Painting Challenge Submission #9 - Support Predator for Sons of Horus

Predator AFV for the Sons of Horus. Model from Forge World.

Rounding off my most recent round of Horus Heresy offerings, we have another Space Marine AFV. This is a Predator tank, a classic old retro design from the days of the "Rogue Trader" game, gussied up and returned to the table by GW's Forge World studio for their Horus Heresy range. While these models are now available as multi-part plastic kits, this fellow is in fact a hybrid plastic and resin model from Forge World - assembled and primed for me by the excellent Steve B. It is painted in the colours of the XVI Legion Astartes, the Sons of Horus.

Wierdo weapons like this are such fun in GW's 30k setting.

Like the Spartan I submitted a couple weeks ago, this model kit has been sitting for years in my pile of shame, primed and ready to go, always on the edge of my intentions, but never receiving a lick of paint. Until now! It was on the shelf beside the Spartan, so having finished that beast off, I figured I would be wise to get this one out of the way as well. 

View showing the rear access hatch. Spooky legion symbol on hand to, er, keep an eye on things...I'll see myself out...

In the wild and crazy spectrum of combat vehicles available to Space Marines in the Horus Heresy setting, the Predators are actually on the lighter side. They are not too heavily armoured, and don't carry troops. But they are platforms for a hilarious assortment of dangerous and whacky weapons, and you see as much with this variant - sporting laser cannons on the sponsons, and a dangerous and (slightly) unstable plasma cannon on the turret. 

For the Warmaster!

All of these weapons will be useful in rendering moronic "loyalists" down to their component atoms as the Warmaster Horus completes his long march to save humanity! As ever, I'm sure this newly painted tank will be zapped on the first turn when its time on the table comes at last - but in so doing, maybe it will soak up and distract its opponent's attention long enough to let the Spartan make it to turn two!

This single 28mm vehicle added another 20 points to my AHPC XIII totals. Horus for hope! Thanks for reading, and we hope you come back as the Painting Challenge submissions continue to pile up.

Painting Challenge Submission #8 - Deredeo Dreadnought for the Sons of Horus

Lock and load! Deredeo dreadnought for 30k - model from Forge World.

For submission number eight to this edition of Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, the guns come out! 

What might change between now and the 31st millenium? We can only wonder. But if the vision of GW's Horus Heresy sculptors is anything to go by, one thing is clear - in the trying and dark times of the far future, prime authority figures are still going to ask you to MOVE YOUR F*CKING CAR, and do so with extreme prejudice. With this in mind, I present here a Deredeo class dreadnought, painted in the colours of the XVI Legion Astartes, the Sons of Horus. This is a model kit from GW's Forge World studio, and is meant for use in its "Horus Heresy" setting. It gives you 15 seconds to comply.

He looks surly...but with all those guns, come on...under that helmet, he is surely cracking a smile...

Many hobby folks are familiar with the background of the 30k dreadnoughts, but in the event you are a reader who is not, a brief recap: dreadnoughts are (clearly) heavy suits of power armour. They have a "pilot", but not the sort that can get in and out of the armour between combat missions. Rather, these armoured units are "piloted" by Marines who suffer terrible wounds in battle, wounds so serious they cannot continue as before - but still not enough to kill them completely. Such casualties are essentially entombed in Dreadnought armour, so they can keep fighting...forever...or until the dreadnought itself is wrecked by by one of the many terrible heavy weapons of the 31st millenium.

Ammo containers, exhaust for power systems (no doubt lots of "green energy" here).

There are many different kinds of Dreadnought armour in the Horus Heresy universe, and different units have different battlefield purposes. One quick look at the Deredeo variant, and a theme emerges - firepower! This thing is here to locate the enemy, and then wreck his sh*t. Big cannons. Missiles. Oh, and a pair of heavy flamethrowers for...I guess, if the ventilated remnants of an enemy get close enough? The pilot needs some sport - he is, after all, inside that thing forever.

Look at those cannons! I love this bonkers thing.

The looks of this Dreadnought variant are polarising. Opinions vary, but tend to be strong. For my part, I love it. "Hey, Mechanicum! We need a thing with lots of guns!". Mechanicum: "0001010010 here you go!" Covering fire galore! There are a number of different weapon options for these Dreadnoughts, but for me, nothing beats the whacko autocannon setup. Keep the enemy heads down while we advance? NO PROBLEM. The lackies of the false Emperor will be filled with all sorts of holes! 

This beast was good for another 20 points - counting as a 28mm vehicle and all. It will be fun to roll all of those dice when it gets to deploy on a gaming table! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more from the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.

Painting Challenge Submission #7 - Word Bearer Apostle

"Prepare to believe" - Word Bearer apostle. 28mm plastic figure from GW.

My second batch of submissions to Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge included more 30k subjects (hardly a big surprise to anyone who has followed even a little bit of this blog, I expect). The first of these was just a single figure, but still important one, because as we know in the world of the Space Marines, sometimes you "gotta BELIEVE". That is what this fellow is all about - a Space Marine Chaplain, painted in the colours of the XVII Legion Astartes, the fanatical "Word Bearers". The figure is a multi-part plastic kit from GW's Horus Heresy range. 

Some symbols on his cloak for...you know...good luck!

This figure was originally released back in 2015 as part of GW's "Betrayal at Calth" box set. The set caused much excitement at the time, as it represented the first wave of plastic figures for the Horus Heresy setting, which had been previously limited to Forge World and its, er, "uneven" resin quality. 

What is Calth, and who was betrayed there? Well, that story involves the Ultramarines, so who cares? For the purposes of this blog post, it is sufficient to know the Word Bearers were the "bad guys" and that they are total nutters. This figure was intended to represent a fellow named Kurtha Sedd, a character from the Legion who emblematic of the, let's call it, "spiritual journey" the Word Bearers followed in the 30k setting. 

How does Kurtha Sedd view the world of the 31st millenium? Well, his unofficial title is "dark apostle"...so let's just say he was into strong belief and "spiritual diversity".

GW's sculptors did nice work on this figure, he has a nice sense of movement. You get the sense that pistol shot is coming at point blank range...

The thing with Kurtha Sedd and the Word Bearers is that they believe in stuff. One might surmise they are a far-future-space parody of devout religious figures from history, but this view misses the depth of possible comedy and commentary on offer. Never mind even the loudest preachers or devout religious nutters of our world, past and present. Take, rather, the secular and technocratic post-modern drivel mongers, intersectionalist fools and climate doomsters who today infest and necrotize our educational, cultural and government institutions. Put them in power armour, and give them a bolt gun. Then - THEN - you would have basis for the Word Bearers.

The Word Bearers tried to believe in The Emperor, but He told them not to for some reason. Jerk. So the Word Bearers found other vessels for belief. Some call these other vessels "demonic warp powers", but who's to say if that is true? The Word Bearers came to see Warmaster Horus would do nicely as an improvement on The Emperor. But this regime change was not an end, but a beginning - as a means to a BIGGER PICTURE. 

And they are here to help you believe too! With the right amount of faith - enhanced where necessary by gunfire, chainswords and maybe just a SLIGHT amount of blood sacrifice - you too can live a life of full potential! In, er, many dimensions! You can disrupt structural Emperor-normative discourse patterns, and DO BETTER. They believe so much they write it all down on their armour - so it is easier for you to see!

"You can read it on my armour!"

The Word Bearers are fun, and their armour and kit look cool. For all that, I'm not (yet) tipping over into collecting a force for yet another Space Marine Legion. Rather, I see this fellow as an attached specialist to the Sons of Horus. Why batter your way through enemy defences when this chap, with his expertise in variable-spiritual-dimension-geometry, can just help with a "shortcut", ensuring all concerned understand this portable-hole-through-an-adjacent-warp-dimension-that-just-appeared-out-of-nowhere will, in fact, take you behind enemy lines. You just have to believe...

This one 28mm figure was only five more points toward my total, but it was nice to get this guy painted and ready for the shelf. Stay tuned for more 30k stuff, and more submissions to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge - not only from me, but from Mike, Dallas, Dave, Frederick and Byron!

1:50 Sdkfz 7 Prime Mover

The subject here is this 1:50 Sdkfz. 7 prime mover, submitted for the "Historical Drama" studio of the Challenge. Suits the studio of course because it's a model to be used in an historical game.

This model was originally a prepainted diecast from Corgi. I thought when I bought this model that it could enter service with my Afrika Korps force as-is, but I really wasn't feeling the paint job... that's OK, they're easy enough to repaint.

After masking off the windshield with tape, I primed the model black and painted the metalwork with Zandri Dust, washed with Agrax Earthshade. The interior is Mechanicus Standard Grey highlighted with Dawnstone and lightly washed with Nuln Oil. The upholstery and top are Mournfang Brown highlighted Steel Legion Drab. 

As was typical on DAK vehicles, a small spot was left in original Panzer Grey and the DAK insignia applied (you'll see another such spot on the front offside fender). The paintwork was sponge-chipped with Vallejo German Camo Black Brown.

Of course I added a bunch of stowage from Value Gear. I've almost exhausted my stock of that so will soon need to order more. The stowage really adds a lot to this DAK model.

Here's a better view of the DAK insignia and number plate.

I thought I would include a pic of the 8-ton prime mover in its natural environment - they were often used as tow vehicles for the 88mm Flak 36. Painting this prime mover also motivated me to repaint the 88 - I lightened the colour somewhat as the original colour I painted it was kind of dark. 

Painting this Sdkfz. 7 has prompted me to place another order with Perry Miniatures for some crew and passengers to use with this vehicle. You're welcome, Perry twins :-)

Hoping to get this model onto the table soon!

Analogue Painting Challenge: Sedition Wars Project - Sgt. Ramirez, Strain, and Drones

 

Up first for this entry are the latest additions to my ongoing Sedition Wars Project: Sgt. Ramirez, a tough Vanguard Samaritan heavy weapons trooper, and the Strain-infected version of the character. They were originally Kickstarter exclusives for the now long out of print Sedition Wars: Battle for Alabaster board game, from Cool Mini or Not and Studio McVey. This character, like several other in-game Vanguard and Firebrand models, is based on a media property: in this case, the smart-gunner Vasquez from the movie Aliens. 

From Studio McVey:

"Sergeant Ramirez is as tough as they come, and an ace with the Reaver support weapon! Laying down accurate and thunderous suppressing fire is a specialty.  Just don't talk back to the sarge!"

"It looks like Ramirez didn't quite detonate that grenade in time.  Get a free Strain version of Ramirez with every Ramirez!"

Sedition Wars is a very fun, but currently relatively unknown, board game. Very much like playing in the universes of Resident Evil or Altered Carbon, as the hi-tech, computer-networked, cloned Vanguard are pitted against the nano-virus-fueled zombies ("Revenants" in Sedition Wars parlance), and other tougher (d)-evolved creatures of the Strain. Always lots of cinematic events.

Cleaning up these resin/plastic models had its problems, which I encountered when first starting this project back in 2013.  You can't file "restic", and you can't scrape it easily; you have to cut off mould lines with a fresh, sharp X-acto knife. It took a couple of hours with a zirconium nitride blade to clean up these two figures, and I am still not fully happy with my cleanup job.  I pinned both figs to scenic bases provided in the game. 

After priming with trusty GW Chaos Black, I airbrushed several thin layers of Golden titanium white acrylic paint for the zenithal highlights. I airbrushed downwards around the model, with an emphasis of about a 60 degree angle from above and in front of the head of the model, giving a spotlight effect on the front of the figure. 

For her Vanguard version, I pre-painted the flesh tones in Vallejo Face Painting set acrylics, using the colours for tanned flesh, then laid in various Winsor & Newton and Schminke tube oil paints to emphasize highlights and shadows and to smooth out transitions. Multiple thin glazes of Games Workshop Biel-Tan Green and Seraphim Sepia washes were laid on, respectively, the armour and gun. This really brings out the highlights of areas like the tops of the shoulders and calves, and shadows like the small of the back and underneath the limbs. Further highlights were done with dots of oils.

For the Strain version of Ramirez, the decayed skin flaps, exposed muscles, tubular bits, claws, and protuberances  were painted with various greens, brown, purples, reds, and pinks from the Army Painter Zombicide Warpaints sets (Scaly Flesh, Zombie Flesh, Toxic Boils, Crusted Sore, all glazed with Zombie Shade). I punched up highlights with various artists' oils.

Below, after acrylics were laid in, before the oils.

The bases were glazed with Vallejo Rust and Secret Weapon Stone washes, then finished off with weathering powders and some oils.

Afterward, both figures got a coat of Tamiya Semi-gloss (TS-79), and Matt (TS-80) spray can paint. For the Strain Ramirez form, I went back with some Citadel Blood for the Blood God and Green Stuff World Coagulated Blood, to add various blood effects. This was used judiciously around the fleshy tubes, skin tears, and seeping from the claws.

Below, Sgt. Ramirez is seen in action on a Sedition Wars map board, fighting alongside fellow Vanguard. She is gunning down Revenants, whose corpses leave clouds of green nano-virus that still may infect the humans!

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In the game, the Hurley A.I. is a sentient drone tank that can field 3 types of mini-drones (Attack, Defense, and Sentry drones). I had previously painted up 3 mini-drones. Hurley can control up to 6 (2 of each type), so  I also added 3 more of these neat, injection-moulded plastic models. Another KS reward, they look much better than cardboard counters. After zenithal highlights, I painted them much as I did Ramirez' armour, plus adding some light weathering with oils and powders. 

For scale, below is a photo of the mini-drones, Hurley, and Corpsman Morgan Vade, a hero combat medic from the game.

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I recently received some more pre-production Vanguard Samaritan models, resin masters that have very crisp detail, are easy to work with, and will paint up nicely! I also now have all of the KS exclusive characters.  I look forward to adding more to this project. With those, plus some extra starter boxes' contents, I am spoiled for choice!

Battle Foam makes a foam tray that fits inside the game box. So far I have painted up all the models required to play the 9 scenarios included in the base game, plus several extra models. The 59 models  include extra level-1 Strain; you can never have enough, since dead Vanguard can be resurrected as Strain Revenants!

With five 28mm models, this ongoing multi-year project is also Under Construction. Total = (5 x 5) + 20 = 45 points for the Challenge.

New Year's Day Game - More from the Horus Heresy!

This year, in accordance with ancient tradition, I had some of the boys over for a New Year's Day game. I knew Conscript Mike F had been hard at work on his Imperial Fists so I wanted to tee up a game with those guys, and their traditional opponents are of course my Iron Warriors! So it was on.

I set up an urban terrain table that looked pretty good, if I do say so myself. The game was straightforward, the standard three objectives. Whoever held two or more at the end would be the winner.

Here are the opposing forces. It would be a decent sized battle.

We pick up the action in progress, just some impressions of the game.

Iron Warriors Medusa dropping ordnance indirectly.

Iron Havoc missile launcher squad makes short work of an Imperial Fists Rhino...

... while their colleagues with lascannons line up the Fists Land Raider.

Siege Tyrants advance on the flank with a IV Legion Deimos Rhino.

Action in the middle of the table - objective (the infamous "God Box") is just visible at the base of the column.

Land Raider rolls forward... not long for this world...

I think these are the Templar Brethren. They were horrifyingly effective in the game. Their stat line is crazy good. Behind them is a huge crater left by their exploding Land Raider.

Some close in action. Unfortunately the Iron Warriors are about to get a nasty squeeze.

Some action on the Warriors' right flank near the Slurm vending machine objective. 

Siege Tyrants look on at the middle objective.

Imperial Fists Terminators drop in near the shed that houses the third objective.

This was a real exciting encounter - the Siege Tyrants and a squad of Iron Warriors took on the squad of Imperial Fists Terminators. The fight was close but as I recall, the Iron Warriors barely prevailed due to an inopportune morale failure on the part of the Fists.

Despite the Medusa dropping ordnance on the objective, the Fists held it with a model or two at the end of the game. I think they held the Slurm machine as well, so the final result was Fists two objectives, Iron Warriors one objective. But it was a pretty close game.

Thanks to Conscript Mike for bringing his gorgeous Imperial Fists army and to the boys who were able to make it out for the game!