On the Painting Table: Grey Knights Dreadnought

Well I did a lot of talk the other day about being inspired to get back into 40k big time but you may be wondering what became of that as there hasn't been that much movement here so far to prove that I'm doing anything.

It's that damn decking I've been building! But things are about to change.



Meet my new Grey Knights Dreadnought. This guy has been waiting to be finished for at least a year and finally I've done it. Although to be honest, I did rip off a load of crappy extra bits I'd added to make him look more impressive. Stripped down and simple he looks a lot better and I'm very happy with him.

He's based on the Dreadnought that came in the latest boxed set and I had him kicking around but I want to have a push on my Inquisitorial forces so he got drafted across to the Grey Knights.

I used Boltgun metal, Black ink and then Boltgun Metal and Chainmail to paint him. The gold bits were Dwarf Bronze and then Shining Gold.

I'm in the process of rebasing and "normalising" my other Inquisitorial forces: Sisters of Battle and Grey Knights, so tune in soon and you'll get to see pictures of them too.

Painting Space Marines: A Change in Philosophy

Periodically I go through each of my armies, repainting the whole army and upping the quality, and I must say, my Space Marines are past due for theirs. As a matter of fact, the army really does need a bit of an overhaul.

One problem I'm facing at the moment, is that I'm more into Fantasy, with 40k coming up a lot further down the list, hence why I post a lot more frequently on my Warhammer fantasy site, Last Chance War. Having said that I have been giving a little bit of thought to colour schemes for my own Space Marine Chapter: The Crimson Blades.

Historically I always painted them Blood Red then gave them a gloss varnish (apart from some black shoulder pads and gold bits). This of course violates my number two rule when it comes to painting: ALWAYS USE AT LEAST TWO SHADES OF EACH COLOURS - PREFERABLY THREE.

I've been wanting to dull down my marines and make them look a bit more real and professional, without changing the basic colour scheme. I'm not turning cartwheels over the red gold and black but I'm a bit nostalgic about it and they ARE called the Crimson Blades.

Check these out.

Apart from being annoyingly blurred, you'll see the one on the left is painted using my old method. Now this isn't an old miniature I just carried on using my slightly amateurish method with my marines even after I'd graduated to better things with other armies.

The on on the right is from my Dinosaur Space Marine army. Same principles really but at least I made a bit of effort on the weathering. My old style base (which doesn't match the war board completes the picture to tell us something needs to be done.

These two guys are prototypes of my more recent aspirations.

They aren't finished but you'll see I'm using a range of reds to get the look I'm going for... which I feel I haven't quite mastered yet. What I want to achieve is to have a pretty extreme overhead lighting effect, with the upper levels red and the lower parts very much in shadow.

The one on the left was done with the whole thing getting a dark red coat to start. The right one still has l=plenty of black in the lower areas.

It's one of these funny things where I'm really not sure. Neither model is getting me excited and without the excitement I tend not to get on with anything.

I think I'm going to need to think longer.

But watch this space. Things have to move forward sometime...

Spotlight On... The Triceranoughts!

Background

With the majority of their armoured support devastated beyond repair, the Crimson Blades solution was to turn to the indigenous xenoforms on the planet where they became stranded, but this new biological “armoured” division proved the equal of any technology that had come before.

Used both for spearheading heavy assault actions and as beasts of burden, the Triceranoughts excel at the role they play in allowing the Deinosus company to maintain such a potent mobile force. Carrying everything from heavy armament to the concentrated liquid gruel used to sustain the marines in the field, the Triceranoughts prove invaluable, especially with the Cortex Units drilled into their brains to control them while accelerating their natural aggression.

Making the Models

The Triceranoughts were made from the same basic Triceratops toys as the Triceratank. Then I strapped on as many spare parts, barrels, lights and rolled up sleeping bags as I could. The goal here was create the idea of a support unit that spends long periods in the field and I wanted to explore the question of what Space Marines might eat in those circumstances.

As with the Triceratank (and the rest of the army), I wanted the Triceranoughts to be heavily weathered and battle damaged and used a drill to make shell wounds in their armoured front plates.

They have the same assault armour on their legs as my Tyrannosaur has as well as the razor wire, to act as a deterrent.

Game Rules

In the game, they count as Chaos Space marine Dreadnoughts. The rules there match up well with their capabilities and also have the Crazed element to symbolise their out of control nature.

Tactics

It’s difficult to talk much about tactics here because in almost every game, the Triceranoughts have ended up getting immobilised far from the enemy. They are designed to be close assault units and need to get into combat as quickly as possible to avoid getting shot up. Because they look so threatening however, they tend to draw a lot of fire.

Spotlight On... Golgotha, Space Marine Alpha Level Psyker

A while ago I wrote a little blog about my Space Marine Alpha Level Psyker, Goliath... Well now it's time to meet his brother, Golgotha.

Like his brother, Golgotha is a member of my Crimson Blades Space Marine Chapter who developed incredible psychic powers and wound up being put in suspended animation until recent events required him to be resurrected.

 

He possesses incredible psychic might, far in excess of a Space Marine Librarian. Here we see him using the strength of his mind to lift balls of magma up from far underground before hurling them forward to explosive effect.

 

 

As I mentioned in my previous article, although both Psykers make nice display pieces, they function in the game as Baneblade Super Heavy Tanks - the armour representing psychic force fields and the weapons representing psychic blasts.

 

The large fireballs are made from ping pong balls, painted with a ripple effect from dark red up to orange and then yellow. The base is made from a mixture of gravel, sand, all-purpose powdered filler and PVA glue.

The smaller fireballs were made from little polystyrene balls I got from Hobbycraft. The smoke trail is made by a piece of stiff wire with clump foliage (basically tree foliage) glued onto it. I bought from a railway model shop. This was then dry brushed a few shades of grey.



Golgotha is actually standing on a levitated rock - it isn't that easy to tell.

I was going all out with this model because I was hoping to get a look-in at the Best Army award at a Tempus Fugitives event at Warhammer World. I didn't win.

But I did get nominated.

It's a pool of water at the front of the base. The idea is that bubbling steam is surrounding another magma ball being brought up from below. I like it (although the steam - made from clump foliage - doesn't look quite as I would have liked). Unfortunately three out of four people asked aren't sure what that part's supposed to be.

For Golgotha himself, I wanted a different look from his bare-chested brother - more regal and Librarian-like. He's made from various Dark Angels parts and was quite parts-expensive.

The rock he's standing on, by the way, is made from insulation foam.

I'm interested to hear any comments if you have any views...

Another Failure

Necrons vs Deinosus Crimson Blades | Rob v Tim | 40k | 51 | 108.997.M41

In the far Chillward regions of Kaltirey, the Necrons continued their implacable march Scorchward. They had passed now outside the vicinity of any Guard outposts and moved now through the deep snow fields, blasted by blizzards but moving ever onward nonetheless.

But ahead of them, silhouetted figures moved in the snowstorm. The Necrons slowed, narrowing their visual detection units. Suddenly explosive shells streamed out of the white mist, hammering into their lines and the Deinosus Space Marines ran forward, Triceranoughts bellowing in fury as their cortex units flooded their systems with rage inducing hormones.

The Necrons showed no fear or surprise. They had defeated this opponent before after a series of tactical validations. They calculated only a 17% chance of significant loss now.

The Bladelords and Hunters ran forward, opening fire with bolters, plasmaguns and meltaguns, bringing down the lead Necrons, but scuttling fast round their flank came a gigantic insectile Tomb Stalker. It didn’t slow as it parted the ranks of the Bladelors, ignoring their bolt and plasma shots, ripping them apart one by one.

The Necron ranks opened for a moment and floating forward came the sinister form of the Necron C’tan: the Deceiver. The marines ran forward led by Felix Wulf and engaged him but they lacked the strength to harm him at all! Methodically, the Deceiver started to crush them, one after another. Realising the situation was untenable, Felix Wulf ordered his squad sergeant to activate his homing beacon.

The air started to crackle and spark, the godlike Deceiver pausing momentarily as it crushed the larynx on one of the marines. Then the sergeant transmatted up to the orbiting Black Scabbard and the Mammoth landed hard in its place. The great hairy beat trumpeted and crashed into the C’tan, knocking him back and Felix grinned. “Take that you bastard!”

But even the mammoth barely had sufficient strength to wound the Deceiver while every return blow tore chunks out of its flesh. It wasn’t going to work!

And meanwhile, the Necron warriors continued to march implacably forward.



"You will leave this battlefield immediately you hairy brute!"

A team of Raptor Riders pulled ahead of the Space Marine line, engaging a unit of Immortals. Their powerful weapons and the strength of the raptors’ jaws proved to be a dangerous combination, but any victory was insufficient. Both Triceranoughts were crippled now; the aggressive strength of the Deinosus battle group was diminishing to the critical level.

There was nothing now for it but to call a withdrawal.  

Captain Woolf put the withdrawal code out across the com and slipped out of the reach of the deceiver’s swinging fists as it ripped the Mammoth into its constituent parts.

The battle was over; and once again the Space Marines of the Deinosus battle Company had failed to halt the Necron advance.

SPOTLIGHT ON... The Covert Obliterator

Background

Part of my Space marine Deinosus army, the Covert Obliterator is a medium dispersal scout unit comprised of a bipedal xenoform mounted with a stable firing platform, manned by a single Hunter. The platform is equipped with a wide range of heavy and special weaponry capable of dealing with any target that presents itself. Each weapon is mounted on an easy-access rail so that the Hunter can switch between them as the need arises.

Ranging ahead of the rest of the army, the Covert Obliterator scouts out enemy positions and troop movements, communicating details back to his direct command.

Once a suitable ambush strike point is established, the Covert Obliterator goes to ground, maintaining camouflage until needed. The unit is equipped for lone field status for long periods and will wait until it is tactically advantageous to reveal itself.

Game Rules

The idea here was to have a Space Marine dinosaur model to function in the game as a Chaos Space Marine Obliterator. An Obliterator deep strikes, represented here by the Covert Obliterator lying in ambush until the time is right to strike. And they can change their bodies to produce one of a wide variety of special and heavy weapons. The idea here was to give him a rack of different weapons that he can swing up into position as the need arises. When he’s done with one it drops back down out of position.

Making the Model

This model was a work of love that used up such a large stock from my bitz box that although I’d love to make a couple more I am reluctant to. Maybe one day I will.

He has armour plates made from thick cardboard bent over. The bracket holding the Hunter model in place is part of an Imperial Guard dozer blade. The wires and tubes were real wire from an electrical shop. There’s also an Imperial Guard radio and a petrol can (most likely filled with gruel).

Tactics

A lone deep striking Obliterator is always a tricky model to use well. There’s a propensity with deep strikers to land close to the enemy but this is sometimes a bad idea, especially for this model.

Like with the Raptor Riders, the thing is to hold him back while assessing where he is needed most. Here’s the best tip: Decide what your priority targets are then deep strike him so that he is close to maximum range on his required weapon. That way, hopefully, you can shoot what you need to shoot while limiting return fire.

Spotlight On... Raptor Riders

Background

Raptor Riders are members of the Crimson Blade’s Deinosus Battle Company – a company of loyalist marines utilising dinosaurs in the attack.

The Raptor Riders of the Crimson Blades are highly experienced scouts and close combat specialists but their principle role is that of a fast response unit.

Raptor Riders are principally held behind Marine lines as Captain Wulf assesses the enemy strength and points of attack. With the strong points established, the Raptor Riders dart forward to meet the enemy where they are most needed.

Equipped both for hand to hand wetwork and anti-tank precision melta-strikes, the Riders are fully prepared to turn the tide of battle at the critical point.

Making the Models

The models were made from Dark Elf cold ones with Tactical Space Marine bodies. All that was required was to bend the legs out a little to get them to fit on – no tricky sculpting beyond that. A knife slit in the crotch (sounds painful) helped to bend them out. I based them on round Terminator bases as cavalry looks a lot nicer that way.

Game Rules

The Deinosus Battle Company is based around the rules for Chaos Space Marines. This is a good technique for creating a new army. The models can be as whacky as you like as long as they are based on points and stats of existing models.

Raptor Riders count as Chaos Space Marine Bikers.

Tactics

The Raptors are equipped with two meltaguns, both for taking out vehicles and knocking out heavy infantry. Having two meltaguns gives an almost guaranteed destroyed result as long as targets fall within range. The power sword and plasma pistol of the veteran sergeant are also very handy to take out armoured opponents in close combat.

It’s always tempting with “bikers” to send them rushing forward. I DON’T do that with these guys. I hold them back behind my lines and send them in to where they are needed after the bolts start flying. That way the enemy doesn’t prioritise this expensive but good unit. Also the enemy vehicles are given time to move into melta range while my guys are still alive.

By holding them back and applying them carefully, this unit can be very very successful.

Spotlight On... Felix Wulf & Rex

Quite a few years ago I decided that I wanted to do something particularly different with my space marines. It took me some time to come up with the idea and a few years more to clean it up until it was presentable. Then a couple more years before it was a legal army. Take a look at the centrepiece model:

The Dinosus Second Battle Company was born with Space Marine Commander, Felix Wulf, and his faithful Tyrannosaur, Rex.

Here's Felix with he Quake Clubs. I used Ogre clubs on Terminator Power Fists. In the game they count as lightning claws if I take him off the base (he's on pins so he can fit on a normal base). I wanted the look of the diorama to be Felix running up this big plank thing while Rex looked round to see what was coming.

Rex was bought at a toy shop in Oxford. He cost over £18 but he was so much better than the bheap one I'd been using before I had to splurge out. That plume of his is made from a plastic flying stand and loads of tiny pointed strips of paper. The armour plates are made of thick cardboard bent into a curve. Believe it or not, he came with a fully posable mouth!

It was on this base that I pioneered the colour scheme that went on to be the colour of the bases in all my armies and on my war board: Overlapping patches of slack, scorched brown, bestial brown, bubonic brown and bleached bone. You'll notice there's razor wire round Rex's ankles. All the better to prevent those pesky assaults.

Click on the picture to make it bigger and take a close look at what's between his toes...

I used quite a few parts from different kits to add detail to these guys. I'm quite pleased with the cybernetic attachment on Rex's eye. That was the sensor from a Landspeeder.

Quick question for you: What's that red area near the bottom left there? It's meant to be a light but the number of people who haven't guessed that was a bit disappointing. Ah well, what can you do?

The only question remaining is how can this guy possibly fit into a Space Marine army...

Well, I used the rules for Chaos Space Marines for my feral Dinosus Battle Company. This guy counts as a Daemon Prince. Although to be honest the base is preposterously overszed and works against me tactically. And if I have Felix on foot using the rules for a Chaos Lord he's actually a better miniature to have and much harder to kill.

But hey! I didn't do it to be good in the game. Sometimes you have an idea and you just have to follow where it leads...