The Independent Characters, 2013 hobby challenge

The Independent Characters is the Warhammer 40k Podcast that puts you in the game! 

They are a couple of guys from a regular gaming group who decided to strike out on their own and attempt the impossible (or at least improbable). So how does their podcast seek to differentiate itself from all the others? 

What they do:

- Attempt to bring you “into” their gaming group. They want you to feel like you are hanging with your friends on a Friday night.

- Provide you with updates on their hobby progress, battle reports overviews, and hopefully provide a little inspiration.

- Give you opinions on GW 40K product releases.

- Provide reviews of GW 40K fiction releases.

- Provide videos and interviews of local Californian events and possibly some that are further away.

- Entertain you on your commute to and from work – or at least during painting.

What they DON'T intend to do:

- Provide in-depth Codex Overviews… There’s enough of those to go around.

- Provide “News” segments. They assume most of their listeners will already be well versed in what is coming up. This isn’t to say they won’t give their opinions on upcoming stuff though!

(Apologies to Carl & Geoff for stealing their copy - they're much more gooder at making words than I do)

They have a Facebook page too.  Yes, they do!

In 2011/2012 year they ran the first hobby challenge.  The idea was to have an 1850 point tournament ready list done by the end of March 2012, with a 400 point "sideboard" - 400 points worth of models or units that could be swapped in and out to make different builds.  It was a great success and they decided to do it again.  There was a small shift in format but it seems that within a week there has been a flood of people who have signed on to the challenge, and even some people who signed up to the forum to take part!

I didn't have time, head-space or the models to take part last time.  The coming Dark Angels codex and model release is the IDEAL opportunity for me to get my hobby on some more!  There are a LOT of Dark Angels models that have been languishing in my collection unbuilt of late, since I have been working on stuff for A-Club, my son's Ork army and my Tyranid army.  On top of that I just bought a playable (in 5th anyway) Imperial Guard army that could do with being brought up to date.

Off the top of my head I have: 

Two Ravenwing battleforces, built and basecoated.

Twenty assault Marines with magnetised jump packs, basecoated.

Land Raider Crusader for Deathwing, in grey primer

A whole bunch of Terminators, some basecoated, some in pieces waiting for final construction.

Unbuilt I have:

Two jump chaplains

Chaplain dreadnought

Venerable Dreadnought

Regular Forgeworld dreadnought

Dreadnought drop pod

and then of course there will be all the new shiny that comes out in January.  I'm looking at getting the heavy Landspeeder as well as at least one flyer.  Then I'll be buying some new Ravenwing Black Knights, some Deathwing Knights and the new Belial and Asmodai figs. Oh, Holy Terra I'm going to be a busy boy. 

I have cobbled a list in my head which WILL change once the codex is out, but I'm committed to getting the Ravenwing squads finished.  

January's goal.  One Ravenwing battleforce. Complete the painting and basing on this Ravenwing squad. There is one biker with a flamer, one with a plasma gun. The sarge has a power fist and plasma pistol - in his holster, you can't see it but I paid the points! 

So that it can fit in the same slot, the speeder has Heavy Bolter and Assault Cannon. The Attack Bike has a Multimelta. 

I have resin bases that will be painted before each bike is pinned to it. I do not have a base for the attack bike. Just the same as the other two battleforces I completed way back in June 2011. I hope that I can get them looking as close as possible to identical. If I can't get all the way there it won't be the end of the world.

The bikes are base coated in Tamiya NATO black. They look kinda fuzzy right now, and they are. Something to do with the way the paint comes out of the airbrush if you don't use Tamiya thinner. I just used de-mineralised water. It's no big deal, I just give it a rub with a soft toothrbrush and it's fine! I spoke about it in my blog here

Pictures as progress is made - hopefully. If I remember. Yeah, I got a head like a sieve.