JohnR's Month 4 - Rank and File (71 Points)

 Another month long on traveling and short on painting but I do have the Grenadier civilians done!

 IIRC these were sculpted by the legendary Mark Copplestone in the before times, long ago. Mark is one of my favourite sculptors and I have miniatures by him from Grenadier, foundry and GW as well as his own recent ranges. No doubt this doesn't come close to doing his extensive career justice and I'd be interested to hear who else he has sculpted for if anyone knows?

 

The civvies join the pirate army. They're a poorly equipped bunch with no clear 'leader' model and the points reflect that. I like the idea that they're simple citizens of the Imperium caught on the wrong side of a factional power struggle or bureaucratic SNAFU and forced to fight for their lives in a situation they don't understand. (Think Jonathan Pryce's character Sam Lowry from Brazil, one of my all time favourite films.)

 April Points:

12 Basic Humans: no armour, 6 stubguns, 5 autopistols and 2 autoguns to share between them: 71 points 

 

Finally, while continuing our European road-trip, we happened across the hot springs at Saturnia and I was struck by what a chaos tainted landscape it seemed to be. The photo's don't capture the stench of sulfur, but you can see the steam rising from the water which gushes out of the ground at 40 degrees. 

 

We also found a Bretonnian Castle, just up the road from fellow OWACer JamesP's house :) 

 

So, that's it for this month, hope everyone else's challenge is progressing well !

Andrea's Space elf warriors (or Guardians, as modern people use to say) - APRIL

 Hi OWACErs,

I am back after the March pause... thinks started running since (every) February: work duties intensifies, child-related stuff multiply (sport tournaments, school trips, etc etc) and so all the time saved before was rapidly consumed.

BUT...

But this time I managed to hold the ground and here we are with the April monthly quota: some Space Elf warriors (still have some difficulty in calling them Guardians, being Rogue Trader era miniatures)

Ten guys, a per OWAC rules, although I planned to make more... I will finish them for the next month (the second "Leader month") and for the moment I will enjoy the freshly painted ones! Among them, one of my favourite Eldar miniature: the commander with the demon face helmet. It always hits my mind as it looks clearly evil, with his terrifying aspect, but belonging to a good-aligned (or so it is assumed) faction. It looks like some samurai helmet masks which were crafted as a demonic face:  I never investigated more (perhaps it is time to do it) but maybe that was the inspiration?

There is also another think that hits me during the painting, something that for some reason I never noticed before. Here is the first squad:

Well, beside demon-mask and the guy with flamer on the back, which were both released as part of the command squad (1988), the other three are clad in a full-covering armour with some reinforcements to the legs (look the guy on the right and the two guys on the left): this kind of amour cannot be found in any other space elf warrior. This three guys were first released in the late 1987 along with others that made my second squad:

These wear a plates armour over the iconic chainmail which will be the distinctive mark of early 2nd edition guardians, especially those serving at the heavy weapon platforms.  

I am now wondering the meaning of this difference: I mean, my first though was that those with reinforced armour carry some heavy weapons so it is reasonable they wear such an armour. Though, one of them just carry the shuriken catapult as the others with chainmail & plates armour. Were them just random figure? Or was there some basic idea was knowledge has been lost (or just I did not investigated enough)?

Anyway, this is why I decided to paint the armour slightly differently, the first with yellow shoulder pads, while the other in full blue-grey. And no... no black stripes on helmets, as long ago, after too many tentatives gone wrong I decided they are better without!

Well, since it was nominated and in case you are asking yourself (I know you want to know), yes I have also the command squad! I only painted them about one year ago:

The Space Elves command squad, here with two commanders, a standard bearer and a musician (how fucking 80s' could be an harpist in a sci-fi far future, eh!)

Ok, so this month is 10 warriors (guardians) therefore they are worth 110 points.

Next month will be the Farseer month and, maybe, some extra!

ciao, A

James WRR’s Rank & File 4: Termination ritual, activated

The Battle Brothers stood to attention on the sprawling deck of the barge. Whether one looked left or right, they would see nothing but a line of silver-clad Space Marines stretching off into the distance, mechanical cherubim floating above them swinging braziers of incense

Donovan stood shoulder to shoulder with his brothers in arms, gently rocking the weight of his holy Bolter from hand to hand. They would be making planetfall soon enough, disgorging a mass of ceramite-clad butchers onto the woe-begotten wretches below.

But first, there must be a revery. The holy order to which he belonged was steeped in tradition, though he admitted he would rather be steeped in unholy blood than standing in line for a parade.

First came the servitors, scuttling on hydraulic legs and bearing the armoured sarcophaguses of fallen brothers. Then came the Chaplains of the 666th chapter, skull-faced and dour, reeking of candle fat. Then came the Veterans, each dragging behind them chained apostates and heretics, ready to be sacrificed in the name of the Emperor. 

Finally, behind that screaming mass, came the Terminators. Donovan could feel their footsteps before he could see them. Towering even over the tallest of his Battle Brothers, the Tactical-Dreadnought-armoured practically glowed in the harsh mercury lamplight of the barge. Each bore a gun-barrel staff, still cold but ready to burn into life with the flick of a finger.

There was silence in the hall as they lumbered passed. Donovan felt pride in his chapter’s strength… but also an unfamiliar feeling. Something like… envy. 

“Slick bastards. That could be my armour,” he thought, “my staff.”

Donovan stared down at his Bolter. Counted the scratched-in kill markings. He noted the distinct lack of honours on his armour. At least compared to the titans before him.

“I’ve done my time. I’ve slain so many for the Emperor. It’s not fair.”

Donovan was frozen in his train of jealous thought by the feeling of cold metal against the back of his head. A refreshing feeling. A real feeling. 

“Brother Donovan,” came the stern, sterile voice behind him. “Feeling ungrateful of your assigned role?”

Like his augmented brothers, Donovan knew not fear. In usual circumstances. He had stared down warpbeasts, descended through the atmosphere of alien planets in Drop Pods, survived months alone in ruined cities after seeing his squadmates torn apart around him. But the voice behind him sent a shiver down his half-metal spine.

He felt the cold metal barrel leave his neck and slip silently back into the darkness. He stood a little straighter, feeling as proud as he possibly could of the Terminators, thinking happy thoughts. 

“We can but… aspire.” He forced the thought. There were eyes to see all around, into his mind, and ears to hear. He gave the venerable brothers their due respect. 

______________________

This has been the month I’ve been waiting for — a chance to paint those beautiful Rogue Trader Grey Knights Terminators. 

We all know the best way to get through your army’s chaff is to give yourself a big reward at the end, right? 

Terminators and Arbites, ready to terminate the heretics

When I first saw these ancient Terminators, I was absolutely blown away. The level of crisp detail across every millimetre of armour is really technically impressive, especially in comparison to other miniatures of the time. I particularly like the lightning bolt motives and impaled books that would later become the official Grey Knights icon.

These fine fellows are also armed with super radical gun-staves that would come to define the Adeptus Custodes. Because, back in the day, you couldn’t really get more elite on the Imperium side of the table, and we all know that sharp shooty sticks are the badge of honour among gene-enhanced soldiers.

(Un)holy warriors march forth

The only downside to this squad is that there’s only one sculpt, so repetition is unavoidable. However, I think it sort of ends up in their favour, making them appear as really disciplined, shining exemplars in comparison to the scrappy freaks that make up the rest of my army. 

Though they might all look quite similar, each is an individual

To top off this squad, of course I had to paint up their Captain as well. 

Sadly, the copy I was able to find didn’t come with his ballistic force sword (again, now part of the Custodes’ schtick), so I decided to make do with another force staff. Flipping it around, in a stabbing motion, sets him apart from his squad on the table — if the heraldic tilting shield doesn’t do the job.

Captain, hunter, killer

The scheme the for these guys isn’t going to be unfamiliar to anyone that has been following this army as it grows. But I have added plenty more gold.

The best gold, I’ve found, is often just silver (with a little glaze of yellow or brown, of course). The gold elements on these models were drybrushed up to a bright silver then hit with a thin layer of Snakebite Leather Contrast. A touch of bright Scale Colour gold finished them off nicely. I did add a tiny bit of verdigris and rust to choice parts of the armour to grunge them up a bit.

I love ggggoooooooooooollllldd

To add visual interest, I painted some subtle purple veins into the grips of the staves and then coated them in gloss to look as if they’re made out of obsidian, or some sort of magical marble.

The blades of these weapons were painted to look so hot they’re molten. It was all the rage in Newhammer painting circles a year or two ago! 

To achieve this effect, I followed the usual recipe for flames, starting from white and then quickly wet-blending outwards into yellow, orange and, finally, red. To finish off the molten look, I used a small bit of sponge to apply some dappled black — the oxidised, crackling metal that’s straining under the raw power charging through it.

We. Are. The LAW!

But the Termies weren’t the only models on my table this month. Filling out my Rank & File quota is a squad of Adeptus Arbites, represented here by Wargames Foundry’s ex-Citadel Empirical Absolution and Liquidation Squad.

The charmingly goofy poses and proportions of early Citadel sculpts are on full display here. As is the not-quite-so-subtle “homages” to 2000 A.D. I thought it was only right to lean into that, giving them proper Judge uniforms. I like that this scheme makes them stand out a lot from the rest of the army, while details like the red gun casings and yellow lenses still tie them in.

We can’t forget, though, despite their lovely, nostalgic uniforms: All Arbites are Bastards.

"Daemons can't hurt me. Not in my protective sphere."

______________________

Army list as of March

Captain Torkamadus
Grey Knight Terminator Captain | Hero
Tactical Dreadnought Armour
Nemesis Force Weapon

Psychic Mastery Level 4
450 points

Techmarine Tarantus
Techmarine
Basic equipment
Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle
97 points

Squad Deza
Grey Knight Terminator Tactical Squad
1 Sergeant and 4 Marines in Tactical Dreadnought Armour

5 Nemesis Force Weapons

Psychic Mastery Level 4
1,200 points

Brother Bethor
Deredeo Dreadnought
Missile Launcher, Heavy Plasma Gun
Standard Sensor Package, 2 Power Fields, Power Field Synchroniser
270 points

Squad Heliod
Tactical Squad
Sergeant with Bolt Gun, Bioscanner and Power Glove
1 Marine with Missile Launcher
1 Marine with Flamer

7 Marines with Bolt Guns
275 points

Bright Sword
Rhino APC with Techmarine Pilot, assigned to Squad Heliod
2 Bolt Guns
387 points

Riot Corps
Adeptus Arbites Squad
1 Magister with Bolt Pistol and basic equipment

5 Judges with Bolt Pistols and basic equipment
102 points

Squad Apollo
Devastator Squad
Sergeant with Bolt Gun
2 Marines with Beamers
2 Marines with Heavy Bolters

5 Marines with Bolt Guns
379 points

George's Imperial Guard, Rank & File, Month 2

Private Knuck stepped over the body of the fallen heretic, shouldering his lasgun and checking quickly that the guardsmen either side of him were still in one piece.

Knuck had been born into the brutal hives of his homeworld and had been raised by gangs. The whole gang membership had been drafted into the guard and now they were lined up, marching towards the enemies of the imperium. Knuck was loyal to his gang mates. They were his family and he would die to protect them.

But Knuck wasn’t too sure about the Emperor. Anyone who feasted on 1,000 souls a day didn’t sounds too great to him. However, he knew better than to say anything, especially now there were commissars crawling all over the regiment.

He was shaken from his thoughts as orders were shouted down the line. In the distance ahead Knuck saw Colonel Audacian signalling the advance. He checked again and counted in all of his friends.

Yup, all still standing.

Then he levelled his lasgun , and charged.

February was going so well. I’d finished painting nine guardsmen and only needed to finish the arms of the tenth, then take photos and write the blog post. But Real Life had other plans for me and I had to play an early Mulligan. *sigh*

Anyway, I’m back on track and painting is helping me through some tough times. Looking forward to finishing more guardsmen!

Rank & File Month 2 Points:

Tactical Squad: 200 Points

Army total so far:

Tactical squad: 200 points

Support squad: 445 points

Total: 645 points

Private Knuck and his squad form rank!

Private Knuck leads the charge!

Audacian's regiment taking shape!

JohnR's Month 3 - Rank and File (97 points)

 Just a short update this month. We've been abroad since the 21st so these minis were actually painted and photographed before then ready for uploading, I just didn't get around to it before we left!

Rogue Trader goodness. These are some of the minis that originally pried me away from 3rd edition WFB waay back at the release of Rogue Trader. Other people love the beaky Space Marines of RTB01 (and don't get me wrong, Space Marines are cool and all) but I always preferred the quirky uniqueness of the Adventurers and Space Pirates. 

The Army so far - seen here exploring the ancient ruins found on Ryk's World.

March Points -

9 basic Humans in Mesh Armour with Lasguns, Laspistols and Frag Grenades led by a Human Champion equipped the same - 97 points

 

The missus and I are away touring in our motorhome. I've brought a case of paints and some minis with me but whether I get any painting done is 50/50 at best!

Fortunately I have a unit from the challenge in hand (as it where) and I must admit some of the places we're visiting are certainly inspiring.

Above the snowline in southern Bavaria - Zissou the dog in foreground, Alps in background. Very evocative of the Old World (the scenery that is, not the dog).

Venice - this could easily be somewhere in Tilea and possible inspiration for a future OWAC mercenary army? Though now I just want to play Carnevale again lol

Anyway that's all - this is a miniatures blog not a travel blog!

Onward and sideways and see you all in about 4 weeks.

 

James WRR’s Rank & File 3: Big iron

 “And lo, on the day of judgement, great tides of flesh of claws and chattering teeth did descend upon the castle man had built.
He dared to scrape the heavens with the glory of plasteel and concrete. 
And the gods punished him by breaking the seal and sending forth his monsters.
Three years of torment followed, and man crawled to the heights of his towers to survive.
Until the Emperor on his throne felt pity, and saw man had repented.
The Emperor sent his angels, clad in burning ceramite and carrying the torches of purification. 
And they did smite the monsters from afar,
driving them forth into the wilderness from whence they came.
But the angel’s wrath was great and their swords sharp.
The tower that man had built was reduced to rubble,
a reminder to all the price of pride.”

• Canto 6 of the Great Book of Helvellin

_______________________________

Hello again, Imperial Citizens,

This month, I bring to you the very long arm of the law: a Grey Knights Devastator Squad. 

Devastator Squad Apollo

When I’d first picked up my little horde of RTB-01 Marines for this project I found myself in a bit of a conundrum. Would I just paint a couple Tactical Squads, as they were mostly all armed with Bolters? No, that would have been too repetitive and boring. Would I make one an Assault Squad? Hmm, tempting, but a full squads’ worth of authentic metal jump packs and weapons would run me well into the three figures. 

The answer hit my square in the jaw when I found a lot going for a set of Beamer-armed metal marines. Right, that’s it, I thought. Devastators!

Rogue Trader Space Marine squads had some strange restrictions on heavy weapons. For example, you couldn’t just pick and choose a medley of guns, you basically had two lots of two different weapons for each Devastator squad (Missile Launchers and Heavy Bolters, normally), which could be swapped out entirely for another set. For Grey Knights Devastators, one of the options to replace Missile Launchers were Conversion Beamers — one of the most insane weapons in 40k history.

What do you mean it’s a laser beam that turns matter into pure energy and becomes more powerful the further it travels? The Tech-Magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus were really smoking something strong that day. 

Heavy weapons specialists

And so, by picking up a couple Heavy Bolters and tacking them onto two of the previously Beamer-armed Devastators, I was able to create a full, functional squad of these heavy weapon freaks for the first time in my decades-long Warhammer career. Now to aim them at something.

I’ve always found this older style of heavy weapons a bit goofy. How the hell does a human being, even if they are a Space Marine, fire mobile ordnance that size with one hand, from the shoulder?

Logic be damned, the sculptors of the day were clearly embracing the rule of cool, and gave us a wide array of incredibly wacky weapons as a result. Most of these proved so iconic, they’re still with us today. Though you probably won’t see Space Marines in 11th edition rocking Webbers…

In terms of painting these guys, there’s nothing particularly interesting to add this month. I was inspired by the inimitable Curis of Ninja Bread for the Conversion Beamers, interpreting the little hollows around the edge of the weapon’s… ahem… bulbous head as little lenses. I imagine they must channel the destruction energy towards a single point, sort of like how the Death Star powers up.

Danger: Do not look directly into light.

The rest of the Marines in the squad, including the Sergeant, were painted in exactly the same way as my Tactical Squad, with a healthy smattering of checks, flames and saucy slogans. I had a lot of fun painting the big ol’ eyeball on one of the bases, and playing with different skin tones as well. I promise there’ll be some slightly more varied models to come next month…

But I’m proud to have built and finished this unit. With two squads of Marines on the table, a bit of armour and at least one character, this is really starting to feel like an army.

Slaughter of the daemons on the planet Helvellin

And remember everyone, as a certain Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens would say, “walk softly… and carry a big gun.”

_______________________________

Army list as of March

Techmarine Tarantus
Techmarine
Basic equipment
Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle
97 points

Brother Bethor
Deredeo Dreadnought
Missile Launcher, Heavy Plasma Gun
Standard Sensor Package, 2 Power Fields, Power Field Synchroniser
270 points

Squad Heliod
Tactical Squad
Sergeant with Bolt Gun, Bioscanner and Power Glove
1 Marine with Missile Launcher
1 Marine with Flamer

7 Marines with Bolt Guns
275 points

Bright Sword
Rhino APC with Techmarine Pilot, assigned to Squad Heliod
2 Bolt Guns
387 points

Squad Apollo
Devastator Squad
Sergeant with Bolt Gun
2 Marines with Beamers
2 Marines with Heavy Bolters

5 Marines with Bolt Guns
379 points

Andrea's Space Elves - Month 2, Leader month: the Avatar(s) of Khaine

 Hi OWACERs,

here is my leader for the Leader month: the Avatar of Khaine!

It is the first time I paint this incarnation of the Avatar, having already painted the NewHammer one, and I never used in the battle. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of the model but after this month I can say it is really funny to paint. Unfortunately the model was a little ruined in some details, especially the gems, so it was not completely satisfactory but I liked the exercise of blending the colours to give the fiery aspect. Overall, I am happy with the result.

Well, short after finishing I though that this was the good moment to slap some paints on another model. If the 2nd edition Avatar looks badass, and the 9th edition one looks like the overgrown brother, there is another one that is so much badass-looking that he could sell chunks of badassery at the fish market: the Rogue Trader incarnation!

We say, in Italy, that in the little barrel there is the best wine. Well, I think this is exactly the case!

So, know I have (except for the side track of ForgeWorld ones) all official Avatars, that could help me start an old project: EvolHammer, or how miniature design changed over time (one day I will publish a blog on this). So, I can't keep myself and I have show you the series (Parental Advisory, heresy inside: NewHammer models will appear):

Someone says "scale creep"? The son, the father and the grandfather

And so, for the sake of army points painted, here we have:

The Avatar of Khaine (Leader)........... 300 pts

Well, thank you for looking and see you the next March!

ciao, Andrea 

JohnR's Month 2 - Rank and File (195 points)

God I hate February - might just mulligan it next year 😜

Did get my painting quota done though :)

 Mutant Space Pirates!

These are more BigMrTong minis and were great fun to paint. I used a similar palette to January's space pirates to give the force so far a cohesive look.

 

 Mutant Troopers - armed with lasguns.

 Special Weapon Mutants - 3 boltguns and a lascannon.

 

Mutant Champions - lead by the Hero 'Butterbean'

Points:

Mutant Minor Hero - Plasma Pistol, Power Sword, Refractor Field = 49 points

Mutant Champion - Mesh Armour, hand weapon, Laspistol, Frag and Krak Grenades = 17.5 points

Mutant Champion  - Refractor Field, Laspistol and Hand Weapon = 16 points

9 Mutants - Mesh Armour, 5 Lasguns, 3 Bolt Pistols, 1 Lascannon = 112.5 points

Initially I was going to list all the mutations but they don't count for points values and are pretty obvious on the minis.

 

Finally I have my offering for this year - a Skaven plague monk - Squeeg Pussboil.

 

I always do Goblin Green bases on my WFB minis but for a change I experimented with a non-goblin green base. I don't like it and will never do it again 😅

 

That's all for this month - see you all in 5 weeks time !