The Space Marines have landed!

A package arrived today from The War Store, right on time and in perfect condition, so great service on my first order.  I picked up the cutting mat at my local Hobbytown USA, it's nice and thick and should do a great job protecting tables while cutting.

Upon opening the Tactical Squad I was reminded how tiny some of the pieces can be, so yeah it's a bit daunting upon first inspection.  The are just a ton of options to consider on weapons, stances, armor, so many decisions to make.  Very cool kit though, I spent a lot of time just looking over the all the pieces in the sprues.

Upon first inspection and after a chance to see how they feel firsthand, the tools seem to be a solid kit to cover most my tool needs for a while...at least through this first squad.  The quality seems to be decent, no sloppiness in the tools and the finish looks like it will last a long time.    The Nylon "spreader" had me puzzled in the videos I saw, but after checking it out in person I think it will do a great job spreading texture paint on bases without having to muck up a brush.  I guess I'll know more about them after using them to complete this first squad.

At any rate, by the time I had time to sit down and look things over it was too late for me to start in on a project.  I did however pull off probably the most glamorous and exciting part of miniature modeling....cleaning the sprues!

I'm sure it isn't completely required, but after reading many times that the best idea is to clean your sprues to remove and manufacturing residue that may be left over I decided it was just too easy not to do.  So, I give you my first giant leap in modeling!

After a quick soak in tepid water with dish soap and a rinse followed by a towel dry, I guess they are ready to move forward.  Hoping to get something put together tomorrow night.

Behold, the Adeptus Astartes of the Ultramarines!

On the way, my first mini's and my first step towards an Ultramarine force.  The legendary Space Marine Tactical Squad.  This should be a great way to cut my teeth in the hobby with a TON of parts and options to choose from.  From the Games Workshop site . . .


"Space Marines
In order to build the Tactical Squad you get 11 torso fronts (of which 10 are unique designs); 10 different leg poses; 16 different heads (13 with helmets, 3 bare-headed); 22 shoulder pads; 10 backpacks (of which 9 are individual designs); and 10 sets of left and right arms.

Weapons
There are 10 unique boltguns, a gravgun, a meltagun, a plasma gun, a flamer, a missile launcher (including backpack and spare missiles). The squad Sergeant can be armed with a combination of power fist, power sword or chainsword, and plasma pistol, grav pistol or bolt pistol. You can also make any 1 of the following combi-bolters – combi-grav, combi-melta, combi-plasma, or combi-flamer. The squad can also be armed with a melta bomb, a selection of combat knives, and enough Frag and Krak grenades to arm each Space Marine.

Extra equipment
As if that wasn’t enough, you also get: a back banner for the squad sergeant (with the choice of 3 different banner tops); a holstered bolt pistol; targeting scopes for the boltguns; parchments and purity seals; ammo pouches; an auspex; and 3 spare hands (1 pointing, 1 holding a grenade, and 1 holding a boltgun cartridge).
The Space Marine range is designed so that all of the plastic parts can be swapped between different kits. If you want your Tactical Squad to include a Heavy Bolter rather than a missile launcher, then grab one from the Space Marine Devastator kit, or from the Sternguard Veterans and it’ll fit. This allows the opportunity for truly unique collections of miniatures.
This plastic kit contains 179 components with which to make a 10 man Space Marine Tactical Squad (and so much more!). Also included are 2 Space Marine transfer sheets with which to add Chapter iconography and squad markings."

First Purchase . . . the new Citadel Tool Range.

The Citadel Tool Range

So I finally made my first purchase into this rather expensive hobby.  Just like any job, you can't do much modeling without the proper tools.  It just so happens that as I was ready to buy my first set of tools when Games Workshop released the brand new Citadel Tool Range.  

There has been some mixed opinions I've read around the 40K forums regarding the price of these tools.  I guess I'll wait to see what I think once I get a chance to open them up check them our for myself.  After looking at a few other viable options, the price difference was negligible with the discount I got on the Citadel tools. 

So it begins . . .

As King Theoden said . . . "So it begins", as does my journey into the world of miniature modeling.  My focus will primarily be miniatures from Games Workshop's "Warhammer 40,000" universe.  As time goes on I'm sure I will branch out into other miniatures and modeling including of course Games Workshop's other series, Warhammer Fantasy minis.

After years of following the 40K lore through novels, video games, and lots of internet sources I have decided to take a stab at the core of the Warhammer 40K hobby which is assembling, painting, and gaming with Citadel Miniatures.  I have no idea what to expect in terms of difficulty and learning curves, but I will forge ahead and take my best shot. 

My main goal with this blog is for my own personal enjoyment, but this will also serve as a chronicle of my journey in the hobby.  I plan to document each phase from the very beginning...from my very first purchase all the way to the completed figures.

So here goes . . . more posts to follow!