Zaiden Shraane,Captain of the III Company

'What can be said about my brother Zaiden Shraane? That he was the best of us, an exemplar of the Shrikes. He fought war like a man born for it. His commitment to a battle would be the turning tide. The fields of Ghemsecht, Adrim's Sorrow, the Tropon Conflagration. All won by decisive blows applied by Shraane.

His death on Kerishian Seven-Alpha robbed us of our future just as much as the Black Deep Atrocity did'

Talak d'Eletin, I Company, Crimson Shrikes Adeptus Astartes

'They call me 'The Revered' now. The truth is all I ever see in my brothers' eyes is shame'

Anicent Shraane, 'The Revered' - Dreadnought, Crimson Shrikes Adeptus Astartes

''Hunter Revealed', the assault force of Shrikes deployed onto Kerishian, were led by Brother-Captain Shaane. His tactical acuity and rapid assaults against rebel elements drove the fight to the Ethnarch. This would have broken any sane man. Shraane's mistake was to forget that the Ethnarch was mad. Insane enough to try any method to save himself from retribution. His response, and the insults to both the Shrikes and Shraane's honour, led to the mortal wounding of Shraane at the height of the war, and the rise of Brother Yor Jestine of the I Company to nominal leader until the resolution of the conflict'

Inquisitor Judia Isut - 'To Drift Like Fire'

Tangent Diagonal WIP part two

I've been working away on Tangent bit by bit, and am now at the stage where I only have the main body, pilot and base to complete. I'm tempted to bit a bit of Cities of Death scenery on the base just to make it look look Tangent's involved in urban combat. C&C always welcome.

More work on Tangent Diagonal

So, I've been getting some paint down on Tangent Diagonal in the last week, when I've not been playing the new COD (in which, I can confirm, I suck) and have finished the front section and cockpit. The only problem is, when the canopy and pilot are in place you can't see much of the detail I painted in! Ah well, such is life!

Anyways. pics! Does anyone else find that taking pictures tends to highlight mistakes that you can't even see? I have so much touching up to do!

Hopefully I will have the majority of Tangent done by the end of next week, as it's mostly metallics left and then details...

Tangent Diagonal WIP

'You think Astartes are dangerous on the ground? Wait until you get them in the air...'

Attributed to unknown Kerishian PDF trooper

I was going to work on painting my Sternguard next. However, after painting a full Tactical squad, I didn't want to run the risk of burnout painting infantry. My 1750 list has a lot of vehicles in it, which presents a problem for me. I really, really dislike painting vehicles! I'm not sure why, but it's something I tend to try and avoid. So, time to tackle my fear head on, and where better to start than Tangent Diagonal, my Stormtalon? I wasn't sold on the model when it first came out, but it grew on me, and when I finally bought my own I fell in love! It's gorgeous, and instead of thinking of it as a plane, I feel it has more of an Apache/Cobra look. I can just imagine one of these hovering outside an enemy held building and just shredding it with assault cannon and missile fire. 

I've done the red and black on the model, and just need to start laying down the metals now, which shouldn't take long. Speaking of which, I need to find a tutorial for making engine burns if anyone knows a good one? 

The Fourth Shrine War.

//Entry//

//Inquis/2564556M.41/FourthShineWar/CrimShks//

//ThrdCom/Actns/

//SqPoriat//

Ctn???

'Squad Poriat were deployed to provide the devotees of Ikartian with proof that the Emperor protects. After the Ethnarch enacted his terrible work, and corrupted waves of mutated gene-horror swarmed the streets and chapels of that great city, their role in the Shrine War changed. Yes, the Emperor protects. But he is also wrathful.'

Inquistor Judia Isut - 'To Drift Like Fire', An examination of the Fourth Shrine War

'Ten Astartes. Ten Astartes against the frenzied hordes. They talk of these things in legend. The reality is somewhat different.'

Brother Dayrn Sevart, Squad Poriat.

'The Seventh Ethnarch of Quiscience. Madman. Tyrant. Prophet.

All of the above are just words. The Ethnarch was not a creature of words. His sermons were delivered unto the flesh of his foes. Experiments that were a crime not just against the Imperium, but reality itself. Melding warp-magicks and gene-flensing to create that which he believed Mankind should aspire to become. Insanity will make a man have belief that even his greatest crimes were done with the best intentions. We hunted and quarried him though sector after sector, putting that which he forged to sword and the flame. When he fell onto Kerishian Alpha-Seven, our luck had changed. The chances of using a Astartes recruitment world as a lair were fortuitous beyond our wildest dreams. Three months after the Ethnarch made planetfall, the Astartes battle cruiser 'Dagger Luna', containing elements of the Crimson Shrikes' First, Third and Tenth Companies translated in-system...

What happened to the Crimson Shrikes on Kerishian Alpha-Seven was a small price to pay to bring the bastard Ethnarch to the Emperor's justice.'

Inquisitorial Agent 'Tristian Ravewind'. Believed to be an alias of *REDACTED*.

Images of Demi Squad Poriat, who during the First Battle for Ikartian were led by Sargeant Poriat in guerilla warfare against high value targets and armour destruction. After the destruction of 'Dagger Luna' and the impossibility of resupply, both demi-squads were forced to conserve ammunition, and later resorted to one or two man raids on enemy positions armed with only close combat weaponry and their fury, designed to cripple both remaining Ethnarch command structure and sow terror amongst 'regular' line troops.  

Demi-Squad Surrtaya, led by Imoge Surrtaya. As seen above, he carries the marking of the 'Thorn Wreath' on his right shoulder pad, and wields a Phobos pattern bolter, a rare gift in such a young Chapter, and both of these signify that Surrtaya is soon to undertake the ritual that could lead to advancement into the First Company. It is believed that after the end of the war, he undertook the membership trial known as 'The Piercing', but died four days into the ordeal.

Of further interest can be seen both Brother Kaynt on the far right, and Brother Tormah carrying a M36 Class II gravitational weapon. These brothers were the first two Astartes causalities in the Shrine War, and although Brother Kaynt was believed to have perished in an explosion on the fifth day of the battle, Brother Tormah was captured and flayed alive by the Ethnarch's forces. After the war, his body was recovered, but missing both of his progenoids...

More work, and the art of transfers...

I've been slowly working on my first Tactical squad, and have now managed to get two more Marines done, including my graviton gun wielding specialist. I was going to go with a plasma gun, but the graviton gun just looks too cool not to use, plus my gaming group won't mind if I say it's a plasma gun. 

After posting some of my pics on the Bolter and Chainsword forum, I had feedback that the Shrikes needed something to break the red and black up. I realised that a perfect way to do that would be to use squad markings and a chapter logo, just to bring some more life to the models. I originally painted the Tactical arrows on, but found that I could get better results using transfers. I've never really used these before, but after some searching around on Youtube, and buying some supplies, I was ready. I decided to use the Raptors transfer sheet from Forgeworld as the chapter symbol would work nicely. These are the first results, and I'm sort of OK with them. There's a few creases that I've yet to work out how to eliminate (advice would be great here!), and I've had to paint in a few gaps, but overall the effect works. Mircosol and Mircoset are your friends! I would recommend that you try transfers, even if you're a bit nervous, as they can save so much time and effort.

Tactical Demi Squad Poriat

'When we fell onto Kerishian Seven-Alpha, we deployed into the shrine-city of Ikartian. We were surrounded by pilgrims and worshipers, coming in their droves to see His divine wrath incarnate. Angels, they called us. Heralds of the Emperor. They fell to their knees and wept with joy at our coming. We were reminded that these people were why we had come here, to protect humanity.

If only we'd known.

If only I'd known. 

If I'd known what would become of the people of that illustrious city, and what they, in turn, would do to Brothers Kaynt and Tormah, I would have killed them all at first sight.'

Sargeant Mortanin Poriat, III Company, Crimson Shrikes Adeptus Astartes

The Crimson Shrikes

So, my last two posts. Clearly, I've been building up to something, and after a mammoth painting and building effort today, I felt it was time to show off what I've been working on. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Crimson Shrikes Space Marines! 

Currently I have the basics of two tactical squads and a unit of Sternguard built and mostly basecoated. To start I'll be building a 1500 point list which I will be posting at a later date, as I'm undecided which Chapter Tactics to use (I'm think gaming wise that the Imperial Fists would be best). These guys are going to be painted to the best of my standard, even if that means I take a long time over each unit, as I feel my Dark Angels have been done for just about tabletop, and I'd like an army that people would coo over. This has been helped by the below two items, which means I can really cut down on basing time and get the red cranked out rapidly!

As for how this is going to be presented blogwise, I have taken massive inspiration from this forum thread by Jackdaw on Warseer. It's really incredible stuff, and helps his army to seem less like a bunch of toy soldiers, and more like a force of hyper lethal killers. I also am a massive fan of the way his Astartes are presented, not as a noble ideal, but as merciless killers that answer to no one but themselves and the Emperor. The Shrikes will be getting a backstory during my posts, and hopefully I'll be able to tell the tale of how even the most noble and 'human' of Space Marine chapters can become jaded and intolerant. 

There's a lot of work to be done, and I'll possibly be winging a lot of the fluff. But hopefully I can keep you all entertained and interested, and come out with a top shelf looking army as well. Now, where's that spray...?

Kaynt Leodor of the Third

'They say of the Astartes that we are war personified. With only my boltgun and my armour, I can destroy empires. They forget that the true weapon of a Space Marine is hate. Hate for my enemies, hate for the traitor and the xeno. My armour can be broken, and my boltgun can have no ammunition. But my hate can never run dry.'

Kaynt Leodor, III Company, Crimson Shrikes Adeptus Astartes

+++Transmission incoming+++

+++Incoming transmission+++
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+++Incoming transmission+++

Thought for the day - Heresy begets retribution.

'We had recruited from the planet Kerishian Seven-Alpha for nigh on five centuries. 500 years of new Astartes, new warriors to prosecute the enemies of the Emperor. When we found what the Seventh Ethnarch of Quiescence had wrought with his gene heretics, we fell from the sky as vengeance defined, our need to secure our future fuelling our hate. Had we known the great terror and shame that would be brought to our Chapter's name, we would have burned Kerishian Seven-Alpha from the sky'

Veteran Sergeant Enric Seleton, Third Company, Crimson Shrikes Adeptus Astartes.

Deathwing Squad Haluiel WIP, new Space Marine models, and thoughts on blogging.

My next unit to complete is Squad Haluiel of the Deathwing. It's a standard unit, albeit with a Plasma Cannon. I do love a bit of plasma goodness, and finally Terminators can now take this weapon. It helps that the sculpt is really nice too. I'm knuckling down to get these guys finished as soon as possible.

I'm sure the vast majority of you have now seen the new Space Marine models floating around the internet. I won't comment on the rules, as I'd rather wait until the codex is out, but the models themselves are mostly a win. The Librarian and Captain snap fits are cracking, and I'll be picking up a pair for painting. The new Tactical marines aren't that dissimilar to the old sculpts, but sometimes a refresh is good, and the new poses will be good for players with large amounts of standard Marines in their armies. Also, AIMING MARINE! Plastic Sternguard and Vanguard are always good, and the combi weapons will ensure the Sternguard kits will be very popular with any Marine player.

The Centurions however...Hooo boy. I just don't get the idea of these at all. The models are just...strange at best, and they don't really even look like they fit into the marine design aesthetic. The fluff part will be interesting too, as now clearly Terminator armour isn't the best available, so why aren't the whole 1st Company of any chapter armed with these suits? I'm looking forward to being convinced, but I do hope they don't try and force them in.

The release has me excited though overall. I'm thinking that maybe a small strike force might be an option, but of course the main difficulty is...which chapter?! 

And finally...

I've been trying to keep a huge rate of posting up on On White Wings We Ride. Blogging is great as it allows you to share your thoughts and ideas with the community at large, but to me, this content should still have a high quality and also be fun for the blogger. I've started to feel that I'm not providing the quality that I would prefer, all in order to update at least three times a week. 

This may be due to the slowdown I'm personally feeling in 40K. I've played more games in the last year than I have in ten years, which I am incredibly lucky to have a great gaming group. However, so much in such a quick time has led to a little bit of burnout for me personally, and the Nerd Garage have also decided to run a Necromunda campaign in the meantime while we all recharge our 40K batteries. This also allows us time to prepare new armies. I know Danny's getting his Tau finished off, while Pootank is building and painting his new Eldar army and I'll finally be raising my Necron horde.

So, with both the blog quality, and the gaming slowdown, I'll be taking OWWWR from a high posting schedule down to maybe one or two posts a week. I hope this means I can look at having more in-depth posts that will hopefully help and enhance both my, and the community's, hobby. I will try and keep the short posts to a minimum, and will refrain from posting for the sake of posting.

However, I'd like your thoughts on the above. What do you feel is the best way to run a blog? Lots of small posts, or large posts at intervals? Somewhere in-between? Let me know!

Caliban's Twilight finished

Finally finished Caliban's Twilight. Not much to add here, also it did seem to take ages to paint an 80 pt model :P Photos aren't particularly great either as the black seems very washed out, which IRL isn't anywhere near as bad as on here. Oh well, it's done now, and now time to move onto some more Deathwing!

Deathwing Assualt and Lord Coatez

We've had a recent airbrushing session in the Nerd Garage, which I took advantage off to get my current Deathwing models based. I'm not a massive fan of airbrushing a model to completion, as I feel it loses the hands-on touch of painting, but basing is a lifesaver. I took my Deathwing Knight squad and a standard Deathwing unit to get basecoated, so these will be my next items to paint after my Darkshroud is finished (not much left now!)

And, as it was a prime oppotunity and something I'd always meant to do, I took the liberty of getting my Land Raider Crusader basecoated as well. Is there anything cooler in the whole of 40K than a bone-white Land Raider?

Plenty of Deathwing to work my way through there then. I'm really looking forward to the Knights as they're one of my favourite new units and just look fantastic if done right.

Finally, I managed to convince Pootank to let me paint his Inquistor Coatez. I love this model, and yet for some reason have never bought or painted him. I did the cleaning up which took a while (joys of Finecast), and am going to go for the classic gold look. This will be done with a light silver basecoat which will then be washed with Seraphim Sepia until I get the rich gold colour I'm looking for. This will be a treat and a nice break from green, bone and black!

Painting, temperature and Necron lists.

It's been waaaay to hot to paint here in the UK over the last week or so, so not much progress has been made on Caliban's Twilight. However, after a quick painting session today, she's very close to completion for me, needing about an hour's work. You can see in the WIP pics my sloppy painting style, which looks awful at the moment, but I've always been more inclined to get paint onto a model and clear it up later.

In the meantime, I've been looking at my Necrons. The Nerd Garage needs some new armies to play with and against. Pootank is going for the new Eldar, and Danny's slogging through his Tau, leaving me to step up and get the 'Crons back on the table. I've come up with the below list, and ordered the Tomb Blades. The rest I currently own and just need to get built/repaired. Thoughts would be good.

1500 Pts - Necrons Roster

HQ: Overlord (1#, 145 pts)

   1 Overlord, 145 pts ((C:NE, pg. 30); Infantry; Warscythe; Mindshackle Scarabs; Resurrection Orb; Ever-Living; Independent Character; Reanimation Protocols; Warlord)

: Royal Court (3#, 125 pts)

   1 Royal Court, 125 pts

      1 Harbinger of Destruction ((C:NE, pg. 32); Infantry; Harbinger of Destruction; Eldritch Lance; Solar Pulse; Ever-Living; Reanimation Protocols)

      1 Harbinger of Destruction ((C:NE, pg. 32); Infantry; Harbinger of Destruction; Eldritch Lance; Ever-Living; Reanimation Protocols)

      1 Harbinger of Destruction ((C:NE, pg. 32); Infantry; Harbinger of Destruction; Eldritch Lance; Ever-Living; Reanimation Protocols)

Elite: Triarch Stalker (1#, 165 pts)

   1 Triarch Stalker, 165 pts ((C:NE, pg. 39); TL Heavy Gauss Cannon; Quantum Shielding; Living Metal; Move Through Cover; Targeting Relay; Vehicle (Open-topped, Walker))

Troops: Warriors (20#, 260 pts)

   20 Warriors, 260 pts ((C:NE, pg. 33); Infantry; Gauss Flayer; Reanimation Protocols)

Troops: Warriors (9#, 219 pts)

   8 Warriors, 219 pts ((C:NE, pg. 33); Infantry; Gauss Flayer; Reanimation Protocols)

      1 Ghost Ark ((C:NE, pg. 53); Gauss Flayer Array (each side); Quantum Shielding; Living Metal; Repair Barge; Jink; Vehicle (Open-topped, Skimmer))

Troops: Warriors (9#, 219 pts)

   8 Warriors, 219 pts ((C:NE, pg. 33); Infantry; Gauss Flayer; Reanimation Protocols)

      1 Ghost Ark ((C:NE, pg. 53); Gauss Flayer Array (each side); Quantum Shielding; Living Metal; Repair Barge; Jink; Vehicle (Open-topped, Skimmer))

Fast Attack: Tomb Blades (3#, 60 pts)

   3 Tomb Blades, 60 pts ((C:NE, pg. 42); Jetbike; TL Gauss Blaster; Reanimation Protocols; Hammer of Wrath; Jink; Relentless)

Fast Attack: Tomb Blades (3#, 60 pts)

   3 Tomb Blades, 60 pts ((C:NE, pg. 42); Jetbike; TL Gauss Blaster; Reanimation Protocols; Hammer of Wrath; Jink; Relentless)

Fast Attack: Tomb Blades (3#, 60 pts)

   3 Tomb Blades, 60 pts ((C:NE, pg. 42); Jetbike; TL Gauss Blaster; Reanimation Protocols; Hammer of Wrath; Jink; Relentless)

Heavy Support: Annihilation Barge (1#, 90 pts)

   1 Annihilation Barge, 90 pts ((C:NE, pg. 49); Tesla Cannon; TL Tesla Destructor; Quantum Shielding; Living Metal; Jink; Vehicle (Open-topped, Skimmer))

Heavy Support: Annihilation Barge (1#, 90 pts)

   1 Annihilation Barge, 90 pts ((C:NE, pg. 49); Tesla Cannon; TL Tesla Destructor; Quantum Shielding; Living Metal; Jink; Vehicle (Open-topped, Skimmer))

How to solve a problem like Tau?

Blue skinned aliens may have Riptides. They may have double Missile Pod Crisis Suits. They may even have three shot STR 5 rifles. But they don't have the righteous fury of the Lion, and that is why these guys are needed!

                                    

I really love Deathwing, and now that I've started getting them painted in a way I like, I'm desperate to finish the units I have. All of these are next after my Darkshroud, so going to be chopping through these soon.

Caliban's Twilight WIP

Having repaired my Darkshroud, Caliban's Twilight, I've set to paint the beast. And it's not coming along too badly. The most tedious part for me was all the silver underneath the Speeder, as it's a massive area that doesn't have much in the way of details to break up. But after that it's seeming to go quite quickly. I've painted the Icon of Old Caliban in a bright scheme, which should make it stand out on the battlefield, but if I had the skill, I'd have done the Icon in a grey marble scheme as I think this would look more like it came from a destroyed building. 

Some close up detail of the Icon. The wings on the angel stands will be white with gold edging to match my Black Knight trims and to help tie this into the rest of my Ravenwing.

And a quick shot of the cockpit interior. Surprisingly easy to paint these, and they look awesome with painted buttons and screen. These will have a few extra bits painted to make them look like scanner screens.

I should be able to get this done by the weekend with any luck, with only the last bits of white, silver and the Marine crew to detail. Next up will be either another Deathwing squad, or the start of my second Tactical squad. I'll have to see what takes my fancy.

An Eldar list...

No painting this week as I've been laid up with some awful bug. But I have been looking at Eldar recently...

Note - The Nerd Garage have yet to embrace flyers on the whole. 1500 pts isn't a lot to go around, and with the amount of bodies in our usual lists getting room for a flyer isn't a priority. That's why there's a lack of anti air in all of my lists as it's not something I'll need right now.


1500 Pts - Eldar Roster

HQ: Farseer (1#, 105 pts)
   1 Farseer, 105 pts ((C:E, pp. 28 & 95); Infantry (Character); Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Ghosthelm; Singing Spear; Warlord; Ancient Doom; Battle Focus; Fleet; Independent Character; Psyker (Mastery Level 3))

Elite: Striking Scorpions (6#, 142 pts)
   5 Striking Scorpions, 142 pts ((C:E, pp. 33 & 98); Infantry; Heavy Aspect Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Scorpion Chainsword; Plasma Grenades; Mandiblaster; Ancient Doom; Battle Focus; Fleet; Infiltrate; Move Through Cover; Stealth)
      1 Striking Scorpion Exarch (Character; Scorpion Chainsword; Scorpion's Claw; Mandiblaster)

Elite: Fire Dragons (7#, 297 pts)
   5 Fire Dragons, 297 pts ((C:E, pp. 34 & 98); Infantry; Heavy Aspect Armour; Fusion Gun; Melta Bombs; Ancient Doom; Battle Focus; Fleet)
      1 Fire Dragon Exarch (Character; Heavy Aspect Armour; Firepike; Fast Shot)
      1 Wave Serpent ((C:E, pp. 45 & 97); Vehicle (Tank, Fast, Skimmer, Transport); 12 model capacity; TL Scatter Lasers; Shuriken Cannon; Serpent Shield; Jink)

Troops: Guardian Defenders (11#, 235 pts)
   10 Guardian Defenders, 235 pts ((C:E, pp. 40 & 96); Infantry; Mesh Armour; Shuriken Catapult; Plasma Grenades; Ancient Doom; Battle Focus; Fleet)
      1 Heavy Weapon Platform (Shuriken Cannon)
      1 Wave Serpent ((C:E, pp. 45 & 97); Vehicle (Tank, Fast, Skimmer, Transport); 12 model capacity; TL Scatter Lasers; Shuriken Cannon; Serpent Shield; Jink)

Troops: Guardian Defenders (11#, 235 pts)
   10 Guardian Defenders, 235 pts ((C:E, pp. 40 & 96); Infantry; Mesh Armour; Shuriken Catapult; Plasma Grenades; Ancient Doom; Battle Focus; Fleet)
      1 Heavy Weapon Platform (Shuriken Cannon)
      1 Wave Serpent ((C:E, pp. 45 & 97); Vehicle (Tank, Fast, Skimmer, Transport); 12 model capacity; TL Scatter Lasers; Shuriken Cannon; Serpent Shield; Jink)

Troops: Windrider Jetbike Squad (6#, 122 pts)
   6 Windrider Jetbike Squad, 122 pts ((C:E, pp. 41 & 97); Eldar Jetbike; Mesh Armour; Eldar Jetbike; TL Shuriken Catapults x4; Shuriken Cannon x2; Hammer of Wrath; Jink; Relentless; Ancient Doom; Battle Focus)

Fast Attack: Warp Spiders (6#, 114 pts)
   6 Warp Spiders, 114 pts ((C:E, pp. 37 & 100); Infantry; Jump Units; Heavy Aspect Armour; Death Spinner; Warp Jump Generators; Bulky; Deep Strike; Ancient Doom; Battle Focus; Fleet; Hit & Run)

Heavy Support: Fire Prism (1#, 125 pts)
   1 Fire Prism, 125 pts ((C:E, pp. 44 & 102); Vehicle (Fast, Skimmer, Tank); Prism Cannon; TL Shuriken Catapults; Jink)

Heavy Support: Fire Prism (1#, 125 pts)
   1 Fire Prism, 125 pts ((C:E, pp. 44 & 102); Vehicle (Fast, Skimmer, Tank); Prism Cannon; TL Shuriken Catapults; Jink)

WIP Deathwing

A short and sweet post today. I haven't done any painting this week due to being busy all week and having a wedding to attend yesterday (which was fantastic, although Jagerbombs always make it hard to remember what happened!), but I've decided to get my last Deathwing squad together. Just have two more to build and then eventually paint. 

Also, Apocalypse is looking impressive. I'm not going to be picking it up, but the models coming out are amazing. The Tesseract Vault is astonishing! Going to be trying to not spend any money on models for a little while as I have enough to keep me going for a long time, and could do with saving some cash. 

Gravity...Pfft!

I know I only posted yesterday, but then gravity intervened...

Luckily it split right down the joins, so it's an easy fix, but DAYUM! So for the time being I'm gonna work on my three bikes for my Ravenwing Attack Squad instead. 

Also, as it's only a short post, I thought I'd keep up the tradition of posting my pet. This is Jess, my Jack Russell. She's nine and very small for a Russell, but is full of energy! She has to take a lots of pills everyday as the not in the best of health, but she never lets that stop her! Her favourite things about 40k are eating metal plasma cannons, and running off with the odd bolter when I'm not paying attention.

Caliban's Twilight

After completing my Deathwing, I've realised that I want to paint something a bit different to infantry, and decided to get at least one vehicle done. Looking through my box of things to paint, I decided to paint up my Darkshroud, which I've named 'Caliban's Twilight'. I know the model got a lot of flak from the internet for looking clunky and asymmetrical, but I think that adds to the charm. It looks like a relic, something that shouldn't be possible and yet is, and isn't that part of what 40K is about? It's had a subtle highlight of Eshin Grey, and then been washed after with Nuln Oil to tie the highlight in. Shouldn't take long to do, and will fit in nicely I think. I've done the base already, using Astrogranite, and topped off with Scorched Grass and snow flock.

I played Gandy in the week in the Nerd League, and, to be blunt, got hammered. I had one Deathwing Terminator left by the end. Both myself and Gandy came to the conclusion that I hadn't really played badly, but for some reason it all just swung his way. I'm certain the list itself is sound, but I can't quite make it work for me at the moment. More practice needed! Danny and Pootank went head to head, and by turn 3 Pootank's Space Wolves were begging for mercy. Danny's Tau list is a hard one to beat, and Tau can just hurl out the firepower. I had a go at making a list, and came up with this.

1500 Pts - Tau Empire Roster

HQ: Ethereal (1#, 50 pts)

   1 Ethereal, 50 pts ((C:TE, pg. 35, iPad, pg. 58).; Infantry (Character); Failure is Not An Option; Independent Character; Invocation of the Elements; Stubborn)

HQ: Commander (2#, 167 pts)

   1 Commander, 167 pts ((C:TE, pg. 34, iPad, pg. 57).; Infantry (Jetpack, Character); Crisis Battlesuit; Missile Pod x2; Blacksun Filter; Multi-Tracker; Puretide Engram Neurochip; XV8-02 Crisis 'Iridium' Battlesuit; Independent Character; Night Vision; Supporting Fire; Very Bulky; Warlord)

      1 Shield Drone (Infantry (Jetpack); Shield Generator; Supporting Fire)

Elite: XV8 Crisis Team (6#, 192 pts)

   1 XV8 Crisis Team, 192 pts ((C:TE, pg. 40-41, iPad, pg. 64-65).)

      1 Crisis Shas'ui ((C:TE, pg. 40-41, iPad, pg. 64-65).; Infantry (Jetpack); Crisis Battlesuit; Missile Pod x2; Blacksun Filter; Multi-Tracker; Night Vision; Supporting Fire; Very Bulky)

         1 Shield Drone (Infantry (Jetpack); Shield Generator; Supporting Fire)

      1 Crisis Shas'ui ((C:TE, pg. 40-41, iPad, pg. 64-65).; Infantry (Jetpack); Crisis Battlesuit; Missile Pod x2; Blacksun Filter; Multi-Tracker; Night Vision; Supporting Fire; Very Bulky)

         1 Shield Drone (Infantry (Jetpack); Shield Generator; Supporting Fire)

      1 Crisis Shas'ui ((C:TE, pg. 40-41, iPad, pg. 64-65).; Infantry (Jetpack); Crisis Battlesuit; Fusion Blaster x1; Missile Pod x1; Blacksun Filter; Multi-Tracker; Night Vision; Supporting Fire; Very Bulky)

         1 Shield Drone (Infantry (Jetpack); Shield Generator; Supporting Fire)

Elite: XV104 Riptide (1#, 185 pts)

   1 XV104 Riptide, 185 pts ((C:TE, pg. 45 & 100); Nova Reactor; Jet Pack Monstrous Creature; XV104 Riptide Battlesuit; Twin Linked Smart Missile System; Ion Accelerator; Blacksun Filter; Multi-Tracker; Riptide Shield Generator; Night Vision; Supporting Fire)

Troops: Fire Warrior Team (12#, 108 pts)

   1 Fire Warrior Team, 108 pts ((C:TE, pg. 37, iPad, pg. 60).)

      12 Fire Warriors (Infantry; Combat Armour; Pulse Rifle x12; Photon Grenade; Supporting Fire)

Troops: Fire Warrior Team (12#, 108 pts)

   1 Fire Warrior Team, 108 pts ((C:TE, pg. 37, iPad, pg. 60).)

      12 Fire Warriors (Infantry; Combat Armour; Pulse Rifle x12; Photon Grenade; Supporting Fire)

Troops: Fire Warrior Team (12#, 108 pts)

   1 Fire Warrior Team, 108 pts ((C:TE, pg. 37, iPad, pg. 60).)

      12 Fire Warriors (Infantry; Combat Armour; Pulse Rifle x12; Photon Grenade; Supporting Fire)

Troops: Kroot Carnivore Squad (15#, 90 pts)

   1 Kroot Carnivore Squad, 90 pts ((C:TE, pg. 53 & 99))

      15 Kroot ((C:TE, pg. 37); Infantry; Kroot Armour; Kroot Rifle x15; Infiltrate; Move Through Cover; Stealth (Forests))

Fast Attack: Pathfinder Team (5#, 55 pts)

   1 Pathfinder Team, 55 pts ((C:TE, pg. 38, iPad, pg. 61-62))

      5 Pathfinders ((C:TE, pg. 38, iPad, pg. 61-62); Infantry; Photon Grenade; Recon Armour; Markerlight x5; Pulse Carbine x5; Scouts; Supporting Fire)

Fast Attack: Pathfinder Team (5#, 55 pts)

   1 Pathfinder Team, 55 pts ((C:TE, pg. 38, iPad, pg. 61-62))

      5 Pathfinders ((C:TE, pg. 38, iPad, pg. 61-62); Infantry; Photon Grenade; Recon Armour; Markerlight x5; Pulse Carbine x5; Scouts; Supporting Fire)

Fast Attack: Pathfinder Team (5#, 55 pts)

   1 Pathfinder Team, 55 pts ((C:TE, pg. 38, iPad, pg. 61-62))

      5 Pathfinders ((C:TE, pg. 38, iPad, pg. 61-62); Infantry; Photon Grenade; Recon Armour; Markerlight x5; Pulse Carbine x5; Scouts; Supporting Fire)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 146 pts)

   1 Hammerhead Gunship, 146 pts ((C:TE, pg. 50, iPad, pg. 76); Vehicle (Skimmer, Tank); Twin Linked Smart Missile System; Railgun with solid shot; Submunition Rounds; Blacksun Filter; Disruption Pod; Jink; Night Vision)

Heavy Support: XV88 Broadside Team (6#, 178 pts)

   1 XV88 Broadside Team, 178 pts ((C:TE, pg. 42, iPad, pg. 66).)

      1 Broadside Shas'ui ((C:TE, pg. 42, iPad, pg. 66).; Infantry; Broadside Battlesuit; Twin Linked Heavy Rail Rifle; Twin Linked Smart Missile System; Blacksun Filter; Multi-Tracker; Extremely Bulky; Night Vision; Supporting Fire)

         1 Missile Drone (Infantry (Jetpack); Missile Pod; Supporting Fire)

         1 Missile Drone (Infantry (Jetpack); Missile Pod; Supporting Fire)

      1 Broadside Shas'ui ((C:TE, pg. 42, iPad, pg. 66).; Infantry; Broadside Battlesuit; Twin Linked Heavy Rail Rifle; Twin Linked Smart Missile System; Blacksun Filter; Multi-Tracker; Extremely Bulky; Night Vision; Supporting Fire)

         1 Missile Drone (Infantry (Jetpack); Missile Pod; Supporting Fire)

         1 Missile Drone (Infantry (Jetpack); Missile Pod; Supporting Fire)

It's obviously not the most optimised list, but it's something I'd like to build and play with eventually. I really like how Tau look and play, but at the moment I really want to concentrate on the Dark Angels. Maybe next year?

The Deathwing deploy for battle.

In what seems like no time at all, I've managed to whip through Squad Irael and get them painted. I chopped through these relatively quick as I suffered my age old issue of not thinking my painting looks any good until I get to the end. It doesn't help that I overbrushed the bone too much, leaving a small amount of details a little obscured. They don't suffer for it, but I'm not too pleased about it either. I'm also a bit meh about the Cyclone Terminator. I think it's because he doesn't have as much green on his chest emblem, meaning he doesn't seem to quite tie into the unit. I guess I sound quite negative about the whole painting of these, but I'm quite chuffed they're done. I'm especially happy about the sergeant, which has that nice leader aspect going on. They need basing, but I've painted for about 3 hours tonight in poor light, so that can wait until tomorrow!

And also, I got Belial finished! He was actually quite easy to paint, the only problem being that sometimes the paint wouldn't quite stick. I'm putting that down to the white undercoat he was based with. However, he was done over two nights, and now means my army can use Deathwing as Troops. He was also the second model in my army to get fully based with snow and scorched grass flock, and I've also done my Ravenwing Attack Squad. The rest will get done over time.

Speaking of the rest, I did a quick tally of what's been painted. So far, it comes to 1200 points give or take. That's quite a lot for me in 4 months, especially as the units have all been different colours. But I'm showing no signs of slowing down at all. I'm thinking for my next unit after the Deathwing are based, I'm going to paint  another three Ravenwing bikes to bump up the Attack Squad I already have, and at the same time paint my Darkshroud Speeder. Lots of black, but it'll give me a good unit and a painted vehicle. Then...who knows?

Deathwing WIP's and the Grand Master

I've got cracking into my Deathwing squad. At the moment they've had the bone completed, and I'm just in the process of blocking into colours prior to washing them all. I've raced ahead a little, and done the robe on my Sergeant, as I was looking forward to highlighting it, and it's come out looking really good.

You might also notice there appears to be a new Terminator on the right hand side. Well, that's my Belial, made from the Deathwing Command box. He was already painted a shade of bone, but I've redone it to match the rest of my army. I thought I'd get him done at the same time as he will be pretty much the same as the Deathwing squad to paint. Plus, then my army will have three painted Troop choices!

One thing I almost didn't put on my Terminators were the little daggers the Deathwing normally have. However, as I've used some Dark Vengeance models, I wanted the rest of the squad to tie in thematically. I'm going to paint the daggers separately and glue them on later.