Sunday, December 29, 2019

Mor Deythan Squad

This is my Mor Deythan squad, assembled and ready to be primed for painting.

The squad features combi-melta guns and two meltas through the squad to take advantage of first turn infiltration set-up possibilities. Whilst they may not get within half range on the first turn, by turn two or three, the aim is to have this squad blow up a tank or transport with the melta guns, and then open fire with the bolters later if required. Subsequently, they serve as a tar pit, or meat shield support, as required. 



The only real conversion work here was fitting the melta guns to the bodies of the Raven Guard. This was not hard, and required simply removing the hand from the weapons as I wanted to preserve the hands of the resin miniatures in entirety. The back packs are not standard resin, but from the mark 4 space marine range. The naked head is from the modern space marines boxed set. Other than that, this squad is complete. 

New Year -- New Army. This is just the start.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Mor Deythan Melta

The new project is taking form with increased celerity (although that wouldn't take much either given how little progress I have made on it, to be candid). 

This model is a Mor Deythan marine from the Raven Guard legion. This is a minor bit of conversion work, replacing the regular armament with a melta gun from the plastic 30k range (which needed the hand chopped away to work with the resin hand on the Forge World parts), along with a plastic back pack. Although I thought about buying the regular marines, I got a good deal on an incomplete Mor Deythan set (minus the weapons and back packs) that I couldn't say no to. Hence this marine needed a couple of more parts to set him up well.


Well, there may still be prizes for guessing what I'm working on, so I'll leave that part of what I'm doing as a semi-mystery for the moment (but its probably obvious). I want to get a full squad of Mor Deythan converted in a similar fashion and ready for painting soon, time permitting!


Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Perennia Logo

It turns out that there is more than just me worldwide that wanted to have a titan in the Perennia colours. I was stoked that others reached out to me in the past year to discuss Legio Perennia (you know who you are) and I was only too happy to chat about that titan legion and what its iconography might be.

Now, when one invents a legion, there is complete freedom to choose whatever you like for iconography or colour. But the situation is slightly different here. Legio Perennia is a canon legion, but there is very little to go on for the Legio, except for the mention in the Horus Heresy short story that involves the Alpha Legion (which was also me reason for selecting Perennia).

Candidly, there really is only the name of the Legio.

As mentioned a long time ago when I was choosing the painting scheme, I felt that Perennia comes from the same root as "perennial", as per the plant type. This fact in itself is why I chose green for the major part of the colour scheme that I adopted for the war hound. To me, it also has overtures of something eternal, and even slightly Celtic perhaps.

Hence when I sat down to think about the logo, I wanted to try for something that brought these themes together.

The best result I had was looking at the ancient Celtic Tree of Life logo (also: Yggdrasil). If you google for "celtic tree of life", you will see the kind of thing I am talking about. The added benefit of this kind of symbology is that it is old enough to be out of copyright. Despite this benefit, the knots and swirls are very tough to paint due to the sheer level of complexity (I attempted several). So I started to look for a lower complexity version. There were not many. This Amazon seller for instance -- https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Yggdrasil-Sticker-Mythology-Knotwork/dp/B01BO14HEI -- has bumper stickers that look great, and almost what I was after. In start white, it would stand out excellently against the green paint job of the body of the titan. Yet, it still lacks a certain something to my mind. Plus: needed to be simpler - much simpler. A design of this complexity is exceptionally tough to reproduce without very specific templating. 

I therefore retained the idea of knots, but simplified it a lot. I ended up with this design that I painted on the side of my war hound. 


I am broadly happy with this as it is simple enough to duplicated, yet specific enough to be easily sighted and recognised. Let the annals show that this knotwork is now the logo and symbol of Legio Perennia!

Friday, November 15, 2019

Painting Salamanders with Contrast Paint

Following on from the previous post, I had a number of comments and direct messages about what I was going to do with this Mark III Iron Armour marine. To put readers (mostly) out of their misery guessing what I'm up to, this particular marine has been painted up in Salamanders Legion colours.

For the bulk of the paint job, I decided on using contrast paint. Now, there are several formulations out there for the "best" green for Salamanders colours. For me, I have opted with the usual (white) basecoat followed by the Warp Lightning contrast paint.  If you've never used contrast paints before, I can thoroughly recommend them -- I have been a convert since finding how well they performed on Alpha Legion marines, and this Salamanders marine is no different. 


The contrast paint goes on really well and gets in to all the recessed areas of the model to provide shaded parts with little effort what so ever. I highlighted the edges in a lighter, more wood green colour, but for the deepest recesses, added a little nuln oil to taste since I wanted this marine to possess a worn look. 

The shoulder pads are done with a gold base, nuln oil layer, and then griffon gold dry brush to bring out the highlights. The inner shoulder pads and back pack are black, but highlighted in a few grey tones to pick out the wires. The face and head follows a relatively similar approach with a black base and grey highlighting for the features. As for the eyes, they're picked out in red, with a fleck of pink in them to give the customary devilish look to the Salamanders. The bolt gun meanwhile is done with lead belcher and nuln oil, with a lighter silver for highlights. 

Since I was wanting a worn look, I have also applied weathering extensively on the miniatures. This is in two forms: the brown dust and mud colours near the feet, and the chip painting at various locations (most obviously the forward knee on this model). This is achieved with a splotching of black and silver to insinuate wear and tear. Finally, some decals have been applied from the 40k range (as I don't wish to splash out for the Forge World ones at this stage). 

Overall, I'm very pleased with how the contrast paints performed yet again! Thoroughly recommended!

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Mk. III Iron Armour Marine

A new project? Yes.
A large project? Haven't decided yet. Hobby mojo is very active at the moment though!

But this is just a little tease as to what I'm up to at the moment. The space marine in the image is a Mark III Iron Armour space marine. The bulk of the parts are resin, as sold by Forge World. The bolter comes from the older chaos space marine range and features the ammo feed coming in at the bottom. The naked head is from the regular space marine range.  Meanwhile on the base, I have sawed a left over bit from the older mechanicum range to provide a small platform for this marine to stand upon. 


Obviously at the moment, there are few clues here as to my new (mini- or otherwise) project, but guesses are welcome. I will post up the painted marine later this week, time permitting!

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Zone Mortalis update

When the news broke about the new Necromunda underhive scenery being available, I was fairly excited. The new scenery pieces are amazing, and much less expensive (at least in principle) compared to the older resin pieces produced by Forge World that have been discontinued of late.

What I did not quite expect was a full-on update to the Zone Mortalis rules set to be released for the Horus Heresy at the same time! The new rules can be found via the Warhammer community website

Fundamentally, the new rules are not that much different to what has gone before. There's an attacker, a defender, a couple of missions, and some special rules. 

As per usual, the tight confines of the Zone mean that a player cannot select a monstrous creature, or dedicated transports. Base size limits are in effect too: no bigger than 60mm, and certainly nothing bigger than walkers. 

Terrain plays a big part still in the Zone. The rules for bulk heads are still there, along with platforms and stairs. Given the new stair wells in the plastic Necromunda kits, these rules will be cited a lot in play I believe.

I like the retention of the special firing rules, as well as the "catastrophic damage" table which is nice to see. The rules for poisoned air, or void fighting remain pretty much the same, and void enhanced armour is recommended to avoid the effects of extra rending rolls being imposed. 

Overall, I like the update. What I feel is missing is some of the more in-depth rules for various types of scenery. It might have been good to see some rules supplied for the Horus Heresy for the sector mechanicus servo-haulers for instance (the entire boxed set could readily be adapted for the Horus Heresy, I contend), along with specific conversion rules for the rest of the sector mechanicus boxed set (some of which is pictured here). Other than that - its all good!


Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Dreadtober Leviathan Contribution

In an effort to not be entirely out-done in Dreadtober, here is my humble progress to date. I doubt that I will get this one finished up by the end of the month, but its a vast improvement on where this miniature was up to by the last time I focussed on it!

Hope that you like it, unfinished as it is.


Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Games Workshop / Warhammer Newcastle

Out and about on my travels once more, and I was in the city of Newcastle (UK) recently in the north of England. As per usual, I navigated my way to the local Games Workshop store (Warhammer now) to poke around and see what it was like.



The physical location of the store is very near the Monument railway station (metro) in Newcastle and therefore provides a hugely convenient place for footfall. Indeed, it is one of the better located Games Workshop stores that I've been to in larger cities in the UK or Australia. It is very near some of the modern, large shops and shopping precinct in the city centre and honestly is situated almost perfectly.

The inside of the store is on par with modest sized stores in similar cities. There were a range of tables set up when I was there, for both Age of Sigmar and for Warhammer 40,000. Of particular note was the 40k table that I took a few pictures of below. Clearly in a Necromunda set-up, this display was something that I found both hugely striking and quite inspirational, if a little outside the budget of someone just starting out in the hobby I suppose.



Close up of part of the scene below, focussing on a crate that is being hauled upward. Another very nice detail on the splendid display!


The store itself was well staffed, and they were polite to me, but not nearly as pushy as some of the other stores that I've been to. Indeed, I had a good browse without being molested by constant questions about what armies I was collecting and game systems I was interested in. This was a nice change - they got the level of interaction right for a veteran like me! Thank you.

Overall, I might have given it a slightly lower mark, but the display blew me away, so 5/5 stars!

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Daemonology in 30k: Possession

Analysis. 
Rounding off the discussion on daemonology in 30k is the return of an old favourite that has been present in the game as long ago as Realms of Chaos.

In short: sacrifice the caster and replace her or him with a greater daemon! It is certainly worth the points cost, but probably best to play later in the game, just before the sorcerer or caster has lost their final wound for the match.

As for emanations, don't forget that Lord of Sorcery can be taken for free here, which in turn means potentially more daemons to summon. Or just take wings, or something equally good. Actually, since its a greater daemon that is appearing on the battlefield, there's not too much negative aspects to this power.

The only drawback with this power is if the caster fails their test, in which case it results in an automatic perils of the warp. Even so, this is still a risk worth taking for having a bonus greater daemon join your team on the battlefield.


Monday, September 30, 2019

Daemonology in 30k: Incursion

Analysis. 
The penultimate power on the new daemonology list in 30k is Incursion. This is also a summoning spell that creates a unit of either three beasts, or three brutes.

To be quite candid, I cannot envision a situation in which the player would choose beasts over brutes, given the option. Not only are brutes more expensive in terms of point, thus giving the controlling player more points, it is reflected in their stat line which is simply superior in every way to the beasts. Choose brutes. Every time. Only if you desperately want troops is there any reason to choose beasts. But I'm sure a daemons player won't be short of troops to be honest. And there's always the primaris power for that too(!).

As for the emanation to give to the unit, wings remains a solid choice along with the others that I noted in the original Primaris summoning power.

Overall, this is a powerful summoning spell, which is justified by the warp charge cost of the power. I'm not sure it is quite as warp charge points effective as Sacrifice, but its still well worth-while. 

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Daemonology in 30k: Sacrifice

Analysis. 
We now turn to a conjuration power which is similar to the Primaris power of summoning

As the name implies, there is a sacrificial offering to the chaos gods in exchange for a one of the most trusted servants making an appearance on the battlefield.

What I found odd about this power when I first read it was the fact that the only thing to be sacrificed is a single wound. In other words, one does not (technically) have to remove a model from the tabletop, which is what I thought it would have been. Instead, you can just choose a multi-wound model to drop a single wound and gain a new miniature out of it. This is perfect for many armies since a wounded praetor will hit just as hard as one on full wounds. 

The summoned daemon, in turn, is a single Chosen miniature. In effect, this is (over) fifty free points of miniature appearing on the table for the controlling player at the cost of a single wound. This is therefore a solid power.

Unlike the Primaris power though, it only requires a single warp charge and is therefore much easier to manifest. The points cost of the summoned unit is therefore almost in line with the one-third reduction in warp charge required. I will refer readers to the Primaris power for suggestions on the single emanation permitted, with one important difference. As they are a chaos chosen daemon, they can be given the Lord of Sorcery upgrade for free (taking the effective unit worth to 75 points). This thus reinforces armies like Tzeentch in a very effective manner, and probably means it is one to watch out for on the battlefield. 

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Daemonology in 30k: Infernal Gaze

Analysis. 
If Dark Flame was a bit "shrug", then Infernal Gaze is its cousin, "meh". As a beam power, it is okay more or less for 1 warp charge. However, with a range of 18 inches and a very low strength that is not tied to the strength of the model using it (unlike emanations), the power just doesn't have much of a place in a Ruinstorm army to my mind.

Sure, the armourbane effect is nice when required (as is fleshbane), but if the daemons army is not pulling off anti-armour in another way, then this power will not make much difference what so ever.

In my (biased) opinion, this power is simply in the okay category rather than being amazing, or totally worth it. Even Word Bearers sorcerers have access to better (literal) fire power than this in principle. 

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Daemonology in 30k: Dark Flame

Analysis. 
As a witch fire power, this particular daemonic dakka is okay, but not spectacular. The torrent template is very nice, but nothing to write home about. The strength is fixed (and not based on the strength of the user as the emanations are in the daemons of the Ruinstorm list is).

The AP is poor, and soul blaze is (and mostly has been) in the okay category without being outstanding.

This, then, is a moderate power and one to think of leaving at home if you have a heavy flamer to hand instead, or for daemons, if you otherwise have corrosive vomit at a native higher strength.

Shrug overall. 

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Daemonology in 30k: Cursed Earth

Analysis. 
As a bessing, the cursed earth power is a really powerful addition to the toolset for daemons, especially the Tzeentch variety.

The ability to provide an extra pip of invulnerability save is not to be overlooked lightly, but the real clincher is the ability to not scatter on deep striking.

Sure, these abilities are limited to a 12 inch bubble around the caster, but played right, can turn the tide of a battle. For melee daemons, the bonus save is great (and really nice as well with any other bonuses to save that the daemons can create or manufacture). However, having the deep striking forces come down where you want them can not only out-manoeuvre an opponent, but can also provide a body of daemons to screen the summoner and any unit the summoner is attached to.

Overall, I'd give this power a good rating overall and it is one worth attempting if you're not actively summoning every turn. 

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Daemonology in 30k: Summoning

Summoning. 
Malevolence introduces a replacement Daemonology psychic discipline that supersedes the one presented in the Horus Heresy Age of Darkness core red rulebook. 

The designer explicitly notes that this is to bring the discipline in to line with the new Daemons of the Ruinstorm rules presented in book eight. 

The interesting side effect of the new summoning rules is that any summoned lesser daemons gain the same allegiance as that of the summoner. This means that as well as having "traitor" daemons, the summoner can create "loyalist" daemons too. The book gives the example of the tools of the enemy being used against them (perhaps some strain of loyal Dark Angels?), or when wanton destruction is needed by loyal members of traitor units (I could readily imagine that the Alpha Legion loyalists would not think too much about using such tools at their disposal!). 

Summoned Daemons.
Turning now to the Primaris Power: Summoning. This spell creates a unit of 10 ruinstorm lesser daemons for the summoner. These new daemons do not gain any of the usual Ruinstorm rules. Instead, they have the much more classical daemon and fearless special rules. In addition, they can also have a single emanation of horror.

The question is which emanation might be best to select? Without any dominion rules, the choice is more limited than normal emanations. I would suggest one of the following:
Daemonic Wings (for quickly moving around);
Crushing Claws (for better close combat);
Bone Shard Harpoons (for general dakka);
Warp Scaled Hide (for survival).

Plausibly flensing talons is a reasonable choice too, but I'd favour one of the above depending on the situation. Horned Crown might also be viable if there's something close too. 

Overall, this is a balanced approach to summoning that does not have much of a "run away" feature; more of a reinforcement flavour, which is very reasonable. The summoned unit has a base value of 120 points, plus the cost of whichever emanation is selected. This could take the points value up to 170 points plausibly. Of course, the inclusion of such a unit might tilt the balance of a game, but in a large points value game that 30k encourages, it is not so great as to be imbalanced. However, multiple successful summonings can sway the entire game, and an opponent would be well advised to guard against it. 

We will have a look at some of the other daemonology powers in future posts. 


Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Arch-Daemon

Background. 
These creatures are the stuff of legends, and in the presented background are suggested to be the daemonic equivalent of titans. Miniature wise, these are the exalted greater daemons, or any large dragon or fiend from other companies that you can lay your hands on. Or your toddler who will ruin your game board?

Strengths.
They have a stat line that is better than many primarchs. Their abilities are commensurate with this too. However, they get to choose different options compared to the regular emanations, some of which are better than others.

Weaknesses.
The only thing I can say here is that I feel the points cost is fractionally too high in comparison to Primarchs, especially given the buffs that primarchs can provide.

Builds.
Given that some of the options are better than others, I will go through them sequentially before presenting a couple of builds to consider.

Lord of Chaos. Given the bonus to saves, this should be an automatic selection for all arch-daemons.

Reaper of Souls. Possibly not worth it unless you are terrified of being tar-pitted.

Breaker of Titans. You are taking a Lords of War here, hence the enemy can as well. This would be a prudent selection.

Font of the Warp. Mastery level 4 is fabulous, and very appropriate for Tzeentch players. Don't take if you are playing a Khorne army though.

Wound in Reality. Nice for Mirror of Hate builds I think.

Beyond Death. The inherent randomness in this upgrade possibly argues against its selection. That, and I suspect the time taken to down this daemon means it is not prudent.

Torrent of Unreality. A nice hellstorm attack.

Warp Burst. Another nice titan-like blast attack.

Rend Space and Time. The ability to place a new rift marker is tactical genius level trolling against an opponent in the right hands. Nurgle players will like the bonus victory points, and its is also very Tzeentch-like too.

Warp-forged plate. A 2+ armour save is good.

Flying Gargantuan Creature. Can be taken in addition to three of the above. Recommended.

Suggested builds (untested).

Resplendent terror: Arch-Daemon, Lord of Chaos, Breaker of Titans, Warp Burst, Flying (820 points).
A base line entry with firepower, stability, and threat.

Crimson fury: Arch-Daemon, Lord of Chaos, Warp-forged plate, Torrent of unreality, Flying (830 points).
Armour everywhere, and a giant flamer to torch the flesh from the skulls for ready addition to the throne.

Creeping Scourge: Arch-Daemon, Lord of Chaos, Rend Time and Space, Breaker of Titans, Flying(835 points).
Very nice for Nurgle players!

Lurid Onslaught: same as Resplendent terror. Possibly replace warp burst with font of the warp?

Maddening Swarms: Arch-Daemon, Lord of Chaos, Font of the Warp, Rend Time and Space, Flying (900 points).
The Font of the Warp has to be a given for Tzeentch daemons really.

Mirror of Hate. Arch-Daemon, Wound in Reality, Font of the Warp, Breaker of Titans, Flying (860 points).
Seems fluffy to me, and could work really well for the alternate victory conditions under certain circumstances (like being killed and taking others with them). 

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Master Painted Great Unclean One

I took my time. A hell of a lot of time. And I am pleased. I'm not sure I'm quite finished yet, but this is looking striking, original, and very fitting for a 30k Ruinstorm Daemons army, 40k daemons of chaos, or Age of Sigmar army.

Behold my new Great Unclean One.







Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Daemon Behemoth

Background. 
These are the largest and most imposing monster straight out of the warp. They are enormous, living tanks and weapons, but beyond that, their forms are as variable as the masters and whims that they serve.

Strengths.
They're big. They have a massive ten wounds. Yes: ten wounds! And they are monstrous creatures. Their stat line is on par with a primarch overall except for weapon skill and ballistic skill.

They have they special rule, Unstoppable, which affects the way that instant death interacts with them (cause d3 wounds instead) and similar for anything that demands their removal from play. Sniper and Poisoned attacks are reduced to a natural 6 to hurt them too. This is very nice!

Weaknesses.
They cost three times the amount as a greater beast, but I think this extra cost is worth it considering the extra wounds and special rule that we get with the behemoth.

Builds.
Resplendent Terror Build:
Behemoth, Rift Barb, Warp-scaled Hide, Molten Blood (345 points).
Destroy a transport tank. Get in combat with whatever they were carrying. Kill them. They kill themselves when they wound the behemoth. There's little not to like thematically!

Crimson Fury Build:
Behemoth, Brass Collar, Rift Barb, Molten Blood (335 points).
A more points-efficient variation of the above build. Note also: this build is open to Resplendant terror too!

Creeping Scourge Build:
Behemoth, Miasma of Rot, Warp-Scaled Hide, Molten Blood (345 points).
This is just rude. In combat the molten blood hits at strength = user, but the miasma of rot reduces the effective toughness of the opponent by 1. Very nice for taking on deadnoughts in the early game. 

Lurid Onslaught Build:
Behemoth, Stupefying Musk, Rift Barb (325 points).
Another tank hunter really.

Maddening Swarms Build:
I honestly don't think Tzeentch players should use this due to lack of magic or psionic powers. However, if you do, refer to the resplendent terror build, above.

Mirror of Hate Build:
Take the base line Resplendent Terror build, above. 

Monday, July 29, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Greater Ruinstorm Daemon Beast

Background. 
They are big. And that is about all that we know about the greater ruinstorm daemon beasts. They have a variety of shapes, and are described in the text as casually swatting tanks as if they were toys.

Strengths.
These things are effectively living tanks. With a base strength of 8, they can provide very effective anti-tank in the army to back up any Shrike that you've already given rift barb to. That, and they're a monstrous creature.

Weaknesses.
Not too many to be candid. They're a solid choice and need to be played as a living tank, albeit with 4 wounds each. That said, it would probably be better to invest in a behemoth if the points are available simply because they have superior survivability.

Builds.
Resplendent Terror Build:
Greater Beast, Rift Barb (115 points).
I regard this as the base build. Add on some Warp Hide for extra survivability perhaps.

Crimson Fury Build:
Greater Beast, Brass Collar, Rift Barb (130 points).
Standard Khorne build - and a very nice one it is too.

Creeping Scourge Build:
Greater Beast, Miasma of Rot, Warp-Scaled Hide (140 points).
This is now in a "distraction carnifex" style.

Lurid Onslaught Build:
Greater Beast, Stupefying Musk, Rift Barb (125 points).
Not as survivable as the Khorne version or Nurgle version (both above), but still nice.

Maddening Swarms Build:
Greater Beast, Flaming Ichor (120 points).
The inability to take any magic or psychic powers hurts Tzeentch here. I don't advise taking greater beasts if you are a Tzeentch player. I want to like this slot in the army, but can't for this build. Sorry.

Mirror of Hate Build:
Take the base line build (see resplendent terror, above).

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Daemon Shrike

Background. 
Potentially dragons breathing fire over the battlefield, or rotting vultures looking for the next snack. These daemons are the over-sized fliers of the Ruinstorm daamon army.

Strengths.
They're big, with a nice stat line, and are fundamentally flying monstrous creatures. However, they are only equipped with close combat weapons like claws and no ranged options which would have to be obtained via emanations.

Weaknesses.
I'd like these to ideally be deployed without the need for regular daemonic deployment, but such is life. The playstyle here calls for swift action and getting in to combat or range very quickly. They are broadly worth the point, but as with many other daemons need to be used well and quickly in a given battle.

Builds.
Resplendent Terror Builds:
Shrike, Corrosive Vomit (170 points).
Its a dragon.  

Shrike, Rift Barb (170 points).
A different type of dragon (anti-tank!).

Crimson Fury Build:
Shrike, Brass Collar, Horned Crown (180 points).
Some sort of flying Khorne monster? I don't know anymore.

Creeping Scourge Build:
Shrike, Miasma of Rot, Warp-Scaled Hide (185 points).
Some grotesque decaying fright bat.

Lurid Onslaught Build:
Shrike, Stupefying musk, Lord of Sorcery (195 points).
Erm?

Maddening Swarms Build:
Shrike, 2x Lord Of Sorcery (210 points).
This one makes more sense, but I've still no idea what model to represent it with.

Mirror of Hate Build:
Shrike, Rift Barb, Lord of Sorcery (195 points).
A utility dragon?

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Great Unclean One: Daemonic Sword

A painting update today on the Great Unclean One, focussing in on the weapon he's holding. The sculpt of the Great Unclean One in plastic is simply phenomenal, and laden with a slew of details; the daemonic sword that he holds is no exception to this.

Around a rusted outer edge is a core festooned and embedded with skulls. When I saw this, I wondered immediately if I could somehow bring a bit more life in to this core skull area rather than just stick with a rusted tone. Although others have attempted similar, I figured I wanted my version to stand out as noxiously Nurgle, but also unique. Therefore I opted to have the skull area painted in a contrasting, but consistently Nurgle, green toxic tone.


The painting approach here is straight forward. I undercoated the model in Corax White all over to begin with. I then set to work on the inner region of the blade by giving it a base layer of white. A generous coating of hex wraith flame ink was then applied to give it a spooky and toxic like depth. This was highlighted in a lighter green colour around the skulls and raised parts. I might go over the highlighting again later, but overall I'm happy with this part.

The thing that makes it "pop" a bit more than usual is the muted colours around the edge. I used pure black to outline the blade and base coat the rusted portions. Following this, a dappling of golds, silvers, and bronzes followed on top, laying up a very rusted feeling with a random application of these colours and blends along the entire length of the blade.

Overall, the effect is really nice and speaks volumes of a daemonic blade suitable for wielding by a Great Unclean One. I really like this approach and experiment. Onward with the main body that I'm going to try a master work blend approach on. More about that at a later date.


Monday, July 22, 2019

More Alpha Legion with Contrast Paints

A quick update to my earlier post on using the new Contrast Paints to deal with Alpha Legion power armour painting. Here, I have almost fully painted up my praetor miniature using an undercoat of lead belcher and a coating of Terradon Turquoise on top. The paint scheme follows the usual standards for the Alpha Legion with silver trimmings, and some white markings, with greens used sparingly (notably on one of the shoulder pads where the hydra icon can be seen). 


I'm particularly proud of the free hand lines I've managed on the back of the cloak. But that's not what I really wanted to point out here. Pay closer attention to the right hand shoulder pad. Notice how it not only has that metallic blue sheen to it that we've come to expect from the Alpha Legion (see the lower right leg for more of that silver blue effect!), but also the darker edges next to the silver trim. This is the action of the contrast paint alone, and not something that I've added in like a later wash or glaze. The effect is simply terrific! 


Honestly, I'm tempted to invest more in contrast paints right now -- particularly for black as I feel the cloak could have benefitted from that a lot more. And no: I'm not being paid to say that even. I'm genuinely thrilled by the effects I can get out of the contrast paints.

There's a bit more work to put in to this particular miniature yet, but as it stands, it is more than ready for the table top. 

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Unclean and most assuredly Great

A "little" ...erm... "treat" following some recent sales that I've made on eBay from my older miniatures: one of the newer, plastic Great Unclean Ones!

This is a kit that I have wanted to get a hold of for a while, but couldn't quite justify the cost to myself without selling some of my older and unused miniatures. And what a kit it is. It is readily apparent how much design work has gone in to the new Great Unclean One and the superior production values compared to years ago when the metal versions were all the rage.

The size of the miniature is immense too. It has a really dominant presence on the battle field from its sheer height and bulk.



Putting together the miniature was straight forward: it is hollow on the inside, hence its a bit like making a "cup" or semi-spherical object using plastic and glue. The parts slot together really well, and the only choices are which arms and head to attach to the miniature, plus the teeth versus the spilling gut on the front.

For this one, I have opted for the teeth (largely because its a classic in my eyes), the sword in the right arm, and the Rotigus arm for the left hand as I really like the tentacles and the pose -- it looks as if a spell is being cast to my eyes. And if not, then it looks like the right hand is about to come down to chop whatever the left hand is going to grasp on to. I was struggling to choose which head though as both have their merits. I did attempt to put the viper tongue on the symmetric horned head, but a dry fit revealed how poor that worked. Hence I went for the symmetric horned head without any special work done. One nurgling on the shoulder and I was done!

I know that this arrangement is not canon for 40k or Age of Sigmar per se. However, I'm not bothered much since I will be using this primarily in 30k for a Ruinstorm army where such implementations will look excellent.


Thursday, July 18, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Daemon Cavalry

Background. 
In the old Realms of Chaos books, each god had a steed. For Khorne, it was the juggernauts, for Slaanesh the steeds, Discs of Tzeentch for the god of magic and ... erm ... Nurglings for Nurgle (because they held aloft palanquins of Nurgle -- don't overthink this one).
These days, there are more variances and nuances such as Tzeentch having both discs and the Screamers. Nurgle even has the Rot Fly these days too for a bit of Plaguebearer mounted air support.
This entry in the daemons list is therefore backed up extensively in the canon background and a true and welcome addition.

Strengths.
Naturally, cavalry are treated just as the name suggests (i.e. they have the same unit type as their name!). This means that they come with both fleet and hammer of wrath as standard.

Their stat line is nothing to write home about though: the exact same as lesser daemons, but with one extra attack. This is nice, and also encourages aggressive play with them.

Weaknesses.
As with lesser daemons, they share the same general vulnerabilities. Worse, they cost double the points of lesser daemons. Therefore: don't hold these daemons back - go for the kill.

Builds. 
Resplendent Terror Build:
5 Cavalry, Horned Crown (140 points).
Why bother with Horned Crown when they already have hammer of wrath? Because they will now have 1d3 hammer of wrath attacks instead of one!  Add ephemeral terror to taste?

Crimson Fury Build:
10 Cavalry, Brass Collars, Horned Crown (330 points).
Hard hitting, and a large unit with a good save. This is very decent overall!

Creeping Scourge Build:
5 Cavalry, Miasma of Rot, Warp-Scaled Hide (165 points).
Essentially a good tar-pit and death through attrition unit. 

Lurid Onslaught Build:
5 Cavalry, Stupefying Musk, Crushing Claws (165 points).
A moderate attempt to build steeds of Slaanesh.

Maddening Swarms Build:
10 Cavalry, Warp Scions, Bone Shard Harpoons (310 points).
Screamers, but with magic, and shooting weapons. Okay, they're not screamers any longer. But they are a reasonable Tzeentch build. 

Mirror of Hate Build:
10 Cavalry, Horned Crown, Molten Blood (310 points).
I lost the plot here a bit. The molten blood kills others if they suffer wounds, which feels kind of like it should play out here perhaps?

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Possessed

Background. 
The background text makes clear the differentiation between the possessed, as described here, and the Gal Vorbak. Whereas the latter is a fusion of two willing partners in crime, these possessed are created from the shells of men who can barely hold weapons, and the weak willed. They are wholly controlled by chaos entities and not in any kind of symbiotic relationship with a warp entity.

Strengths.
The possessed come in two different "flavours": one for legionaries, and one for auxiliary (i.e. base line human / Imperial Guard stat line).

They lack the generic daemon ruinstorm rules though, which means that they must set up on the board as regular troops do. This in turn means that one of their strengths can be to defend warp rifts that are placed on the table. Beyond that, they really are just marines or imperial guard.

Additionally, they are not subject to the ides of the warp like the rest of the army is, hence they are much more reliable throughout the game (in terms of not going down in S and T that is).

Weaknesses. 
They are fundamentally support units, and they can never be joined by an independent character from this particular army. Equally, no victory points are ever going to be lost due to their deaths which is good.

Builds.
Unlike the rest of the army where I have given explicit suggestions according to dominion, here I'm just going to focus on the unit itself without any particular chaos god associated with it. This is because there is no particular need (or even ability) to build this unit in this way.

20 Auxilia, 4 grenade launchers (140 points).
Dirt cheap, with ranged threat (of sorts), and likely to die quickly. This is a screening unit basically. A meat shield, and little else. For more of a mobile meat shield, swap out the launchers for flamers.

10 Auxilia, 2 plasma guns (80 points).
A bit hilarious since if an enemy ignore this unit, it can really hurt most enemies thanks to the plasma. Swap out for melta if you like.

10 Legionaries, 2 melta guns, 1 with thunder hammer (150 points).
The base line possessed space marine entry. Take bolt guns or bolt pistols, as preferred.

20 Legionaries, 4 plasma guns, 1 with power fist (275 points).
This is another nice load out with plasma to cause some strong damage at mid range.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Bigmeks Workshop Tiles Resin Bases

I recently purchased a set of 32mm resin bases from a company that I've not tried out before: Bigmeks-workshop.

Naturally, the idea behind this purchase is to have a set of scenic bases that I don't have to put as much effort in to creating as my normal miniatures would otherwise demand. The design I got is the Tiles range (mark two). Their appearance is one of a ruined urban or temple area. Although in some ways the design is fairly basic, I like them from the simplicity point of view. Indeed, the simple shattered tile is much more appealing from an ease of painting view point compared to others that I've tried in the past (e.g., the more complex, but admittedly good looking back2basix range I own; or the magnificent Scibor range).



The bases come in a variety of designs, all on the same theme. I'm sure if I had the time, I could craft something similar and cast them in resin myself. But. That's also part of the reason for buying off another supplier. Fundamentally, the bases are the broken tiles sat on top of rubble. I will get these painted up soon as I'd like to use them in conjunction with some other miniatures that I have on the boil. But more on that at a later date. For now: I'm happy with the purchase and price that I've paid for them. Yes: other companies have a higher level of detail, but they do cost more. That's not an issue for me here though.

Sunday, July 7, 2019

On eBay this week

Okay, I have a bunch of miniatures on offer via eBay this week that I wanted to share a few lines with my readers about.

Firstly is one of the rarest in my collection: an RT7 Rogue Trader era Imperial Dreadnought. I bought this when it was new, and also when I was very much younger, hence the rather very poor paint scheme (don't laugh too much - we were all young once!). However, it has been languishing in the bottom of my collection for years unloved. Hence I want it to find a happy new home.


Further rarities from my aging collection are a squad of ancient Daemonettes of Slaanesh, pictured below.  These are also original metal miniatures from the Rogue Trader era / Realms of Chaos. 


Also, three Khorne Berserkers (again Rogue Trader vintage), this time fractionally better painted and replete with green bases.


Other Games Workshop items of mine on eBay this week include:
Winged chaos raptor squad (conversions all round!);
Meanwhile in Dungeons and Dragons sales:
A copy of the very rare Rod of Seven Parts in good condition (outer lid a bit worn)

I hope that many of these will find a new home. I'm selling up these old items since I want to fund new projects, coupled with the fact that I don't use them much any longer and they're just taking up storage space. Hope that some of you find these items interesting!
[Note: if you're going to bid from outside the UK, do get in contact with me before bidding for a quote as postage can be significantly more than for postage within the UK. I always used signed-for and tracked, for what I trust are obvious reasons.]


Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Daemon Swarms

Background. 
Swarms have been a feature of daemons since the earliest of days when we saw Nurglings for the first time. However, for the other chaos gods, there are few analogues. Indeed, Nurglings were supposed to be the analogue of steeds -- given the tenuous associated with palanquins. These days, Tzeentch competes via screamers (with a stretch of the imagination), and via brimstone horrors perhaps as well. Khorne and Slaanesh doesn't really have anything in this category.

Strengths. 
Lots of wounds are the main strength of the daemon swarms. That's about all there is to write home about.

Weaknesses. 
They're systematically weaker than other troops across the stat line apart from Leadership and Saving throw. However, for the price, the wounds are probably worth it. They are also support units.

Sadly, they can only take one emanation of horror as well. This makes things a tough choice.

Builds.
Resplendent Terror Build:
10 Swarms, Warp-Scaled Hide (250 points).
I actually like the naked build here. Add in an armour saving throw and they're a real pest.
Possibly take miasma of rot instead to get that negative modifier in play for this army.

Crimson Fury Build:
8 Swarms, Brass Collars (200 points).
Same issues as above.

Creeping Scourge Build:
7 Swarms, Miasma of Rot (161 points).
These are Nurglings, but poorly built! Get that negative toughness modifier in play. Equally, Nurgle is not short of this ability. 

Lurid Onslaught Build:
6 Swarms, Stupefying Musk (138 points).
No idea what these are in terms of the background. 

Maddening Swarms Build:
9 Swarms, Warp Scions (207 points).
These actually work for Tzeentch. Maybe take 10 instead of 9, but regardless, you're competing further in the psychic phase which is good for this build. Perhaps represent with lots of brimstone horrors on one base and you're done. 

Mirror of Hate Build:
10 Swarms, Wings (250 points).
Flying swarms. Let's say no more about this in terms of lore. They could easily be represented by small critters with wings. I really like what wings does for them and in game. 

Monday, July 1, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Daemon Beasts

Background. 
Aping some of the forms seen in human armies, the beasts of chaos are recognisable from the earliest days of daemons in the old Realms of Chaos books. Fiends of Slaanesh. Beasts of Nurgle. Oddly though, Flamers of Tzeentch and Fleshounds of Khorne don't seem like a good fit overall, largely due to the large (40mm) bases needed. Juggernauts of Khorne might do in a pinch as well.

Strengths.
Fundamentally, the Beasts entry in the army list has one pip extra in S and T compared to lesser daemons, they're also troops, and they are classed as beasts. For this, they are double the points, but this is arguably a good investment.

Weaknesses.
They can only take two emanations of horror, rather than three (lesser daemons can take three).

Builds. 
Resplendent Terror Build:
3 Beasts, Bone Shard Harpoon, Crushing Claws (98 points). 
A basic, shooting unit, with potential in close combat. 

Crimson Fury Build:
8 Beasts, Brass Collars, Sundering Fangs (280 points).
This is actually a dangerous combat unit with good staying power combined with S=10 attacks if needed. Notice the use of 8 here -- Khorne's associated number.

Creeping Scourge Build:
7 Beasts, Miasma of Rot, Warp-scaled Hide (231 points).
Pseudo-beasts of Nurgle. They're nothing like beasts of Nurgle, but they're the best I could do given the lack of options.

Lurid Onslaught Build:
6 Beasts, Stupefying Musk, Crushing Claws (198 points).
An attempt to build Fiends of Slaanesh. This one isn't too bad overall. 

Maddening Swarms Build:
10 Beasts, Warp Scions, Flaming Ichor (310 points).
Of course, I was going to go with 9 beasts here, but the flaming ichor calls for multiples of 5. These are the Flamers of Tzeentch build, and I actually like it. 

Mirror of Hate Build:
3 Beasts, Rift Barb, Horned Crown (93 points).
The light tank killer unit. Horned Crown is to follow up against any occupants. Take multiple small units. 


Saturday, June 29, 2019

Good luck for the Titan Walk

To everyone participating in the UK Titan Owners Club Walk this weekend, we wish you good luck from Warpstone Flux!

Sadly Legio Perennia will not be there this time due to other circumstances and prior commitments. Hopefully in future years / events I will be able to join you!

Looking forward to hearing how it all goes though!
And photographs. Lots of photographs.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Lesser Daemons

Background. 
Fans of the setting will know precisely what these creatures are: the plague bearers, bloodletters, horrors, and daemonettes. But also perhaps furies. All are appropriate for this entry in the ruin storm daemons list and in the builds below, I try to recreate them explicitly, and more besides. The background from the book states that these are the bulk of the hordes and found in all shapes and colours. There's much scope here for customisation.

Strengths. 
They have a stat line like a space marine, but with two wounds and attacks. Their leadership is a bit more than rubbish though at seven. Hence there is a need here to be careful with them against too frequent perils of the warp. Their saves are basic daemon as well.

Weaknesses.
Despite the two wounds, these daemons are vulnerable to many units in the game. Sure, in the first few turns, they are really powerful, should they be in a position to charge. But later in the game, they cannot be relied on. When they drop to three in toughness, they can be instant killed much more readily. Hence despite being troops (i.e. scoring), they are in serious danger later on. Plus, at 12points each, the points cost soon starts to add up to large values.

Builds. 
Lots to consider here. Most of them are large units, but smaller ones are fine in a number of cases too. I've chosen larger ones for threat level really, but also to keep some wounds on the table when they lose some of perils of the warp. However, smaller squads are very reasonable to take some of the more powerful shooting weapons that are restricted to 1 per X members of the squad.

Resplendent Terror Builds:
20 lesser daemons (240 points).
Naked daemons! Eek! They're just a screen and a big blob. But enough of them means trouble.

20 lesser daemons, wings, crushing claws (440 points).
Furies, almost. Fly in, start to kill things. Replace the crushing claws with flensing talons, or sundering fangs to taste.

20 lesser daemons, bone shard harpoons (300 points).
Daemons with bolt pistols? Use them like marines I guess.

Crimson Fury Build:
20 lesser daemons, brass collars, crushing claws (440 points).
Pseudo-Bloodletters. I find it a pity that I cannot give them something like an AP3 sword. Oh well.

Creeping Scourge Build:
20 lesser daemons, miasma of rot, warp-scaled hide (400 points).
These plague bearers will be sticking around a lot! As an alternative, replace the hide with (or simply crank up the points by adding) molten blood to simulate Nurgle's Rot.

Lurid Onslaught Build:
20 lesser daemons, stupefying musk, crushing claws, quicksilver speed (460 points).
An attempt at daemonettes. Save points by removing quicksilver speed?

Maddening Swarms Build:
20 lesser daemons, warp scions (300 points).
Pink horrors or blue horrors. Perhaps add some shooting for added utility.

Mirror of Hate Build:
20 lesser daemons, spine volley, wings, warp scaled hide (500 points).
No idea what I'm doing here, but it felt good! Too expensive realistically. 

Saturday, June 22, 2019

Alpha Legion Painting using Contrast Paints

This is an experiment that I have been wanting to perform since news of the new range of citadel Contrast Paints was released. Put simply: can contrast paints help with painting Alpha Legion colours?

Here is my attempt, below. For this, I have used a converted Alpha Legion Praetor that I constructed a while ago. The only difference to that earlier post is that I added texture and bits to the base.

The recipe is very simple indeed. Spray paint the model black for the under coat. Once dry, use lead belcher for the base coat. [Note, I've been sloppy with both this step and the contrast paint step -- neither is my most careful work, and that is intentional for the sake of this experiment.] Lastly, apply a coat of citadel contrast Terradon Turquoise. I didn't thin it down, but I did ensure it was not too thick by moving it around on the surface of the miniature before it dried as I wanted the silver from the lead belcher to shine through for the metallic blue effect. The result can be seen in the image below.


Overall, this is a very speedy way to paint. I'm sure it would be even quicker if I loaded the paint in to my airbrush. But at under ten minutes for this effect, no one will complain. Contrast paints are going to make painting Alpha Legion and Thousand Sons metallic colours a real walk in the park. Seriously: I am impressed. 

I intend to paint up the rest of this miniature with highlights, and other colours. I'll post more once I've completed it and compare it to my older method to see which I like better. I think the tone is different for both approaches and I'd like to see something from my earlier collection side by side with this one once complete. However, the sheer speed advantage is a critical selling point of the contrast paints. I cannot fault them. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Horus Heresy Review: Ruinstorm Daemon Brute

Background. 
These daemons are the vanguard: they are hulking husks of flesh charged with the power of the warp standing ready to charge in to any enemy at a moment's notice. They are big (towering is the exact word used in the description) and ready to cause mayhem.

Strengths.
The main strength here is the Vanguard of Hell special rule which is in common with the Daemon Lords. They can come on first turn - no rolling necessary. Automatic hammer of wrath is very nice too.

This is combined with a healthy stat line overall which can and will cause issues in the early turns for opponents.

Weaknesses.
Here the stat line has only 8 in leadership. This is a menace to the controlling player and must be kept in mind. Fundamentally, this unit is a bodyguard unit for another HQ, but can be selected in its own right as an elites option. Given the lack of any other elites option, every player is going to take it in some form or other I guess, if the points are there.

Builds.

Resplendent Terror Builds:
6 Brutes, Warp-scaled hide. (360 points).
Purely a build for ablative wounds for a generic daemon lord. Take extra emanations to taste. Brass collars are better here if you are playing resplendent terror, but otherwise, this is generic for any dominion. Whittle down to 3 for a true bodyguard for a daemon lord.

3 Brutes, wings, rift barbs. (174 points).
Go forth and kill transports. Then kill the occupants. 

Crimson Fury Build:
5 Brutes, Brass Collars, Sundering Fangs (300 points).
For Khorne, these might be juggernauts possibly. 

Creeping Scourge Build:
6 Brutes, Miasma of Rot, Warp-scaled hide (346 points).
Hellish for opponents. And they stick around well. I don't know what models these are though. Replace warp hide with wings for large flying drones of nurgle perhaps. 

Lurid Onslaught Build:
3 Brutes, Stupefying Musk, Crushing Claws (174 points).
Again, not a clue what model these are, possibly just chaos spawn. 

Maddening Swarms:
3 Brutes, Warp Scions, Bone Shard Harpoons (168 points).
More magic for Tzeentch! Plus a bit of dakka to encourage you to get closer. 

Mirror of Hate:
3 Brutes, Warp Scions, Wings (174 points).
Also suitable for Tzeentch, which is why they're good here too I guess. If only mirror of hate could take the warp scions though. They can't. Just take wings instead and be done with it. 
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