Death Korps Death Riders, Second Squad.

 

The rolling thunder of an ongoing artillery barrage echoed in the distance as the squad of Deathriders picked their way through the craters and detritus of the previous assaults over this part of the wastelands.

The call for all squads to regroup had come in twenty minutes ago and the riders were urging their bio-modified cybernetic steeds forward as fast as the conditions would allow.

They were being pulled from recon duties to a fast moving counter attack force, but it would take time to gather all their strength.

If only upper command had authorised extra reinforcements for their sector.

The enemy assault had been ongoing for nearly thirty minutes now, judging by the dark ugly smudges of smoke rising in the distance. 

The riders would make the best time they could, the faith and duty of the Kriegsman was without question.

But would the line still be holding when they got there?

The ridemaster upped the pace and his mount looked into a gallop.

Hold the line, he willed, hold the line...

*****

The second squad of Deathriders are complete for my Squadron, which are part of the 261st Siege Regiment.

This is another five man squad with a Flamer included, just to add some spice.

Note Second Squad have yellow stripes, whereas the previously finished First Squad use White as their colour stripes.

Again happy with these, especially now that I've got the trench battleground basing look down. 

True my bases do look very dry and dusty compared to the common tropes of WW1 Trench Warfare, but I like them and they match the terrain I've been working on.

Above is the full squadron so far with both First and Second Squads shown.

Below also accompanying the squads is the mounted Commissar I painted to start this project.

Up next for the squadron is Third Squad, who will use Blue as their marking colour.

Lastly, as a reward I will finish off the Mounted Command Squad who will use a combination of Red and White as their colours.

I have all the miniatures I need printed out for this project, so fingers crossed I can find the much needed time soon.

Until next time, have nice day...

The Ammobunker Character Comparison Challenge.

 

The Ammobunker?

What's that then?

Well, back, maybe ten/fifteen years ago I was a member of the online forum called The Ammobunker (hereby shortened to AB).

It was a great online community with everyone's project logs rattling along (this was way before I started this blog), encouragement galore as we all commented on each other threads and asked/gave advice etc.

There were several events (Ammobunker Bash) organised and a few tables even taken to Games Day (what Warhammer fest used to be called).

I met a fair few friends on the forum and have stayed in touch with them, even through the majority death of forums as things like Facebook and Instagram became popular as Social Media took over.

We made an AB Facebook group and it slowly seemed to die off as well over time with less and less people posting, but still carrying on in the hobby.

Fast forward to March/April this year and on one of our infrequent visits to Element Games, myself and Cardboard Fortress got talking and thinking about reinvigorating the old AB community, seeing if we could get some interest back in the group.

Cardboard took on Admin duties for the page and I busied myself looking for an idea to spark interaction, eventually settling on something like the last one from December 2023!

Cue, The Ammobunker Character Comparison Challenge.

Having access to a 3D printer made this a lot easier, and so I gathered four STLs to let folks vote on which model they wanted to use for the challenge. 

My own vote was null and void because I'd picked the entries, but I definitely had my favourite which sadly didn't get picked.

The three entries which were not picked are pictured here:

And the winning entry with more votes was this Barbarian Warlord:

Printed and based:

Originally we had a surge of interest and excitement with eight people signing up, however with several illnesses, a bereavement and some "just not actually inspired" messages, the field was cut down to half more or less.

The people who took part are listed here below:

My own efforts:

So I had a major problem to begin with in that the primer I used dried glossy instead of matte, you can see the drying lines and marks on the horses neck and saddle as the contrast paints I was using wouldn't adhere properly to the miniature.

This coupled with a span on hospital visits and doctors appointments for the Mrs, and overtime shifts at work severely cut down my hobby time and I couldn't claw back enough free time to get it sorted.

This is disappointing as the challenge was originally my idea and I haven't finished, but real life gets in the way sometimes. I wanted to include this photo of my not finished project to prove that things just don't work out sometimes.

Onto the people who finished!!!

Gavin Turner:

Gavin messaged me when he'd finished and his model looks great. The chestnut horse is very smooth and I appreciate the muzzle flesh rather then the horses dun going all the way to the nose like a lot of people paint.

The metals and skin on the barbarian are again very smooth, I just wonder if the gingerness of the beard was a conscious choice, or a nod at his Scottish lineage?

Mark Peyton:

Mark, I was very pleased actually got the model finished as he had a severely rough couple of months, and I told him originally to just paint it up and not worry about the deadline or such.

But finish he did and I like the contrasting highlights on the horse.

Mark has gone for a bit of a cross between a Chestnut and a Palomino or Dun judging by the lighter colour.

I like how the highlights have been worked up on the horses skin and are very striking and bold compared to the smoothness of Gavin's horse above. Again Mark has taken a different approach with the Barbarian and has an almost silvered finish to the metalwork, interestingly both Gavin and Mark chose to add gold as the accent colour for the engraved runes on the axehead and the metal wings on the helmet.

Cardboard Fortress/Marovian:

Now Cardboard Fortress, longtime friend as regular readers will know, has taken his own approach and it's one of the things I love about looking at stuff like this.

In contrast to both the above efforts, this one is very blocky with the musculature of the horse shown clearly with shading and layering, quite an "old school" painting technique if you look at any older wargames publications.

Again a third horse* as this one is a Black Dun, the purple is an unusual choice of colour, and personally I think too close to the dark horse, but it's not my model. The Wolf fur cloak is especially well done with highlighting picked out.

A mixed result this time, but the miniatures which were finished are fantastic and showcase three different painting styles, which is what I wanted from this challenge.

Hopefully the Ammobunker community will come together and we can organise another challenge for everyone in the future.

Until next time, have nice day...

*Having started the Samurai project with the cavalry and researched Japanese horses, I now know quite a bit about the different colours, marking and breeds of the horse world.

You often find yourself researching the strangest things through this hobby I find.

Trench Warfare - part 3.

 

With the Trench Build continuing on, in the rare moments I'm having to hobby at the moment I took the opportunity to clear something from the desk and had an entire painting session drybrushing the hell out of these pieces to get the finished and table ready.

So in order, we have piece "1A", front:

And rear:

This is piece "2A", from the front:

And the rear, showing off the sandbagged area:

And piece "3A", the larger firing step area from the rear:

And "3A" from the front with the scorch marks:

In order to match my own collection of miniatures, I long ago worked out a generic desert formula for bases which I liked and use on everything of mine (other people's miniatures vary in basing style and that's fine, I just like all my stuff to match).

So from the previous post where I had taken the trenches to the dark wash stage, I start with a drybrush of Baneblade Brown and then go straight up to a highlight/drybrush of Ushabti Bone.

I occasionally hit the very highest of ridges with a VERY LIGHT drybrush of Ulthuan Grey, but very very lightly, just to emphasize the ridge.

Craters and scorch marks start with a base of Abbadon Black and then get drybrushed in order of Corax Black (Heavy) Mechanicus Standard Grey (Medium), Celestra Grey (Light) and finally Ulthuan Grey (Lightest touch).

And because I couldn't resist when I laid them out, I dug out the platoon of Fraser's Krieg army which I have finished so far and added them to the trenches fora few photos:

And this panoramic photo along the finished trenches, very cool:

I'm starting on piece "4A" which will make this section four feet long, and an alternative "2A" piece which will have a bunker added and can be swapped out depending on the narrative of the game.

I can live with the slight gaps in the slope between the modular pieces as these are mainly for gaming, and some I'll take a battering as tike goes on, plus I don't think it's that noticeable once things are in motion.

I think the only addition I want to do in future is to add some grass tufts along the slope, so it's not as barren/desert looking, but I'll need to find a colour set which I am happy with for the overall look and a bulk seller of them.

This is set "A" as I want to build set "B" which will run across the opposite side of the table eventually and enable me to play games between the two lines.

Running assaults across no-mans land, trench raids, etc.

The next piece of terrain I have started is a shatter wood on a hill, based off of some historical photographs off the internet, and I'm going to need yet more Craters to populate no-mans land with.

Until next time, have nice day...

"Tiny" a Bloodbowl spectator and sometime unwelcome player.

 

A quick post of a model I have been working on for Duncan.

This is Tiny, a hardcore Blood Bowl supporter who follows whichever tram has the shiniest kit when he looks over.

Obviously he's a giant from GW, but Duncan converted him with the huge sign, made out of plasticard planks, distressed with a Dremel for woodgrain texture and then a layer of green stuff roughly flattened out for his sign.

The Beer-Hat was cobbled together with barrels, GW rope bits from the old Empire sprues and some stiff wire for the drinking straws.

I took the time to follow a skin tutorial off of eBay in order to get a bit more life to it, with a purple wash in there for Shadows rather hen using straight Fleshshade or such, it gives a different feel straight away.

As well as stippling the highlight colours on rather then drybrushing to get some more texture.

The tattoos started as freehand with Talassar Contrast Blue, and then stippled over with the main skin highlights to make them seem weathered and faded like real tattoos.

For the various rags which make up his trousers, I took various Empire trooper colours and some generic leather browns, and added in the blue-white stripes for some fun.

Washed down with Earthshade and layered back up messily to get a dirty, old feel to them.

So there he is.

The base and banner are purposely left blank, as Duncan can base him to match his team/giant army for AoS, and the banner can be added to when he settles on a design for it.

A fun project which was a good diversion from my main 40k grinds at the moment.

Until next time, have nice day...

Trench Warfare - part 2.

 

Trench Warfare continues as the first three sections of trench have now been completed, giving me and entire three foot stretch of trench to cover my table with side to side on the short length.

These are all very generic coded throughout to be used with multiple games systems, as that was always the endgame with these.

Lots of coffee stirrers were chopped up for the wooden duckboards and revetments holding up the firing step.

I also had several plates of nothing but sandbags printed for me, and have been using them by the dozen each time I picked up a piece of terrain.

I also tried to make each section have a bit of a narrative element but fit in with the next pieces along.

For example, section 2, shown here, has a crater blown in the frontline, but has been shored up quickly with a couple of lines of sandbags until the engineers can repair it properly.

Meanwhile, section 3, shown here, is a larger firing area suitable for heavy weapons teams to set up a strong point.

I also added little details, like the extra supported firing step and the planks with securing's fastened over them,.as if the engineers were disturbed during a maintenance session and left them there to fight the enemy off...

Section 3 in full from above.

After the build was finished, I took some brown spray paint for priming and giving everything a cohesive look.

This step also has the added bonus of locking in any loose sand and ground cover which hasn't quite been grabbed by the layers of PVA glue.

And painting begins, sandbags get a bone/off white base, anything wood got a Baneblade Brown basecoat and military equipment gets a neutral Death Guard Green base which is a lighter NATO style green.

And finally the entire terrain set gets washed with a homemade black-brown wash to shade everything and get it ready for drybrushing up to finished level.

And we leave them there for now, the next update (hopefully) shouldn't be as long in coming.

Until next time, have nice day...

Hobby Spending - June 2025.

 

The hottest month of the year so far has passed, with no end of the heatwave here in Britain looking like ending anytime soon.

Unfortunately it's also been one of the busiest months for us at work as the Steelworks are ramping up production, so our trains are in motion constantly and we're STILL short staffed...

This means that I, yet again, haven't had much time for hobby, but did make a purchase after the seller sent a discounted off through DM on eBay.

This Bunker, in 28/32mm scale is FDM printed (I normally print in resin), and is really nicely detailed and proportioned for what it is... essentially a box with wings.

It's pictures here put together, with Kriegsman Karl on the roof for scale.

I need a sheet of 6mm MDF from a hardware shop to make a base for it, but I'm planning on making it fit into my modular trenches as a replacement section if used.

I'm not going to add anything too 40k overtime to it, so that just like the trenches themselves, I can use it for anything from WW1 historical up to 40k and with some Warmahordes thrown in as well (eventually).

The numbers;

Purchases:

3D printed Bunker - £8.

Total for June: £8

Budget for June: £50

Over/Under Yearly Budget: under budget by £132.97.

There you have it, a short and to the point post, but that's all for now.

Until next time, have nice day...

World Eaters Lord Invocatus.

 

The offerings to Khorne had been great...

Centurion Skaldast, elevated to one of Khorne's favoured champions now rode maniacally down the Imperial defence line, slicing heads and arms with his massive eviscerator chainsword as he went. His Juggernaut goring at Imperial soldiers or trampling the wounded into a bloody paste as it charged, the heating from it's furnace body cooking off munitions as it passed

Ahead, a tight knot of guardsmen were forming around an Autocannon team, being commanded by a Commissar. Rounds sparked from the iron hide of the beast and Skaldast's armour as they hunkered down into a full speed charge.

A lucky shot smacked into the meat of his arm, piercing the soft seal of the elbow joint. Skaldast grunted at the momentary pain and braced to take the Commissar's head.

Like a force of nature the superheated daemonic monster hit the soldiers, crushing two which were unlucky enough to be caught by iron shod hooves the size of their chest. It lashed out and kicked the Autocannon mounting into the air, the weight of the weapon slamming another guardsman into a paste.

As the Juggernaut reared and swung it's head in a vicious arc, a guardsman close to it was blow apart by his lasrifles cooking off and exploding against his chest as Skaldast launched himself from it's back, bringing his chainsword down in a two handed swing.

He missed his target as the Commissar stepped aside, and the chainsword bit angrily into the churned earth, revving loudly as it threw soil and blood about in equal measure.

With a riposte and strike, the Commissars own chainsword swung and sparked along Skaldast's shoulder plates, marking the rune of Khorne embossed in brass. He struck again hitting the side of Skaldast's helmet and momentarily causing the helmet lenses to fill with interference.

The butcher's nails were screaming in the back of Skaldast's skull, demanding he do something to this upstart mortal who has struck him twice.

Blindingly fast, he ripped the eviscerator from the ground, whirled it over his head and slammed it through the chainsword of the Commissar, causing the lesser weapons motors to explode, taking the Commissars hand with it.

With a roll of his shoulders, Skaldast redirected the momentum of the swing and separated the head from neck of his prey.

Stopping to retrieve the head, and Commissariat cap, he turned to find his Juggernaut waiting for him, impatiently pawing at the earth, digging huge clops of turf from the ground each time.

Around them was pure carnage as body parts mingled amongst a growing pool of blood, as the attack moved on again...

*****

Back with another World Eaters model and another Character.

This time a Lord Invocatus*, the character who could have easily been an Aspiring Champion mounted on a Juggernaut.

I used the same red scheme as I did in my last post about the Master of Executions, basically Flesh Tearers Red, Berzerker Bloodshade but this time I layered back up with a little Khorne Red, on the top third of the armour panel.

Likewise the bronze is same scheme being Retributor Armour and Berzerker Bloodshade.

The main difference here though is the Juggernaut, being coal black and having a furnace type look to the rest of the body.

The furnace glow had to be tackled first, and started with a basecoat of Gryph Hound Orange, this was then stippled with Trollslayer Orange, Fire Dragon Bright and then Averland Sunset.

It was then washed with Berzerker Bloodshade, before having a very light drybrush with Averland Sunset again.

The main armour panels were tackled after all this was done, starting with a layer of Corvus Black and then washed with Berzerker Bloodshade, finally being layered back on with Corvus Black, but only a third of the way down each panel.

Metals are the same Bronze as the Lord and the silver is simply Leadbelcher washed with Berzerker Bloodshade, I also took the time to pick out the various trophy skulls and the World Eaters symbol** on his shoulder.

Basing is the usual rocky/deserty scrubland, I used some extra grass tufts which i haven't before on this model, the slightly darker ones.

I normally buy from Warpainter.net 

These new ones I bought from a model railway shop in Caistor, North Lincolnshire, whilst at work*** and they are produced by the model railway manufacturer Peco.

They are darker then my usual go to tufts and a lot more rigid as I cut them in half to make better positioning around the rocky surface I built up using cork.

Whilst slightly more expensive, being 60 tufts for £6 instead of 114 tufts for £5 from Warpainter, I do recommend the Peco tufts for variety and quality.

So, Centurion Skaldast gives me another 20 points for my OPC total for the Plastic Crack podcast, I'm well down on my target, but the year is only halfway gone.

Until next time, have nice day...

*GWs naming convention gets worse and worse.

**I would have preferred generic chaos shoulder pads, but Fraser had already built everything before giving me his army, so I can't complain really (and I wasn't about to fuck around and find out, trying to get the pads off these models and ruining a lot of models in the process... I'll keep them as World Eaters, just allied alongside my Black Legion).

***Being a modeller and Wargamer I am always on the lookout for model supplies wherever I can find them.

The fact that I was driving to Boston to work the Steel Coil train and passed the model shop on the way was a bonus, I called in on my way back to our home yard at Scunthorpe and ended up in a conversation with the elderly man who owned the shop about working on the railway as a career.