Summer of Scenery Challenge (Part 1)

Been having some technical issues trying to get this post up, so apologies for the radio silence of late. Let's get on with the show, eh?


Dave over at the Wargmesculptor Blog announced he was starting a small challenge for any who wanted to sign up to get some or their scenery/terrain pieces built and painted in an effort to help get rid of our backlogs. So, I jumped in and decided I'd give it a go.

A Sarissa Precision mdf Helipad for my modern day zombies game that one day WILL be played, promise. Simple kit and even more simple paint job - will do for my table. Was inspired by the Left 4 Dead video games where the goal was to get to the helipad whilst fighting off masses of undead - best Zombie video games ever I feel.

A Mobile Office also in mdf by Sarissa Precision. Trickier to put together with those vertical struts, but looks good on the table. Same as the helipad, kept the paintjob very simple which also got it off my table swiftly. Thinking some day in the future to make a white board and find office furniture for the interior.

These two are a couple of Warhammer 40K ruins scatter pieces. Very simple drybrush paintjobs. I have another 7 or 8 pieces to go with these two recently primed. The Statue is from the now out of print Urban Conquest Warhammer 40K expansion and the ruins behind it are the last of the 3 piece also out of print Honoured Imperium scenic set that included the previously posted Statue and giant Aquila that I'd painted up.

These two small 28mm resin WW2 stockpiles can be used as either objectives or scatter terrain. They were a kind gift a long time ago from the estimable Stew (Click his name to see his very cool blog) after he ordered the Chain of Command rules and realized he had no intention of playing in 28mm! I have two others in the painting queue as well.

I tried to add a little interest with the poorly painted signs, but otherwise they are very simple paintjobs and based to be suitable for both winter or greener seasonal games.


Did you see the two Brit troops in that first pic? Yeah, I painted those up too. Here's some better pics.

These two are some more Commandos (Toting iconic Tommy guns) for my Dieppe Raid project. The helmeted chap I believe is by Blacktree and the kneeling Wargames Foundry. Both decent sculpts in their own rights. These two bring me up to 6 out of 8 done for my first squad. Lots still to go!

Last painted piece to show off is a small "Palette Cleanser" mini to help keep the mojo going. This chap is a Citadel Miniatures Beastman from 1980-something-or-rather. Had him since I were a young lad and he deserved to be painted up a long time before now but at least he's ready for... I dunno - not really sure how I'll use this one.

To finish up I also managed to stick together the last 10-man Brood Brothers squad for my Genestealer Cult and also a couple fun minis to make up a Rogue Trader and her retinue (Just for gits and shiggles really).

 Old 1980's Imperial Guard plastics mixed with more recent plastic Cadian bits and Genestealer Cult heads and nicknacks. Now I have three of these squads assembled, they just need some gap filling here and there and I can get to their basing so they can be primed.

Got the pistol toting Rogue Trader off a nice Ebay cheapie auction. Liked the character when they first showed her off from their first Blackstone Fortress expansion or something. The red chap to her right is an Adeptus Mechanicus trooper. I felt he'd make for a good right-hand-man. Those three primed-grey fellows in the rear are old 1980's Citadel Miniatures Chainsaw Warriors from a very much out-of-print game. They'll be her muscle I think.

And that's it - long post, but I guess that's what happens when one doesn't post for over a month (!!!). Stay healthy and safe out there!

The Chaos Genestealer Cult Was Always a Thing (Part 4 - A New Year & more WIP's)

There’s a lot that’s been happening my end that explains my lack of posting these past months.

My lady and I got married, we also moved to a larger apartment and then add in all the traditional Holiday fun that comes with attending my wife’s family gatherings. No complaints from me on this though, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being welcomed into her family and returning those sentiments as best as I can.

On the hobby side of things, a New Year is here once more and I’ve at least not been completely idle, O no.

I’ve been slowly assembling some of the model kits I have sat on my hobby shelves in preparation for the projects I intend to get done this year.

 A Kellmorph for my Chaos Genestealer Cult from my Kill Team box. "Chaos" cos he has horns alright? Actually, I really liked the stock sculpt as is, but realised he would look like anyone else's and he also needed something "Chaos" about him, so yeah - horns. I like them, though there'll be some cursing as he tries to get through the lower doorjams.

Next, a Games Workshop Leman Russ tank that was a birthday gift last October from a very good friend. The kit doesn’t seem to have changed that much since the Leman Russ was first released (I got one on release day even) and went together pretty well. In lieu of the wholly uninspiring commander mini that is supplied on the sprue, I instead stuck in an old re-casted Forge World Imperial Guard tank commander that I’d had in my bits box for around the last 10 years. I’ve also added Genestealer Cult badges on it’s hulls and a Chaos back-banner cut down to show it’s leanings toward the Chaos god Khorne.

After that, I got inspired by the preview picture of a future supplement for Bolt Action, D-Day (Brit/Canadians) and began putting together a Warlord Games Churchill tank that I built as a Mark VI. The kit was not at all simple to assemble like the Leman Russ as the instructions were bloody vague. After a few evenings of cursing and fingers glued together, I finally ended up with this beast. Not a bad finished result and like the Leman Russ above, I used an alternate metal tank commander (Produced by CompanyB) as the one on the sprue was awful.

Somehow the rear didn't sit flush against the lower chassis, so I had to get creative and cut down sprue pieces to fill the gap. It'll do for me.

Lastly and assembly completed just last night, is this full section of Commonwealth infantry by Warlord Games for my Dieppe Landing project. These lot were a flippin pig to assemble and I had no fun at all during the process. Why on earth the designers thought that making all of the water canteens, pouches and so forth separate was a good idea, or that separate arms and weapons was “fun”, I have no idea… I’m not even sure I’ll make the remaining 15 in the box the process was so painful. Any future additions to my commonwealth will be metals for sure, though once done this ten-man squad at least looks half decent.

And that's it for the now. New place doesn't have a spot to spray paint at and I'm not sure I could get away with trying to do so on my balcony, but I'm going to see if I can't sneak in a late night effort. In the meantime, I'll be assembling more things to empty my shelves a little more and try to get posts up at least once a month as that's not really asking too much now, is it???

The Chaos Genestealer Cult Was Always a Thing (Part 3 - more WIPs)

Just a quickie. Managed to get two squads of Brood Brothers assembled. These are the  Imperial Army types who have fallen under the Genestealer Patriarch's influence and so are now ready to rise up and take up arms against their former Imperium masters.

First squad is made of a mix of figs that I've had in my collection for years. I wanted to show these off as though they are the mix of random regular citizens and others that might fall under the Genestealer influence. From Imperium factory workers, to underhive gangers to Actual Imperial army deserters and a Bounty Hunter to lead them!

Second squad some might recognise as some old 80's plastic Imperial Gaurd with some modern GW Genestealer Cult additions (heads, pouches, etc) and also the odd pair of 3rd party resin arms here and there. I have a 2nd squad of these to assemble still.

And that's all for the Chaos Genestealer Cult for the now. Next I plan to finish getting the Brood Brothers assembled and ready for priming, then on to the Kelemorph, a regular Hero to these crazy gene-scum!

The Chaos Genestealer Cult Was Always a Thing (Part 2 - WIP)

A quick post to log some work in progress on my Chaos Genestealer Cult. Started cleaning up and assembling a couple Brood Brother Infantry squads and my army's commander, a fearsome Genestealer Patriarch and it's cute familiars.

Brood Brothers are supposed to represent military units that have been subverted to the Cult's cause, adding their military training to the armed might of the Cult. The Army list allows one to take basic infantry, Heavy Weapons teams and a few of the vehicle choices that the Astra Militarum Imperial Guard army book allows for regular Guard forces (Leman Russ tank, Sentinal walkers, Chimera APC's, etc.). Seeing as my Cult represents a more militaristic style organisation, I have 3 infantry squads, 3 weapons teams and 3 Chimera APC's in my initial army list.

The first Brood Brothers Infantry Squad in my army is made up of a ragtag mix of Planetary Defense Force, Guardsmen who've deserted from their respective regiments and civilian underhive dwellers. These minis range from 1980's through to early 2000's.

Just a quick pic so quality and composition is a bit rubbish. I like to paint arms separately as I can't stand trying to get behind them (And typically feck up a paint job) if they are pre-attached.

The second Brood Brothers Infantry Squad is made up from the original GW Imperial Guard plastic kit that I somehow still had in my unpainted mountain. (The 3rd will be as well.) I've added Genestealer Cult heads and accessories to add a little extra character to them. (They'll get a similar addition of Khorne markings though these will be painted on like the 1980's original Chaos Cult.) I've also used some 3rd party resin arms for these to add a little more variety and also because I'm not sure I have enough of the original kit's plastic arms!

Still some more arms to sort out on this lot. No Heavy Weapons in these squads either, just a flamer each. I plan to drive them up in the Chimera APC transports (Those will be a post for the near future.) and unload them to hose down their enemies t close range. They'll probably get chewed up pretty badly in return, but I like the idea of these lads being very disposable in any case. 

Lastly for this post is the Patriarch himself. (Herself? Itself? Who knows...?) This is the one of two original sculpts that were made for this character back in the late 80's (I think sculpted by Bob Olley?). The other was a seated version which made for a lovely vignette, but not great for gaming. This fellow is quite a bit smaller than the current plastic version, but I like him enough. To make him look a little more imposing and even a tad daemonic, I added some shoulderpads from the Purestrain Genestealer kit which I think add enough.

I think he originally came with 3 little familiars (Like psychic manifestations of it's intelligence or something) but one was lost along the decades since.  

As with the minis shown in my last post, I plan to base all of these en masse once I've assembled everything and then I'll prime those that require it so I can get to painting. After seeing how they work, I've been interested in trying out those new GW Contrast paints to see if I can get the rank and file troops done quicker. But more on that at a later date.

Cheers

The Chaos Genestealer Cult Was Always a Thing (Part 1 - the beginning)

Picture this: it’s 1990. Wee Dai, the 14-year-old lad has been collecting Games Workshop’s monthly publication White Dwarf magazine for a bit now and casts his eyes across a brand new army that he never conceived could exist – The Genestealer Cult. Mesmerised is a small way to put it, though I’d already committed to both my first 40K love (My sorely missed and now completely currently unloved by GW) Squat army and my Nurgle obsession, so always planned to make a Cult army in the future, yet never did. The army lists (There were two, regular Cult and Chaos Cult) ended up in the 2^nd Rogue Trader expansion, Compilation.

Fast forward 20-something years and GW has really gone and fleshed out the whole idea of what the Genestealer Cult is and their model range is phenomenal. Of course I was suckered in by firstly picking up Warhammer 40K: Kill Team core set which included some of the tasty new Genestealer Cult sculpts. This in turn got my creative juices flowing and so my mind when back to that 14-year-old dream of starting my own Chaos Cult, just like in the White Dwarf. Now, the current Codex doesn’t allow for Chaos versions of a Genestealer Cult, but rules and revamped fluff be damned, I’m doing it anyhow cos they’re MY models.

The original Chaos Cult as featured in White Dwarf that got this all started. I'm planning to stay true to the same colour scheme as best as I can where it's practical. No Limo's though as I'm trying to do this project on the cheap, but there WILL be some transport options for a more modern take.

Close ups of some of the Aulde Cult. There are direct translations to the new entries int he current codex. Sadly though, those cool Beastmen and the Rogue Psyker aren't going to be featured.

So here’s the start of my take on the Chaos Genestealer Cult. It’ll loosely be based off this list from the Compendium:

As you can see there's not a tonne of entries to have to work toward and some of it will need to be switched out for figures I own in my existing collection cos like I said, I'm not in the position to spend out on stuff right now (Unless I can do so on some cheeky Ebay auction or other). The one thing I DO plan to buy are a box of those new plastic Flesh Hounds, but they'll just be added to a unit of Purestrain Genestealers using the same stats for sake of ease. I'm not about to play in tournaments with this army, it's just a "for fun" project that will be used in a campaign a friend and I are planning for next year.

The overall look of the force is also inspired by the art in the old Warhammer 40K Compendium, this image especially grabbed my attention as a lad, just as it does now. Evocative of what horror the Cult and especially a Chaos Cult can bring to any battlefield!

Looks like utter bloody pandemonium eh? That's how like my Chaos. :)

You have seen in my last post, the first two entries of my list, my Magos and the army's Standard Bearer, the Acolyte Iconward - these two are the inspirational figureheads of the Cult. The Magos is a powerful Psyker and the Iconward buffs nearby units greatly.

Next up I assembled a small 5-man unit of Acolyte Hybrids, 4 armed with hand flamers and the last with a Heavy Rock Saw. Coming in from ambush, this small squad will pack a punch and should be able to deal with most light to medium targets with ease. These will represent the 1st and 2nd Generation Hybrids in my force.

Next up is another venerable leader, my Primus. Where the Magos is a mistress of intrigue and manipulation, the Primus is the martial mastermind behind the Cult. Whilst the official sculpt for the Primus is by no means a bad sculpt, I already had a plan for making my own once GW released their special Imperial Guard character, Severina Raine. I wanted my army to have a martial background (More appropriate for worshipers of Khorne I think.) so felt a Primus who was a former Imperial Guard Commissar sounded way cooler!

The finished model is basically just Raine with Khorne trophy poles, a Bloodletter (Lesser Daemon) sword in place of her regular saber and a Hybrid's arm carved up a bit and glued to the underside of her left arm. The rules show a Primus as wielding a Needle Pistol, but I really like the sculpt-standard bolt pistol she comes with so I'm leaving that alone. I think she makes for quite a cool and dynamic looking character and am excited to get paint on her over all the models I've previewed for this project thus far.

Still lots to go though as I have units of Brood Brother Infantry (Traitor Imperial Guard) and Weapon Teams, their transport vehicles, some Neophyte Hybrids (3rd and 4th Generation) and one more character to add.

Watch this space!

A big lad

The need to paint something wholly different from WW2 continued in my head, so I plucked an old fig from a neglected project and got to work. It's a metal Reaper Miniatures "Plague Harbinger", a really nice sculpt from 2004 by Werner Klocke that I'd bought originally upon release and had left on the shelf of unloved minis with the intention to paint up as the last member of my Inquisimunda/INQ28 Nurgle Coven! (I need to have a serious word with the "Hoarder" in me.)

Hadn't realised, but I had not worked on this project since 2012, the previous entry being a bits-mash-up deamonhost! O_o This feller is representing a "Big Mutie" in the rules, as well as being unnaturally large, he also has a "Claw" (Originally represented by an old metal Great Unclean One hand, but since replaced with a more manageable and better looking plastic hand from the GW giant kit.) and some sort of rotten flesh-type "toughness" mutation. Overall in-game he'll be awful when shooting with his ancient pistol, but nasty in hand-to-hand combat.

Dark pits for eyes made him seem more creepy in my mind. Check out the dirt under those fingernails - ew...

This brute claims to have taken those Templar pauldron shields from Space Marines he had slain in one-on-one combat. Whilst the rest of the team doesn't believe this story, they aren't about to risk a good  kicking saying so. 

Bone-handled knife is a cool bit that adds I think to the scummy wastelander feel of this mini.

Rust on most all of the exposed metal areas. (Looks good enough for me.)
Between his feet are a pile of bloodied bones - a previous meal/victim/captive/pet?

The scheme was an attempt to blend in well enough with the rest of the Coven, but be individual enough that he’ll still stand out in a group shot. The stripy cloth on his hood was an attempt to make the image more interesting, yet not distract for the overall look. As well as the plastic giant’s hand that replaced his Sickle armed left hand, I added some sort of Warhammer Fantasy holstered pistol, Warhammer 40K Kroot knife and a grenade that I think comes from the Kroot sprues as well. Overall it really is a sweet mini and I think the additions “Grimdark” it up enough to fit in the Warhammer 40K universe.

No idea on a name for this mutant as yet, though I’ll happily take suggestions.

With him finished, that sees my Chaos Coven complete. Still lots to do on other teams though for the future and after really enjoying painting this mini, I’m rather hankering to finish up some of the members of the (also) neglected Inquisitorial investigation squads. We’ll see what takes my fancy.

(I’ll get a group pic up in a future post when it’s not so rainy and nasty outside.)

by Request

Admiral Drax, this one's for you mate.

As requested, my painted guard figures all in one post.

These are from a Rogue Trader's retinue, traveling about the dodgy parts of the galaxy, searching for new planets to claim in the name of profit and the God Emperor, and so forth.

Grand High Commander - Plutarco Etcheverria de Dios Otero Antormarchi and his motley retinue.

Chosen men with their long las' rifles, Bombardier General Horatio Vanderbilt and one of the 'Trader's Gretchin bodyguard.

Ship's Captain Gulliver Bevingham-Nixon and Navigator Armaud Destrierre strut their stuff on the right flank.

Trader Prince surrounded by trusted subordinates.

Sergeant Lorch, Overseer of the Mutant Penitents squad

Commander Isiah Tholme and Pay Master (Commissar) Scheiner of Platoon Command Squad #1

Squad #1 of 1st Platoon. (2-3 more of these in the pipeline)

Lieutenant Sayyid and his band of misfit Mercs take care of a lot of questionable duties that no regular trooper in his right mind would accept.

A wee diorama:

On the now re-discovered planet Oso XII, the Lord Trader wishes to investigate the possibility that ancient artifacts may well remain in the ruins left behind. 1st Squad of the household guard is sent to safeguard the area of the ruined mission.

Sergeant Coomes sends his squad inside.

Commander Tholme watches on, eager to get off this graveyard world and back into the comfort of his barracks. Pay Master Scheiner looks on to make sure all is carried out according to doctrine.

Meanwhile, in a small administrative ruin, self-styled Lieutenant Sayyid  and his band of mercenaries secure  their objective.

"All clear!"

Watching the treeline from the 2nd floor.

Not everyone is busy, Corporal Cointreau takes the opportunity to smoke a quick Iho-stick whilst others of his squad move supplies and ammo in from their lander.

Everything seems to be going as it should.

The area designated safe, the Lord Trader himself prepares to enter the ruined Mission building to seek the artifact, flanked by loyal Gretchin bodyguards and his faithful mutant standard bearer.

Overseer Lorch and his Mutants are fully trusted by the Lord Trader. Here he organises a patrol.

The Chosen men are ready with their sniper weaponry, scanning about for any threat that might pop it's head out.

Ship's Captain Bevingham-Nixon and Bombardier General Vanderbilt attends the affair, hoping to be amongst the first to set eyes upon any discovered treasures.

With bodyguards in tow, the Lord Trader sets about his self appointed sacred duty......

Little does the landing party realise, but they are being watched!

Skirmishers move in from hidden foxholes!

Airborne units alight upon the higher reaches from the skies!

Stealth units materialise from the shadows!

I wonder what will happen next!? Feel free to finish the story in a comment or some such. :)

Lastly, I think the Librarian commission is done!

 

 Per usual, the client prefers to do his own basing, which suits me fine. I hope he likes what he sees. I've not yet given it a coat of flat varnish in case he requests any changes be made.