Showing posts with label Imperial Fists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Imperial Fists. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - The Death of Paterswold Campaign
A rare conjunction of planets and I was actually able to get a game in over the past weekend! A heresy-lovin' friend of mine has been participating in the Death of Patersworld global campaign being hosted by the lovely folks over at AUS30k and invited me to take part via a game of Zone Mortalis. I readily agreed and dug out the lovely Bug Hunt Corridors I'd picked up from a Kickstarter run by Fantasy Arc, which has sadly sat unused in the Closet of Doom since I assembled it almost three years ago. Well overdue to get some use!
I experimented with a few configurations and settled on a reasonably symmetrical layout, just to keep things fair. I was playing a force drawn from the Imperial Fists I'll be taking to Adepticon, while my opponent brought his oh-so-heretical Word Bearers. He had strength of numbers and overwhelming psychic superiority, but the doughty warriors of the Imperial Fists would know no fear!
Things started to go sideways for our boys in yellow almost immediately. As the defenders of the facility, the foul Word Bearers had control over the security systems meaning the Fists were forced to cut open each locked door, only to find their duplicitous brethren had also mined the corridors!
The sorcerers called down units of pink horrors to assault the loyalist lines, but each time the warp filth were cut down by the blades of the Templar Brethren. I was really impressed with their capability on the table - the combat squad of five cut the 10-man units of horrors down in a single turn, two turns running (the foul sorcerers having resummoned them)!
On the right flank, the Gal Vorbak lay in wait for the Fists, though they were slightly stymied by their own booby traps. Just goes to show what cowards that the Traitors truly are!
Going up the middle, the Templar Brethren are equally stymied by the fact that they don't carry any equipment capable of cutting through the bulkhead in front of them. Setback!
The tactical squad had no such trouble, as the sergeant's power fist makes short work of the door. The sound of approaching traitors for both hallways ahead were met with the calm activation of the squad's vox operators transponder...
With a crackle of ozone and a swirl of displaced air, a unit of Terminators coalesces in a teleport beam, landing with pinpoint accuracy thanks to the tactical squad's communications. Crisp and precise, and would make Rogal Dorn proud. With practiced ease, the terminators' plasma fire slew a pair of the traitorous Word Bearer terminators before they knew what was happening.
On the left flank the Imperial Fists strategem was revealed, with a second unit of Terminators coalescing behind the Gal Vorbak in a textbook ambush. Nearby shelling caused a stifling dust to pour through the facility, confusing target locks and reducing ranged weapons fire a near impossibility.
Suddenly, disaster! In the raging battle outside, a wayward macrocannon shell fell upon the facility causing a massive structural collapse! Thousands of tons of rubble rained down burying loyalist and traitor alike, with a bare handful of the courageous Imperial Fists surviving the destruction. The fickle Ruinous Powers withdrew their protection from the Word Bearers who were also ravaged in the collapse, but sadly the spine of the Loyalist assault on the facility was broken. Undeterred, the survivors gathered themselves and launched a final attack. The brave warriors of the fists were never heard from again, though it is assumed they died valiantly fighting.
The game was a blast, though the Fists failed to accomplish their objectives in the time allotted (dice roll ended the game at turn 5). At the end we both joked that the most dangerous opponent was the terrain itself, and awarded the collapsing facility 2nd place by virtue of kill points!
Next up, a bit more build time, but not what you might expect!
I experimented with a few configurations and settled on a reasonably symmetrical layout, just to keep things fair. I was playing a force drawn from the Imperial Fists I'll be taking to Adepticon, while my opponent brought his oh-so-heretical Word Bearers. He had strength of numbers and overwhelming psychic superiority, but the doughty warriors of the Imperial Fists would know no fear!
Things started to go sideways for our boys in yellow almost immediately. As the defenders of the facility, the foul Word Bearers had control over the security systems meaning the Fists were forced to cut open each locked door, only to find their duplicitous brethren had also mined the corridors!
The sorcerers called down units of pink horrors to assault the loyalist lines, but each time the warp filth were cut down by the blades of the Templar Brethren. I was really impressed with their capability on the table - the combat squad of five cut the 10-man units of horrors down in a single turn, two turns running (the foul sorcerers having resummoned them)!
On the right flank, the Gal Vorbak lay in wait for the Fists, though they were slightly stymied by their own booby traps. Just goes to show what cowards that the Traitors truly are!
Going up the middle, the Templar Brethren are equally stymied by the fact that they don't carry any equipment capable of cutting through the bulkhead in front of them. Setback!
The tactical squad had no such trouble, as the sergeant's power fist makes short work of the door. The sound of approaching traitors for both hallways ahead were met with the calm activation of the squad's vox operators transponder...
With a crackle of ozone and a swirl of displaced air, a unit of Terminators coalesces in a teleport beam, landing with pinpoint accuracy thanks to the tactical squad's communications. Crisp and precise, and would make Rogal Dorn proud. With practiced ease, the terminators' plasma fire slew a pair of the traitorous Word Bearer terminators before they knew what was happening.
On the left flank the Imperial Fists strategem was revealed, with a second unit of Terminators coalescing behind the Gal Vorbak in a textbook ambush. Nearby shelling caused a stifling dust to pour through the facility, confusing target locks and reducing ranged weapons fire a near impossibility.
Suddenly, disaster! In the raging battle outside, a wayward macrocannon shell fell upon the facility causing a massive structural collapse! Thousands of tons of rubble rained down burying loyalist and traitor alike, with a bare handful of the courageous Imperial Fists surviving the destruction. The fickle Ruinous Powers withdrew their protection from the Word Bearers who were also ravaged in the collapse, but sadly the spine of the Loyalist assault on the facility was broken. Undeterred, the survivors gathered themselves and launched a final attack. The brave warriors of the fists were never heard from again, though it is assumed they died valiantly fighting.
The game was a blast, though the Fists failed to accomplish their objectives in the time allotted (dice roll ended the game at turn 5). At the end we both joked that the most dangerous opponent was the terrain itself, and awarded the collapsing facility 2nd place by virtue of kill points!
Next up, a bit more build time, but not what you might expect!
Labels:
Battle Reports,
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists
Friday, February 3, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Adepticon Army 99% complete!
Made a big push over the last few days to get the Imperial Fists army for Adepticon complete, and took them down to the local GW shop for some army shots on their tables!
Very much a points-dense force mostly built for compact air travel than any on-the-table tactical reason. Very pleased with how they look all lined up, though - I was worried about the colors but I think it strikes a nice balance between the black and the yellow, as befits their veteran status.
For characters and theme the army is based around Sigismund and the various veterans of the 1st company. The big S will be joining the unit of Templar Brethren, and a vanilla Consul leads the Tartaros terminator contingent (very much there to make up the points).
The biggest point sink in the force but one that I just had to include, the Templar Brethren and their transport clock in at 605 points. Are they worth that many points when the resin hits the table? Probably not, but I really dig how they look and the Rule of Cool wins out for me every time!
Carrying on with the veteran theme, it's hard to go wrong with a mess of terminators! The ten-man Tartaros squad is a character-killer unit, intended to deep strike in, plasma the heck out of everything nearby, then pile in the following turn to mop up. At least that's the plan! The Cataphractii are intended to be an honor guard for the Contemptor and provide him backfield support. The Contemptor is there for light anti-air and horde coverage, plus it just looks darn cool!
Finally are the two units of Veterans. They each have a pair of Heavy Bolters, and between them they'll be throwing ~40 shots a turn that hit on 2's, and Rend on 6's which is pretty darn nasty! Dakka dakka dakka!
Couple side shots of the tanks, really happy with the big fists on the Rhino top hatches, though let's just say I'm glad I had four to work with, totally made a hash out of the first one I'd tried! The tanks and dread got a little light weathering here and there, didn't want to go overboard as I envision the Fists strive to keep their equipment looking nice but a little scuff here and there gives 'em some personality.
Definitely felt good to get the whole painting chart flipped over to green! Now with this force out of the way and packed up for the event next month it's time to turn my attention to other projects. The news coming out of the Heresy Weekender has me chomping at the bit to get back to my beloved Thousand Sons, and there's a fairly major shake up in my plan with them.
...Let's just say it includes the statement "My current Thousand Sons army is going on the auction block and I'm starting anew. Again." Hah!
Very much a points-dense force mostly built for compact air travel than any on-the-table tactical reason. Very pleased with how they look all lined up, though - I was worried about the colors but I think it strikes a nice balance between the black and the yellow, as befits their veteran status.
For characters and theme the army is based around Sigismund and the various veterans of the 1st company. The big S will be joining the unit of Templar Brethren, and a vanilla Consul leads the Tartaros terminator contingent (very much there to make up the points).
The biggest point sink in the force but one that I just had to include, the Templar Brethren and their transport clock in at 605 points. Are they worth that many points when the resin hits the table? Probably not, but I really dig how they look and the Rule of Cool wins out for me every time!
Carrying on with the veteran theme, it's hard to go wrong with a mess of terminators! The ten-man Tartaros squad is a character-killer unit, intended to deep strike in, plasma the heck out of everything nearby, then pile in the following turn to mop up. At least that's the plan! The Cataphractii are intended to be an honor guard for the Contemptor and provide him backfield support. The Contemptor is there for light anti-air and horde coverage, plus it just looks darn cool!
Finally are the two units of Veterans. They each have a pair of Heavy Bolters, and between them they'll be throwing ~40 shots a turn that hit on 2's, and Rend on 6's which is pretty darn nasty! Dakka dakka dakka!
Couple side shots of the tanks, really happy with the big fists on the Rhino top hatches, though let's just say I'm glad I had four to work with, totally made a hash out of the first one I'd tried! The tanks and dread got a little light weathering here and there, didn't want to go overboard as I envision the Fists strive to keep their equipment looking nice but a little scuff here and there gives 'em some personality.
Definitely felt good to get the whole painting chart flipped over to green! Now with this force out of the way and packed up for the event next month it's time to turn my attention to other projects. The news coming out of the Heresy Weekender has me chomping at the bit to get back to my beloved Thousand Sons, and there's a fairly major shake up in my plan with them.
...Let's just say it includes the statement "My current Thousand Sons army is going on the auction block and I'm starting anew. Again." Hah!
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - The Motor Pool motors on...
Just a quick hit today, it's been a rather busy week so I didn't get as much brush time in as I'd initially planned. That said, the motor pool for the Imperial Fists is moving right along!
Got a bit more work done on the yellow, got some edge highlighting in place on the black and got the metallics and the blues roughed in. They're starting to come into focus now! In other good news, I've managed to get off the waitlists and into two of the events I've been hoping for at Adepticon this year, and will be participating in the 30k Friendly on Friday, and the Gomeiza Conflect, Part 3 on Saturday. Really looking forward to it!
Got a bit more work done on the yellow, got some edge highlighting in place on the black and got the metallics and the blues roughed in. They're starting to come into focus now! In other good news, I've managed to get off the waitlists and into two of the events I've been hoping for at Adepticon this year, and will be participating in the 30k Friendly on Friday, and the Gomeiza Conflect, Part 3 on Saturday. Really looking forward to it!
Labels:
Characters,
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Land Raider,
Rhino
Monday, January 23, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Cataphractii Terminators and the Motor Pool!
After the post yesterday morning I was feeling reinvigorated and cracked on with the Fists! Eight weeks to Adepticon, so I'm feeling quite confident the force will be done by then with some wiggle room to build and paint another unit or character as the points values require - At the moment I'm on the wait list for every event I was hoping to get tickets for, but I'm holding out hope and building a force that can be broken down to satisfy any of the events that I may be able to slip in to!
Much like the Templar Brethren, the Cataphractii terminators were also almost complete. A bit of shading and washes and they're ready for the initial sealant step.
As is usually the case, right after I go about sourcing bits to do a conversion for a unit type that exists in the rules but not in the Forge World shop, they immediately go and release pics of better-looking ones that they'll be coming out with just a month or so past when I'm done with the project. Hah! Nevertheless, I like how the Custodes shields worked for the build, and when I get around to building a sword-and-board unit of Custodes proper, I'll be repeating the white wing inlays on their shields as well - Pretty happy with how they turned out!
That leaves 5 models to go, as things stand at the moment. Three vehicles, and two characters. After finishing off the terminators I grabbed the big tank brush and re-painted all the tanks in chaos black, so that any re-blacking cleanup later will match up, then started laying in the basecoats for the yellows. On the big flat surfaces, even the Scrofulous Brown I use direct on the infantry is a bit too translucent, so all the areas were first given a Leather Brown basecoat. Then the Scrofulous brown went on and I laid in the first pass of Golden Yellow. While I was about it I also grabbed Sigismund and the Tartaros champion and started laying in the base yellows for them as well. It's a bizarre mix for a batch paint session but does ensure I'm not bored! At a certain point the tanks hulls, and the characters and crew will be separated for detailing's sake, but for now it's all the same colors getting spattered on with wild abandon!
Much like the Templar Brethren, the Cataphractii terminators were also almost complete. A bit of shading and washes and they're ready for the initial sealant step.
As is usually the case, right after I go about sourcing bits to do a conversion for a unit type that exists in the rules but not in the Forge World shop, they immediately go and release pics of better-looking ones that they'll be coming out with just a month or so past when I'm done with the project. Hah! Nevertheless, I like how the Custodes shields worked for the build, and when I get around to building a sword-and-board unit of Custodes proper, I'll be repeating the white wing inlays on their shields as well - Pretty happy with how they turned out!
That leaves 5 models to go, as things stand at the moment. Three vehicles, and two characters. After finishing off the terminators I grabbed the big tank brush and re-painted all the tanks in chaos black, so that any re-blacking cleanup later will match up, then started laying in the basecoats for the yellows. On the big flat surfaces, even the Scrofulous Brown I use direct on the infantry is a bit too translucent, so all the areas were first given a Leather Brown basecoat. Then the Scrofulous brown went on and I laid in the first pass of Golden Yellow. While I was about it I also grabbed Sigismund and the Tartaros champion and started laying in the base yellows for them as well. It's a bizarre mix for a batch paint session but does ensure I'm not bored! At a certain point the tanks hulls, and the characters and crew will be separated for detailing's sake, but for now it's all the same colors getting spattered on with wild abandon!
Labels:
Characters,
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Land Raider,
Rhino,
Sigismund,
Terminators
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Templar Brethren 'off the factory floor'
Quick hit this morning, working on getting my painting mojo back and spent some time over the weekend finishing off the Templar Brethren to the pre-weathering stage.
They were pretty close to complete from last time, so mostly it was shading and basing. The metal areas got a wash, as did the garlands to help tone them down a bit from their earlier neon shade. A little highlight to the power weapons and finishing off the bases and they're tabletop ready! Next up are the trio of vehicles, it was warm enough to prime them a few days back, which means I'm well on the way to the finish line before Adepticon (which looms on the near horizon)!
They were pretty close to complete from last time, so mostly it was shading and basing. The metal areas got a wash, as did the garlands to help tone them down a bit from their earlier neon shade. A little highlight to the power weapons and finishing off the bases and they're tabletop ready! Next up are the trio of vehicles, it was warm enough to prime them a few days back, which means I'm well on the way to the finish line before Adepticon (which looms on the near horizon)!
Labels:
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Templar Brethren
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Rhinos and Land Raider built!
Haven't been feeling the painting mojo over the last few days, so as a bit of a distraction I spent some time gluing my fingers together instead!
To transport the Templar Brethren, I wanted some sort of assault vehicle but didn't want to go all the way up to the Spartan. In general I prefer the Proteus chassis as it feels more Heresy-y to me, but only the Phobos has an assault ramp. So a Mk.IIb it is! I approached it with some trepidation, as the last kit I'd built had tolerances to the nearest half inch. This one in contrast went together like a dream! I believe they've re-cut the molds at some point along the way, as this kit was pretty long in the tooth comparatively speaking.
The two Veteran squads each get a Rhino to roll around in, and as usual the Deimos Rhino kits went together smoothly as well. I plumped for a few of the new pintle-mounted weapon kits, in order to mount each tranport with a heavy bolter. Theme-wise, the army is chock full of heavy bolters in fact!
Of course we're having rather Colorado weather of late, so while it was in the upper 50s mid-week, it's been below freezing all weekend and forecast to continue for the next few days. No primering for the tanks in the near future, more's the pity!
To transport the Templar Brethren, I wanted some sort of assault vehicle but didn't want to go all the way up to the Spartan. In general I prefer the Proteus chassis as it feels more Heresy-y to me, but only the Phobos has an assault ramp. So a Mk.IIb it is! I approached it with some trepidation, as the last kit I'd built had tolerances to the nearest half inch. This one in contrast went together like a dream! I believe they've re-cut the molds at some point along the way, as this kit was pretty long in the tooth comparatively speaking.
The two Veteran squads each get a Rhino to roll around in, and as usual the Deimos Rhino kits went together smoothly as well. I plumped for a few of the new pintle-mounted weapon kits, in order to mount each tranport with a heavy bolter. Theme-wise, the army is chock full of heavy bolters in fact!
Of course we're having rather Colorado weather of late, so while it was in the upper 50s mid-week, it's been below freezing all weekend and forecast to continue for the next few days. No primering for the tanks in the near future, more's the pity!
Labels:
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Land Raider,
Rhino
Monday, January 9, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Templar Brethren and Cataphractii Terminators nearly done...
Little bit of brush time over the weekend, and got a few more colors down on the Templars and Terminators!
Laid in the basic silver, gold and whites on the various areas, though they are just the basecoats currently - more shading and highlights to come so they don't look quite so flat. I also roughed in the basecoat for the bases, which immediately helps the models pop a bit (especially when they are predominantly black anyway)!
Probably one or two more sessions to go over the next few evenings, hopefully we'll get another break in the weather soon and I can get them sealed in preparation for weathering!
Laid in the basic silver, gold and whites on the various areas, though they are just the basecoats currently - more shading and highlights to come so they don't look quite so flat. I also roughed in the basecoat for the bases, which immediately helps the models pop a bit (especially when they are predominantly black anyway)!
Probably one or two more sessions to go over the next few evenings, hopefully we'll get another break in the weather soon and I can get them sealed in preparation for weathering!
Labels:
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Templar Brethren,
Terminators
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Templar Brethren and Cataphractii Terminators painting continues...
Quick hit today, while I brace for the imminent snowpocalypse! Supposed to get a foot of snow overnight, and it's already coming down pretty good. On the other hand, it's also forecast to be around 55°F on Sunday. Gotta love Colorado!
Got (most) of the black cleaned up and then started adding in some colors in the meantime! The usual power field blue really pops against the black and yellow, and the green garlands add another layer of visual interest to what was a fairly drab looking set of models, earlier! Next up will be all the silver trimwork around the various armour plates, which should help give them a little more depth.
As I'm expecting to work from home tomorrow (no way am I going to do a 40 mile commute in a foot+ of snow) I'm hoping I can sneak up to the loft and do a little painting over my lunch hour. Rather enjoying how they're coming along so far, and I'm already envisioning what the Land Raider transport for 'em is going to look like in a similar black livery!
Got (most) of the black cleaned up and then started adding in some colors in the meantime! The usual power field blue really pops against the black and yellow, and the green garlands add another layer of visual interest to what was a fairly drab looking set of models, earlier! Next up will be all the silver trimwork around the various armour plates, which should help give them a little more depth.
As I'm expecting to work from home tomorrow (no way am I going to do a 40 mile commute in a foot+ of snow) I'm hoping I can sneak up to the loft and do a little painting over my lunch hour. Rather enjoying how they're coming along so far, and I'm already envisioning what the Land Raider transport for 'em is going to look like in a similar black livery!
Labels:
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Templar Brethren,
Terminators
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Templar Brethren and Cataphractii Terminators begin!
Happy New Year, everyone - Hope the changeover finds you all hale and hearty! Yesterday the weather was nice enough to spray seal the recently-painted models and primer the next batch. Pressed on and laid in the basic yellows!
Next up on the block are the five hammer-and-board Cataphractii terminators, and a ten-man squad of Templar Brethren. They will have the reversed scheme from the 'basic' veterans and Tartaros terminators, and will be primarily black with yellow accents. Next up will be going back in with black to clean up the slop, and then move on to all the highlighting of the black armour.
Figured I'd go through to update all the painting charts and see what projects I have on deck this year. The plan is to take the Imperial Fists to the LVO and Adepticon this year, and they're actually further along than I'd expected!
Next up is the project that sounded good at the time but I am beginning to regret my life choices. The Genestealer Cult are an awesome new set of models and they're fun to paint, but it is a metric boatload of models to paint. I started to batch paint all of the 3rd and 4th generation hybrids at once and got all the skin done, but the thought of doing all 40+ of them at the same time for further steps filled me with horror. Going to have to break them up into 20-man groups and crank 'em out. Once that's done it'll be time to move on to the brood brothers/suborned pdf troops!
There's been very little forward motion on my beloved Thousand Sons of late, as I've been in a holding pattern for Inferno (the FW book that will include their rules). I have been gathering bits and kits, and once the new book drops there will likely be a frenzy of activity! All Is Dust!
Nearly a completed force, I ought to really buckle down and finish of the last few models for the Prosperine Assault Infantry, but similar to the Thousand Sons there's rumors that the Spireguard will have some rules in the upcoming book so I'm hesitant to do much more with them for fear of building invalid unit types.
Way down in the priority list are the Dark Eldar and Harlequins, which are at this point a "if I absolutely can't be arsed to paint anything from any of my other projects" project.
Should be a great year of hobby goodness! Hope you all have a safe and happy 2017!
Next up on the block are the five hammer-and-board Cataphractii terminators, and a ten-man squad of Templar Brethren. They will have the reversed scheme from the 'basic' veterans and Tartaros terminators, and will be primarily black with yellow accents. Next up will be going back in with black to clean up the slop, and then move on to all the highlighting of the black armour.
Figured I'd go through to update all the painting charts and see what projects I have on deck this year. The plan is to take the Imperial Fists to the LVO and Adepticon this year, and they're actually further along than I'd expected!
Next up is the project that sounded good at the time but I am beginning to regret my life choices. The Genestealer Cult are an awesome new set of models and they're fun to paint, but it is a metric boatload of models to paint. I started to batch paint all of the 3rd and 4th generation hybrids at once and got all the skin done, but the thought of doing all 40+ of them at the same time for further steps filled me with horror. Going to have to break them up into 20-man groups and crank 'em out. Once that's done it'll be time to move on to the brood brothers/suborned pdf troops!
There's been very little forward motion on my beloved Thousand Sons of late, as I've been in a holding pattern for Inferno (the FW book that will include their rules). I have been gathering bits and kits, and once the new book drops there will likely be a frenzy of activity! All Is Dust!
Nearly a completed force, I ought to really buckle down and finish of the last few models for the Prosperine Assault Infantry, but similar to the Thousand Sons there's rumors that the Spireguard will have some rules in the upcoming book so I'm hesitant to do much more with them for fear of building invalid unit types.
Way down in the priority list are the Dark Eldar and Harlequins, which are at this point a "if I absolutely can't be arsed to paint anything from any of my other projects" project.
Should be a great year of hobby goodness! Hope you all have a safe and happy 2017!
Labels:
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Templar Brethren,
Terminators
Friday, December 30, 2016
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Veterans and Contemptor "off the factory floor"
As of this morning I'm officially on vacation for four days. Glorious! That said, I got a jump on the weekend yesterday evening and got the Vets and Contemptor up to the "Off the factory floor" stage where they await the first spray sealant pass in preparation for waterslides and weathering.
It's always amazing to me how much of a difference painting the bases helps the models pop! Pretty happy with how the cooler tones of the bases contrast against the rather 'hot' tones of the yellows and reds. All the black got another highlight pass, and I added in the various spot colors and metallics that really help snap the models into focus. Going to be applying further details to the right shoulder pads, though whether that's to be transfers or freehand remains to be seen - While I'm pretty confident using transfers in general, the complex curve of the marine shoulder pad still gives me trouble!
The Contemptor Mortis got the same treatment, and I'm rather looking forward to adding some chips and scratches to him - they should stand out nicely against the yellow!
It's supposed to be pushing 60°F this afternoon so I'm hoping to get them sealed so I can finish off the next steps! In the interim it's back to building - The final pieces arrived for the hammer-and-shield Cataphractii terminators, and I have those and the bits to make a 10-man Templar Brethren squad soaking this morning. Should be a weekend full of Heresy Goodness!
It's always amazing to me how much of a difference painting the bases helps the models pop! Pretty happy with how the cooler tones of the bases contrast against the rather 'hot' tones of the yellows and reds. All the black got another highlight pass, and I added in the various spot colors and metallics that really help snap the models into focus. Going to be applying further details to the right shoulder pads, though whether that's to be transfers or freehand remains to be seen - While I'm pretty confident using transfers in general, the complex curve of the marine shoulder pad still gives me trouble!
The Contemptor Mortis got the same treatment, and I'm rather looking forward to adding some chips and scratches to him - they should stand out nicely against the yellow!
It's supposed to be pushing 60°F this afternoon so I'm hoping to get them sealed so I can finish off the next steps! In the interim it's back to building - The final pieces arrived for the hammer-and-shield Cataphractii terminators, and I have those and the bits to make a 10-man Templar Brethren squad soaking this morning. Should be a weekend full of Heresy Goodness!
Labels:
Contemptor,
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Veterans
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Veteran Squads and Contemptor get some brush time!
Hope the holidays were safe and fun for everyone, it was a whirlwind of activity for me though sadly not as much of it was actual painting time. Even a painting servitor deserves time off to celebrate the Feast of the Emperor's Ascension, right? Now that it's passed I have managed to rekindle some painting mojo and set to on some Imperial Fists with renewed gusto!
To begin with I figured the painting servitor had had enough time off thank you very much, and it was high time it got plugged back in to the duty station. Turned the settings over to batch paint and started slinging the yellow around! Started off with a basecoat of Vallejo Scrofulous Brown, followed by a heavy drybrush of Golden Yellow, and then a light drybrush of GW Flash Gitz Yellow, concentrating on the uppermost surfaces. Once that was done the whole model was given a Seraphim Sepia wash and left to dry overnight.
The next session was the tedious one - going back in and re-blacking in everything that's intended to be metal or, well, black. I've been tempted to just bypass this step and just paint the metallics over the yellow, but I've found that it tends to end up looking sort of spotty and unfinished. Boring, but necessary!
Next up I could actually start doing some interesting stuff with the models. The black areas were given a bit of a highlight (which will likely get one further highlight, based on how I'm feeling about them at the moment), the icons on the shoulder pads were roughed in and just to paint something besides black and yellow for a bit the red veteran stripes were added to the helmets, and the sergeants got the full red helmet with white stripe look. They're starting to come into focus now!
While I was about it I'd been working on the Contemptor as well, and it's more or less keeping pace with the two veteran squads. Gives me a nice little break in the batch painting process, and helps ensure that it'll match up with the infantry!
I have a couple days off coming up around new years, and am hoping I can get these lads finished over the upcoming long weekend. Hope you all have a safe and happy New Years!
To begin with I figured the painting servitor had had enough time off thank you very much, and it was high time it got plugged back in to the duty station. Turned the settings over to batch paint and started slinging the yellow around! Started off with a basecoat of Vallejo Scrofulous Brown, followed by a heavy drybrush of Golden Yellow, and then a light drybrush of GW Flash Gitz Yellow, concentrating on the uppermost surfaces. Once that was done the whole model was given a Seraphim Sepia wash and left to dry overnight.
The next session was the tedious one - going back in and re-blacking in everything that's intended to be metal or, well, black. I've been tempted to just bypass this step and just paint the metallics over the yellow, but I've found that it tends to end up looking sort of spotty and unfinished. Boring, but necessary!
Next up I could actually start doing some interesting stuff with the models. The black areas were given a bit of a highlight (which will likely get one further highlight, based on how I'm feeling about them at the moment), the icons on the shoulder pads were roughed in and just to paint something besides black and yellow for a bit the red veteran stripes were added to the helmets, and the sergeants got the full red helmet with white stripe look. They're starting to come into focus now!
While I was about it I'd been working on the Contemptor as well, and it's more or less keeping pace with the two veteran squads. Gives me a nice little break in the batch painting process, and helps ensure that it'll match up with the infantry!
I have a couple days off coming up around new years, and am hoping I can get these lads finished over the upcoming long weekend. Hope you all have a safe and happy New Years!
Labels:
Contemptor,
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Veterans
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Veteran Squad and Contemptor built!
As a bit of a reward to myself for all the painting of late I thought I'd build the next unit or two for the Imperial Fists. I'm kicking myself for getting so over-excited building all the new Genestealer Cult models that I ended up with a huge pile of unpainted miniatures which tends to be disheartening. So for the Fists I'm sticking to a "build 10 or so models, then paint them before the next group" mentality. We'll see how long that lasts. Hah!
The next ten infantry for the Fists are the first of two veteran squads. To take advantage of their legion rules the squad gets a pair of heavy bolters, the Vexilla gives them a little staying power and the Nuncio Vox will allow them to act as spotters for artillery and teleport beacons for their deep-striking terminators. While the vets are technically able to all take combi-weapons and all sorts of other gear to make a 'jack of all trades' unit, I've found it's really easy to end up with a thoroughly over-costed squad which can quite easily be wiped from the table in a single turn. Better to keep them cheap and focused on a single job (which is primarily infantry-killing).
For a little more dakka, the ever-popular Contemptor Mortis with a pair of Kheres assault cannons is hard to pass up. Doubling as a reasonably effective anti-aircraft and anti-infantry unit, I have found this loadout routinely performs admirably on the table top and almost always earns its points.
Lastly, I scraped together a few leftover bits I had and put together the proof of concept thunder-hammer-and-storm-shield terminator in Cataphractii armour, using some rather neat 3d-printed shoulder pads, the storm shields from the Custodes set, and some thunder hammers from Spellcrow. The perspective is a little forced on this pic, the hammer isn't really THAT big... Heh.
So far so good! Now, if only it wasn't forecast to reach a high temperature of 1°F on Saturday I could get them primered. Apparently these models will be sitting on the "prime me" shelf for the foreseeable future!
The next ten infantry for the Fists are the first of two veteran squads. To take advantage of their legion rules the squad gets a pair of heavy bolters, the Vexilla gives them a little staying power and the Nuncio Vox will allow them to act as spotters for artillery and teleport beacons for their deep-striking terminators. While the vets are technically able to all take combi-weapons and all sorts of other gear to make a 'jack of all trades' unit, I've found it's really easy to end up with a thoroughly over-costed squad which can quite easily be wiped from the table in a single turn. Better to keep them cheap and focused on a single job (which is primarily infantry-killing).
For a little more dakka, the ever-popular Contemptor Mortis with a pair of Kheres assault cannons is hard to pass up. Doubling as a reasonably effective anti-aircraft and anti-infantry unit, I have found this loadout routinely performs admirably on the table top and almost always earns its points.
Lastly, I scraped together a few leftover bits I had and put together the proof of concept thunder-hammer-and-storm-shield terminator in Cataphractii armour, using some rather neat 3d-printed shoulder pads, the storm shields from the Custodes set, and some thunder hammers from Spellcrow. The perspective is a little forced on this pic, the hammer isn't really THAT big... Heh.
So far so good! Now, if only it wasn't forecast to reach a high temperature of 1°F on Saturday I could get them primered. Apparently these models will be sitting on the "prime me" shelf for the foreseeable future!
Labels:
Contemptor,
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Terminators,
Veterans
Monday, December 5, 2016
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Tartaros Terminators almost done!
Another quick hit this evening, after work I had a quiet evening in and was able to put a couple more hours in on the terminators. Rather enjoying how they're coming along!
Pretty much textbook color theory here, with the blue and red contrasting well against the yellow armour plate. A little more cleanup and highlighting here and there, and they'll be ready for the first sealant stage prior to waterslides and weathering (though the incipient snowfall means it may be a week or more before that's possible).
Tried out a couple cooler, neutral colors on the bases which I'm reasonably happy with. Toying with the idea of adding the occasional bit of litter and leaves here and there to jazz them up a little and give them a sense of scale. So far, so good!
Pretty much textbook color theory here, with the blue and red contrasting well against the yellow armour plate. A little more cleanup and highlighting here and there, and they'll be ready for the first sealant stage prior to waterslides and weathering (though the incipient snowfall means it may be a week or more before that's possible).
Tried out a couple cooler, neutral colors on the bases which I'm reasonably happy with. Toying with the idea of adding the occasional bit of litter and leaves here and there to jazz them up a little and give them a sense of scale. So far, so good!
Labels:
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Tartaros,
Terminators
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Tartaros Terminators begin!
Quick hit today - Nearing the finish line on the next batch of Acolytes, but I couldn't help but take a quick detour and lay in the initial yellows on the squad of Tartaros Terminators for the Imperial Fists over the last couple sessions!
While the Imperial Fists are one of a bare handful to get access to proper assault cannons in the Heresy, from an aesthetic standpoint I went plasma for this unit (the blue coils should set off nicely against the yellow) with a pair of plasma blasters and a scattering of combi-plasma guns. Overall I still prefer the look of the Cataphractii plate but these models were quite fun to build!
While the Imperial Fists are one of a bare handful to get access to proper assault cannons in the Heresy, from an aesthetic standpoint I went plasma for this unit (the blue coils should set off nicely against the yellow) with a pair of plasma blasters and a scattering of combi-plasma guns. Overall I still prefer the look of the Cataphractii plate but these models were quite fun to build!
Labels:
Horus Heresy,
Imperial Fists,
Terminators
Monday, November 28, 2016
40k Genestealer Cult - The cult takes the field, and some more Acolytes painting...
Hope our American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving (and the rest of you had an agreeable Thursday)! The days leading up to the holiday were full of non-hobby duties, but I did manage to actually get a game in (GASP) over the following long weekend! No real battle report to relate and just a pair of pics as I got so into the game that I forgot to take any others. Guess that's the sign of an enjoyable game!
Threw down against a friend's Crimson Fists, and to my shame my army wasn't fully painted yet. We played with my favorite house rule "Suffer Not The Unpainted To Live" (painted models gain preferred enemy against unpainted models) which is always amusing. Mechanically, painted models SHOULD fight better! That said, the painted models I did have performed admirably, with the First Curse being an absolute buzzsaw of a unit. I actually felt a little dirty with how quickly they chewed through everything they touched. We were playing a Tactical Objectives type game, and the ability for the cult to redeploy willy-nilly meant they pounced on a number of objectives and when the dust settled had won the day. The shadow in the void draws ever closer...
Over the weekend I did feel re-invigorated to get some more cultists painted and banged out the basic colors for the next batch of Acolytes and the Cult Iconward, which make up a third of The Doting Throng. In addition are a spare Acolyte Leader and Cult Icon which will allow me to run them as a pair of 10-man squads instead of the mondo 20-man squad.
In other news, a couple boxes of Forge World goodness have arrived which has lit an additional fire under me to finish off the Genestealer Cult army. I've more or less decided that the models in the Burning of Prospero box don't particularly match the aesthetic of my current Thousand Sons army, and since I do want to build and paint the Custodes and Sisters of Silence (which obviously wouldn't ally with the boys in crimson) some sort of loyalist force was needed. Messing with the dirty yellow on the cult meant that it's time to reprise the Imperial Fists! Holding off on the Custodes/Sisters side until Inferno drops, but thought a tidy little 2000 point force would be reasonable. Going with the Pride of the Legion rite of war, and thought a little 1st Company veterans force would be a fun use for the new plastics (and a tiny model count after this horde nonsense)!
...Yes I absolutely needed to start another project, why do you ask? Heh.
Threw down against a friend's Crimson Fists, and to my shame my army wasn't fully painted yet. We played with my favorite house rule "Suffer Not The Unpainted To Live" (painted models gain preferred enemy against unpainted models) which is always amusing. Mechanically, painted models SHOULD fight better! That said, the painted models I did have performed admirably, with the First Curse being an absolute buzzsaw of a unit. I actually felt a little dirty with how quickly they chewed through everything they touched. We were playing a Tactical Objectives type game, and the ability for the cult to redeploy willy-nilly meant they pounced on a number of objectives and when the dust settled had won the day. The shadow in the void draws ever closer...
Over the weekend I did feel re-invigorated to get some more cultists painted and banged out the basic colors for the next batch of Acolytes and the Cult Iconward, which make up a third of The Doting Throng. In addition are a spare Acolyte Leader and Cult Icon which will allow me to run them as a pair of 10-man squads instead of the mondo 20-man squad.
In other news, a couple boxes of Forge World goodness have arrived which has lit an additional fire under me to finish off the Genestealer Cult army. I've more or less decided that the models in the Burning of Prospero box don't particularly match the aesthetic of my current Thousand Sons army, and since I do want to build and paint the Custodes and Sisters of Silence (which obviously wouldn't ally with the boys in crimson) some sort of loyalist force was needed. Messing with the dirty yellow on the cult meant that it's time to reprise the Imperial Fists! Holding off on the Custodes/Sisters side until Inferno drops, but thought a tidy little 2000 point force would be reasonable. Going with the Pride of the Legion rite of war, and thought a little 1st Company veterans force would be a fun use for the new plastics (and a tiny model count after this horde nonsense)!
...Yes I absolutely needed to start another project, why do you ask? Heh.
Labels:
Acolyte,
Battle Reports,
Genestealer Cult,
Hybrid,
Imperial Fists
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Heresy Era Imperial Fists - Army complete!
Made the big push over the past week to finish up the Xiphon and Sicaran Venators, with the weather being nice enough to be able to get the transfers, weathering and sealant in place. First up the pair of Venators:
Since they already had big Fist symbols on the sponson covers, I kept things fairly simple with some vehicle identifier symbols, and the legion number on the front glacis. I also went back in and brightened up the lightning on the barrels so it stands out a little better. I loved building and painting these tanks, and they will definitely find their way into future armies!
The Xiphon also got a bit more decorative trim, carrying the gold/bronze theme from the other models. Still of two minds about this model - it was a joy to build and paint, but something about it just doesn't resonate with me in the way the new Lightning model does. It just feels a little too 'modern era' 40k to me design-wise. For future projects I'll definitely be going back to the Lightning.
The resin base company I'd ordered from had a neat flying stand that matched the rest of the army, but rather than the standard clear stand it utilizes a ruined column to hold the flyer aloft. Sort of a neat idea, I thought!
Once they were finished I can call the army complete! A good thing too with GenCon coming up and an inevitable paroxysm of spending at the Forge World booth means it's time to get 'em up on the auction block to help pay for it. First things first, pulling out all the models for a final family photo:
That's a lot of yellow! I think it's fair to say that I've gotten pretty weary of it, but am quite happy with the recipe - will definitely be using that method on yellows in the future. Snapped a few new closeups to detail what the army contains as well:
A bunch of characters of course, from left to right: Legion Champion, Sigismund, Forge Lord, Alexis Polux, Master of Signals, Cataphractii Praetor, Apothecary and another Praetor in Artificer armour.
The veteran squad and their transport rhino - the heavy bolters coupled with the Imperial Fists bolter discipline means they lay down a surprising amount of highly accurate fire!
Gotta have a whole mess of tactical marines, and I've set them up such that they can either be run as one big 20-man squad or as two 10-man squads with rhino transports.
I'm a huge fan of the Mk.IV assault marine models, so they were a must-add for the army. ...20 of 'em may have been overkill, but there's no denying they hit like an avalanche.
You can't have an Imperial Fists army without a mess of Terminators in my opinion. I'd intended to just do a single10-man squad, but I had enough leftover bodies to create a couple extra sergeants and heavy weapons to allow for running a pair of 5-6 man squads, or swap out the heavy weapons loadout to suit the mission at hand.
A pair of Contemptor dreadnoughts, the two Venators and the Xiphon round things out nicely, and give the army some much needed anti-air and anti-vehicle punch.
Like all of my armies, the models are all secured in Battlefoam trays for storage and transport, and have some room for future expansion. The army will be going up on eBay shortly - unfortunately due to the size and weight of the two boxes they'll be packed into, it would be ruinously expensive to ship them overseas (well over $250+) so I'm afraid it's going to be US only again. I wish that it wasn't the case, but to get any sort of delivery confirmation and tracking for overseas packages the prices are just ridiculous these days.
LINK TO AUCTION
Now to ponder the next project! I have more modern-era Adeptus Mechanicus to work on, but with the recent arrival of the Horus Heresy Book V, it might just be time to turn my eyes back to the Prosperine Spireguard and look at updating that army a bit - tons of new options, and I have a decided urge to build and paint a Stormhammer...
Since they already had big Fist symbols on the sponson covers, I kept things fairly simple with some vehicle identifier symbols, and the legion number on the front glacis. I also went back in and brightened up the lightning on the barrels so it stands out a little better. I loved building and painting these tanks, and they will definitely find their way into future armies!
The Xiphon also got a bit more decorative trim, carrying the gold/bronze theme from the other models. Still of two minds about this model - it was a joy to build and paint, but something about it just doesn't resonate with me in the way the new Lightning model does. It just feels a little too 'modern era' 40k to me design-wise. For future projects I'll definitely be going back to the Lightning.
The resin base company I'd ordered from had a neat flying stand that matched the rest of the army, but rather than the standard clear stand it utilizes a ruined column to hold the flyer aloft. Sort of a neat idea, I thought!
Once they were finished I can call the army complete! A good thing too with GenCon coming up and an inevitable paroxysm of spending at the Forge World booth means it's time to get 'em up on the auction block to help pay for it. First things first, pulling out all the models for a final family photo:
That's a lot of yellow! I think it's fair to say that I've gotten pretty weary of it, but am quite happy with the recipe - will definitely be using that method on yellows in the future. Snapped a few new closeups to detail what the army contains as well:
A bunch of characters of course, from left to right: Legion Champion, Sigismund, Forge Lord, Alexis Polux, Master of Signals, Cataphractii Praetor, Apothecary and another Praetor in Artificer armour.
The veteran squad and their transport rhino - the heavy bolters coupled with the Imperial Fists bolter discipline means they lay down a surprising amount of highly accurate fire!
Gotta have a whole mess of tactical marines, and I've set them up such that they can either be run as one big 20-man squad or as two 10-man squads with rhino transports.
I'm a huge fan of the Mk.IV assault marine models, so they were a must-add for the army. ...20 of 'em may have been overkill, but there's no denying they hit like an avalanche.
You can't have an Imperial Fists army without a mess of Terminators in my opinion. I'd intended to just do a single10-man squad, but I had enough leftover bodies to create a couple extra sergeants and heavy weapons to allow for running a pair of 5-6 man squads, or swap out the heavy weapons loadout to suit the mission at hand.
A pair of Contemptor dreadnoughts, the two Venators and the Xiphon round things out nicely, and give the army some much needed anti-air and anti-vehicle punch.
Like all of my armies, the models are all secured in Battlefoam trays for storage and transport, and have some room for future expansion. The army will be going up on eBay shortly - unfortunately due to the size and weight of the two boxes they'll be packed into, it would be ruinously expensive to ship them overseas (well over $250+) so I'm afraid it's going to be US only again. I wish that it wasn't the case, but to get any sort of delivery confirmation and tracking for overseas packages the prices are just ridiculous these days.
LINK TO AUCTION
Now to ponder the next project! I have more modern-era Adeptus Mechanicus to work on, but with the recent arrival of the Horus Heresy Book V, it might just be time to turn my eyes back to the Prosperine Spireguard and look at updating that army a bit - tons of new options, and I have a decided urge to build and paint a Stormhammer...
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