The Feudal Japanese Project - part 6. Sohei Command.

 

The morning mist still clung to the slopes of Mount Izuna when Captain Renkō of the Uesugi Sohei drew his blade and turned to face his assembled warriors. Clad in red and yellow lacquered armour, their faces half-hidden behind cloth and prayer beads, the monks stood in silent ranks, the faint chiming of metal rings from their naginata hafts whispering like wind through a temple garden. Below them, in the valley, the banners of the Hojo clan rippled in black and white — invaders, desecrators, men who had come to burn the monasteries of Echigo and seize the holy mountain passes. Renkō raised his hand to the sky. “For Bishamonten, the God of War!” he cried. The mountain answered with the roar of a hundred voices.

The monks surged forward, descending the slope like an avalanche of faith and fury, the hiss of arrows slicing through the air. Hojo archers loosed volleys in panic, their shafts striking armour and passing through saffron robes — but still the Sohei came, their formation unbroken. Renkō led from the front, his crimson and grey banner trailing behind him like a comet’s tail. His katana swept wide, the curved blade flashing through armour and flesh as he smashed into the Hojo vanguard.

The impact was like the meeting of storm and sea. Steel met steel, and the calm chants of the monks turned to war cries. The Hojo line wavered, unused to such disciplined fury. Renkō fought as though possessed, his weapon cutting through men and spearshafts alike, the iron rings on its haft chiming like temple bells. Around him, his brothers formed a tight wedge, pressing deeper into the enemy formation. Even as they fell, their mouths still moved in prayer.

But the Hojo were no mere rabble. Their captains rallied them, forming spear walls and driving horses down from the flanks. A mounted samurai thundered toward Renkō, his blade gleaming. The Sohei captain sidestepped, catching the horse’s bridle and dragging the rider from his saddle in a burst of strength. With one motion, Renkō brought his blade down, ending the man’s cry before it could form. The clash grew thick with smoke and sweat, and the monks began to chant once more — not for victory now, but for transcendence.

*****

It has been a while since I posted anything Samurai related on here, but I carved out some painting time recently and buckled down to finish these four miniatures of the Sohei Command Cadre which I started over eighteen months ago...

Well, not to repeat things from previous posts recently, but life has kind of gotten in the way recently and I've had to work projects in amongst everything else.

As this group of models were 75% finished, I decided to buckle down and finish them off for another "easy win" to keep momentum and enthusiasm high.

Originally, I was going to use the Samurai for a big Hail Caesar project, and I might still do that, but I've also been working on a campaign for Lion Rampant using these models and my own custom ruleset for larger skirmish games of about 50-70 models per side, so I decided to keep them on individual round bases to be useful for different gaming systems.

The complete command staff, all from Kyoushuneko Miniatures and 3D printed by me at home.

We'll start with the two "Gunsou" (Sergeants). Both of which I chopped up a little to change their Spears to Katana to match the Daimyo (more later). I tried to mix things a little, but ensure that they still had the Saffron Yellow robes, for which the Sohei were famous. But then I mixed the other colours around on different areas of the models to give individuality to them, and also to ensure that the historical reason for the Sashimono (the back banners) was actually real, and not just because "they're pretty" like I've heard some people say before, when referencing the period.

Taichou Renkō, the leader/warlord. This was actually the model which started the whole process of this project. I've been interested in Japanese history since my late teens, and read about the great battles of Kawanakajima many times. Uesugi Kenshin is a great historical personality, and one of my favourites as I was studying the period when I was younger.
So I decided that when this model, the Sohei Daimyo, was on special offer and reduced in price I was going to get it just to paint. One thing led to another and we ended up here, with about project on the go...

Anyway, I decided to keep the colour palette very constrained on this leader mode, representing his better equipment which he could pay more for and not have to mix and match like everyone else.
So Yellow and Reds are Warlike colours and fitted with the look I was wanting to achieve, I also took pains to try to get some of the silk patterning from real period armour onto the model, so the stripes of red and yellow, which contrast really nicely with the white headwrap and black Jinbaori (overcoat).
I love the confident stalking forward pose with the sword held low.

The banner bearer of the group comes from the Sohei command pack, and carriers an Uma Jurushi type banner, they had a lot of different types of banner in this period. The Sengoku Jidai, as well as being known as "The Age of the Country at War" is also sometimes referred to as "The Age of Flags". Kind of fitting with all the back banners and then banner types declaring a Daiymo's prowess and different clans, etc.

The Sohei himself was painted as the previous models, but the banner is where I could really try something. Some of the banner of the period are really, REALLY elaborate and intricate with lines of writing declaring a haiku or verses from Buddhist religious texts or the Art of War (the Samurai were obsessed with Sun Tzu's writing).
I decided I wanted to try free-handing the banner and hopped onto google translate.
The text I translated into Japanese Kanji reads "Heaven on Earth" which is the last line of a historical death poem*. 

Autumn wind fades…
My shadow drifts from the world,
silent as snowfall.
One breath, one last remembrance—
Heaven on Earth

A lot of fine brush control was needed for the Kanji, something I'll have to try to replicate as I move through the different units eventually. The red swirl was taken from a documented Sashimono of the Asai clan, a derivative of their main colours, but suitable for my purposes.

As for the Sashimono on these models, I wanted something simple which wouldn't detract from the main models, but also wasn't just a flat one colour flag. So I altenated stripes between the deep red and dark greys I had on my table when I got to that stage. I think they turned out well and I am purposely not adding a "Mon" (symbol) to them, so that they can be used between the main clans as a backup force, as the Sohei fought for whoever would most serve their own political goals at the time.
Oda Nobunaga broke their power and burned nearly every temple he came across during his march on Kyoto because he was tired of their interreference in his efforts to unit Japan under his banner!

I decided then to brush off the Sohei I had finished previously and take a full battalion/warband photo.

They're looking good so far, and I want to pick up the Kyoushuneko Sohei archers and cavalry at some point to add to the force. One of the cavalry models I will only print one copy of and I will modify him to be a mounted Daimyo, maybe even Uesugi Kenshin himself, unless I can find a good STL which represents him and keeps the look of the Kyoushuneko models themselves.

Next for the Samurai project, I have a unit of Cavalry I have been working on to finish and I've started on a unit of Samurai on foot as well. I may finish to cavalry and then force myself to paint an Ashigaru unit, as these were the main troops of the period. The Samurai are akin to Medieval knights of Western Europe, the Ashigaru would be the Men-At-Arms/Levy troops raised to fill out the armies.



A note about Mount Hiei:

Mount Hiei is located North East of Kyoto and has been the feature of many folk tales over the ages. It was thought to be home of the Demons of Shinto lore, although it is predominantly known for the Buddhist monks, Sohei, who originate from the temples of Enryaku-Ji.

First created in 788, the temple rapidly gained prestige and power by protecting the ancient Japanese Capital of Kyoto as it was thought in ancient geomancy that certain negative spirits originated from the North East direction. Thus the temple was thought to be a protective bulwark for the capital which led to its rise within the political power structures of the Imperial Court during the Heian period, 8th-12th centuries.

Enryaku-Ji is notable for being documented as the birthplace of the Buddhist Tendai sect, unique to Japan and nearly all later schools of Buddhism within Japan originated from the Tendai sect, founded by ex-monks of the temple. These include sects such as Honen, Nichiren and Shinran teachings.
The temple at Enryaku-Ji was said to have an image of the Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) enshrined within it, to which the monks would meditate before.
The founder of the complex, Saicho, also lit a lamp of oil before the Buddha and prayed that the lamp would never be extinguished. Now known as the Fumetsu no Hoto (Inextingsuishable Dharma Lamp), it has remained in the temple and remained lit for more then 1200 years.

Until next time, have nice day...

*Death Poem's or "Jisei" (or more popularly known in the west as Haiku's) are short, spare poems written either by one before their death, or by someone else afterwards honouring someone who deserved it. They follow a particular rhythm and number of syllables in each line creating a unique cadance when read aloud.

Trench Warfare - part 6.

 

With not much time available to start bigger projects,  I turned my attention to the fleece blanket I had bought to use as the ground mat.

This was just a bargain £3 fleece from.my local B&M, I picked up a grey blanket at the same time to use for urban battles.

It looks a little flat as basic though...

So with an afternoon spare this past weekend, I grabbed a bunch of rattle cans and set about trying to spray some variation patterning onto the surface.

This looks a lot better.

It's a mix of Light and Mid Browns, some Death Guard Green and a little Medium Grey just for variation.

It's a very "old school" way of making a gaming cloth, and very budget friendly, considering I already had the rattle cans in stock, and most of them which I used were the end of life stage anyway, I wasn't going to get much priming done with them. 

I could have invested into a Neoprene mat, like they sell and use at Element Games, but I'd need to buy a 4'x4' mat, then trim one edge down to fit my table, which is 4'x3'. Then I'd have to go through the trouble of hemming the edge which I cut as I dislike the messy look it would have left.
Not to mention the fact that a Neoprene mat runs to maybe £30-£40, almost ten times as much as I paid for the fleece!

So, just like the rest of the terrain in this project, it's an "old school" scratchbuilt flavour, which I prefer as it ensures that none of my terrain looks like anybody else's. Sure the 3D printed parts may look like another project, but it is how we use the parts given to us which differ, and that most of the trenches and craters are all scratchbuilt mean they won't be repeated down the line.

I decided, as I had the lid up on the table for photograph's, to take some of the mat with trenches and miniatures in use.
So here are some of my Deathwatch Astartes fighting it out with my Tyranids:

Before spraying the fleece:

After spraying the fleece, doesn't it make such a difference to the look:

I'm getting real old-GW feel from this project already, remember back in 5th edition Fantasy, 3rd/4th edition 40k when they would always include a homemade terrain building section in the hobby area of the book.

Better times.

Next for this project, when I get some free time to invest, I think will definitely be a set of minefields and more craters, before I start on the opposite side trenchworks.
I also have another terrain project in mind, which would work well for this trenchworks table, and a desert themed table, nut that's currently coming off the 3D printer. 


Until next time, have nice day...

Dreadtober 2025, Fire in the Void - part 4.

 

Fire in the Void

The chronicled account of Brother-Sergeant Kael'en Dra'vok, Salamanders 4th Company

---

Part IV – The Enemy's Face.

Through the smoke and ruin stepped a figure of dark command: Captain Malric Veyden, a cunning warlord of the Astral Claws. Unlike.his liege, Lugft Huron, he did not rely on charisma or spectacle. His strength lay in numbers, strategy, and precision. Behind him, a tide of Silver and Blue-armored warriors spilled forth, bolters spitting death, chainswords revving in mechanical glee.

Veyden’s eyes glinted with malice as he surveyed the battlefield. “The Salamanders bleed,” he whispered through vox, each word a blade of taunting ice. “Yet they will not fall until the last breath is spent.” His command brought coordination to the chaotic corridors, every reinforcements deployed with terrifying timing.

Bray’Arth raised his weapons, feeding flames through the hallway. Bolter fire and close-combat fury tore through Veyden’s forces, but the sheer weight of the enemy pushed back the Salamanders. Kael'en’s squad found themselves isolated, flanked on both sides. The narrow corridors became deathtraps, and every step forward demanded the courage of Imperial Heroes.

Malric Veyden himself struck with deadly precision, a whirlwind of sword and bolt, carving through space and flesh. His presence unnerved even the most stalwart Salamanders, forcing them to recognize the depth of the threat. It was not merely a battle; it was a crucible of attrition and will.

The Salamanders braced. Even in the face of staggering numbers, even in the shadow of a cunning warlord, they would not falter. The fire of Nocturne would find its mark.

*****

So the end of Dreadtober approaches, and I've not gotten Bray'arth Ashmantle completed.

Le sigh...

In spite of my best efforts, I've had to put the hobby down for a bit and take care of the Mrs who is having health problems.

I have managed to get Bray'arth's right arm completed fully to give an idea of where I am going with him eventually:

And the full Dreadnaught for the deadline and how far I got:

I had to ditch the printed base as it warped for some reason, so I'll scratch build starship bases when I get into Project Badab fully.

*****

The Hall of Flames

The munitions corridor was a death trap. Ammunition racks stretched for fifty meters, volatile promethium tanks lining the walls. Kael’en hesitated for a fraction of a second—but Bray’Arth did not.

He ignited both flamers, the streams merging into an inferno that devoured the length of the hall. The Astral Claws screamed as fire rolled over them, detonating shells and fuel in a chain of explosive purgation. The shockwave washed over Bray’Arth’s armor, bathing him in a glow of righteous fury.

When the smoke cleared, the corridor was gone—transformed into a twisted, glowing passage of melted steel. The few survivors stumbled through the haze, their armor sloughing from their bodies. Bray’Arth strode among them, claws striking down the fallen like an executioner in a temple of flame.

Kael’en’s voice came softly over the vox, reverent, almost prayerful.

“Ashes to ashes. Fire to fire.”

Bray’Arth’s response was a low, mechanical growl.

“Thus the forge is purified.”

He moved onward, unyielding, as the fires of his wrath continued to burn behind him.

---

Until next time, have nice day...

Dreadtober 2025, Fire in the Void - part 3.

 

Fire in the Void

The chronicled account of Brother-Sergeant Kael'en Dra'vok, Salamanders 4th Company

---

Part III – A Setback

A scream echoed down the metallic corridor, a sound of terror and finality. Brother-Sergeant Kael'en Dra'vok dropped to his knees beside the motionless form of Chaplain Xav'ien impaled by a power sword from some unseen assailant. The hallway smelled of burnt ceramite and the metallic tang of blood. Silence fell, a deadly quiet over the remaining Salamanders, even as Bray’Arth’s flamers ignited in vengeance.

Xav'ien had been a beacon of morale, his voice a hammer of faith. Without him, hesitation flickered like a candle in the wind. The Astral Claws exploited the moment, pressing with reinforced squads, storming from concealed passages. The Salamanders faltered, retreating to more defensible positions.

Bray’Arth’s fists tore through enemies with unchecked wrath, but even the Dreadnaught’s might could not hold every breach. The corridors were narrow, the fire deadly, and the shadows teemed with foes emboldened by the loss of the Chaplain. Kael'en gritted his teeth, rallying what remained, but every step forward demanded blood, every corner held ambush.

For a brief, horrifying moment, the assault threatened to stall entirely. A secondary breach tore open a side corridor, and more foes poured through, their armored forms gleaming black under emergency lighting. The Salamanders’ advance faltered; the cost of Xav'ien’s death became grotesquely clear.

Yet even in setback, there was resolve. Kael'en’s voice rang out with the Canticle of Nocturne, steel in every syllable, rallying and calling the warriors forward. Bray’Arth’s systems hummed with the promise of retaliation. The Salamanders would not yield. They were fire made flesh, and fire consumes all.

*****

This is the latest third installment of Dreadtober 2025.

I've been very hit and miss with this project as I've had a busy month with work and running the Mrs around to hospital appointments, so obviously hobby related guff has taken a backseat so far.

With a good week and a half of leave from work and nothing hospital related (fingers crossed) for the foreseeable future, I managed to sit down and have a good painting session this past couple of days and get some serious progress done on Bray'arth.

Firstly I managed to get all the basecoats down, inspire of having lost my pot of Runelord Brass for an entire afternoon...

A lot of the metals are Runelord Brass, mainly for trim on the edge of armour, and Leadbelcher which is for all the mechanical bits and pipes, etc.

Retributor Gold was used for the chapter symbols and the written plates which are riveted onto Bray'arth's chassis in various locations.

The Flames have been started with Averland Sunset and the black panels are Corvus Black, as I wanted a really dark black-grey as opposed to a pure black colour.

The main colour everyone is probably wondering about is the green, which is Waaagh! Flesh. I nice rich dark green, which I feel pulls towards that 30k look without having to go out and buy new paints like Vulkan Green, etc.

The next step is the messy one, in that he gets covered entirely with Agrax Earth shade.

This shades the entire model in one go, warming the metals and adding depth to the green, whilst adding a richness to the Corvus Black, which I only found out by accident when painting some Black Legion.

This is how Bray'arth Ashmantle stands at the moment. Next steps are to reblock in the base colours and then edge highlight. Finally the flames will get that classic GW yellow-orange-red transition if I can pull it off.

I've still got plenty of time to get him finished, later in the month then I originally planned, but that's life.

*****

 Shadows in the Halls

Darkness settled like a shroud in the underdecks, the kind that swallowed even auspex readings. Bray’Arth paused, motionless save for the slow exhale of his reactor core. “They hide,” he murmured through the vox, “like vermin in the forge’s ash.”

Then came the strike—shapes falling from the ceiling vents, silent and fast. Renegade assassins, their armor blackened and their blades poisoned with cowardice. They struck with desperation, blades scraping harmlessly against his armor before flame erupted in retaliation.

The corridor ignited. Shadows screamed as they burned, their forms thrashing in the sudden inferno. Kael’en’s squad moved in behind him, precise and merciless, cutting down any who escaped Bray’Arth’s reach.

One assassin tried to flee. Bray’Arth extended a claw and caught the foe mid-stride, lifting him effortlessly. “You chose darkness,” he rumbled, voice echoing like a furnace god’s verdict. “And the dark will claim you.” The renegade’s body turned to ash in his grip.

When the flames subsided, nothing moved but the slow drift of smoke. Bray’Arth advanced once more, the firelight dancing over his armor as he whispered a single word—half machine prayer, half vow.

“Purge.”

---

Until next time,  have nice day...

Dreadtober 2025, Fire in the Void - part 2.

 

Fire in the Void.

The chronicled account of Brother-Sergeant Kael'en Dra'vok, Salamanders 4th Company .

---

Part II – First Push

Through the atrium, the Salamanders surged like a tide of living flame. Bray’Arth’s claws shredded reinforced armor, scattering renegades like chaff before a storm. Kael'en moved beside him, the thunder of his boltgun merging with the rhythm of his heart, each burst a promise of vengeance.

The Astral Claw’ numbers were great, yet disorganization marked them. Brother-Captain Jorath Vey'len, a stalwart of the fourth company, directed flanking maneuvers against the renegades with grim efficiency. Corridors became crucibles; fire licked every wall, every ceiling vent, and every corner became a tomb for the overconfident enemy.

Yet the enemy struck with cunning. Explosive charges littered junctions, and close-range firefights erupted as loyalist warriors were forced to leap from cover to cover. Despite these trials, Bray’Arth moved like a sentinel of flame, shielding the advancing Salamanders, a living engine of destruction.

Kael'en’s squad cleared a reinforced door with a Melta charge, revealing a command nexus within the ship. Holo-screens flickered in alarm; the Astral Claws were attempting to regroup. The Salamanders pressed, each step forward bringing them closer to the heart of enemy command, each shot fired a statement that mercy was extinguished in the void.

The first push ended with the corridors of the Obsidian Vigil littered with bodies, yet the Salamanders held their formation. For a moment, victory seemed near. But the void is patient, and patience harbors its own horrors.

*****

So, the first proper post of Dreadtober 2025 will be a short one, but decent progress has been made.

Bray'arth Ashmantle is now assembled, but in four sub-assemblies for painting.

I managed to get a slight striding forward pose with the legs without too much work which I am happy about, on e I've angled his body for final assembly he'll be purposely moving forward.

The base, I have a mixture of industrial type bases for Project Badab as everything is going to be based upon spaceship boarding (I'm writing my own campaign system to follow, more on this soon). Some of the bases are as thick as this one, other are a base topper thing type, so I made the decision to just put everything ontop of a base and go from there making a unified basing scheme.

Next was priming.

Bray'arth I primed Death Guard Green this is because I am heading towards the darker Horus Heresy colour scheme e rather then the really bright primary green of 40k.

The next step will be getting a layer of Waaagh! Flesh down as this is the best green I have available for the scheme, without going out and buying new paint. Abaddon Black, Runelord Brass, Retributor Armour and Leadbelcher will finish off the main colours, the flame motif's will get their colours later after the wash stage.

The base was primed white in readiness for a light off-white style basing scheme, think like the corridors in the habitation unit in the first Alien film, but weathered and lived in.

That's the image I have in mind, and everything will contrast nicely against it, and the planned scenery I have in mind for Project Badab.

*****

The Melta Breach

The bulkhead ahead was a barrier of black iron and defiance. For a moment, silence reigned—then Bray’Arth stepped forward. “Stand clear,” he intoned, his voice low, ancient, and absolute, clear through the vox-grille.

He raised his claws and unleashed twin streams of searing flame. Metal softened, screaming as it warped, before the Dreadnaught’s shoulder drove forward. The door burst inward with a detonation of sparks and superheated air.

Through the breach, the Astral Claws rallied, their defiance commendable but meaningless. Bray’Arth surged into them like a living siege engine, one claw crushing a defender against the wall, the other tearing a bolter from another’s grip before reducing its bearer to cinders. The corridor filled with smoke and heat, but to him it was home—an echo of the forges of Nocturne

Sergeant Kael’en’s voice filtered through the vox, steady and reverent:

“The way is open. The fire leads.”

Bray’Arth did not answer. His sensors were already sweeping ahead, tracking movement deeper within the vessel. The machine-spirit within him burned with purpose. The flame had found its fuel.

---

Until next time, have nice day...

Dreadtober 2025, Fire in the Void - part 1.

 

Fire in the Void

The chronicled account of Brother-Sergeant Kael'en Dra'vok, Salamanders 4th Company

---

Part I – The Initial Assault

The void was a frozen tomb. The Obsidian Vigil, support cruiser of the Astral Claws chapter, drifted silently, its bulk punctuated by the flickering energy spark gleam of shattered void shields and splintered hull plating drifting in the void. Through the darkness, fiery beacons streaked across the gap—assault pods, forged in the fires of Nocturne itself, carrying the wrath of the Salamanders. Inside, the ceramite-suited forms of the Chapter’s 2nd Company braced for the violent welcome the renegades would deliver upon their arrival.

Bray’Arth Ashmantle’s Dreadnaught hull glimmered with the patina of countless campaigns. His twin-linked heavy flamers roared to life, spilling searing tongues of flame into the breach, wreckage stillsettling at the assault pods violent approach. He moved with methodical precision, feet of adamantine stepping over molten wreckage as he led the charge. Brother-Sergeant Kael'en Dra'vok followed close, bolter at the ready, every fibre of his being a furnace of righteous wrath.

The breach was met with a storm of bolter fire and the burning walls of flamer weapons, meltas splintering bulkheads and illuminating the void-torn corridors with brief, blinding brilliance. The Astral Claws defenders recoiled, their ferocity undiminished, but the Salamanders advanced. Smoke and flame mingled with the acrid stench of plasma, painting every surface in molten gold and crimson.

Kael'en’s squad moved with practiced synchrony, breaching doors and cutting down foes before they could form cohesive ranks. Every strike was precise; every flamestoke a cleansing judgment. The corridor’s end opened into the central atrium of the Obsidian Vigil, where the roar of battle awaited.

Even as the Salamanders pressed, the whispers of fate drifted through the smoke. Bray’Arth’s visor glowed, scanning for targets of import, while Kael'en’s heart hammered in anticipation. They had taken the first step into the heart of darkness—but the shadow of the Astral Claws would not yield so easily.

*****

It's that time of the year again, when the blog/online hobby community all take to their painting tables and paint something big and armoured.

Dreadtober is back and I'm going to take part for my fourth year.

With things still being up in the air staff wise at work so to speak, and me not knowing just how much time I'm going to have to devote to the hobby, I'm only working on one Dreadnaught this year, but it's a special one.

As I download various STL files for "Project Badab" (more information coming soon), I have had t make the difficult choice of just which chapters to include in my project, as there are far too many through the entire Badab Wars campaign for me to pick EVERYONE!

One of the Loyalists which was an auto include were the Salamanders, with their storyline within and negotiating a ceasefire and surrender with the Executioners chapter being a particular highlight.
When Forge World were originally producing the Badab War big books, and obviously a slice of models to accompany them. One of the models they produced was a named Dreadnaught for the Salamanders, one Bray'Arth Ashmantle.

Perfect.

Perfect to cross something off the list for Project Badab AND take part in Dreadtober with.

So, with some searching I found an excellent STL of the Dreadnaught and seven hours later, my own model was in my hands, de-supported, washed and cured, ready to begin modelling on.

The STL comes in a LOT more pieces then the original Forge World model, which was a resin base copy of the (then current) plastic dreadnaught.
I'm hoping to have him built by the end of this week (I'm writing this on the second of October. and can then get him primed up this weekend, ready to begin work on.

Please head on over to the Dreadtober blog page as there are eleven or twelve of us taking part again this year, and any and all comments are welcome, as there will be links to everyones blogs/instagram pages with updates and WIP photos and everything.

*****

Fire and Iron

The corridor was a narrow tomb of steel and shadow, yet Bray’Arth Ashmantle moved through it like a living inferno. Every step of his adamantine feet sent shudders through the deckplates, every sweep of his massive claws tore reinforced doors and enemy armor alike. The screams of the Astral Claws reverberated off the walls, drowned beneath the roar of flamers that ignited everything in their path.

Kael’en and his squad flanked him, bolters blazing, but it was Bray’Arth who commanded the space. He was fire incarnate, a sentinel of judgment whose mechanical frame consumed enemy resistance as though it were kindling. Every strike of his claws carved death with precision, every movement clearing a path through the choke-point that had once seemed impenetrable.

A squad of Silver and Blue-armoured foes surged from a side hatch, hoping to stem the advance. Bray’Arth swung his claws in a sweeping arc, tearing the first two apart and sending the remainder sprawling into the walls. Sparks rained from twisted ceramite, metal screamed under the force of impact, and the corridor itself seemed to groan beneath the weight of his assault.

Even in the smoke and chaos, Bray’Arth’s sensors scanned, assessing every threat, calculating every strike, directing the path of destruction. The corridor became his domain, every shadow a target, every spark a warning. No Astral Claw could withstand him; no corner offered safety. He was the engine of purification, and nothing in his path would survive the judgment of flame.

---

Until next time, have nice day...

Trench Warfare - part 5.

 

As the trench wae table grinds on, I turned my attention to something other then trenches.

I wanted a bit of variety in terrain and was going to make a catered hill or a blasted wood...so I chose to combine the two ideas I to one piece.

An idle Sunday evening after work sparked then idea to start as I looked at the huge 80m coil of pinning wire I use on models.

Several strands of this were cut loose at about twelve inches length and then twisted together to give a very rough tree armature.

Bloodgor Barry is present for scale.

More wire strands were cut and twisted together and around the original armature to make some branches at different heights.

Two other trees were made at the same.time, one taller and the other shorter then the original.

I also took a carving knife to a chunk of insulation polystyrene and made my hill and crater, glued to a 6mm MDF base.

The tree armatures were roughly placed at thisntime to get an idea of what would fit where. 

Next steps.were to cover the exposed foam with a layer of aluminium foil to smooth it out, before adding a mixture of interior filler AND PVA glue to create the landform.

This tenique was also tried on the tree by mixing some.basing sand Antonio as well, to imitate some tree bark textures.

Again Bloodgor Barry makes an appearance.

When ground cover was being thrown at the hill,  I started with a layer of neat PVA and some pet wood shavings to get a rough, fallen branches type look, before spraying everything with watered down PVA and throwing basing sand over it all...three times.

Here you can see how the wood shavings breaknupnthe flat surface ofnthe top of the hill.

After spraying the hillnwith brown primer,  I turned my attention to the trees, having done the same aluminium foil and watered down filler/PVA mix, I thenfolled them in a tub of ground up wood shavings to make more of a tree texture, I don't think they're bad for a first attempt.

I hit them with successive sprays of grey primer, light and mid brown and some NATO camo green i had lying around. This gets a variety of the similar shaded colours onto the trees and stops them just being GREY or BROWN, as real trees aren't just one colour.

You can also see how the positioning has changed frombthe previous photos.

I wanted the original tree to be 'off center' and bent one of the root segments upwards, as if the blast which made the crater had dislodged the tree.

Then, and i didn't take photos of this section of the build unfortunately,  I bedded the trees into the groundform with again with a mix of PVA, sand and filler, and then I went over it to make it stronger with AK Sandy Desert texture paste mixed with sand.

These were then all blended into the ground through painting my usual ground base colour recipe and the usual.black/grey for the crater.

This black/grey was added to the tree on the edge of the crater, to show that side had been burnt by the explosion.

Finally here is the finished piece on my fleece playing cloth.

This is the first piece of terrain I have added to this set which isn't a crater or trench, so I'm glad with how it turned out to match everything else.

The trees were a first attempt and not bad, definitely room for improvement,  but I'm working towards that. The lack of foliage and branches comes from historical World War 1 photos of woodland which had been shelled.

Often there would be the trunks of the trees stood upright with no branches (or very few) and i wanted to replicate that on my model.

Which, as I said there was room for improvement,  I think I've achieved my goal which I wanted to represent.

I haven't added as many trees as you'd normally find in a heavily wooded area, as I do want my terrain to be playable at the end of the day.

Another piece of terrain down, more craters i think next, possibly some barbed wire stands as I've seen a building guide on how to make them in the WW1 style, rather then the Czech Hedgehogs from WW2, which i have made a few of.

Until next time, have nice day...

Hobby Spending - July/August 2025.

 

It's been two months without a spending update, let's fix that now.

I've bought myself a few bits this period, due to working overtime a lot and having I think four days off total in July and three in August, I used the hobby store trip and a blindingly good find on eBay as rewards for dealing with both work and the hospital/doctors for the Mrs.

With Project Badab going to take center stage at some point next year, I grabbed this novel about then exorcists when I saw it in my LGS, I've not gotten round to starting it yet, but I'll do a review of it when I'm finished.

At the same time, and again for Project Badab, when I saw the previews of this guy I knew I had to pick him up tonuse as a base for Thulsa Kane, high chaplaingl of the Executioners, I think GWs naming convention is getting worse though.

With the release of Horus Heresy 3.0 and my group not being impressed at all by the rule changes, we collectively decided to head back to HH1.0 and a chance look in eBay landed my these three FW red books for the first edition.

They aren't shabby by any means, but there are a few dings and scrapes from any good we'll loved gaming book which I can live with.

I just wish that I had known what was in them all at the time as I didn't need to purchase the Istvaan legions as its all repeated in the Legions Astartes book for the specific Legion units which were available at the time.

The remainder of the purchase for this month consisted of a lot of paints, as duento my lack of activities recently and the hot weather, a fair few of them had dried up to the point of no return, or were in the verge of running out as they're colours I use a lot of.

The list is as followes:

Corvus Black

Abaddon Black

Mephiston Red

Ulthuan Grey

Black Legion Contrast

Black Templar Contrast 

Agrax Earthshade

Runelord Brass

Mechanicus Standard Grey 

Leadbelcher 

The numbers;

Purchases:

Exorcists Novel - £8.

Executor model - £26.

Horus Heresy Red Books - £56.

7 pots standard paint - £16.80.

2 pots contrast paint - £7.80.

1 pot of shade paint- £4.50.

Total for July/August: £119.10.

Budget for July/August: £100

Over/Under Yearly Budget: under budget by £113.87.

So slightly over the two months budget of £100, but worth it to get these red books which were the biggest purchase over the period.

I've already started planning a force for first edition Horus Heresy involving some black armour, but we'll get there.

At the moment the staffing problems at work don't seem to be letting up, so hopefully I'll be able to make some progress on my projects as and when, butnuodates may still be fairly sparse for the next few months sadly.

Well, until next time, have nice day...