The 74-Z speeder bike was a model of speeder bike used by the Galactic Empire for combat reconnaissance purposes during the Galactic Civil War. They were usually piloted by scout troopers and were able to jam comlinks. All machinery the Empire deemed unnecessary was stripped off to maximize the speeder bike’s speed.
I gave the models a white undercoat. I did think about doing a black undercoat. Storm troopers appear to be wearing black with white armour plates. Giving the models a white undercoat doesn’t stop me from painting them (all) black, but I think I will try and avoid that. Another reason for a white undercoat is the bikes will be brown.
I painted the bikes with a shade of dark brown.
I will now finish the bikes before starting on the Scout Trooper riders.
I got a box of the Warhammer 40K Munitorum Armoured Containers for Christmas. You get three identical sprues which allows you to construct three containers, nine oil barrels and twelve (ammo) crates.
I built each sprue as I got it out the box.
I did think initially that the containers would be easy to build, but as the doors don’t add to the structural integrity of the model, I did for two of them press too hard when gluing the parts that they fell apart. Eventually I did get them together. Each container comes with two bolters for gluing on top. I did think it would have been nice to have an alternative choice so you didn’t need to arm all the containers.
The oil barrels go together really easily and the crates are a single casting with nothing to glue.
As there are duplicate models in my collection of Rebel Troopers, that gives me an excuse to use different colours across the force. Seven will be mainly green and the other seven will be mainly light brown. Initially I painted a couple of models, one with Militarum Green contrast paint and the other Snakebite Leather. This worked for me, so I painted the rest of the eight (regular) Rebel Troopers.
These are the four in Militarum Green.
These are the four in Snakebite Leather.
Next step will be some drybrushing to bring out the detail and highlights.
When I reflected on possible forces for Operation Sea Lion games I was looking around to see what is available. One unit that has been released which caught my attention was the Warlord Games Bolt Action Royal Navy section. So I bought a box.
Having based the models the next step was a white undercoat. I used a GW White Corax spray can.
These are really nice models, like the fact they are metal castings as well. I am old school in that way I guess.
In the Star Wars Legion starter box you get fourteen Rebel models, with two each of seven variations. There are two offices, four with heavy weapons and eight “regular” troopers.
The two heavy weapons specialists carry a Z-6 rotary blaster cannon and an MPL-57 modified to fire ion torpedoes.
Initially I painted a couple of trooper models, one with Militarum Green contrast paint and the other Snakebite Leather. This worked for me, so I painted the rest of the Rebel Troopers. I did the same for the four Rebel Troopers with Heavy Weapons, one pair with Militarum Green contrast paint.
I painted the other pair with Snakebite Leather.
Next step will be some drybrushing to bring out the detail and highlights.
I really quite enjoyed the New Year’s Day episode of Doctor Who, Eve of the Daleks. At the end of the credits we see a preview of the next (one off) episode and we get to see a Sea Devil.
Back in April 2010 I was discussing the first episode of season five.
An excellent first episode, though a couple of things caught my eye. Firstly in the scene where the Doctor asks is the planet Earth protected we see a (classic) Sea Devil. This to me is a bit of a clue that we may see them in a future episode.
Designed to operate in both planetary atmosphere and the cold void of space, the Thunderhawk Gunship combines the roles of orbital troop lander, heavy gunship, and bomber into a single, brutally effective aircraft. Sturdy and well-armoured, Thunderhawks deliver their Adeptus Astartes passengers into the very heart of raging battle, and provide fire support with a truly fearsome array of weapons afterwards. These iconic vessels have come to be feared as the harbinger of doom by the enemies of the Imperium of Mankind.
I picked up an Aeronautica Imperialis Adeptus Astartes Thunderhawk Gunship from my local FLGS. Construction was actually quite simple and I found the model was easily put together.
I am painting my Adeptus Astartes Thunderhawk Gunship as a Grey Knights Thunderhawk as discussed in this blog post. First though I gave the model a white undercoat. I then started painting the model with a basecoat of Basilicanum Grey contrast paint. Unfortunately I finished the paint pot before finishing the model.
So I popped out to my FLGS to buy a new pot of Basilicanum Grey. I then finished painting the model.
In 2021 I went at writing and posting, but not as many as in 2020, this year I published regularly, apart from a lull at the end of the summer. So in 2021 I published 162 blog posts. In 2020 I posted 436 blog posts, in 2019 I did 143 blog posts. Compare that to 2018 when I wrote just 21 blog posts. However due to the continuing lockdown in 2021 I didn’t visit any museums or go to any shows. So that will probably mean less posting in 2022 compared to 2020.
Here are my top ten blog posts in reverse order. As is typical most posts are from previous years.
The tenth most popular post was from 2006 and was showing the Kroot Knarloc Riders from the Forgeworld Display Cabinets at GamesDay 2006.
Ninthwas from 2020 and was some photographs of the Sokar Pattern Stormbird at Warhammer World.
Sokar pattern Stormbird.
The post at number eight was a post from 2019 about Making the Ork Megatrakk Scrapjet which I had got for Christmas, alas it is still on the workbench.
Post number six was was also from 2005 and was some photographs of the original Forge World Forgeworld Ork Battlefortress taken at GamesDay 2005.
Ork Battle Fortress
When this model first came out, I was not a great fan. Having seen the model quite a few times I now quite like it and if I could afforded it I would have got one. Alas it is now OOP and has been for sometime.
The most popular post at number four was from 2020 and was photographs of Astra Militarum Super Heavy Tanks taken on my most last visit to Warhammer World.
In September 2009 Forge World announced a range of new Ork vehicles including the splendid Kill Krusha ‘Eavy Tank. Back in April at the Forge World Open Day I snapped a few Ork Kill Krusha ‘Eavy Tank Concepts and these I published on the blog in 2010. This post was the third most popular blog post.
The second most viewed post, was from 2020 and asked What next for Aeronautica Imperialis?I started to think about which models I would get next, and that got me thinking what we have seen that still needs to be released and also what could be released in the future and what I would like to see in the future as well.
The most popular blog post some photographs from GamesDay 2008 of a Dwarf City under attack.
Overall I was pleased with the amount of blogging that I did in 2021.
Over the last eighteen months or so I have been converting and moving pages over from my old website to the new one on which the blog lived. As a result there are now 1150 pages on the website (along with nearly five thousand blog posts). The main difference between the two kinds are that pages are structured and undated, whilst the blog posts (though tagged and categorised) are in chronological order.
I have done a regular top ten blog posts article every year now for a fair few years, but going through the stats this time I noticed that there were a lot of popular pages as well.
In the Star Wars Legion starter box you get fourteen Rebel models, with two each of seven variations. There are two offices, four with heavy weapons and eight “regular” troopers.
The officers come with a trench coat and a blaster rifle.
Initially I painted a couple of models, one with Militarum Green contrast paint and the other Snakebite Leather. This worked for me, so I painted the rest of the Rebel Troopers. I did the same for the two Rebel Officers, one with Militarum Green contrast paint and the other Snakebite Leather.
The rear view.
Next step will be some drybrushing to bring out the detail and highlights.
