Some New Warhounds - WITH Magnets!

New Warhound titans from GW's Adeptus Titanicus - spare weapon options seen at the feet of the bases.

Some more machines for GW's "Adeptus Titanicus" - these are Warhound-class titans, multi-part plastic kits from GW. Each side of the Horus Heresy gets a new machine here - the grey and yellow titan serves with the loyalists of Legio Gryphonicus, while 30k fans will probably already be familiar with the purple and red colours of Legio Mortis, who fight for the cause of the Warmaster.

Legio Mortis engine sporting twin plasma blast guns - these weapons are hard on the Warhound's reactor, but also very deadly to an enemy engine that has lost its void shields.

A mixed weapon load...mega bolter on the left "arm", and a laser blaster on the right "arm".

Twin flame cannons...probably an ineffective weapon loadout, but in the Horus Heresy there are some problems which can only be solved with lots and lots of fire...

The Warhound is the "smallest" of the battle titans that serve in the ranks of the Titan Legions of the Horus Heresy. They are sometimes called "scout titans", which is conceptually hilarious, but these machines are (relatively) lighter and faster than the other city-crushing titans. They can maneuver more deftly, and while their weapons are (again, relatively) "lighter" than those carried by the Reavers and Warlords, they are still dangerous - the Warhound is a real threat to enemy machines, even the larger chassis.

Legio Gryphonicus Warhound.

Warhounds are particularly dangerous in groups, and they can cooperate groups, sharing their void shields and joining their firing together to cause serious damage to their enemies. I already had two Warhounds for each Legio in my collection, but a third Warhound for each side will help the "pack" reach a nice critical mass.

Twin mega bolters...this weapon variant is very, very dangerous to enemy void shields, although the weapons cannot do much damage once the shields are down. That's where the "pack" part come into play...

There is one special thing about these models that is a different from the Warhound models I built previously - I managed to magnetize the weapon mounts on these! I was inspired by Dallas to figure this out. Dallas is very smart with his use of magnets, but I am so clumsy with them. Magnets are an old hobby foe of mine, and efforts involving magnets often end in frustration and swearing. I constantly, constantly screw up the polarity on the magnets.

Some of the new Adeptus Titanicus models from GW are designed specifically to accommodate small magnets, and I usually manage OK with those. The Reaver and Warhound kits, however, were not designed specifically to use the magnets, they use a kind of ball joint instead. So you either had to glue the weapons on, or come up with your own solution that worked with/around the ball joints on the weapons.

Here is a photo with the loyalist machine sporting the flame cannons.

Confronted with the option of doing some of my own hobby engineering, I chickened out at the time and I glued the weapons into place on my previous models. But Dallas, Curt and others have shown that, with some clever modifications, the magnets can be used on the ball-style weapon joints of the Warhound and Reaver models. I copied Dallas' approach, and I managed to get the little magnets to work!

This is great as these machines now have different weapons options - choosing weapons in a big part of the fun for the game. As you would expect, different weapon load outs offer different choices in tactics - for example, a Warhound equipped with "mega bolters" (i.e. huge, heavy calibre machineguns) on both weapon mounts will be very useful for bringing down enemy void shields. Or, perhaps a player will prefer to mount twin plasma cannons...not so great at shields, but more than able to deliver a killing blow once the shields of an enemy are down.

Magnets are also the only way I would ever bother with the giant flamethrowers - I'm not sure what value these weapons would really have in a game of "Adeptus Titanicus" - as opposed to a game of "Epic", where they could obliterate entire infantry companies in one pass - but thanks to the magnets, the players can choose to use them or not.

The newly expanded Warhound pack on the shelf with the rest of my loyalist collection...

The expanded Warhound pack of Legio Mortis...

I didn't have quite enough spare weapons to cover every possibility for both sides...the Legio Mortis side is short a laser blaster and a mega bolter, something I'll look into later. For now, it's great to have these new machines joining the ranks. Now if we could just get a game in somehow...

Thanks for reading, and stay safe out there!

Painting Challenge Submission 16 - Legio Mortis Warhound Titan for "Adeptus Titanicus"

A Warhound "scout" titan from Legio Mortis, ready to hunt for hope and change...

The diversion from historical painting subjects and into the grim darkness of the far future and GW's re-booted "Adeptus Titanicus" continues.  Having added some God-engines to the delusional "loyalist" faction, I naturally needed to balance things out for the side of hope and change, the Warmaster! So here is one more Warhound class titan.

Vulcan mega-bolter on the left "arm" mount.

This Titan is painted in the colours and markings of Legio Mortis, the charming "Death Heads".  Many Titan Legions supported the Warmaster's noble rebellion against the tyranny of the Imperium, but Legio Mortis was front-and-centre, foremost among Horus' ranks, even leading the assault on the Imperial Palace on Terra itself. 

Turbo-lasers on the right "arm" mount.

The weapon load-out includes a set of "turbo lasers" on one arm, and a "vulcan-mega bolter" on the other.  On its own, this engine is a limited threat, but paired with the other Warhound in the maniple, the mega-bolters can knock down the void shields on enemy engines and either move in for a kill at short range with their own energy weapons, or let the more heavily-equipped Reavers and Warlord strike final blows.

View of the detailing on the rear and top of the Titan.

With this little guy completed, my Legio Mortis forces now have a complete "Axiom Battle Line" maniple, ready to face the toe-chewing loyalists who cling to their pathetic so-called "Emperor".  The "Axiom Battle Line" is one of the basic core force-types for the Titan Legions. It is comprised of one Warlord titan, two Reaver titans and two Warhound titans.  

By using different Maniple formations in the game, players can access some different bonuses for command, firing etc.  The "Axiom Battle Line" is a middle-of-the-road type formation, able to deal with anything that comes up, and gets every different class of titan on to the table, which I enjoy.

A view of the new Titan with his colleagues.

Two complete Titan maniples now sitting on the shelf!

All of these toys got to see some action this past weekend at a local gaming even here in Winnipeg. Challenge participant Byron came out to play the game, and also brought some excellent buildings from the game "Dropzone Commander" along, which is wonderful, as those larger buildings look great while also being big enough to block the lines of fire of the bigger Warlord titans. So a big "thank you" to Byron!

An Imperial city waits for "agressive urban development"...

Loyalist battle group moves out...

The god engines of the noble Warmaster deploy...

During the game, Dallas ran the loyalist battlegroup, while Dave V and Byron ran the rebel battlegroup.  While no Titans cooked off, the rebels were pretty shot up - the Legio Mortis Warlord in particular had two weapons blown off and had taken some serious hits to the body and critical damage to the legs...it was great fun to get these monsters on the table again. 

This edition of Curt's Painting Challenge is winding down...I think I might have one or two submissions left, we'll see...thanks for visiting, and have a great day!

Adeptus Titanicus - New Warlord & New Big Guns

New big Titan, new big guns for AT18!

"Adeptus Titanicus" is about big stompy machines and big guns. With this in mind I'm pleased to share some photos of a new Titan and some new big guns as I slowly  expand my collection of models for the re-booted version of GW's "Adeptus Titanicus". The photos shown here depict a major boost for loyalist forces of Legio Giphonicus with the addition of a new Warlord Titan as well as a wide assortment of new weapons for the loyalist Princeps to choose from.

The newer multi-part plastic Warlord Titans from GW are really amazing.  They are not simple to assemble or to paint, but it's worth it in the end! Here is the latest addition to the collection, and it is showing off the new combos that are available as well.

"Standard" Armament - Apocalypse Launchers and Volcano Cannons

New addition to the War Griffons collection.

Here is the new beast sporting the "basic" weapon load - twin Apocalypse Launchers on the carapace, and Volcano Cannons on the arms. This is the weapon selection that came with the Warlord models in the original release of the game.  In terms of variety, it is uninspiring.  In terms of game effect, well, it is a potent combination. The Apocalypse Launchers are probably the best weapons in the game when it comes to knocking down the void shields of opposing God-engines. The Volcano Cannons, meanwhile, are almost certain to cause serious damage on enemy Titans once you knock out those shields. 

Another view of the incredible detail on these new Warlord models.

There are drawbacks to this weapon load. As blast weapons, the Volcano Cannons cannot make "called shots", so delivering that final coup-de-grace to a stricken enemy is not so easy.  The Volcano Cannons are also power-hungry - each one draws a lot of power from the reactors on the Titan, and over a couple of turns of firing the Volcano Cannons your reactors can start to run really hot, putting the Titan itself at risk (which never seems like a problem until your reactor melts down...).

To address these drawbacks - and give some variety to the players - there are new weapons available to alter the weapon load!  Let's look at some of those.

Carapace-Mounted Paired Laser Blasters

Close-up of the carapace-mounted paired laser blasters.

These are alternative weapons for the Warlord Titan carapace mount.  They are not quite so effective at knocking down void shields - although they certainly contribute to those efforts - but where the Apocalypse Missile Launcher has little chance of harming an enemy Titan once the void shields are knocked down, the Laser Blasters have higher strength and can melt the enemy armour.  

A view of the swapped-out apocalypse launchers on the ground.

The blasters themselves are part of a secondary weapons frame that was initially released with an alternate Warlord Titan boxed kit. The reaction to this packaging choice from the gaming community was...passionate.  GW relented and ultimate put the frame for sale on its own earlier this year, so those who already had Warlord models would not have to buy another whole Warlord just to get more weapons.  The frame is great, because it has even more weapons for you to select for your Warlord Titans, such as the...

Sunfury Plasma Annihilator

Let's take the whole "Plasma Gun" thing to the biggest possible level....

Not a "plasma lighter", "plasma cannon" or a "plasma helper"...it's a "Plasma Annihilator"! Gotta love Adeptus Titanicus! This essentially is Titan-sized version of the weapon carried by your trusty Space Marines in games of 30k and 40k.  It doesn't hit quite so hard as the Volcano Cannon, but it brings the pain, and you can go for extra power by pushing the reactor if you wish.  The same frame that provided the Paired Laser Blasters gives you two of these weapons.  It also gives you an...

Arioch Power Claw

No matter how big you are, sometimes you need to punch the enemy...

A Warlord Titan is a God of the battlefield!  It can level city blocks in one casual blast from miles away! But...there are just times when you need to take care of things "up close and personal", even if you are 10 stories tall.  For a Space Marine Captain, you have a power fist.  For a Warlord Titan, you have the "Arioch Power Claw"!

For the aggressive Titan Commander that likes to see their work carried out up close, the Arioch Power Claw delivers! You won't even need to worry about your enemy's void shields if you maneuver close enough to bring this thing to bear on your foe.  There is a trade-off to be made...while this weapon can devastate your opponents up close, your God-engine needs to survive the approach in the first place. The Warlord Titans are not exactly nimble, and if you equip your Titan with this weapon, you are sacrificing long-range hitting power for something that will not contribute until you are toe-to-toe with the enemy.

Still, it looks cool...and I can think of a few Fawcett Avenue gamers who would, given the choice, opt to include this weapon on their Warlord Titan.

Mori Quake Cannon

The "Mori Quake Cannon" - blast your enemies AND shake them all around!

Even more Titanicus-Good-Times await with the "Mori Quake Cannon".  This weapon has big hitting power and, because it is not a blast weapon, it can be used to make "called shots", targeting a specific location once the enemy's void shields have been caved in.  It has a more-than-decent chance to cause damage to any location of an enemy Titan.

But wait! There's more! The traits of this weapon don't only damage your enemies - they disrupt them, causing movement penalties for the enemy engines and even altering their facing, messing with their deployment and maneuvering plans.  A nice bonus, and good chance for mischief.

This weapon is from Forge World, and so is cast in resin. Forge World also released the....

Macro Gatling Blaster

THIS should be fun...

Have you ever wondered what a cycling-gatling-type cannon firing 150mm shells would look like? So, apparently, did the Adeptus Mechanicus! Behold the "Macro Gatling Blaster", which brings Princeps the joys of high rates of fire and a decent weapon strength.  As we all know, "gatling" = "awesome".

Why not have two of them?

This also a release from Forge World.  I liked it so much I got two of them - one for each arm - just in case one of the guys wanted to roll a Warlord with two of these things mounted up:). You might see in the photos that the painting finish on one of them is a touch challenged - this stemmed from a spray-priming incident (f*** spray cans!!!).  I just painted it up anyway, and will chalk the whole thing up to "battle damage".

Vulcan Mega-Bolter for Reaver Titan

Vulcan Mega Bolter on the carapace of a Legio Griponicus Reaver Titan.

The Warlord Titans are not the only ones getting new weapon options.  I finished a warp missile rack last week, and now we also have the carapace-mounted "Vulcan Mega-Bolter". Almost sounds like an Ork named it...

Not the fanciest-looking weapon in the arsenal, but a real threat to the void shields of enemy engines.

This weapon will not do too much damage to enemy god-engines, but it is great for stripping void shields, setting enemies up to receive devastating kill shots. It's all about team work...yes, teamwork is still a thing, even in the grim darkness of the far future!

Loyalist Warlord Titans on maneuvers...

Updated "family photo" of the loyalist forces...six Titans and two Banners of knights...not bad...

Now that I have given a large boost to the loyalist side of my Titan collection, I expect I'll turn to the Warmaster's side of the conflict...but reliable intelligence indicates that some fellow Fawcett Avenue gamers have purchases some new Titans themselves, and that some of these may be for a Titan Legio that supported Horus...stay tuned for more on that!

More Warhounds for the Epic 30k Pack

Reinforcements for my Epic 30k forces - two Warhound class "scout" Titans

I have been ripping through some different projects in the vast "pending" pile on my painting tables.  Inspired by the arrival of the new version of "Adeptus Titanicus", as well as some fun Epic 30k gaming a couple weeks ago, I pulled up two Warhound class scout (!) titans for my Epic 30k collection.  These models (private sculpts, not available commercially), had been sitting in their black base coat for months waiting for my painting whims to return to science fiction, to 30k and to Epic.

Loyalist Warhound titan. 

Turbo-lasers on the right arm. 

"Vulcan mega bolter" on the left arm

My Epic 30k Titan collection featured engines from two different Legions - the Legio Mortis for the Warmaster, and the Legio Gryphonicus for the loyalist side.  Each Legio in my force already had a single Warhound painted already (see here for some action shots of the Titans for both forces). Often in the "fluff" of the setting (and in many formations from older version of the Epic game) Warhounds seem to be deployed in pairs, so I split up the newly painted Warhounds accordingly to ensure parity in my growing Epic 30k collection - by adding one new Titan to each side, each of my Legios would be able to put a pair of Warhounds out on to the table.

The new Warhound (left side of the photo) forms up with its brother-engine which had already been painted.

While the idea of a so-called "scout Titan" is pretty silly, I have to say I totally love the notion, and the Warhound is a fine-looking beast of war.  In Epic 30k the Warhounds can cover the battlefield with solid mobility, enjoy the protection of heavy armour and some shielding, and their weapons hit with enough power to wreck enemy detachments.

The loyalist Warhound here is sporting a set of turbo-lasers (great for wrecking armoured stuff) and a "Vulcan Mega Bolter", which will reduce even heavily armoured infantry detachments to mist (unless, of course, Byron is rolling saving throws for them - but I digress).

Rebel Warhound class Titan. 

Turbo lasers on the right arm.

Very nasty Plasma Blastgun on the left side. 

The rebel Warhound is also equipped with turbo-lasers, but its other weapon is a plasma blast gun, a nasty, nasty piece of kit that can harm just about anything, even other Titans.

The newly expanded Legio Mortis Warhound pack pose for a photo together.

Of course these "lighter" Titans are more vulnerable once the big guys like Reavers or Warlords show up, or if the enemy can bring some of the big super-heavy tanks into action (such as the Space Marine Legion "Falchion" tank).  The Warhounds have some shields and armour, but limited amounts, and are vulnerable to the big "Titan Killer" class of weapons - if the shields are down, they can vanish after a single shot...

With the re-release of "Adeptus Titanicus", I expect GW will be rolling out with new versions of the Warhound models for their game (and they will probably be a lot larger than these, based on what I have seen from the massive size of the new Warlord Titan models).  I haven't seen the new Warhounds yet - so far only the Warlord and Reaver class Titan chassis have been put out for sale - but it shouldn't be too long...

Whether it is more Epic 30k, or a game of "Adeptus Titanicus", I hope to get these "little" guys out on the table for a game sometime this fall!

A Hound For Hope - Warhound Titan for Legio Mortis

Warhound class Titan for GW's re-booted "Adeptus Titanicus" - in service with Legio Mortis. 

More Adeptus Titanicus stuff from the painting table to share.  This is a Warhound Class Titan, painted in the colours and markings of Legio Mortis, a Titan Legion affiliated with the noble Warmaster and his plans to, um, "rebuild the Imperium" from "the ground up".

As the smallest and lightest of the Mechanicum God-Engines, the Warhound is often referred to as a "scout Titan".  Which is hilarious. I mean, the Warhound is still many stories tall, and its weapons can still eliminate entire platoons or vehicle columns in one pass. How is anything that size "scouting" anything else? But in the glorious Imperium of the grimly dark future, it's all relative - the Warhounds are the smallest Titans, and as such, they have a sort of lighter, recon-type role to play.

WIP photo showing the engine coming together during the painting stages...just waiting for the head and the weapons. 

All this "scouting" means speed (I mean, in relative terms). The Warhounds are the quickest and most maneuverable God-Engines in the Adeptus Titanicus game.  The heavier chassis of the Reavers and Warlords will outclass them individually. The Warhounds' void shields will not last as long, and their plasma reactors cannot take as much abuse.

Some very nice, Warmaster-oriented iconography on the hull. 

But the "scout" moniker is misleading, and not just because it is still a very big thing. There are rules which allow the Warhounds to operate in a pack-like fashion.  These rules make them very dangerous to larger and heavier opponents on the table.  This is very, very cool. By operating in groups, using their speed and maneuverability to get into positions which are very difficult for larger, more ponderous opponents to handle, clever Warhound Princeps will score some engine kills for sure. Commanding a group of these on the table is a lot of fun.

A view of the engine, legs etc - outstanding detail on these kits, just lovely. 

This particular Warhound is equipped with a "Vulcan Mega-Bolter" (oh, the hilarious weapon names), very useful for knocking down void shields, although not so useful when it comes to actually harming the enemy engines.  Fortunately, it is also carrying a "Plasma Blast Gun", which can cause some serious damage if it lands a shot past the enemy void shields.

Plasma blast gun, useful for delivering hard-hitting energy blasts to vulnerable targets. 

These multi-part plastic model kits are very nice - each box comes with two Warhounds, and plenty of weapon options, options for different looks to the head, carapace and shoulder plates.  Really fantastic stuff and, as always, causes continued bafflement as to why the twits at GW could not manage to provide more weapon options for their Warlord kits.  But I digress...

The Vulcan Mega-Bolter - not so dangerous to armour, but useful for knocking down/out void shields on enemy engines. 

My new Legio Mortis collection to date, waiting on the shelf of a display case in the basement...getting pretty ominous!

And so we have another God Engine ready to help clear the path for the glorious Warmaster, Horus Lupercal.  My Legio Mortis contingent is almost complete.  But I think, in the interests of game balance, that I should add a bit more oomph to my Loyalist collection as a next step.  I mean, the glorious followers of Horus will need some target practice, after all. So I hope to be sharing some more Loyalist engines with you as the month wears on.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

Painting Challenge Submission 15 - Loyalist Titans for "Adeptus Titanicus"

Imperial Titans, ready to move out in support of some doomed cause in the name of the so-called "Emperor"...

My next submission to Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge was a marked change in terms of painting focus.  I left horses and muskets behind and ripped 30,000 years into the grim darkness of the far future with two titans from GW's rebooted game "Adeptus Titanicus." 

"Let's go for a walk!"

These are both plastic kits from the new line of models GW has released to support the re-booted version of the game.

Reaver class titan.

"Adeptus Titanicus" was re-launched by GW last fall - if you want to know more about that, and see how GW handled the whole thing like the pack of s***-eating gnarled c***s that they are, see here.  I painted a few of the new Titans right after the game came out, but haven't really touched any of the kits since last year. That needed to change, as I was helping to run an "Adeptus Titanicus" demonstration game at an event here in Winnipeg this past weekend. I wanted to add some reinforcements - and also try some of the newer weapons which have been released for the Reaver class Titans.

There are two classes of Titan represented here, both in the colours of Legio Gryphonicus, the "War Griffons", a Titan Legio who fought on the side of the loyalists in the Horus Heresy.

Rear detail on the Reaver model...really nice model.

The Reaver model has, as I said, some of the newer weapon sprues GW released in February of this year.  It is sporting a "volcano cannon" on one arm, a "laser blaster" on the other, and another "laser blaster" up on the carapace mounting - overall, this engine is configured to deliver knock-out kills on enemy engines which have already lost, or nearly lost, their void shields.  Other Titans in the maniple will have to focus on knocking out the void shields of the enemy machines so this one can make some engine-kills.

Detail on the carapace plate.

The "volcano cannon" in particular is very powerful, but tricky to manage, as it puts pressure on the Titan's plasma reactor.  The Reaver has less reactor capacity, so the Princeps commanding this Reaver will need to manage that carefully in a game. 

I also used an alternate head that came with the kit...I liked how this version had so many optical lenses in the "eyes".  With a weapon load-out primed for making "kill shots", it seemed to me this crew would want all the targeting assistance it can get...

The Warhound up close.

View of the engine detail.

View from the turbo-laser side...

The smaller Titan is a "Warhound" class "scout" (ROFL) titan. I mean, this thing is still much larger than even the largest Space Marine super-heavy tank, but it's all relative, right? As the smallest Titan, the Warhound does move ahead of its larger companions, and is much more manoeuvrable, with lighter weapons, and so in this sense it is a "scout".  This particular Warhound is equipped with a "vulcan mega-bolter" and a "turbo-laser" - these weapons on their own don't do much damage to other titans, but the "mega-bolter" is very useful for knocking out void shields.  So if this Warhound can take out some shields, his bigger cousin can deliver a kill shot...

Scale creep anyone? You can see how the old Reaver and Warhound castings stack up to the new model kits - a Space Marine Fellblade super heavy tank is also in the photo to give you an idea of the size of the things.

The newer plastic kits from GW are very nice, and as you can see in the photo, they have re-scaled them to a fairly radical extent compared to the old models once used for this game. Because of this, and the eye-watering prices for the models, "Adeptus Titanicus" will certainly remain a niche game - but the rules are excellent, the game itself is a lot of fun.  If you enjoy the 30k/Horus Heresy setting, you will certainly enjoy the game! Given the way GW manages these sorts of products, I suggest you act now to get the rules and models if you are interested...

"Family photo" - the War Griffon maniple, and allied Knights, together on the display shelf.

I'm excited to have these two engines finished, as I now have a complete "Axiom Battle Line" maniple for the Imperial side of my collection - one Warlord, two Reavers and two Warhounds. There is also a small banner of Knights available to provide some additional support.  Five God-Engines and a Knight banner is plenty to occupy the attention of several players - I would not imagine many "Adeptus Titanicus" games where more than this deploys for one side.

Of course, no project for me is ever truly "finished" - I can always "round out" every collection with a few more items! In this case the Knight banner could use some reinforcements, just to help them live a little longer on the table (a full banner of six Knights can be quite the pest!), and longer term I would like to get one more big-ass Warlord sporting some different weapon load-outs involved, but all of that will wait for a bit, as the rebel side of my Titan collection will need some further attention first...