Space Marine Fleets: 4

Thank you all for voting in the Secessionist Chapter poll! I was a little bit surprised by how things turned out. Honestly, I thought Astral Claws were going to win easily. I am glad to see some support for the Lamentors and Executioners. And the winner is...

The Red Corsairs

Here is what I think I will do. I will use some of the Pre-Herey strike cruisers, maybe 3-4 or so, and I will make them up as Red Corsairs. I could make more strike cruisers to complete this but I think it would make more sense to make the Red Corsairs to complement my current Chaos fleet instead of making the World Eaters I mentioned before. I would be able to run them as a regular Chaos list with strike cruisers or a Space Marine list with Chaos ships. I will me making a pre-heresy fleet for the Carcharodons, a standard looking fleet for Raptors, and 3-4 strike cruisers to add to my current Chaos fleet as Red Corsairs. This is doubly good because I currently have all the models I need to finish the Red Corsairs, most of the models for the Carcharodons, and will need a few more things for the Raptors. 

Internet Battle 1.7: Turn 4

+++Internet Battle 1: Turn 4+++

Imperial Navy
The Lunars lock on.
The Mars and Exorcist lock on.

-The Mars and the Exorcist fire upon Carnage 1, which braces. The firing takes down 2 shields and causes 2 damage to the hull and causing a Bridge Smashed critical!
-Carnage 2 braces, expecting an onslaught of firepower. The Lunars take down both shields and cause 1 hull damage which is braced.
-The Retribution fired upon Carnage 2 causing 2 hits total, 1 is braced.
-The Dauntlesses cause 3 hits on Carnage 2, 2 of which are braced.

-The Mars and Exorcist launch Assault Boats and Bombers towards Carnage 1.
-The Chaos Assault Boats engage the Retribution, 2 are destroyed by turrets, and 1 causes a Dorsal Armament critical (repaired in the end phase).

Chaos
Desolator Lock-on.
Devastations Reload.

-Carnage 2 fired on the Retribution taking 1 shield down.
-The Desolator fired on the Retribution and takes down 3 shields and 2 hull points. It braces and shrugs off 1 of the 2.
-The Devastations fire on the Retribution and causes 3 hull damage, 2 of which are braced.
-Carnage 1 and Acheron 2 test to split fire and pass. Carnage 1 fires on the Imperial Assault Boats and destroys them. Acheron fires on the Mars and takes down 2 shields and does 1 hull damage.

-5 Bombers are launched by the Devastations and engage Lunar 2. 1 is shot down by massed turrets. The roll was quite lucky for Chaos and the Lunar takes 4 damage and a Shield Collapse critical.
-The Imperial Bombers engage Carnage 1. 2 are shot down by massed turrets and 2 damage is caused to the hull, 1 of which is braced.


Damage:
Carnage 1: 3 damage (5; Bridge Smashed)
Carnage 2: 1 damage (6)

Retribution: 2 damage (8)
Mars: 1 damage (7)
Lunar 2: 4 damage (4; crippled; Shield Collapse)


Distances
-Mars to Carnage 1: 29cm
-Retribution to Carnage 2: 11cm
-Lunar 2 to Carnage 2: 13cm
-Dauntless 2 to Carnage 2: 14cm
-Dauntless 2 to Desolator: 18cm
-Lunar 2 to Devastation 2: 25cm (23ish B2B)
-Retribution to Desolator: 20cm
-Lunar 2 to Desolator: 20cm (17ish B2B)

Notes
There is a fighter squadron on CAP on the Desolator, Acheron 2, and Carnage 2.

This poor purple planet must be in utter turmoil as two close by separate battles surround it.

Carnage 2, the Retribution, and Lunar 2 have taken damage. Note: the blast markers from the Carnage were removed at the end of the Chaos turn so these pictures show a one sided story.  Also, note the fighters on CAP on the Chaos ships. 

The Chaos are dangerously close to the Imperial vessels. This provided increased effectiveness for Carnage 2 and Acheron 2. 

This is a view from the galactic north. Surely this picture was blurred by Chaos interference.

We await your orders for turn 4!

Internet Battle 1.6: Turn 3

+++Internet Battle 1: Turn 3+++


Imperial:
The fleet advances as the Lunars lock on. The Mars destroys the Chaos Assault Boats with lance shooting. The Imperial Assault Boats advance near the edge of the asteroids.

Chaos:
Acheron 1 squad goes on All Ahead Full and rolls high, blasting forward.
All ships in the east go on orders: Desolator and Acheron 2 squadron go on Lock On and the Devastations reload ordinance. The all advance. The Acheron 2 squadron shoot the Retribution. The Retribution braces, expecting the rest of the Chaos to shoot him. Total, the Retribution takes 2 damage, after shields, from the shooting. The rolls were on the side of Chaos for this action.

The Desolator shoots the Dauntless squadron. They decide to brace and take 2 damage after a shield from the Desolator. The Devastations shoot at the Imperial Assault Boats and fail to destroy them.

The Devastations launch a wave of 3 fighters and 4 Assault Boats, and one separate fighter. The larger wave engages to Imperial Assault Boats and the fighters return to their mothership after destroying them all, leaving the Chaos Assault Boats nearby. The single Chaos Fighter holds position between the fleets.

Damage:
Retribution: 2 damage (10)
Dauntless 2: 2 damage (4)

The Mars pulls past the Exorcist and destroys the Chaos Assault Boat squadron. Acheron 1 squadron is coming in fast.

The Imperial bulk advances, ready for striking. The Chaos pull around the asteroids and unleash their firepower. The attack craft in between the two fleets are 1 Chaos Fighter and 3 Chaos assault boats. The Retribution and the Dauntless squadron are braced for impact. 

Acheron 1 squadron are advancing on the port side of the Mars and Exorcist.

Here is a few from behind the Imperial mass. 

The Imperials are closing quickly. 

Ready for turn 4 orders!

Space Marine Fleets: 3

Ok, so, not so good. I forgot one of the most crucial parts of the mold making process on the loyalist strike cruiser; the mold release. I made part 1 of the mold and then poured part 2. About 10 minutes later, I realized that I forgot to put the mold release on part 1. The next day, it was one solid brick. The only way I could make it work was to cut it right down the center. Actually, It worked at first but down the line, I missed some of the smaller pieces and that was pretty much that.

On a brighter note, I have been working on a home-brew silicone mold concaulktion (see what I did there?).

Here is the recipe I have been working with...
Silicone Caulk Mold Making

At this moment, I am waiting for the second mold to dry. The first one worked remarkably well and only had 1 bubble in a part that didn't matter. Actually, I am starting to think it is working better than the Alumilite pourable kind. This stuff, after you mix it up, is a little like spreading peanut butter but it is a little easier to spread because it's more rubbery. What I have been doing is building up the Lego frame one level above the other material. With the right mix, it works out to just about the perfect height to be able to fill all the area with the mold material, and make it easy to spread it with a knife. It feels a little weird having to spread it but I have found that when you do it slowly and smoothly, it covers very well and there really isn't many air bubble problems. We will see when the part 2 of this mold is done. One thing that worries me a little is that this mold, when dried, is much more floppy than the Alumilite one. I think that is probably better because it will be easier to get the resin out of the mold when it's done being cast and not rip parts of the mold. By the way, I did remember the mold release this time...

Space Marines Fleets: 2

Before casting, I noticed that the bottom part of the strike cruiser was open and hollow. So, I took some plasticard and shaped it in a way that covered the bottom so the silicone mold would not go into it. At first, I tried to make the mold with some bits I may use to decorate it late. This did not work out so well so I ended up having to cut out some of the smaller bits part of the mold so that the ship would cast properly.

This is the ship and the bits in the clay, in the lego box, ready for part 1 of the mold to be poured over it. These bits needed to be cut out later on.

Here, I am measuring out stuff for part 2 of the mold. The first one went well but it Used too much liquid mold and wasted some. 

Part 2 is drying. Each time you let a mold set like this, you have to wait 8 hours or so. I Let the first dry overnight and started the second one the next morning, waited 8 hours, then that night, it was ready. 

Here we are! The original is on the top left, the first attempt, which failed, is on the bottom left. The other ones worked out well! It isn't perfect (the engines will need some work), but I am really happy with how they turned out.

In the end, I have 12 total Pre-Heresy Strike Cruisers. I will be using these for the World Eaters vessels, the Carcharodon vessels (to look pre-heresy style), and to give some to a friend who will be working on Chaos (watch out for Nolan in future battle reports!).

As for the Raptors....

:)

To be continued...

Space Marines Fleets: 1

Thanks to all who voted in this poll! I started to feel like it was time to start a Space Marine fleet. Because I had neglected the Emperor's finest for a long time, I thought I would do more than just buy a fleet; I want to start 2.5 fleets. Let's talk about the poll first.

I have been reading all over the place about how to change the poll bar color to no avail. Anyways, the chapters that are on the list are chapters I have some interest in making a fleet for; some more than others. Also, I had an idea for a Chaos Space Marine fleet  as well. Most of these are from the Badab War 40k history, something I highly enjoy.

Let me make a comment on the different chapters listed...
Raven Guard: These guys have been my favorite first founding Space Marine chapter for a long time. I enjoy their loyalty but also their not so in your face offense. They strike quickly, attacking the weak point, and then pull back, leaving the victim wounded. Also, Black is the best color. You should see all my t-shirts (nevermind almost all of them having a metal band logo on them...).
Raptors: These are a 2nd founding Raven Guard ancestor. Their story-line is awesome. I like the drab green and I especially like their tactics. They are much like Raven Guard but they are less close combat oriented. They are carry out brutal and fast hit and run attacks but they usually avoid close combat; they prefer close range firefights. Also, they are really tricksy.
Carcharodons: These are the big, bad, Uruk-Hais of the Space Marines. Ruthless, heartless (just read about their dealings with the Mantis Warriors), and mysterious. Opposite of of the Raptors (which makes me so happy about the poll results).
Executioners: I am very surprised these guys didn't get more attention. These guys are similar to Space Wolves and are known to be barbaric. I love the metallic blue.
Red Scorpions: I have heard it said that these guys are the Ultramarines of the Badab Wars. I would say that makes sense. These guys are highly religious and devoted to personal purity and the Codex.
Minotaurs: Greek looking, brutal, and awesome. I love the bronze and red combo. I wish I knew more about these guys.
Howling Griffons: I like these guys, especially the color scheme. They were number one for a little while, if I remember correctly. They shot up out of no where, from 0 to 8.
Chaos: I am not surprised this got rated so highly. Honestly, I like that they got so many votes.

I am surprised by the results. I had my money on the Red Scorpions and the Raven Guard.

--------------------------------------------------------------

SO........ The decision has been made! And the first fleet is......

Raptors

I love the Raptors. This fleet will mainly be able Thunderhawks, Boarding Torpedoes, and guns (duh). I will use the BFG:R Space Marine fleet rules and use the Raven Guard special rules (being an ancestor).

The next fleet will be.....

Carcharodons

I am afraid of these guys. When this fleet is done, I will not be able to play a game with this guys without consistent death metal blaring. Carcharodons ARE like THIS SOUNDS. YOU CANNOT KILL THEM...... (takes a deep breath and calms down). Their fleet is going to be all in your face guns, less Thunderhawks replaced out for more guns, Terminators, Honor Guard, boarding, you're dead. Nuff said.

And last but not least.....

World Eaters

I already have a 3000pt Chaos fleet that is red and gold. I am going to add some Chaos Strike Cruisers to it with some World Eaters markings.


Back to the first chunk of stuff I was saying... here is why I say 2.5 fleets; I found this.....

So, pretty much a Chaos Strike Cruiser. Love it. Had to have one. So, I ordered one at the detailed setting pretty much right away and planned to make oh so many copies. Also, I found an amazing coupon for a hobby story in this part of the U.S. for 40% off of one item. So, I decided it was time to make my move and purchase a $70 Alumilite mold making and casting starter kit. I bought it and got to work.