Felix, Author at Felix's Gaming Pages

Orruk Megaboss on Maw-krusha

This Orruk Megaboss on Maw-krusha was on display at Warhammer World.

Orruk Megabosses are pretty killy – it’s how they become as huge as they do, all that stompin’ causes them to grow and grow and grow until the power of the Waaagh! flows through them. But for some Megabosses, this isn’t enough! These particularly angry orruks seek out and subdue enormous Maw-krushas (often by yelling really, really loudly at them) – ill-tempered and powerful creatures who enjoy smashing stuff up almost as much as the orruks themselves. This uneasy pairing never really gets along especially well, and the Megaboss needs to constantly remind his Maw-krusha who’s in charge with the liberal application of an iron boot to the back of the head. Despite this, almost nothing on the battlefield can withstand their noisy rampage, and the immense number of kills they rack up inspires nearby orruks to fight ever harder.

When this came out I did think it would be a great model for my Feral Ork army. However as most things, it is still an idea and nowhere near getting anywhere close to the workbench. I would have to buy the model in the first place and there is already too many things on my workbench and on my wish list. I will still think about it though.

Panzer III Ausf. N

The Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The Panzer III Ausf. N was an infantry support tank, armed with a short-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 gun. 700 were produced or re-equipped from 1942 and 1943.

This Panzer III Ausf. N is on display at the Tank Museum.

The tank is based on a chassis ordered as a Panzer III Ausf. L. It was issued to a Tiger I heavy tank battalion, the 501st Schwere Panzer Abteilung and shipped to Bizerta in Tunisia in January 1943. The 501st Abteilung was absorbed into the 10th Panzer Division as the 3rd Abteilung of Panzer Regiment 7 on 26 February 1943.

This tank, which was part of 8. Kompanie, Panzer Regiment 7, had tactical number 832 painted on its turret. It was abandoned at Kzar Mezouar, during Operation Ochsenkopf, also known as the battle of the Hunt’s Gap, in late February, 1943. It was then shipped to the United Kingdom for evaluation and later sectioned to show its interior.

The Panzer III Ausf. L at Bovington.

The Gates Of Sharrowmourne

On my most recent visit to Warhammer World I took some more photographs of The Gates Of Sharrowmourne diorama.

In the wake of the Shyish Necroquake the ghostly processions of Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief, laid siege to great swathes of the Mortal Realms. Yet beleaguered as the armies of the God-King were, they did not weather this onslaught without answer. At the mausoleum-fortress of Sharrowmourne, in the heart of Lady Olynder?s domain, Lord-Arcanum Aventis Firestrike led a daring assault alongside the elite warriors of his Sacrosanct Chamber.

Bandvagn 202

Bandvagn 202 (Bv 202) is an amphibious oversnow tracked articulated, all-terrain vehicle developed by Bolinder-Munktell, a subsidiary of Volvo, for the Swedish Army in the early 1960’s. The Bv 202 carries a driver and a commander in the front unit and up to 8 troops or 800 kg in the trailer unit. It can be adapted for other applications.

This Bv 202 was on display at RAF Cosford.

Once the British Army took over its NATO role of Northern Flank defence of Norway it selected this fully-tracked and articulated Swedish vehicle for its over-snow performance.

Since its introduction into British service in the late 1960s it became an indispensable maid-of-all work load carrier.

The Bv 202 was replaced by the Bv 206 and this was then replaced by the BvS10 or as it is known by UK forces, Viking.

Alarielle the Everqueen

Reborn from the land she loved in a soaring crescendo of hope, fury, loss and exhilaration, Alarielle the Everqueen is an ancient and powerful being.

She is the goddess of life magic; where she treads, atop her immense wardroth beetle, new blooms scream forth in a riot of colour, strength and passion.

She scatters soul amphorae across the Mortal Realms, each containing magical pollens that can coax new sylvaneth from the ground, or choke her enemies.

The only match for the courage she instils in her allies is the hatred she feels for her foes – Alarielle the Everqueen burns with a fierce need for vengeance, and her enemies would do well to run.

Legions Imperialis Rumours

The initial plan was that Legions Imperialis would be released in August. However the most recent post on the Warhammer Community site, as mentioned on this blog, was that the release will be delayed until later in the year.

Why was there a delay? Well as you might have guessed the internet is rife with rumours.

One of the strongest of the Internet rumours is that the rulebook needed to be reprinted due to an inappropriate quote. Though we don’t really know the details it probably was a paraphrased quote from World War Two.

Other rumours talk about warehouse and computing problems. There is also speculation that there are shipping delays.

Of course we will probably never know the truth.

Still looking forward to getting my copy of Legions Imperialis.

Daimler Dingo Scout Car Mark III

There is a Daimler Dingo Scout Car Mark III, “Rebel” at the Tank Museum. It has the regimental markings of the Royal Tank Regiment.

The Daimler Scout Car, known in service as the “Dingo” (after the Australian wild dog), was a British light fast 4WD reconnaissance vehicle also used in the liaison role during the Second World War.

In 1938 the British War Office issued a specification for a scouting vehicle. Out of three designs submitted by Alvis, BSA and Morris, the one by BSA was selected. The actual production was passed to Daimler, which was a vehicle manufacturer in the BSA group of companies. The vehicle was officially designated Daimler Scout Car, but became widely known as Dingo, which was the name of the competing Alvis prototype.

I have an original 1990s SDD model of the Dingo as well as the better quality Flames of War resin models of the Dingo.

More photographs of Dingo Scout Cars.

Legions Imperialis Delayed

The initial plan was that Legions Imperialis would be released in August. However the most recent post on the Warhammer Community site on the new Solar Auxilia Support models there is (hidden away at the bottom) a statement on the release date.

While we had initially hoped to release Legions Imperialis in August, the release date will now be a little later in the year. Don’t worry – you’ll be commanding a tiny legion of troops to victory very soon.

Well that is disappointing, after all the exciting previews we’ve seen over the last few weeks.

The phrase later in the year means that we may not even see this release until December, though I suspect it might be November.

Handley Page Hastings

Handley Page Hastings TG511 (T5) on display in the National Cold War Exhibition at the RAF Museum Cosford.

The Handley Page Hastings was a British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and built by Handley Page Aircraft Company for the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, the Hastings was the largest transport plane ever designed for the service.

Development of the Hastings had been initiated during the Second World War in response to Air Staff Specification C. 3/44, which sought a new large four-engined transport aircraft for the RAF. The aircraft was designed to be capable of carrying a payload of up to 30 tons, and to have a range of 2,500 miles.

The first prototype Hastings took to the air on 7 May 1946, and the aircraft entered service with the RAF in September 1948. The Hastings quickly became a workhorse of the RAF, and was used in a variety of roles, including troop transport, freight carriage, and paratroop dropping.

The Hastings saw extensive service during the Berlin Airlift, when it was used to deliver supplies to the beleaguered city. The aircraft also saw service in the Suez Crisis, the Malayan Emergency, and the Cold War.

The Hastings was retired from RAF service in 1977, and was replaced by the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. However, the aircraft remained in service with other air forces for some years, and was used by the Portuguese Air Force until 1991.

The Handley Page Hastings was a capable and versatile aircraft, and served the RAF with distinction for over 30 years. The aircraft was well-liked by its crews, and was known for its ruggedness and reliability.