Astra Militarum Reinforcements With Wings And Sharp Boots!

Greetings, just a quick update with regard to my Astra Militarum army getting a bit more fighty. Tempestus Aquilons to steal objectives from the unwary and Bullgryns to clog up the midboard with their resilience.

Aquilons

After playing in Shanecon 24 and not losing any games I was awarded these for being a bundle of joy at the event. Now they're painted up I hope to make Shane (and all my other regular opponents) regret it. I took the pics in direct sunlight in the attic so apologies for not waiting until dark.

 

Ready to drop down and give enemies of the Imperium hot laser death!

Bullgryns

These are an Etsy purchase, I bought them as I had been getting my arse handed to me in some boarding actions games with my Astra Militarum, but that ends now! T6 with 4++ and a fnp with damage reduction should put the cat amongst the Death Guard! I like these models as they look like Bullgryns that are on an Imperial Navy ship, and I can also proxy them for other things as they don't have any features. Money saved, as they can be Grotesques, huge mutants or even undisclosed aliens for some wacky homebrew Rogue Trader spectacular!

There is something fishy going on with these Bullgryn helmets, the sergeant has three eye holes!

And this sergeant has one! A cyclops or another Adeptus Munitorum cock up?

So that's all folks. Expect a battle report with me extolling the virtues of these units and saying how great they are or equally possibly I get them wiped out in short order and inevitably going looking for my next big strategic thing.

In any case thanks for reading!

Deathworld Flora & Fauna ; The Spiny Abberration

Greetings. The following is an intercepted transmission from famed xenobiologist Zarp Mekradol of the Rogue Trader fleet belonging to  Agusttil The Flamboyant, currently exploring the Mantic sub sector of the Eastern Fringe.

The Spiny Abberration

Since entering the sub sector several encounters were made with an enormous xenos species that we have yet to determine it's original homeworld. It is large, immensely strong and resilient. Possessing a rudimentary intellect allowing them to communicate and follow simple instructions. Our first encounter with one was during trade negotiations with a member of the semi-aquatic species called the Guldphish. The creature seemed to be acting as a bodyguard and posed a threatening sight during the proceedings. We had a squad of Catachan Jungle Fighters as our bodyguard whereas the Guldphish merely had the Abberration. When trade negotiations broke down the creature lunged at Agusttil when the xenos merchant showed agitation. Luckily, it swiped the head from a servitors head before attempting to attack the Rogue Trader. His teleportation device removed him from the scene and the Catachans exacted retribution on the trade delegation with grenades and lasguns. Sadly none but sergeant Croker barely survived the engagement and the Imperium is currently at war the the Guldphish empire.

The Big, The Bad, and The Abomination.

 

Greetings, or whatever. Some progress has been made and I now feel compelled to inflict it on you, the accidental reader. So without additional preamble, here is what I done lately.

Simple Jim

I bought some Etsy Ogryns a while back as I was tired of getting my Astra Militarum Army's lunch money stolen as soon as the close combat phase arrived. At the moment all I have done is a single Ogryn Bodyguard who had his first outing against a Necron Starshatter detachment whereby he was the last man down in the game (except for some sneaky Catachan weapons teams), so I am pretty happy with him. I have 9 left so I can (eventually) field two units of Bullgryns (6 and 3) or even 3 units of 3 if I'm feeling saucy! In any case for now he is the loyal protector of my as yet unnamed Cadian Castellan of the Aarjas Peacekeepers, my current AM crusade force. As I'm feeling expansive, this particular Ogryn was originally part of a voidship crew's anti-boarding response team and on occasion a space hulk expendable nuke delivery crew. Thus he wears a uniform more like Navy Breachers, than official Bullgryn troops. So hopefully he can soon be featuring in battle reports where he rips off tau legs and beats the rest of the team to death with the wet end.

Simple Jim, Bullgryn Extrodinaire!

The Battle of Salt Storm: Straken's First Hoo-rah!

Greetings. I have deceided to try to rekindle my batrep habit. The game was played a couple of weeks ago but storm Aowyn but a halt to that by tearing doen trees and leaving myself and many thousands of others in Ireland without power. So enough about real life, it's time to retreat into my fantasy world.

Inquisitor Jao of the Ordo Astartes was on the Imperial planet Almyrós tracking evidence of a full tactical squad of Adeptus Astartes that had apparently turned renegade and departed their chapter. They were from a Blood Angel successor chapter called The Blood Swillers. His spy network informed him that a sizeable force of Blood Angels, led by commander Dante himself had landed on the planet. He was then  sent a curt message to desist any attempts to track the renegades as it was effectively being taken over as a Blood Angel business. Jao then decided to meet and discus the matter with Dante in a settlement known as Salt Storm due to it's proximity to the vast sodium granule desert and subsequent regular weather phenomenon . In accordance with his elevated suspicion he commandeered a force of Astra Militarum as an escort and arrived to find the blood Angels arrayed for battle. Without waiting for the Astartes  to attack Jao gave Commander Straken the order to deploy and thus the Battle of Salt Storm began.

2025 Reinforcements

 Happy New Year! Just a quick update to show some models I finished last year but because of reasons I only got to put them up now. It's another ecclectic mix of gubbins but at least some of it will see table time this year, I promise.

Multicultural Weapons Team

Last year I finished a couple of weapons teams for the Astra Miltarum, here is the final member of team Shoot 'em up. Most notable thing about this team is it contains a Cadian and a Tallarn. Truly proof that the Guard is one big happy, xenos hating family.

Ready to put large calibre but nontheless not very armour piercing munitions into the enemy.

Wannabee Commissar

This Valhallan lieutenant has been painted up as a Commissar with slightly questionable tastes in a uniform. Perhaps he is from a world where ludicrous hats are a thing, or perhaps he comes from Miliner 8 a planet where everyone makes the most of customising their head gear. Perhaps he is just wearing it for a dare. Only he, and by extension, me, knows.

Braggs Vanglore Commissar Extrodinaire!

Ursakar Creed

I can now confirm Ursakar Creed did not actually die at the fall of Cadia, he simple scarpered. With the new Astra Militarum book round the corner he may see some table time as his own daughter, some sort of Oedepus Syndrome in reverse.

Creed shows everyone his thousand yard stare.

Next are two Cadians that missed last muster and have shown up pretending they were here all along. Not much to say about them but they probably went AWOL with Creed on the last shuttle leaving Cadia dressed as orphans.

Privates Shufty and Koggs.

Redemptionist Zealot

This chap is going to join an Inquisitorial Henchmen group as an Eviscerator is just what is required to uncover the truth about whatever Inquisitor is looking into at any specific time. He can also hang out with his other Redemptionist mates if he is ever back on Necromunda, with a hankering for burning heretics. Fun times.

Slobberchops the Mangler

The Problem With Humanity These Days

Is mutants. The one below is a couple of AdMech bits grafted to a Skaven Clansman (or Slave). He is armed with some sort of Radium weapon and a big engorged throat. He will probably feature in a battle whenever I get my Chaos Cultist Army's shit together.

Goiters Malone

The Cops

Finished this month as well is my Adeptus Arbites squad. Cracking models, but I'm hoping to create some improbable occurances where they arrest Chaos Primarchs or an Avatar of Khaine. Or even the Silent King, I'm easy.

Ready to restrain criminals with extreme prejudice and minor glee.

Shotpistol, Webber and Grenade Launcher dudes.

Gimp, Buffalo Bill and Sniper.

One Proctor and his Cyber Hound

So there you have it, the Imperium has been reinforced, and the enemies of mankind will quake with terror at the sight of these heroes. Or something,

Thanks for reading.

Deathworld Flora & Fauna ; Giant Wasps

 Greetings. A while ago I backed a kickstarter that had all manner of weird D&D type stuff from Dungeons & Lasers, one of the first ones for me to paint up were some giant wasps. They were fearured in the original Rogue Trader rulebook and I really liked the idea of horrific critters buzzing around paralysing their prey and laying eggs in them as a particularly horrific end. another reason I painted them up quick was as proxies for razorwing flocks for my Beastmaster. 

Natures arsehole, the wasp.

Equally at home in urban areas.

All I need to do now is finish up some jungle terrain and play a skirmish game where the protagonists have to cross one side of the table to the other without upsetting a nests of these dillholes. In any case they are off my 'to do' list and on to my 'play with' lists.

Thanks for reading.

Faux Solar Leontus and Some Fodder

Greetings, it's been a while since my last update, but for some reason I wait until there are loads of nearly finished models then I procrastinate for weeks until I finally take the plunge and actually complete models. According to Instagram, I may have undiagnosed ADHD. Or, I'm just a bit on the lazy side.

Lord Solar Leontus Knock Off 

As I'm trying to actually finish my models rather than continually buy more, I decided  (some time ago) to knock up a Lord Solar to dish orders out to tank commanders. With the new munitorum field manual* that seems a bit redundant, but I don't call this blog Continental Drift Painting for nowt! So I dug around in my bits box and found an old Elector Count of Ostland who looks quite Attilan so I can make him my commander. Of course he is armed with a bow so some grinding and cutting later he has been given a shotgun. The runefang he holds in his other hand passes for the sort of fancy master crafted power sword that the aristocratic types are always getting handed to them, so no converting there. The horse is a standard armoured warhorse from back in the day, and to give it a more 40K look I used bits of a Chinaforge Wraithknight on the base as I really can't be arsed trying to put it together.He now represents any historical** Astra Militarum commander from any time in the 41st (or other) Millennium. 

Lord Solar Leontusish

Cadian Heavy Weapons Teams

Here's a couple of old metal heavy weapons teams. Rocket Launcher and Autocannon. In my experience weapons teams don't last pissing time in games, I wonder how much they will be used. These are the first models I've actually put on the 60mm base but I do like how you can make mini dioramas on them.

"Right lads, draw the enemies attention with your ever-so-slightly effective weapons!". 

Some Oldschool Guardsmen

Here are some early nineties metal guardsmen. I gave them some AdMech bits to denote a medic and vox unit. The rather bulbous plasma gun is from the Space Ork sprue from around the same time, I have a regimental standard to make me a second platoon command squad.

Spatz for the EMPEROR!

Below are some Cadians to form a blob with the command squad above. One of the main reasons is the command squad's special rule, the one that ignores negative modifiers to profiles (except ap) and as I regularly play against  Death guard, there is a built in gotcha in the army.

"VENGENCE FOR CADIA!".

"MORE VENGENCE FOR CADIA!"

Below is the old overweight Cadian lieutenant aided and abetted by two sergeants and a couple of expendables. Not like the ones in the Sly Stallone movies, the ones that have to put their soft bodies onto objectives a millisecond or two before enemy close combat troops gobble them up.

"Stand here men so's I don't get killed!".

Death Korp of Krieg

Next is some Death Korp of Krieg. Everyone's favourite cult of sacrifice fodder. I'm toying with the idea of using a 20 man blob but then I have to spend money. These ones are an exchange for some chaos marines I didn't want but since I got them I have a hankering for some more. As they have been strongly teased for the new book, they may well come with some ever more fun rules. Hopefully Santa will see fit to get me some more. These are absolutely great models but the only downside was they were put together before I got them some I think I'd have put a plasma gun in the unit rather than a flamer (I have loads of flamers already).

Meltagun, club, map, sniper rifle and imperial primer armed infantry.

Lasgun with bayonet, sergeant, medic, bionic arm flamer.

The whole gang.

So there you have it. My Astra Militarum have been enlarged by 29 or so models which is great for me, and not so great for the enemies of the Imperium.

Thanks for reading.

 * They gained the SQUADRON keyword so they can tell themselves to shoot better.

**Or more accurately futuristic.