20 Feb 2009

Objectives and Terrain

I have been producing some terrain and objectives recently since 5th Edn is all about Objective stealing and true LoS. I am currently basing some Imperial City ruins and will get round to painting and basing a Fuel Storage Yard made from a CD-ROM stack packet and an old tin. But, in the meantime, I have produced something, albeit small, but never the less - finished.

The first one is a Fuel Dump Objective based on the example Objectives shown in WD and on the GW website. I used car spray for the shiny metallic red, this will be used again in the Fuel Storage Yard terrain piece, but more of a worn dirty appearance. Oil drums were from the Battlefield Accessories kit, pump made from a chopped up Hvy Stubber and Searchlight pintle and a few cans from Leman Russ accessories plus a FW fuel can piece.

I have recently discovered Micro Set and Micro Sol solutions for transfers. Buy some, its fab! Very useful for curved surfaces such as shoulder pads (or oil drums).


The terrain piece was produced using the barricades from the Battlefield Accessories kit. I guess this is hard cover, difficult ground for troops, dangerous ground for vehicles. This was made with a hardboard (dense fibre board) base cut with a jigsaw and sanded edges, then based as usual with modelling sand and PVA then painted to match my miniatures.

18 Feb 2009

Relictors Assault Terminator Sergeant w/ Thunderhammer & Storm Shield

I have been quietly plodding along since the completion of those Landspeeders, one or two projects on the go (as always) but thought I'd post a taster from my up and coming Terminator Assault Squad.

Here is Sergeant Abela. He has a FW Black Templars Storm Shield and a top of a Crozius Arcanum instead of a banner to mark him out from the rest of the squad (yet to be assembled). Banners on Close Combat troops don't make sense to me, so a nice figurehead instead suits his style of melee fighting.

I tried to dampen down the Templar's cross by only painting it Boltgun Metal with a few Badab Black washes and highlight up the skull icon in the centre with Fortress Grey and Skull White to echo the Chapter Badge in order to draw your eye to that part of the overall design. Hopefully you think Relictor first before thinking Black Templar.

The bone colour respirator/comms is due to him coming from the First Company, and indeed Insignium Astartes design of bone (similar to White for Codex Chapters etc.) coloured helmets for 1st Company Veterans.

The Thunder Hammer has been given a wash of Asurmen Blue to give a slight 'power' look. Flesh tones are Dwarf Flesh, Ogryn Flesh Wash and Elf Flesh highlights. As always, the blue and red 'lights/antenna/sensors/indicators?' are the same as those on the rear of the Landspeeder and on the front of the Marine Backpacks, just behind their heads.

16 Feb 2009

I'm still here...

I've realised there has been a lack of postal activity on my part. I'm still here, the emperor hasn't cast me down! -yet!

Quick update, I've completed my Razorback armed with twin linked lascannons, primed ready to snipe those nice new land speeders of Siph's, and have started on a couple of tyranid hunter marines. I've also got a surprises or three for Siph's pleasure.. photo's to follow soon...

I've also recently picked up an amazing bargain of a games table, 2, 2x4 boards that slot together finished off with forgeworld roads, buildings and more. I can't wait to have a battle or two on it!! The plan is to build onto the board in sections, including an open board for titan battles, a large industrial area and hopefully an imperial palace...

13 Feb 2009

Look what came in the mail...

I had a delivery from Forgeworld and the Black Library today. Awesome bits and pieces.
I purchase a number of Red Scorpions' vehicle doors to make into some of the Relictors' own doors. The Red Scorpion design allowed a quick file down of the actual scorpion in the centre ring and using FW Skulls from the Purity Seal bundles, made them into the picture above. These will kit out my Veterans transport along with some Reinforced Armour and a Rhino Dozer Blade, whilst I have some Landraider doors and some Terminator Honour FW doors for two of my future Landraider projects plus some Reinforced Armour for one of the Landraiders and a Predator. Check out mine and Pornstarjedi's project lists in the side bar... they are quite big but its stuff we have bought already and not yet completed!
If you don't own a copy yet, go buy this mammoth book of lurvley pictures and drawings to get tonnes of inspiration from. It is bigger and heavier than the new 5th Edn. rulebook and packed full (over 400 pages) of humanity's greatest warriors in all their glory/infamy. Check out these pictures as a sampler (obviously better in the actual book!).

6 Feb 2009

Relictors Landspeeder Tornado #2

No it's not a re-post of the previous one. I was working on the second one on the sly, keeping it from Pornstarjedi - that way I could sneek it through without him expecting a double dose of tank killer skimmers! But, as with all things hobby - I couldn't keep it quiet for too long without wanting to show it off.


This was done in the same way as the first, only the vehicle number and pilot head are different, same weapons too. Now I have an even better chance of Multi-Melting those pesky heavies, or double Heavy Flaming those hordes. I added a metal skull decoration in the centre, just to 'Relictor' it up. Here's a picture of both my Landspeeders just to prove its not a re-post!

3 Feb 2009

Relictors Landspeeder Tornado

A bad spell of snowy weather meant I wasn't able to drive the minor back roads to work hence, I completed the Landspeeder Tornado a few days earlier than expected. Here she is in all her grey glory. I chose Muli-Melta as a tank killer because the Landspeeder has the movement to outflank armour whilst the Heavy Flamer is there as a cheap back-up passenger/troop killer, again long ranged weapons are wasted on this fast baby (and assault cannon expensive). For only 70pts I have a deep striking, fast skimmer tank killer! Looks mean too. The '5' is for the 5th Company, the 'I' is for the vehicle number. The reverse of the wings has identical markings too.The red and blue lights on the rear echo those on the standard marines backpacks (see earlier Tactical Squad posts) and the Terminator rear waist (have a look yourself). These all tie the army together. This was the newly cut Plastic Landspeeder kit which came with lots of weapon spares I've flogged on ebay and recouped about £5 of the initial £18. The cockpit design gives a large scope for personalisation and lots of buttons to paint in, however after completing the model - most of my hard work is obscurred by the two Battle Brothers! Oh well, at least I know it's there. You might be able to pick out the detail in these following shots.

Oh, two minor points. Be careful of the crew steps, they might look identical but they are slightly angled for a left and right fit over the bumber/fender. And, the Tornado can only be mounted on the taller flying base strutt, the lower one means the underslung weapon drags on the deck. Doh.

2 Feb 2009

Mk 1's Razorback and Vindicator

Here are two tanks from my collection, The razorback is about 12-13 years old, (my first tank, aged 14..ah the memories..)and will be given an fresh lick of paint. I like the fact that the new Space Marine Codex discusses this variation, with the lascannon/twin-linked plasma configaration.



The second tank again is about 12 years old. I based the idea on the vindicator from the final liberation computer game. The tank then was armed with a thunderer cannon. I'm planning on have this as a Mk I version. As again this variation was mentioned in the codex in the history of the vindicator.. The tank itself was based on the old rhino, with a massive cannon on the front. I used the largest syringe I could find. The original version had the roof open, with crew interior. I used two plastic marines, some cpu boards trimed around the edge and some shells from another kit for the main weapon. However when GW produced on I felt it didn't look right to have a tank, with a huge weapon showing its workings, so I added the metal roof with the fans on it..

1 Feb 2009

Ultramarine Vindicator

This week, my Ultramarines have the addition of another mighty Vindicator to its ranks. This is a Forgeworld model, which has taken a while to complete. (To much on the go.)



The main issues I had to start with was the warping of the resin parts, a quick blow with a hair dryer sorted that out. I really rate the Forgeworld model over the GW one, I just feel the cannon looks menacing, I did a slight conversion on the side doors so that they are reversed.


A couple of coats of Ultramarine blue over a black undercoat, plus some boltgun metal in places was the theme for this model. The dozer blade was painted UB, then washed with Badab Black to give it a worn look. I like all my vehicles to look as clean as possible, it just doesn't seem right to have a dirty Ultramarine tank (maybe I'm mad).