Steel Legion Stormblade

 Over the painting challenge I finished that last units for my Steel Legion Imperial Guard. The crown jewel of the challenge was supposed to be the Stormblade. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete it in time, but better late than never. This model isn't actually the Forgewrold one. I found a file on Thingverse for a plasma blastgun and mount to go with the GW stormshadow kit. It took some work to make it fit, but it came out better than I expected it would. The model also includes a few engine pieces and generators from Blood & Skulls Industry. The plasma blastgun probably draws a lot of power so I upgraded the engine to look like some sort of sketchy nuclear engine with associated dynamos. Blood &Skulls bitz fit pretty, but do need some clean up and green stuff work.

I went with yellow lights as it suggests the reactor is heating up, but we're not sure by how much. It'll probably be fin.

Below are the other Steel Legion models I did manage to complete for the painting challenge.

Heavy weapon team from Victoria Miniatures

GW Steel Legion lascannons and heavy bolter

Steel Legion Commissar

Death Korps kill team veteran squad

Thanks for visiting!

The Emperor vs. Horus - Homage to Mike McVey

                                         

If you're over 40 and played Warhammer 40K I bet you recognize these models. Back in the days of second edition, one Mike McVey headed up the painting crew at GW and what a talent he was. One of the amazing projects he undertook for the Studio was a diorama based on an Adrian Smith illustration, "The Emperor vs. Horus" from back in 1990. I've put a pic of the illustration at the end of this post.

So ever since then I've wanted to have these models to paint for myself. This desire was only reinforced when I saw the original diorama at Warhammer World in 2019. Unfortunately the models in the diorama were one-offs converted and sculpted by McVey - he said in an article in White Dwarf #183 that the Emperor model had parts from eight other models and some sculpted detail too. Horus was similar.  I even tried my hand at a Horus conversion myself, so desperate was I.

Fast forward to this year. I'd seen some 3D prints of models sculpted by a man called BigMrTong, a fellow who's also an enthusiast of the Golden Age of GW. In fact I bought a set of amazing Rogue-Trader-style skeletons in spacesuits (wielding RTB01 bolters no less), and needed to know more. So I joined his Facebook group...

...and nearly lost it when I saw this model, painted by one of the group's members. I hoped it was a 3D print but was quite deflated to learn that it was a metal sculpt produced (along with Horus) in a limited run by BigMrTong. He picks up the story of their origin: "a guy was finding all the parts used in the original conversions and I found the final few bits and then tracked down all the original parts, then resculpted the custom parts, finally casting up a few sets with that base for display." 

Sadly (and unsurprisingly) they quickly sold out, but after I reached out to him, BigMrTong came to the rescue by offering to sell me a set he'd held onto himself. I couldn't get out my wallet fast enough, and after a week or so the parcel arrived with the Emprah, Horus, the 3D-printed diorama base, and a smaller bit of stair for the Emperor to stand on. 

What can I say about these models? They're fantastic and were super-fun to paint. I'd always wanted a set of these models and BMT made it happen.

                                       

Freehand here on the shoulder pad and power fist [pats self on back]

Here's Horus, looking mean and moody. A word about the painting. Having only a fraction of Mr. McVey's skill, I painted the armour in straightforward red and white. However, if you've seen the original models, you know that McVey painted the armour in a very detailed freehand filigree style, it just looks stupendous but like I said, well beyond my skill level.

I cheated a bit on the freehand here, the base was a decal from "Chaos Decal Sheet 1" from the 1990s. I painted the white around it and the colours on the eye.

As you can see here I've actually magnetized these too. I ended up sinking one small neodymium disc magnet into the bottom of one foot on each model, then putting a somewhat larger disc magnet in the appropriate positions on the diorama base and 32mm round bases.

That way Horus and the Emprah can actually take part in a tabletop game if we want - however unlikely that is.  

Supposedly the original head here was a part from the old Leman Russ model, with the hair carved off. Looks scary.

Here's a pic from the White Dwarf of the original diorama, just in case anybody needs a reminder of how good it was. 

And here's the picture it was based on. So good.

I know that the world of GW has moved on some in the last 30 years, but I miss metal models and the original lore, before everything got so serious. Let us not forget that the "Horus Heresy" was only invented because Space Marines were the only models made for the Space Marine (epic scale) game and there had to be some reason that Space Marines were fighting each other. But that was before there were 200 books published telling the story of the Heresy. Whatever.

Anyway I had such fun painting these models. Gotta say a big thank-you to BigMrTong for the sculpts and for selling me these models from his personal collection. If you like RT-era GW please check out his stuff (Facebook or Google works) and support his work. You'll probably see more of it on this blog!

Dallas

30k Imperial Fist Assault Marines

Conformists with jet packs, chains swords and pistols...what could go wrong?

There are always a few efforts that were meant to be included in an edition of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, but did not or could not make it for whatever reason. Here we have some photos of just such a project - a squad of assault marines for GW's Horus Heresy setting, painted in the sharp colours of the VII Legion Astartes, the Imperial Fists. These are multi-part plastic figures from GW. 

He's just looking for someone to punch...

While GW is certainly still capable of creating frustration among fans, there is no question that, on the whole, there has just never been a better time to be a fan of the Horus Heresy! These new plastic assault marines, wearing glorious Mark VI "beakie" powered armour were released in 2023 and I was super keen to get my mits on some for my collection. Naturally, the forces of the Warmaster received their reinforcements first...but at least I got there eventually for the Loyalist side. 

Standard issue assault marine...a bit of extra armour across the chest (not that it will save him from the Warmaster's righteous wrath...)

It has been a while since I was last working on Imperial Fists, and I had kind of forgotten exactly how I had landed in terms of taking an approach to painting the yellow. It took a little experimenting to refresh my memory, but I figured it out eventually, and here it is as a reminder for next time - a black base coat, then a thin layer of "Zandri Dust", then thin coats of "Yriel Yellow", edge highlights with "Flash Gitz Yellow", a recess wash with Vallejo Sepia Wash and finally some spot highlights with "Dorn Yellow.

Great poses on these models. 

Fancy jet packs anyone? Love the crazy jump packs on these fellows...

In particular I wash really, really happy with the Vallejo Sepia Wash. This was recommended in the comments section following one of my many posts lamenting the decline of GW's previously-amazing "Agrax Earthshade". The Sepia Wash product is not an exact replacement, but it is much, much, much better than the current edition of "Agrax Earhshade", and it really came in handy painting the recess wash on the armor for these fellows. 

Plasma pistol for fun, because "assault marine" is not a dangerous-enough job already.

In my original post about these figures, I was raving about how awesome they are...and that all still applies. I love these guys. They look amazing. They hit all of the nostalgia zones for the old "Space Marine" game perfectly, and are great fun to assemble and paint. It is just a matter of time until I add more, maybe to reinforce the squads I have done so far (they can be up to 20 models, after all) or even just to have them on the shelf or see how they look in the colours of a different Legion?

Our plasma-wielding friend, joined up with squad, ready for a final stand...

At any rate, these lads are all set to jump into action for the loyalist cause - so polite of them to jump closer to Horus' forces, saving them the trouble of chasing them around in order to cut them to pieces...thanks for reading, stay tuned for more!

Skeletons in Spacesuits!

Well how about this for something different! Skeletons in spacesuits! These are the product of talented digital sculptor "BigMrTong", nom de guerre of Mike Tongue out of the UK. I was poking around on Etsy one day (as you do) and spotted these - wow! What an awesome Rogue Trader vibe they have, as you'll see...

I ordered all of the variants available. This clearly is the former captain of whatever doomed spaceship these guys crewed, and two bodyguards equipped with giant-f***-off spanners.

Note that they are equipped with boltguns straight from the RTB01 Space Marine sprue, I love that!

My painting inspiration for these was the ACES suit - that stands for "Advanced Crew Escape Suit". It's a full-pressure suit worn for ascent and descent of the space shuttle, but it's not intended for extra-vehicular activity (EVA). The point of the ACES is to keep crew safe in the event of sudden decompression of the spacecraft.

So unlike EVA suits, the ACES is "International Orange" in colour - the idea being to aid visibility if the crew have to be recovered from water or light-coloured terrain.

The models have lots of detail, including some cool-looking tanks and hoses. I prepped the models with allover Celestra Grey, then Corax White. After that I painted the suit bits Army Painter Speedpaint "Fire Giant Orange", then painted the tanks The Fang (ugh) highlighted Thunderhawk Blue and Russ Grey. The hoses were washed with Nuln Oil and Drukhari Nightshade. The skellie parts were washed Agrax Earthshade and highlighted Pallid Wych Flesh, and the helmet interiors were washed with some old Chestnut Ink I had around. Boltguns are Leadbelcher washed with Nuln Oil of course.

They pair pretty well with old Space Marines don't they! I can see using these guys in a skirmish game (Kill Team?) using Space Hulk boards, they'd fit that vibe really well. Maybe half a dozen Space Marines against 12 or 15 of these dudes.

I really like these models and if you do too, you should check out BigMrTong's prints on Etsy, or have a look at his Facebook group. As for me, I've gotten some amazing metal models direct from him that you'll see up here soon.
 

Painting Challenge Submission #11 - More Afghan Regulars for Second Anglo-Afghan War

Another unit of 28mm Afghan regulars for the late 19th century - metal castings from Perry Miniatures.

My eleventh and final submission to the 14th edition of Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge is shown here - one more unit of 28mm Afghan Regulars for my Second Anglo-Afghan War project. These are metal castings from Perry Miniatures, sporting different head coverings from the last group. As with the previous such entry, this group is meant to represent a unit of infantry in the Osprey game "The Men Who Would Be Kings".

Opted for Khaki colours on these lads...

Some different head wear to capture the variety to be found among the Afghan forces of the period.

I opted for more of khaki look for this unit - still a bit of colour on the red facings and straps, but on balance not as bright as the previous unit of regulars. This choice was made in part to create some variety, but I also wanted to practice painting khaki tones so I could come up with a paint "recipe" that I like when the time comes to paint some of the British units.

Officer and musician to rally the troops!

So that makes four units for the Afghan side of this project - still not a complete force, but getting close. Not bad for a new project started from scratch!

A couple of the riflemen.

Afghan regulars ready to resist the British!

That's all for me from AHPC XIV, but won't be it for the painting...after the end of every painting Challenge, there are always a few projects that were "almost" finished by didn't get done in time. Watch for those to appear in the days ahead. Thanks for reading!

Painting Challenge Submission #10 - Afghan Regulars for Second Anglo-Afghan War

Afghan Regulars in 28mm for the Second Anglo-Afghan War; 28mm figures from Perry Miniatures.

The 14th edition of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge has concluded. This edition of the Challenge was not a great one for me in terms of painting output. Moving to a new house during the Challenge period completely blew up my plans, and in the end I barely made it past the half-way point of the goals I had set forth at the outset. In particular, my plans to paint a Dogs of War army for Warhammer Fantasy were a complete fail - my brushes never touched them, and the models remain ensconced in a storage container of the basement at my new house. Oh well. I still got some stuff painted, and I'll have the last couple of submissions posted over the next few days. Here is one of them.

My tenth submission to the Challenge saw me going back to a historical subject - more troops for my Second Anglo-Afghan War project. Here we have a unit of Afghan Regulars for the period. These are 28mm metal figures from Perry Miniatures. They will join with the Tribal warriors painted earlier in this edition of the Challenge to represent an infantry unit for the Osprey game "The Men Who Would Be Kings". 

Making ready for a firefight!

Information about the uniforms of Afghan regulars in this setting is kind of spotty, and to the extent it is available, the consistent theme is a certain inconsistency in the reports...so I took some basics and just sort of improvised. I thought the red coats with yellow facings would make for a nice splash of colour, and an ideal combo to engage with the troops of the British Empire.

Officer and musician...had no idea what colours to use for the drum, so I just improvised with some green!

As always, the Perry Miniatures sculpts are top shelf, and it is a joy to paint proper metal figures. Trimming the flash is always a chore, and can be a particular issue with these Perry castings, but in general these are just a treat to work with.

These fellows are ready to skirmish!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for a few more posts from the other Challenge participants, and I hope everyone can keep up the happy painting!

More Astronauts, Cosmonauts, Craters and Squats!

                                         

OK so I've got a little bit of painting done - mostly on the new hotness here which is Black Site Studio's Lunar. Today I've got my last two models (astronaut and cosmonaut) plus some craters, and a vehicle from an unexpected source!

Here are the two spacefarers. They're from the "Heroes and Icons Vol.1" pack from Black Site, but each has been converted... the cosmonaut (left) originally carried two geology hammers, and the astronaut (right) had two pistols... that didn't make much sense to me, so I did a bit of converting to give 'em a pistol and hammer each. I also had to replace the shafts on the geology hammers as they were twisted resin that manfully resisted all attempts at straightening. Worked out well I think.

I used the last small CCCP decal from the sheet on this model, I like the look of the tan suits with white helmets and boots. I used GW Rakarth Flesh as a basecoat, highlighted with Pallid Wych Flesh, washed with Agrax Earthshade. The helmet is Corax White with Vallejo pure white on top.  

The NASA astronaut is painted just the same as his colleagues too - basecoat Celestra Grey, highlighted Corax White and Vallejo pure white. 

The stars-and-stripes flags on the sleeves are done by hand. It's easy - paint a few long parallel stripes in Mephiston Red and then the canton over top in dark blue. Even in this larger scale, I call that done.

Recognize this? It's the Escape Pod from the Star Wars: Legion "Crashed Escape Pod" Battlefield Expansion. I couldn't imagine when I'd be using this in a Star Wars game but the style and scale seemed perfect for Lunar, so that's how it got painted!

The model was basecoated Celestra Grey then Corax White...

...then the Vallejo pure white over top. The Soviet flags are Mephiston Red highlighted Evil Sunz Scarlet.

The decals are from the Lunar decal sheet and really finish off the model well. I reckon this space pod looks a bit cobbled-together and janky so that means Soviet to me. I did some sponge chipping with German Camo Black-Brown, despite some misgivings... if this pod is going straight from the Earth to the Moon, how does it get weathered in a vacuum? I suppose there will be some bits of space dust to chip away at the paint, but I imagine that the Soviets with their sense of economy may get these things back down to Earth and reuse them.

 

Here are all the models I've painted for the game so far. You can see on the Soviets that I've repainted to give white helmets and added the CCCP decals, I think they look much better with that contrast.

I've also painted some craters this week. These are all vacuum-formed plastic items that have been kicking around for years, but they did take a bit of work. The vac-formed plastic is pretty thin and tends to warp at the edges - remember that these were all originally cut from a sheet, there was no 3D printing back then! So I cut some plasticard to shape and superglued the craters down to it before painting them. I reckon that's half a cube, the ruler is 6" long.

Lastly here's a couple of models that have been around awhile - they're Squats in Exo-Armour, metal models from the old days of 40K.

I wanted to get these dudes painted to round out a squad of five - I had already painted three "Termineggs" from Wereweevil for my Squat army and these guys fit that bunch to perfection. They'd been sitting primed on the painting desk for ages so it is good to get them up in the cabinet.

There will be a bit more Lunar terrain coming soon (Conscript Byron has printed some for me from the Black Site Studio STLs) but once that's done it'll be time to have a game!