Sunday Update: Veteran Sergeant

Never one to be content with a couple of miniatures on the go, I was flicking through the Blood Angel codex and saw the pair of legs from the Death Company sprue that caused me so much tension six months ago. Upon closer inspection I saw that they were actually quite good, they had just been used and photographed poorly. The double handed Thunder Hammer also caught my eye and a cunning plan was born.

The above photo was taken mid-afternoon today, having just finished sculpting the right shoulder pad and adding studs to the left. As you can see I removed the thigh of the right leg and added a replacement after posing the lower part of the right leg on a rock. I scraped out the ornamental blood drops with a knife and replaced with greenstuff for effect.

I used the lower (bionic) arm from aforementioned two-handed Thunder Hammer to add to the guy's veteran status, attaching a chainsword blade.

Later in the day I added the stowed bolter (I'm a big believer in WYSIWYG and he needed something to shoot with!). I rolled out some greenstuff on foil and let it harden a little before adding it as a strap. The only thing missing is a clasp at either end of the bolter to hold it in place.

Elsewhere, paint had been added to Multimelta guy and the Chaplain is progressing slowly.

On The Workbench

So now that my Multi-melta Templar is close to the paint stage I'm already thinking about the next couple of models. I have a huge backlog of things bought for the army 5/6 years ago that are jostling for attention. However, I have a couple of character models waiting patiently in line.

The figure above is the limited edition Black Templar Captain Draco figure which I picked up off ebay a long time ago and has been based and stripped of his icons for quite some time. He will become my Brother Captain Torgiir model, and will be a Sicarius stand-in. As well as a weapon swap, I have to file down the ridges on his shoulder pads, sculpt a suitably heroic DT symbol and personal heraldry to said shoulder pads and give him a sweeping cloak. This will be a big test and I can see frustrating times ahead as my green stuff skills don't match my vision, haha.

Before I get stuck into that mammoth task I shall complete my first Dark Templar Chaplain. At present he has no name, but is already taking shape. In true DT tradition he has no aquillas on his armour, so he wields a mace rather than the usual crozius (same outcome in gaming terms). I shall be borrowing ideas from Ron's skull helmet tutorial for his head, or I may try to emulate the LotD skull beaky helmet – I haven't decided yet. He already has his DT symbol on his shoulder (albeit largely covered by the parchment) – his other shoulder will be a massive skull which I'm looking forward to sculpting.

Friday Update

After the text heavy posts this week I thought it only right to have some mini images today. This is the second Dark Templar model so far.

Sculpted icon on shoulder again – skull is a bit skewed but I will be covering that in another post soon. I replaced the green stuff 'feet' as I wasn't happy with the originals.

He's pretty much good to go, but I want to add something else, probably GS purity seals, to his left leg just to move things on a little from the original test model last week. Hopefully this guy will see some paint on Sunday.

Dark Templar Who’s Who

Thought it was about time to briefly explain some of the main players in the Dark Templar story. All the characters listed below have been around (in my head and/or on paper) since the late 90's – maybe there will be some more to add to this list with the current re-incarnation of the army.

TALON DUUN

Chapter Master and figurehead of the Dark Templar, Duun (pronounced Doon) commands reverence and loyalty befitting a god, men follow his every word without question. Quiet, brooding and unmatched in combat he leads by example.

BALE NYGAARD

Younger brother of Talon Duun and former captain of the First Company. Ferocious and very outspoken, Nygaard led The Revolt and now resides in The Warp with his twisted brethren.

KAMOR TAAL

Master Chaplain and leader of the Faith, he has the ultimate responsibility of keeping the Templar on track. With the voice of a god and an intimidating presence, Kamor Taal is the most respected and revered of the Templar Chaplains. 

BROTHER SUUL

Chaplain of the Faith. Drawn by Chaos, Suul walks the fine line closer than most. His unreliability is tolerated only because of his fighting skill, insane bravery, and his ability to instill such heroism into those about him.

BROTHER CAPTAIN TORGIIR

Right hand of Talon Duun in all things strategic, Torgiir is the voice of the Chapter Master in his absence. Clever, cunning with bravery to match, he is a natural leader and a focal point on the battlefield.

INQUISITOR JAREK LORE

A man on a mission – all will be revealed in time...



(Chaplain image by pabelbilly, used without permission)

Who Are The Dark Templar?

The Dark Templar are a chapter in turmoil, treading precariously along a knife edge of extinction. Their beginnings are unknown, their history sketchy at best. What is known is that they were originally named The Emperor's Templar and they were a light in dark places.

The entire chapter was dispatched to face a massive Chaos incursion from the warp – it was a trap and the world on which they stood was swallowed into the immaterium, marines and all.

For hundreds of years the Templar hunted their captors, but spending such an extended period in the warp will have long-term effects on the strongest of wills. The constant whisperings can twist perceptions and send the most stoic man mad.

Divisions started to appear within the Templar ranks and before long there was all-out civil war – known as The Revolt – which lead to half of the chapter, instigated by the first company, turning to Chaos. The constant warring, combined with the losses incurred during The Revolt, has left the chapter a fraction of the size it was.

Battered, bruised, mentally scarred and feeling the shame of Chaos taint, the Templar and their home planet for the last two centuries were spat back into the real world, where nearly a thousand years had passed since their disappearance. They were changed and would be hunted down by the very Imperium they fought to protect. They were depleted in number and the chapter's Chaplains faced the overwhelming battle of maintaining the sanity of the remaining Templar.

They were no longer The Emperor's Templar and would have to live in secret, hidden from not only the authority of the Imperium but also their tainted brethren who would both see them wiped out.

The now Dark Templar had a new look and a new mandate – to survive by any means and destroy those who had brought this shame and destruction. They would be retribution incarnate and death would follow them.

THE DARK TEMPLAR

So finally I can reveal my benchmark Dark Templar marine. He is actually my third test piece, the first being an original RTB01 plastic and the second being a rogue trader metal marine. I'm pretty happy with this guy, given the brief amount of time spent painting him (compared to my recent Blood Angels). The purple is a little shiny at the moment – went a little crazy with the ink wash – but hopefully a matt varnish will resolve that issue.

 THE COLOUR SCHEME...
As you can see the basis for the armour is purple body and black shoulders and helmet. The idea is that the more experienced you become the more black armour you are allowed to wear. Therefore scouts will be almost exclusively purple whilst Terminators will be almost exclusively black. White/Bone colouring will be used as a contrast and will be used very sparingly.

These colours were actually inspired by several sources but primarily the Flesh Tearers scheme. Other influences are my original DT scheme which was in turn inspired by the original Salamanders green/black. I wanted something akin to the Eldar Dark Reapers scheme that just signified death and foreboding, without looking like Slaanesh (well maybe a hint but definitely not pink!).

THE ARMY...
I'll go into the background in a future post, but the idea is that the Dark Templar have had an internal civil war – some turned to chaos, some stayed loyal – so faith is a big issue. The Chapter Master is such a solitary and intense individual, nobody's quite sure which side he is on. I have something big planned for his conversion model – keep watching!

WHAT'S NEXT...
I have a couple more test models on the board right now. I need to sculpt a master shoulder pad too so that can be duplicated. I also have a handful of models purchased a few years ago, intended to be part of this new DT army, that I would like to finish building and paint. This will involve no cash outlays for a few months, hopefully well past Christmas, which will keep my wife happy too!

See you next time...

Ready for paint

Finished the build side of this fella last night. Added a holstered Bolt Pistol and some grenades to his belt, filling in gaps with GS. I also decided to add studs to the four main points of the star symbol. I knew this would be a fiddly process but I didn't appreciate how little green stuff would be required to make a stud of reasonable size – I'm talking such a tiny amount I had to hold my breath. They may just fall off once paint goes near it, but thought it was worth a go.

With that all done and dry I based him up, with a bit of luck I'll get to add some paint this weekend.

It started with a star ...and skull

 
Just a quick update.

I've been sculpting a first attempt at the new Dark Templar symbol on my benchmark marine. Took a couple of evenings to let the star icon cure properly, then file it and sculpt the skull.

I'm pretty pleased so far, although the proportions are out – I didn't lose my temper which must be progress!

I'm going to sculpt more details on this figure, then paint him up as the benchmark Dark Templar.

May The Force Be... in the attic

When we were back in the North West at the beginning of the month for my nephew's christening we stayed over at my mom's. Given that I am slowly approaching 40 years old, have a wife and a mortgage I thought it was only right that I cleared some of my crap out of my mom's attic – much to my wife's chagrin.

Imagine my delight when I (re)discovered my Star Wars collection. My mom gave away my collection of figures and vehicles from the 70's, so when I was finally in full time work and able to buy stuff myself (coinciding with the re-releases in '97) I went mad and had stuff imported from the States, trading rare and exclusive figures with peeps all over the world.

Whilst I knew they were kicking around up there somewhere, I had forgotten how much I had (the pic at the top of the page is only a fraction). So my job this afternoon is to move these boxes into our attic (having taken up most of our spare room for two weeks since we got back).

The tool box pic above shows the figures I opened – rest assured that the models of any real value are well and truly sealed and packed away ready to be opened in another 30 years to be introduced to Ebay ..or 2040's equivalent!

You snooze you lose...

 ..that's a saying around these parts that crops up quite a bit and it's one that applies to my Dark Templar project right now.

The original concept was to create an entire MkVI force that looked pretty unique – I had heard talk of such projects being done before but had never actually seen one done properly. As usual, I talked and talked about it, but barely got started. Then along came Forgeworld and popped out a range of products that, to be honest, I think most of us marine players have been wanting for a long time – viable generic resin kits of all the major marine armour types. The MkVI guys above look good (though I'm not a big fan of the leg poses) and even the Raven Guard beakies look cool.

Lo and behold, every man and his dog can now create an entire MkVI force (or even a MkV, IV or III if they had enough cash), so the main concept of my army is not so unique and the phrase 'taken the wind out of my sails' springs to mind.

Having said all that, nothing's changed. I'm still getting rather enthusiastic at going back to this long-delayed masterpiece. My guys are definitely different from the Forgeworld beakies, and rather than get hacked off by the new releases I'm seeing how I can incorporate elements into my project to make my life easier!

Looking through the stuff on my paint tray I also see some Blood Angels stuff I really want to get finished too. So, given that today is major major patch day in the World of Warcraft and servers are likely to still be down (or buggy or over populated) when I get home this evening, I think I'll dust down my paintbrushes and tools, spend a quiet evening reacquainting myself with 40k.

Remember me...

After a sustained absence of nearly 5 months I am finally showing my face again.

I left rather abruptly back in June, after my monumental transatlantic game of 40k with BSmoove, somewhat burned out. Life caught up with me – family/work/friends/etc. and it's taken me a long time to rekindle my enthusiasm to sit down at the painting table again. Apologies to those folks I left hanging a bit.

There will be almost no opportunity for me to game anymore, so the focus will be on my dabbling with paints and conversions. Things will be a lot more low key than in the past – creating a intimidating painting schedule is one of the things that contributed to my absence. I just want to enjoy what I do, so if I'm not enjoying it I won't do it. Needless to say there will be a lot fewer posts – or at least posts with newly painted/converted models in them. I may be commenting on things a little more, and commenting on non-40k things too.

So there we have it, I'm kinda back – footstep by footstep – and we'll see how we go.

Thanks all for waiting...

Hailed vs Hated: The Vultures Circle

So this is the part where we get to say woulda, coulda, shoulda. I often find one of the best parts of a game is the post-match disection and discussion. Your opinions and comments are most welcome, it can be very easy for the two of us to get caught up in the action so a third party perspective is often very revealing.

For now here are my own thought on the lists, how the game went, and whether things could be improved.

Blood Angels army list

Well, in my defence I did this list before knowing the mission, board size/layout, etc. and it was purely fluff driven. Alas the reality was plain for all to see I think as the game progressed.

I knew I didn't take Scouts for a reason and now I have been re-educated as to why. They may only be 1 point less on WS and BS than regular marines, but oh my word it makes a difference. In 5 turns of shooting a missile launcher unhindered at the Chaos Rhino the Scouts only managed to hit it twice, both occasions resulting in a penetrating hit and Crew Stunned (which granted was a little unlucky). The truth is that the Chaos transport should not have been there beyond turn 3, especially given that BSmoove forgot to pop smoke until late on - unforgivably poor shooting. The other Scout unit did mildly better, taking down a Chaos marine in the opening salvo of the game which probably contributed to their own survival in the final Chaos Shooting phase.

The Tactical Squad were a bit of a disappointment, unable to deal with a unit of standard CSM with a free round of shooting and several rounds of combat, often outnumbering them two to one. I should have taken an Assault Squad here to combat the extra attack CSM get as standard as well as taking a power weapon to tip the balance further in my favour.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Reclusiarch Dannen, who was never going to last long one-on-one against a Nurgle Chaos Lord, but managed to eek the fight out to a draw. His dispatching of the Raptors was a key turning point, and it was the bolter wound he took from the other CSM unit that came back to haunt him in the end.

However, I have to remember that the objective of this game was purely fluff (and to see if the concept of an e-battle was realistic) so in that sense I think the list worked well.

Blood Angel plan

I have to say that I wouldn't change anything about my initial plan. The idea of having the two heavy weapon units hanging back to protect my objective whilst sending my HQ and Tactical unit out to try and take the enemy objective was sound in this case. I realised quite early on that Chaos were limited in speed, which was also my advantage with my supercharged Rhino – hence the Raptors and Rhino had to go early to prevent me being caught out late in the game. They also had almost no long range or heavy weapon threat (other that the raptor movement and meltagun) so my Rhino could feel relatively safe. The initial charge would have been exceptional had Tactical Squad Kamor managed to finish of the CSM unit early on. As it turned out they go bogged down and the charge pretty much stalled.

The Chaos perspective

BSmoove had a good list here for the points and having a WS6 T5 Terminator in there gave me great cause for concern, having quite a lightweight list myself. The initial Chaos move straight towards the Scouts and my objective had me worried I'll be honest. The Scouts would never have survived any determined assault by the Chaos marines, given their inferior stat line and armour, and it was this that prompted me to move the Rhino in close on Turn 2. From reading the battle reports on A Gentleman's Ones, I saw that BSmoove could be defence orientated at times and was hoping that if I threw a threat next to his objective it would distract him long enough to keep my Scouts safe.

In the end it worked, even though in truth a single CSM unit of his might have been enough to hold up my advance, at least to the point I had lost my own objective. The indecision of CSM Squad Decadi was telling in the end. I think that, even once their transport was initially stunned, I would probably have pushed them on towards the Scouts on foot, running when possible, knowing that eventually I would get some CSM into combat and the Scouts would die quickly. Either that or it would force me to consider falling back to protect my own objective. BSmoove also made the ultimate fluff sacrifice, by assaulting the Reclusiarch with his Chaos Lord when hacking down Tactical Squad Kamor would have been the more efficient option. Like I said, it was all about the fluff and kudos to BSmoove for sticking to the storyline and providing us with a dramatic hero vs hero grudge match.

The process

How did the e-battle actually work, and did it work well? I don't have room in my house for a game board (I don't even own one), so it was never going to be an option to have something set up on both sides of the Atlantic. BSmoove set up his game board and took plenty of photos to send to me. I used those photos to create a scale map that we could use as common reference ground across the email, sending precise instructions and dice rolls to each other in the email text (yes, we trusted each other's dice rolling!). I would then update the map, as you saw, throughout the process and email revised jpegs across the pond. Our battle reports were written independently so, aside from factual results, neither of us knew what the other would publish.

Should we do something like this again I would do a couple of things differently. First of all I would try to get the map as accurate as possible, especially the models. The 4'x4' map was accurate this time round, but the positioning and size of terrain and models was only approximation. There's no way to get the process 100% accurate, but there is room for improvement. The other thing I would add is a marker to indicate heavy/special weapon carriers, as there could be an issue with line of sight/range and it would be too easy to 'move' the heavy weapon throughout the squad. Aside from that I was very happy how things went, considering this is a very new venture for the both of us. Obviously we're hoping to ramp things up in the future, but a good start to be sure.

And that's it for this week's Hailed vs Hated.

As you may know BSmoove is on holiday in Italy for the rest of the month, so it gives me plenty of time to get some more painting done before we create another unique encounter, and the next chapter of the Blood Angels 5th Company vs the Arrugginiti.

Hailed vs Hated: Turns 4 & 5

++++ UPDATE ++++

If you've missed the story so far go read up Part One and Part Two from earlier in the month.

THE TEAMS

Chaos:
Lord Amnitolo (white) – Chaos Lord / Terminator Armor / Mark of Nurgle
Squad Decadi (yellow) – CSM x7 / Rhino
Squad Egregi (orange) – CSM x7
Squad Furrore (blue) – Raptors x5 / Meltagun

Blood Angels:
Reclusiarch Dannen (white)
Squad Taal (blue) – Scout x5 / Heavy Bolter
Squad Duun (green) – Scout x5 / Missile Launch
Squad Kamor (black) – Tactical x8 / Flamer / Melta Bombs / Combi-Melta
Rhino / Searchlight


THE OBJECTIVES

The Blood Angels are protecting a Communication Array that is keeping them in contact with a nearby Strike Cruiser. Chaos are taunting the marines with the corpse of a dead Blood Angel and the secrets it might hold.

++++ TURN 4 ++++

The Blood Angel Rhino sped to the far side of the marine corpse, turning to face the Chaos Marine Squad that had inflicted the cowardly long-range wound on Reclusiarch Dannen. All around the battlefield was a whirl of close combat, the grinding of metal on metal, the shouts and bellows of the warriors in ascendance and the wails of the dying. The stormbolter attached to its hull ripped out a couple of shots, striking the Chaos marines where they stood. No effect. An explosion next to the squad sent them cowering back into cover. Scout Squad Duun had found their mark with the missile launcher again, but once again the vehicle was merely stunned.

Veteran Sergeant Kamor was concerned. The resilience of these Chaos scum was remarkable. They were outnumbered two to one and showed no signs of stress or weariness – they were like machines. This fight should be over by now, but it wasn't going well and soon his own losses would begin to tell. He saw an opening and thrust his combat knife, bypassing his opponent's stalwart defence, through his armour and biting into his internal organs. The Chaos warrior let out a muffled grunt as he fell to the floor. Just as he was thinking the odds were turning in his favour, Kamor saw brother Danial fall. This stalemate was frustrating in the extreme, and getting very costly.

Dannen could feel every bone in his body creak, every muscle cry out in pain and torture, but he knew there would be time enough later for rest. His life was hanging in the balance and one slip of concentration could end it all. He had fought aliens twice his height, with strength unseen, but this Chaos Lord was truly a monster. Despite all his confidence and his experience, this battle was slipping away from Dannen. The overwhelming initial charge into the enemy forces had stalled and the tide was slowly turning in favour of the damned.

Bright blue light flashed around him, as Dannen's Rosarius kicked in, saving him from certain death. The Chaos Lord seemed frustrated by this and let out a gurgling howl. Seizing his chance, Dannen swept down with his weapon, catching the distracted leader in the neck – sickly green brown bile spewing out in a fountain.

The skulking Chaos marines hurried into the stunned Rhino firing up the smoke launchers as the hatches slammed shut. Scout Sergeant Duun knew what was coming next. "In the Emperor's name, take out that transport!" he yelled.

Two more brothers in Squad Kamor fell to Chaos weapons, taking another of the tainted marines with them. "Enough of this", Kamor muttered to himself. "Brothers! Feel the light of Sanguinius around you, let us slay these servants of evil!".

Dannen was buoyant, he had found his second wind and a newly-born vigour. He could anticipate every move the Lord made, and counter it. A sudden pain shot though him – the disease-ridden wound he'd received earlier was having an effect, the poison reaching his vital organs and shutting them down one by one. In a split second he was was no longer in full control of his motions, fighting against his own body to defend himself from his attacker. He could barely see the world around him as the unmistakable bite of a weapon piercing his skin burned his chest. The Chaos Lord's scythe was embedded within him and more poison was pumping into his body. The world was going black all around him as his body shut down. The monster before him was triumphant, spouting obscenities and insults in the direction of the fallen Reclusiarch, the Chaotic weapon still protruding from his broken body. One final heroic endeavour, he mustered every last ounce of strength he had and lashed out at the mocking foe before him. His power weapon caught the Chaos leader across his torso showering the area around in bile and sludge. The Chaos Lord was stunned, and staggered briefly before letting out a piercing howl of anguish. The corpse slumped to the earth with a deafening thud. Dannen closed his eyes and his world went black.

++++ TURN 5 ++++

The Blood Angel Rhino moved up to shoot at the rear of its Chaos counterpart, knowing there was little time or chance to make an impact. Two shots pinged off the the corroded hull. A missile came in from Scout Squad Dannen, exploding in the mud next to the vehicle with no effect – the smoke had done its job.
"You boys, you boys! We are going have serious words – I promise you!" screamed Sergeant Duun with a frustrated grin.
"Squad Taal, fall back to the Comms Array!", yelled Sergeant Taal, "They're going to make one last push."

Kamor had just seen the Reclusiarch fall to the blade of the Chaos leader, and the heroic final strike inflicted in the face of defeat.
"For the Emperor! For Sanguinius! For Dannen!" he cried as he charged into the two remaining aggressors before him. Squad Kamor cheered in unison and piled into the melee, dragging down one of the Chaos marines, and causing the other one to finally flee in terror.

As expected, the unkillable Chaos transport sped towards Squad Taal and the Blood Angels communication array. Reaching its target it spat out the six marines who opened up with rapid Bolter shots on the heroic Scouts guarding the objective. Smoke filled the air and Sergeant Duun looked on with concern. His own unit had failed to take down the Rhino with numerous attempts, at the potential cost of losing Squad Taal and the comms array. He let out a slow sigh of relief and grinned when he saw Sergeant Taal and two of his squad still standing.

Barking orders to his unit they set about supporting his beleaguered brothers. They had seized the day, but at great cost. He hoped it was worth it.

++++

So there you have it. A victory for the beloved Angels but at a very high cost.

There is lots more to discuss and debate, from army lists to battle plans and decision making. Plenty of what-ifs and coulda, woulda and shoulda later in the week with Hailed vs Hated.

Don't forget to visit A Gentleman's Ones for the Chaos perspective and no doubt lots of twisted propaganda, fantastic photos and a great narrative.

++++

Hailed vs Hated: Turns 2 & 3

Apologies to everyone, BSmoove especially, for this delayed post which was supposed to go up last night. I came in from work with quite bad migraine and couldn't face another computer screen. So, better late than never, back to the action...

++++ Turn 2 ++++

Reclusiarch Dannen could see them now in all their corrupted glory. The enemy were sweeping around in the direction of Scout Squads Duun and Taal. Not an overwhelming force, he'd faced worse odds, but there was an unshakable shadow at the back of his mind.

"Take us towards the building ahead, full speed, right into their back yard. Let's see how they react to that!"
The Rhino screamed across the battlefield, supercharged engines squealing as they were pushed to their limits. The vehicle slammed into an abrupt stop, smoke launchers exploded and the transport was lost in a thick white fog.

The clearly unsettled Chaos marines reacted to this interloper with a swift change of direction, all focus now on the shrouded Rhino. Shots could be heard through the thick armour of their carrier but nothing worthy of concern.

A loud explosion rocked the battlefield as a missile from Scout Squad Duun hit the encroaching Chaos Rhino square in the face. A cheer went up from the intiates but soon subsided when the smoke cleared to reveal the vehicle was merely shaken, parading a fresh scorch mark on its hull like a brand new tattoo. The occupants bailed to find cover anywhere they could, away from their potential tomb.
A daemonic screech causes the occupants of the blood red Rhino to exchange glances as melta particles fizz overhead.
"That's enough observation I think gentlemen", grinned Dannen to the marines around him, "Time for some action".

++++ Turn 3 ++++

Dannen lept out of the Rhino like a man possessed, Squad Kamor exiting the opposite side in a more precise manner. The transport roared off on a collision course with the Chaos leader, and for the first time the marines witnessed their adversaries up close. As the vehicle reached its target the warrior lurched to the side, avoiding the collision with remarkable ease given his heavy armour and bloated stature.

Squad Kamor opened up with everything as they advanced towards the heretics. The target unit enveloped in flames and bolter shells. Sergeant Kamor grinned, thankful that his misfiring melta hadn't been needed, but his face dropped when he saw over half of the enemy unit step out of the black smoke.

Another explosion blew mud and debris into the air, Scout Squad Duun has missed their target, merely decorating the Chaotic Rhino in fresh sludge. Heavy Bolter fire from Scout Squad Taal peppered the Rhino hull, but had no effect save for a high-pitched, metallic ditty.

Dannen had picked out his target before he ever left the vehicle and launched himself at the Raptors. He released a shot from his pistol at the melta gunner, for the disrespect shown towards the Blood Angels Rhino just moments earlier. A ear splitting ping echoed as the richochet flewoff his shoulder guard. The Reclusiarch ploughed into the unit, dropping two with a sweep of his Crozius. With cries of terror the Raptors bounded away, but a swift jab brought another one down to earth, ensuring only two got away.

"Your chaos cowards are no match for the Emperor's finest!" he belowed at the filth encrusted Chaos Lord, who was still venting hot air in his monotone manner like a broken speaker system. The cold dark shadow ran down Dannen's spine as he stared at the Chaotic monstrosity spouting hate-filled gibberish before him.
"So you're the cause of my unease – let's see what you're about, give it your best shot!"

Sergeant Kamor braced himself and the remaining Chaos marines charged.
"Incoming! Take them down lads!" but the warning came too late and Squad Kamor were hit with force, Brother Amael dropping in a fountain of blood. The Sergeant felt the swell of the Red Thirst clawing at his insides as his swung his Chainsword at his opponent, opening his chest and releasing him from his corrupted life.

Dannen gritted his teeth as he watched the Chaos Lord lumber towards him like an irate Rhinoceros, waiting for the impact and preparing the counter strike. White light flashed across his vision and he stumbled backwards, a sharp pain ripping through his abdomen. More bolter shells exploded off his armour and he turned to see where the shots had originated. A cowardly group of Chaos scum to his right.
"Arghh!" he cried out in frustration, but he knew that the wound had lost him his edge and would return to haunt him.
The Chaos monster crashed into the Reclusiarch knocking him off his feet, pain shot through his gut and he winced. An agonising burn in his shoulder joined the stinging symphony rushing around his body as a diseased power weapon cut through his flesh.
"No more!" he barked and lashed out with his crozius tearing a chunk of diseased meat from his foe.
Leaping to his feet while his opponent was still reeling, he drew up all his strength and readied himself. This was going to be an epic battle.

++++

The battle continues on Friday, and don't forget to visit A Gentleman's Ones for the Chaos perspective, and a wonderful narrative

Sunday update

A quick update on what else is on the go here besides Captain Tycho and transatlantic e-battles.

The chap pictured above is my Dark Templar Chaplain of old. A veteran of many battles, friendly and tournament – a true hero, he's been leading the line for 8+ years. The Dark Templar that were are gone now, repainted or repatriated, with only a few choice characters left for posterity.

He's been a recent stand-in for the new Blood Angels, both facing Orks in deepest darkest Tunbridge Wells and the chaotic Arrugginiti in Chicago (via email). With this in mind I decided he should officially join the Blood Angels rank on secondment.

Gone are the Templar references, and given the loyalty and heroism shown in the past I thought it only fair to give him a fresh paint job. Today I gave him a quick blast with black spray and set about redoing his garments in a warm grey instead of the Bleached Bone look.

++++

A new addition to the scenery collection is well on its way to be complete. After the success of the Quantum Gothic Communication Dish, I purchased a QG Power Generator.

++++

Red paint has touched new models, but it's been slow going. Not happy with the way the yellow has gone down so need to look at that again. Have two more guys waiting in the wings to make this up to a five-man squad.

++++

More updates on the Hailed vs Hated e-battle later this week!

Rebuilding Tycho: part 3

It's been a while since this guy got a look in, I've been kind of busy with a transatlantic game of 40k – you may have heard! More on Hailed vs Hated next week – today is about Tycho.

Since part 2, I have clipped off the purity seals that were on his forearms and added greenstuff to shape them more like his metal incarnation. I will add blood drops here at a later point. I filled in the shoulder area of his combi-melta arm and am building up the greenstuff here slowly.

The one thing that truly defines Tycho is his mask, and I was eager to have a crack at this as it would feel like I would be making real progress. Needless to say it was not a smooth ride, this one was my third attempt. I'm not sure whether my greenstuff skills, or indeed my eyesight, are up to something so small and detailed. It looks more like Chris O' Donnell's mask in Batman & Robin than metal Tycho I think, and the eye is not in the right place, but it does the job for now until I can't live with it.

It's getting close to completion now, just a few more bits to add and I can get on with painting him (very exciting!).