Dreadtober 2023 - part 2.

 

Techmarine Ghrast ground his teeth as he listened to the report from the ship in low-orbit. Both of the assault forces Dreadnaughts had been dropped off target and we're not responding, and even though he fought the fog in his head caused by the Butcher's Nails, he knew that they would need the firepower of the venerable brothers in the near future.

"I'll handle it, Ghrast out" he growled into the vox link, his bronze teeth chinking as they clicked together.

He checked his position from the co-ordinates he had been sent and started the loping, ground eating stride Astartes adopted when they ran.

Smashing through ruins with his axe rather then going around, the Techmarine cut a strange sight as he bounded along, in a completely different direction to the main assault. Servo-arm tucked against his back to make better speed.

He'd made better time than he hoped as he had not run into any enemy patrol's, they were all too busy countering the orbital drop of the main force as he closed in on the transponder signals of the drop pods.

The report was accurate, the dreadnaught drop pods had both landed within fifty yards of each other and within the same manufactorum, bringing the roof down and a fair portion of the walls. This was the cause of the non-responses from the Dreadnaughts, trapped by rubble the doors of the pods couldn't open.

Heaving himself alongside one of the stricken drop pods, Ghrast immediately began throwing chunks of rubble away and his servo-arm sprang into action lifting steel girders out of the way with little effort.

As he found he had room, he jammed the end of his axe into the seam of the drop pod door and proceeded to force it open, the way a mortal would open an ammunition crate using a crowbar.

A huge white slab of armour greeted his efforts, bronze trimmed and battle scarred, the venerable machine sat waiting. The sky blue of the legion colour slowing being replaced by a deep blood red as the legion transformed by the will of their new patron.

The view-slit on the sarcophagus lit up an angry orange as the growing electrical whine signalled a full power up of the machine. Heat distortion rippling from the turbine exhausts and the engine spooled up.

"YOU TOOK YOUR TIME TECHMARINE"...

*****

The forge has been busy this past week working up some armour Anti-Tank support for the Twelfth Legion.

I know that you can field havoc/heavy support squads in any Legion, but I never felt that they fit the theme of the World Eaters*, especially by the time they get to Terra and have fallen fully into the embrace of Khorne.

The infantry with the Butcher's Nails forcing their actions, in my opinion, wouldn't be able to hold a good firing position and not succumb to the temptation to charge headfirst at the first target to come close to melee range.

Instead I wanted to use vehicles for that role in my army, and with it being Dreadtober, what better way then to get some Anti-Tank support through the Castra-Ferrum Dreadnaughts.

My rationale is that they have some sort of circuitry over-riding the nails until they are released by the Techmarine present and given over to melee like the rest of the legion.

So after a week and a bit of chopping plasticard and adding details, the two Dreadnaughts for my army are here in their painting sub-phases:

A close look, the skulls added to the sides of the arms were chopped in half removing the rear rounded portion and filed flat, before being glued inside the boxed off area, which was made from 1mm strips of plasticard cut to size.

The Powerfist sides of the Dreadnaughts had much the same work done, one had a piece of banding added around the fist by adding another strip of plasticard:

And the business end, the front facings.

The dreadnaught on the left has had its sarcophagus left as was, but the armour planels each side have been paneled over and a Khornate symbol added using plasticard. 

Lots of trophy chains taken from various chaos vehicle kits were then slung under the chassis, all swinging the same direction to convey movement.

The right hand dreadnaught had some damage to the sarcophagus, so this was scraped flat and then a detail added through the plasticard method.

This time the armour planels got a World Eaters symbol and a spare Khorne Crest from a Blood Warrior was added above.

Both dreadnaught have skulls mounted on spikes above the sarcophagi, the spikes made from 3D print supports of all things, the various rivets added to the plates are also from the same source:

The bases, as it normal for my urban assault force, are made from cut up and torn up cork sheeting, along with some random dotted skulls and the "rebar" poking up is actually detonator wire which came from a mine which was closing down.

Alongside Dreadtober, I've also been assembling an Death Korps of Krieg army for a friend in order to play a game against Cardboard Fortress's Guard later in the month when we have another gaming day, so that's why it's taken a little longer then it normally would have to get to this stage.

So next steps are to start painting the pair and getting them ready to face the loyalists across the battlefields of the 31st millennium.

Until next time, have nice day...

* I know, I know, I am trying to add logic and reason to a make believe military force.

It's my hobby and I'll rationalize it anyway I want to thank you.