Dreadtober 2024 - Torso work.

 

The madness of Dreadtober 2024 continues, and I started work on the main Torso of the Meka-Dread this past week.

I didn't get any photos of the original colours going on (no point really), but here is the torso alongside one of the Kills Kanz I finished in Dreadtober 2022.

I've stuck to the same overall palette of red, black and white, with a little gold thrown in for a spot metallic.

The rust is still really bright, but you can see the various components better now that there are some other colours present to break up the outline a bit.

The "Face" was stippled with white for the skull, it won't be getting checkers, however the various other white panels definitely will.

I'm also torn between doing the massive eye in a bright yellow or a green glow.

Next it was time to start weathering, Orks never clean their vehicles after all.

So a home ade wash was mixed up, ten parts Rhinox Hide, fifteen parts water, two drops of Washing Up liquid. This last is to break the surface tension of the water and force it to flow around all the details on the model.

I'm using a spare upturned cavalry base to mix in, after a friend nicked (by acciddnt I'm sure) my previous mixing tub after I showed him how to make his own wash for his terrain...

Half hour later, she was dry.

The Rhinox Hide is a little more reddish then brown when it separated out like this, which aids in the dirty/rusty effect, the texture on the skull face itself is really nice.

You can see how it settles into details like the grills at the bottom of the engine area or the tubings on the torso front. 

You can also see the difference in brightness of the rust here in this photo.

Whilst still somewhat prominent on the torso, it's definitely more subtle then before, like on the gun.

Finally I thought I'd end this update with a photo of the current state of play of the dread, you can rally see the difference the was makes when compares with the other subassemblies.

I'm hoping to get some work done on the beast this week, but that depends on both work and my health.

One of the reasons I feel like I am behind schedule is because I have been ill this last week (last Saturday I didn't even get out of bed all day), so I'm hoping it starts to clear up and I can stop having coughing fits* so I can paint normally again.

Next steps are to block in the details on the torso leaving the weathered colours beneath, and to start with the rest of the parts.

It's just this is the start of the time consuming part of painting with picking out panels and details, etc. 

Then CHECKERS!!!!!!!!!

I advise anyone reading to check out the Dreadtober blog here:- Dreadtober as there are some cracking entries being worked upon.

So, Until next time, have nice day...

*Fortunately it's not, whatever variant of COVID is doing the rounds in the UK. It just seems like a bad chest infection/dry insistent coughing.

Dreadtober 2024 - Rusty Metal.

 

The first update of Dreadtober is in.

After getting the build together...and using the most pins I've EVER used on a single model sorted, I was keen to begin painting, conscious of the fact that I've still got to go to work and that will eat into hobby time.

My usual Ork scheme is what I'll be aiming for, and this is Mekka-Dread is going to be a centerpiece for the Dreadmob I did for my first Dreadtober in 2022, so it needs to match those.

One thing I decided to try differently then my usual method is to use a coloured undercoat.

I normally work over a grey undercoat and then add a coat of watered down orange paint as the basecoat of the rust, as it will flow deeply into the recesses.

A trip to the local Range* store procured this can of Yellow-Orange. I use Maston Colour sprays for my primer now, and this is in the Maston One range, meant to give one coat coverage but I found it a little thin and needed to give two primer coats, using more paint then I would have liked.

Once the dread had dried it was looking very bright, but a great starting point for the rusty metal.

First step is to heavily drybrush the entire model with Warplock Bronze (I used the last of my very old pot of Tin Bitz** for this).

The second step is a lighter drybrush using Leadbelcher**. This gives the metal sheen I was looking for, whilst keeping the darker metal and rusty orange in the recesses.

It still looks a little orange and bright at the moment, once I've gotten some coloured panels down and areas for checkers marked out, I'm going to hit the entire model with a dark brown wash to darker it down.

But this will be in the next post.

Until next time, have nice day...

*For non-UK readers, The Range is kind of a general store which sells craft materials, furniture, interior decorating stuff, food, etc)

**Before one of GWs renaming for "licensing purposes" periods, the paint Warplock Bronze was formerly called Tin Bitz.

Likewise Leadbelcher was formerly Boltgun Metal. Mephiston Red was Blood Red, etc.

Dreadtober 2024 preparation.

 

As has become tradition over the past couple of years, during October I'm going to be taking part in Dreadtober again.

The first year I completed an Ork Dreadmob and last year I painted up two World Eaters Legion Dreadnaughts for the Heresy period.

This year I decided to head back to my beloved Greenskins and tackle a model which I ALWAYS wanted but was never able to afford from Forge World before it was discontinued.

A Meka-Dread!!!!

A huge mechanical monstrosity armed with a massive Buzzsaw and a Shunta/Zzap Kannon. As well as a multitude of smaller holding klaw arms, and piloted by the maddest of Big Mel's makes this a brilliant kit.

As alluded to, I think the kit is Out of Production now, but as is usual for Forge World it was ridiculously priced for their lack of quality control so I haven't got that kit.

Instead, I found a free to download STL of the Meka-Dread on the purple site* and downloaded and printed my own.

After a few full build plates, washing and curing the parts I was left with this:

There are some serious chunks of resin there, lots of pinning will be needed!

Making a start, I began with the engine block as that seemed the easiest. The top exhaust and the pipes on the side were separate and easy enough to glue together:

Next I decided to tackle to Shunta-Kannon, this was in seven pieces total, and as there is a fair chunk of weight hanging off the shoulder I decided to add pins throughout this piece.

There are five or six pins in this gun alone!

Not photographed yet, but I also have the legs glued together and pinned with the hip joint added, so the beast is almost ready for priming.

I'm going to use my traditional Ork Goff scheme, starting from an orange basecoat to begin the rust effect, and then work up through metallics and add the black, red and checkers on the armour panels.

As usual through the month I'll document progress to keep everyone updated as well as for Dreadtober itself who post a weekly round up of everyone who signed up to take part.

Until next time, have nice day...

*If any of you reading this doesn't know what the "purple site" is, I will explain if needed. But as I know at least one GW staff member who reads this sometimes, I don't want to get the 3D modeller in trouble.

Return to Voltistrum - Imperial Guard Vs Tyranids.

 

This is a long overdue gaming day.

The first time we planned it my son brought plague into the house and so it was cancelled whilst we recovered from heavy chest infections.

The second time was work related stuff, so Cardboard Fortress couldn't make it.

We finally managed to arrange the gaming day the past Tuesday (14th May) and so we drove to the wrong side of the Pennines to Element Games in Stockport and prepared to roll the bones.

*****

Captain Caldwalle of the Vanquisher 'Indomitable' was back on the line defending against the Tyranid invasion or Voltistrum.

Alongside the Exterminator 'Righteousness', one of the few survivors of the previous battle, the Imperials had retreated and thrown together an ad-hoc force to buy time to defence the planetary space port for the evacuation.

Infantrymen lined up under the barked orders of their officers and armoured vehicles revved their engines, blue smoke erupting from their exhausts.

The Ordo Tacticus had determined that this was the most likely route that the swarm would take, so the force dug in around a long ruined, part buried settlement and ranged in their guns.

Soon the call went down the line from the scouts that the dust on the horizon was the approaching swarm, with new warrior beasts deployed and driving the aliens forward. In response orders were shouted down the line, encouraging litanies were chanted by units. 

Voices tailed off as the sky turned dark above them, and tentacled Spore Mines began to rain from above.

*****

As is customary, we first had ourselves a game of 40k 5th edition*, and again his Guard army** pitted itself against my Tyranid swarm.

The armies met in the ruins of a long lost city which was slowly being swallowed by the desert.

After the previous debacle, Captain Caldwalle was back in action facing the dreaded xenos, determined to halt the force here.

A platoon of infantry regulars joined his under-strength armoured company, along with a Hydra flak tank and another unit of Ogryns to find out how much they can bite off and get themselves into trouble.

The Hive Mind adapted its will and spawned some larger gun beasts as well A directing a huge swarm of sixty Termagants!

With the dice rolled for first turn/size the initiative, the Tyranids swarmed forward en masse, eager to rend the biomass infront of them.

Spore mines dropped from orbit and exploded on the center of the infantry line, and then the Biovores opened by and threw more spore mines at the thin Guard line.

At the rear of the table, the Imperial Guard Hydra Flak battery was obliterated with one shot by the Shrike with Venom Cannon, firing at full range, the command squad showered with debris and shrapnel but suffered no casualties.

With effective fire from the heavy weapons teams holed up in the ruins wiping out the Warriors squad, severing the link to the hive mind and forcing the mass of Termagants onto their instinctive behaviour.

They became priority targets, and the Lictors and Deathleaper emerged from the shadows.

The Leman Russ Exterminator chewed away at the Termagants, killing half of one squad entirely and the Hellhound burnt a swather the the other. Above the Lictors wiped out the Lascannon squad to a man, before being counterattacked by the Ogryn squad, who whilst wounding the beasts, died to a man.

With bodies rapidly falling to enemy fire and the looming threat of the Hive Tyrant the Guard had a last ditch effort of firing, but it was for naught, as nearly all their infantry was wiped out, the Hydra and Hellhound destroyed or immobile, and the only effective units left on the table were the Exterminator and Vanquisher Leman Russes.

*****

Whilst enjoyable and a good time rolling bones, this isn't my favourite game of 40k which I've had in truth.

From the moment we rolled for the first turn and then I "seized the initiative" by rolling a 6, my dice seemed to be "hot".

I don't think my Biovores missed a single shot due to scatter, and the Spore Mines deep sticking and not scattering was another lucky roll i think.

The Guard may have been too strung out in the line to concentrate fire, a bit like my last game with the World Eaters , but I genuinely think Cardboard was unlucky and I was really lucky with my rolling.

The Hydra could have made a real impact with it's quad Autocannon, but it got blown up on the first turn, likewise the Hellhound managed a good turn of immolating Termagants, but was then picked off in turn, and I do think a normal Leman Russ would have been a better choice than the Vanquisher.

I left my Hive Tyrant too far out on the flank to actually have anything to do which was a waste, a bit of overkill in that he charged and mulched a single officer/sergeant who was all that remained of his squad, and I still need more Synapse creatures in the army overall.

So we had a good day out with friends at Element, and I've got another battle report coming to post.

Until next time, have nice day...

*The reasons for playing 5th edition have been mentioned before in the other battle reports, so I'm not going to repeat them here!

**With a friendly reminder of the Basilisk shortcomings from last time we played. 

Why they made the minimum range 36" on the Earthshaker gun I'll never know.

Encounter at Voltistrum - Imperial Guard Vs Tyranids.

 

"We've not had any vox communication with the recon unit for hours now sir, I think we should assume them fallen" Sergeant-Major Hathewaye said, reporting on the lack of intelligence from their scouting patrols.

"Or fled" Commissar Von Bosque said quietly 

"My men are loyal to the Imperium and this regiment, you are not of this regiment, so I don't..." Hathewaye began to reply, anger rising in his voice when he was cut off by his commander raising his hand.

"Gentlemen, I will not have bickering in my command staff" Colonel Walshe began, soothing the raised hackles of his command staff as they glared at the Commissar.

"Sergeant-Major we must assume that the scouts have fallen, therefore..." a knock at the buildings door drew their attention, Sergeant-Major Hathewaye turned from the unblinking stare of the Commissar to see to the interruption.

Colonel Walshe and Commissar Von Bosque turned their attention to the local maps which were laid out over the small table and held down by mugs of caffeine.

"Through the door at the double, Officer on parade, sort your uniform out sharpish" Hathewaye ordered at a flustered Corporal who was busily patting himself down to clear the dust from his uniform and straightening his jacket.

He stood to attention and saluted.

"Corporal Ackerman Sir, third recon unit assigned to the North-East sector. I report a major Tyranid probe approaching from that direction sir, lots of smaller beasts, definitely a Screamer-Killer and some command creatures, but we didn't get close enough to identify".

"Good work Corporal Ackerman, where is the rest of your squad?"

"Dead sir, that's why I couldn't vox in my report. I also report that we encountered the infiltration beast's, I am not confident that I haven't been tracked here as the infantryman's primer tells us the Xenos often do".

"Alright, the Emperor thanks you for your efforts, as you were. Sergeant-Major prepare the men to dig in on our current position, this hamlet is our best position of defence" Colonel Walshe ordered in a calm commanding voice.

"At once Sir!" Hathewaye saluted and ducked out of the door, he immediately began barking orders and the men jumped to follow...

*****

Last week I managed a meet up with Cardboard Fortress at Element Games, Stockport for a gaming day and we clashed with our 40k armies.

He brought his veteran Imperial Guard which are almost 15 years old at this point, and are still as lovely as ever.

My own force consisted of the Tyranids I had been furiously painting over the last month whilst I've been off sick*, **.

As is usual for us, we played 5th edition 40k, in my opinion this edition hits that sweet spot of just enough crunch to keep interest, but not drowning in bloat and detail like later editions, or having so much off table rules and exceptions it feels like you are playing an RPG rather then a Wargame.

So the rulebook and codexes were dragged out, the drive over the Pennies was made and we met up early afternoon and grabbed a table.

Rolling for the game as we didn't have anything planned, we rolled up opposite table quarter deployment with nothing within 12" of the center, and we rolled up Killpoints for the victory condition.

My own deployment was as far forward as possible, apart from the Mawloc (Psychophage counting as) which was at the rear and ready to burrow away.

The Guard were deployed as far as possible in the corner, no doubt hoping for some good rounds of shooting before close combat ensued***:

This is one of my favourite photos of the day, taken by Fortress, I should have taken more but got sucked into the game later on:

After deployment a roll of a six seized the initiative for the Guard and there was some minor movement, mainly of the tanks, but surprisingly the infantry on the right flank pushed forwards a little for firing lines.

The Tyranids did the logical thing for an army which has very short ranged shooting and charged everything forwards as fast as possible.

A lot of the Hormagaunts were blasted to bloody scraps from the artillery and mortars and the vanquisher tore a hole in one of the Termagant units:

As the Tyranids closed in nearly all of the smaller creatures lay dead on the valley floor, the Carnifex and Hive Tyrant had moved forwards ready to charge, and the Shrikes had started to swing round to the left flank of the Guard.

In the rear area, the Lictors had ambushed a command squad and the mortar squad and started to shred Guardsmen with their rending claws.

The big action was the Mawloc who had burrowed under the battlefield and risen up beneath the company command squad and the Ogryn's, eating most of the command squad in one go leaving just the company commander and swallowing an Ogryn as well, before lashing out and hitting another Ogryn.

The bid brutes laid back in with Ripper Gun stocks and fists causing a wound and driving the beast off next turn:

As the battlelines drew together, the Hive Tyrant and Shrikes leapt upon the various infantry around, laying waste to squad after squad.

The Ogryn's in the very back charged the Lictors and avenged the Mortar squad, killing the aliens before their rending claws could destroy the Basilisk.

The big win for the Guard and loss for the Tyranids was the fact that the Carnifex had suffered a rapid loss of integrity after being shot in the face by the Vanquisher and pulped by the Exterminator:

Eventually the fighting started to die down as the field was VERY empty, after everything which had been deployed at the start:

*****

"This is Captain Caldwalle of the Vanquisher 'Indomitable', I assume command of the Emperor's forces here. The command given is to fall back, our position is overrun and the enemy too numerous"

A series of affirmatives sounded over the vox and Caldwalle nodded, satisfied to see that the discipline hadn't left the men.

"Exterminator 'Righteousness' provide covering fire as the infantry break off, regroup point is waypoint seven" the vox was choppy with interference and Caldwalle frowned.

"Aye Indomitable, we'll chew the Xenos up", the ferocious firepower of the Leman Russ Exterminator thumped over the field.

Alien roars answered the firepower as they were denied closing with the retreating infantry, they clambered aboard the vehicles wherever they could and the ragged convoy turned away from the ruins hamlet and the piles of corpses left in the battles wake.

*****

And the Casualties table at the end of the game:

At the end of the game the scores were as follows:

Tyranids - 10.

Imperial Guard - 5.

Highlights of the battle were definitely the Mawloc tunneling up and eating nearly the entire senior command squad, and the cocky Ogryn's who drove off said Mawloc, killed a Lictor squad and then got really over confident and charged the Hive Tyrant, only to die before they got to act!

The Killpoints victory condition really hurt the Imperial Guard at the end of the game (we thought he has it sewn up by the end of turn two).

I think I might suggest the Points cost victory condition from 4th edition if we play a random pick up game like this again.

That's where you earn victory points for the total points cost of the unit, so a unit costing 50 points scores you 50 victory points, etc.

That seems a little fairer then just scoring a point for a unit destroyed when he turned up with a LOT more units then I did.

The day was great, meeting up with old friends, rolling the bones and talking shite all day, a greasy take away for dinner and plans made to meet up again at Element Games, a win overall.

And a tick for the start of one of my to-do list objectives of being more sociable with the hobby ...

Purchases of hobby supplies...and maybe some new Tyranids...made from the store before we left and then face the drive back over the Pennines home to the correct side of the mountains.

Definitely doing this again, hopefully on a semi-regular basis and maybe write some of our own rules to field the newer models in the old 5th edition set.

Until next time, have nice day...

*This was one of the main driving forces for getting the army complete, the last time we gamed all the way back in May 2022. Considering how nice his army is, it was kind of embarrassing to be fielding unpainted mini's against his force.

But as we discussed, in spite of all the youtubers who state "no unpainted mini's on my table", when you have a real life (job, family, commitments) outside of the hobby, it has to take a back seat at times as we only have limited time during the day.

**Fortunately I have been cleared medically to return to work from this week!

***I won't post army lists because a:I can't remember what was fielded fully and b: I never asked Fortress for his.

We play for fun and I trust that he fielded 1,500 points of stuff.

Seriously though, if I thought he was going to cheat at Toy Soldiers, we wouldn't be friends...