JohnR's OWAC VII Intro Post - Mini's From My Childhood (Well, Mid-Teens).

Back for another OWAC (unfortunately I had to miss last year’s due to stress and family issues).

My early thinking was to do another WFB army, possibly Dwarves or Empire or maybe ‘Axis of Evil 2 - Son of Aksys!’

However 2024 is shaping up to be hectic: I’m playing Kingdom Death with a group of mates and we’re currently on Lantern Year 11. I’m also painting and playing a crazy amount of Legions Imperialis (the latest edition of epic for the uninitiated :) and Max and I are planning to move abroad towards the end of the year, so I figured a small project would be best.

Consequently I’ve settled on some old Rogue Trader lead. Most of these minis I’ve had for about 35 years now, man and boy, we’ve been through a lot together in that time and they deserve to finally get some paint.

I had an overarching story for each of my last two armies and appropriately enough this project is based on the denizens of an Imperial Rogue Trader's fleet as they explore the twilight zone at the very edge of the Imperium, searching for trade, treasure, fame and glory.

To that end, and in line with the design aesthetic of 1st edition 40K, the army will be made up of about half a dozen small contingents. This will allow me to break the collection down into little units of related minis, then paint a different group each month, coming up with a little fluff / story for each group as I go. 

First up will probably be the Adeptus Mechanicus:

There are a few more Servitors in the dip, which should make it into the final force.

Secondly, Squats - indentured warriors undertaking their compulsory service in the Imperial Armed Forces:

Troops of the Jovian Dawn Mercenary Company:

Imperial Sanctioned 'Privateers' (Space Pirates):

Agents of the Inquisition and Officio Assassinorum:

And finally my leader - Lieutenant Fairfoot, her retinue and some Imperial Arbites:

There are more minis than are in the photos – some are in the dip, having old paint removed, others are more esoteric and might not make the final cut. Oh and there are a few duplicates in the mix so my Secret Santa Overlord Offering will be one of those; to be painted and revealed next month.

On to the challenge, good luck everyone!

I AM THE LAW! (Skåls R&F 2)

 

In the Underhive of Necromunda there is one force whose word IS LAW. They are the Necromunda Enforcers, and it is their unenviable task to impose the rule of Lord Helmawr on the citizens and outlaws that inhabit the lower reaches of Hive Primus. The Enforcers are hated and feared by the bulk of inhabitants of the Underhive: they are hated for being implacable and authoritarian imposers of Lord Helmawr’s often unfair legislation, and feared for the ruthless efficiency with which they impose the laws of the Underhive.

Necromunda Enforcers are modelled closely on the Adeptus Arbites. The Judges and Arbitrators of this huge organisation serve primarily to remind Imperial servants of their duties and loyalties, and to enforce the Imperial Decrees passed by the High Lords of Terra.

I know its hard to tell where I got my inspiration for my paint jobs this month. I tried to do a good mix of weapons to use during games. The equipment worn by Necromunda Enforcers is based upon imitations of the equipment used by the Arbites, and is very similar in appearance. They generally wear carapace breastplates, with padded flak armour or additional vambraces and plating. This can be highly ornate on ranking officers, often gilded and inscribed with oaths of justice and Imperial commands.

The suppression shield is a special piece of equipment used extensively by law enforcement agencies all across the Imperium. It consists of a metal or fibre-alloy shield that has a built-in generator. When the generator is activated a glowing blue field of energy, called a suppression field, surrounds the shield. A suppression field diverts and stores away the energy of an attack. In hand to hand combat the shield can be used to ‘bash’ an opponent, at which point the stored charged is released as a powerful electrical discharge that is perfectly capable of stunning or even killing an opponent.

An Enforcer Precinct squad has numerous duties to perform. At any one time there will be paperwork to fill in, prisoners to guard, and numerous other tedious tasks that need to be performed. Because of this, half of the squad has to remain in the Precinct House at all times, leaving the other half of the squad to carry out patrols in the Underhive.

The combat shotgun is a simple shotgun with a number of adaptations that allow it to fire a special ammunition type available only to Enforcers. In addition to the standard solid and scatter rounds fired by ordinary shotguns, the combat shotguns used by the Enforcers can fire ‘Executioner’ adamantium-tipped armour piercing rounds, that are designed to seek out and destroy the toughest targets. This sophisticated shell has a tiny robot brain that locks onto the target’s energy pattern and seeks it out with unerring accuracy. This variety of ammunition types makes the combat shotgun a uniquely flexible weapon.

A Judge is a highly specialized Enforcer field operative. He has survived the Underhive too many times to count and almost always has the scars and experience to prove it. Judges are not assigned to any one Enforcer Precinct or Patrol Team, but instead have rank and pull in multiple sectors. They go where Enforcer Command needs them or where a Precinct House is in dire need of a heavy hitter.

What can I say? This month was a lot of fun to paint, I was not Dredding it at all. I have no real plan for next month so I will be as suprised as all of you when I post. Till next time.

Skål