Dead Crew and Colors

This past weekend, I got in two more games and spent most of Sunday painting up the Dwarfs.  I really only have the ships left before moving onto the 1,500 point list, which may morph based on lessons learned at 1,000 points.

Admiral Frank Drakeslayer

Yet more demons and this time with corrupt men. We were overwhelmed by their numbers yet again. We couldn't keep them at cannon range for long. Between their lord and warriors we became tied up and unable to secure the treasures on the field. Our starboard flank collapsed as Hawkins and his spears were swept from the field by warped knights of Tzeentch. Navigator Kouk found himself surrounded by them! I need a larger squadron for these expeditions!

Admiral Drakeslayer

Failing against Angels and Demons

Capt Nuport of the Righteous Courtesan

This past week, I continued to work on painting up more of my Barak-Mhornar crewmen and on Saturday evening played two games.

I settled into the paint scheme and completed 9/10 Arkanauts.  I also steadily base coat more Duardin minis (including those on ships), getting them up to the state of the Skywardens.

Lastly, I assembled my second Arkanaut Company, Nuport's Mariners.  Capt Nuport carries anteruina axe of his ancestors.  He and his crew are aboard the Righteous Courtesan - ᛕᚻᚱᛅᚦᛋ.

I also named out all the ships, characters, and units up to roughly 3000 points of minis (~1000 points in battalion warscrolls).

Privateers of Barak-Mhornar

This weekend, I played three games of Age of Sigmar at 1,000 points.  My first game was Friday afternoon and following it I decided to abandon an army from the Free City of Tempest's Eye and instead focus on a Barak-Mhornar army/fleet.  The first game was against a Tzeentch army with a mix of demons and mortals and I felt that my army lacked synergy desperately needed for Kharadon Overlords to work or any of the other units in the army.  I dove at the center of his army and found my fire ineffective and my combat doubly so.

That evening, I decided to shift and wrote up the list.  The 1,000 pt army (960 pt) is the Battleforce (which I got on Saturday) plus a Navigator.  For my home port, Barak-Mhornar, the most flexible of the Baraks.

On Saturday, after constructing the Admiral, Navigator, and Gunhauler, I played two more games.  These were both part of a three month long event my FLGS is doing.  As such, here are versions of the logs I make in my Book of Grudges.

Game and Build

I have switched gears to building out stuff for Age of Sigmar instead of Warhammer 40k for a little bit.   My 1,000 points Tempest's Eye list is steadily coming together and I am getting paint onto some of the core stuff.  I have some solid ideas for adding 500 points, but the second set of 500 points (total of 2,000 points) is still being thought out.

On Saturday, I played a game against Seraphon (lizardmen) using most of what my final list will be.  It was a good game that came down to playing the objectives.  In turn 2,  I thought I had no chance when I lost 400 points in a single turn.  However, I managed to steadily decimate my adversaries stuff and my flanking maneuver with Skycutter and Gyrocopter managed to capture objectives and put pressure on his back field.  Afterwards, discussing the game, we realized areas where we took liberty with the rules. Despite this, overall fun and only way to learn is to play more.

I also built out three more Handgunners, these three are the Dwarf members.  Now to find human figures to convert.

Primaris Librarian and Apothecary

More Primaris

This past Sunday, I finished up my Primaris Novamarine Librarian, Apothecary, and two additional Intercessors for Squad I.  I still have a Repulsor tank to paint up and will be picking up five more Intercessors soon (tm).  My brother has asked me to try to have the 2,000 points completed by the Christmas holiday, which seems like it is in reach.

The biggest hurdle will be that I am also trying to build out 1,000 points of Age of Sigmar, which weighs in at 30 minis, including an airship.

Another angle

Mixed Hobbying

This weekend I was at a hotel all weekend preparing for a medical donation on Tuesday.  Over the weekend, I finished most of the detail on the Primaris Librarian, Apothecary, and 2 Intercessors.  I also began basing units for my Age of Sigmar.

More Novamarines

Tempest Eye forces in work

For the Free City of Tempest's Eye!

The Workbench

A change of plans!

Instead of collecting a focrce of just Kharadon Overloards, I am switching gears to field an army representing the Free City of Tempest's Eye.  A big driver for this was the relative lack of choices for Battleline for Kharadon Overlords, which makes any 2,000 point army very similar to other Kharadon Overlords.  It also radically changes my 1,000 point army.  Instead of being a lot of replication and "more of the same," I have no duplicates in the list.

Beginning the Fleet

I need something that works as a good break from painting power armor, both 40k Primaris Novamarines and 30k Ultramarines.  It can be demotivating to stare at models similar to ones you have already painted dozens.

To that end, I am going to build up a Kharadon Overlords centered army for Age of Sigmar.  I picked up an Arkanaut Company (pictured assembled), an Arkanaut Frigate, and a box of Enderiggers.  This is my initial core to give me other stuff to work on.

My initial list is all Kharadon, centered around a pair of Frigates, two Gunhaulers, three Companies, a unit of Enderiggers, a unit of Skywardens, and an Admiral.   I am however potentially going to shift to a Tempest Eye list, depending on what it lets me do in terms of increasing miniature variety, while still focusing on the flying aspect of the army.

Repulsor Built

I have made a little progress in assembly and basecoating of the Repulsor and Apothecary acquired two weekends past.  Slow steady progress.  BattleFoam ordered as well.  Small update.

Aggressors Painted, Heresy Played

Aggressors 

After basically taking two weeks off from painting, I got back to it this past weekend.  I finished up the three Aggressors I had been painting.  The surge of activity gave me the motivation to pick up a Primaris Apothecary and the Repulsor for my Novamarines.  This will give me plenty of varied work to do over the coming evenings.

I also got in a few small games using my Horus Heresy minis this weekend.  The first game was Ultramarines vs Sons of Horus using 7th edition Warhammer 40k rules.  The second game was World Eaters vs Salamanders using 8th edition rules.  I preferred how the second game played overall, my Butchers did not seem entirely inadequate and Tactical Astartes were solid.  I think my local group of Heresy will lean on 8th as it seems to make the variety of equipment more interesting.

Dark Imperium - Novamarines Force

Seventy-one (71) days since the release of the Dark Imperium starter box for Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition, I have finished painting the included Primaris Space Marines in the colors of the Novamarines.

Core of my Novamarines Army

I have enjoyed painting them and still have a few units ahead of me.  As I have discussed before, I am going to add Aggressors, a Repuslor, a Librarian, an Apothecary, and as many as seven (7) additional Primaris to this collection before adding an Imperial Knight to complete the 2,000 pt army.

In Work

I may end up adding a second unit of Interceptors (with Plasma weapons), another unit of Hellblasters (with the heavy Plasma weapons), and bulk out a unit of Intercessors to 10-man.

Close-ups follow.

Hellblasters - 4th Company Novamarines

5 Novamarine Hellblasters

Last week I finished up the five Hellblaster Primaris Marines and one of the Lieutenants out of the new Dark Imperium Warhammer 40,000 Starter Box.

I have been enjoying painting up the Novamarine force.  It is different enough from my Ultrmarines as to include a few challenges, but is obviously still very familiar territory for me hobby-wise.

Same Novamarines, different angle

Fighting for the Fate of Konor

I really like the idea of narrative-focused games.  The summer campaign Games Workshop is running is a perfect excuse to get in games of 8th edition 40k using my core army - the 3rd Company Ultramarines - and my newest army - the 4th Company Novamarines.  This past Sunday, I defended against a Khornate host pushing through a shattered gate on the approaches to the the Quintus Gate on Astaramis.

The right flank in defense of the Quintus Gate

Ruins of Istvaan III

Initial Positions

On Sunday, I played a game of Horus Heresy against a guy new to the area.  He owns a great looking Sons of Horus army.  He soundly won with his Justarian Terminators and Contemptor Dreadnought handling my loyalist World Eaters without much support from the Veteran Tactical Squad.  My Terminators were unable to take down the Contemptor in two rounds of combat, which was disappointing.

Battles out of the Box

On Sunday, my brother and I played two games of eighth edition Warhammer 40,000 using just the miniatures in the Dark Imperium core box.   To keep things simple, we played Open War (the big what you have/want).

Our first game was Annihilation, in which we setup 24 inches apart, with the goal to have the last models on the table.   The game was very much about getting a handle on the rules for the game and two forces.  My brother forgot that Nurgle Resiliency was an army-wide benefit for him for the first two turns, in which I did significant damage to the bulk of his army.

For the second game, we played Hold at All Cost.  I dropped two of my units to be the smaller force attempting to hold the center of the table.  My lack of heavy firepower resulted in my army being destroyed by the top of turn 5.  A few lucky rolls in there and I may have been able to pull off a victory, but to no avail.

M42 - Novamarines

On 17 June, the eighth edition of Warhammer 40,000 was released.  Alongside the release are new "bigger and better" Space Marines - Primaris Space Marines.  The starter box set for the game is an outstanding deal for anyone interested in either the Primaris or new Deathguard models and it includes the big Rulebook.

Instead of painting the Primaris as 3rd Company Ultramrines to fight alongside my existing 3rd Company, I decided to pursue a new Space Marine army.  I will likely add a small detachment of 3rd company Primaris in the future.  The difference gives me a a different scheme to paint.  However, at the same time, I wanted a direct connection back to the Ultramarines, and specifically, my 106th Company of Legion XIII.

In this case, my head cannon is the Novamarines 4th Company trace back their first members to the 106th Company of Legion Ultramarines.  The 4th Company returned to Ultramar and took up the defense of the sub-sectors its forebears defended in the Heresy and fought bravely on the despoiled garden world of Iax.

I will also be attempting to print my own transfers for chapter symbols, hopefully with great effect.

In Process of highlighting

Ancient Mikael - Contemptor Dreadnought

Yesterday, I painted up a slightly modified Betrayal at Calth boxed set Contemptor Dreadnought.  I added three pieces from the now out of print Etched-Brass Ultramarine icons.

The model was straightforward to paint.  I think it was intricate enough to require a paint brush throughout vice the possibility of airbrushing large areas.  My airbrushing skills, confidence, and equipment are not yet ready to take on using it for carapace surrounded by details.

I made up the name Ancient Mikael while writing the post.  But the more I think about it, the more fitting it is.

More images below...

Roboute Guilliman

Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the XIII Legion, Ultarmarines

I completed Roboute Guilliman.

I was incredibly intimidated at the prospect of painting this model.  I was worried about doing justice to the incredible model and the character..

I have been playing Ultramarines for over two decades.  The story of Guilliman in the second edition Codex: Ultramarines appealed to twelve-year-old me.  I had been fascinated by the Roman Republic/Empire and story of Macragge and Guilliman paired right alongside that fascination.  The Horus Heresy material only added to my loyalty to the XIII, its Primarch, and what they represent in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

In my past few weeks of downtime, I have dedicated a few hours each day to painting some of my "back-log" of miniatures, as the past half dozen post show.   After finishing the Suzerains, which are highly detailed and have a lot of similar details to Guilliman, I planned to paint the miniature.

The main body did not present anything particularly new or challenging.  The marble effect was a new challenge for me and took multiple layers and attempts make it close to what I wanted.  I think it came out pretty well, not professional marble, but good.

More images...

Starting a Primarch

This past weekend, I began working on Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the XIII Legion Astrates, the Ultramarines.  Painting a Primarch is a bit intimidating and I wanted to finish the Suzerains (who can serve as his bodyguard) before embarking on the effort.  I am steadily working on the Primarch himself.  Painting the marble of the base will be a new technique and I will probably practice on something else first.

Basing Guilliman

Suzerains Complete

A second update in the same week!

Very High Angle View

Just showing off the completed Suzerains.  I have begun cleaning up Guilliman for assembling and painting.

Closer-Up, Lower Angle

I am steadily working down my backlog of modelling and painting projects.  Partly to make room for new projects in the coming months.

Back to Games Workshop

Suzerains in work

As I finished up models for various other systems and my local community gets excited about the new edition of Warhammer 40,000, I have returned to painting Games Workshop/Forgeworld products.

I am almost complete on the second set of 5 Suzerains for my Horus Heresy Ultramarines.  With the excitement around 40k, I may crash on assembling and painting the Primaris by July for the Fate of Konor Campaign.  In addition, I may look at finally adding long awaited 1st Company Terminators and Veterans units to my 40k Ultramarines.  I anticipate lots of blue in June & July.  I need to paint faster.

Geiers and third Ragnarok

Pair of Geier bombers, Top & Bottom

Over the past week and Saturday morning & evening, I painted up the pair of Geier bombers and my third Ragnarok pocket battleship.  Finishing out these three models completes out all the Danish and Prussian lend-lease ships I have.  I have been playing at least a game of Dystopian Wars each month, which helps with the motivation to paint stuff up.

I still have a few Dystopian Wars models I can paint, 2 or 3 Korsor corvettes and 5 mine markers.  When my brother's Kickstarter box shows up, I will have a box or two of "new" Prussians to field.  I will need to decide if they are actually Prussian, lend-lease, or maybe something else.  I doubt the Danes would sit out a Baltic war, maybe they are working to prevent the British from pushing through the Danish Straits.

Third Ragnarok pocket battleship

 I am now pivoting back to another project, partially inspired by the coming update to 40k.

DRN Dannebrog

Profile of the DRN Dannebrog

 This past Saturday, I spent afternoon painting up the DRN Dannebrog for my Dystopian Wars fleet.  The model is an Scandinavian Teutonic Order Aufseher, which I run as a Gewitterwolke in my Danish fleet.  In the rules (currently) the primary difference between the two is that the an Aufseher brings six small robots to the fight.  In terms of game-play, it is my third large ship and is a great and now striking center piece to my fleet.  I enjoy diving it into the enemy fleet and throwing its broadsides left and right.

BMP-1s, SA-13s, and Hinds

I spent this past Saturday mostly painting the details on models I had airbrushed during the week.  With these vehicles completed, I have finished up all the vehicle models I own for Team Yankee.  I still have some unassembled infantry to add my second infantry company.

With the announcement of Red Thunder, I am thinking a slight pause is in order until I can at least look at the book.  I had planned to purchase another box of BMPs, a box of T-55s, and two boxes of  2S1 Carnations.   However, there is some appeal in picking up Yuri's Wolves to get the two more BMPs I want/need and T-64s instead of T-55s.  In addition, there is the possibility of the new 2S3 Acacias.

Next weekend, my brother and I are likely to get at a game, hopefully two games in on Saturday.  Will the BAOR be able to push back the Polish 1st Army?  We will see.

Exciting Summer!

Hobby-wise, I am very excited for the summer.

Airbrushed Support Tanks

I am slowly continuing to assembly my Team Yankee Poles, but instead of diving into a NATO army as my next project there are other systems and models that are attracting me.  

I still have some Dystopian Wars models to paint and the Kickstarter certainly will bring some new cool minis and rules.  These should be a quick work, change of pace, once I have finished the Team Yankee models I have (maybe this week, maybe next).

After both of those projects have been completed, I have my languishing 30k Ultramarines project.  I have 5 more Invictii Suzerains to paint before the Primarch Roboute Guilliman himself.  Then I have lots of other parts of the collection to assemble and paint.  That being said, unlike Dystopian Wars and Team Yankee, I do not have not played a game of 30k in months.

The new Kharadron Overlords Age of Sigmar army is exciting to me as well.  I fully intend to buy a 2,000 point army to paint this summer.  It will be my first purchase from a new local store opening in early June.

Finally, new 40k this summer will bring excitement to the range.  Luckily I have plenty of completed miniatures for it and will be play from the start I expect.  That does not mean that I have not considered yet more Astrates - Howling Griffons. Gah, but that means everything else should be complete - ha!

T-72s & a Platoon Infantry Complete

I finished up my second set of 9 T-72s.  I also completed washing and flocking the first company of infantry.

Sealing 9 T-72s

Pre-Sealing Warsaw Pact Infantry Company

Even More Tanks

After a week of very little progress, Sunday night I worked on airbrushing another nine T-72s.  This will bring the total to 18.

T-72s in the paint shop

Poles 2 - BAOR 1

This past weekend, I played three games of Team Yankee against my brother.  He played British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and I played Poles using the Red Banner list for the first two games and the Volks Armee list for the last one.

Mid-way through Autobahn battle

Our first game was a Free for All, 100 pts, Poles attacking.  For objectives we agreed that it would be the two hills in each others deployment zones.  The Poles far-left T-72 company advanced through the Autobahn stop, winning the exchange of fire with the three Chieftains covering that avenue of advance.  The center T-72 company advanced to provide added pressure and the Hinds swept across the battlefield and engaged the BAOR command element.  The right T-72 company held the flank against the other half of the BAOR forces.  The capture of the hill gave the Poles victory.

Poles fail to hold Chow and Gas

Our second was No Retreat, 100 pts, BAOR attacking.  BAOR Recce elements advanced up their right flank flanking the defended gas stations and forest to come in behind the dug-in Polish infantry.  The Chieftains on the left defeated an advancing attempt by the BMP-2s through the farm fields, but only after losing two of their number to combined fire from the center T-72s and the advancing BMP-2s themselves.   NATO air power DEAD (destroyed enemy air defenses) and then added its pressure against the ground forces.  BAOR forces destroyed the present Polish forces as T-72 reinforcements arrived piecemeal and late.

Our third game was Dust Up, 50 pts, BAOR attacking.  (Sorry no picture)  BAOR Recce forces attempted to pincer the Polish forces, but Polish BMP-1 Recon elements pushed out along the BAOR right, flanking and eliminating advancing BAOR forces.  The delayed arrival of BAOR Chieftains resulted in what is best described as a stalemate between Spartans and a T-72M company on the BAOR left.  The arrival of Polish Hinds with infantry and a second T-72M company shifted the initiative squarely to the Poles, with the Hinds landing around the distant objective.  The successful destruction of 3 Hinds on the ground drove the infantry out of the helicopters early and gave the Poles victory.

Local Air Superiority

Last week, I completed the pair of SA-13s and four ZSU-23s I own.  I intend to add another pair of SA-13s in the coming weeks (preferably from a hobby store vice the internet).

Anti-Air Battery!

Having completed these tanks, I am on a slight painting pause and have gone to assembling some 30k miniatures before painting the first company of Polish infantry.

Tops of the ZSUs

In Work Mobile Air Defense System

In Team Yankee, all forces have access to aircraft.   This bothers me a bit, because I know history and can talk to people who was preparing to fight the Soviet machine back when I was 1-year old and fight against their Air Defenses specifically.

Soviet airpower theory was much more focused on gaining air superiority through the use of integrated air defenses.  The Warsaw Pact Air Forces recognized they lagged behind NATO Air Forces.  The Soviet Union instead invested in Air Defenses.  The inclusion of Su-25 Frogfoot in the Warsaw Pact lists seems like an unnecessary list balance effort.  NATO air-power, like might F-15 Eagle (102 Air-to-Air kills, 0 Air-to-Air losses), would have made getting a Frogfoot into the fight nearly impossible.  So, SA-13s and ZSU-23s to defend my armored columns against the rightly feared A-10A.

SA-13s & ZSU-23s

Helicopters

Despite it being a long weekend, I only managed to finish painting the first pair of Mi-24 Hinds.

First Pair of Mi-24s

They were a fun change of pace from tanks.  Next up will be four ZSU-23s and two of four SA-13s.

More pics below.

More Tanks

T-72s and BMPs

This past week I was fairly successful painting four more T-72s and five BMP-2s.  These however are only the beginning of a Volks Armee force, which I think is a better representation of the Polish Army than a Soviet Red Banner force.  This drives the inclusion of more tanks overall, adding probably about 10 more tanks overall.

1st Sgt of Skoll Hrodvitnisson

The Conversion from 40k to Mk III iron armor took longer than I expected, but I finally got the only remaining member of my original Rout army armed and ready to roll.  Introducing Villskap Redmaw  1st Sgt of Skoll Hrodvitnisson Pack Leader of the Bloody Hunters.

Villskap Redmaw 1st Sgt of Skoll Hrodvitnisson

First 5 Tanks painted!

First Five Tanks  

I have completed painting my first five tanks and have dived into the next nine!  In painting these five tanks, I made the decision to use a dark grey for what might be metal on many models.  My theory for this is that a factory primer of some kind is always useful.

I also purchased a copy of Volks Armee, which provides an overview and lists for forces from the Deutsche Demokratische Republik's Nationale Volksarmee.  I think this list will work better as a baseline for my Poles than the main Soviet army.  The impact will be the total number of models (and thus cost) will increase.

My work space

Airbrushing Armor and Aircraft

This past week I ordered and received an airbrush.  On Sunday, I made my first attempts at airbrushing - 5 Tanks and 2 Hinds.  I am working on trying to be more consistent about working on models.  Hopefully I do not get too distracted this week's evenings.

5 T-72s

Pair of Hinds

BAOR Dragoons defeat Polish 2nd Armor

On Saturday, my brother and I played a 50-point game of Team Yankee at At Ease Games in San Diego.  He played British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and I played Polish 2nd Army (Soviets).

Just prior to Engaging