I guess I'm not naughty..

Hey there, guys! Just came back from the cozy little Christmas party that the local Games Workshop hosted with a gift that pleasantly surprised me AND made the little cogwheels in my brain spin in all directions.

Zoom Zoom Zoom...

For this Christmas, my wish list included a plethora of pretty crazy things, mostly because I just wanted to throw down some expensive items for the heck of it. I didn't even know we were going to do Secret Santa.. The only cheaper things on the list were some Space Wolves Techmarines and a Land Speeder. Oh and a new cube of green dice. The rest was just crazy - Ork Battlewagons, Deff Dreadz, The Horus Heresy - Collected Visions, Forge World Space Wolves Dreadnought. Oh, and a Land Raider Crusader/Redeemer kit.

Now, the minimum cost was $30 - just enough for a box of guys without being too expensive so that more people could participate. Naturally, I assumed I was gonna get a Land Speeder, since it was the only "economy class" item on my list. I know I got the person I drew one. I really wanted one, eventually two multi-melta/heavy flamer variants swooping around and causing havoc. What can I say, I'm a real sucker for versatilty.

However, I was really hoping not to get one just because it would have been weird to get what I was giving.. you know? Like I was buying my own gift... But at that point I had just assumed that some little kid had drawn my name. It only made sense that I was getting a Land Speeder. People were hinting at it. There were even two Land Speeder boxes missing from the shelves... I even played around with my current list to see how I would manage to fit two Land Speeders in it.

"Deep Strike? We'll just cram down your throat!"

But! It was my friend Vince who was my Secret Santa and he got me a Land Raider Crusader/Redeemer! What a great gift! You know, the current prize tag on this bad boy, the abundance of melta weaponry and now lances always made me cringe at the thought of ever fielding one. However, I always die a little inside every time someone fields one against me. I don't know why.. Maybe it is because of my pre-Deff Rolla Ork dayz..

I know that all of the Space Wolves options that are fit for a Land Raider are alright. Our Terminators are very pricey if you want to give them cool weapons and Blood Claws are a one-hit wonder at best..
I think what I'll do is try a few different things. I have always, always wanted to field Arjac Rockfist and now that I have the means to transport him I don't see why not! Maybe he'll fit in just fine with a nice big unit of Grey Hunters or as a Blood Claws babysitter inside a Land Raider Crusader.

Choices, choices.. I'll have to use this in bigger games, though. I am not getting rid of Skarvald's entourage of Thunderwolf Cavalry. Something tells me that combining a Thunderwolf Cavalry deathstar with a Land Raider deathstar will cost me some games... But it WOULD be cool.

Man, this is literally like sculpting. I can see this piece of precious rock and I'm trying to figure out how to give it life..

Any ides, suggestions, cool stories (bro)? I am all Acute Senses..