Dreadtober 2022 completed!

 

"Dey's shooting us!" Wailed one of Boss Toofkrakkaz Shootaboyz, as another hail of lasrounds whipped past the Orks.

"Well yet betta shoot back an' stop sniveling" Toofkrakka shouted, covering the unhappy Shootaboy with a coat of fresh spittle.

The shootaz opened up missing everything in sight and chewing through the scant cover provided by the ruined wall Infront of them.

The guard had brought up heavier weapons now and the distinctive chug of Heavy Bolters and the crack of Autocannons added to the din, pitching several Orks off their feet as solid rounds impacted into tough green flesh.

The advance had stalled...

"Oi, Badruk, where'z yer zogging kontrapshunz?" Toofkrakka shouted into the talky-box the big Mek had rigged up before the battle.

Static rattled back from the speaker and Toofkrakka shouted louder for good measure before kicking the Grot carrying the thing through the air and hefting his Chain-Choppa.

He stepped up to charge at the enemy and was thrown back as his arm came away messily, taking his choppa with it. 

He crushed several Grotz as he landed and his Nobz mob closed around him for a second as Dok Nutzak came over, cuttaz already snipping on anticipation of battlefield surgery.

A rythmic metallic clanging could be heard in the distance and Toofkrakka thought it was probably 'umies lobbaz, but the metallic cries of 'WAAAGH!' told him otherwise.

He craned his neck and saw Big Mek Badruk charging forwards with his cronies in tow. His grot oiler frantically pulling at levers at the Kustom Force Field mounted on the mekboyz back making the air wobble with power.

Behind him came a slab-sided wall of rusting metal, snipping claws, buzzing saws, Shootaz and Skorchaz firing into the press of Guardsman Infront of them.

A multitude of Kanz firing off Rokkitz at anything they could target, and a mekboy dispatched by Badruk to round up any Kanz which deviated from the mob and tried to flee.

Toofkrakka watched the battle turn in the Orks favour and raged at being pinned under the Dok as he worked at attaching a bionik arm, the Nobz got caught up in the excitement and charged with the Boyz giving a good 'ard charge forward and here Toofkrakka was stuck under a stupid Dok.

He'd get into the fight sooner or later, he'd keep an eye of Badruk from now on, having that many Kanz might give him ideas about running the place...

*****

Here we are at the end of Dreadtober/Orktober for another year. Posts of the green variety haven't been as prolific as previous years due to work, family commitments and tonight All Hallows Eve, but continue the posts do.

And here is the final post for Dreadtober 2022, with my project of the Apocalypse Dreadmob completed before the deadline!

And people said I was mad for taking on such a large project...

The second Deffdread, 'Da Big Dread One!' (until it gets replaced), leader of the mob and the central spearhead of the ramshackle metal avalanche.

'Da business end', like the previous dread, it features a pair of Klaws, a Big Shoota and a Skorcha for a bit of all roundness.

It should also feature a Kustom Force Field, but I'm saving the one I have for a different chassis to make a true leading dread!

Up next we have the second three Kannstrong mob. Like all the Kanz in this formation they are armed with Rokkit Launchaz to take advantage of their better skills at shooting. 

I took pains to convert them by adding different gubbinz on top and changing the exhaust pipes, Ork Mel's aren't known for their standardized builds after all. The one closest to the camera features a Stormboy Rokkit Pack, pressed into service as a rather large Rokkit, not sure how they'll reload that?

The last two Kanz of the Dreadmob I said I'd paint aren't a legal mob for the formation, but I ran out of time trying to paint strip the extra Kan I bought at the start of the month.

They're family standard as things go with the mob, lots of black paint for the Goffs.

The red stripe as an army unifying feature and lots of 'Ardboy checkers!

The Dreadmob in all its rusting clanking might.

Dreadtober is a community event run each year and this is the first time I have taken part.

I've enjoyed this and have discovered a lot of blogs I normally wouldn't have read because of this, obviously we know there are a lot of talented people out there in the wider community, a lot more talented then myself, and several of them have taken part in Dreadtober.

I must mention XarfaiEngle with his gorgeous Blood Angels Contemptor and Siph with his fantastic rendition of Canis Rex, I encourage everyone to visit their blogs and see what else they are up to.

As an aside, I had a cheeky extra on the go for Dreadtober with this Thanatar Siege Automata for my friend with the Ad-Mech.

It's about half way painted and needs the colours bring back to full opacity after being washed with Earthshade, then some Hazard Striping (2nd edition style) and some checker work adding before finishing the base:

As well as this mob of Meganobz which are nearly finished, and will accompany Ghazkhull in my Waaagh!

A productive month then, especially as this marks a project off of my Hobby Season to-do list:

My first badge, woo!

Until next time, have nice day...

Adeptus Mechanicus - Kataphron Destroyers.

 

"The Forge Viridor must be protected against the profane invaders" Tech-Priest Magos-Rho-7 vocalised as he expressed displeasure at the expedition's current situation.

He heard the slight whine as Dominus Arcigophion turned to face him, her occular lenses half closing somewhat in contempt for his communication.

Dominus Arcigophion bowed her cowled head and intoned in Binaric-cant "Indeed Magos, none of the barbarians will gain a foothold within the forge. It has been taken care of with a zero point nine one percent chance of failure".

"There is still a zero point zero nine chance of the great enemy succeeding. Our work here recovering the Standard Template Construct is all that matters" 

"Confirmed and Affirmative Magos. Observe" Arcigophion blurted again in a mass of binaric noise as the viewing hololith rose between them and flickered into life. It's screens flickered as Arcigophion extended a series of mechadendrites from her body and plugged them into the machine. Dull blue light filled the chamber to show the battlefield through a tech-thralls' eye augmetics.

They could make out a hazy image of the outer gates of the forge, the image flickered with static as lasrounds spat past the thrall.

Around them a score of the worker-defenders swarmed, each moving to a predetermined point in the defences for maximum affect upon the enemy.

The Techno-Barbarian forces of the enemy were upon the outer prefabricated wall and tearing chunks from the plascrete, even as the thralls opened up with their laslocks. 

Amongst the throng were a number of Skitarii units positioned at the points of vulnerability, their carbines and rifles emitting deeper subsonic booms as they fired their deadly solid shot ammunition.

With a flick of her taloned mechanical hand, Arcigophion forced the thrall to turn it's head away from the battle and to look towards the main entrance where a squadron of lesser made vehicles were approaching.

They trundled forwards on fat greasy track units, much lower slung than the noble Leman Russ, they almost looked as though they had been previously squashed.

Thick Battle Cannon weapons pointed from their front angled armour and they opened fire as one, three explosions of light, noise and smoke concealing the vehicles for a moment.

The shells exploded short of the wall and threw up great gouts of flame and dirt. Smoke hung in the air and the barbarians roared in delight as their support demonstrated its abilities.

Dark blue beams of energy spat through the smoke and lanced into the approaching vehicles.

The first of which crumpled like paper as it was hit multiple times in succession and the armour was unable to hold up to the punishment. After a moment of successive fire, the ammunition aboard exploded, reducing the vehicle to a burning husk and killing infantry in a radius around it. Debris clattered down and the battle continued unabated.

The thrall kept watching the smoke as three mechanicus battle servitors of Kataphron designation crunched forwards on their own track units. Blue exhaust smoke exiting from their drives as they clanked forwards to open fire again. Targeting lasers casting red lines through the smoke as they sought the optimal weak point to fire at.

Their left arms erupted gouts of dark orange-yellow flame, driving the enemy infantry back whilst the great heavy Grav-Cannons that replaced their right arms opened fire again, reducing another of the enemy tanks to burning scrap.

The hololith suddenly turned black and Arcigophion withdrew her mechadendrites back into her robes.

"The thrall is offline. Attend to your duties Magos- the defence is being upheld" she grated in binaric against.

"Compliance" Magos- vocalised, before shuffling off using his axe haft as a mechanised walking staff.

*****

Something I've finished recently, out of the blue in fact has been this unit of Kataphron Destroyers for my friends Ad-Mech army, something I haven't worked on since March 2021 (where does the time go?).

He contacted me the other day and we've arranged for a meet up, as he wants the painted stuff back to organise a 7th edition 40k game with another friend (everyone getting back into older editions of 40k).

As these models were mostly painted, I decided to get these finished off to give him some stuff other then just Skitarii and Dunecrawlers.

The full unit:

I did pull these to pieces before I started painting, as he'd assembled them all looking and firing straight forwards (yes I know they are undead, emotionless robots (Necrons?) but I wanted to make the models more interesting to look at, as well as paint).

Standard Ad-Mech painting was use, lots of Mephiston Red and Retributor Armour, Leadbelcher and Abaddon Black as back up colours.

The Temple Guard Blue for the lights, lenses and such makes for a nice bright spot colour which works really well with the overall scheme.

Bases were modelled and painted to match the cityfight basing the rest of the army has (obviously) and the dust drybrushing was carried around the track units and across the drive wheels.

I did try to get a dead flesh look following a tutorial on Warhammer TV, but my photo has washed the skintones out. It's a lot more blue and deathly looking in person then this photo.

There we go then, another unit completed and off of the desk.

For my yearly total this takes me to 129 models for the year, somewhat slower then last year it seems, hopefully things will pick up over the last quarter of 2022

I'll do an army showcase of these Ad-Mech force later in the week, and detail what I have left to paint for it then as well.

Until next time, have nice day...

Dreadtober 2022 an update.

Smoke and the tang of cordite hung heavy in the dank air inside Da Bludsucka Bar, deep in the squalid depths  of Noo Rok City. When not fighting each other, Orks from all tribes gathered here to resupply, rearm and prepare for the great Waaagh, when the time came.

Boss Zugnob was busy punching a rival nob, as the heavy tread of a Beast ground out and shook the shack like structure which they were drinking inside.

Older bosses barely looked up from betting on the squig fighting pits to see what the ruckus was about, the younger yoofs taking more interest in the violence going on at the bar.

Zugnob's great fist, wrapped in a chain he had stolen when passing a nearby mekshop slammed onto the bar adding a fresh dent to the metal surface. His opponent ducking out of the way to slip a knife through a gap in Zugnobs armour plates into his side.

Thick black blood dripped from the wound and Zugnob roared and backhanded the other Ork which threw him down to the floor. The yoofs gathered cheered as Zugnob leapt upon his fallen foe, his chain wrapped fist beginning a piston motion, rising and falling to beat on the fallen Orks face.

Slick black blood flew through the air as Zugnob carried on beating his opponent to a pulp. Each fall of the fist accompanied by a boom and the bar structure shaking.

The older bosses attention shifted from the vicious squig fighting to look around as the walls shook with each punch. Even the yoofs watching the brawl started to take more interest in their surroundings rather then at the fight at hand.

Zugnob stopped punching and stood, towering over his now dead opponent.

"You owe me a drink!" He shouted at the corpse, kicking it for good measure, he stared, looking around at everyone who was looking at one of the walls, which shook with a rythmic boom.

With a last crash, the wall imploded, dust, shrapnel, beams and debris flying around, and with a screeching metallic Waaagh, a round metal shape loped forward on two piston legs. One unwieldy arm swung wildly, a pair of vicious cutters on the end of it tossing debris away as it burst into the bar.

Orks dived out of the way, as it made straight for Zugnob, bowling him over with its claw arm, and then stomping him into a bloody paste in the centre of the bar.

"WAAAGH!" came the high pitched metallic voice from the speaker unit as it carried on stomping on the bloodstains which was all that was left of Zugnob, even as the other Orks pulled the selves from the dust, they cheered and fired their shoots in the air watching the violence.

From the hole in the wall, Big Mek Badruk slapped Dok Nutzak on the shoulder and they congratulated themselves on another job well done.

Now began the process of herding the Kan back to the holding pen...

*****

With a bit of time this last weekend, I managed to get a decent session of painting and decided to focus down on a section of the Dreadmob.

I've gotten a Dread and three Kanz finished for the mob so far, but it's something at least:

I tried to follow the scheme I used on Ghazkhull with the checkers and the red stripe for a spot colour, then my usual desert style basing.

Some close up photos of the Kanz:

I took pains to try to be random with the checkers and black panels, but kept the red stripe in the same location down the various models, as the army identifier maybe?

Close up photos of the Dread:

I am considering going back and adding a little verdigris on the gun barrels and gold/brass areas.

Finally to compare the scheme, here is the dread alongside Ghazkhull Thraka:

I've got a few days off coming up, so I'm hoping to get another good painting session in. 

I know that I said the entire Dreadmob for Dreadtober, but if I can get two Kan mobs and the other Deffdread finished I'll be happy overall.

Until next time, have nice day...

The Die is Cast - Sixth Year Anniversary.

 

Six years*!

I've been writing and posting about my creative hobby experiences for six years now, and I wasn't sure the blog was going to last six months when I first started it, if I'm being honest.

I've tried to be fairly consistent with blog posts and output, but that hasn't always worked, and as this is a hobby, not a job, I'm going to carry on as I have been doing.

I'm just hoping to get projects finished, so I can get on with the major projects I have in mind, but something always piques the interest along the way...

Anyway let's take a look at some states from the Google analytics page!

The last year:

There have been a few spikes in activity over the last twelve months, and over five thousand views. Not sure what happened in that down period between January and April 2022 as it seems a consistent amount of traffic comes to the blog (I must be doing something right?).

Over the lifetime:

Almost thirty thousand views, so averaging five thousand views per year.

That massive spike of views however skews things, as during that period I was getting on average three hundred views per day for a month from a system in Sweden.

I think it was a spam-bot trying to add "Ray Ban" links to all my posts, but fortunately with moderation of posts turned on, I could identify and block the user.

Geographic information:

Unsurprisingly, being British, most of my views are from the UK, with a lot from the US as I have a few friends who live that way and have managed to avoid getting shot!

Discounting Sweden, for the obvious reasons listed above, the majority of views come from places you'd expect the hobby to be popular. 

The interesting place is Indonesia, as I'm not entirely sure how popular Warhammer is over there...but Hello!

Most popular posts:

A mixed bag overall, as the Azyrite Ruins are the blogs most viewed post. Granted they've been on the blog a couple of years, but I think I have written better posts.

Anyway, that's a quick rundown about the blog for the last six years, long may we continue to write about our toy soldiers and made up world's.

Until next time, have nice day...

* I know six years is an odd anniversary to bring up, but when the blog turned FIVE I was busy training to work on the railway and going through the rules exams and inspection exams I needed for my career then, so I missed the date.

Better late than never I guess.

Dreadtober 2022 slow progress.

 

The second week of Dreadtober has now passed us by and I've not done much work on the Dreadmob...

Last week I'd managed to get everything roughly painted with rust orange and then drybrushed with metal.

This week I've managed to get a coat of Agrax Earthshade over most of the models preparing them for the next step.

The most noticeable difference is between the two Deffdreads:

Obviously the one on the left is unshaded, whilst the one on the right is.

This is because I have a few bits to pick out before doing the wash step, such as the Grotz skin and teef for a start.

The Kanz are all together here:

They're all up to the same state, washed with Earthshade to add that trademark Ork Dinge to the models.

Next step is to start working on the checkers and black panels, maybe some red markings like my Ghazkhull not-so-mini!

The last Killa Kanni needed which I mentioned I'd picked up for a fiver turned up too:

Some stripping and cleaning work definitely needed here, but this is a model which is twenty years old at this point, just like the rest of the Mob, so I can forgive it needing some work.

So I am definitely behind where I wanted to be by this point in the month, I was aiming to be well on with checkers and detailing by the end of this week.

However, last Saturday one of our cat's, Shadow, had a stroke or seizure and we spent what would be her last evening caring for her. 

Understandably afterwards hobby didn't spark joy as it normally would have, so the brushes laid fallow for most of the week.

Slightly out of focus, but probably the best photo we have of her as she was quite a shy cat.

She was our first rescue. We adopted her as a kitten from a caravan which was infested with vermin and the owners had about twenty other cats, if we hadn't have taken her in then chances were she would have been killed by one of the other older cats as they were fighting constantly for dominance apparently.

She's here with another kitten we rescued and re-homed a few years ago, and lived to nine or ten years old (we were unsure of her exact age when we adopted her).

Until next time, have nice day...

The Siege of the Emperor's Palace - Inspiration from many years ago.

 

+ + + The Thirteenth of Secundus, 30,014, the bombardment began. From orbit the Warmaster's ships laid down an unrelenting barrage of missiles and deadly energy beams. The aim was to cripple the defence's around the Emperor's Palace and make possible a massive invasion of Earth. The Lunar bases had already fallen and the defending fleets scattered. On Mars, as across the entire Imperium, bitter civil war raged + + +

*****

In amongst the big pile of classic White Dwarf magazines I picked up for a donation over the summer, there was this gem of a two page spread...

One of the classic GW Mega-Display boards which they put on every year at Games Day (the far better precursor to the modern 'Warhammer Day').

There was a series of displays with a new one each year featuring hundreds of miniatures locked in combat across a highly detailed board.

There were classics such as The Assault on Magnir's Crag, which featured Hive Fleet Behemoth assaulting a Space Wolf fortress high up in the snowy mountain peaks.

Da Massacre at Big Roof River, where an Imperial Guard army was surrounded and wiped out by the Orks (WAAAGH!) and featured the first appearance of the Praetorian Guardsmen regiments.

This though, was the pinnacle of achievement back then, the climax of the Horus Heresy, The Siege of the Emperor's Palace.

From the blurb at the side of the article, the walls were near of six feet high, and had miniatures fighting on nearly all levels, culminating with Sanguinius and a Bloodthirster punching each other at the top of the Ultimate Gate there.

I believe this was the first time that Warlord Titan's had been properly created in 40k scale rather than Epic, and looked like the Lucius pattern which was the standard Epic model of the time (I'm not a fan of the Mars pattern which FW offer at the moment).

Alongside this there were hundreds of space marines duking it out beneath the Titanic warmachines'. Artillery pieces, siege towers, a scratch built drilling machine, converted Primarch's, you name it.

All inspiration to your 15 year old author back then...and 23 years later, still as much of an inspiration, and now an aspiration to recreate!

I'll let the photo's of the article, and some culled from the "way back machine" which I managed to find. Alongside these I'll add excerpts from the old version of the lore for the siege.

+ + + The Emperor himself oversaw the defences of his Fortress-Palace, personally commanding the Adeptus-Custodes, his elite guard. He was accompanied by Sanguinius, white pinioned Primarch of the Blood Angels and his legion of Space Marines. Beneath their Fortress-Monastery grim faced Royal Dorn led the Imperial Fists in their final prayers. In the rubble of burnt out Hab-Areas, Jaghatai Khan mustered the White Scars, the legion of Space Marines he had personally instructed in the art of lightning warfare. Outside the palace, three full Titan-Legions stood ready to defend their Emperor + + +

+ + + Within the Emperor's halls even the Space Marines shuddered, knowing that they would soon confront their lost and damned brethren. The terrifying prospect of facing those corrupt Primarch's who had sold their souls to Chaos filled every man's mind with indescribable horror and dread + + +

+ + + Pods touched the ground and from these did erupt the mightiest champions of Chaos, the renegade Space Marines of the lost legions. No longer were these the finest examples of human warriors from legend, but instead were twisted creatures. Bodies warped by the power of chaos, their minds corrupted by the devotion to dark powers. 

Mighty ships descended from orbit, hoping to overwhelm the defenders with sheer weight of numbers. Unlike the drop pods, these presented fine targets for the guns of the defender's. And this did the battle for Earth begin in earnest + + +

+ + + More and more intricately wrought dropships descended from orbit, they towered over the battlegrounds like nightmare skyscrapers. The dark runes on their sides glowed evilly in the gloom. Hundred meter tall doors opened in their kilometre long sides. From their red depths, Titan's ten times the size of a man emerged. They were warped giants, the armour of their carapace's fused and moulded into new shapes by the power of Chaos. Some of the Chaos Titans had strange and potent weapons, metal tentacles lashed, spiked tails whipped back and forth, engines roared like angry beast's. Banners fluttering, the Titan's of the Storm Lord's and Flaming Skulls legions marched forth + + +

+ + + Reinforced by this fresh wave of troops the hordes of Horus swept on, driving through the exhausted and demoralised Imperial defenders to the very walls of the Emperor's Palace.

Brave men on the walls knew there was no way out. Here they must stand and die, there would be no mercy from those below. The was a war where there could be no honourable peace. It was destroy or be destroyed + + +

+ + + Chaos Titan's blazed away at the walls, specially constructed missiles ripping great chunks from the masonry. The Titan's of the Fire Wasps answered with Volcano Cannon fire of their own + + +

+ + + Every loyal warrior knew that he was already dead. There was no way he could survive the onslaught of the Daemonic army + + +

+ + + Despite taking tremendous losses, the great Warlord Titan's broke through the wall, and the horde of the Warmaster flooded into the palace grounds + + +

+ + + The World Eaters built a pyramid of scorched skulls sixty feet high in Temple Square + + + 

+ + + Sanguinius was forced to retreat to within the palace wall itself. Personally holding the ultimate gate as the last of his wounded men were carried through. Just as the great Ceremite gate was about to close, a Bloodthirster of Khorne leapt upon him. The Daemon's huge talons closed around his throat, and Sanguinius took to the air. Angel and Daemon wrestled above the warring armies, both sides taking a moment to watch the Titanic duel. In a conflict rarely seen, two beings of tremendous power wrestled in a battle which mirrored the bloody struggle taking place across the entire Imperium + + +

+ + + Transmission Terminated + + +