Legions Imperialis Cathedral.

 

Terrain is a massive part of not just the rules of a game, but also immersion and making a board look good.

To that end my friend Duncan, jumped on a Kickstarter for a load of urban Legions Imperialis terrain STLs to 3D print.

The collection includes a bunch of 4 inch wide terrain tiles to make a road network, a LOT of modular parts to stack to make buildings with, a set of canals and stairs/bridges.

All in all a shit load of stuff...

There are also some pre-built/supported buildings ready to print whole. 

This particular piece is one of those, and only just fit on the build plate of the Lego Saturn we were using to print with.

To start with, rather then the usual grey granite colour you normally see for urban terrain, I decided I wanted a warmer, brownstone/sandstone colour, which matches a lot of the Churches/Minsters/Cathedrals here in the UK. I began with a spray undercoat of Zandri Dust.

There is so much detail on this print, it's hard to believe that we made it at home.

So it was onto the masses of windows and supports. To give some variation, I decided to paint the large arch windows in Leadbelcher and then do the higher smaller windows with Retributor Armour for some gold gilding and to denote the richness of the church*.

At this point I wanted a different colour for the roof and having been flicking through an old "how to build terrain" blog, found a building with a darker blue roof.

Deciding to shamelessly** copy this, I went in and tidied up the roof with Zandri Dust from the pot, and then gave it a coat of Akhelian Green (which comes out in a dark turquoise colour) which is a colou: I really like.

The finials along the top were then touched up with Retributor Armour, just to give a little more baroqueness to the model.

Next, to tie the model together and make it look a bit better, I have then entire model a couple of successive drybrushes, first of Baneblade Brown and secondly, very lightly, with Flayed One Flesh.

Finally, after a discussion about the windows, I was going to leave them, Duncan suggested painting them with contrast Black Templar.

I'm glad I took the chance on his suggested, time consuming as it was, because the finished model looks so much better.

I've placed the building on a few of those terrain plates Duncan had printed previously, and a couple of his Legions Imperialis Malcador tanks for scale.

This was a nice diversion, and after visiting Fraser the other day, I returned home with his entire LI collection to build up (he has a problem with his "to-built" pile, it keeps growing).

So I am thinking of buying a bottle of resin and printing off a collection of terrain for my own games of Legions Imperialis with Fraser in the future.

Speaking of the modular nature of a lot of the STLs, I wonder if we could make an LI scale facsimile of Cologne Cathedral?

That won't be for a while though, other projects await...

Until next time, have nice day...

*Yes, I know Legions Imperialis is set in the Horus Heresy when the Imperial Church wasn't a thing, the Emperor having tried to stamp religion out for a secular scientific truth. 

But what else is this building of not a Cathedral?

Maybe it's a hold over from the previous civilization before the Imperium took over, or a former religious building turned over to the administratum for office space?

Whatever it is, it looks good.

**Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The Host of House Moranin - 10mm Dark Elf project, completed.

 

The huge Black Ark rose and fell with the swell of the tide as it was moored in Naggarond's docks, busily loading everything for the upcoming season's raids upon hated Ulthuan.

Slaves swung craneloads of foodstuffs and fodder for the mounts to the sounds cracked whips and grating laughter.

"The dock masters are getting their fill today" Morghynn Sablestar said lightly as she joined the Dreadlord she was sworn to at the rail overlooking the teeming activity.

Tall, pale skinned, slender and scandalously under-dressed for the pervading cold weather, she cut a striking contrast to the looming, dark armoured lord next to her.

Fully armoured in plate,purple cloak billowing in the sea breeze, Athsinrell Moranin took stock of their forces marching up into the holds of the giant city-ship.

Athsinrell cringed in anger, due to the fall from favour of House Moranin. Once they had commanded Black Arks and raids at the behest of the Witch King himself. Being aligned with Crone Hellebron had done them no favours in the recent decades, as anyone associated with her fell from favour due to Morathi's displeasure.

Soon, they would see their house regain its position within the fractious politics of Naggarond. Something a knife between the ribs had fixed, a year ago.

Since then, with their father dead by their hand, Athsinrell had taken every opportunity, called in every favour and scraped together every coin in order to buy passage and hire troops for the plan of starting an overseas colony, and the riches and prestige it may bring.

A wet snarling sound snapped senses back to reality and Athsinrell realised that they held the guard rail in a white knuckle grip.

Looking towards the source, to of the rival Cold One Knights mounts had taken offense at the other's presence and were about to launch themselves at each other in a frenzy of teeth and claws.

Some unfortunate slave was thrown between the two prehistoric beasts and they carved the screaming wretch up instead, then loped onto the Ark.

Morghynn stood focussing on the passing of the winds of magic, her loincloth and long white hair ripping about her form. 

There was something about the sorceress which didn't sit well, Athsinrell realised. 

They would have to watch themselves about her, incase she got ideas above her station or Hellebron decided to try to size power at the expense of House Moranin.

With a smile which could cut glass, Athsinrell offer their arm to the Sorceress and they moved below decks to find their troops...

*****

Recently, I managed to finished off this entire 2,000 point army for old 6th edition Warhammer Fantasy.

However, it's in 10mm scale, not the traditional 28/32mm. The entire force was 3D Printed from Forest Dragon STLs.

The details are fantastic on the miniatures, and they have a bunch of faction specific pieces to draw you in, so that you know at a glance that this unit is what it is meant to be.

I'll let some photos and descriptions follow on from this:

Sorceress Morghynn on the left and Dreadlord Athsinrell Moranin, the Warhost's principle commanders. No doubt there are others plotting and scheming about how to take command.

You can see the effort made by the Forest Dragon STL sculptors here, as they do look a lot like their old 28mm counterparts.

The black and purple are traditional Druchii colours, the gold is something to pick them out on the tabletop, these models being on 10mm tall without bases!

The souls-stuff Morghynn is pulling from the ground is Nihilakh Oxide over a white undercoat.

Is Athsinrell the leader of the house and warhost, or is Morghynn, you never can tell with their society of Druchii.

The main phalanxes of the Warhost, there are two regiments of Spearmen with full command here. Based two strip's to a base, this is the traditional Warmaster style, if we're playing Warhammer, I plan on using a D20 behind the unit to keep track of how many are left on the table.

There is a clear distinction between the two units with one being a lighter purple and having more metallic colour, but the other being darker in general.

If you look closely I still messed up, mixing the two units together for the photo...

The first half of the ranged support, in a unit of two stands of Crossbowmen (elves?) And a Repeater Bolt Thrower at the back.

And the second half of the ranged units.

Also pictured is the sneaky assassin, hired at great cost during the last visit to Naggarond, capital city of the Dark Elves.

Not only does he eliminate enemy leaders given the chance, his mere presence also ensures loyalty within the regiments of House Moranin.

A lot of this force was painted with contrast paints as the detailing really suits the paint. The assassin started as a coat of Black Templar, and then had a Mechanicus Standard Grey highlighting later as I felt he needed something to stop him being a black blob on the table, the purple loincloth ties him to the force.

The rival regiments of Cold One Knights from the Arkaneth and Helbane houses.

Buying these regiments loyalty was not cheap and the firt two hundred souls taken will be transferred half to each house as payment for their services. This has created a rivalry and tension as each regiment not only seeks to outdo each other on the field, but to also assassinate the other first.

Such is Druchii society.

The Cold Ones allowed me to introduce some different colours into the army in the green and dark turquoise of the Velociraptors the knights ride. I tried to tie them to one each of the spear phalanxes, with the lighter and darker colours, these minis also got more good the the line troops, being nobles and that.

From Bar Ganeth, these maniacal Witch Elves are one of the forces of nature within the Dark Elves army. Here by order of Crone Hellebron, they form a bodyguard to Sorceress Morghynn and send information gathered about Morathi's forces which they occasionally come across.

The lightest coloured regiment in the army, unsurprisingly because they don't wear much. The Witch Elves use a lot of Guilliman Flesh contrast over a white undercoat, as well as Apothecary White for their long hair.

Lastly an overall photo of the army all together, now finished.

This is an interesting project, and one which I will be continuing with, as I now have 3D printed Brettonian, Wood Elf and Undead armies in a box which a friend is printing off.

He has the entire Forest Dragon range of STLs and I am considering getting him to print me an Orc and Goblin army at some point.

Until next time, have nice day...