CanCon For Hippos

I have just put my name down for the 40K Friendly at Cancon 2018, leading the massed greenskins of Waaagh! Snaggatoof; richest of the Bad Moon tribes (although I feel this particular version is from early in his rise to riches, before the real over indulgence and opulence set in...) I have spent some time this morning hammering away on army lists which seem about right, but need testing. They are mostly based on what I have and what I plan to build next, although disappointingly, I couldn't fit the Grot Tanks since the tournament is using patrol detachments, therefore only two fast attack choices. Grot Tanks don't really feel like fast attack, but they're certainly not heavy support, and I can't fit them in with the more important stuff, so out they go. Pity - they're the only vehicles I actually have painted.
What does this mean?
It means I have to do the following:

1. Finish painting Blingboss Snaggatoof himself (a conversion based on the chap from Black Reach)
2. Finish painting a mob of Black Reach slugga boyz
3. Paint the Deff Koptas
4. Paint the buggies
5. Build and paint four bikers, including a nob who will be temporarily promoted to warboss
6. Build and paint a trukk
7. Build and paint three killa kans (I've got the kits, and have had them since time immemorial...)
8. Time permitting, build a table of Orky terrains.

So, in the coming months you can look forward to some more orky madness...

Mek Shop Month: Commence!

In honour of the release of 8th Edition 40K (an edition which is so simple it promises to be compatible even with my esteemed flute-riddled opponent's limited attention span for rules!) July has been declared Mek Shop Month on Terrain For Hippos. Throughout the month I'll be posting Orky material for 40K - mostly because I'm not that inspired by 40K Chaos at the moment, and that's the only other army I have. No, we're going back to the very first army for the very first game I ever played. Not literally - I'm not going to be painting 2nd edition Orks or anything. What I will be posting is a step-by-step guide to scratch building orky vehicles, and possibly some terrain as well. I'm on holidays for the next two weeks, so I plan to be rather productive.
Yesterday I spent about $100 on plasticard and plastruct parts. If all goes to plan, I should be able to post the first Modelling For Hippos ishoo of Mek Shop Month tomorrow evening. It's going to be a two-parter. And may be followed by a Painting for Hippos ishoo on painting the project. After that I'm not completely sure what the next project will be just yet. Possibly a bigger vehicle. Not sure.
Of course, my esteemed flute-riddled opponent has gone to distant northern lands on holidays for the month, so it's very likely that I'll build all this stuff and not play with it... sigh.
See you (hopefully) tomorrow!

Portheim: Prologue.

A glimpse of Portheim from way back in 2009.

I've decided to try to increase the posting rate on the blog by bringing back themed months during the summer holidays. This time round: Portheim.
Portheim was a project from before TFH even existed - 2008 I think. I'd had the good fortune to have a huge amount of medium density white polystyrene insulation board offcuts given to me by a friend in the building supply industry, and realised that it was the destiny of these boards to become modular terrain tiles. At the time, we were playing a lot of Mordheim at HGC, so I decided to make the boards for that sort of medieval fantasy skirmish game. There were not enough to cover a whole table, so I came up with the idea of doing them as a dockside table. The idea being that you put down a blue table surface (painted, or a sheet) for the water, and then build up the docks on this using the tiles. Portheim was fairly quickly built up, including a bunch of things like a ruined lighthouse island and some boats to go in the water. The porblem was that it worked fine for a 4' table, but I never got more polystyrene to expand it out to larger sizes. Then Bunnings started stocking the stuff. Then an idea we'd had at HGC about a modular town table came back to light, and things sort of happened. So Portheim is on the go again, and during January I'll be posting TFH ishoos on various aspects, like making the tiles, building ships and other stuff.
Of course, I have to post the People's Choice Necrotite Rig first. So I'll just go and finish that shall I?
There are also some comissions which will need to be worked on while Portheim stuff dries, so I'm not really expecting more than one ishoo a week. Especially since GeekFest is next week.

The Infamous Index

There are now one hundred official ishoos of Terrain For Hippos (plus a few specials), so it seems like time to create an index of all of them. Which you will find on our spectacular new Ishoo Index page, conveniently located in the link list across the top of the blog.
Rousing huzzahz!

Ishoo Ninty-Nin Poll open!

Normally, we have reader's choice polls for every four ishoos, but since the next poll should be for Ishoo Wun-Hunred, and that's a pretty significat ishoo which I have major plans for, I've put up a poll for Ishoo Ninty-Nin instead.
You can vote as usual at the top right of the blog.
And yes, one of the options does involve me revisiting the CNC Workshop MDF terrain which I was so annoyed by the first time. On the plus side, another involves a technique which was introduced by a reader in one of the old Terrain Compometitions.
Speaking of which, entries are still open for the 2015 TFH Annual Terrain Compometition. Which you should obviously enter. Because, you know, the prizes are just soooooo shiny.
Also bragging rights.
Okay, here's your plan of action for the day:
1: Vote on the Ishoo Ninty-Nin poll.
2: Enter the TFH Annual Terrain Compometition 2015.
3: Curse that you have only discovered the blog AFTER those events ended.
4: Invent time travel.
5: Go to 1.

Developments and goings on at Terrain For Hippos.

Age of Shenanigans:

It seems that the current fashion is to write a mournful article on one's blog mourning the passing of 8th edition Warhammer and bemoaning the round-based skirmishy shenanigans of Age of Sigmar.

My cat reacts to Age of Sigmar.

Age of Sigmar is not going to kill my hobby, and will not stop be hammering wars. I don't play much WFB anymore, but it is my favourite setting for terrain making. Fortunately, it's also a fairly generic dark fantasy setting, and the bulk of the terrain will work in other settings. It will also not stop be in my ambition to build at least one themed terrain item for ALL the WFB races in 8th ed. Depending on what I think of the new setting, I will probably end up making some terrain which fits into AoS somehow.

Annual Terrain Compomeition:

Yes! It's that time of the year again! The annual terrain compometition is now open for entries until the end of September. Here's Grot with the rules:

For those who either cannot or will not learn the art of Hippospeak, here are the full, complete and utter rules:

• Build something which has either appeared on TFH or uses techniques which have appeared on TFH.
• Email pictures (NOT links to photobucket, google drive or similar) of same along with:
• Your name.
• A description of the project.
• At least FIVE photos of it (not all of these will be published, but more pics help the judging).
• Your mailing address for prize sending purposes.
• Chew your nails as you await the announcement of winners.
• Juniors (under 18s) is only open to people under 18. Seniors is open to all entrants.
• If anyone REALLY young enters, a Super Juniors category will be added.
• All entires must be in by midnight, September 30, 2015 Australian Eastern Standard Time (GMT +10).
• Entries which do not include all of the details required will not be considered.
• Minimum bribe level: one turnip. Oh hang on, I don't want to price myself out of the market!*

Prizes are as follows:

SENIORS:

• Glorious and magnificent Certiwotsit of Winneration, signed by Grot himself!
• Shiny and wondrous $50 TFH terrain commission voucher!
• Awesome and lustrous TFH official mug-wot-holds-liquids-and-also-paint-brushes!

JUNIORS:

• Glorious and magnificent Certiwotsit of Winneration, signed by Grot himself!
• Shiny and wondrous $30 TFH terrain commission voucher!
• Awesome and sort of matt-black hot glue gun of power!

*Baldric; Black Adder the Third.

The long drought nears an end...

It's been altogether too long since I published an Ishoo.
There's a good reason for that - I have been working on several semi secret projects and commissions. But since the semi secret project is over, and the magazine articles are about to be published, the end of the drought is ever closer.
The big commission is also almost over, I've been working on this one piece off and on for months, but construction is now almost done. I don't like to post pics until the proud new owner has received anything I make on commission, which is why there have been no progress shots. There will be no shots until he gets it. But I can hint that it's 10mm scale and fell a great distance.
I have another commission, but it's basically just painting work, so if everything works out, the planets align, my actual job doesn't get in the way too much, and the terrain gods smile upon me, there's every possibility that normal service may just resume in the holidays.
Maybe.

Cancon For Hippos: Bookings now open!

As mentioned previously, I will be running some master classes at Cancon 2015. Well, the Canberra Games Society have beaten their website into submission with a large whacky-stick, and the ability to book into these sessions now exists!
You can go and check out the sessions on offer here (towards the bottom of the page)
You can go an book sessions here.
Places in each masterclass are limited to ten rabid patrons (non-rabid patrons may be turned away), and you can sign up on the day, although that costs more, and there may not be enough materials, depending on how much I can cram into Greg's car, while still leaving room for the Cookie Monster and Pete, and (more importantly) a change of clothes.

For those who cannot be bothered clicking links, these are the sessions that will be running:

Saturday Morning: Concrete Bunkers
Saturday Arvo: Corrugated iron slum shacks
Sunday Morning: Timbered cottages
Sunday Early Arvo: Topiary
Sunday Late Arvo: Creepy trees

UPDATE:

The Victorian school year starts unusually late in 2015, which means I can run sessions on Monday.
Monday Morning: Fantasy Watchtower
Monday Arvo: Steampunk Factory

Thanks to Pete the Scatterlaser for wrangling accomodation and allowing this!
Rousing cheers all round.

Gippsland Geekfest 2015

I am now basically beholden to mention

mostly because it explains what I have been doing lately, but ALSO because you should go. Oh yes you should. Even if you are not from Gippsland. Or Australia. Or Earth.
Okay, maybe if you are not from Earth you can give it a miss.

Gippsland Geekfest 2015 is something I agreed to help organise after I got fed up with the literary festival. I mean, a literary festival does not give one enough opportuntity to throw things at other things and build scale replicas of things which do not exist.
Geekfest does give one many opportuntities to do these things. Behold the immortal words of our mission statement-ish thing!

 For countless eons of time the geekly population of Gippsland was without form and purpose, without organization and without a single, unifying event to bring them together to glorify and praise all forms of geek culture. And then into this darkness strode a shining colossus of colossal shininess, and looked upon this dreary situation and declared ‘Let There Be Geekfest’ in words which bore almost no resemblance to thunder.            And there was.            And it was good.            And Geekfest was dedicated to the glory of all things geek in Gippsland. A place where learned and scholarly debate on which doctor is best, which captain is supreme and which fantasy is worthy of being considered final could happen. A place where men and women of all ages could dress as fictional men and women of all ages and be greeted not with cries of derision, but with rousing applause. A place where a man could wield 40,000 Warhammers. A place to debate the merits of different spandex-clad heroes. A place where the Lion-o could lie down with the LAN. A place for all punks, be they cyber, steam, diesel or atom. A place of geek pride.            And thus it shall be on Saturday 17^th of January, 2015, when Coal Creek Community Park and Museum hurls open it’s portals and extends it’s welcoming arms to the massed hordes of Geekdom, and the inaugural Geekfest commences. Events of great moment and magnitude shall occur; demonstrations of Wargaming prowess; participation role-playing sessions, displays of cosplaying excellence, steampunk sartoriallity, and medieval mayhem. And they shall occur in an atmosphere of supportive and all-embracing tolerance. And they shall be family friendly and shall inspire coming generations and grizzled elders alike to take up that greatest of mantles which is the title; Geek.

Enough beholding! Go check out the website!

Oh yes - I said this explained what I've been doing lately instead of posting ishoos...

Well, apart from the recent comissions, I have also been working on making a 2 foot square full modeled up terrain board replica of part of Coal Creek. Which you will have to attend Geekfest to see.

Or wait for me to post photos online. 

Which I will not do till AFTER Geekfest.

So I guess you're back to going to Geekfest again.

A Tale of Duelling Gamers: It's Duelling Paintbrushes, Jim, but not as we know it!

Duelling Paintbrushes is taking on a new format this year. We've painted whole units, and whole armies in a furious speed-painting contest. This year, it's time to relax a bit, and look at collecting a whole, viable army over a six-month period, starting in April.

Allow me to quote the 'player pack' (for want of a better term)

The Objective:

To build up a Warhammer/Warhammer 40,000 army over a period of months, reporting on progress along the way. The challenge is designed to show new gamers how they can build up an effective army without blowing their budgets over a period of months, and how this can be a much more relaxed process than the insane flurry that is Duelling Paintbrushes. We also aim to show how, through cunning application of buying second hand or on special (or from Mantic!) you can acumulate $700 worth fo GW stuff for a fraction of the cost.

You can find the whole document on Google Drive.

The event is not limited to HGC members (actually, no DP event has been limited to HGC members, apart from the original - and that was a one-on-one mano-a-mano duel with gauntlet throwing and everything...) or even people in this country. If you are interested in taking part in a spot of community blogging, mixed with community service (showing young 'uns that it's not too hard or expensive to get into Warhammer IS a community service to the wargames community!), drop me a line.

If you've got any questions about the rules, let me know so Greg and I can think deeply about them, and then either dismiss you out of hand, or (slightly more likely) make changes. Or you could go and join the conversation on the Wargamer AU Forum.

2014: The Year of Chaos

You may recall in 2012, Greg 'The Hoodling' Johnson popped out of his hole, and said "I declare this the Year Of The Empire!" before seeing his shadow and popping back in, dooming us to six more weeks of winter (only he did this in Australia, so it was summer...) As a result of this dedicated YOTE, Greg's purple and white legions grew to enormous sizes and allowed for such moments of inspired madness as The Battle of Hel Fenn.
So I've decided to do the same thing, by declaring 2014 the Year Of Chaos!
What does this strange madness mean?

• I'm going to concentrate on painting things for my Chaos armies.
• By the end of the year, I will have armies painted for all four powers.
• By the end of the year, I will have built shrines to all four powers and Chaos Undivided.
• I will build more 'realms of chaos' style terrain.
• I will (finally!) get the Gates of Kislev done.

Okay, so I already have an extensive Chaos army (about 9000 points of raw figures without magic items, however, I have four different BSBs, so the actual army which can be made is smaller than that). The existing units are roughly split between Khorne and Nurgle. I started playing Nurgle when I first started playing 6th ed Warhammer, so I actually have some old units which don't really fit the army's more modern look. These are being refurbished. The Khorne stuff is more recent, but I have got roughly as many servants of the blood god as the plague brethren. 

This means I need to get units for Tzeentch and Slaanesh. I've already got some figures slated for Slaaneshi purposes. Because I don't think Slaaneshi units would wear the big, heavy, bulky style of chaos armour that the Chaos Warrior figures wear, I'm going to be using converted Dark Eldar heavily in the Slaaneshi army.

"Incubi - I Choose You!" - Slaanesh proves to be a Pokemon fan.

I've also got plans for the Tzeentch army. I like the idea of all the Tzeentch troops looking a bit wizardly, so I'm planning on using Mantic Basileans with some conversion work for this army.

Robes AND heavy armouor? How Tzeentchi can you get?

The Beastmen, who currently number only 1500 points, will be expanded upon. I have quite a few unpainted figures for them, which I will get to in due course.

One day my extra arms will come. And I will sprout a bull's head. And be a Ghorgon.

As to the terrain pledge; I already have the Palace of Forbidden Pleassures (Slaanesh) the Blighted Altar (Nurgle) and the Levitating Altar (Tzeentch), so I need to build a Bloody Shrine (Khorne) and an Undivided Temple. I also plan to make some terrain which will support these shrines.

This does not mean I will build nothing but Chaos terrain this year - I'll have commissions to do, and other projects will crop up. However, by the end of the year, I will have these shrines. And naturally, I will need to get the Gates of Kislev built for the mighty battle of the Gates of Kislev which Greg 'The Hoodling' Johnson keeps threatening - we're pretty sure we'll be running it around Easter this year! Huzzah!

This is the pic of the battle from the WFB rule book. Ours will be more awesome.

Also watch out for the possibility of rather... large battle reports involving Greg's Enourmous Empire and my Massed Hordes of Chaos. I only play two sizes of Warhammer - comically small (The World Series) and comically large (10,000 points anyone?)

Fig. 1: The Massed Hordes of Chaos (with Skaven guests)

Fig. 2: Greg's Enourmous Empire (aka: the enemy)

It never rains but it pours...

I've just been commissioned to make more terrain. Twice. So it might be a while before Ishoo Atey-For - Fighting Pit comes out. Unless I work it into one of the commissions somehow.

Steampunk & Victorian SF Month

Steampunk and Victorian SF month kicks off tomorrow, which means the whole of january will be devoted to steam powered over-cogged madness. We'll be looking at making all sorts of stuff, including buildings inspired by the works of Albert Robida and scratch built steam tanks. Along the way, we'll look at various strange and wonderous things, not the least of which will be Khadoran Railways.
So grab you best Crumhorn & Smedley steam powered Terrain Whacking Hammer (warranted never to fail!) and get ready for a month of coal-fired, smoke-belching steam propelled madness!

DUELLING PAINTBRUSHES 2: MEXICAN PAINTOFF.

Last year Greg and I ran the Duelling Paintbrushes Challenge. This year we're back for Duelling Paintbrushes 2: Mexican Paintoff. And it's gotten bigger. Much bigger. Not only will it be longer, and not only will we paint more figures, there will be more participants. Much more. And probably a mini-tournament at the end to give our newly painted forces their baptism of fire.

Dueling Paintbrushes 2: Mexican Paintoff is a painting challenge. The rules are simple.

• Start painting November 1^st.
• Finish painting November 30^th.
• You must paint a complete, legal wargames force/army/warband/gang which is the minimum ‘sensible’ size for your chosen system (eg: 1000 points of Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40,000 or Bolt Action, 15 points of Warmachine/Hordes)
• You can assemble and undercoat before hand. Or you can be arrogant and do it all during November and make everyone else feel slow.
• Time permitting; you can add further figures and units or terrain features themed to your army.
• Everyone who meets the challenge is declared the victor.
• Everyone who fails to meet the challenge is declared a weedy git and scorned by those who win.
• There will be a mini-tournament at the end where participants will field their armies. We don’t know when just yet, but it WILL happen. Oh yes. 
• Those without an opponent because of their chosen system will play against each other in an epic session of ‘Eat Poop You Cat.’
• You must report your progress on your blog. Unless you are embarrassed and private in which case you can mutter about it on Facebook where only the select few will ever see your genius.
• Until Greg steals your images and puts them on his blog exposing you to the full glare of public scrutiny.
• Please add the blogs of all other participants to your Blogroll.
• Use of Hippos has been authorized.
• The person to paint the most figures will probably be Owen. That does not mean he wins. He just plays with Skaven.

What the future holds for hippos

Bloody hell, it has been a while hasn't it?
Basically, i got half way into the promised dead end diner, got bored, and started working on rpg projects and paper craft. Then i scored Castle Ravenloft, so Ihave been painting the figures for that...
Then my phone line started playing up...

Anyway, this is what the future holds for hippos:
The Deadend Diner will finally get finished! Huzzah!

Victorian school holidays start on the 22nd, and the fornight off has been designated 'world war two for hippos' fortnight. I have put up a poll to decide exactly which aspect of the war Grot and I will be teaching you about replicating in 15mm scale (flames of war has made an appearance at HGC so 15mm it is! (note from the future: having issues getting the poll to,work, so either just leave a comment or drop me an email by the 22nd...)

Duelling Paintbrushes II will kickoff soon. Except this time, it is not just me and Greg the Hoodling. And it's not just two weeks. This time, it willbe a whole month, and rather that a set number of figures, it willbe 1000 points of Warhammer, or equivilent for other systems. And there will. Be a lot more people taking part. Exact dates are not set yet, but keep a look out.

Fans of the Warhammer Cookbook willhave to accept my apologies for forgetting August's edition, but I will mKe September extra special.

Oh, and whatever you do, donot forget to enter the terrain compometition! Entries close in two weeks! Get cracking!

Reader's Gallery opens!

At last there's a place for all you hippo fans to show off your work! I've decided to add a reader's gallery page (there's a link at the top of the blog, next to the one for the compometition page). If you've got any pics of completed projects based on TFH ishoos, or just using techniques from TFH, send them in and you can bask in the spotlight of public adoration!

DVD Special Features: The Making of Terrain For Hippos.

See Modelling World.

See Fritzi.

Post Apocalypse Month schedule

Just a tentative schedule of what to expect during Post Apocalypse Month on TFH. A lot of this will probably vary, change, mutate or move around depending on motivation and materials. We'll mostly be looking at setting yourself up to play Muscle Car Apocalypse, a set of rules I wrote about this time last year, and intend to introduce to LSCWC (my school lunchtime games club) this year. At some point I'll also try to get Apocalypso! done and uploaded (this is a set of rules I wrote in 2006 - I'm trying to update them and design paper models so the system can be printed and played quickly)

Anyways, here's a rough schedule-ish thingee.

• Building Muscle Car Apocalypse Cars
• Building magnetic MCA accessories
• MCA terrain, including wrecks, smoke etc.
• Building an MCA semi trailer (one of the scenarios needs one)
• Building MCA figures (you don't always need figures since most action takes place iside the cars, but they can be useful)
• Generic SF/PA ruins
• Retro Hoverbike (This will not be a step-by-step article, it's too complex, but I intend to use it for MCA, so it may as well be showcased here.)

After that lot, we might have a look at radioactive waste pools and things of that ilk, plus of course, Apocalypso!

Post Apocalypse Month: Coming soon!

Next month is Post Apocalypse Month on TFH and we'll be looking at all sorts of post-nuclear goodies. Mostly we'll concentrate on Muscle Car Apocalypse, which I am hoping to get running at my school wargames club next year. For this reason, you will need a few special materials, so I thought I'd put up a shopping list before we start.

• 1/32 (or close) cars. MCA is a 1/32 scale game, but anything from 1/30 o 1/38 will do. Since most toy cars are made on standardised chassis they tend to fudge the bodies to fit. For our purposes, this is really not a big problem. 1/32 scale diecast toy cars are widely available, I usually get them from eBay for about $10aud each. Sometimes you will find things at op shops, so keep an eye out! (I got a New Ray 1/32 Peterbilt tanker truck for $1.50!)
• 1/32 or 1/35 weapons. 1/35 is the most common military modelling scale, so there is no problem finding lots of weapons and goodies to fit to your cars. Several companies make sets of plastic weapons for customising their kits or building dioramas, invest in a few of these and you're laughing.
• 1/32 or 1/35 figures. Again, there are tons of these available. The plastic ones are quite affordable, and you usually get quite a few in each set, so a single box will often give you a whole gang.
• Plasticard, plastic rod, girders etc. You'll want plenty of these things to add armour, rams, bulldozers etc. to your vehicles. Get different sizes and shapes of everything.

Well, that's the major stuff. It's generally fairly cheap and readily available, although I have found some car types harder to find than others (SUV, Jeeps and other 4wd types have been rather thin on the ground for some reason). Most toy cars depict the more glamorous and interesting models, so expect to find two doors rather than four. Although this technically makes the car a Coupe, I tend to fudge things a bit and call it a Sedan if it's big enough and obviously has a back seat. Number of doors don't count for anything in the rules, number of seats do.

Dwarven Architecture

I know I promised a Dwarven forge rather a long time ago... Well, I actually did start work on it, but I was not happy with the way it looked, so I pulled the plug on the project (a first for TFH - I do not like to admit defeat). A new version is coming very soon, I promise you. IN the mean time, here are some notes on Dwarven architecture.

• Dwarves never use wood. The 7th edition Warhammer army book made this quite clear - wood is for burning, nothing else.
• Most of the time, Dwarves live underground, so you don't have to make buildings for them anyway (of course, this is cheating!)
• Dwarves revere their ancestors, and will usually carve their stone work into representations of them. Pillars will often take the form of huge stone warriors, and doors are often mouths.
• Dwarves are short. This means lower doors. It also means windows are positioned closer to the ground. Getting this right is very important as it adds character and racial flavour to the model, BUT it must still be in proportion. They might be short, but they are also wide, so doors are proportionally wider than human doors.
• Dwarves like stone. Lots and lots of stone.

And as a special treat, here are some old photos of Kazad Grunks, a dwarven hold army display board I built for a mate many years ago. When I had a crap camera. And always tended to scale the photos down so they were really small anyway. Sorry about that. You'll have to squint a bit.