Heavy Metal

I think I've mentioned before that I never really took to the more ordered aesthetic Chaos adopted with the transition to plastic.

Nowhere was this more apparent than with the plastic Chaos Warriors, whose bulk demanded a very regimented pose to allow the models to rank up.

They weren't bad models, far from it, but combined in thire serried ranks, pressed shoulder to shoulder, they didn't exactly shout 'chaos'.

Fortunately, this is not going to be an issue with this motley bunch of glamorous all-stars.

I think I've lamented in these pages before about selling my unit of Champions of Slaanesh before I'd ever painted a single one of them.

They were a beautiful set of models.

Although the combination of drawing together a mishmash of Chaos Warriors and them dedicating to Nurgle means that they will probably lose out on beauty. However, this magnificent seven more than make up for this with their collected renown and notoriety.

First up we have one of those most stalwart and fearsome denizens of the halls of Heroquest, the Chaos Warrior.

This is a great model that only slightly shows it's age around the horns (which merge into the armour round the sides) and still cuts an impressive figure.

Next week have a pair of Champions, one of which the eagle-eyed will notice, is actually a Champion of Tzeentch.

I opted to include this anomaly because I felt that nothing would amused Grandfather Nurgle more than a corrupted former servant of his arch-enemy still bearing his former livery besmirched in corrosion and filth.

The Champion of Nurgle bears only the slightest hint of his allegiance in the sculpt. Only the rune of Nurgle at his breast and some cracks in his armour betray who he serves.

I like this choice as the rest of the Champions of Nurgle are so corrupted that they don't really suit being used as merely the champion of unit of Chaos Warriors, whereas this guy fits the bill perfectly.

Next, as a step up from champions, we have some real 'heroes'.

On the right is the Warrior of Chaos character model from the boardgame Talisman, who not only had the power to corrupt those he came into contact with (somewhat appropriate for this army) but also would receive gifts from the gods each time he slew an enemy.

He was one of my favourite characters to use in the game, and I'm pleased that the colour palette I'm using for this army allowed me to make a nod towards his appearance in that game.

One the right is what I deem to be his successor (later versions of Talisman don't count), the Warhammer Quest Chaos Warrior.

This chonky boy made for a somewhat odd companion in groups of heroes that could include Wardancers, Warrior Priests of Sigmar and Witch Hunters.

However, he is a beautiful miniature and would make for an excellent Chaos Lord were it not for the fact that there is no way I'm putting that amount of points and death-dealing killyness on foot. Therefore, he shall serve as the unit's champion of champions.

Yes, I know the spike on his ace is bent, but I quite like it. Imagine what he might do with that hooked end...

Finally we have some real celebrities, named characters in fact, to add a sprinkling of glamour to proceedings.

On the left we have Thargrim the Dark Lord from the Heroes for Dungeonquest expansion to, unsurprisingly, the board game Dungeonquest. I've already added four of the Dungeonquest alumni to the unit of Chaos Marauders, and there are still a couple more to come if I can find a way to include them.

On the right, the last of this all-star line-up is none other than Duke Luthor Von Hawkfire, the somewhat superfluous thrower for the Chaos All-Stars Bloodbowl team. I say superfluous because the majority of throwing that team would do would be if Goblins, specifically Dirty Dan. However, the presence of Morg'th N'hthrog (later bastardised to Morg 'n' Thorg for simpletons) meant that the All-Stars favoured the punching and running game.

Duke Luthor isn't the only Bloodbowl player destined to join the horde, but he is, in all likelihood, going to be the most famous name amongst their number

Acquired: -78

Painted: 394

Lead Mountain: 374

Ancient Dragon

My goal with my my Warriors of Chaos army project is to build an army solely from the pile of ancient lead and plastic that has sat unpainted for 30+ years, with the ultimate of fielding it in games of Warhammer: The Old World. Sadly, this means that some of my collection can't be fielded due to the lack of suitable rules to use.

However, the recent release of the Warriors of Chaos Arcane Journal included the rules for Warpfire Dragons, meaning that I can now include this beast in the ranks of my horde of Nurgle.

This is technically a Blue Dragon that was released by Citadel in a boxed set with a Sorceress and a pile of books in 1987.

I still have the Sorceress, and she actually served as a Necromancer in my Vampire Counts army for many years, however, I have never even tried to paint the Dragon. Admittedly, it sat in a friend's garage for twenty years, but it's well past time it hit the table.

I think the pile of books got sold as part of a lot I should never have gotten rid of.

The 'Blue' Dragon is curious and characterful sculpt, in a pose that is unusual for fantasy Dragons. Rather than attacking or rearing, he's sat on his haunches, giving him a pot-bellied look that is not out of place in Nurgle's ranks.

Being all metal, you'd expect assembly to be tricky, but I never had a problem with this one, but some patience was required with the wings.

With painting, I went with mainly contrast paints, which work extremely well on metal models that are sculpted with this much detail. A newly bought pot of Plaguebearer Flesh for the scales and Skeleton Horde for the wings and underbelly give him a sickly and unpleasant look.

I furthered his links to the Plaguefather by painting some of lumps on the body (which I think might be meant to embedded jewels) as pus filled boils using Nazdreg Yellow and ringing them with Carroburg Crimson.

Another curious design feature is that this Dragon has hair along its spine, which I gave a coat of Basilicanum Grey, for a dirty, matted look.

Finally, claws and horns were done with Ushabti Bone, a few bits of jewellery were done with gold and washed with Nihilakh Oxide for a corroded look and the eyes were done red.

My usual basing with AK Scenics Muddy Ground and then pools of Nurgle's Rot technical paint completed the model.

To say I'm pleased with this one is somewhat of an understatement. This was the first 'big' model I ever owned and it was therefore the most intimidating to paint to young me. It's a shame because it's such a good model and the excellent level of detail would have helped a young me get a decent result with just a little patience.

Added to that, I'm really happy with the colour choices I've made. The paper pallette gives him a sickly Swamp Dragon feels that suits the looks and feels of the army. I also feel that including a Dragon in such a small force is a true homage to the spirit of 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Battles as you could just add monsters to your army, pretty much as you saw fit.

I'm really beginning to get my teeth into this project, so expect more disease and corruption in coming posts.

Acquired: -78

Painted: 387

Lead Mountain: 381

The Frog Prince

I've been slowly painting Chaos Marauders cobbler together from some of the oldest miniatures in my lead pile for a while now. However, having reached the point where they might actually be a functional unit, I decided to reward myself with a character model.

Not one to start small, I opted to honour,in a small way, the insane conversions of the The Lost and the Dammed, from which my inspiration for this army is being drawn, and kitbash together a Daemon Prince to lead my burgeoning horde.

As ever, the limits of my kitbash were defined by what I already had access to in my bits box and lead pile.

Fortunately, after completing my Heroquest project a couple of years ago, I still had a second Gargoyle, which was in fact the damaged one I had originally owned back in the eighties.

Way back in the mists of time, I had intended to use my Heroquest Gargoyle as a Bloodthirster, but back then, I very rarely acted on my intentions beyond buying a few random packs of miniatures (at one point I owned a whopping three Bloodletters) before the next idea struck.

Obviously, in it's original form, the Gargoyle looked to much like a Daemon of Khorne, and so I combined a metal head that I believe comes from a very old modular Chaos Spawn, a trophy rack from a plastic Daemon Prince (to hide the break in the wings) and the tail from a plastic Screamer of Tzeentch (to cover up where the hideous glue I'd used to fix the wings had filled up the chainmail).

I then threw in a weapon swap (the whip evoked it's Bloodthirster-like origins) and a couple of metal Nurglings on the base, and ended up with something that could work as a Nurgle Daemon.

They don't all have to be fat. It's Chaos.

When it came to painting, I opted to go for green skin. I'll admit that this decision worried me. 

The model has been sitting in my queue for some time because I was concerned that if I went for the traditional Nurgle green, there was a chance that my converted Daemon Prince might bear more than a passing resemblance to Kermit the Frog with teeth.

Fortunately, I opted to go for Elysian Green and give it a wash of Agrax Earthshade (along with everything else) and it seemed to work. He's still fairly reminiscent of a Kroxigor, but the wings, spines and Nurglings do root him firmly in the Chaos family.

There's nothing particularly clever going on with the painting, but liberal doses of Nihilakh Oxide, Nurgle's Rot and Blood for the Blood God technical paints were used to cover any inadequacies not drenched in Agrax Earthshade.

I should point out that I was surprised at the level of detail in the Chaos Spawn head, there it quite a lot going on, and it serves as a good focal point to draw the eye away from what is, to be honest, a some what simplistic sculpt from Heroquest.

Overall I'm delighted with how my Daemon Prince has turned out. He fits the aesthetic of the army so far and it's clear what he's meant to be. I've also managed to salvage a damaged model and get the first character for my army. I also still have the Gargoyle head that might find it's way into a different project.

Admittedly, he's a little small. Compared to more modern Daemon Princes, he's tiny, but he's also somewhat towered over by the original metal Greater Daemons. However, I opted to raise his base to give the illusion of height.

Also, Chaos is chaotic. If it amuses the Plaguefather to create a diminutive, frog-like Daemon Prince, then who's going to stop him?

Acquired: -79

Painted: 386

Lead Mountain: 383

P.S. This post takes me past a notable landmark. So far this year I've painted more models that I actually have left in the lead pile. That's promising...

Chaos Gets My Goat

As I'm sure both of my readers are aware, I've been slowly working my way through some very old metal miniatures in an attempt to create a Chaos army for Warhammer: The Old World which is reminiscent of those that originally appeared in the Realms of Chaos books, specifically The Lost and the Damned.

Having worked my way through Chaos Thugs, assorted Barbarians and mutated Chaos Dwarfs, I've now turned my attention to my limited assortment of Beastmen.

Astute observers will no doubt be somewhat confused as not only do Beastmen not appear in the Chaos army list, they also have their own entire army list.

Does this mean I'm engaging in some allied shenanigans?

No. I only have six Beastmen and I'll be adding them to my Chaos Marauders in an attempt to bing even more mutated variety into the unit.

I think I've said before that I really didn't like how as the concept of 'Chaos' developed, it became less and less chaotic in both aesthetics and army design.

The models I've painted actually come from three different generations of Beastmen, and, to some extent, chart the development of the concept.

First up is this sculpt from 1987, apparently called Asmos, that was later branded as a Beastman of Slaanesh at points. There's nothing that screams Slaanesh about this model, although I'd suggest that the straight horns were similar to some of the later sculpts for the God of Pleasure's servants.

This is from the 'anything goes' era of Chaos and so the model lacks the traditional cloven hooves, perhaps it's more a goatlike mutant of the 'Bray' than a typical Beastman Gor.

There seems to have been a veritable herd of Beastmen being released at the start of 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and so these three, along with many others, showed up in 1988.

Although they lack names (other than Mace 1, Mace 2 and Morning Star) they are part of a range sculpted by Bob Olley that have a definite look that suffered than what else was being released. They are chunkier than the earlier models and lean into the goatman look that Beastmen came to embrace.

Finally we jump to 1994 and these two Beastmen who seem much more slender and upright, with more prominent horns. These sculpts demonstrate how Beastmen had become much more uniform in appearance. Something that would only increase with the move into plastic.

The shields aren't original, but do suit them well.

I do actually have one other Beastman in my possession, but hest unfortunately a Khorngor. I could look past the doglike appearance as just another mutation, but I can't bring myself to file down the rune of Khorne on his warhammer.

And here they are with the rest of the Marauders, forming a slavering horde of 21 models. I still need to add a standard bearer and musician (which will require a little conversion work) and I also have a mind to create a unit filler to really bulk things out.

I personally think this is a massive improvement on the frankly awful plastic offerings that were recently re-released, and seeing them together is giving me impetus to get on with this project.

Once I've finished this unit, I'm going to treat myself with a character model of some kind.

Acquired: -79

Painted: 385

Lead Mountain: 386

Bringing a Tank to a Gunfight

This weekend, our little gaming group decided to play some small games of 5th edition 40k at 500 points a piece.

We've been playing some three-way 500 points games using a scenario that was found fir just such an occasion, but now Wes has jumped into the retro 40k pit with us, it was a chance for something a bit different.

Naturally, as I've just finished them off, I opted to run my Astral Claws as vanilla Space Marines, and as I've been busy printing, I also decided to be 'that guy' and bring a tank.

My army list was as follows:

• Librarian
• 10 Tactical Marines (Flamer & Missile Launcher)
• 3 Bikes (Power Sword & Meltagun)
• Vindicator

I appreciate that the Vindicator might seem to be a somewhat over-powered selection, but in my defence, it does have a really massive gun.

Game 1 vs Pete's Space Wolves

I've been on the receiving end of Pete's Fenrisians in other editions, so I knew what to expect. He would cross the table quickly and try to rip my face off.

Fortunately, he'd only brought one unit with jump packs and no vehicles, meaning that I should have time to thin them down, in a direct role reversal from when my Blood Angels play his Alpha Legion in 30k.

To the best of my memory, his army was:

• Wolf Priest
• 8 Grey Hunters
• 7 Blood Claws (Power Fist)
• 5 Skyclaws (Jump Packs, Power Fist)

He was as delighted as you'd imagine to discover that he'd be charging down the barrel of my Vindicator and so set about hugging cover as much as he could, sending the Blood Claws and Wolf Priest down my left, the Grey Hunters down the centre and the Skyclaws screaming down my right.

Unfortunately for Pete, Vindicators can fire indirectly and I scored a lucky hit on the Blood Claws, killing all but two of them.

The Skyclaws ploughed into the Tactical Combat Squad I'd left Manning the ruin, winning the fight but failing to break my unit.

In return, I charged in the second Combat Squad that I'd pulled back from the advancing Blood Claws. Accompanied by the Force Sword wielding Librarian, they made short work of the Space Wolf assault troops and steadied the line.

With the Wolf Priest and remaining Blood Claws isolated by my Bikes refusing the flank, the Grey Hunters were left to assault my line alone.

The Grey Hunters bravely charged in and killed several Astral Claws, and drove the Librarian back. 

However this was somewhat of a phyrric victory as they were much reduced and then counter-charged from both sides and cut down where they stood.

Although Pete still had troops on the table, we decided to end the game as he would not be able to kill enough of my units in the time remaining, handing victory to the Astral Claws.

Game 2 vs Matt's Biel-Tan Eldar

Matt made the decision last year to invest in a subscription to Combat Patrol magazine, and this is eventually going to start quite a few new armies, including the Eldar.

His army used pretty much everything he's painted so far:

• Farseer
• 10 Guardians
• 5 Jetbikes
• Wraithlord

Matt had given Wes's Imperial Guard a torrid time using hit and run tactics and this game began in much the same vein until I once again managed to score an indirect hit on the Jetbikes, killing three of them.

I'd also managed to race my Bikes forward to savage the Guardians in close combat and they were now free to harry the Eldar rear.

It should be pointed out that I had benefitted from some atrocious Eldar shooting, with the Wraithlord's Brightlance, guided by the Farseer, repeatedly missing the Vindicator and the Jetbikes' Shuriken weapons failing to significantly dent power armoured Marines.

With the Guardians killed, the Bikes were conveniently placed to charge in and kill the Farseer, robbing Matt of his leader.

Although the Bikes were now fair game for the Wraithlord, it could not stop the Jetbikes being forced into the open where they were destroyed by Bolter fire, winning the game for the Astral Claws.

All in all, a successful night and a chance to field some units that I hadn't used yet.

However, I suspect that the next time we do this there might be a few more tanks in attendance.

Tank You and Goodnight

As much as any project is ever finished, I've come to the end of my endeavours in the Badab War and my Astral Claws are 'complete' for now.

Unable to attend the final few events due to distance, money and prior commitments, I will admit that I lost a lot of my motivation.

I have, however mustered up the energy to finish off my last model.

This Predator is another 3d print from the same designer as the Rhino and Vindicator, and as such the main chassis printed well and was easy to assemble.

I ran into issues with the weaponry. I probably should have printed these with the smaller nozzle as the 0.4mm nozzle doesn't really capture the detail massively well.

Additionally, I probably angled the Lascannons badly and so they are not great if you look too closely. Were I to print another of these, I might ask Matt or Pete to do the smaller parts on a resin printer.

Painting was once again done in an extremely simple way to match the rest of the army and transfers were added for simple detailing.

The turret is mobile but I've glued the sponsor weapons rather than magnetising them as I can't see a situation where having them move is entirely necessary.

All in all I'm happy with the outcome of this model as it rounds out my army, adds some necessary heavy firepower and allowed me to test the limits of the 0.4mm nozzle which will help future prints.

Is it the best vehicle I own? No. Does it matter? Also no.

With a bit of moving around in terms of what things count as, that takes me to roughly 1500 points of 'Chaos' Marines should the urge to play 10th edition take me.

I've also scratched an itch I've had to build an army for the Badab War since I got into this hobby. If an opportunity for more scenario play comes again, I can add more to it.

But for now, they're done.

Acquired: -79

Painted: 179

Lead Mountain: 394

The X-Dwarfs

"Mutation: it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into...oh my God! What the hell are those?"

Welcome to a trip back in time. 40 years back in time to be precise. Back to a time before Hellcannons, before Tamurkhan, before the Great Taurus. Before a single big hat was donned.

Back to when Chaos Dwarfs were simply Dwarfs who served Chaos.

The first Chaos Dwarfs were released in 1985 and were heavily armoured dwarf versions of Chaos Warriors.

There were shortly followed by some more lightly armoured and heavily mutated models which brought a much more distorted and twisted look to the units, am aesthetic that I have always liked. I'm really not a fan of the ordered ranks of plastic that emerged later. 

My purchasing habits around this time were very much a matter of saving up some money (often by skipping school dinner) and picking up a couple of blister packs of whatever G&I Models (there wasn't a Games Workshop in every town back then) happened to have in stock.

The bizarre nature of the Chaos Dwarfs will have caught my eye because I like my Chaos to be...well...chaotic.

The sheer variety of these models really captures the feel of early Warhammer Chaos, with each model being a unique character, blessed by the Chaos Gods in different ways: a hunchback with spines; a Dwarf/Beastman hybrid split down the middle; an armoured warrior with a mane and duck feet...

...duck feet?

Yep. Worshipping Chaos isn't all about wearing black and looking cool.

One of the things I really love about this range is that they capture the total randomness that rolling on the Chaos Attributes table in Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness (a d1000 table) would deliver, often making the servants of Chaos less effective.

Vestigial horns and a single leg are not an awe-inspiring demonstration of the benefits of kneeling before the pantheon.

In fact, I'd imaging that kneeling would be a bit awkward for this chap.

The eighties were a different time in Warhammer, a more bonkers time.

To my mind no miniature captures this insanity better than this horned, zombie, ninja Dwarf being part of the Dwarf Villagers range rather than a Chaos Dwarf.

I'd love to have some insight on the whole thought process that led to the creation of this one.

Anyway, these five chaps will be joining my Chaos Marauders, although Duck-Feet might waddle his way into a unit of Chaos Warriors when I get round to them as he's a bit heavily armoured for a Marauder.

There are some more very old miniatures to add to this unit that will lend even more of a chaotic feel.

Acquired: -79

Painted: 178

Lead Mountain: 395

Tiny Tanks for the Tiny Tank God

It's happening again.

It goes like this:

1. Someone (usually Matt or Pete) mentions a new project.
2. My interest is piqued, usually through nostalgia.
3. I remember that I have a small amount of models suitable for said project.
4. I start a new project with nowhere near enough models already in my possession to finish it.

In this case the new project is Epic 40k (or any of the various names that 6mm gaming from Games Workshop has gone by) and the models in my possession consisted of a single Bloodthirster.

Yep. I've started an army because I have a single model, a game was mentioned in earshot and I have no willpower.

The Bloodthirster itself is at least 30 years old and as such is somewhat static in posture, posed in a flat plane for easy of casting. What's more it doesn't have the Bloodthirster's signature whip, but rather a weird rod.

It does, however, have lots and lots of detail on its armour, unsurprising in a recurring skull motif.

The only detail I genuinely find odd, and I did at the time, was the decision to have the Greater Daemon models mounted on 25mm round bases as they seemed to have with the flatter square bases of the infantry.

When it came to painting I kept things simple, using Fleshtearers Red, Carroburg Crimson and Khorne Red to do the face, arms and wings.

The armour I did in silver with gold and bone details and washed it in Agrax Earthshade. I then topped off with a few contrast paints on details like the fur, horns and hooves.

All in all, I'm quite pleased with how he came out. He will serve as a good initial centrepiece if my army.

The Rhinos are actually 3D prints from a free file I found knocking about and have come out really well.

The colour is more red than it seems in the photos but could probably do with a bit more highlighting as they are still a bit dark.

I've kept things simple though, adding a few details of black, silver and brass, making this a scheme that is easily replicated en masse.

So, I've started an Epic Chaos army. I don't currently have anything else to paint, but I do have my printer and a few more vehicles files, but I don't trust that FDM will work with 6mm infantry, so I'm on the lookout for some second hand miniatures at a not extortionate price.

Acquired: -79

Painted: 173

Lead Mountain: 400

Trauma Surgeon

Although the Master of Arcane Security, the leader of my Doctors starter gang for Carnevale,from the La Grazia Industrial Works, is clearly not medically trained, I'd suggest that she is a specialist in inflicting trauma by both fire and sword.

The Master of Arcane Security is the last model I have to paint my Doctors and I left her until last not only because she was the biggest of the bunch, but also because this is the model that made me opt for the La Grazia Industrial Works box over the other starter hangs for the Doctors of the Ospedale.

There's something so delightfully over the top and steampunk-bonkers about her design which contrasts well with the other gangs, whereas the black-robed ominous figures of the Plague Doctor and Doctor of the Mind (I'll admit I overlooked the Doctor of Zoology) have a similar aesthetic to the Strigoi.

Painting turned out to be easier than expected partly because most of the model is gold washed with Agrax Earthshade, but also because I'd already worked out my colour palette earlier in the process of painting the gang.

I'm still impressed with how well TTCombat miniatures respond to contrast paints, meaning that the painting process is not too laborious.

I did have a couple of issues with this model, and almost ruined the whole thing.

Firstly, I was missing one of the pistons from the knee joint. I'm not sure if it was missing or as a tiny piece I'd lost it on opening the box. Either way, it wasn't significant enough to bother me, so I left them off.

Then there was the undercoat, which I didn't apply fully the first time, an when I tried to fix the issue, I held the spray can too close and frosted up the model . Fortunately I was able to scrub most of the problem paint off quickly, but the backs of the leg guards are still a bit gritty.

This all means that my Doctors are now ready to take to the mean streets of Venice. I'm not sure how much healing they'll be doing, but they are definitely ready to sterilise and purge.

I've really enjoyed painting this collection, which means I'm quite keen to add to them. I might raid the bits box for a proxy or two before I pick up any more official miniatures, as I do enjoy a bit of kitbashing.

Acquired: -84

Painted: 166

Lead Mountain: 399

Doctor, Doctor!

Work on my Doctors for Carnevale continues and I think it's clear that when we get to the Ordnance Doctor and the Apprentice Doctor, we are reminded that not al PhDs are medical.

The Ordnance Doctor brings heavy ranged weaponry into a game where, so far, my collections most significant ballistic missile has been a crossbow bolt or a pistol shot.

The Spirit Cannon is not only a powerful gun, but also the Ordnance Doctor can draw on the energy of nearby madmen to make it vastly more dangerous.

Increasingly, I'm leaning into painting my Carnevale miniatures with contrast paints. I'm finding that they do a really good job with the more detailed sculpts, particularly the decorative elements.

The down side is that I'm having much more of a battle with mould release agent than usual, even though I do clean the resin. However, I've found that even contrast paint can swamp the issue if you are persistent enough.

The Apprentice Doctor is an interesting character as you can choose to give him a special ability or attack type of one of the other Doctors at the start of each game.

Obviously, with this sculpt holding a gun it makes sense for the Apprentice Doctor to imitate the Spirit Cannon (without the ability to upgrade it) or risk causing all kinds of confusion.

Again, I went with contrast paints for the most part, and I'm finding that I'm much more happy with Darkoath Flesh as a base skin tone than I've been with Gulliman Fresh previously. Also, I'm really liking Gore-Grunta Fur as a way of achieving red hair.

So the Doctors are almost done, and there's only one model to go. She's a big one though.

I'm really happy with how this game is coming together as the muted palette ties them together and the pale blues present here and there really make them pop.

Acquired: -90
Painted: 168
Lead Mountain: 391