It’s been quite a while since I last wrote a blog post – and that’s purely due to real-world impact into hobby time – it was either do some hobby in the odd sessions or write the blog, so I chose to do some painting and modelling. During the intervening five months – I’ve managed to do a few small projects, chipping away at the Dark Mechanicum, and also managed to get a few bigger projects finished.

The Dark Mechanicum – Abyssus Obsidianus

After what must be close to five years of painting Xana, I moved my Dark Mech to a new scheme at the end of last year. Why? Xana is the best scheme! some might say. Well, frankly, I was bored of it and wanted a more multi-loyalty army (to a degree). I pulled up a very old archive of images on the server and found a black and red scheme that I really liked, and decided to revisit it.

Paints Used:

• Primer – Vallejo Black Primer.
• Black base – Vallejo Game Air Black.
• Black Layer – Vallejo Game Air Panzer Grey.
• Black Layer – Vallejo Game Air AMT-11 Blue Grey.
• Black Highlight – Vallejo Game Air Light Grey.
• Red Base – Vallejo Metal Colour Gunmetal.
• Red Layer – Vallejo Metal Colour Burnt Iron.
• Red Layer – Tamiya Clear Red.
• Red Varnish – AK Interactive Ultra Matte.
• Framework – Vallejo Metal Colour Gunmetal.
• Framework Drybush – Vallejo Game Air Silver Metallic.
• Trim – P3 Bronze.
• Trim Highlight – AK Gold.
• Varnish – AK Ultramatte.

Most of the Lacyraemarta and Cybernetica components of my collection are now in the new scheme, with some of the resin models now also replaced by plastics – merely due to the fact that I’d purchased the resin models quite a while ago and they were starting to show their age.

I’ll look to slowly move more of the collection over into the new scheme post July, and replace more of my Castellax with plastic ones. Overall, I’m quite content with the army and still enjoying playing it.

Big Guns Never Tire – Legio Fureans

As I’m moving away from Xana, it seemed appropriate to look to move away from Legio Vulturum. In doing so, I looked back at my first Titan’s history – my Warlord, which first graced a table wearing Legio Fureans scheme.

Quite a few years have elapsed since then, and my painting skills have definitely improved – so I decided to give it a shot on a Warbringer that I purchased from a friend’s grey pile of shame. It was a lucky purchase that came up after a year of hunting at Warhammer World and through various for sale sites. The Warbringer is pretty much entirely out of stock now – and isn’t looking likely to be returning anytime soon unfortunately.

The scheme is a little different to last time, employing browns and a bit more thinner than previously used.

Paints Used:

• Primer – Vallejo Black Primer.
• Yellow Base – Vallejo Game Air Burnt Umber.
• Yellow Layer – Vallejo Game Air Moon Yellow (Thinned 50/50).
• Yellow Highlight – Vallejo Game Air Moon Yellow.
• Black Base – Vallejo Game Air Black.
• Black Layer – Vallejo Game Air Panzer Grey.
• Staining – AK Interactive DAK Africa Vehicles.
• Staining – Vallejo Game Air German Red Brown (Thinned 50/50).
• Framework – Vallejo Metal Colour Gunmetal.
• Framework Wash – Villiany Inks Ichor of the Damned.
• Framework Drybush – Vallejo Game Air Silver Metallic.
• Trim – P3 Bronze.
• Trim Highlight – AK Gold.
• Patching – AK Interactive Chipping Colour.
• Rust – Dirty Down Rust.
• Transfers – Skumb4g Kustoms.
• Templates – Anarchy Models Flames.
• Varnish – AK Ultramatte.

The Outer Dark – Carcharodons

It’s been years since I played 40K and the last time I played it, I vowed to make and paint a Carcharodons army. Now was the time! It’s mostly focused around the Leviathan box set contents with a few extras chucked in, like my Mk2B Land Raider (that was replaced in my Sons Of Horus army with a Proteus) a Repulsor Executioner and two Redemptors. There’s some other stuff in there too, but is definitely a slow grow force.

I’m intending on using them as a Blood Angels Liberation Force army construct as I feel that it fits the theme of the Carcharodons – I was somewhat bemused to find out exactly how much has been removed from “usability” with 10th Edition, with almost all of the Forgeworld items or lore/armies being removed. Shame. A 3D printed Tyberos will still be present on the battlefield.

Paints Used:

• Primer – Vallejo Black Primer.
• Grey Base – Vallejo Game Air Panzer Grey.
• Grey Layer – Vallejo Game Air AMT-11 Blue Grey.
• Grey Highlight – Vallejo Game Air Light Grey.
• Black Base – Vallejo Game Air Black.
• Black Layer – Vallejo Game Air AMT-11 Blue Grey.
• Metalwork – Vallejo Metal Colour Gunmetal.
• Metalwork Wash – Villiany Inks Ichor of the Damned.
• Metealwork Drybush – Vallejo Game Air Silver Metallic.
• Trim – P3 Bronze.
• Trim Highlight – AK Gold.
• Patching – AK Interactive Chipping Colour.
• Rust – Dirty Down Rust.
• Transfers – Skumb4g Kustoms.
• Varnish – AK Ultramatte.

Purge the Mon’keigh – Craftworld Mymeara

Speaking of 10th Edition…. The last game of 40K I played was with my Aeldari back in 8th proper, and once in 9th Edition. Mymeara have long been one of my favourite Craftworlds due to their unique scheme and great lore as defined in Imperial Armour.

First up – a lot of sadness, as I looked at my Warp Hunters, Wraithseers and Shadow Spectres and consigned them back to the storage box. As mentioned above, it’s pretty awful that a lot of models have just been binned off by Games Workshop “because they’re Forgeworld”. Sure I can play them in friendly games, but even then, they’re unbalanced so in some matchups they’re terribly weak, others they’re ok. Not fun for anyone. More irritatingly, things like the Warp Hunters and Wraithseers are pretty much a simple conversion effort to make plastic. Hopefully both they and Shadow Spectres come back in 11th or at some point in the future.

In the meantime, I’m working the collection across fully into the scheme, adding Fire Dragons (only one 5-person squad) and some Warp Spiders to replace the old resin ones I’ve got. I’m mainly looking at Spirit Conclave to get my Wraith Host back on the table – it was never very good, and isn’t very good now apparently – but at least nothing’s really changed there. I’ve also decided to go for Aspect Host or Warhost to make a more general Aeldari army too. Everything bar the Fire Dragons is in my collection, which is nice. Though I’ve got to say that Psykers and their rules (or comparative lack of) is blowing my mind currently.

Regardless, I’m really enjoying the painting and using them as a palette cleanser from my Sons of Horus.

Paints Used:

• Primer – Vallejo Black Primer.
• Base – Army Painter Fanatics Deep Azure (Thinned 50/50 with X-20A).
• Layer – Army Painter Fanatics Turquoise Siren (Thinned 50/50 with X-20A).
• Highlight – Army Painter Fanatics Marine Mist (Thinned 50/50 with X-20A).
• Metalwork Base – P3 Bronze.
• Metalwork Highlight – AK Interactive Gold.
• Wraithbone Base – Tamiya Wooden Deck Tan.
• Wraithbone Layer – Tamiya Deck Tan.
• All over Wash – Villainy Inks Ichor of the Damned.
• Varnish – AK Ultramatte.

My sons, will you hear my oath of moment? – Sons of Horus

It wouldn’t be a period of hobby without spending time on my beloved Sons of Horus. I’ve finally gotten around to putting the Carsoran weapons on my Justaerin and Reavers, and actually completed a Breacher squad.

The Javelins have been stripped and ready for repainting, however a slight logistical mistake saw me end up with twelve of them now. All with magnetised weapons so I can’t be locked into loadouts that are unsavoury in 3.0.

Overall, I’m biding my time for Heresy 3.0 as I don’t have particularly high opinions of Games Workshops dealings with Heresy. I won’t be getting the Saturnine Boxset, as the armour doesn’t really fit the theme of Heresy in my opinion, and I don’t like the fact that we are now being told “but we’ve always had Saturnine” (in the voice of Mary Porter from Hot Fuzz “Check in? You’ve always been here”) – no matter how far back they retcon it. Frankly, the last reason I won’t be buying the box set is that I don’t actually need more army – as I have nearly 20K of 30K in Sons of Horus alone (and that’s after some reductions).

Key activity for the rest of the year will be repainting the earlier painted elements. Then patiently waiting for 3.0 to release and get some new edition games underway and find out what options the Sons of Horus are granted!

Paints Used:

• Primer – Vallejo Black Primer.
• Green Base – Vallejo Game Air IJN Deep Dark Green.
• Green Layer – Vallejo Game Air RLM25 Hellgreen.
• Green Highlight – Vallejo Game Air RLM25 Hellgreen and Vallejo Game Air White 50/50 mix.
• Black Base – Vallejo Game Air Black.
• Black Layer – Vallejo Game Air AMT-11 Blue Grey.
• Black Highlight – Vallejo Game Air Light Grey (Thinned 50/50).
• Edge Highlight – Vallejo Game Air Light Grey.
• Red Base – Citadel Khorne Red.
• Red Highlight – Vallejo Game Air Red.
• Framework – Vallejo Metal Colour Gunmetal.
• Framework Wash – Villiany Inks Ichor of the Damned.
• Framework Drybush – Vallejo Game Air Silver Metallic.
• Trim – P3 Bronze.
• Trim Highlight – AK Gold.
• Patching – AK Interactive Chipping Colour.
• Rust – Dirty Down Rust.
• Transfers – Games Workshop.
• Varnish – AK Ultramatte.

Forecast

The Sons of Horus and Dark Mechanicum collections are being worked on for The Emperor Protects event in September. It’s a doubles event and should be great fun – information on Facebook. The secondary goal for this will be to start Podcasting/YouTube Videos for battle reports or just chatting about Heresy, but this may take some time to put together properly.

The Warlord will continue to be worked on to finish off the Fureans scheme ready for a Christmas Titan-off at Warhammer World, and the Aeldari will be worked through to get them ready for some 10th Edition gaming here and there.

Once 3.0 drops, I’ll be doing a faction review for Dark Mechanicum and Sons of Horus – of course!

Overall though, that’s not a huge amount of hobby, mainly because this year is exceptionally busy. Hopefully around Christmas time, things will calm down enough to reinvigorate some proper hobby and blog time, and start testing the waters of podcasting and YouTube. In the mean time, it’ll be once a month at the worst for blog updates, even if it’s just some paint schemes, or a progression check-in.