Armies on Parade - 40K Chaos Renegades

Hobby projects have a funny way of coming together. A few weeks ago I made a deal to acquire an amazing set of trench terrain boards. I'd intended for the inaugural game on the boards to be a Great War trench battle, but I'd loaned much of my Great War collection to Conscript Hugh for display at the Millennium Library.

This caused me to turn to the unpainted lead stack for inspiration. It was easily obtained - I resolved to finish enough of my Chaos Renegades to have a game on the new terrain. I'd previously painted a section of Renegades (10 models), a penal squad (also 10 models) and two Leman Russ tanks to join a bunch of converted WHFB Zombies with guns (20) that I'd done in the early 2000's for a painting challenge at the local GW.

That just left the real donkey work - painting the rest of the Renegades platoon, two more sections plus platoon command, company command and attached heavy stubber teams. Oh and a force commander, and maybe finishing up the six Rough Riders/Chaos Death Guard cavalry that had been sitting in primer for over three years...

Here's the overall commander - you'll recognize him as an Astra Militarum "Regimental Advisor" with a gasmask head swap from MaxMini.

He's accompanied by another of the advisors, also with an MM swapped head. Both of these models are metal (yay!) but that meant the conversions were a bit trickier than they would be with plastic or resin.

The third member of the triumvirate is a Commissar, of course - a lovely sculpt too. I just added the breather to him. He represents an "Enforcer" character in the Renegades and Heretics/Lost and the Damned army list.

The platoon command element is lead by this rather frightening chap. He and his mates are from Forgeworld - the Renegade Command Squad. It's a nice pack that also contains a plasma gunner and autogunner (shown) as well as a standard bearer and vox.

Curiously, the platoon commander is the only fellow in the army (except for the mutants) who doesn't feel the need for breathing apparatus :-)

 

I have two of these Forgeworld Heavy Stubber Teams and they are fantastic models. The only minor niggle on them is a bendy stubber and the fact that once assembled, they don't sit level. You just need to shim under the left foot of the assistant and Robert's you mother's brother.

Here's the rest of the command squad, it accompanies the force commander. Standard bearer and vox from the Forgeword set and another heavy stubber team.

There are three ten-man sections in the platoon. All are armed with lasguns except one trooper with a flamer or grenade launcher. These models all have Forgeworld Renegade torsos with Cadian legs, arms, weapons, and kit. I did carve off the shoulder pads though as I like the look better without.

Here's a big fella - a metal Ogryn I converted and painted. I'd like to get a couple more, they are superb models.

Here's the fourth section in the platoon - the penal section. These models have torsos, arms and weapons from Victoria Lamb, heads from Lamb and MaxMini, and Catachan legs from GW. I also gave them minimal equipment from GW - just the odd ammo pouch and canteen. They are penal troopers after all!

A disgraced junior officer can lead the penal section.

There is a 20-model strong unit of workers/mutant rabble. These are GW Zombies outfitted with random guns and the very off bit of other kit.

Leman Russ Demolisher. The main gun and sponsons are magnetised for easy swaps.

Lastly, the Chaos Death Riders. These guys were fun to paint once I got my head back into "cavalry mode". Horses are GW from the WHFB Empire range. Torsos Forgeworld of course, legs are from WHFB Chaos Marauder cavalry. Some arms are Cadian; the explosive lances and other arms are from Victoria Lamb.

Here's the "musician" with voxcaster ;-)

Well, that's the crew for now. As with everything there's still a bit of an expansion plan. I have enough Forgeworld torsos left to do a heavy weapons section of three weapons and crews, finish out the Death Riders to 10 models, and do a couple vehicle crewmen for a third Leman Russ. There's also 10 more primed penal troopers ready to go. I'll keep chipping away at them but I'm rather pleased with the progress of late. It's always satisfying to get stuff done that's been sitting.

Oh, and they've already seen some action!

15mm Sci-Fi "Leopard 4A2" Tanks - Finished!

 A couple weeks ago I posted some photos of a platoon of "Leopard 4A2s" - Leopard 2's that I'd converted with plasticard and metal bits into armoured support for my new 15mm NAC force.

 

I have to admit that the original photos didn't really show the models off to their best advantage (in other words, they looked kind of crap) but I'm happy that the paint jobs have improved things significantly.

Since the models all came with open hatches (and a rubbery crew figure) I converted some GZG NAC figures to serve as crew. They came from pack no. A10. I simply cut them off at the waist and stuck them in the turrets - I think it worked out pretty well.  The crewman above was a kneeling figure looking through a monocular.

 "Red" here was a standing female officer holding her helmet. She looks good as a tank commander.

The chap above is using his iPad to work out a firing solution (or maybe just playing Angry Birds??)

Conscript Mike dropped off some Battlefront decals the other night so I've used some as a squadron marking.
 

 Here are the tanks together with the Siku Fuchs APCs painted by Holger. Pretty decent matchup I think.

All in all I'm reasonably please with how the project turned out. It probably didn't end up being significantly cheaper than going with "commercial" ready-made 15mm sci-fi tanks, and the conversion took a bit of work, but the end result is unique and fits the theme of the force. Look out Control Battalion!

Mr. Peanut and other Rogue Trader Oddities

A couple weeks ago I ran a poll on the blog to see what type of Dreadnought readers wanted to see in my Howling Griffons army. Well, the overwhelming winner, with 73% of the votes cast, was the original Rogue Trader "Mr. Peanut" style walker.

This suits me, so off I went to eBay to find some suitable models... and ended up with three. I only got two left arms in the deal though, but that's OK since I was planning on updating the weapons loadouts anyway. I'd gotten some rare earth magnets at Lee Valley Tools suitable for the purpose, so on those went...so when I run I'll have a choice of two lascannons, a missile launcher, a multi-melta, or another CCW.

Just waiting for some 60mm bases from Hoard o' Bits for these. They *barely* fit on 40mm bases but I'd like to try the aesthetics of the larger ones and if LCF ("looks cool factor") is maximized, that's what I'll use.

Next up is another vehicle for the Griffons. Since I got the Razorback turret for one of the Rhinos I figured I'd be unlikely to use the Predator turret, especially if there were no opportunity to mount sponsons. Then I happened across a set of Rhino track pieces on the sprue, with no chassis... so I figured that even with my minimal scratch-building skills I could cut up some plasticard to make the chassis. The bitz box supplied the requisite parts to finish the model - front doors, sponsons, hedge cutter, etc.
 

 

 Some dollar store chain wrapped around the spiky hedge cutter, and it will be ready for primer.

I wasn't happy with the way I'd based the Landspeeder and it repaid my lack of faith by falling apart and smashing the model to pieces. So after I stuck it back together I raided the spares bin again with a view to basing the model the original way - on a clear hex-base. Much more stable and aesthetically acceptable, not to mention historically accurate ;-)

Cheers,

Dallas

Stormboyz! (Rogue Trader Style)

Further in the insane realm of Rogue Trader escalation, I have decided to try and make my Red Star Boyz into a semi-viable army for 40K 6th edition as well. This means diversifying some troop types instead of just fielding an undifferentiated mass of boyz. The first idea I had in this regard was to convert some of the lads into jump-pack sporting Stormboyz.
 

I picked out a bunch of models that were armed with close combat weapons, since "slugga and choppa" is the preferred load-out of the Stormboy. Next challenge was to find jump packs... the old metal RT ones are hard to find and expensive, so I looked to the modern era for a solution... enter the wonders of eBay and the myriad of "bitz sellers" thereon. I ended up getting the modern plastic jump packs, but only using part of each one, leaving off the giant rocket tube and just using the "accessory" part that each pack comes with.

I think they turned out OK - the Nob pictured here can be considered to have a "power klaw" or "big choppa" as the list requires.

I always liked the idea of Orks strapping themselves up with absurdly large rockets and firing themselves in the general direction of the enemy. Ten Stormboyz with a Nob = ~155pts.  Sorted!

The Unthinkable, Part 3

Over the weekend, I painted the Marines from the blister pack I picked up the previous weekend. These are two really nice models to paint, although I couldn't quite figure out what was going on with the Librarian's hair (psychic hood?). I like how the standard bearer turned out too, still have to enlist Conscript Brian to make a banner for me. I even saw him on the weekend but forgot to ask!

I painted the Librarian in the Sigmar VI Insurgency Force camo that the rest of the army sports. The blue shoulder pad is a nod to later interpretations of the Codex Astartes - but I can confirm that in the Rogue Trader days at least, Librarians wore the same colour armour as their illiterate battle-brethren. I think the sword looks better with the gaps on the back edge filled in.

Painting eyes now - when will the madness end? I think these two are the only Marines in the army with purity seals modelled on, as well. Makes sense as they are "late-RT" or early second-edition models. Fortunately the power armour and boltgun on the standard bearer are the RT-pattern so he fits in nicely with the rest.

So that's these two done - I'll post more pics when the standard is fitted. In other RT news, further to the Poll on the main page, I've ordered Dreadnoughts (yes that's plural...)  :-) 

The Unthinkable, part 2

 

That's right, not only have I desecrated a twenty-year-old Warhammer 40K blister pack, I've converted one of the figures!!! I really didn't need another captain, but my Howling Griffons do need a bearer for the battle Company Standard, so I cut off the power sword and added a banner staff. I think I'll enlist Conscript Brian (in his guise as proprietor of Vaubanner Graphics) to create a suitable standard.

I had to do some greenstuff work on the Librarian too, as his sword was miscast. I guess there's no complaining to GW for quality control issues on models this old, is there?

Oh, and are Space Marine Librarians always supposed to have blue power armour? I'm about to hit the books to research this... nothing in Chapter Approved: The Book of the Astronomican, but I'll also check the 40K Compendium and Compilation. Oh, and the Internet too, if it comes to that ;-) 

Howling Griffons 40K Rogue Trader Reinforcements!

After an exciting game against Greg's Tau a couple weeks ago, I've been blasting away at some reinforcements for my Howling Griffons Space Marine army. The army is "all metal" and consists almost exclusively of models from what is for me the Golden Age of Citadel Miniatures - the late 1980s. I make a certain exception for the new Land Raider Armoured Proteus from Forge World, of course, and wouldn't discount the possibility of adding a Contemptor dreadnought or the like, but as far as the army goes, I like to field essentially what could've been on the table in the early days of Rogue Trader.
 

Which brings me to this update... a few months ago I found an incomplete Space Marine "Black Shadow" bike in a bits box at the FLGS. Bought it for cheap (as you do) hoping that I'd come across the bits required to complete it. I've now given up hope that this will happen and resolved to scratch-build the required parts.

You can see half an ammo drum on the back, with an Imperial sigil plate (part of an IG ammo box I think) along with the rider's holstered bolt pistol and an ammo pouch.

At the front I used a piece of thick florist's wire for handlebars, and cut up a smoke launcher for the gauge pod. A launcher barrel was placed on either side of the pod (brake and clutch master cylinders, maybe?) and a headlight bucket was made of greenstuff.

Here's the finished model - the mounted Captain with power fist. I was torn between whether to give him a bolt pistol or the power fist... my wife thought the fist looked tougher and I agree ;-)

The model was painted in my standard HG scheme - Iyanden Darksun and Dark Flesh camo, washed with copious Devlan Mud. Metal parts are Boltgun Metal/Badab Black and gold craft paint/Devlan Mud. As these models were sometimes known in the catalog as the "Vincent Black Shadow" I added tiny tank badges on either side. Headlight is just white for now - any ideas on how to finish it??

I think he turned out OK, I'm just waiting on some more HG decals to complete the model. I'm looking forward to smiting enemies of the Emperor with a drive-by fisting ;-)

Also on the table were a bunch more Griffons infantry, all painted in the "Sigmar VI Insurgency Force" camo scheme. Certainly enough lascannons here to wipe the smile off a Guard tanker's mug...

Next is an assault squad with jump packs from Maxmini.eu. I dig the huge turbofan look. These guys are considered to be armed with bolt pistols and close combat weapons, and one plasma pistol and power fist.

Even painted the eyes on a couple of these frothing maniacs...

Here's an unusual model - RT Marine with flamer.

A group of regular grunts armed with bolters and autoguns (!) plus the previously pictured flamer.

This is a conversion of the mohawked assault trooper with the plasma pistol shown above. His head was replaced with a plastic RTB-01 "beaky" helmet and the hand flamer swapped out for a bolter from the RTB-01 frame - thanks Greg!

The newly-recruited reinforcements en masse, ready for a progenoid-gland inspection. They need to have their Griffon shoulder pad decals applied but are otherwise ready for battle.

I also painted a couple of crew figures for the Land Raider. Above is a modern Marine crewman with a pintle-mounted multi-melta. Crew figure and weapon are one piece and lift straight out of the cupola.

If I want to go old-school I can use a plastic Marine crewman I converted.

Ready to rock and roll - maybe it will last longer than one turn in the next game???

Anyway, that's the 40K update for now. I've got two more Rhinos primed and ready for the paint shop, and a Razorback turret is on the way from Puppets War to finish, and at that point I reckon the army will exceed 1500 points easily, maybe even 2K.

I know that the army is by no means "optimized" (not a meltagun to be found, sheesh) but I just love the character (and heft!) of the old metal RT models. Even if it's not super-competitive in today's 40K scene, at least the army looks cool and is different, and for me, that's what the 40K aesthetic is all about.