2015, Necrons, and Harlequins!

Almost a month in to 2015 already, time sure does fly. We've got 2 updates right around the corner, both are factions I collect / play and am looking forward to adding to each army. I've also got some additional goals I want to lay out for the new year.

Necrons

The new Necrons are already up for pre-order at GW.

I've been waiting on this update to finally add to my relatively small Necron army. I have a feeling there are some big changes and an overall toning down of some key Necron abilities. I'm not trying to collect as many robots as my primary armies so I want to invest in units I intend to use often in my lists. I definitely need to add some transports and could use some reinforcements in the infantry department. We'll see how the army makes out when the book drops next week, but I expect at least a little Necron activity in the near future.

Harlequins

Closely following the Necron reboot are the Harlequins! I've always been a fan of Harlequins and I'm really glad they didn't wait too long to release their new rules after recently removing them from the new Dark Eldar codex (they did leave a placeholder).

My buddy scored some awesome loot over the holidays, 2 boxes full of '80's - Rogue Trader era miniatures. Among the treasure trove were these original harlequin models:

Awesome models with a fitting paint scheme for that era! There were all sorts of Oldhammer goodies in those boxes so hopefully when I get some extra time I can share some more nerd relics from the past :)

Anyway, the leak of the new models just dropped while I was typing this, and they do look amazing!! I can't wait to add some of these to my collection!

2015

I can't believe it's the end of January already. Life is busier than ever, but I do expect things to normalize eventually and I'll be able to carve out some more regular time for hobbying/gaming again soon. When I do, there's a few projects I've had lying around for far too long that deserve some attention. Here's the short list (so far) of what I'd like to focus on this year:

• Dreadfleet - The models are gorgeous, so much so that when painted well, could make up for any shortcomings in gameplay. Several friends have also expressed interest in this game so I have to make it happen. Who knows, maybe Dreadfleet will turn out to be a gateway drug to 40k...

• Game table / terrain - I have a basement for these things, I just need to finish building & painting them. I already have a head start on the actual table and I've been hoarding terrain pieces for years (much to my wife's chagrin, haha). Just need to dedicate a few days to this and I should have enough for a couple table configurations.

• Painting - I really need to get back into painting. I've mostly been assembling models when I get any free time, and I can't remember the last time I sat down to paint. Honestly, all of my armies need finishing so I'll probably bounce around a bit until I get my groove back. Maybe the Necrons or Harlequins will get me back into gear...

• Mini Photos - I want to take better pictures of my models, well preferably after I get better at painting. I read this excellent tutorial on miniature photography over on Tale of Painters, and only following some of the suggestions (not even all of them!) I was able to see an improvement in the photos:

Remember this guy?

Thanks, Krisken!

The lighting could definitely be better; this is just the natural light coming into the room, so I need to try this with some additional overhead lights. I also need to try that handy white balance trick. But I was able to get all of the model in focus and I'm really happy with how accurate the colors came through with these settings. It's something I hope to improve on and hopefully that will help me improve my painting as well.

So those are the big goals I'd like to tackle in 2015. I feel like I'm already a month behind, but lets see how far I can get with each!