Bad Photos

As the title says; there are some dreadful photos (rubbish light and awful attempts at fixing it in post production) to follow. But, regardless, they do show an old metal landspeeder which was once resplendent in Ultramarine colours - painted by a 10 or 11 year old me a long time ago in Oxford - and the first three finished members of Tactical Squad VI of the Righteous Fists' 2nd Battle Company, which is almost everything that I've painted over the last week. I say almost because I've also done a Dark Angels Space Marine as part of a squad I'm giving to JY (fully painted) in return for several squads' worth of Terminators.

The other photos were so bad I decided not to show them. Aieee!

Painting Points: 8 (5 for the Landspeeder, 3 for the Marines)
2013 Total: 190 (119x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 7x vehicles, 2x spaceships, 2x 28mm 'cavalry')

Dreadnoughts, Tactical And Otherwise

Unlike the dreadnoughts of the early 20th Centuries, these fellows don't float, but they do "Fear God and Dread Nought":

Revered Brother Kallias, commanding Dreadnought #1 of 2nd Company, Righteous Fists. A surprisingly simple paintjob, made easier by undercoating in two parts - the leg assembly in black, and the torso and arms (and leg armour) in white.

Tactical Dreadnought Squad II Altes, led by Sergeant Altes (with the banner pole). A classic loadout - assault cannon and power fists galore!

Painting Points: 8 (Dreadnought - 5, Terminators - 3)

2013 Total: 182 (116x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 6x vehicles, 2x spaceships, 2x 28mm 'cavalry')

Father's Day

I have two battle reports to write up and post, which I promise to do as soon as possible. But, but, but...

...today, on Father's Day, after delivering a present to Al Front and going to work, I did some painting:

A Stormtalon ground attack gunship from Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 range. The Stormtalon is a relatively new kit, but it is my first of the 'flyers' which dominate 6th Edition. I enjoyed making this not-so-little flying brick, and have run around the flat making wooosh and other jet noises with wild abandon.

Its A-10 vibe was reinforced today when I watched Man of Steel, the latest Superman film. It's really rather good, and worth a watch. I am not a Superman fan normally - my comic tastes are much more European than American, and I prefer 2000AD to Marvel and people like Ted Rall and Joe Sacco to DC's output. But this film made me keen for more and if, as seems inevitable, a sequel is made, I will certainly watch it. Even if, by then, I do have to pay to see it!

But back to the Stormtalon. I was tempted to mask the canopy, but decided instead that a steady hand and keen eye would do just as well, and it seems to have worked. I painted it as a reward to myself after finishing:

...Captain Priam!

Captain Priam, Space Marine commander, leader of Strike Force Priam, C/O of the 2nd Battle Company, Righteous Fists, who has seen two battles and 'died' in both on the last turn. Hard as nails, though, with a 2+ armour save and a 4+ invulnerable save meaning that he has waded through more fire than it has taken to wipe out some of my Imperial Guard armies!

Painting Points: 6
2013 Total: 174 (113x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 4x tanks, 2x spaceships, 2x 28mm 'cavalry', 1x aircraft)

First Battle of the Crossroads (Amalthean Crusade - 3a)

Captain Count Geranium of Bigbush and Littletree jumped from the side of his Vanquisher, the Flammeus Princeps, and, swearing loudly, threw his cap to the dusty ground.

“Lads,” he yelled to the crew of Charlie Three, still struggling with the thrown track that had prevented them from joining Task Force Lightning, “the bastard Xenos are on the move!”

His tankers and comrades looked up in surprise, their eyes shockingly white against their dust and grease stained faces.

Corporal Tansy pushed his forage cap back and looked hard at his Captain. “What did you say, sir?”

“The Xenos are coming! We need to get moving into our defensive positions, you fool!”

Tansy started, and looked again. Behind Flammeus Princeps, driving in column, were a mix of Astartes and Guard armoured vehicles. There were less than had driven out from Landing Zone Primaris that morning. The Chimeras were straining under the added weight of white-armoured Astartes, and as he stared, “Emperor's teeth,” he thought, “some of those Astartes are injured!”

Tansy and his crew ran over to Count Littletree. He closed his eyes, and ran his hands through his hair. He straightened, suddenly, to his full height, and then slumped, a long breath sighing through his teeth.

“The bastard blueys have allied with some thrice-forsaken Orkoid scum. Our intel just didn't mention them at all. We rolled in as planned, and the first damn things we come across are Orks. Orks! The gropos blasted them apart, though, but the shock of it put me off, lads, it fair put me off. We had a bad time of it. The Astartes got the worst. They went head to head with the greenskins and the greenskins just rolled right over them. I saw them going down, boys, one by bloody one.

“Sure, they put up a fight, a damn good fight, but Throne! it just wasn't enough. Then they were through, and Ash and his chaps went up. Some big bastard with a... claw, it looked like a giant metal claw, he just tore his tank apart like paper, and he detonated something. The explosion took a few of the greenskins out, mind, Ash would've appreciated that, but the big bugger was just stood there with this grin on his face. And a chunk of armour plate through his chest bigger than I am, and he was just stood there grinning like it was the best thing ever.

“It wasn't long after that that the Astartes told us to fall back. We didn't even get past the crossroads. The Karaboudjani lads did their best, 'sblood, they fought like tigers, and died like heroes, but we just couldn't get through. The xenos spotted us withdrawing and pulled back a bit into the town – they were taking potshots, but the Astartes managed to get their casualties out. They seemed really angry that they'd lost one of their tanks though. I mean, lads, they were spitting mad about it. Their blood's up, I think, but... damn me, boys, damn me, they've got tactical sense. There's not many Guard officers'd've told us to fall back.”

“What now, boss,” asked Peony, Tansy's driver, “I mean the LZ's still fulla landers, it's not secure yet.”

“Well, P, and this goes for all of us, the orders I got this morning said that we need to fall back to Phase Line Alpha and dig in. So that's what we're going to do. It's where the Karaboudjani boys are going now,” he smiled, pointing down the road at the dust cloud, “and I think we need to follow. How's the track repair?”

“Nearly done, sir,” Tansy growled, “let's make those blue bastards pay for Charlie Three.”

Task Force Lightning: Karaboudjani X Kataphraktoi and Valachian MXI units
Force Priam: Elements of Strike Force Priam, 2nd Battle Company, Righteous Fists

(Prior to the first battle of the crossroads...!)

Command Squad Marines

Pictures without much background this time:

L-R: Veteran Squad Leader Inaros, Veteran Sergeant and Ancient Actor, Veteran Brother Brygos. Half of Command Squad Priam.

Painting Points: 3
2013 Total: 168 (112x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 4x tanks, 2x spaceships, 2x 28mm 'cavalry')

Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle... IN SPACE!

I was supposed to be painting Terminators this weekend, but I got so excited by my kitbashed, rescued, Razorback that I painted that instead:

 Front: 'HECTOR'. The business end of the Phobos-pattern's lascannon and twin plasma gun main armament. The old bolters look pretty cool too if I do say so myself. The markings signify the second company (yellow rectangles), Righteous Fists (fist marking) and that it's not just a Command Squad's transport (skull) but the Captain's (laurel wreath). The smoke dischargers still have their red warning covers in place as they've not been fired.

 Left: Visible are the gunner's chapter heraldry and the vehicle's tactical marking on the doors. The green box houses tools, I suspect.

 Rear: Brake lights and running lights, as well as a power junction box for the improved communications array.

 Right: Tactical marking again. The gunner has a reversed Mechanicus skull-and-cog on his right pauldron, signifying that he serves in the Chapter Armoury but is not a full member of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Visible behind the searchlight is a box housing more C3 gear.

And finally... I have done another Terminator, so two down three to go (one of whom is currently having a Fairy Power Spray bath). I have the Terminators and the Command Squad sat on my painting table so it's a toss-up who'll be done next.

Painting Points: 6
2013 Total: 165 (109x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 4x tanks, 2x spaceships, 2x 28mm 'cavalry')

Only In Death Does Duty End (Amalthean Crusade - 3)

My friend JY came over tonight and we fought the attempted rescue of the Inquisitor who had been captured by Tau forces last time. Well, actually, we fought it out twice, as the first time we were stumbling around with Kill Team and didn't really know what we were doing.

The rules for Kill Team were taken from the 4th Edition 40K rulebook, and were bolted onto 6th Edition rules. An Imperial Guard Stormtrooper team had been tasked with assaulting the local police post where the Tau were holding the Inquisitor prior to flying her out for interrogation by the Water Caste and Ethereals. The team's primary objective was to get the Inquisitor out, or, if that was impossible, to kill her to prevent the information she held falling into Tau hands...

Setup: the Tau move into the police post just off the main road from the battle area. Visible are the three local policemen who are collaborating with Tau occupying forces, and the damage wrought by Imperial Navy bombing.

 The ill-fated Stormtrooper Team Spear-Six-Theta, imaged by a remote camera en route to the target area.

 Deployment: All images captured by a loitering Imperial Navy overflight. Tau forces set up a perimeter within the police post, with two alarm tripwires across the main entrance. The locals are ordered to remain outside until the Inquisitor has been removed by Orca transport (prior to the actual invasion of Hamish's World, Imperial air assets had not seized complete command of the skies).

 Deployment: Team Spear 6T move into nearby ruins and prepare to strike...

 Imperial Turn 1: Shooting kills two of the closest guard team, and thanks to adapted weapons, no alarms are raised (the surviving guard had clearly panicked and failed to trigger any)!

 Tau Turn 1: The surviving guard moves into the building and prepares to defend his position.

 Imperial Turn 2: Disaster strikes! After moving up to the wall, the team opens fire with their pistols... and the sergeant's plasma pistol explodes, killing him. Then, in the assault, the Tau guard overpowers and kills one of the team before he is smashed to the floor in turn. The team move back outside to consider their options...

 Tau Turn 2, Imperial Turn 3: The guards, by now extremely suspicious, move to investigate. The Imperials move back into the building and gun down the guard commander and one of his soldiers... but he gets back up in a show of toughness. To make matters worse, the plasma gunner's weapon explodes, and kills him. Team Spear 6T are now down to just four men.

 Tau Turn 3: The guard commander's dying moments see him fail to lock his markerlight on the squad in the room, and shooting accounts for just one member of the Stormtrooper team.

 Imperial Turn 4: Team Spear 6T grab the Inquisitor, and move back outside the building. With a bit of luck and a clean pair of heels, the survivors will succeed in their mission...

Tau Turn 4: ...except one of the Tau guards has an Ion rifle, and the resulting high-energy blast (captured here on thermal imaging) kills not only the remaining Stormtroopers, but the Inquisitor as well. A victory, of sorts, to the Tau, although the loss of their prisoner and the guard commander is a bit embarrassing. Not as shameful as the loss of seven highly-trained, well-equipped and experienced special forces troopers, though.

But, then again, only in death does duty end, and they did (sort of) prevent the Tau from learning what the Inquisitor knew. (Posthumous) medals all round! And a stern word with the Adeptus Mechanicus responsible for maintaining those plasma guns, I think.

Going Old School

This morning, I removed the old metal Razorback parts I've had since I was 11 (I got them in a swap with a schoolfriend) from their Fairy Power Spray bath, and gave them a good toothbrushing.

Then I rummaged around for my camouflaged, ex-Imperial Guard, ex-Lost and the Damned RH1N0, and started snapping bits off and cutting and scraping and gluing.

And before long, I had a Mk I Razorback infantry fighting vehicle to ferry my Righteous Fist Captain and his Command Squad around:

I have added an Imperial Guard (2nd Edition) searchlight and bulldozer blade, as well as a tow hook, communications pack, and various other parts from Guard tanks. The scrollwork on the front armourplate is from the more modern RH1N0 kit. You can probably spot that I have also paint stripped the standard bearer. He had three or four layers of paint on him and I could barely make out his eyes...!

This really is burrowing into the Unpainted Mountain, I've had some of these figures (unpainted) for years and years, and the Razorback parts have languished unloved for so long that I've lost the gunshield that once sat over the lascannon.

Tactical Dreadnought Armoured Space Marine, with personal heraldry, power fist, and storm bolter. Finished him today.

Painting Points: 1
2013 Total: 159 (108x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 3x tanks, 2x spaceships, 2x 28mm 'cavalry')

More Marines (200th Blog Entry!)

Today, in addition to clearing the loft a bit more and storing my university work up there, I found the time to finish off Tactical Squad IV Rhesus - Brother-Sergeant Rhesus himself, and one of his Battle-Brothers - and also polish off the last two bikers belonging to Demi-Squad Minos of Assault Squad II Oleon. Quite productive really, and also my 200th blog entry!

The Sergeant, Rhesus, with his Iron Skull rank badge on his left knee, and his laurels on his power fist.

Squad marksman, with optic sight unit on his bolter.

Tactical Squad IV Rhesus in all their glory. Plasma weaponry ahoy! Good for splatting infantry, and even light vehicles at a pinch.

The bikers! Squad Leader Minos (with black pauldron and Iron Halo rank marking on his left knee) and assault squad member.

Assault Demi-Squad Minos on bikes - part of  Assault Squad II Oleon. Heavy bolter and plasma gun for anti-infantry work (at which they're really rather good; it's all those re-rolls to hit from the twin-linked bolters).

Painting Points: 6 (2 bikes count as 4 points)
2013 Total: 158 (107x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 3x tanks, 2x spaceships, 2x 28mm 'cavalry')