Review Splintered Fang Warband, Warcry

The Splintered Fang

Warcry has become one of my favourite GW games. A great advantage is that all a new player actually needs is a warband and the rulebook.

My long time opponent, Shaun M, gave me some Warcry Bands for my birthday last year and I have used the lockdown to paint them.

I used mostly contrast paints, notably the turquoise and orange.

Go Left

The Splintered Fang are vaguely Atlantis-Hoplite-Gladiator looking troops whose main gig is their poisoned blades. They are snake people.

The models are excellent, as are all the Warcry bands. These are more durable than some of the others: Warcry bands can be a bit fragile.

I can see them appealing to anyone wanting an ancient-fantasy skirmish group.

No, Right

The only disappointment is that ridiculous snake model with a half doz tiny snakes on. I mean how frightening is that? Why not a decent sized serpent?

Nevertheless, great kit and good value for £30 including Warcry cards.

Oh and you can also use these as a chaos unit in Age of Sigmar.

Shadowspear: Master of Possession & Greater Possessed

Master of Possession & Greater Possessed

Picked up a few items second hand from the Shadowspear box for my new project.

I wanted them to reflect Khorne with a nod to the Black Legion.

I fear I may have overdone the colours a tad: I am mildly colourblind. Maybe green-yellow magical fire was a step too far.

What do you think?

Another Chance to See

The blue hide coat is a nod to my Blackstone Black Legion marines.

Up The Revolushun

Santa's Little Helpers

Another bite out of my genormous model painting backlog.

I give you Red Gobbo and the crack Gitz Red Guard.

Red Gobbo

The fundamentals of 40K are a parody of British life in the 1970s and 80s filtered through the sense of humour of a certain young anthropology student called Rick Priestley.

I wonder how many modern GW staffers know who was the original Red Robbo? Clue: he was one of the clowns who brought down the British car industry.

Blowin Stuff Up

Nighthaunt Banshees

Woooohhhhhhh!

The lockdown continues and I am so bored I have taken to weeding the drive.

Meanwhile, the latest output from the sausage factory.

Still Wooohhh!

As an experiment these were entirely painted with contrast paints except for matt white.

Servants of the Abyss: Chaos Marines

Lord Obsidius Mallex plus Bodyguards

More from the Blackstone Fortress sprues. A Chaos Lord with a small retinue - no double entendre intended.

Pink Plasma

I painted them as Black Legion Marines because I don't have any but have always liked the Gold and Black armour. I used to pose with John Player packets of fags as a twenty something with a sportscar.

Going Somewhere?

Freaked to see that my mate Andy Singleton was also using blue as the pelt colour for this model.

Blackstone Fortress: Bill & Ben, The Ratling Men

Anomalous Readings

Terrific figures again from the Blackstone Fortress 'Quest' dungeon crawler.

I am having so much fun with these.

Rear View

The detail on these minis is stunning.

Oh, and for those who missed out on Watch With Mother, BBC 50s TV......

Bill & Ben, The Flowerpot Men

Blackstone Fortress: Rogue Psykers

A buoyancy problem

The traitor psykers from the Blackstone Fortress set.

Great models once again with heads bulging like a quantum physicist.

Nice pelts, guys

They do seem to rather drift through life, though.

(okay, I'll stop now)

Blackstone Fortress: Rogue Trader & Navigator

Rogue Trader Dellbois Trettor & Navigator House Rhodenay

Two more exceptional models from the Blackstone Fortress starter set.

In common with most GW models now, they are fixed pose but this allows wonderful characterisation and dynamism.

Another Fine Mess You've Got Us Into.

This set is worth buying just for the models - even if you never play the game.

They make a great addition to a 40K Inquisitorial retinue.

Review: Reaper Bones Pit Demon, Agramon - Khorne Daemon Prince

Agramon

IMPORTANT

Reaper Bones miniatures are made from a plastic polymer that can react with certain chemicals to form a 'tacky' surface that remains tacky even through layers of paint and varnish. These chemicals are often used as a propellant in paint spray cans. It is possible that they may also occur in acrylic paints with complicated solvents such as Mr Color or Tamiya.

Sword Added

The only modification was to drill out the left fist and add a sword. Otherwise the model is 'as it came'.

The model was painted with Vallejo Citadel acrylics, including contrast paints and washes, with no problems whatsoever.

I first washed it in black Nuln Oil to get in all the creases to deepen the 3D effect and then painted over with Contrast Blood Angel Red.

Highlights were added with Vallejo rust-orange Air.

Wings

I intend to use the model as a Khorne Daemon Prince for a little project I have in mind, but more about that later. 

Agramon is smaller than a GW Daemon Prince but is still impressive compared to a space marine. The advantages of using the reaper model are: cheapness, easy storage, and robustness. IMO it also looks better than the GW model of which I have never been a great fan.

Available for about £10 from Reaper UK or various independent traders.

Highly recommended

Close Quarters Is Out

My latest book, Close Quarters, a supplement for Cruel Seas is available from Warlord Games and all good bookshops/wargame shops for twenty of your English pounds.

This one took six months of intensive work, mostly spent on research.

I have to admit, I am inordinately and shamefully proud of it.

Gaslands Post Apocalyptic Cars

Red Devil

This is a 28 mm post-apocalyptic car sculpted by Dave Stone at Wargames Terrain Workshop that sells for the princely sum of £6.

Suitable for lots of uses, it comes with a firing platform on the back that can take a mini on a base.

WTW Website Photo

I chose to paint mine in reasonable condition but Dave's website has one really dirted and rusted up.

Black Maria

This model is available from WTW for the sum of £5, and includes the guy with the multiple rocket launcher in the front boot space.

Rustbucket

Again, Dave weathered his display model rather more than me.

Grav Car

Finally, I bought one of these little beauties for a fiver. It's a Lamborrari 2000 sports car for sci fi skirmish games.

There must be a couple of hundred different sorts of resin models on the WTW webshop, all at highly competitive prices.

Well worth a visit.

Blackstone Fortress: Men of Iron or The Abominable Intelligence

Man of Iron

In the 40K universe artificial intelligence, also called abominable intelligence, is most definitely banned on account of them inevitably trying to destroy their creators - although the Tau seem to have got away with it so far.

However, it's a big galaxy out there and the odd 'Man of Iron' escaped the purge back in the Dark Age of Technology.

One of them is wandering around the Blackstone Fortress, attempting to commune with the base itself, or more accurately its AI.

Departing Man of Iron

The MoI is cunningly disguised as a semi-autonomous Imperial Robot under remote control - very non AI - so is equipped with Imperial weapons such as a power fist and a gatling cannon.