With my renewed plans around the competition of the warlord titan, I wanted to share some thoughts about these models both as a hobby project and as a gaming piece.
Gaming with a Titan
When you place a Titan on the table, the first thing you need to remember is by that point – its about the experience and not about winning. Titans of all kinds are invariably points heavy and in recent years, hugely under powered for their cost. The question then is why take one at all?
This brings me back to the experience. The deployment of a model many (many!) times larger than 95% of the models on the table is a joy in itself. This in part comes from the effort required to acquire one, build and paint it in the first place! You have to understand that its going to be a target, that its likely going to be destroyed and that you should use it in a fun thematic way.
Personally, the best way to use titans is Apocalypse. One of the biggest issues with Titans being so high in points for the typical 40k game is that the game will take a day or more to play – not so with Apocalypse. When I first got hold of Apocalypse, I played a game with a good friend and we managed to complete it in about 3 hours when points wise it would have been 5000 points a side or more.
Apocalypse also means you can guarantee you get to shoot your beautiful God Engine at least once. My poor Eldar Phantom Titan saw way to many tabletops where he deployed and then was immediately destroyed before moving or firing a shot while using the normal 40k rules. I’m hoping my Warlord Titan will have better luck!
Give Apocalypse a try – its very reminiscent of Epic 40000 from years gone by.
Hobby and the Titan
It can’t be understated just how much work goes into building a Titan. Its a huge modelling task – in part due to the wildly increased scale but also because of the increased modelling skills required. I’ve got titans from the days of Armorcast all the way through to modern Forgeworld kits and there is always something about them that gives me pause.
What unifies Titans is they are resin – exclusively. From the Warhound and Revenant to the mighty Warlord Titan, the range of titans – old and new – was made in resin and that in itself creates interesting challenges. Pinning is a technique you will need for sure, clamps for larger pieces while glue dries and the use of longer setting epoxy glue – all given.
Once built, the trials don’t stop – just undercoating a titan can be an interesting and testing experience. My first titans after a spray paint where painted by hand (15 years ago!) but these days the airbrush has made the finish nicer – albeit at the cost of buying an airbrush and learning how to use it!
Whats stopping you?
I pose this question to myself more than anyone. My warlord sits now mostly primed but I am hesitant to put paint to hull. What if I get it wrong? What if I finish and I am not happy with it? Its going to be weeks – if not months – of work to complete, what happens if i get bored or distracted half way? All these what if’s…
Its easy to feel anxious and cautious with these big kits – its a lot of time, money and commitment to own them and get them ready for the table. What I have come to realise is that Its either going to A) sit there half assembled and a waste of money or B) I can get stuck in – do the best I can, and at the end of the journey have something I can say is finished and hopefully be proud of. I think I will take option B…
Its not like I NEED a full maniple or anything…