Scraping in before 2019; Astra Militarum, Sexually Unattractive female and Alien Buskers

Howdy. A quick post to display all those last minute additions to my painted model family for 2018. Last year I managed a review of the year, not sure I will achieve one this year so this may be a slight nod in that direction too. Firstly, here are completed toy soldiers;

Imperial Preacher

After recent games I've noticed that my Catachan troops aren't all that bad in combat with their strength of 4. Give them a preacher and they get an extra attack so doubling their effectiveness. Giving them the order Fix Bayonets improves their shit-kicking ability even further. So a bloke with a sword and a big red book is ready to smite the ungodly. Think I'll call him Eamon.

"Tonight, heathens and xenos, this is your death!".

Grunts

Below are some assorted guardsmen, firstly Valhallan mortar crews still waiting for their mortars to get delivered from the stores. Annoying in particular for the guys holding the shells. I'm hoping they can be deployed in the near future making my mortar squads doubly able to wipe out lightly armoured infantry not in cover.

I don't understand it, I filled in the required purchase order but the mortars haven't arrived. 

Next are some Catachans who will form my shotgun/meltagun tag team. My last game underlined the gap in my army for a heavy hitting squad to jump out of a chimera and let fly at close range. The moment in question was when I deployed a unit of vets to shoot up some Wraithguard approximately 5" away. The difference between ST 3 lasguns and ST 4 shotguns could have been crucial. Anyhoo I have now plugged that particular gap in my force, I have also painted up two more plasma pistol armed sergeants to assist with general enemy of the Imperium extermination duties. The shotguns were cannibalised from the metal Necromunda sets and the plasmas are Orky in origin. I had simply cut off the ends of the lasguns and pinned on the much larger barrel of the shotgun. 

"Buckshot for the enemies of mankind!"

The next pic has a similar collection of xenophobes with the sergeant having a converted Mad Robot Miniatures head. There is quite a lot of cool bits over there to individualise your models. I like to think this particular vet sergeant has had part of his face destroyed by aliens/bacteria/heretic weaponry in the name of The Emperor. He is horrifically scarred and only takes off the mask to scare new recruits and upset Aeldari with his unasymmetrical face. War is hell! I have also sculpted some eradicated alien species on a couple of bases to emphasise the rather gung ho nature of the jungle fighters.

Sergeant Basterd has one of the body of one of the terminally peaceful Q'bork alien lifeforms at his feet. During a volunteer mission deep into their Q'bork tranquility system guardsmen from the Krablokistan 47th acheived 78% kill ratio. What was even more astounding that many units returned from their mission with complete powerpack batteries on their lasguns. Truly heroic.

Another view of Sergeant Basterd.

a better view of the Q'bork.

Trooper Buckshot with an exterminated alien mammal at his feet.

Heavy calibre weaponry is ideal for peacekeeping.

Blind Beggar Miniatures Ensemble

I've been a fan of Blind Beggar Miniatures for a while now and have got some more denizens of that particular range finished. First up is the Mayoress. She(?) comes with a choice of a large laser weapon or a bunch of flowers in her paws. Not a looker this one but an interesting model nonetheless. I think she can have a variety of uses in games, in particular Thatcher Magz, planetary governor of my campaign setting planet Scargill.

"Hot laser death for you luvvie?"

"Or is it posies?"

Juggenfloot is a 6 piece band that play the cabaret circuit of bars and clubs in any disreputable Imperial world that allows xenos on the planet without an instant execution. Juggenfloot (not the name I would have chosen) play a mixture of acid hymns and hallucinogenic swing music. First up is what appears to be a simian lifeform playing a stone necked lute. A bionic arm ensures that 14 hours lute solos are the norm.

If Slash was a species similar to a Jokaero, he might look like this.

Next up is my favourite model in the band, a huge shouldered lifeform sporting some sort of keyboard instrument levitating around his chest, in fact he could actually be rattling his own ribcage. I like to think the instrument is called a Hypnocordion® and it is banned on many planets due to large scale rioting and civil unrest caused by it's operation. This particular instrument is played by Jowey "the knuckles" Faygin and has racked up a score of four riots, two religious pogroms and civil war due to his playing.

  

Jowey "the knuckles" Faygin

Next comes the aquatic percussionist Blap Blap Mmkadzee. Armed with concussion bongos this diminutive hat wearer can provide a steady beat or medium range support with a slight adjustment to his (or her) stance.

WIPE OUT!

The last band member I have finished is this guitarist in monks robes. Probably from the order of the shredded epiphany, this musician is probably called Brother Wahwahpeddle. Before joining Juggenfloot his previous group; Godfunk Soup Kitchens had to disband due to an outbreak of mental leprosy infected 3 band members causing a difference in musical directions.

Kumbaya

Finally, not a band member but a humanoid in robes and a gas mask. This model has many different possible uses. Some sort on nun with a HAZMAT suit is one of them. Armed with what looks like a WWII rifle this model can be many things. An acolyte for an Inquisitorial force for one.

Nun with gun.

So there you have it. Twenty two more figures finished and ready to star in a batrep (or similar) in the near future. All that's left for me to do is wish everyone a happy new year and a satisfactory amount of hobby time to you all!

Thanks for reading. 

The Second Battle of Lernin Kerv

The long campaign against the dreaded Tyranids of Hive Fleet 1Cthuga ground on, the Cyavunnh system was beset by all manner of vile bioforms. The previous battle of Lernin Kerv had been a defeat for the defending Astra Militarum. The Krablokistan 47th had been fighting a losing battle against the Great Devourer. intelligence reports had suggested a significant cluster of synapse lifeforms amid the ruins of Lernin Kerv 2Beta, Djemtri "two guns" Vlashvilli overall commander of the 47th and most of his senior aides had been incapacitated by a venomous burrowing spore mole that had erupted into the overall command bunker so the duty of leading an attack to attempt to hamstring what counts for the Tyranids command structure had to be led by a relatively inexperienced commander Polke Maltroc.

          

Colony 87, Aeldari Artillery, Sergeant Bloke and Strangler Arris

Greetings people of Earth! It's been a few months since I put some painted models on here but now I'm back! 2018 was shaping up to be one of my most productive years ever as far as painting models was concerned (well it was back in July), then I got caught up playing games and writing batreps so the production line ceased. I played a few games of Killteam which were great craic but as my Stealers weren't painted up I didn't feel the need to report them here. I may do, but not today.

Aeldari Support

First up are my Aeldari. Two support weapon crewelfs, two Aeldari missile launchers and a Distortion Cannon. They were painted up to slide (oo-er) in to my Moonkillers pirate band/guardians/clandestine agents of Ulthwe. So they weren't painted black. Yellow over-armour, green underwear and assorted extraneousness, blue weapons as Space Elfs don't use metal, they use plastic. As a result their meltaguns and flamers must be one shot weapons. I painted black leather (or is that also plastic?) jackets on these models as a nod to their Craftworld of origin.

Two little space elf Fonzsies.

A Hemlock Came Travelling......

Farseer Gelladrill had observed the attempted raid of Pur'la Sept on the Imperial planet of Scargill with great interest. Their motives seemed unclear but it would appear that the Tau were attempting to form a beachhead and eventually bring the planet to 'The Greater Good'. This in itself was inconsequential to Ulthwe but there were more factors to consider. Waargh Gitsmasha was closing in on Scargill and though the Tau were currently hostile to the humans on the planet a large scale force of Orks would probably result in an alliance. Despite the Tau defeat against the Scargill PDF, there was an increasing number of Tau military assets deploying in the vicinity. To ensure that Waargh Gitsmasha met an alliance of human and Tau, a swift raid by Ulthwe on the Pur'la dropsite was required. To maintain the facade of Ulthwe neutrality, Guardians bearing the Moonkillers pirate band colours would be deployed. All going well the Tau from Pur'la Sept will be unprepared for the fast attack pattern of the Aeldari. Time will tell.....  

Greetings. Having not played 40K in about 10 weeks this 40K batrep seems a bit late. Apologies for those who think it makes a difference. The reasons for this are many, but a trip to the US and Killteam dropping are two. Having played Aaron's Tau in my previous game with Astra Militarum, it was time for another game against the little blue fiends with something different. This time the conversation went to the subject of which army to use I was undecided but then I was offered the lend of a painted Hemlock and that made up my mind, Aeldari it is.

The jauntily angled battlefield.

The Battle For Worlds End

The Scargill Planetary Defence Force were having a hectic lunar cycle. First the accursed Heretic Astartes of the Death Guard, then a raiding force of Necrons appeared, almost out of the ground to threaten the Imperial settlement of Scousehatton. All Balto Krudditch - commander of Scargill's Planetary Defence Force - Kinnock Region, wanted was a few weeks of relative peace, some light skirmishing from slavers or pirates, but nothing more strenuous than that. His request for reinforcements had once again been met with pedantic exactness (all previous casualties were replaced by troops of the very same position and armament). Then came new orders over the vox net. Sensors have picked up a large xenos radiation signature over the Grimbling Crevasse. Grimbling, a settlement of some renown, famed for it's Godtalker Ale, a popular semi-hallucinogenic beverage that the wretched masses of Scargill rely on to maintain optimum work quotas. Xenos raiders capturing the brewery would be disastrous for the Thatcher Magz regime. Worse yet was the identity of the xenos, Tau from the Pur'la Sept were confirmed. The Emperor alone knows what filthy alien hygiene and/or health and safety regulations would be introduced. This must not be allowed to happen. So began the Battle For World's End.

The Court of The Yellow King Awakens

Balto Krudditch pored over the vid reps regarding the now disappeared Death guard force, the battle had been fierce with no clear victor, so with the lack of a visible enemy, all seemed well. His requisitions for a much larger force had been largely overlooked, but his command was back filled to the exact *size it was prior to the followers of Nurgles attack. Scargill had been on high alert since an alien structure had been unearthed some 700 clicks eastwards of here in the town of Kinnock. After some attempts at entering the object were marginally successful the entire central plaza was cordoned off with a strong garrison observing the object which appeared to be dormant. Then a vox command was received for his company to advance 75 clicks northeast to a small settlement of Scousehatton. A rad signal very similar to the one in Kinnock only much stronger had been identified. The entire army was dispatched to Scousehatton, a journey taking approximately 3 hours. What met them entering the small town was a surprise to say the least, what would have been more accurate was a hideous Groxballs of a surprise. A large contingent of Necrons had rounded up the inhabitants and held them in a large tavern in the centre of the settlement. They were currently using the towns main edification gallows as a staging area for the army. As the relief force arrived a booming synthesised voice was heard in archaic Imperial Gothic;

"Insignificant mammalian creatures, Lord Grimdarhk the Somnolent, rightful Lord of this world has come to reclaim his territory. Your presence here is ended. You have one hour to vacate this planet before liquidation begins. Move one micron nearer to the Court of the Yellow King's presence and you will forfeit the hour, he has generously granted you.".

Without a seconds pause commander Krudditch sent out a vox to his troops "No jumped up tinman is going to kick us off our own planet! OPEN FIRE!". And so began the battle of Scousehatton. 

A Disagreement With The Death Guard

Sivar Rotlung, Lord of Contagion looked at the vid viewer screen that showed the settlement of Colebuck situated in the Scroxix hills in Gremthorpe, planet Scargill. The raiding force at his disposal were deployed aboard his ship The Rancid Destroyer ready to transport down. Visions of spreading pestilence and woe upon the sandy soil of Scargill had been frequent in his seldom needed sleep but Sivar was well aware the Father Nurgle spoke to his favoured children through fevered dreams. He knew that great portentous events were in the offing on this prosperous Imperial planet and Nurgle himself wanted a pustulent foothold on the planet. 

"Sergeant Harker, that does not seem to be regulation uniform."

"I know captain, I was at a fancy dress party last night and didn't have time to change."

"Carry on, sergeant!".

Battle of The Lords of War

Tanks Vs Daemons

Greetings. A few weeks ago, my gaming group gathered round Stuart to give it death with abandon. My Astra Militarum allied with Billy's Ultramarines to protect the Imperium from the foul depredations of Mortarion most disgusting of Primarchs and an offal cart full of daemons and Death Guard, led by the dynamic duo of Stuart and Dylan. Giving sage advice on the sidelines was Alan. Now, I've found four player games tend to be a bit more confusing and shouty so a lot of the tactical nuances are missed by me and pertinent facts left unsaid. So with that in mind I'll let the pictures tell the story of the short and bloody battle.

Most of my army is in this picture, left to right Hellhound, infantry, mortar squad, commander, another infantry squad, Leman Russ, some Ultramarines, another infantry squad, Tank Commander, more Ultramarines and a Baneblade. 

Rouboute Gulliman and some ratlings make up the rest of the deployed units. Billy kept some characters up in space or something like that. On the other side of the table some Blight Drones, Plaguebearers, Great Unclean One, Chaos Rhino filled with Death Guard, Poxwalkers, Maulerfiend (or some such)and Chaos Predator. There is also a daemon Prince lurking around there and completly out of shot Mortarion, but I suspect he is somewhere between the Plaguebearers and GUO.

Gullimann is basically surrounding himself with expendable troops while giving out rerolls like they are tictacs. The Baneblade is parked sideways on as it wouldn't fit after I had placed nearly everything else. I paid the points for 4 sponsons armed with a lascannon and heavy bolter in each one. This thing has so much dakka it is criminal!

We were playing the scenario where a player (or in this case team) wins when they complete 10 tactical objectives. Our first three all applied to Mortarion so he was a very important target.

Virtually our entire army (those that had range anyway) targeted Ole Morty and barely managed to kill him. First Blood and Kingslayer got us a good headstart in the VP stakes.

Nurglings had appeared on the battlefield and another Rhino I had previously forgotten to mention. Some brave Astra Militarum break out the Daemonic Insect Repellent - Claggonne® and attach it to their bayonets. Sergeant Bloke yells to his men "We're going to need bigger flypaper!".

The majority of the Imperial army stays right where it is with perhaps some Primaris Marines showing off in front of their Primarch. "Dad! look at us! We're the bestest Marines in the whole universe, aren't we dad?".

Some Nurglings get into combat with the Primaris Marines. I don't think a 5+ invulnerable save will save you from Rouboute Gullimann's favourite test tube babies.

Nurgling Attack!

Rather a lot of Plaguebearers get uncomfortably close to the Imperial line. I think Gullimann has rather a cavalier attitude towards Astra Militarum. Probably thinks they like catching horrible diseases in stead of him.

Meanwhile the Blight Drones and Rhino are destroyed by Leman Russ and the Chaos Marines have to footslog their way across the battlefield.

On this side of the table a unit of Marine Scouts that I had completely forgotten about hold an objective. Various servants of the ruinous powers amble over the battlefield to spread all manner of diseases amongst Imperial ranks. Chlamydia is off limits of course as that one belongs to Slaanesh. 

A Daemonic power turned the planet violently on it's axis, or I failed to rotate this picture, you decide. Perhaps the Nurglings assaulting the Hellhound ran into it so hard it shoved the planet 90° temporarily. The Guardsmen in the building are getting whittled away nicely by unwelcome Death Guard pox encrusted bullets.

Reality rights itself in time for the Plaguebearers to assault both Primaris Marines and guardsmen. On the bright side the tanks and Gullimann are perfectly safe. 

A closer view of the fight for objective five.

Sometime around turn two Billy deepstruck two powerful Ultramarine characters to assassinate a Daemon Prince and GUO They were both pretty tasty and Billy's Librarian attempted to cast a psychic power to give them a reroll to his charge plus bonuses in combat. Sadly the power failed and left the Lieutenant up shit creek as he failed his assault and both models were duly trounced by the tag team of pus. Sadly I can find no pictures to support this anecdote but I'm sure it happened and I didn't dream it.

In this picture my claw like hand is about to either a) pick up dice or b)remove casualties 😟.  Also in the picture are two more members of C.L.A.W. - Dylan & Stuart. In the foreground the Slaughterbrute kicks some dung out of SM scouts, it will teach them about the correct use of cover in a battle. 

The final picture taken of the battle. The followers of Nurgle although still advancing are not taking out many imperial assets.

The game was conceded in turn 3 by the forces of farts and snot. In retrospect the first turn was essential. Virtually the entire Imperial army targeted Mortarion killing him. Only just. The Baneblade is an awesome tank, especially with Rouboute Gullimann holding it's hand. One thing I have decided on is not using one again for a while as it is pretty domineering on the battlefield. Had Morty gotten first turn it could well have been the Imperials that quit turn three. There is definitely a massive advantage to going first.

Thanks for reading.

Dramatis Personae II (The Scargill PDF)

After having two battles recently where all my characters performed fairly well (reports incoming) I thought I'd immortalise them before they cark it! So in the hope that they have long and distinguished careers in my own part of hobby heaven, here are some of the important members of the Scargill Planetary Defense Force, Kinnock region.

Tactical Meeting, outside the pub.

Balto Krudditch

Balto Krudditch is a career soldier, never and overly imaginative or charismatic leader, he still has the ability to get a lot out of his troops. He comes from one of the wealthier families on Scargill and has custom made weapons to which he is known to use with considerable skill. He usually goes into battle using his custom powerfist and a family heirloom plasma pistol which has been microengineered to seem nothing more than a lowly stub pistol. Although 'technically' Krudditch hasn't actually fought in hand to hand combat yet, he is sure he is up for the job and will make his father; Gumbah Krudditch proud.

Balto Krudditch

Revs Cantalope

Revs Cantalope is a newly promoted tank commander (so new I haven't converted a model to use for him yet) that has distinguished himself in recent conflicts. His Leman Russ The Painful Reply is a Demolisher variant that has sent many enemies of mankind back to whatever heathen afterlife they believe in. The relatively short range of the Demolisher suits Cantalope's aggressive style of battle. 

Vim Ajax

Vim Ajax is one of the few authorised Primaris Psykers on Scargill. Originally from Scargill's outermost planet : Gruesome Discovery. Ajax was recruited into the sectors capital defense corps once his manifest abilities were discovered. Ajax is usually accompanied by his pet Thoutwyrm, a sanctioned xenos lifeform that augments his mental abilities. These creatures are semi sentient beings that have the ability to siphon off negative mental thoughts and instill feelings of euphoria instead. How or why they are able to do this is still subject to conjecture by xenobiologists, but Thoutwyrms have been utilised in the Scargill Sector for many decades.

Vim Ajax and Zimpy his Thoutwyrm.

Chuck Nimrod

Nimrod is the eccentric commander of the Scargill PDF Gremthorpe protectorate platoon, also known as the Rockworms due to their ability to dig in during battle, taking fewer casualties. Nimrod himself does not fit the image of a typical soldier with a thick beard and the tribal garb of  the hill men of  Scroxix in Gremthorpe. Despite his rustic appearance he is a fearsome warrior and able tactician. He is armed with a plasma pistol and his right arm has a cleverly disguised power field built into the wristband on his left hand that counts as a powerfist.

Chuck Nimrod.

Sergeant Barker

The good 'Sarge' is a large brute of a man. He is a fierce combatant and bears all the characteristics of the Catachan legendary warrior of the similar name. In fact some say Sergeant Barker has styled himself on Sergeant Harker. He is armed with a particularly lethal weapon he has named 'paycheck' and has assembled a group of like-minded soldiers he has dubbed Barker's Beerraisers.

Sergeant Barker

Barker and some of his Beerraisers.

So here are some more models in my collection given names to make them seem more real to me. Hopefully they can help keep Scargill human and make sure filthy xenos don't lay claim to something that humanity may or may not have stolen from another civilization thousands of years ago.

Miniature Wars you may have missed: 40K Space Rangers

Miniature Wars you may have missed: 40K Space Rangers: Space Rangers In the dark mists of time, when the Emperor was challenged he always sent for his most trusted troops, the elite of the eli...

A Short Battle Report (that is in fact quite long).

The Orks of Waargh Gitsmasha were moving inexorably towards Scargill but one smaller group (sub)Waargh Tonkwappa and it's ramshackle fleet lost its way due to 'Cheep Navigshunal Gubbinz' and arrived in an unremarkable system with a single habitable planet. Without pause a couple of shuttles were crash landed on the planet's surface to start resupplying the fleet. After shooting up the forest and burning a few trees down, the main Ork force advanced on a large seemingly abandoned human settlement. As the first bikes roared in, seemingly from nowhere, a large force of Aeldari appeared in full battle array. Warboss Tonkwappa bellowed his orders "Roight ladz! Da pansies want a scrap, lets give it to 'em!". 

A Fighter Bommer, Grotz, Stormboyz, Deff Dread, Big Mek and Lootas are in sight, as well as some boyz and bikers. My Guardians, D Cannon and Wave Serpent filled with Asurmen, a Warlock and Dire Avengers lurk in plain view. The Fighter Bommer is a loverly model, nicely painted but I failed to take any more pictures of it for some reason. Next game......

Deathworld Flora and Fauna Episode 2; The Miral Catcher & Catachan Mantrap

Welcome To The Jungle!

We've got fun and games. So here I am with another collection of virtually finished foliage for your perusal. Like I said in my previous post, I love the idea of lethal plant life on alien planets. So I got some more inspiration from White Dwarf issue 242. I think I will put up the picture from the magazine then my attempt so you can judge how accurate/inaccurate I am.

Mangrovian Trees

The first non-lethal trees I made were these palm type trees. Simply made with twisted wire, masking tape and surgical bandages they are very easy to make. To make them a bit more 'alien' I tried to elongate the roots that go into the ground, a lot like mangrove trees here on blessed Terra but slightly different.

White Dwarf 242 a Prince of a magazine

At the surgical bandage stage.

Getting leafy. After making these I figure some walking plantlife shouldn't be too difficult. The Day Of The Triffids will come!

Avec Bases.

In all their glory! I sculpted a green grub type thing at the base of the second from left tree with a nifty pipe, tube and tentacle maker from Green Stuff World. I am sure an entire post devoted to the tool is on it's way. Be warned. 

Sergeant Cutter of the Catachan 79th regiment shows newly recruited trooper Terry some wildlife. "See these Mangrovians? Chop here, here and here. Careful no Eyebiter Grubs don't land on yer head, mind".

The second type of tree is made using exactly the same method, only with much longer and broader leaves. I also used the masking tape tree trunk method instead of the bandages. Although this tree is nicely different to the previous ones it is rather impractical as it takes up a lot of room without any great benefit. I also left the roots bare and applied pva to them to give a pretty gnarled look. Painted a fairly luminous green that will be washed with a darker shade to tone it down a bit.

"Now these Crusherleaf trees are a different story, chop here, here and here. While your at it give it a good hard kick to make sure any filthy xenos get dislodged and fall down for a good bayoneting.".

Miral Catcher

The Deathworld of Miral has to my knowledge two dangerous things the Miral Land Shark (just ask commander Stracken about those) and this nasty plant, the Miral Catcher. It has tentacles according to the WD article, Sadly stamen was used in the first entry so an alternative was searched for, inadequately found, so the T word was used even though they're not a fitting plant accessory. Anyway, the Miral Catcher's overly sensitive roots detect prey and it's 'tentacles' lash out trapping it with it's powerful paralyzing stings. Leaving it's victim to death by compost. Anyway My version is in some ways similar to the studio one. Not as good but there is a definite similarity.

The Miral Catcher shares a page with the Venus Mantrap

"So these Miral Catchers are tricky buggers. a few chops should do it, but it's always better to bring a couple of mates with heavy flamers. Just to make sure it won't sting you on the arse. This particular Catcher seems to have very bloody long appendages, someone is bound to trip over it. Better get health and safety down here".

Catachan Mantrap

The 'official' Catachan Mantrap in the magazine is very different to my attempt. It's sensory tendrills are far more discrete than my versions. The jawlike leaves on the one in the studio looks less like eyeless Kermit the frogs, than my one, but I think I captured the ethos of the original. According to the blurb the Catachan Mantrap moves it's leaves around actively seeking prey but GW's version, like mine doesn't show any evidence of how it is achieved. All I will say though, this one is newer! 

Catachan Mantrap and a Sucker Tree.

"As you well know, Catachan Mantraps are horrible bastards, with all that aggressively seeking it's prey with its jaw-like leaves. Just chop here, here and here and stick a frag grenade up it's hoo ha. That should do it. Careful it doesn't blind you with pollen though. There was that nasty business with that overly curious Butafucco 12th regiment over on Pseudo Earth 9 ". 

So there you have it, some jungle vegetation that my Catachan fighters can frolic through and kill the enemies of mankind. A member of our gaming group suggested a 'Get To The Chopper' scenario where my squad of Catachans try to escape the clutches of an evil Lictor, Predator style. There are also a couple of cool scenario's from the Rogue Trader rulebook involving jungles, dinosaurs and unfortunate Imperial employees trying to get home for Thanksgiving. So as my tables get a little bit more occupied here's to me getting some proper Oldhammer gaming going on!

Thanks For Reading.