40K editions

 I’ll add the 11th edition to the stack of placeholder editions.

 

 

 

I also have the boxed sets for second and fourth but they are in deep storage.  I did not get the boxed set for seventh edition as it was just sixth edition with a new rulebook.  I did not get the launch box for the eighth edition but got the starter boxes instead.

 

 

 

For those keeping track,

Rogue Trader came out in 1987.  It did not have a starter set.

 

 

Second edition starter box came out in 1993.  It was Space Marines versus Orks.  It came with monopose figures – 20 marines vs 20 orrks, 40 gretchin, and a cardboard deff dread, and a lot of cardboard terrain.  This was the first edition to include codices.

 

 

 

Third edition came out in 1998.  The starter box was Space Marines versus Dark Eldar.  It contained 10 marines, and a landspeeder vs 20 dark eldar.  It also had some plastic ruins, barricades, and some jungle trees. This edition had a codex wipe. Later editions carried the previous codices through until they were replaced by the newer ones.

 

 

The fourth edition came out in 2004.  The starter box was called the Battle for MacCragge and was Space Marines versus Tyranids.  It contained 10 marines, and a pilot vs 10 termagants, 6 genestealers, 8 spore mines, and a crashed aquila lander, and some tyranid terrain.

 

 

The fifth edition game out in 2008.  The starter box was called Assault on Black Reach and was Space Marines versus Orks.  It contained a captain, 5 terminators, 10 marines, and a dreadnought vs a boss, 5 nobz, 20 boyz, and 3 deffkoptas.

 

 

The sixth edition came out in 2012.  The starter box was called Dark Vengeance and was Dark Angels versus Chaos Marines.  It contained 1-3 characters, 5 terminators, 10 marines, and bike marines vs 1-3 characters, 6 chaos space marines, 20 cultists, and a hellbrute (chaos dreadnought).

 

 

The seventh edition came out in 2014.  It reused the Dark Vengeance starter from the sixth edition with the new rulebook.

 

 

 

The eighth edition came out in 2017.  The Launch box was called Dark Imperium and was Primaris Marines versus Death Guard (Chaos Marines – Nurgle).  This edition wiped the codices and started with five index books that covered all the armies.  It also came with tiered starter boxes.  The First Strike starter contained 3 intercessors and 3 reivers vs 3 plague marines, and 6 pox walkers.  The Know No Fear starter contained 5 intercessors, 5 hellblasters, and 5 interceptors vs a Lord of Contagion, 5 plague marines, 10 pox walkers, and a foetid bloat-drone.

 

 

The ninth edition came out in 2020.  The launch box was called Indomius and was Primaris Marines versus Necrons.  It contained a captain, lieutenant,chaplain, judiciar, bladeguard ancient, 3 bladeguard veterans, 3 eradicators, 10 assault intercessors, and 3 outriders vs an overlord, royal warden, plasmancer, 2 cryptothralls, a skorpekh lord, 3 skorpeth destroyers, a plasmacyte, 20 warriors, and 6 canoptek scarab swarms.

 

 

 

The tenth edition came out in 2023.  The launch box was called Leviathan and was Primaris Marines versus Tyranids.  It contained a terminator captain, a terminator librarian, an apothecary biologis, a ballistus dreadnought, 5 terminators, 5 sternguard veterans, and 10 infernus vs a winged tyrranid prime, a neurotyrand, 2 neuroloids, a screamer-killer, a psychophage, 5 barbgaunts, 11 neurogaunts, 20 termagaunts, and 2 ripper swarms. It also wiped the codices.

 

 

The  eleventh edition came out in 2026.  The launch box was called Armageddon and was Primaris Marines versus Orks.  It contained a captain with shield, a chaplain with jump pack, a librarian, an ancient, 10 intercessors, 5 vanguard veterans with jump packs, 3 eradicators, and a land speeder vs a warboss, a big boss, a banner nob, a painboy, a weirdboy, 20 boyz, 10 gretchin, a wartrack, and a big mek dakkari rig.

 

 

Figure Paintig Total - April 2026

 I finally finished painting some figures this year.  

Even though I still haven't played Star Trek Away Missions, I picked up the last set.  The only thing left it the Q figure that was in a store mission set.  I think that I'm going to put off getting that until I've played a few games to see how I like it.

Bought

Star Trek Away Missions (Scotty) - 4

Painted 

Star Trek Away Missions (Borg) = 6

April total - figures bought 4, figures painted 6

Running total 2026 - figures bought 72 figures painted 6

Keycon 2025 Guests

 Keycon is our local science fiction convention.  It’s never been that big – in the largest years they have claimed attendance of ~500, but many years have been much less than that.   We used to go all the time but don’t go as often lately.  I even ran the gaming room for a few years in the 90s.

 

But Jim Butcher and Jeremy from Black Magic Craft were the guests, so we definitely wanted to go this year.  Jim Butcher is one of our authors and he writes The Dresden Files.  While Black Magic Craft is one of the youtube crafting channels that I follow.

 

In April, our friend Chris called us to see if we would be guest liaisons for Jim Butcher and Jennifer Blackstream.  We would have to get them to and from airport, and make sure that they made it to their panels.  They wanted someone who would not be too starstruck to be responsible for them.  After confirming that we would not have to attend meetings, we accepted. 

 

Chris was also running programming at the convention, and asked me if I would do an interview with Jim on the Saturday.  I agreed, and tried to find some questions that he had not already answered a bunch of times.  Because I was dressing as Captain Hammer on the Saturday, I wrote the questions on cue cards that I could keep in my glove.  I’ve often complained that the people doing the interview don’t seem to ask the obvious follow up questions, so this was my time to see if I would fall into the same mistakes.

 

While we had read the entirety of The Dresden Files, we hadn’t read his other two series, or any of Jennifer Blackstream’s books.  We made an effort to get the six books in the Codex Alera series, as well as the two Cinder Spires books.  We also ordered the first three of the Blood Trails books.  I was able to read the first two of Jim’s Codex Alera books, as well as Deadline, the first book in Jennifer’s Blood Trails series.

 

On the Friday, we picked them up from the airport.  Since the convention started later, we took them to dinner, and then took them to the local grocery so that they could get some supplies for the weekend.  We made sure that they got to their panels on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.. We got invited to the after-con dinner which allows the convention chairs a chance to interact with the guests.  On the Monday after checkout, we took them for lunch, and then back to the airport and made sure that they got on their flight.

 

As guests, they were lovely.  Jim was very engaging, and was quite good about posing for pictures and signing autographs.  A few people had brought a lot of books for him to sign (three at a time), and he was very generous about signing all of them.  He even stayed beyond his allotted time to ensure that he signed everything. 

 

Jennifer Blackstream was adorable.  She was also great about taking photos, and had a great panel with Tanya Huff which gave both perspectives – both from an older writer and from a newer one.  Her shark movie panel with Jim was very fun and engaging.  It sounds like they might try it again at DragonCon so, if you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

 

Canadian author Tanya Huff was also there as a guest.  While we did watch her Blood Ties TV series, we haven’t really read any of her books yet.  She came across as feisty in her panels though, and we definitely will need to check out some of her work.  She had a great panel with Jim where they discussed the tv adaptions of The Dresden Files, and Blood Ties, which both had one season in 2007.

 

Due to scheduling, I wasn’t able to catch any of Jeremy’s panels. They had sounded interesting, but we just couldn’t get to everything.

 

After the convention, we ordered another dozen of the books in Jennifer Blackstream’s Blood Trails series.  She has been pretty prolific, but that gives us the first 15 of the 19 books.

 

Keycon custume recap

 Keycon was fun.  It was good to see old friends again, and the guests were good (more on that later).  We were able to play Circus Imperium on Saturday night.

 

 

I wore my Jack Burton shirt on Friday.  I had let my stubble grow out from Wednesday.   I wasn’t able to wear my ninja tabi.  With the extra weight , my feet must have swollen a bit and I wasn’t able to close the tabs on the side.  So I just wore sneakers.

 

 

On Saturday I switched into my Captain Hammer.  The new shirt had arrived that week.  I had also bought a Captain Hammer groupie shirt for Shann, so we were dressed as a couple.  Since Captain Hammer is clean shaven, I cleared away the stubble as well.  A few friends already noticed this change the next day, so I knew the change for Saturday would have a big impact.

 

 My Kurgan proof-of-concept jacket was completed in time.  It did take a few later nights to get all the final sewing done.  The hot fix skulls I had ordered did not arrive in time, so instead I had to use the skull beads that I had picked up from Michael’s.  They were a bit smaller, but they are much cheaper than the actual skull studs. 

Taking off both sleeves, and cutting them into strips to sew together for his arm guard took a while.  I also stitched up a bunch of the parts on the jacket where the vinyl was peeling apart. This actually helped add to the look. 

The chain mail went fine.  I had a spool of fencing wire that I had bought over two decades ago for making mail.  I coiled it around a bar we had in order to adjust the teleposts, and cut the coils with a Dremel cut off wheel.  The sleeve, pocket square, and partial glove took over 500 rings.  If I find a more accurate jacket, I can easily move the mail over.

I wore the same black cargo pants and work boots for both Captain Hammer and the Kurgan.  On the night, I combed my hair back and tied it in the back. 

 

I wore the same costume on Sunday morning.  But I buzzed my hair down that morning to 1/8 inch.  I also had cut a strip of nylons and put a bunch of safety pins in it to simulate the ‘in disguise’ look.  The hair cut definitely caught a few people by surprise.  People who hadn’t seen me Saturday night didn’t recognize me right away.

 

 

I didn’t get around to making the “bullet-proof” vest for Richard Castle.  I really should continue and put it together so that I have it for when I need it next.  This is another one I can make two of to use as a couple costume.

Figure Painting Total - August 2024

 I was finally able to get a Totenmeister for Dust Tactics in the Axis Hero pack.  That was the last one that I really wanted.  I’m also still looking for an Allied Grim Reapers, an Axis Gorilla Support Squad, and some extra SSU KV47s (1 regular, and 1 support).  I’d love to get the Cthulhu Mythos, IJN, and maybe some Mercs as well, if I can find them at a decent price.  For Blood Bowl, I already have a Treeman, and a Blitz Bowl set of Halflings, so I should be able to field a decently bad Halfling team.

 

I finally put in some time and finished a few more figures.  I worked a bit more at the Allied forces from the Dust Tactics Core set.  The Axis side is mostly in black, so that should be quicker to finish.

 

 

Bought

Blood Bowl – Greenfield Grasshuggers – 12

Blood Bowl – Kara Temple Harpies – 12

Dust Tactics Axis Hero Pack – 3

Dust Tactics Laser Grenadiers – 5

Dust Tactics Recon Grenadiers – 4 (missing 1)

 

Painted

BSS – The Grimchesters – 2

BSS – FBI Agents – 2

BSS – Paranormal Investigators – 2

DLB – Pack Killer – Possessed Patients – 3

MU – Iron Patriot – 1                       - painted as Warmachine

 

 

 

Aug total – 36 figures bought, 10 figures painted

Running total 2024 – figures bought 232, figures painted 17

 

Figure Painting Total - April 2024

 Even though the gameplay on Another Glorious Day in the Corp from GaleForce 9 didn’t excite me from what I’ve seen, the figures did catch my eye.  I must not have been the only one as they had released the figures from the game and its expansions separately.  So I picked them up to use in upgrading my old Aliens board game from Leading Edge.  I also got the missing crates and tank traps from the Dust core set, as well as some dice and figures.  I thought it might be another squad, and it is almost a full squad of Allied combat rangers, with the bazooka soldier swapped out for another figure from a different squad. I may end up using them for objectives or casualties, or even as generic figures for other skirmish games.

I spent most of the hobby time for this month on assembling the Green Lantern Corps and Teen Titan sets from last month.  I was able to get a few figures across the finish line – my first for the year.

 

 

Bought

Aliens – Alien Queen – 1

Aliens – The Heroes of Hadley’s Hope – 13

Aliens – Sulaco Survivors – 4

BM – The Riddler and Bot Army – 4        

Dust Tactics – Allies – (combat rangers w/o bazooka)?? – 5 

 

Painted

DLB – The Curse of Oak Hill – 2

DLB – The Gourd Reaper – 4

DLB – Multipart Killer – 1

 

 

Apr total – 27 figures bought, 7 figures painted

Running total 2024 – figures bought 115, figures painted 7

 

Figure Painting Total - March 2023

 I finally received the missing arms and bases from the Justice League set.

I was finally able to get some momentum going and completed some figures. 

The weather even opened up one day and allowed me to spray clear coat outside to finish them.

Bought

DCU – Justice League – 3 (three figures replacement arms)

 

Painted

Unmatched – Redemption Row – 1          (Ghost Rider)

DA – Plains Tribe Posse – 9

DA – Cross Roads Cult – 4 (? hired guns, ? Desperados)

DLB: Final Girls – 1

MU – Avengers starter – 1 (Captain America)

MU – Brotherhood of Evil Mutants starter – 1     (Pyro)

MU – Dark Avengers starter – 1    (Iron Patriot)

 

 

Mar total – 3 figures bought, 18 figures painted

Running total 2023 – figures bought 45, figures painted 18

Figure Painting Total Sept 2022

 

I picked up the last two Operations for Dust Tactics that I could find.  I still need Operation Cerberus but, since that came with the building it is hard to get.  I don't need the building as I bought three of the Tenements but do want the booklet and figure.  I was also finally able to get a Green Lantern from DCU.  Now I just need to get the Justice League set.

Sept

Bought

DCU – Green Lantern – 1

Dust Tactics: Operation Hades – 1

Dust Tactics: Operation Icarus – 2

Dust Tactics Allied Pelican P-48 – 1

Dust Tactics Axis Horten HO-347 – 1

  

 

Painted

MU – Sabretooth – 1

MU – Wolverine – 1

 

 

Sept total – 6 figures bought, 2 figures painted

Running total 2022 – figures bought 181, figures painted 75

Figure Painting Total - August 2022

Bought

 

Painted

Unmatched – Deadpool – 1

Unmatched – Hell’s Kitchen – Bullseye, Daredevil – 2

Unmatched – Redemption Row – Cage, Moon Knight – 2

BM – Joker’s Gas Canisters Objective Markers – 2

DCU – Superboy – 1        

  

MU – Captain Marvel – 1

MU – Deadpool – 1

MU – Ms. Marvel – 1

SWNYC – New Yorkers – 2

 

Aug total – 0 figures bought, 13 figures painted

Running total 2022 – figures bought 175, figures painted 73

Lander - base

I noticed that the seam where the two parts of the base were joined left a straight line after being painted. It’s only noticeable from certain angles but, from that angle it is quite noticeable.

So I sanded along the seam with an emery board and then applied model putty.

After it dried I did a bit more sanding to blend it a bit better and then repainted.

It is better but still noticeable. So the paint needed to be sanded again. More putty applied, more sanding, and painted again.

Why do Cosplayers wait until the last moment?

Because there is always more that can be done to the costume if there is more time.

Because I’ve been able to finish costumes for my daughter with little notice, she feels that I always can. Lucky for her, I’ve mostly had the week off during costume crunch time and can working into the night by stealing sleep during the day.

This didn’t work out for her last time when she wanted to do Princess Mononoke. We got a good start, and still pulled off enough for a costume but, because she was too busy to put effort in to it, did not finish the mask.

This time she came back from Thunder Bay wanting to do three costumes for Aikon, a local anime convention. But she didn’t work on them over the weekend, Monday we went shopping at Michaels for supplies but did no work, and she was away camping with a friend Tuesday to Wednesday. That left yesterday night to work on them.

She wanted a Sudoh-Bucks apron, a Wolf Children dress, and Rin Okumora from Blue Exorcist. She traced an apron on her fabric and we used hem tape to seal the edges. She used ribbon for the straps and glued it on. If we would have had more time, or were making more, I would have done the design with fabric paint but instead we did it out of felt. I was making one with glued felt and one with adhesive-backed felt but only completed the adhesive-backed one due to time. She also printed off the logo and glued it to a coffee cup that she had painted white.

While we were working on that, Shan was cutting out appliques from felt that Gee glued down on a blue dress for Wolf Children. She would also have to tack the sleeves in as it doesn't have doesn’t have sleeves. We didn’t have time for Rin Okumora so she didn’t get to do that one. We worked late into the night. I was the last one up working away on the logo, finishing at 2 am. It still needed to have the backing peeled off and then stuck to the apron but was basically finished.