On Tippy Toes - Aeldari Harlequins

Frozen Stars

Change of pace now. Rummaging in my boxes of defunct projects I came across an Aeldari Harlequin Troupe: no I have no idea why or when i bought them. But the models were built, based and undercoated so I finished them off.

I loosely based the colour scheme on Harlequins and - no - I wasn't spending three months painting bloody diamonds so the motley was out. Stoopid idea! What were Geedubya thinking of?

Resin Ruin Bases

The bases are rather nice resin modelled in the eroded remains of building ruins. I painted them a monochrome blue-grey to fit in with the idea of webways into ruined Eldar worlds.

The Dance

They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?
    Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
    Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?
Lewis Carroll

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

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.

Blackstone Fortress Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath & Wells

Bishop of Bath & Wells

I have been ploughing through my unpainted minis lately and, at the bottom of a cupboard, discovered an entire unpainted Blackstone Fortress game. And they are great models.

First up the good Bish' of Bath and Wells with his lovely assistant - all ready to toast those babies.

I have completely mislaid my Tamiya textured paint so finishing the base will have to wait for another day.

By, By Bishop, Goodbye....

Hi Tech Miniatures Inquisitor

I fancied doing something different for an Inquisitor model so selected something from Hi Tech Miniatures, who do a vast range of pseudo-40K stuff.

These models are high quality resin and not cheap but IMHO worth it.

Incidentally, if you only want to buy a single model you may find it cheaper postage-wise in the UK to buy from their eBay offers.


The only change I have made to the model is to remove the rather anaemic storm-bolter and replace it with a Mechanicus gun.

Thousand Sons Patrol

Thousand Sons Patrol

   I am a great fan of playing with small armies in 40K as I think the large models need space and lots of terrain to make manoeuvre tactically important. The background of the Thousand Sons in particular lend themselves to narrative games featuring an intrepid exploration team: and here is my version.

HQ

   An Exalted Sorcerer, or Sorcerer if appropriate, is the leader of the expedition and the only HQ.

Rubric Marine Section

   The 'muscle' of my sorcerer's team is provided by a section of Thousand Sons Rubric Marines, which I class as 'Troops' in a Thousand Son force.

Horrors

   A mixed unit of Horrors make an excellent 'meat-shield' of expendables.

Screamers

   A small unit of Daemon Screamers of Tzeentch are great as a fast attack strike unit or emergency reserve, capable of quickly exploiting a success or plugging a hole.

Mirrorfiend

   And finally the Mirrorfiend, played as a Forgefiend, give the patrol a heavy assault unit.


So there it is, a finished army.

Well, almost finished as I might just add some Tzaangors or cultists.....and maybe some Scarab Terminators as an elite bodyguard, and....................

Daemon Engine of Tzeentch - Mirrorfiend

"The monstrosity that pushed its way between two warehouses stripped to bare ferrocrete was neither living nor machine but a wyrd-cursed amalgam. Its six many-jointed legs carried a flattened body from which protruded long growths with puckered openings at the top. Metallic plates grew from unnatural flesh, glinting with heretical runework. Warpfire flickered from the body-tubes, leaving trails of multicoloured exhaust fume. Its head was like that of a giant beetle, many-pronged antlers of black and red like a phalanx of spears thrust from the top"
Thorpe, 'Ashes of Prospero'

There are a number of hints across 40K lore of a special daemon engine of Tzeentch that looks like a beetle, sort off. It should have its own rules but can be played as a Forgefiend with ectoplasma cannons and jaws.

This particular model is a Bob Olley sculpt sold by Reaper as a Giant Beetle in metal, and is slightly small for a daemon engine but not outrageously so - given that a mirrorfiend is described elsewhere as 'slightly smaller than a battle tank'.

Mierce Miniatures make a bigger sculpt that would be even more suitable but is inevitably more expensive, around £40.

Imperial Navy RE-45 Lander

Side shot showing lateral, fast-exit, troop hatches, heavy thruster baffles, underwing air intakes and the rotatable jet nozzles used for hoverflight and fast lift offs.

It is a largely plastic model built over  a balsa wood chassis.

I made this scratch-build Imperial shuttle some time ago but had no idea what it was. However, the recent novel, 'Watchers of the Throne', cleared the matter up.

It's an Re-45 shuttle!

The RE-45 was a commonplace lander used to put Imperial Guard infantry platoons on-planet in hot drops.

It was phased out as developing Guard strategy required the immediate application of crushing force: the lander was just too small and so was replaced by massive landers capable of carrying entire companies (or even regiments) with heavy weapon support.

Most of the RE-45 landers were demilitarised to be used as civilian shuttles but, the Imperium being what it is, a large number of the original military landers are still found in use by various dodgy organisations like Rogue Traders and The Inquisition.

They are of course a bit beat up but that suits Inquisitors travelling incognito.

Bow shot showing the fixed lascannon and twin bolter turret used for point defence and to shoot up the landing zone prior to touch down.

Most RE-45s have acquired various additional blisters of equipment over the years on the outer hull - causing much teeth-gnashing in the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Stern shot showing the three primary thrusters, heavy blast baffles and vertical fins: note the heavy air brakes (located in front of the baffles) used for controlling steep descents.

Dorsal shot showing various augurs and void-vox ariels, dorsal twin thrusters, tail horizontal and dorsal fins and a pilot's hatch.

RE-45 parked alongside a Fury and Inquisition gun cutter.

Another size comparison shot.

The RE-45 is a much more robust piece of equipment than the Avis shuttle or a rogue trader space hauler. his makes it an Inquisiton favourite for insertion into problematic situations where armour, and a servitor controlled twin heavy bolter turret, are more important than comfort or convenience.

Seond Hand 40K

I desired to add a Hellbrute to my small Khorne Berserker army but the old bank account has taken a bit of a dive this month due to storm damage from the winter gales on my roof so funds for military expenditure were restricted.

However, eBay is full of second hand models from GW starter kits offered at very reasonable prices. I picked up this model for about one third new price. I chose one that had been painted flat red and black so it could easily be overpainted without another layer of undercoat. I also opened and reglued a joint that had come loose and changed the basing to match my army.

I will probably add trophies to the arm chains when time permits.

All told, this was achieved in a single evenings modelling.

Is it as good as a new bespoke Hellbrute, lovingly painted? Of course not.

Is it a usable model at a budget price and a few hours work? Hell yes!

New Space Marines by Belisarius Cawl

Belsarius Cawl

"Everyone's a bloody critic." said Belsarius Cawl, in binary. "You spend ten thousand years giving them new Space Marines with two wounds and do they appreciate it? No, they whine"

He gurgled down his breathing tube in indignation and switched to speech.

"They're too big. They won't fit in a Rhino. They get stuck in the hatches of space hulks........."

Later that evening, he was baiting a trap with cheese when an idea occurred. Maybe space marine DNA was more malleable than he had assumed.

I give you, Belsarius Cawl's deadly Space Meece.

"I hate Meeces to Pieces," Abbadon the Despoiler.

Kitbashed Inquisition Gun-Cutter

High Altitude Flight.

"What rose above the landing platform out of the blizzard night,its down thrusters wailing, was my gun-cutter. Four hundred and fifty tonnes of armoured alloy, eighty metres from barbed nose to raked stern, landing gear still lowered like spider legs, it rose on the blue-hot downwash of angled jets. Banks of floodlights under its beak-nose cut on and bathed the deck and the cultists in fierce white light.

The gun turrets in the end of the stubby wings rotated and washed the platform with withering heavy fire.....Bodies were reduced to sprays of liquid.'
Xenos

Thus Dan Abnett inspired me to kitbash a Gun Cutter for my Inquisitor and gang. Eighty metres is a trifle on the large size, about 1.2 metres in game scale, so I cut it back a bit.

I started with one of these, A Revell snap-together Halo Pelican kit. This is modelled at 1:100, roughly 15mm in game scale, so is manageable as a 28 ml model on the table top. These models can be bought for about £25.

This kit really does snap together. The parts fit tightly without glue. I am a little uncertain about this being suitable for children as quite a bit of pressure is needed on the snap-tights. The assembled whole has great playability with lots of moving parts, bits that light up and a 'whoo-whoo' space noise.

Assembled it's about the same size as a Valkyrie. The great thing is that the cockpit bubbles are huge at 15mm, so just right for 28mm.

I was so pleased with the result that I used the model more or less as is.

Gun Cutter in Flight Configuration.

I sprayed the model all over in Citadel Mechanicus Standard (medium) Grey to prime and undercoat - with the cockpit removed. To this I airbrushed on a top coat of Vallejo metallic black (gunmetal) and on top of that Humbrol Multi-Hue Blue. I then spot painted with Mr Colour Metallic Red. Some spare Citadel 'flight' decals completed the look.

The Business End.

I put a couple of searchlights on the front hull. The model comes with four hard points on the wings so I added some Old Crow resin missiles from my bits box.

The cockpit is colourised on the inside with Citadel 'candy' blue transparent paint so one can't see the 15mm seats but the blue interior flashing light is still visible when i want to make woo-woo noises.

Landing Gear Lowered.


With the gear lowered and the ramp dropped down at the rear, the Cutter can easily be loaded.

Rotating Thrusters.

Ready for Vertical Lift Off.

I added two rotating cannon mounts under the engines. The Cutter now has the same weapon loading as a Corvus so may be played as one and still be wysiwyg.

So there we go: a really neat Inquisition Gun Cutter for the princely sum of £25, some paint, and a few spare bits.

Result!

Kit-Bashed Genestealer Cult Vehicles

My Goliath Rockgrinder equipped with various bits from my junk-box alongside a cultist.

The Rockgrinding bit.

Showing the heavy stubber and burner.

A really series big Goliath truck.

Carrying cultists into combat.