How To Make Your Own Decals

Today is one of those moments wherein I can say that I truly love my hobby for it pushes me to learn new things to achieve greater effects! I remember when I started out, I barely knew how to paint. Through trial and error and watching and/or reading numerous tutorials, I learned that painting is more than choosing colors and applying it to a model. You have priming, basing, shading, layering, highlighting, dry brushing, etc, etc! Suddenly I was learning how to flock models, how to kitbash, how to work with green stuff, how to strip miniatures, and the list goes on. Today, I learned how to make my own decals!

WHAT ARE DECALS YOU SAY?

In a Warhammer 40k point of view, they are the glossy stickers that come with the miniatures. You need water to remove them from their paper and apply it to the miniature.

WHY MAKE YOUR OWN DECALS?

The designs included in the decals are only limited and sometimes you need more than ten. Worse is that you need a certain design and the decal doesn't even have it! By making your own decals, you get the design you want and you can have multiples of it without worrying of running out! You can also have your own designs and create your own chapter symbol (the reason why this hobby attracted me in the first place even though I do not follow it now)! This also applies to any other hobbies such as gundams. So let's start making one now!

WHAT YOU NEED

The materials listed here are local to the Philippines only. If you are a foreigner and you happen to stumble into this tutorial, just buy the equivalent and the steps would be the same me thinks! I am in no way endorsing the brands named here. It's just a quick way for people to familiarize themselves with what to use. They can branch out and choose brands they think are better.

• Decal Paper (Brand name: Scopa - you can buy these at National bookstore)

• Now there are two types - "Inkjet Decal Paper" and "Laser jet Decal Paper". Choosing what to get depends on the type of your printer. The usual home printers are ink jet and internet cafes and printer/photocopy shops usually have the laserjet ones. Still, check your printer's settings or manual just to be sure. It is important to match the paper type with the printer because according to my researches (I didn't want to try it out!), if the paper and printer don't match, whatever you do, the ink won't dry! I chose the Laserjet Decal Paper and had my design printed in a net cafe shop.

• Design
• You should have a design because this is the whole point of making your own decals. You can make your own or try to copy an existing chapter of your own choosing. Good thing the good folk over at bolterandchainsword did all the dirty work for you! Emperor be praised! Here are the decal designs! This link has a wealth of designs from Sisters of Battle to forgeworld chapters and some custom ones. I chose Bran Redmaw's Company design for mine. Thanks bolterandchainsword!

•  A Clear Quick Drying Lacquer Spray (Brand names: Scopa, Bosny Clear No. 190 or Bosny Flat Clear)
• Bosny clear gives that glossy look the decals should have. I guess Flat clear means that it removes the glossiness of your decals already. I chose Bosny clear because I'm going to apply matter varnish anyway when I finish the entire model. This is also necessary because it seals the ink to the paper and prevents the design from crumbling.

WHAT TO DO

1. Get a design and print a test page first to see if the size is right for the place where you want to apply it such as the side of a tank or the shoulder pads of a marine.

testing to see if the design would fit the shoulderpad

2. Print the design on the decal paper. Remember to match the paper type with your printer type! and let it dry for a while.

3. Spray the decal paper w/ the design on it with the Clear Lacquer Spray at point blank. It should have that same glossy look as the decals that come with the miniatures (picture on the left). Let it dry. If you don't spray it with the Lacquer Spray, images can be scratched off as like the one shown on the right picture.

And there you have it! As easy as that and you have your own decal design! Hope you learned something new today and would eventually try it out! If you do try it out, let me know what designs you made! If you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask! I'll answer as best I can! Making the decals is super easy but a real pain to apply to the model. That would be a another story for a different time!

Some of my samples:

P.S.: The above tutorial is the product of research over the internet and trial and error. Hope you learn something new and decide to try it out! - Jarl Camacho of the 8th company

Space Wolves Landspeeder

Land speeders are iconic vehicles in almost any galaxy/space related lore, theme, or pop culture. In Warhammer 40k, land speeders are used for a number of roles such as scouting, spearheading assaults (alpha strikes), or outflanking enemy positions - basically anything related to destroying the enemies of the emperor except ramming other vehicles (of course!) because let's face it: those things look fragile! Even so, it is amazing how a fragile thing can bring so much devastation in the battlefield!

The Emperor laughs at this "speeder"!

Land speeders are, in my opinion, one of the best units in any marine army. They are a Fast Attack choice, can move 12 inches and still fire 2 weapons giving them a threat range of 48-60 inches depending on your load out. With the release of the 7th edition Space Wolves codex, their appearance on the table could be expected to dwindle due to the points reduction made to its fellow Fast Attack choices, which now seem to be tempting options to explore. So let's see what land speeders can bring to the table!

Land Speeder Squadron - not mine

THE PROS

They have Maneuverability!

• land speeders can move 12 inches and turbo-boost for 12 inches more! useful for getting from cover to cover in the unfortunate event that you roll hammer and anvil for a battlefield. This is also very useful for getting to objectives quickly or landing a line breaker at the end of the game
• they can fire 2 weapons even if they move 12 inches
• they are now scoring units
• they can have a 4+ jink save even if they do not move

They have Fangs! (These are the loadouts I tend to use)

Land Speeder Typhoon - MINE

• Land Speeder Typhoon (just a heavy bolter/HB and a cyclone missile launcher/CML)  = 75 points each
• this is crazy good as they became 15 points cheaper from the previous codex! Maybe this was to bring them in line with the Space Marine Land speeders. What this brings to the table is a HB that can spit  3 Str 5-AP 4 shots and a CML that launches 2 Str 8-AP 3 shots! Now imagine 2 to 3 of these in the field! This is perfect for alpha strikes! Use them to pop AV10-12 vehicles or provide suppressive fire as your warriors charge up the field! I can't stress how many times my 225 point land speeder squadron earned back their points and even more!
• Land Speeder with Multimelta (MM) and Heavy flamer (HF) = 70 each
• I like the flexibility of this build as it can be part of a "take all comers list". With these bad boys, you can deal with either armor using the multi-melta or an infantry list with the heavy flamer!
• Land Speeder with Double Multimelta = 80 each
• This could be considered your suicide squad! your titan killer! your knight killer! If you can deepstrike these boys within 12 inches of any armor of even if they just reach their targets within that range, say bye bye to it! When your opponents see these on the battlefield, chances are that their eyes would widen and they would allocate sufficient fire power to ensure the destruction of the said unit therefore becoming a fire magnet.

 So we talked about the wonders of Land Speeders! But being good at something would always mean a trade-off...

THE CONS

They are AV10 in every facing with only 2 Hull points and that means anything Strength 4 can potentially glance it to death and any weapon strength 5 and above would really cripple it in different ways! I had bad experiences with rapid firing marines, dakkafexes, and flyrants. Hopefully your careful positioning, jink saves, and bad opponent rolls can prevent this from happening. When your speeders get charged (which means you are playing them wrong), say bye bye to them unless your opponents roll badly. When you roll the mission "The Scouring" suddenly they can become a liability by providing your opponents an extra victory point if they get destroyed!

Another sad trivia about Land speeders is that the Space Wolves weren't issued the Land Speeder storm, which is a dedicated transport for scout companies. Are the scouts of the wolves so elite that they eschew any form of fast transportation now?? I really think they need it now since their "Behind Enemy Lines" rules was removed in 7th edition, basically turning them into just better scouts combat and shooting-wise.. sigh..

Land Speeder Storm, not mine

WISHLIST

In the spirit of Christmas, I've decided to include this segment, which is a wishlist of what I would like GW or future Space Wolves codex writers to do or consider regarding Space Wolves Land Speeders

1. Land Speeder Helfrost Variant - a speeder that has a helfrost cannon equipped.

2. Land Speeder Storms - I hope the wolves get issued this soon :)


CONCLUSION

It is a wonder that Space Wolves even use these speeders because weren't they depicted as "uncomfortable with flying and would like to fight with two feet firm in the ground just like Russ intended"? One may argue that they are not flying but simply hovering or something to that effect. Whatever the pet peeves of the wolves might be, the power of the Land Speeder cannot be denied! It is like a wolf circling a prey and striking when the opportunity presents!

In my 3 years of war-gaming, only once did I fight a person using only one land speeder. In my opinion, the others should consider it and take a look at this taken-for-granted unit. Unfortunately, there are now more tempting choices for Fast Attacks slots in the Space Wolves codex so their sorty into the battlefield may take a bit of re-considering.

So what are your thoughts regarding Land Speeders? I would love to hear how you equip yours (if you even use one). Do you use any of the other Land Speeder variants? Have I left something out? Let me know! Once again this is Camacho, Jarl of the 8th signing out! :D

Oh and by the way, my Wolf Wing Squadron says HI!

P.S. - some images are mine and some were taken from the internet without permission. If you see your work here, that means I thought it was very cool and it deserves to be shared to others ^^

First Impression on Warhammer 40k: Space Wolves

When I first saw a Warhammer 40k game coming out with a title called Space Wolf, of course I was excited! Welcome to my review or first impression of the game!

WHAT IS IT?

Warhammer 40k: Space Wolf is a turn-based strategy game much like Final Fantasy Tactics, Frontline Mission, and Disgaea. The game is different from those mentioned as everything you do here involves cards. Yes! Cards.. You select cards from a premade deck (you can modify this deck eventually). You use the cards to either move, attack, or equip then attack later (which I don't really get cause they use up actions as well). Each turn you can use two cards to do any of what was mentioned. The cards have numerical values. The more powerful the card, the higher the numerical value and this determines turn order eventually with the lowest total going first. You start out first with the main character which is a Grey Hunter then you'll eventually pick up others specialists, which leads me to...

...THE STORY!

A Space Wolf ship/cruiser/battle barge was ambushed by a Word Bearer ship. Both sustained heavy damage and crash landed on a planet. As the main character, you are tasked to find/rescue the scattered crew, which range from Grey Hunters, Terminators, Scouts, etc., retrieve scattered supplies, and slay the blasphemous Word Bearers and find out what they are doing in that certain planet. Now that is just the intro. There may be some deeper twist as you go further along but I haven't gotten too far in the game due to a number of issues.

THE ISSUES (OR THE OUTS)

1) Game Crashes - My number 1 issue! The game crashed for me at least 3 times already. I hate it when this happens especially when you are halfway through a mission. You can still click buttons but they do nothing and everyone is just standing in the field. I've tried waiting for more than 10 minutes on some missions but nothing happens and you need to exit the game a replay the whole mission.

2)  I'm a fan and a player of the Warhammer 40k tabletop game and I think I just got used to certain units having limited gear and certain purpose or roles but in this game one Grey Hunter can use the lascannon, a missile launcher, a heavy flamer, and heavy bolter all in one mission (must be their Long Fang but no distinctions were made). Having lots of weapon options are cool but when is it enough?

My Grey Hunter can use a lot of weapons!

3) The Deck/Card system -I would've been happy with a generic Final Fantasy Tactic type of thing with stats and jobs etc. I really don't know how to feel about this but believe me I'm trying to like it. It just sometimes feels complicated at first but then you'd see that it's pretty straight forward. You combine two cards that look alike to get a stronger version of that card then add it to your deck. One thing that I wish we had was a card that can heal your characters.

You can have a max of 30 cards in a deck. I haven't checked how many copies of certain card are allowed in a deck though.

4) Internet Connection - You need the internet to play this game :/ Can't believe I can't play it outside of home. A really big minus for me :/

Needs internet.. boo..

 5) Lastly, my phone gets hot like crazy whenever I play this game and it's a pain to hold. Not to mention, it drains your battery pretty quick.

WHAT I LIKE

1) Space Wolves - of course! Nuff said!

2) Tutorials - thanks to these tutorials, the game becomes a bit easier to understand. I just wish they were repeatable for slow learners like me.

3) Graphics - When selecting a game, this one is a major factor for me to consider. The graphics of this game is top notch for me considering that it's on a phone. They also do the Space Wolves justice as most of the characters are really ornamented and detailed.

BURN HERETICS!

The briefing room.

You can choose your squad mates as you go out on mission.

VERDICT

Maaaaan.. I can tell that it is very good and promising game but even with my fully updated iOS and game version, it still suffers due to major crashes. I'll try to finish it as time and crash permits. I just wish they fix it soon because I need to kill me some chaos.

The Simple Green Experiment

Just when you thought the blog was dead.. then BAM! you were wrong :)) Hello and good morning! WL Richard Camacho is here once again. I have a 5 day vacation and it would be a sin not to write at least once in the blog.

So for today's post, something that has been boggling a number of players now: how do you strip paint from your precious minis?

I've asked this question a number of times to different people even before having the guts to try it out and they all had different answers (Summary is in the bottom for those of you who don't want to read through. I tend to get carried away in thoughts).

1) 70% isopropyl alcohol - well I tried it and it actually works. It really does strip paint but is volatile so the solution quickly evaporates. It can't strip the primer though.

2) Brake fluid - a lot of people attest to the effectiveness of this method but something about using a car product for a non-car purpose sounds dangerous.. not to mention the part wherein it is not environment friendly and can seep through your wounds to atrophy your tendons and cartilages so you'd always need gloves.

3) Simple green - some people highly recommend this.. if you can get it! Places where I've seen this is in ACE Hardware store in SM Megamall and the grocery in SM North EDSA (but I got one of the 2 bottles remaining so good luck and I hope they restock ^^). They clock in  at 300-400 pesos and I have only seen large bottles so far. Simple Green kinda smells nice from afar but is really strong for the nose so I don't recommend smelling it..

THE EXPERIMENT

Simple Green. Yep! Buy the concentrated one

The victims.. uuuuhh I mean the test subjects!

Reason for stripping: My girlfriend hates them because they remind her of the teenage mutant ninja turtles. They are my Mantis Warriors and they shall know no fear my dear :)) Now I will try and turn them to White Scars where they truly belong!

I started 7:44 am in the morning. As you can see above, I tested first with one model because I was scared of what might happen (some people reported that their minis melted). The second picture actually shows the yellow in the shoulder pad sloughing off on it's own after a day's soak.


After a day and a half of soaking I was told there would be a good amount of scrubbing to be done and I'm sad to say that it's true :(

I recommend a stronger toothbrush.

THE RESULT

The OC in me is screaming at those remaining green spots but overall I'm satisfied. It strips out paint though you really need to scrub. There are hard to reach spaces and I had to use my nails in some (which is a more effective way of removing the paint than the toothbrush). Also, it stripped the primer off, which I wasn't expecting! Now I can work on the first models I ever had who suffered from bad primer-ing.

Next question is, can you use the solution again and again? So i tried it again and this time with the 3 remaining bikers for a 2 day soak...

Some parts will come off...

To answer that question, yes! You can use it again. I'm using it for a third batch now actually :)

So there you have it! Simple Green works and the above is proof for you doubters.

SUMMARY

1) Simple green can strip off paint and primer
2) It doesn't melt your minis
3) I recommend at least a 2 day soak
4) You really have to scrub so get a good toothbrush, and prepare your finger nails too!
5) Prepare for certain parts detaching (and it's not even from the trauma dealt by the tooth brush)
6) you can use the solution over and over again
7) It may be environment friendly because you use it to clean the bathroom and it would eventually go down the drain.. same if you were just dumping the used solution in the toilet bowl.. or better yet, use it to clean the bathroom grout!

That's it for now! Even though I have a 5 day weekend, I have a crazy week of exams, practicals, reporting, and paper submitting ahead of me and so much limited time!

Once again this is WLC, Jarl of the 8th, hoping that you have learned something new for today!

WIP: The Axe Morkai

WLC is back! The blog is not dead... yet! ^^"

I had to go on a hiatus for a week or so due to crazy med stuff going on. First week was med week and I had to learn a couple of dances, make some lines for a script, and act. Who says a med student is all study?

2nd week was retribution. The real med life came back with a vengeance of 10 quizzes. So glad I survived the onslaught. Now on to the project!

Most of the WIPs (work/works in progress) that are going to be posted here were done in the near past and were done bit by tiny bit so if you think I have a lot of time on my hands then you're dead wrong!

THE AXE MORKAI

The Axe Morkai is the main weapon of Logan Grimnar, the current badass chapter master of the Space Wolves. He acquired it after defeating Akor Doomflayer, a Champion of Khorne, during the first war for Armageddon. He then tasked the blacksmiths in the Fang (the Space Wolves home base or Chapter Monastery) to melt it and forge it into a new weapon in the image of Morkai.

IN GAME

The Axe Morkai is a different kind of relic weapon. Logan Grimnar can use it to divide his attacks into either 2 profiles, that of a Frost Axe with +2 to strength and AP 3, which can hit on initiative or Powerfist attacks.


FORGING THE AXE MORKAI

Now about several  months ago, I decided to scratch-build or kit-bash my own Logan Grimnar because 1) the old model (this was before the new one came out) was really bad and out-dated and 2) I can't find the model and 3) I really thought back then that he was expensive for a single model outdated model (the new one looks way better but clocks in at 2700+).

As I built my Logan Grimnar based on the pictures I found on the codex and online, I realized something; this was a weapon acquired from a great daemon, who's supposedly big and powerful. You melt that weapon and only get a puny axe?

see what I'm talking about..

He is a badass Chapter Master and he gets a very small axe. In my mind, it doesn't look appropriate especially that he is wearing terminator armor. So I decided to build my own vision of the axe but of course it had to be close to the original.

I compared the axe in my mind and cross-referenced it with a couple of pictures...

Drawing concept of Axe Morkai from the codex

The Old Axe Morkai... :/

The New Axe Morkai

And so I made this...

Looking at how a terminator model will hold it...

Is it perfect? No! Does it look better? Maybe.. In the world of Warhammer 40k, things get crazy and exaggerated so might as well go with a bigger axe! Besides, a terminator armor turns the user into a "mobile tank or artillery platform" as some novels would suggest so I guess a very big axe could be wielded by such. As a bonus, you could see the left hand of Logan Grimnar wielding a wrist-mounted storm bolter. It doesn't have a name but if I would name it, it would be "Storm Fist".

MATERIALS

So what did I use to build my Axe Morkai? In reality, I really wasted a lot of Space Wolves Axes and Thunder Hammers trying to turn the concept into reality but I found out that all you really need are the following:

x2 Frost Axes from the Wolfguard Terminator Box
x2 Thunder Hammer from the Space Wolves pack
x1 Right Terminator Arm

IN CLOSING...

I'm really satisfied with how the axe turned out as I really had a hard time. After gluing the parts together, there were some holes in it that I had to seal up with green stuff. A spray of primer grey and voila! The green stuff marking are not visible from afar but upon closer inspection you would be able to see it and I hope that the paint job would cover it up.

So that's all for today folks! Hope you enjoyed this journey and learned a bit of info regarding the Axe Morkai! WLC, Jarl of 8th signing out!

And oh! As a teaser for my next work... ^^

Clue: Tattoo

New Skyclaws! Pack Razcals!

 Hey everyone and Good Evening! WLC, Jarl of 8th here! Classes were suspended as of 5:17am and this presented an opportunity to create something that I have been contemplating on for a while.

Presenting my new Skyclaws! It is a 10-man unit led by a Wolfguard.

Pack Razcals ready to smash face!

SKYCLAWS

Skyclaws are made up of the most stubborn and headstrong Blood Claws from different packs. Most see being strapped into a jump pack as punishment but these individuals eagerly take it to be able to bring the fight to the enemy faster and earn more glory in the process. With chainswords roaring and pistols barking, they rush headfirst to bring the hammer of wrath to the enemies of mankind!

 THE BACKSTORY

Pack Razcals has seen the highest mortality rates in the history of Skyclaws as they were always given the most dangerous of mission even if it's deemed impossible. Assignment to this pack may mean two things: 1) your Wolf Lord really detests you or 2) your Wolf Lord believes in your ability to achieve the impossible in a short amount of time. With the assignment of Wolfguard Antonnidas to the pack, casualties have trickled to a stop for a while now.

I modeled some of the hair so expect 3 new hairstyles. I eventually plan to add some tattoos and some shaved head effect so watch out for it! :) I also added some back stories for each pack member. Enjoy!

Wolfguard Antonnidas Xang - one of the few remaining terran-born Space Wolves (need to model more hair for him)

Warrik - Newly assigned to Pack Razcals. One of the few who asked to be assigned.

Brandt Hjalmar, wielder of the Meltagun - The oldest of the pack and thought to be one of the original members of Pack Razcal. No one has seen his true face for hundreds of years.

Unn the Vain - was sent to Pack Razcals because his pack mates cannot tolerate his egocentricity. NEVER touch his hair!

Strom Greylock - Strom had served his time in Pack Razcals but requested to stay at the end of his term saying that life with the pack is more dangerous and exciting.

Anggred - the first and last to any battle, some whispers that he has the Mark of the Wulfen on him.

Bjarki - rarely utters a word. He is not as headstrong as the others and follows orders without question so it is a wonder to his pack why he was assigned here.

Dakken - has a fascination with grenades and explosions, good with hand to hand combat and would secretly stick a grenade to the enemy at the midst of it

Krilex - He loves the sound of his dual pistols and frequently fires them in a rhythm

Oddvar wielder of the Flamer - a costly error of his own doing during a mission had his Wolf Lord banished to Pack Razcals. He styles his hair using the flamer.

IN ENDING...

So there you have it! Skyclaws are good now because they are cheaper though I'm still not sure on how to run them yet as I have never tried them (but I already have an idea). One is a 10 man blob that would go about killing huge targets or as 2 5-man squads that could claim objectives quickly. One thing to consider is adding a Wolf Priest to the group as it would help offset their poor weapon skill of 3 (but then again, they'd be hitting on a 4 anything that has a weapon skill 4-7).

Feel free to write any comments or suggestions on the blog! Thank you for reading and see next time! - WLC, Jarl of 8th