Year: 2023

Legion Reinforcements

Next week you will be able to pre-order some Legion reinforcements for The Horus Heresy.

There is the Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer.

The massive Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is an armoured beast, mounting a triple-barrelled neutron laser battery onto a rugged Spartan hull to create a devastatingly focused anti-tank weapon. It can detonate tanks in a single blast while shrugging off return fire like it’s nothing – everything you want in a Lord of War.

I prefer the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank. Given the choice between the Cerberus and the Typhon, I would choose the Typhon. I just think it is a better looking tank.

There is also the Sicaran Venator Tank Hunter.

If you prefer your anti-tank options a little more discrete, the Sicaran Venator trades mass for speed and can wind its way around enemy flanks before lancing neutron beam laser blasts right through the sides of opposing tanks.

I am not a fan of this tank, so it won’t be added to my (long and) never-ending wish list.

 

Drybrushing the Predator

The Predator is perhaps the best known and most widespread variant of the basic Rhino chassis. Augmented with superior armour and firepower, it entirely sacrifices the Rhino’s troop transport capacity in favour of ammunition and generators for its formidable weapon systems. 

Having got this kit for Christmas, I started putting the model together. For painting I kept the sponsons separate and I can easily remove the turret as well. I gave the model an undercoat of Citadel White Scar. I gave the model a couple of light coats of Daemonic Yellow. I  painted the main weapon, and the exhausts, with Leadbelcher. It was then onto shading the model. For the next stage I used some Citadel Layer Yriel Yellow. I took a large brush and gave the model, what I would call, a heavy drybrush.

I then added some more Citadel Layer Yriel Yellow to the model.

I then gave the model a lighter drybrush of Citadel Layer Dorn Yellow.

See the workbench feature on the Deimos Pattern Predator Battle Tank.

Mark IV Tank

The Tank Museum is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England. I visited the Tank Museum before in 1984, 1997, and 2016, but recently made a return visit.

At the Bovington Tank Museum you can get close up and personal with the first tanks that were built and used in combat, such as the Mark IV Tank.

First World War tanks, namely the British Mark IV, started the practice of carrying fascines on the roof, to be deployed to fill trenches that would otherwise be an obstacle to the tank.

The Mark IV was a British tank of the First World War. Introduced in 1917, it benefited from significant developments of the Mark I tank (the intervening designs being small batches used for training). The main improvements were in armour, the re-siting of the fuel tank and ease of transport. A total of 1,220 Mk IV were built: 420 “Males”, 595 “Females” and 205 Tank Tenders (unarmed vehicles used to carry supplies), which made it the most numerous British tank of the war.

The “Male” tanks were armed with three machine guns and two 6-pdrs. Whilst the “Female” tanks had Five .303 Lewis machine guns.

The Mark IV was first used in mid 1917 at the Battle of Messines Ridge. It remained in British service until the end of the war, and a small number served briefly with other combatants afterwards.

I have been working on a metal 15mm Mark IV Tank for use with the Home Guard. Though I do really like the Flames of War Great War models, which have a lot more detail.

I also have a Bolt Action 28mm Mark IV Tank on the workbench.

I also have a gallery of Mark IV tanks from a wonderful 28mm demonstration game at GamesDay 2007.

Drybrushing more of the Dreadnought

This Space Marine Dreadnought was one of the models included the Assault on Black Reach boxed set. The Warhammer 40,000 Assault on Black Reach was 5th edition’s “boxed game” or “starter set”. Having constructed the model I then put it away for a while… I got the model out of storage and decided I would paint this up as an Imperial Fists Dreadnought to accompany my new Deimos-pattern Rhino. I gave it a white undercoatusing White Scar spray. The next stage was the base coat and I did consider to either use a yellow spray, or to use the new Imperial Fist contrast paint. In the end I went with the new Imperial Fist contrast paint and I was quite pleased with the end result. I knew that though this looked quite good, it wasn’t quite the effect I wanted, so I shaded most of the model with Reikland Fleshshade Shade. I painted the weaponry and the exhausts on the Dreadnought with Leadbelcher. For the next stage I used some Citadel Layer Yriel Yellow and undertook a heavy drybrush.

I then gave the model a light drybrush of Citadel Layer Dorn Yellow.

See the workbench feature on the Space Marine Dreadnought.

Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc

This Hawker Hurricane was on display at RAF Cosford.

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF).

It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire’s role during the Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60 per cent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the engagement, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War.

More photographs of the Hawker Hurricane.

Hawker Hurricane Mk I at the Science Museum.

Hawker Hurricane Mk I at RAF London.

Hawker Hurricane Mk IIb at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.

More photographs of this Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc at RAF Cosford.

Inquisitorial Stormtroopers – Tallarn

I have some Daemonhunters Inquisitorial Stormtroopers which are based on the Cadian Kasrkin I decided many years ago to add a unit based on the Tallarn. Having found some Tallarn Heavy Weapons blisters in a box, I dug around to see if I could find my other Tallarn models to finish them off. I did manged to find the boxed set, from which I had based and undercoated the models. I then later found the three models from the blister pack. What did surprise me slightly was I had done some more work on them, but never got around to photographing them for the blog or website. As a result I had forgotten how much progress I had made with them.

I did intend to paint the bases for the model next, but upon checking the workbench feature for my Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, I realised that I needed a paint I didn’t have. For my Inquisitorial Stormtroopers I painted the flocked (well sanded) bases with Bestial Brown and then drybrushed with Bleached Bone. After that I went over the edge of the slottabase again with Bestial Brown.

I didn’t have a pot of Bestial Brown, and Citadel no longer manufacture that colour. According to the Dakka Dakka paint compatibility chart the best option is Mournfang Brown. So, the next time I was out and about I bought a pot of Mournfang Brown. I used this to paint the bases of the Tallarn Imperial Guard.

Check out the workbench feature on the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers (Tallarn Blister).

Working on the Ork barricades and scrap piles

All Mekboyz can perform battlefield repairs using no more than a weighty wrench-hammer, a sack of nails and a healthy dose of gumption, but most do their best work in the comfortably anarchic surrounds of their own workshop. Meks are more than capable of cobbling together a workspace from whatever is lying about, with rudimentary workshops springing up from battlefield wreckage even while the bullets are still flying. Greenskin vehicles roar toward such teetering structures, their crews throwing sacks of teef at the resident Mek – he and his crew get to work immediately, sending the Ork customers on their way with snazzier guns, souped-up engines and extra armour plates.

I had been thinking about getting this kit for a while. So on a shopping trip to my local games shop I decided to make an impulse purchase and buy the box. Well it was nearly 30% cheaper than on the GW site.

Having cleaned the plastic parts I gave them a Corax White undercoat.

I then started painting the basecoat across the scrap piles and barricades using a combination of Base and Contrast Citadel paints.

I continued to paint the different barricades, using, as before, Base and Contrast paints.

On this piece, I used Snakebite Leather contrast paint on the middle door.

Painted the icon on this barricade with Imperial Fist Contrast paint.

I used Blood Angels Red contrast paint on toolbox.

Finished painting part of this scrap pile with Imperial Fist Contrast paint.

Painted the radiator on this barricade with Imperial Fist Contrast paint.

I used Blood Angels Red contrast paint on the tank in the pile.

See the workbench feature on all parts of the Ork Mekboy Workshop.

Messerschmitt BF109G-2/Trop

This Messerschmitt BF109G-2/Trop was on display at RAF Cosford.

Messerschmitt BF109G-2/Trop

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II in 1945.

More photographs of the Messerschmitt BF109G-2/Trop.

 

Painting the base of the Forge World Grey Knights Dreadnought

I have had a Mark IV Forge World Grey Knights Dreadnought on my workbench for a while. After getting some weapon arms for the model. I gave the main model a black undercoat and started base coating with a metallic paint. The weapons I had given a white undercoat. Getting it out from storage, I decided to almost start again and gave the model a base spray of Leadbelcher. I gave the model a wash of Nuln Oil Shade. For the next stage I used some Citadel Leadbelcher. I took a large brush and gave the model, what I would call, a heavy drybrush. I then did a lighter drybrush of various silver paints.

I did intend to paint the base for the model next, but upon checking the workbench feature for my Grey Knights, I realised that I needed a paint I didn’t have. For my Grey Knights I painted the flocked (well sanded) bases with Bestial Brown and then drybrushed with Bleached Bone. After that I went over the edge of the slottabase again with Bestial Brown.

I don’t have a pot of Bestial Brown, and Citadel no longer manufacture that colour. According to the Dakka Dakka paint compatibility chart the best option is Mournfang Brown. So, the next time I was out and about I bought a pot of Mournfang Brown. I used this to paint the base of the Dreadnought.

Forge World Grey Knights Dreadnought

Next step will be drybrushing the base.

See the workbench feature on the Grey Knights Dreadnought.