Tuesday 23 November 2021

Armies on Parade 2021.

 

Sporadic gunfire echoed throughout the Mechanicus facility as the last defenders were put down. The Night Lords had been methodical and ruthless as were their methods of war.

The warband had struck two hours ago. A teleport strike by heavily a armoured Terminator squad had caused chaos, especially when they destroyed the genetorum powering the void shields protecting the southern approaches.
Hordes of cultists had been waiting and charged into the teeth of the Mechanicus defence's weapons, dying in droves just as a distraction.

Now in the shadows, the cultist leader bowed deeply as the warlord who orchestrated this massacre approached.

"Lord, praise the night. We have taken the facility as you demanded, but I fear we cannot hold it for our losses were severe"

Lord Farquhar turned, the wings sculpted onto his helmet swishing as he did so.
"Yes, your sacrifice was one I was willing to make".

"What did we give our lives for? The leader asked, outraged.

Outrage turned to shock as the fingers of a lightning claw exploded from his back in a shower of blood.

"You don't need to know, but since you asked" Farquhar said with a wet growl, "This facility is home to gene sequencers, specialising in growth hormones and therapies".

As the light dimmed in the cultist's eyes he understood, "We died, so you could be taller?"

Several Night Lords Astartes had arrived, simply melting out of the shadows in spite of the lightning arcing over their armour and the bright red wings flowing from their helmets.

Farquhar gestured with one of the claws, the now dead cultist hanging limply from his wrist.
"You are now the leader of my cultists, attend to your duties".

"All hail Lord Farquhar, For he is tall and mighty" the petrified cultists chanted and dropped to their knees.

Around them the snickering laughter of the Night Lords echoed in the darkness...

*****

Games Workshop's yearly army painting competition has been and gone this past weekend.

Duncan took part and asked me to write the fluff piece above, requesting certain things like the name of the Lord and the line about being "Tall and Mighty" due to the old metal Night Lords Lord model being small in comparison to everyone else with modern scale creep.
I took pains to watch several Farquhar scenes from Shrek on YouTube to set up for the fluff.

From what Duncan tells me of people reading and smirking, I think I captured the essence of the character, what do you think?

The full display board set up (with added photography cloth courtesy of the Mrs). 

Lord Farquhar and his trusted Executioner:

Necromunda Delaque models were used as the Cultist's, I do like the green robes Duncan painted up for them.

The Chaos Knight. Now Duncan has a certain thing about Knights in 40k (he has 5 Mechanicus, 12 Imperial, 6 Chaos and around 16 Imperial and Chaos Armigers!!!).
So it was obvious that one was to be included on the board.
This one he painted based upon my favourite scheme from the codex with the big chaos star painted over the lightly coloured Knight.
Points for the Ed 209 reference on the tilting shield.

He even went as far to print out the fluff I wrote and added it to a popup frame for the board.

Finally his award, coming third at GW Doncaster and gaining a Bronze certificate.

Next year I may remember to enter, but we'll see. I have enough on my hobby desk at the moment with "Project Eye of Terror" gaining momentum, we've been talking about fielding all our various Primaris armies together to face the GW Doncaster manager's Tyranid horde (he has something like 25,000 points painted!), And Warlord Games have started to pre-order for their Epic Scale Waterloo armies...


Until next time...

Chaos Warhound Scout Titan.

 


"Again, charge in again!" Roared the orders of the Astartes. This marked the fourth charge towards the enemy lines and along the line units began to march forwards, slowly extending into a run and then finally sprinting as rounds spat at them from the defenders guns.

Hezdynn looked to her left as she leapt over a blasted corpse in her headlong rush. Banners spooled out in the air, chainswords' growled as they were revved, knives and cleavers were hefted, bullets were fired by the units with rifles, most had pistols which were useless. 

Troops nearby were bowled over by an explosion, one or two of the knot getting back up, another being trampled by the headlong charge. Khar and Balta ran next to her, drooling in anticipation of reaching the enemy and fighting, but they were loosing momentum. Too much incoming fire was slowing their charge as casualties increased yet again. Urkradas hit the floor heavily as his distended jaw was ripped off in a welter of blood. Bhutan lost an arm, then a leg, he spasmed and had his spine blown out by the incoming fire, dead before he hit the ground.

Hezdynn could see the enemy hunkered down in their trench Infront of them. The green flak armour and helmet, the lasrifles, the hated eagle on their flak jackets.

One aimed his rifle her way...

A voice filled with rage and malice screamed it's name across the battlefield.

"CANIS MORTUUM"

The guardsman aiming his rifle disintegrated into bloody mist along with several others as the trench erupted under punishing Bolter fire. Deafening roars sounded behind her and she glanced backwards.

Silhouetted against the dirty sky was a god made manifest. Twenty meters tall on backwards jointed legs.and surrounded by a haze a soul smoke, red predatory eyes scanned forwards from underneath a canine brow. Squat shoulders leading to arms ending in a corrupted Vulcan Mega-Bolter each, both of which were lit with the backwash of flame from the near constant firing.

Hezdynn threw herself into the trench landing ontop of Balta. The mutant threw her off angrily and charged off, tentacles whipping with the thought of killing. She followed, her spiked back banner acting as a beacon for her fellow cultists. Blood slicked the trench and dismembered body parts littered the floor, she stopped and wiped the fresh blood across her face. Then she heard screaming from up ahead.

"Nulla commodo. Ego mori dont volo. Imperator eleison" the petrified Imperial soldier was screaming as Balta had hold of him in his tentacles.

A deep basso horn reverberated through their bodies and the ground shook. The air became charged with static, arcing off of their equipment and the corrugated iron holding the trench up. The ground shook again and a massive mechanical foot swept over them, showering them with dirt and blood as it impacted the ground on the other side.

Hezdynn could see the Imperials mouth moving but couldn't hear the words, as a whine built steadily and burst with a sonic boom.
She saw the flare of laser energy as some titanic weapon fired and they involuntary fell to their knees, forced down by overpressure.

As her sight and hearing returned she realised that god's were now dueling above them.

Canis Mortuum, still screaming it's name leapt forwards snapping off bursts from its bolters, the shells sparking from the newcomers armour. 
Whilst definitely a Warhound of the same pattern, the newcomer was as different from Canis Mortuum as night was to day. Where the beautiful Canis Mortuum was fire blackened and trimmed with gold, like their Astartes masters, it's opponent wore a gaudy bright yellow and blue heraldry. Heat haze distorting the air around it as the Turbo-Lasers it carries cooled.

Smoothly the newcomer stepped backwards as Canis Mortuum flung itself forwards, hunting as a rabid dog would. Streams of soul fueled smoke trailed behind it, flames licked from its fists again and again as it fires upon the interloper. The whine began to build again as the Imperial Titan charged it's lasers, but the momentum of Mortuum barreled into it and three its aim off, the laser blasts violently exploding a building a kilometer away. The ground thundered and heaved under Hezdynn as the two god's fought above her, slamming their armoured bulks into one another as one sought to retreat and the other to rend.

A wet scream drew her attention back towards Balta as he messily pulled the Imperial apart, revelling in the bloodshed he caused, holding the dismembered body parts upwards as an offering, fluids dripping down his body as he screamed insane prayers skywards.

Hezdynn moved away as her cultist unit came over the trench parapet, Cheshirr motioning for her to rejoin them. Behind her the trench, Balta and his offering all disappeared as one of Canis Mortuum's huge clawed feet came crashing down, mulching everything underfoot.

"Death to the false Emperor!" They cried out as one and charged forwards again.

*****

A while ago, we're talking over a year when the first UK lockdown ended, Duncan invited me over to his to finish off detailing the base of his Reaver Battle Titan.

He sent me these photos of his newly updated Chaos Warhound Scout Titan.

He's had this model since it was first released by Forgeworld I think and it's been painted but stored for ages through house moves.

His own painting has improved exponentially from what it was, with proper use of shading and washes. I think it also helps that we now have those things available as rote and don't have to always use more advanced hobby techniques to mix our own and such.

So he dug this "Miniature" out of storage and got it repainted up to his current improved standard over this summer just gone.

It now matches with his newer Reaver Titan and Forgeworld Daemon Engines (I'll have to get a photo of those together) and is ready to crush the loyalist troops of the Emperor, if we can ever get together for a game in the future...

I'll let the photos do the talking now:


One thing to note about the left Vulcan Mega-Bolter is that it is painted up in Legio-Gryphonicus colours with the yellow and blue split heraldry.
This has been weathered and there is some corrosion creeping on it if you look closely.

The story goes that it has been salvaged from a downed loyal Titan and attached to this traitors one instead, doubling the firepower of the warmachine.

Tech-Heresy if you ask me...


Until next time...

Saturday 13 November 2021

Imperial Guardsmen, A Catachan Company's Tale - part 2.




Lieutenant Dellash looked around at his company, currently engaged as it was with the Greenskin menace. They had walked straight into an ambush much to the Xenos misfortune, but he would be having words with his scouts when this fracas was over.

Flames lit the dark jungle under the canopy, the work of the veteran Screaming Devil's who had flanked the enemy earlier in the fight. Bright blue lasrounds lit the undergrowth as they were fired.

He spied his second and third squads were tangled up fighting Ork Boyz to his left. To his right a huge hole had been torn in the line.

"Gunnery-Sergeant Plisko, what the hell is Charlie Platoon?" He shouted as grit rained down from another explosion.

"No idea sir! They had better be dead before I find them!" The burly Sergeant replied, hefting his sparking Powerfist as he set off in a sprint through the trees.

Dellash looked up as a fresh wave of Orks charged forwards yelling their gutteral warcry's.

"Command squad, First Squad with me, up and into them! Cut them down!" He yelled the orders out.

His first squad under Sergeant Devorn moved in behind their leader, lasfire ripping through the undergrowth cutting down Orks as they charged.
Grenades thumped from their squad launcher ripping through green flesh but still they came on. Orks were notoriously hard to kill after all.

"Give them some Catachan Steel boys" Devorn ordered and the entire squad drew their knives and plowed into the fight. The command squad surged forward as well, chainswords roaring.

Lieutenant Dellash ducked as a trooper was flung through the air, blood spurting from a huge gash across his chest. The platoon medic, known affectionately as "Doc Roe" dived to the side dragging the casualty into some form of cover.

"Sir" Corporal Aedat ran over, "the line is giving, sir, we need support or a miracle"

Dellash realised that the young Corporal was right and was about the order the regrouping, when the Comms unit of his command squad squawked out.

"Bravo Company, incoming fire mission, grid five, I repeat, incoming fire mission, grid five, compliments of Gunnery-Sergeant Plisko"

"EVERYBODY BRACE!" He shouted as loud as possible as mortar rounds began marching along the treeline. Silhouettes of over muscled alien bodies flung into the air accompanied by deafening explosions.

A huge, clawed green hand bounced off of the Doc's back as he worked on the screaming trooper.

Still the Orks came on, cheering and whooping. Hits which would have crippled the morale of a platoon, they greeted with joy, as if their own losses meant nothing to them.

He braced himself with his squads, everyone with their knives ready for the charge as lasfire erupted down the line.

His second and third squads had finished their fight and we're racing to support their commander.

Even better was the sight of Gunnery-Sergeant Plisko cresting a fallen tree. Hat still firmly on his head give quick gestures with a knife-hand as troopers from Charlie company raced to follow his orders.

The Orks enthusiasm for the fight started to wane as numbers turned against them.

"Catachans!" Dellash ordered, "Forward for the Emperor"

*****
More Imperial Guardsmen, and more Catachans this time.

Most of the two Imperial Guard posts I have put up recently have been completed whilst I was away training and sat in my hotel room at night.

So this time we have another squad of Guardsmen. I am considering swapping out two troopers with a Heavy Weapon team, I'm thinking Missile Launcher to keep with the mobile, light-infantry theme of the Catachans.

This will allow me to quickly add a third squad and complete the platoon. With more reinforcements on the way as Chris has twenty something Catachans to send to me, so I Amy start a second platoon and build the force up further.

Sergeant Devorn and the first squad of Bravo Platoon.

The "current" associated members of the Command Squad.
"Doc Roe" is the second from the left, along with the Sergeant next to him are both missing pistols, as I ran out, but have some on their way to me from a bits seller on eBay.

Lieutenant Dellash on the left and Gunnery-Sergeant Plisko on the right.
The Lieutenant is mainly a stock model from the command squad kit, which the addition of a FW backpack and a Tempestus Scion beret head, as all my Catachan veterans and leaders are getting. This one however I had Duncan do a little Greenstuff work on to make the bionic eye on the side of his head.
Gunnery-Sergeant Plisko on the other hand is a 3D printed mini I bought from a printing service on eBay. When I saw the Lemon squeezer hat and knife-hand, I clicked "Buy-It-Now" faster then anyone in the history of eBay.
I had him based and primed the afternoon after I got home that weekend, and he was painted up probably in about an hour total, he's an awesome model!

This is the full force so far.
First and Third squads are at the back.
The Screaming Devil's are front left.
The command squad and leaders are front right.

As for the usual Hobby bingo, this post adds another two boxes.
Gunnery-Sergeant Plisko gives me the Any model box in the center for ten points.
And First Squad fills the Unit of 10+ models on the right for another ten points.
I could have claimed points for the Lieutenant and Command Squad, but it's not really a full Kitbashed Model and I need weapons to finish the squad so not counting them for the total.

My new total points value is now nine hundred!

I'm looking forward to getting some more finished for this force.


Until next time...


Imperial Guardsmen, A Cadian Company tale - part 1.

 

"Cadia stands! Cadia stands!"

The rallying call of the Cadian Shock Troops rang out down the line as they dug in, prepared to sell their lives as dearly as possible ok the defence of Kasr Krast. 

It had been a month since the disaster at the Tyrok Field's, where the Volscani Cataphracts had shown their true colours and turned traitor from the Emperor's light. Ushering in the beginning of the thirteenth black crusade.

Bitter fighting had spread like wildfire as the Black Legion led the denizens of hell out from the warp to assault the Bulwalk of the Imperium that was fortress Cadia.

Here now, in one of the plaza of Kasr Krast, overlooking the Templum Imperator Invicti, the forces of the Thirtieth Caidan Shock Regiment and the One-Hundred and First Kasrkin Regiment dug into good firing positions.

Leman Russ tanks rumbled in the streets behind as they moved forward. Beyond the shell pocked plaza lay a horde of the Lost and the Damned. Traitor regiments, cultists, mutants in their numberless hordes, along with the less numerous but exponentially more dangerous and terrifying traitor Astartes.

Sergeant Von-Styr looked over the deployment of the troops nearby. Nodding to himself, satisfied that the upper-ranks didn't have their heads in their arses at least. Since his elevation to the ranks of the Kasrkin, his section had been seconded to a few...less than able, senior officers. Fortunately, Colonel Graff seemed to have his wits about him.

Commissar Van Der Haal stalked the ranks extolling faith in the Emperor and a good firing line. His augmented gaze drifted over Von-Styr and he nodded to the sergeant.

To his section's left, Von-Styr looked over the huge Whiteshield platoon moving into position. Teenagers really, ready to defend their homeworld as was Cadian tradition.
He chuckled at their rattled expressions as a group of pilgrims trudged the line, shrieking praise to the Emperor and flagellating themselves, the bloodied faithful moving on as the Whiteshields leaders shouted orders to remain steady.

Commissar Van Der Haal approached, "How goes the day Sergeant?"

"Greetings Commissar, ever a pleasant day to kill some heretic filth. Don't think it'll be too long now, the enemy seem to be gathering in numbers"

The Commissar nodded in agreement, as a flight of Traitor Lightning Fighters screamed overhead and loosed off missiles at some distant target.
It was like some unseen signal to both sides as the mutated hordes burst forwards in motion and the Cadians sighted in to open fire.

Within moments the entire area had evolved from a few desultory rounds fired to a spitting cauldron of fire and violence.

The chaos advance had resumed.

*****

As I've said before in my Catachan post, I have a soft spot for the Imperial Guard. They've always been viewed as the necessary but ultimately sacrificial underdogs of the Imperiums defence. 
The Space Marines might get the glory, they might be Super-Human, but that does somewhat detract from their appeal. When you don't fear anything, you're not actually heroic.

The humble Imperial Guardsman, whether Infantryman, Tanker, Artilleryman, Cavalryman (yes, they have horse riders), etc have none of the indoctrination and gene upgrades of the Space Marines. They have to face the horrors of the galaxy with a bayonet on their Lasrifle and a fire in their chest.

This is even moreso with the Cadian regiments who literally defend the galaxy from Hell, as their homeworld is the stablest transition point from the Eye of Terror to Real-space. Meaning that they come under constant Chaos incursion and invasion.

As I mentioned before I was starting to work on two Imperial guard armies for the modelling opportunities.

This is the start of the second force, Cadian Shock Troops, repurposed from my now aborted Ventrillian project. Aborted because I can't get heads for the Ventrillian troops anywhere at a reasonable price (guess that comes from copying Peachy's army idea as everyone started doing the same thing).
It also ties into something I'll mention later down the post.

So, to start with, to get the scheme down, I took a unit of Scions, and swapper the heads with Cadian trooper heads to make an in-between version of the Cadian Kasrkin, as again those metal models go for silly monies on eBay...le sigh.

The finished group altogether with the Commissar and Tempestor (who I'm calling a Sergeant-Major in my force).

Commissar Van Der Haal, is simply a regular plastic Commissar, he's wearing the same beige trousers as the Kasrkin, but his shirt is the Dark green of their armour. Ontop of that he has the regular brocaded dress uniform, red sash and black leather coat of a traditional Commissar.
Given that he is serving on Cadia, and that works being a lynchpin of the Imperial defences, I've given him a Plasma Pistol rather than a Bolt Pistol. I reckon that Cadia would have a higher share of weapons which could cut through power armour due to the high concentration of traitors in the Eye of Terror.
He got an ornate Chainsword from the Scions kit, as I didn't like the Power Sword the Commissar comes with.

Sergeant-Major Jethraan, is a conversion from a metal Kasrkin sergeant which my friend Dom made me many moons ago, probably before the plague time's last year.
Originally he comes armed with a Hellpistol, Power Sword and has a bald head. Dom swapped out the pistol for another Plasma Pistol and the sword with a Powerfist. He also added a Scion backpack with the cables hooked to it and then sent the model to me.
I used a tank commanders head with the peaked cap and headset so he has the special forces look and can keep in contact with his section's without the need for a full gain vox-set. It's a little touch which will get lost in the larger army, but I know it's there.
I've gone for the traditional beige fatigues and dark green armour of Cadian regiments, I added flashes and insignia in white. His armour looks different to his troopers because I reason that he's wearing an older set of Kasrkin armour and refuses to upgrade to the new version.
"This has seen me through four campaigns without a scratch, I'll be damned if I swap it now!".

Now we have the first section of Kasrkin troops.
Two five man sections will make a ten man squad (yes I'm using UK armed forces organisation for this army) and they're in the newer pattern of Kasrkin armour.
Really it's just a regular Scion squad with Plasmagun and Vox-set. Again the Sergeant has a Plasma Pistol but also a Powersword this time. As these are elite troops, I figure Cadian high command gives them requisition of better equipment than the rank and file.
I didn't have any spare Cadian torso's available otherwise I would have done a more in-depth conversion, but with just the head swaps and the paint job I think they work well.

Hobby Bingo and this group tick off three boxes and give me a full line.
Commissar Van Der Haal - Hero box and Line.
Sergeant-Major Jethraan - Hero Box.
Kasrkin Section Von-Styr - Unit of 2+ Models box.
That gives me eighty points for a new total of eight hundred and eighty.


One of the projects which I would like to do in the future is an online participation of the original Eye of Terror campaign:


This was one of the big moments in GW history and I actually took part in the campaign as part of the Green Kroosade, all the Ork players on Da WAAAGH! Forum organised to put all of our results into one system, to make the Orks be noticed in what was obviously a very Imperial/Chaos centric event.

I have bought a mint copy of the codex, acclaimed as one of the finest GW have ever put out. As well as all the White Dwarf issues from the time dealing with the campaign, and the pair later one which dealt with how to re-run the EoT campaign, but for your gaming group, not the world...

What I'm hoping to do, probably summer 2022, is to have a couple of Imperial and Chaos forces built, and then get a few guys to be generals and message me their army moves for each "campaign turn".
I'll fight the battles using solo-40k rules I pulled off the solo wargames Facebook group and message the results back.
I'm hoping this will add in some uncertainty to the campaign in that I don't know who will attack what target, will the two sides collaborate with each other or follow their own agenda's?
It will also allow me to game at my own pace for each turn, around my work shifts on the railway.

That's the plan anyway...


 Until next time...

Sunday 7 November 2021

Sons of Horus Tactical Support.

 


It is an Age of Darkness.
The Galaxy is aflame.
Brother turns on Brother.

This is M.31.

*****

Great palls of fire reached towards the sky as another shattering bombardment fell from orbit. The traitor spaceships rained punishing ordnance upon the void shields of the Imperial Palace.

Far below, in the sprawling cityscape which had grown around the seat of Imperial Governance, running battles were taking place as the traitors slowly advanced.

The loyalists defending paid with their lives for every foot of ground the traitors took, organising counter attacks to retake the ground as they fought on the cradle of humanity.

Kalharle led his support Squad forwards through the Himalazian dusk, crunching through rubble and masonry, even as another building was blasted to pieces about a quarter mile away.

His squad, walking with the practice of those Legionaries who have been cannon-slingers for decades, swept their autocannons to cover the roadway ahead.

Reports had been inconclusive, but a platoon of mortal infantry had been ambushed around here, and a force had been sent to secure the road, as it was a vital supply line. Without the road open, their forces at the front would be starved of ammunition and other supplies.

Their helmets clicked as they voxed each other on the squad channel, bemoaning being placed into this patrol because of the useless mortal infantry which couldn't do it's job.
Kalharle let the men gripe, uncaring of the lack of discipline for the moment.

That quickly changed when spikes of temperature glowed orange on his helmet display. 

"Enough, contact ahead one thousand feet" he growled at his squad, affirmatives echoed back as they locked the readings.

"Close in and open fire at my command" Kalharle said and the squad broke into the awkward jogging motion as they wrestled with their cannon as they ran.

The readings on the display resolved themselves into three dozen mortal auxiliaries, and a tank holding up behind cover at the intersection.

"Tagror, target the tank, the rest of you, the infantry, open fire" he ordered as they came within range.

Lasfire spitting at them, well past its lethal range, it splashed off their armour. The infantry had noticed as we're trying to bring heavier weapons to bear.

Kalharle smiled inside his helmet as he pressed the trigger on his Combi-Plasma, the superheated ball of energy incinerating a section of the barricade and a few of the unfortunate humans next to it. The defeating roar, accompanied by the bass throb and fireball announced the autocannons opening fire.

Men were thrown backwards as puppets with strings cut, limbs were separated from torsos, heads vanished under the punishing firepower, only the tank remained, armour sparking under Tagror's assault.

He grunted as one of his rounds touched off a fuel line of caught the turret mantle. The tank hatches explosively bent out and smoke poured from the gaps, clearly something had gone up inside.

"Move to clear the area, I'll vox Praetor Sichar and get reinforcements sent, we'll be back on the front soon!".

*****

Here we have a squad which I wasn't planning to finish this quickly, but these things kind of happen when you're enjoying painting something I guess.

A couple of weeks back, whilst in training in Nottingham I took a visit to Warhammer World after we finished for the day.


I had intended to just pick up Gotrek Gurnisson, who I missed out on when he was released for AoS at the last Black Library Weekender, but they had a few copies in stock so I thought I'd grab him whilst in the area.

As you do, I took a walk into the Forge World store and after admiring the kits on display, decided that I should pick something up as I was there.

With the Horus Heresy focussing my modelling recently, I decided upon a blister of Autocannons to make a Tactical Support Squad with.

Here is the result:


All the same paint scheme as the Cataphractii I previously posted, but this time in Mark IV armour.

I purposely chose to use the studded legs and shoulder pads on the left shoulder. Reasoning that these Astartes will be stood more side on to the enemy a lot of the time, so the rivets of Ceramite add to their armours defences.


I know it's 30k, but it still needs SKULLS on the bases!

Their right shoulder pads are missing at the moment because I am going to use the proper sculpted Sons of Horus pads available. I just need to order them, but want to do it in bulk to make it cheaper on shipping.

With two squads and a character now complete the Sons of Horus are advancing, I think I'm going to make a proper tactical squad and maybe a destroyer squad next.


Hobby bingo gives me another unit box completed for another ten points, bringing me to eight hundred total.

I've a few more things nearly finished, so it may be a few posts away for my next Heresy unit, but they are coming...


Until next time...

Monday 1 November 2021

Sons of Horus Cataphractii.

 

It is an Age of Darkness.
The Galaxy is aflame.
Brother turns on Brother.

This is M.31.

*****

'We were the champions of humanity. We elevated our species to the heights of success conquering that which was ours. Now we kill our brothers as if they were our bitterest enemies. Where did we go wrong?'

'My brothers follow our captain because they are loyal, they follow me because they are loyal, yet they don't truly understand what our Genefather has uncovered and begun for us!'.

'We fought and bled on thousands of world's, all for what?'

'For beaurocrats and civilians to take that which we took! For soft rulers to follow in our wake, missing the fighting and bloodshed but reaping the rewards which we stabilized for the Imperium'.

'These Lords of Terra, as they call themselves even seek to rule over the Primarch's. To order such beings around as if they themselves were gods instead of mere mortals'.

'And the Emperor, after all his denouncing of godhood, all his science and reason. Our father Horus has uncovered the truth! The Emperor is fighting a second war to turn himself into a god and rob humanity of its soul in the process'.

'Horus, Lupercal, Father of the Sons of Horus has shown us the truth of the Primordial Power which lies within the warp. A way for us to take back that which we fought for, which we bled for, which we died for!'.

'We march for Terra. Death to the False God that sits on the throne. Glory to Horus Lupercal. Glory to the Sons of Horus!'.

*****

One of the projects which I have started and managed to get finished, but didn't have time to post during October is the first unit in a Horus Heresy era army.

My friend Fraser has been asking me to paint up a HH force for a while and the last time I visited him he dropped forty mk.iv space marines on me and said "go".

Now I already had a squad of Cataphractii and a captain lying around somewhere, so with a bit of internet searching, I found a Chinacast website *shocked intake of air* (thanks Chris).

Quickly I ordered some Sons of Horus Cataphractii shoulder plates to see what the quality was like. Just as good, if not better then Forgeworld if I'm honest*.

Unfortunately, with the Cataphractii being second hand, they were missing the middle plates for the shoulders, but I'm not going to get bogged down with incidentals like that, it doesn't affect the overall look of the models.


I followed the Warhammer TV paint tutorial, just swapping out Dawnstone for Stormvermin Fur as it's what I had available.
Kabalite Green is the main armour colour along with plates of Corvus Black washed with Nuln Oil.
Petruges and Cloaks are Barak-Nar Burgundy washed with Nuln Oil and worked back up with Burgundy.
Gold is Retributor Armour washed with Earthshade.
Metals are Leadbelcher washed with Earthshade.
Pretty standard stuff.


The bases are made from strips of 2mm thick cork cut into bricks about 4mm*2mm and a larger chunk of cork laid and torn to make an asphalt type area to stand the models on.
I added a few spare parts from scenery kits to add some interest and a few skulls (because GW).


The captain is the Betrayal at Calth Cataphractii captain with the combi-melta. Just the addition of the spiked skull to denote the slow fall to chaos. Unfortunately the flash had bleached his head out a little, but I have taken pains to stipple on some grey on his head to simulate stubble from a shaved scalp.


I'm going to build things for rule-of-cool with this army rather then competitiveness. This is a force just to collect stuff for, to that end both myself and Fraser have said that we aren't to strict on models, so some 40k will be fine on the scheme of things**.
This is useful as I have a bunch of Rhino's and a pair of Land Raiders and don't fancy shelling out for the 30k equivalents if that makes sense.
Likewise with stuff like Bikers, I have a bunch of 40k marine bikers, but I'll try to incorporate HH torso's and helmets, etc to look the part.

Hobby Bingo and the Captain and Cataphractii squad give me.two boxes filled for another ten points:


This brings my new total up to 790 points.

Until next time...


* Health and Safety tip, remember to wear a mask when dealing with any Chinacast resin, god knows what crap they might put in their resin so it's not worth risking health for cheap toys.

** Within reason, there won't be any Primaris infiltrating the armies, unlike the showcase force in White Dwarf a few months back.

Hobby Bingo - October Recap.

 

The tenth month of 2021 has been and passed, with it another couple of painting projects.

I've tried to keep on with some hobby, even though I've been travelling and staying in a hotel all month, heading home of weekends training for my new career.

Fortunately I have one week training left here in Nottingham (yes the home of GW and Warhammer World) and then I go home and start at my home depot, so progress will be easier to keep ontop of.

For October however I managed to get A Wight King, and a Leman Russ completed at least. I have finished up a couple of other things, but ran out of time during the month to post them, so they're going into November's entries.

The current hobby Bingo Scores:
Chris: 1250
Lewis: 770.
Dave: 80.

So I'll leave you with this little message about the hobby and crack on with November's stuff:


Until next time...