The Lightning fighter’s main role is engaging enemy aircraft and establishing air superiority over the battlefield.
Author: Felix
Legions Imperialis Arvus Lighters
I’ve always liked the Arvus Lighter. I did think about getting some resin versions for Aeronautica Imperialis. I was pleased to see the plastic versions for Legions Imperialis and they did go on that awfully long wants list. Visiting Jadlam Toys and Models in Glastonbury I was browsing and saw they had a box of the Legions Imperialis Arvus Lighters on sale at 33% off. Bargain, so I bought the box.
The Arvus Lighter is a solid and reliable workhorse shuttle, affectionately referred to as ‘Little Pig’ among air crews. The Solar Auxilia employ these durable craft as unarmed combat transports, to insert officers and specialists into a war zone with pinpoint accuracy.
In the box you get eight aircraft, across two sprues.
Alongside with flying bases and a transfer sheet. With appropriate bases they can also be used in Aeronautica Imperialis.
I am planning to paint four of them using the same painting method as I did with my Valkyrie transports.
The other four will be in a different Imperial scheme.
I have put the forthcoming 28mm version on that wants list.
Archaeopter Transvector
These Archaeopter Transvector models were on display at Warhammer World.
A workhorse not only of the toxic Martian skies, but of distant worlds at the forefront of the Tech-Priests’ expansion for millennia, the Archaeopter is an agile fixed-wing aircraft.
Piloted by a member of the Pteraxii caste, whose legs and scapuli superior are hardwired into its controls, the nano-carbon fibre-weave of the Archaeopter’s wings is capable of morphing – a property it shares with the Pteraxii flight packs.
This affords great manoeuvrability and enables it to operate within changing pressures as it undertakes explorator duties as well as delivering teams of lethal operatives behind enemy lines or into the heart of battle.
Xiphon Pattern Interceptor
This Xiphon Pattern Interceptor flown by the Ultramarines was on display at Warhammer World.
With unparalleled speed and manoeuvrability, the Xiphon pattern Interceptor saw increasing service in the Legiones Astartes during the dark days of the Horus Heresy. Based on ancient designs, the void and atmospheric craft carried heavy armaments into battle, allowing it to destroy both air and ground targets with apparent ease. Its pair of twin-linked lascannon and Xiphon rotary missile launcher combined with the Interceptor’s speed and agility to make it a deadly opponent from which the enemies of Mankind could not hide.
This was a Red Scorpions Xiphon Pattern Interceptor.
Skorpius Dunerider
These Adeptus Mechanicus Skorpius Dunerider models were on display at Warhammer World.
The Skorpius Dunerider serves as a Skitarii transport vessel enabling the loyal servants of the Machine God to engage or pursue the enemy with ever greater speed and efficiency. As the Skitarii disembark to bring the fury of the Omnissiah to their enemies, the Dunerider’s twin cognis heavy stubbers offer a high rate of covering fire. Within its open cargo hold, the gunners tasked with firing the vehicle’s flanking pair of cognis heavy stubbers stand at their stations with hands on triggers. A turret-mounted pair of cognis heavy stubbers rises is mounted on a rear cupola, its Servitor gunner protected from return fire by an armoured shield mounted between the barrels.
Basing the militia
After thinking about it for a while I have ordered the Battlefront Militia Group and Pickup Trucks for Team Yankee. Back in 2022 I was intrigued and pleased to see the announcement of the release of Team Yankee: Red Dawn.
I like the concept of armed militia and pick up trucks with HMGs on board, they had been on my wants list for a while. They could also be used for games in Wessex: The Second English Civil War for insurgent and militia forces. You get four pickup trucks, each armed with an HMG. Having constructed and undercoated the trucks I made a start on the militia group.
In the militia group, you get twenty six miniatures. It contains:
5x Assault Rifle Teams
2x RPG-7 Anti-tank Teams
1x M224 60mm Mortar Team
These are the battlefront images.
The models come in a blister pack.
Rather than paint the models on a stick, I cleaned the models and stuck them to the included brown bases.
I then used the Woodland Scenics turf for the bases. For larger scale models I would use Citadel Sand, but the scale of these models are too small for the sand.
The next step was a white undercoat.
I have a spare model which I am going to use as a testbed for painting, and then will use it in one of the pick up trucks.
Centaur Artillery Tractor
This Death Korps of Krieg Centaur Artillery Tractor was part of a diorama at Warhammer World.
The Centaur Artillery Tractor is one of many Centaur variants, designed to manoeuvre and deploy light artillery in the field.
Napoleonic British Line Infantry – South Essex
On the cover of an issue of Wargames Illustrated was a free sprue of Napoleonic British Line Infantry from Warlord Games. You get five models on the sprue. I think these will supplement my 95th Rifles models as soldiers of the South Essex.
Having started on some French Infantry, I constructed the five models. These were very easy to put together, the body was a single piece, needing to only glue the head to the torso and the backpack to the back of the soldier. I based them on two pence pieces.
Well I based four of them, as I then ran out of two pence coins. I had to wait until I had some more before I could base the fifth soldier.
I then added Citadel Sand to the bases using PVA white glue.
Next stage was a white undercoat.
My first experience of wargaming was Napoleonics with plastic Airfix soldiers and metal Minifigs.
I really enjoyed both watching the Sharpe TV series and then reading the Sharpe books by Bernard Cornwell.
iFelix Top Ten Blog Posts 2024
In 2024 I published 378 blog posts. In 2023 I published 271, I did 319 in 2022. In 2021, I posted 162 times. 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.
There is no top ten blog posts, as WordPress broke the stats as I have ads on the site. So this means I don’t know the stats for individual blog posts.
The Fall Of Outpost Sigma-12
One of the displays at Warhammer World was this Horus Heresy battle, entitled, The Fall Of Outpost Sigma-12.
Traitor forces breach the Imperial Fist’s last defensive lines at Outpost Sigma-12 on Cthonia. Undermined by the Sons of Horus’ subterranean onslaught, the Loyalists are determined to fight to the last in the name of the Emperor.
They ultimately reap such a toll of Traitor lives that any victory won was a hollow one. This battle would be one of the last fought during the Horus Heresy, for shortly after its bloody conclusion Horus launched his assault on the Emperor’s Palace on distant Terra.
A wider view of the Sons of Horus assault on the Imperial Fists. In the background is a loyalist titan.
More photographs of The Fall Of Outpost Sigma-12.