Ultrasmurf Army

 Ultrasmurfs

This army isn't new but I had just given it a very basic paint job to get it on the table for 8th edition. As I now have time on my hands, sigh, I decided to tart them up a bit.

I wanted to give my Ultramarines a completely different feel to the Blood Angels as they are based on the 'safe' side of the Great Rift. Their armour and vehicles are clean, well maintained, waxed and polished....and in general they are better equipped. This is a mechanised detachment rather than an infantry raiding force.

1. HQ characters, Captain (5 points), three Lieutenants, one a Reiver (at 4 points each), and a Librarian converted from spare Primaris model (5 points).

2. Battleline Repulsor IFV (16 points) and two five-man Intercessor Squads (at 5 points each).

7. Battleline Tactical Squad of Old-Style Marines (10 points).

3. Heavy Fire Support Hell Blaster Squad (5 points).

4. Fast Attack Inceptor Squad (6 points).

5. Elite Reiver Squad (5 points) and Primaris Ancient (4 points).

6. Elite Scout Sniper Squad (4 points).

8. Contemptor Dreadnought (8 points).

9. CAS Stormtalon Gunship (9 points).

10. CAP Stormhawk Interceptor (10 points).

If I fielded the lot, the army comes to 112 points.

Indomitus Blood Angels Elite Close Combat Army

 HQ Units

I chose to paint my Indomitus Primaris marines as Blood Angels to represent the armies of the Imperium Nihilis. The models in the box let me assemble an elite, close combat, strike army - for which Blood Angels are perfect.

There are three HQ units: a Captain (centre), Lieutenant (right), and a chaplain (left). For a small army this is a heavy HQ loading.

Elites

In keeping with its elite status we have two elite characters: a Judiciar (left, a sort of champion with time-slow device), Bladeguard 'Ancient' carrying a Chapter Standard, and a Bladeguard Veteran Squad led by a sergeant (black shield).

These are all close quarter troops with bolt pistols, power swords and storm shields.

Power Sword

As an aside, I tried out a new painting method for the power shields using metallic paints and artist stippling brushes. I'm quite pleased with the look of energy  'sparkles' erupting on the sword's surface.

The armour is undercoated with a polyurethane black and then the colour built up in layers from dark to bright.

 Assault Troops

Two small units of assault troops equipped with chain swords and pistols, and led by a sergeant provide the 'grunt'. The Blood Angels are up against on the wrong side of the Great Chasm so their units are well below strength.

Fire Support

A fire support team with melta-rifles provide some armour piercing back up. Melta rifles are heavy assault guns so are perfect for a close combat assault army.

Outriders

Finally, a small unit of motorbike outriders is attached to the army for reccy, and outflanking tactics.

Blood Angels Primaris Captain: First Model of a New Army

 

Way, way, back in the dawn of time I had a Blood Angels Army based around one of the original metal Dreds and a load of the first starter set 40K. They were orange in those days, as I recall.

Finally getting around to opening my new Indomitus set, I was going to just add them to my Ultrasmurf Army. But then I had a radical idea: why not paint an army operating beyond The Great Tear in Space? Blood Angels are the obvious choice, especially as Dante is now Head Honcho of half the galaxy.

I went for a dark look for the captain, especially on the shield. These are dark days, after all. Anyway, I hate the white shields.

I will probably paint the line troops a little more brightly.

More clickable photos below.

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.

A Conversion Too Far

One of my fellow Twits on twitter has this offer today on #miniaturemonday. The scoundrel's name is Ryan @theblueheretic.

Such perversions of the Emperor's Angels demand instant cleansing.

Dark Angel Deathwing

Finished my Dark Vengeance Dark Angel termies. Only the biks to go and then for the cultists.

Dark Angels Tactical Squad

Still plugging my way through the Dark vengeance miniatures. And here we have a tactical squad in sombre tones. The only splash of bright colours are on the plasma gun coils and the helmet vision prisms.

Dark Angel HQ's

I have started painting my Dark Vengeance Dark Angels.

I wanted them to look sombre, as befits the unforgiven. These two are about as flashy as it will get.

I like the chaplain but not the commander model. He just doesn't look right.

Next up the tactical marines.

Dark Angel Codex Leaked

Go here for some pics from inside of the new gear.

There's some natty new landspeeders for the Ravenwing.

Grey Knight Squad

I bought and painted these around five years ago and have never used them in battle. So tyhey have gone on my eBay pile.

What I found amazing was the cost if you bought these new from GW. There are £33 of models here. I think I paid less than £15 (from memory so may not be entirely accurate). That's a 100% inflation rise in five years. Astonishing.

Black Templars

I need to raise some cash to fund new IG and Renegade armies so I am ruthlessly digging out armies that I do not use and I am putting them up for auction on eBay. Retired civil servants are not so well off as the papers would have you believe. There is also the issue of storage space. We intend to move to a smaller house now that the birds have flown the nest.

These are a few pics.