Chapterhouse "Heresy-Era" Land Raider Conversion Kit

Reinforcements for the IX Legion were coming thick and fast in the days leading up to THE BIG ONE. For me it seems to be easier to get vehicles on the table than infantry (although the Blood Drinkers need more of that too) so I got cracking on the Land Raider kit I'd obtained from Chapterhouse.

They call this kit the "Heresy-era Iconoclast" and it comprises two resin sponsons and a central bulkhead that's used to convert the standard plastic Land Raider. (You can see the CH resin in the photo of the unpainted vehicle below).
 

And here it is, before painting. I was a bit concerned that the Chapterhouse kit might need a lot of work to fit, but I needn't have worried. There was a slight warp in one sponson but this was easily corrected with judicious application of heat and some bending. The central piece was a bit wonky as well but I didn't notice this until final assembly. (You can see in the "unpainted" pic that the overhanging plate is angled downwards a bit and doesn't look quite right). I addressed that issue by shimming the top plate slightly to bring it level with the top of the vehicle, as seen in the pic above. No worries.

I've built three Land Raider kits so far I think, and this is the first one where I've gotten the ramp to work properly. The problem I've always had is that the connecting rod inside the hull slips off its cams. I fixed that on this build by shimming out the rod so that inward pressure on it from the hull keeps it engaged with the cams.
 

Om nom nom

The lascannons were straightforward as they just slot into the sponson cylinder. I sawed off the ends of the lascannon assembly to get an aesthetic fit.

Nothing to look at back here - just the standard GW Land Raider.

Side elevation show the Chapterhouse conversion to good effect. They supply doors for the sponson that fit well with just a bit of trimming.

I did a standard Blood Angels paint scheme with Khorne Red building up to Evil Sunz Orange, with Nuln Oil wash, sponge chipping and moderate use of powders.

Some "battle damage" evident already as I didn't have an extra targeter to use on the right-hand sponson - I'd forgotten that I'd already pinched it to use on the Spartan :-(  In any case, one will be procured from eBay and fitted. I drilled through the top of the sponson and fitted a bit of plastic rod so the targetter will rotate along with the lascannon array. Has to be good for +1 to hit, right??

Anyway... fun kit to build, I think it looks pretty good in evoking the whole "MKIIB - Heresy" vibe. The kit from Forge World is 69GBP plus shipping - that's about 150 Canadian pesos. The Chapterhouse kit is 25USD, and I think the base Raider cost me about 60USD shipped, so that's 85USD or what, 120 Canadian or so? Not a huge difference and like I said about the Chapterhouse Rhinos, it really makes sense if you have access to cheap GW plastic. Looks cool though eh?

IX Legion "Blood Drinkers" Apothecary

As prep for the 30K mega-game I thought it would be a good idea to paint an apothecary. I'd bought the Forgeworld backpack bit from a UK eBay seller awhile back and just needed to stick it on a figure and get it painted.

Of course I chose a metal RT Medic figure to use; it fits in well with the rest of the Blood Drinkers force and the backpack looks good on him.

Inspiration for the colour scheme came from the old "40K Compendium" that amazingly featured a Blood Drinkers medic!

A nice addition to the IX Legion even if he did get obliterated along with the rest of the Command squad in the first game...

THE BIG ONE - Part One - Horus Heresy 30k Mega Game

"Dupes of the False Emperor in sight! Attack!"

It's been over a year since I started on a project initially referred to as "Legion Lunacy".  My aspirations at that time were to get enough stuff painted for a small but fun game of 30k, set on Istvaan III where the Horus Heresy erupted. "Small but fun" didn't last, especially once Dallas and Byron joined in the fun. Collection escalation kicked in - way in - and soon we had very large forces taking shape.  Dallas had visions of a huge game, set for an opportune long weekend at some point, where these forces would finally clash in a bonkers all-out game of Warhammer 30k.

The adherents of hope and change muster; this photo doesn't event include the Death Guard...

Well, I'm pleased to share that, after quite a lot of hinting here and there at different times on the blog, the game took place over the recent Thanksgiving weekend (that holiday taking place in October here in Canada).  Dallas fused a celebration of Thanksgiving and his birthday to host this long-awaited mega-smack-down! This game was so big, it needs a couple of posts, so here is part 1.

The loyalist dupes huddle in the ruins to make their stand...

The battle would be follow-on from our previous scenario, the Defence of Orask. The forces of Horus, having driven the Loyalists away from the traitor landing sites, mustered their forces for a final assault on the Orask defences.  Everything, from the Reaver Titan "Ferrum Mori", the Knight Titan "El Booze", down through to the recent last-minute additions was added in for the assault. The assault force included the Sons of Horus, the World Eaters and the Death Guard, and totaled more than 7000 points (it was hard to count it all).

The followers of Horus arrayed for battle...

For their final defence the dupes of the false emperor mustered elements of Blood Drinkers and Solar Auxilia, backed by a Reaver Titan from Legio Metallica, the "Blue Bomber" and a Stormblade super heavy tank.  I'm not sure of the total points for the defence, but it was around 5000 or so, if not more (Dallas will know better).

Armoured column set to make an assault up the road...

The battle would take place across an 8' x 4' table.  The traitor forces had 8 turns to utterly crush the loyalists.  We put some restrictions in for the Reaver Titans in the game - namely that the void shields could not regenerate (uh, even Titan Legios need to conserve energy, right?) and that the Titans would have to a) use one weapon mount for a close assault weapon and b) always use their scary "D weapon" to target the opposing Titan until that opposing Titan was knocked out.  The intent here was to make the titans a little less un-killable and also prevent them from totally dominating the tabletop.  They could still dish out the abuse form their "apocalypse launchers" on any target they wished, but the laser destroyers had to fire on the other Titan.

Solar Auxilia hunker down and return fire...likely a little concerned about the proximity to the main weapon on the Stormblade...

The game obviously took a long time with so many forces involved.  The table was crowded, and GW's 40k rules engine was strained to the max to accommodate forces of this size, particularly the massive titans.  There was no tactical flexibility here...in many ways it really resembled the crowded proto-horse-and-musket encounters described in GW books like "Horus Rising"...

The Blood Drinkers hunker down...

So while it was not a very free-flowing game, it was tremendously fun! Huge apocalypse templates, mega cannons, d-weapons, massive reserves...this game had it all!!! Entire squads disappeared from apocalyptic bombardments. Hull points and structure points melted away from terrifying 30k weapons.

Volkite-armed World Eater marines provide covering fire

Centurion and Legion Champion of the World Eaters lead the ground assault

 Horus' forces charged out of their crowded deployment area and hammered away at the loyalists, while infantry elements charged through brutal return fire.  The loyalists sheltered in the hard cover while receiving punishing bombardments.

The Death Guard move grimly forward

They are confronted by Blood Drinker assault troops! It would not end well for the Blood Drinkers, once that Dreadnought visible in the background gets involved...

I will leave further details on the play-by-play to subsequent posts from Dallas.  For now, I'll just say, it was AWESOME!

The ground assault surging forward; the Sons of Horus are happy to let the World Eaters absorb some of the preliminary abuse...

Blood Drinker Spartan rolls forward to disgorge troops - but the World Eaters would prove surprisingly tough...

Thanks to all the guys who came out to play.  A big thank you to Dallas, for hosting the game and inspiring it in the first place.  It was Dallas that prompted the acquisition of the Reaver Titans, and he pulled together a very significant assortment of Blood Drinker Legion Marines as well as some amazing terrain pieces, from his new mat to some of Byron's awesome new buildings from SG2 Creations.  And also a big thanks to Byron for assembling an amazing Death Guard collection, designing the incredible new ruined buildings, and spurring serious collection escalation.  We have been building toward this game for a long time, and it was really great to see it all come together.

Blood Drinkers Contemptor Dreadnought, Tac Support Squad, Assault Squad

A bit of progress to report on the Heresy escalation... as we posted last week, the campaign has begun. That means the pressure's on to get more stuff out of the painting queue and onto the tabletop for the next big game.

This weekend I was able to finish the Contemptor Dreadnought that had been sitting around for awhile. A pretty basic paintjob to fit in with the rest of the IX Legion "Blood Drinkers" maniple.

The Forge World Contemptor is an excellent looking model and I elected the Plasma Cannon/Close Combat Claw option to arm it, for no better reason than it looks cool...

The laser-cut base was kindly provided by Conscript Byron of SG2 Creations, cheers B...

Posing the model was a bit of a challenge, especially as my preferred adhesive is fast-setting superglue. This doesn't leave a lot of time to get the pose right with the multiple parts involved. I think this one came out OK though.

Glowing green eyes.. all the better to see (traitors) with...

 

The other escalation update is a bit late, since these guys took part in the campaign game already, but I thought I'd post some pics anyway.

They're MK IV Marines, of course, armed with Volkite weapons. They are a Troops choice in the Legion army list - "Tactical Support Squad".

I've got five more Volkite weapons so there's still the option to bulk the squad out to ten Marines, just need five more bodies ;-)

Lastly, here's the converted RT-era Assault Squad. Ten Marines with pistols/bolters and close combat weapons, with a plasma pistol in there too. Jump packs are from Max Mini.

These are three of my favourites - the RT Lieutenant with bionic leg, RT MK III Marine with Bolter and sword, and a converted RT Medic with updated bolt pistol.

Here's another three - the model at centre has been converted to carry a Heresy-era resin bolter in his right hand.

 

These four chaps fill out the squad. The model second from right has had a head swap, and the one at far right with plasma pistol is the same model as the converted one in the picture above.

 

It's great to get these models done and into the force org. I'm quickly exhausting the queue of unpainted Heresy stuff... but there's another 10-man RT tactical squad and Apothecary waiting for paint, along with a Chapterhouse Land Raider conversion kit that awaits assembly. That's not even mentioning the Magos and Adeptus Mechanicus guys I need to build and paint to accompany the Reaver Titan... so we'll be busy for awhile yet I think ;-)  

The Defence of Orask, Part 1 - Horus Heresy Campaign Battle Report

Force escalation is a wonderful thing - it drives us to move stuff from a wishlist, to the painting queue, to the gaming table. And the end result is spectacular games! Such has been the case with our Horus Heresy escalation project. Greg's been working on Sons of Horus and World Eaters, Byron on his Death Guard, and me on my IX Legion lads. The objective has always been to have some large games in the late summer, and with it being August, that's where we are. So last Thursday we leaned on Greg to design a scenario for the first game in our mini-campaign, "the Defence of Orask". Here's what he came up with:

The machinations of Horus are revealed, and they reach well beyond even the events of the Istvaan System!

Knowing they would not join his cause, Horus dispatched the IXth Legion to “liberate” the worlds of the Signus Cluster - a campaign far from Terra, far from Horus’ plans, and home to a trap.

The Primarch of the Blood Angels has led the bulk of his Legion into that distant assault, and Horus now looks to cut them off completely from contact with the rest of the Imperium. He will do that with an attack on the frontier world of Orask, staging area for the IXth Legion’s invasion force.

As news of events on Istvaan reaches Orask, the local Imperial government is stunned - and panics when their sensors detect a task force of ships bearing the signals and markings of the Sons of Horus, the World Eaters and the Death Guard headed for the planet. Things get worse when a number of Horus’ agents take action, disabling defence systems, monitors, docks and other elements, sowing further panic. The traitor Legion elements crash through the scattered resistance among the orbital defences and begin to secure landing areas.

On the planet’s surface, elements of the IXth Legion - the 66th Maniple, the “Blood Drinkers”, reserves which had been planning to follow their brethren toward the Signus Cluster, instead turn to defend the planet, knowing if Orask is overrun, the bulk of the IXth Legion will be trapped in the Signus Cluster and unable to defend the Imperium from Horus.

In our first game the Blood Drinkers will rush to try and defend against one of the rebel landings, hoping to contain the enemy and buy time to secure the capital….  

Here is the Blood Drinkers force. Praetor Draculis and command squad, Veterans to the left, Rapier behind just in front of the Tactical Support squad and the heavy weapons squad. Masses of Tactical Marines at right.

But wait... there's more. Assault squad and Terminator squad, with Rhinos. Landspeeder and THIS. IS. SPARTAN!!!! ;-)

Byron brought his Death Guard. Sicaran, Contemptors, boss and standard bearer.

 

Plus Terminators, Support squad and tactical marines too.

 

Solar Auxilia joined the Blood Drinkers in defense of Orask. Greg has done a great job with these.

 

Greg's Sons of Horus strike force... Land Raider Proteus, lascannon squad, heavy bolter squad, Assault squad, Veterans...

Plus Support squad, scary boss, Contemptor, and tactical marines in new Rhinos.

The battlefield represents a tactical staging area for the Orask planetary defense force/Solar Auxilia. The superheavy tanks are under repair and won't take part in the battle (tonight anyway). The Blood Drinkers and Solar Aux defenders were allowed to deploy in the Bastion (at centre) and behind the defence line around it, as well as in the area "south" and "west" of the roads (assuming that "north" is the short table edge at top right of picture).
 
The objective was to control the Imperial Bastion at the end of the game.

 

Solar Aux mobbed up on the top of the landing pad with excellent fields of fire over the approaches to the Bastion. Their comrades deployed behind the defense lines. The Blood Drinkers were allowed three infantry elements on table - the Tactical Support squad with Volkite Calivers on the landing pad, the Rapier carrier behind the storage tanks, and the plasma cannon squad on top of the Bastion.

Solar Aux defending the Bastion. Quad autocannons are under AI control.

Plasma cannoneers keep a lookout. "Land Raider spotted!"

Traitors got the first turn; Death Guard walk on, accompanied by the Sons of Horus vehicles. They drew first blood, if you can call fragging a single Solar Aux dude "first blood".

Where's the Death Guard gone? The entire squad was wiped out by Blood Drinker plasma cannon fire. That's what I call "first blood" ;-) Masses of Solar Aux lasrifle fire and Quad autocannon fire scratch a hull point off the Rhino.

In turn two, the Blood Drinkers started to roll for Reserves to bring the rest of the force on board. However, the Warp was playing up (and Orask Telecom was subsequently not to be trusted), and for each successful Reserve roll, Byron was allowed to attempt disruption with his Death Guard... basically an opposed die roll. If the DG won the die roll, they were allowed to bring one of their own units in Reserve on table, instead of the Blood Drinkers getting their unit. So guess what happened - three Blood Drinkers units available, three Death Guard challenges, and three Death Guard wins. Three DG units appear in the Loyalist backfield, uh-oh...

But the news got worse at the top of turn three. Greg explained that the Warp was in turmoil...

...the Solar Auxilia were beginning to panic...

...and their treason became complete! The Solar Auxilia switched sides to ally with the forces of the Warmaster!!

The victory conditions of the game changed at this point as well - in order to win, the Traitors had to ensure that not one Blood Drinker Marine survived! This whole development had the potential to cause some serious problems for the IX Legion as at that point, there were only 9 Blood Drinker models on the table! (Greg surmised that this stab in the back was likely a contributing factor to the Legion's later "rage issues")

Blood Drinkers reinforcements did start to arrive from reserve, though. The Assault squad came on and shot, then assaulted the Death Guard Contemptor Dreadnought and Support squad camping on the Loyalist table edge, wiping them out.

The SPARTAN!!! and a Rhino rolled on as well. Just out of shot, the Praetor and command squad were about to assault the other Death Guard tactical squad, and eventually eliminate them.

Around the Bastion, the psychic tsunami had blown the two remaining plasma cannoneers out of the building and into the midst of the now-suddenly-unfriendly Solar Aux and Sons of Horus. Undaunted, they blazed away with their plasma cannons but sadly the scatter of a template took one of them to the bosom of the Emperor. The last remaining hero bellowed his defiance as the Traitors cocked their weapons...

...and blew him to his component atoms.

Meanwhile, back on the Loyalist table edge the Praetor and co. were dealing with some Death Guard. Byron's boys had it pretty rough in the game.

A moment later there were none left standing...

The Sons of Horus formed up for a last push on the bastion. The crater at centre is where their Rhino once sat; the laser destroyer array on the SPARTAN!!! had done as the name indicated.

The SPARTAN!!! disembarked its 20 Space Marine passengers in preparation for a last push on the accursed Bastion. The Landspeeder (just above the SPARTAN!!!) supported the remnants of the Assault squad in attacking a Solar Aux unit standing just under the landing pad. The Solar Aux volkite weapons were suffcient to see off the charging Blood Drinkers though.

Two mighty machines of the 30th Millennium face off.

Blood Drinkers make a mad rush for the Bastion...

...but the turn limit expired before they could complete their victory by obliterating the last pitiful remnants of the Traitor forces (j/k). The game ended in a draw - the Traitors controlled the Bastion and its communications array, but the Blood Drinkers survived the encounter and are able to wage guerilla war against the forces of the Warmaster, and try to hold open the Signus Gate for the return of the rest of the IX Legion.

We had a great turnout of lads for the game and I think we all really enjoy "30K". The models are amazing, of course, and the gameplay is a lot less complex than 40K because there are a lot fewer special rules to remember. Looking forward to the next escalation in the campaign!