Junkers Ju-52

The Ju52 was the last in a series of corrugated metal-skinned Junkers aircraft. The first aircraft, fitted with a single engine, flew in October 1930. The first three-engined version, the Ju52/3m, flew in April 1932.

Junkers Ju-52

This Junkers Ju-52 on display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels was built for the Portuguese Air Force in 1937 and originally flew with the serial 109, later changed to 6309. Retired in 1972 and stored in Lisbon for the Portuguese Air Force museum until shipped to Belgium in 1985 for restoration to fly by the SABENA Old Timers. This was abandoned and the aircraft went on permanent display at the museum.

Stormboyz Nob

One of my Ork units I do like are my Stormboyz. Games Workshop did produce a metal Stormboyz Nob, however it was only available by mail order and not from their shops. So when I was up in Nottingham back in the day I did get the Stormboyz Nob when I visited Warhammer World.

At this point the model is constructed and has been given a black undercoat.

Stormboyz Nob

As you can see the model has suffered by being in storage and there are parts of the model where the undercoat has been worn away. I don’t think though I will redo the undercoat at this stage.

Stormboyz Nob

The parts went together very easily. The only exception was the model was too heavy for the slottabase (and the tab was on the thin side). So I decided to use a resin piece from my Urban Basing Kit and use a 40mm round base instead of the supplied 20mm base.

Here are some photographs of the model building and painting process until now.

Nuclear War

Nuclear War book cover

I had seen this book in Waterstones and I did wonder what it would be like.

Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen describes the scenario that could possibly occur if at first a single missile was launched at the United States.

Until now, no one outside official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the Pentagon. Second by second and minute by minute, these are the real-life protocols that choreograph the end of civilisation. Decisions that affect hundreds of millions of lives need to be made within six minutes, based on partial information, in the knowledge that once launched, nothing is capable of halting the destruction.

It was a really interesting read and in the current political environment it is also a little scary as well.

Dassault M.D.450 Ouragan

An Armee de L’air Ouragan (“UQ”) is displayed at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

Dassault M.D.450 Ouragan

The Dassault M.D.450 Ouragan is a French fighter-bomber developed and produced by Dassault Aviation. It has its origins in a private venture by Dassault to produce an all-French aircraft which would make use of jet propulsion.

Sons of Horus Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer

This Sons of Horus Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer was on display at Warhammer World.

Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer

The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is a fearsome and highly specialised variant of the venerable Spartan chassis, developed during the Great Crusade and unleashed upon the galaxy by the Legiones Astartes. While it sacrifices the Spartan’s substantial transport capacity, its massive hull is uniquely adapted to house the complex apparatus required for its devastating primary armament: a prototype Neutron Laser Projector (often a triple-barreled configuration known as a Neutron Laser Battery).

The Neutron Laser is a weapon of the Dark Age of Technology, its principles still only poorly understood by the techno-savants of the Mechanicum. To manage the immense energies and deadly output, the Cerberus’s hull is crammed with sizeable arc-reactors and heavy radiation shielding. The weapon stands as one of the most effective anti-tank systems available to the Space Marine Legions. 

It fires an intense beam capable of:

    • Punching through the strongest vehicle plating, even the ceramite of other super-heavy tanks.
    • Shorting out a target’s systems with a powerful burst of electromagnetic and radiation energy.
    • Neutralising even Titan-class opponents by inflicting a ‘Concussive’ effect, which dramatically reduces the colossal machine’s operational effectiveness, often forcing its powerful weapons to fire less accurately.

However, this terrifying power comes with a significant drawback. The immense energies and unpredictable nature of the prototype weapon mean that the Cerberus is inherently unstable. Even with extensive radiation shielding, the Neutron Laser Projector’s operation often results in a terrible toll on its crew, and misfires can potentially result in catastrophic feedback that damages the tank itself. Nevertheless, the ability of this impressive tank to threaten the largest and most heavily armoured assets on the battlefield—from enemy super-heavy tanks to even lesser Titan war machines—is regarded by many Legion commanders as a necessary, if grim, calculus of war. The Cerberus is a clear expression of the Imperium’s willingness to accept high operational risk for unparalleled battlefield supremacy.

This is the plastic kit for The Horus Heresy. The original resin kit was announced back in 2012 at Games Day.

Imperial Guard Hellhammer

This Imperial Guard Hellhammer was on display at Warhammer World.

Imperial Guard Hellhammer

The Hellhammer is a super-heavy tank of the Astra Militarum that is a variant of the infamous Baneblade tank. The Hellhammer replaces the rocket-assisted Mega Battle Cannon or Baneblade Cannon of the Baneblade with a Hellhammer Cannon, a variation of the Battle Cannon commonly found on the Leman Russ main battle tank. It has a shorter barrel with special heavy-gauge suppressors built into it that allows it to fire extremely high-calibre shells without ripping itself apart. These shells are designed to destroy armour and emplacements with an unstable sub-atomic charge.

Belgian Universal Carrier

The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrong.

The carrier is marked in the colours of the Brigade Piron, a Belgian force that fought with the Allies during World War II. This carrier was on display at the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

Super Heavy Tanks of the Imperial Guard

In the display cabinets at Warhammer World there are some really nice models of the Astra Militarum Super Heavy Tanks.

Super Heavy Tanks of the Imperial Guard

Though, I like the little Chimera APC which has sneaked into the display.

More photographs of the Astra Militarum Super Heavy Tanks.

A single super-heavy tank is a dominant presence in an Astra Militarum battle line. As it ploughs inexorably forward it lays down a wide path of destruction. Enemy ranks shatter long before it reaches their position, and those unlucky few who are able to maintain their defensive formations are ground to paste under the slab-like plates of its tracks.

The Battle for Ceres City

This was a Legions Imperialis Diorama at Warhammer World. I took some more photographs of the diorama on my last visit to there.

Ceres City changed hands nine times during the campaign for control of the Delta-Garmon system, and the diorama captures the Blood Angels and the Titans of Legio Solaria waging war against the Iron Warriors and Legio Fureans.

More photographs of the diorama.