bowmen 
Men of Esgaroth: Bain & Quickstrings Gang / Trout Guild Militia 
Men of Esgaroth: Alfrid & Loyal Town Guard 
Men of Esgaroth: Garf & Footsoldiers of the Dale 


Beornings: Woodmen Healer 
Beornings: Fair Daughter 
Beornings: Meneldor & Swiftbeak Flock 
Beornings: Gorm & Woodmen Axethrowers / Skin-Changers 
Beornings: Whisperbark / Gnarlfir 
Beornings: Black Bear Pack 
Beornings: Enraged Beorn 
Beornings: Grimbeorn (Greataxe) 

Silvan Elves: Legolas & Mirkwood Fire Archers 
Silvan Elves: Mirkwood Warhost 
Silvan Elves: King Thranduil (Battle Garb) 
Silvan Elves: Tauriel (Mounted) 
Silvan Elves: Castellan Amroth 

Smaug the Golden 
Gandalf (Dual Sword) 
Turin, The Dragonslayer 

EVIL

Smaug the Golden 

Mountain Orcs: Azog & Orc Needlers 
Mountain Orcs: Azog (Wounded) 
Mountain Orcs: Bolg & Great Goblin Bodyguard 
Mountain Orcs: Armoured Hill-Trolls / Frenzied Trolls 
Mountain Orcs: Orc Stone Thrower 

Wargs: Dire Warg 
Wargs: Grinnah & Mirkwood Werewolves 
Wargs: Feral Wolf Pack 
Wargs: The Werebeast 
Wargs: Lagdush & Orc Wolfcloak Warriors 
Wargs: Narzug & Orc Warg-Riders 
Wargs: Dol Guldur Orc Overlords 
Wargs: Orc Chieftain on Warg 
Wargs: Orc Wolfbone Shaman 

Dol Guldur: Leaping Spiders / Shiverfang Spiders 
Dol Guldur: Spiderlings 
Dol Guldur: The Willowhags 
Dol Guldur: Bloodwraiths 
Dol Guldur: Gwethil 
Dol Guldur: The Necromancer / Flesh Avatar 
Dol Guldur: Narzug & Orc Summoner Coven 
Dol Guldur: Tomb Wights 
Dol Guldur: Mounted Tomb Wights 
Dol Guldur: Saruman & The Ringwraiths 
Dol Guldur: Vampire Bat Swarms 

Grey Mountain Dragons: Fire-wyrms 
Grey Mountain Dragons: Braga & Goldscale Worshippers 
Grey Mountain Dragons: Venomblade Assassin 
Grey Mountain Dragons: Goldscale Priest 
Grey Mountain Dragons: Bofur on Cold-Drake 
Grey Mountain Dragons: Dragon Thrall 
Grey Mountain Dragons: Money Bags & Hired Knives 
Grey Mountain Dragons: Fell Hatchlings 

ADVENTURES

Adventure: Gandalf's Quest 
Adventure: The Battle at the East Gate 
Adventure: The Fall of Dale 
Adventure: The Belltower 
Adventure: A Thief in the Night 
Adventure: The Clearing of Foul Roots 
Adventure: Assault on the Barrows 
Adventure: Clash of the Beasts 
Adventure: The Last Stand 
Adventure: The Raven Hill 
Adventure: Thorin's Folly 
Adventure: The Battle of Five Armies 
Adventure: Breaking the Siege 
Adventure: Revenge of the Goblin King 
Adventure: Blacksoil Slope 
Adventure: The Final Onslaught 
Adventure: The Clouds Burst 
Adventure: The Ritual 
Adventure: The Haunted Tombs 
Adventure: The Blight Breach 
Adventure: Gollum's Escape

So here we go again...another big finecast relaunch

With daaa da daaaaahh, another price increase.  You can now get 4, count them 4, finecast LoTR models for the price of $26.50, which is what we used to pay just last year plastic kit with 20/24 soldiers or get you 2 metal blisters of 3.  And honestly,figures that are cast in finecast (AKA:resin) blow.  I have had to get replacements for every one, ranging from missing faces to big visible bubbles obscuring detail to subsurface bubbles causing the model to bend.
here is a list of what will be new or relaunched in August:

On another note I have been working on a couple of posts but have been crazy busy at work.  I will get to them soon.....

How to remove the filth...or paint from a miniature

Edit: Both those figs were stripped, the one on the right was then primed black with P3 black spray primer.
I have also painted straight on the figures without priming them, which also worked fine.  As you can see in the pic not all the primer came off with the soak in the power dissolver, which may work out well if that saves me a step.

I have had in my possession some poorly painted haradrim (not by me, although I have done plenty of poor paint jobs).  Since I started playing them again I wanted to strip them and paint them to match the rest of my army.  I have in the past used pine-sol and/or simple green.  I have never had real good luck with simple green so I had returned to using pine-sol, until a couple of weeks ago when I soaked some plastic BFG imperial cruisers and they got all soft and melty :(.  Sooooo I googled with a few terms ( can not remember which right now ) and up popped and interesting post on the Cool Mini or Not forums about this stuff called fairy power spray.  There was even a video of a chap over the pond using it to strip an eldar fire serpant or falcon or something.  Seemed to work pretty good so I googled some more ( twice in one day...does that mean I will go blind or grow fur on my palms or something?)  and found that in the states it is called Dawn Power Dissolver.  So I googled again ( so going to hell.....oh, wait...) and found that wal mart carries the stuff.  Since it is on the way to my FLGS I picked some up( @ $3:50 for 12 oz/350mls), which is in the dishwasher detergent section BTW.  I tried just spraying it on an letting it sit in a closed container overnight.  Which did take off some of the paint but not all of it, so I bit the bullet and dumped ( it is kind of a gel ) the whole thing into the container and threw in about a dozen plastic haradrim.  Well, I was a bit put-off by the way it looked the next day, the paint had clearly gotten soft and was staining an area in the gel around each figure.  Pulling them out of the gel and letting the excess  fall back into the container also showed evidence of soft paint.  There was still a great deal that was on the mini when I put it under running water to start scrubbing.  Well, much to my surprise a great portion of the paint simply washed right off the mini without any scrubbing!  Giving the mini a brief scrub removes 90%+ of the paint, I could even tell that these had been primed white since most of the primer came off as well.  The biggest problem, which is true for most stripping procedures, is the gooey mess the paint becomes.  It even softened the glue ( I think it was some cyanoacrylate ), so be careful.  There was still a light coating of white primer, enough to make the dark grey plastic a little less grey, but it was really a stain in the plastic than a coating at that point.  Overall I will definitely be moving to this for future stripping needs.  The gel in the container does become stained with the paint and gets darker each time, but after two dozen mini's stripped there does not seem to be any loss of performance. So if you have problems with simple green like me  try Dawn Power Dissolver.  Recommended by Jobu. They should give me some sponsorship.........

The new filth

A previous GT winner posted a couple of lists-as I have said before, reavers are filth......combine them with a shade and they become just stupid.......previously it was hard to get them in the same list due to legions of middle earth restrictions.


All lists are 1v1 lists for games with a model limit of 75.

========
500:

3 Corsair Captains
24 Reavers
7 Watchers of Karna with Bows
5 Haradrim with Bows and Spears

Total 39 models, 12 bows, 6 Might.

==========
750:

Dalamyr, Fleetmaster of Umbar (or 2 Captains)
1 Captain
1 Bosun
1 Shade

24 Reavers
6 Watchers with Bows
6 Haradrim with Bows and Spears
11 Orcs with spears (10 shields)
1 with banner

750, 52 models, 3 Might.

=========
1000: 

3 Captains
2 Bosuns
1 Shade

39 Reavers
12 Watchers with Bows
8 Haradrim with Bow and Spears
9 Orcs with Spears
1 Orc with Banner

999, 75 models, 20 bowmen, 6 Might.


Shadow Lord
Dark Marshal / Undying / Tainted (??) / Another Named Wraith?
Shade
3 Bosuns

21 Orcs with Spears
11 Orcs with Spears and Bows
21 Reavers
11 Watchers with Bows

Total 998 points, 70 models, Shade, Anti-Arrow, 2x Wraiths. 22 Bows. 

=================

For those who are not aware: A Reaver with Spear Support, Banner effect and Shade effect kills Khazad Guards in a ratio of 7:1.