August Projects

It's been a few weeks since anything's been posted, which is failry typical of August. I haven't been idle however and I wanted to show some of the things I've completed / been working on. First up is the Arachnus Heavy Lascannon Bettery for the Deredeo Dreadnough for 30k. Greg was kind enough to entrust me with his 30k Alpha Legion prior to his move to Toronto. This included a Deredeo Dreadnought with weapon arms fully magnetized! I decided to up gun the dread and picked up the heavy lascannon battery from Forge World. It's a higher strength lascannon for taking on pesky loyalist tanks, which my Imperial Fists have a few of. The magnets lined up failry well and my paint job blends in ok with Greg's I think.

Next up is a Land Raider conversion I built for a yet specified 30k legion. The kit is the standard Land Raider from GW. The tracks, side sponsons and top plate are from Blood & skulls Industry. The kit serves as a replacement for the top hull plate and tracks of the land raider to make it fit with the 30k vehicle asthetic. It's well thought out and mostly fits together smoothly with the plastic kit. The only issue I ran into was that the wrap arount tracks left a space that was too narrow to fill with a single link of the tracks. I had to shave down two track pieces to make them fit. It came out fairly well and you can't really tell the difference. It should be noted that this is not a "cheaper" option unless you already have a land raider sitting around. It is cool though and worth getting if you feel comfortable sorting out the track issue. Don't expect this to be painted in the near future, I just wanted to show off the build!

In non-GW gaming, I picked up Stargrave when it came out and it's got me raiding my bitz box and pile of shame for appropriate figures for crew and creatures. I located a suitable figure to represent a bounty hunter who periodically appears during a game and hunts one of your crew. The model is from Copplestone Castings.

Finally, I completed a bunch more Battle Fleet Gothic stuff. I have two more cruisers and a squadron of frigates from Vanguard Miniatures for my Imperial Fleet. These are resin and require very little cleanup. I really like his stuff and I hope he branches off into chaos stuff at some point. I also received a bunch of ships from fellow conscript, John C. He had a bunch of models from the predecessor of BFG, Spacefleet. They're solid peweter and placing them on a plastic flight stand was a bit tricky. I have no idea how long these models languished on John's shelf, but BFG was new when I was in High School and Spacefleet was before that, so long enough I guess. I painted them up so quickly that I forgot two of them on my shelf! I refuse to let them linger for another 20+ years and promise to paint them ASAP. These ships will be used as transports and troop carriers for BFG games.

Well that's it for summer 2021! They don't last long in Canada and I can already feel the chill in the air. Hope everyone stays healthy and hopefully we can game this fall/winter.

Volkite Weapons for Adeptus Titanicus

Assortment of new "Volkite" weapons for Adeptus Titanicus.

More new guns for the God Engines of Adeptus Titanicus! Here we have the range of new "Volkite" weapons for the Titans. Fans of 30k will be familiar with the "Volkite" weapon class - it is essentially a Martian heat ray/death ray kind of thing. They are great fun to use in 30k games, and the sculptors who designed them made them look pretty cool (in my view, at least - YMMV). Tactical support squads equipped with "Volkite Calivers" are a must for any 30k force for me - for the "looks cool factor" if no other reason.

Like the las guns, bolt guns, and other scary weapons of the grim and dark future, the rules writers and designers for the Horus Heresy setting ultimately came up with a Volkite-type weapon of every size, from a pistol all the way to a "volkite demi-culverin" for tanks and the "volkite carronade" for super-heavy tanks (such as the lovely Glaive painted by MikeF for his Alpha Legion collection).

So would the Titans miss out on this fun? Heck no! Earlier this summer GW released Volkite weapons for the Titans, and being a nerd, I picked some up - here they are. These are all multi-part resin kits from Forge World.

"Volkite Eradicator" on the carapace mount of a loyalist Reaver Titan from Legio Gryphonicus.

Volkite Weapons in Adeptus Titanicus

Reaver Titan of Legio Mortis modelling a new "Volkite Eradicator".

As you smash your foes in Adeptus Titanicus, you are trying to find the right mix of weapons that will knock out the enemy's formidable void shields - often, though not always, accomplished through volume of fire - and also have the power to deliver a killer blow - often, though not always, accomplished through a high strength rating.

Loyalist Warlord from Legio Gryphonicus sporting a new "Volkite Destructor".

Closer look at the new Volkite weapon for the Warlord Titans.

The volkite weapons would purport to give you a bit of both - the rate of fire is not high, but they have special rules that nonetheless make them rather taxing for the void shields of your enemies. The weapons come in two flavours - "Volkite Eradicators" for the arms of your Warhound Titans, or the carapace mount of your Reaver Titan - and "Volkite Destructors" for the arms of your Warlord Titans. 

The Death Heads won't miss out...Legio Mortis trying out its new toy...

As you might expect, the "Destructor" hits a little harder than the smaller "Eradicators" on the Warhounds and Reavers. I obviously have not had a chance to use these in a game yet, but my initial assessment is that, while these things look cool, they would suffer from opportunity cost - they could be useful, but you only have so many weapon mounts to go around, and the other weapons are probably more useful.

All sorts of arcane-looking power bits on this weapon design. Good times await!

In terms of their headline use, knocking over void shields, I can see how they might be a better option the vulcan mega bolters...but using up an arm mount on a Warlord Titan for this purpose is, to me, possibly a waste. The "Destructor" does benefit from a "Beam" special rule, but I don't think that compensates for the loss of one of the other, much more destructive weapon options you might employ on the arms of your Warlord.

The Reaver is probably the worst option for this weapon...with just a single mount, and therefor single shot available, you are unlikely to have the truly devastating impact you hoping for when it comes to knocking over the void shields of your enemy - the missile launcher will do a better job, from a longer range - but again, it looks neat, and does have a higher strength, offering some flexibility of use.

Ready for Volkite mayhem! Warhounds sporting their new "Volkite Eradicators"

If you are going to use these weapons, the Warhound is probably the chassis to use them on - and they would be best used in pairs. To me, they would functionally replace the twin vulcan bolters, and generally fulfill the same battlefield role you would have had for a Warhound with twin bolters - knocking the void shields from enemy engines in one pass of firing, leaving them vulnerable to killer hits from other, larger titans on your side. And while the strength isn't all that high, it is still usefully higher than that of the bolters, so you can spray destruction at wounded Titans, or enemy Knights.

So here we are, even more weapons for Adeptus Titancus. During the early stages of the release of this game, the lack of weapon options was a great frustration. A couple of years later, there is now quite a wide variety to choose from - although a number of them have disappeared from Forge World's web store, so...I hope you got them while you had the chance...

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Star Wars Legion Hoth Rebel Characters

You'll recall I said I wouldn't be picking up any Star Wars Legion stuff... yeah right. I'd ordered these three 3D-printed models off an ebay seller some time ago and they finally arrived last week (did I mention how much I hate the Global Shipping Program?). Anyway, they were quickly off to the paint shop.

First up, Luke Skywalker in his "patrol" outfit with lightsaber lit. I like the dynamic pose here and the Hoth outfit is super easy to paint in a combination of Rakarth Flesh, Zandri Desert, and Corax White. I tried to shade up the lightsaber a bit in Conscript Dave style.

Leather belts and holster are Mournfang Brown.

The model was an excellent print in resin with no lines and no flash. The saber was a little bent but straightened out OK in hot water.

Next up is Princess Leia. Another very straightforward paintjob in Corax White and Rakarth Flesh.

I did the normal groundwork and stippled on Rakarth Flesh paint as a base layer, followed by Corax White and snow flock applied with white glue.

The controversial Han Solo! Yes, I know that Han's parka was actually dark brown (it just presented as blue on film) but I LIKE the blue and it provides a nice contrast from the others' outfits.

Here are the models I've painted so far. The only drawback of the third-party prints is you don't get any cards or stats with 'em. Not that this matters so much, as I've never actually played the game (Dave is coming over to run it tonight) but I imagine that the cards can be printed out somewhere. I also have a notion that maybe these models might get used in a Bolt Action-type modded game, we'll see.

Meanwhile, maybe some Imperials next!

The Adeptus Titanicus Gun Shop - The Loyalists Go Shopping

Loyalist Warlord titan posing with new carapace weapon options.

Time for some fun at the Titan gun store on Mars! Titan commanders need retail therapy too, right? Who wouldn't want to go shopping?

Back in April, I added more weapon options to my Adeptus Titanicus collection (new weapons and models in my 30k work generally always seem to arrive first with the Warmaster's side, for some reason). Inspired by the release of the fifth book in the "Seige of Terra" series - "Mortis" (a fairly dreadful book) - I thought I would balance things out in my collection once more, and paint up new weapons for the loyalists in my collection, the Titans of Legio Gyphonicus. 

These are all new weapon options for the carapace mounts of the Warlord-class battle titans. All of the weapons profiled below are resin bits from Forge World - with one exception, as you will see.

Paired Vulcan Mega Bolters

Not the scariest looking guns, but these will certainly strip the void shields from enemy engines - they shoot a LOT...

Visually, I find these weapons to be the least appealing. In terms of game impact, these things will definitely rip up your opponents' void shields, but otherwise they are light and don't cause much damage to other engines. Considering the other - IMO much superior - weapon options that a Warlord Princeps would have access to for the carapace mounts, I don't see a whole lot of value in this weapon system - but the option is now there if players want to try it. Certainly these things puke out a hail of shots!

Not an ideal weapon choice IMO, but I'm sure some clever tactics can come together to make use of these!

"Rotary Cannon Weapons" from Battle Bling

Cool weapon option from "Battle Bling" - a third party purveyor of custom components.

Have you heard of Battle Bling? If you love Adeptus Titanicus, you should check them out! Here is a link to their eBay shop - they make all sorts of optional, customized and character components that work with the new models. Many of the components they sell will trigger fond nostalgia for players of the original Adeptus Titanicus game. I hope to have more of their stuff to show later in the year, but it is very, very cool, and this is a good example.

Nice, clean castings that assemble easily - and fit magnets!

These could represent either Vulcan Mega Bolters, or the Paired Gatling Blasters...anything shooting shells at a high rate of fire from a Titan! It is a nice alternate look, another choice for folks seeking a bit of a different look for their Titans. Be sure to check out Battle Bling!

Paired Turbo Laser Destructors

Let's melt some stuff! Powerful energy weapons for the Warlord Titan!

Similar in name, and in performance, to the plastic "paired laser blasters", the Paired Turbo Laser Destructors hit the enemy a little harder, but with a lower rate of fire. A very effective weapon - and I have to hand it to the Forge World sculptors - these look pretty cool too. 

Ready for action against Horus!

Paired Gatling Blasters

Oh yeah! Gatling guns, Titanic scale...only the good "people" of Mars can bring this together!

Now we're talking! This choice provides a nice level of firepower AND a nice rate of fire - beat down the enemy's void shields with the volume of fire, and then you can still damage the enemy once those shields are down. Good times await with the Paired Gatling Blasters.

I recommend painting these in sub-assemblies - the multi-barrel set up makes painting a little tricky.

 

So, once more my Adeptus Titanicus collection is mostly balanced between rebels and loyalists - with both sides able to access a pretty wide selection of weapons to suit their Titanic firepower preferences. There are more Titanicus weapons coming, but that is all for now - thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more!

30k Legion Champion & Master of Signal - More Flunkies for the Sons Of Horus

Legion Champion (left) and Master of Signal (right) - figures from Forge World.

Some more flunkies for the entourage of the Warmaster - here are a "Legion Champion" and a "Master of Signal". These are 28mm resin figures from Forge World, for Games Worskhop's Horus Heresy setting. They are painted in the colours of the XVI Legion Astartes, the Sons of Horus. Even though they are different sorts of character, these two figures were sold together in the same package by Forge World, so I present them here together.

These figures still seems relatively new to me, but that speaks more to my fraying perception of the passage of time than any actual facts. For me, to count as "old" the GW figure in question at least has to be metal...anyway...the fact is this is a pretty old figure which has been sitting around in 30k horde for many years. These figures were early sculpts from Forge World's Age of Darkness range, meant as enhancements for your Space Marine Legion command groups. They were Legion agnostic - you could add any bespoke Legion symbol you liked to their shoulders. 

Lets have a look at them!

Legion Champion

No matter how many cool guns the Mechanicum provide for you, a master swordsman is apparently still required...

As I touched on in my post featuring Maloghurst "The Twisted", the Space Marine Legions of 30k can choose from a wide assortment of character-ish officers and command figures. The "Legion Champion" would be some sort of known/recognized Marine from a given company, his skill at arms putting him at the forefront of its ranks.

Carry a skull or two on his shoulder plate, as one does...

While Space Marine Legions teemed with guns and tanks of every sort you can imagine, being a "champion" still implies skill at "close combat", and this fellow gives that sense, brandishing a scary sword. This would surely be a power sword, probably "master-crafted", allowing this figure to deal out death and destruction in the close combat phase of the 6th (then 7th) edition of the 30k rules.

The armour mixed elements of Mark IV and Mark III design...so I went with a Mark III shoulder pauldron, embossed with the symbol of the Sons of Horus.

Of course, he has a skull hanging from his armour - perhaps a souvenir of a particularly tough duel, or maybe it's just the skull of his predecessor - who knows? His armour shows other customization as well - combining elements seen on Mark III and Mark IV power armour - along with a customized helmet sporting a comb, and the fancy eagle-shaped components on the power pack. He's meant to stand out a touch from the crowd.

Fancy eagle-headed backpack on the power armour.

Taken as a "consul" from the army list, this figure would give your command squad some extra fighting power. And of course, the figure could be used in all sorts of ways - he could be a veteran sergeant, an independent character or even Centurion or Praetor if you want.

I'm disappointed with how the sword turned out, but cool figure overall.

I like the figure - although the sword was a pain...being resin, it was warped (of course) and I'm not 100% convinced that I straightened it properly, even after an hour of messing around with boiling water. The paint job on the sword is not great either...I need to study some tutorials online to improve my results when painting long, scary blades like this one. But good enough is good enough...he will join the Warmaster's sprawling command cadre on my shelf.

Master of Signal

5G in the year 30,000...the Legion Master of Signal.

I could take or leave the Champion - I mean, he is neat, but there are already a lot of figures representing scary-looking Marines with swords, and that sort of thing is easy to make on your own. The Master of Signal, on the other hand, actually looks like something the Space Marines would need - a trooper wearing and carrying serious comms equipment that keeps his force in touch with fellow Marines elsewhere in the battlezone, and even in orbit. So, there is a practical reason - at least in your imagination - for having this Marine in your detachment.

The comms pack is a souped-up version of that seen on the Mark IV vox marine.

Of course, there is also the homage aspect. Fans of the metal Space Marines from the Rogue Trader era will surely spot the similarity between this figure and "Communication Officer Orinco" from earlier times. I love this - the sculptors at the Forge World studio made great use of all manner of Rogue Trader-era inspiration for the miniatures in the 30k range, and this is another great example.

"Horus Lupercal 'liked' your request for orbital bombardment..."

I love the big domed helmet, the computer screen on his arm...it's a great figure, your sense of his battlefield role comes immediately, no need to guess. This fellow is on the vox, chatting with his buddies up on the Vengeful Spirit. Maybe he is pinpointing the teleport target for reinforcements? Or calling in an orbital strike? Or just laughing about how useless the Ultramarines are? Who knows?

A great 30k homage to a classic Rogue Trader-era figure.

The Master of Signal has various uses under the rules in the game - and in particular for the Sons of Horus, you need a Master of Signal in order to access a certain "Rite of War". But more than anything, this is a cool figure to have, with lots of possible scenario-driven uses in different 30k encounters.

The Flunkies Congregate

Horus Lupercal and his assorted command flunkies maintain a steady vigil over the rest of my collection.

Here we can see how the command coterie of Horus Lupercal has grown over the years. The painting style has changed too...wow. Always neat to look back. Horus for hope!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading! I hope you are managing to enjoy summer, wherever you are.