Armageddon Done!

Armageddon all done and dusted. It is most satisfying to see it all come together. There were times, battling through the Grots for instance, when despair began to creep in but we pushed through.

And it was we. I would not have done this without the help and very able assistance of my wife. Together we faced the mass of Space Marines and hordes of Orks and defeated them all. It was lovely working together. Thank you very much my darling.

I had planned to give the box a dramatic Viking funeral. Sadly, due to the drought and fire hazard, it would not be appropriate to light even a small bonfire right now. Never mind it will have to suffer the ignominy of being added to the recycling.

So, fittingly enough, I’ll be taking a break from the blog for a couple of weeks. Next week the builders are moving in. They say they will only be around for a week but, bless them, they are builders and we all know what a builders week means. *Grins*

The following week my wife goes into hospital for surgery. Just before Armageddon came out my wife was diagnosed with cancer. Following a successful operation, they expect the prognosis to be good, the cancer was caught quite early. However this anxious time of waiting for the surgery was made more bearable for her by both the Armageddon project and this blog. So thank you Warhammer for providing the source of this comfort and thank you to the folks who have followed this journey.

Published in: on August 21, 2026 at 8:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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Armageddon Update VII

Phew what a week! In the grip of a heatwave the painting suffered. The heat hit us hard and paint was drying on the wet pallet as fast as we could wet it. We battled through and progress was made. We had hoped to finish the box this week but alas no. Never mind, maybe we can celebrate next week.

The ancient pushed the wife’s skills to the limit but she rose to challenge wonderfully.

The Bannernob pushed my patience to the limit. When I began it looked like an open enough pose but, my oh my, there were so many hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Then again perhaps the heat was just getting to me.

Oh the end must be in sight, here come the big boys. Again the wife, who has pinched all the Space Marines you’ll notice, did a grand job. Thank you darling!

More nooks and crannies. If I had any hair I’d have pulled it all out by now.

So there is a Bigboss, Big Mek DakkaRig and a Landspeeder still to go. Let’s do  it!

Orks 36 Space Marines 22

Published in: on August 15, 2026 at 7:26 am  Leave a Comment  
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My Pile of Potential

Most of us have a pile of shame of some magnitude. Me? I have a shed of shame. It is my lair, my treasure trove, and, like Smaug, I know every piece of it intimately. I buy every piece with the intention of painting it. I mean to paint it, I want to paint it and I dream of painting it. It is all bought with good intentions, but they say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

So, is this shed my own little hell? Am I ashamed of it? No, I am not. Just like the aforementioned dragon I love my treasure trove. I have grown in understanding of myself. This buying of Warhammer kit is, for me and I guess for many, a valid part of the hobby. Just as if it was painted, I have to care for it. I have to find storage space for it. I plan what I am going to do with it. In return, even unpainted just sitting in its box, it gives me the joy of this experience. Take my “potential” Slannesh Army here.

I have built this collection over quite a few years. I imagine how it will look on the table and taking it into battle. It is a real joy and, as I said, It is a valid part of the hobby for me.

Now, I admit that it might, might I say, be even better to actually stop dreaming about it and get it done! For some people it would not be enough to just buy the model. However, no matter how much we might like to think otherwise, for many of us it is more than enough. So I am not going to have anyone wagging a finger at me and trying to shame me for enjoying my hobby my way. We are all different, just enjoy this wonderful hobby your way.

Disclaimer: No, I am not on commission!!!

Published in: on August 14, 2026 at 7:54 am  Leave a Comment  
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Armageddon Update VI

Well, it seems like it has been a quiet week this week, and I suppose it was. I always find in really annoying when real life just insists on butting in. However we are also nearing the end and, after this week, we only have characters and vehicles left!! The Eradicator Squad were finished and the Weird Boy and Pain Boy, plus grot, were done for the orks.

The squad by the wife.

He was a lot of fun to paint.

I really would not like to be left to their tender mercies.

I can feel Veteran and Banner Boy coming on… ooo eer!

Orks 34 Space Marines 20

Published in: on August 8, 2026 at 7:30 am  Leave a Comment  
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Just In Case

I do get rather envious as I browse the endless stream of Warhammer pictures that just happened to display the owners lovely, permanent, paint station as well as delicious models. I can’t help but be human and think, rather bitterly, ‘Smug gits!’ as I begin setting up, taking over the dining table and going through the long process of getting everything out, again! I especially love the way they have all their paints set out neatly before on perfect shelves. I realise that this is not the way most of us have to work. I am not alone in my regular set up routine. This is my work in progress tray…

But how do I store it all when it is not a work in progress? Some 11 years ago I did an article, on this very blog, about storage cases for my guys. By the way all five of those cases are still in use holding my collection of “Old World” Warhammer. Anyway, as I was pouring over my old friends one day, yes I like to sit and look over my old models sometimes, I was struck by a thought. These nifty little cases are just about the right size to hold   Warhammer/Citadel paint pots. So turning to good old Amazon I bought another one. By the way they have gone up by about 50% in the intervening years.

Sadly, they are no good, as is, for Two Thin Coats or Army Painter* etc. But if you have a large collection of Warhammer Paints you might like to try out this idea.

*Different inlays are available.

Published in: on August 7, 2026 at 7:40 am  Leave a Comment  
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Armageddon Update V

Well it was quite a disturbed week, but we achieved everything we wanted to:

  • Gretchin X
  • War Trakk X
  • Librarian X

The end is definitely in sight. There is a rather uncertain time before us over the coming weeks but I am sure we will plod on as best we can.

My wife enjoyed painting the War Trakk. As you can see the rust effect was put to good use again:

I have always enjoyed painting Librarians but this one was rather awkward given his pose. Still, it left a couple of spots I could just skip.

Orks 31 Space Marines 17

Published in: on August 1, 2026 at 7:29 am  Leave a Comment  
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A Family Affair

Tuesday night is games night and oft times it is the rest of the family who are far more keen on games night than me. I feel I am such a fortunate guy every time the four of us sit down to play. Perhaps my enthusiasm, or rather my obsession, with all things GW has rubbed off more than I thought it would on them. Whatever the case, Tuesday night is Games night.

It is not always Warhammer. The odd board game creeps in and sometimes we have a Magic round robin. Mostly though it is Warhammer. The last three game nights have been; 40k, Bloodbowl and Age of Sigmar. Each was a success in its own way. 40k was the first game of 40k we had played as a family and ended up with a The Alimo type last stand by the Space Marines on the central objective. It was a great hit despite the fact that practically everything was unpainted (we really don’t like playing with grey models but we were impatient).

The game of Age of Sigmar was typical of our approach to all our games. We seldom play by the book. We read the rules and then promptly forget most of them. We play an approximation of the game, our own version of it. We play fair we play happy. The set up for this game was unique. We had played many Spearheads recently and fancied a bigger game. However we ran out of time to generate Army Lists and ended up playing with four Spearheads, one each. Idoneth and Stormcast V Skaven and Slaves to Darkness and used one of the new missions from the Generals Handbook. Quite a mix but it was fun.

One of the best bits of this game was the special little rule we made up. The Order guys could talk tactics during the game but, to simulate the chaos guys sneaky spies they could not whisper. The Chaos guys, on the other hand, just could not discuss tactics at all. We all bought into it and it all came out nicely.

So that is our approach to Warhammer. I have always thought that Warhammer games have a feeling of, “flying by the seat of your pants”. We don’t go chasing the Meta, we are just family and friends playing games. We bend it and shape it how we like. We make it game we want it to be.

I used to be a tournament player but I have not got the stamina for that any more. I have returned to my roots and simply play for fun. That is the great beauty of this hobby, obsession, it is playable on so many different levels.

Have Fun!

Published in: on July 31, 2026 at 7:53 am  Leave a Comment  
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Armageddon Update IV

It has been quite a fun and productive week. It began with the Space Marine Chaplin and the Vanguard Veteran Squad and was rounded off with five Gretchin. The more I do the more fun I am finding it. I hope it is going as well for you.

Next week we are looking at finishing off the Gretchin, the ork Wartrakk and maybe the Librarian. Oook! It is an ambitions week, maybe, but I hope to surprise myself.

Right let’s grit our teeth and dive in there!

The Chaplin and no I will not call him Charlie. Well I might, in the heat of battle, now I have thought of it…

Published in: on July 25, 2026 at 7:30 am  Leave a Comment  
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Big Mek “Wif Shokk Attack Gun of course!”

It was the Shokk Attack Gun that prompted me to suggest this model as a birthday present. When it arrived I was not disappointed. It was very easy to put together and yes it was an ideal candidate for the Mediocre Hobbies (https://www.youtube.com/@MediocreHobbies) rust treatment. Do you think I am going over the top  with all this rust?? Well, is it possible to go over the top with rust if you are playing Orks? I don’t think so. With the arrival and completion of the Big Mek it marked the end to the pre Armageddon filler inners. All done and Armageddon was not even here yet. WOW!

As I said it was the Shokk Attack gun that drew me to this model. Just the sight of it carried me back to such fun Epic Space Marine encounters back in the early 90’s. Ahh those were the days, sigh. I will have to see if I can find some of that old Epic stuff. I spent a lot of time, planning, dreaming of and painting, and playing with that system.  I was not a fan of the late 90’s Epic, Epic 40k as they called it, but each to their own. I tried to get into the new stuff. Indeed, I have a box of the “New” Adeptus Titanicus  and several Legions Imperialis so I sincerely hope that the “The Duke” will march again!

Anyway, back to today and 40k. This character is full of narrative inspiration as I think many Orks are. I hope he lives up to expectations and I witness him performing many miraculous failures and the odd, splendid slaughter!

So we come to the end of this little series. I am blessed with a such a loving family who pander to my Warhammer habit so generously. Thank you guys very much. Through them I have been able to bring you this tale of paint and joy. Fortunately there is still much more to come…

Published in: on July 24, 2026 at 7:11 am  Leave a Comment  
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Armageddon Update III

Orks 20 (Yes you heard me right 20!) Space Marines 10

Yay the balance is restored!

Well I am plod, plod plodding along. Thirty guys done. It seems a bit daunting but if I just keep taking these bite size chunks out of the pile it will end, it must end. TELL ME IT WILL END! *Snigger*

Actually I am having a lot of fun painting these guys. I know there of plenty of people out there who have finished the box already. Pah! I care not, hehe. I am starting to believe that maybe, just maybe I will get this box done. But please, please, don’t ask about Leviathan!!!

Let’s just keep on going. How are you guys doing?

Published in: on July 18, 2026 at 7:48 am  Leave a Comment  
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