The Repressor tank is often used by Sisters of Battle as transport, and by the Adeptus Arbites in an anti insurgency role. I started building and painting this model back in 2007, I recently retrieved it from storage and decided that I would try and finish painting it. I realised I had made quite significant progress and it wouldn’t take too long to finish it off.
Having sprayed the model with Citadel Zandri Dust over the existing Tausept Ochre base coat and black undercoat, I started the detailing, using Leadbelcher on the weapons and the exhausts. The next step was painting the iconography and purity seals. I then gave the model a wash using Citadel shades. I then did some additional shading using different shades. The next stage was some drybrushing, for this I used Citadel Zandri Dust. I fixed the tracks to the model.
I also took the time to brighten up the purity seals and other iconography after it was dulled down by the shades and washes. I also highlighted the purity seals with some White Scar paint.
However, I think I overdid this, they are too bright for the model. I decided to dull these down a bit with some Citadel Seraphim Sepia Shade.
I was pleased with this, giving the purity seals an older worn look to them.
I made a return visit to RAF Museum at Cosford. I was last there in 2017. I am impressed with the range and variety of aircraft on display at RAF Cosford. The first aircraft you see (well apart from the VC10, the Hercules by the car park, oh and the huge Bristol Britannia 312!
So once you have entered the museum, proper, the first aircraft you see is the Hawker Siddeley Dominie T.Mk.1 a navigation trainer that was used by the RAF.
The Dominie advanced navigation trainer was used for a long time with the Royal Air Force. It was the first jet-powered navigation trainer designed specifically for such a purpose to enter service with the Royal Air Force. The Dominie T1 was used to train weapon systems officers and operators, air engineers and air loadmasters in systems management, air leadership, decision making and teamwork.
It entered service in 1965 and was developed from the Hawker Siddeley HS.125 a twin-engine mid-size business jet.
This particular Dominie was retired in January 2011.
Flintloque, a game of Fantasy Napoleonics is published by Alternative Armies. The game pits “British” Orcs against “French” Elves. Other fantasy races make up the other major “European” powers during the Napoleonic Wars.
Sharke is an officer in the Rifles.
Orc models are from Alternative Armies. The buildings are resin castings from Steve Barber models.
Flintloque, a game of Fantasy Napoleonics is published by Alternative Armies. The game pits “British” Orcs against “French” Elves. Other fantasy races make up the other major “European” powers during the Napoleonic Wars.
Flintloque Orc Rifles enter a village to see if there are any Elves hiding in the shadows.
Orc models are from Alternative Armies. The buildings are resin castings from Steve Barber models.
This site (in various incarnations) is over twenty five years old. I first started posting images to the web in 1997.
Back in the 1990s I took various photographs of my miniatures, using a film 35mm camera, I then developed the film, before scanning the photos in. Later I was able to have the images scanned by the developer onto CD-ROM
Due to bandwidth limits, back in the 1990s most people had dial up modems, so when scanning images and editing them for the web, I kept the size small, both in terms of file size and pixels.
However now, not only do we have faster connections, fibre, 4G and 5G, websites such as this (using WordPress) can dynamically and responsively change the size of the image to meet the needs of the different kinds of browsers people are using.
As a result I have decided to start re-scanning images into the website and blog. I will be posting the new images to the blog, and I will be updating the relevant gallery pages as well.
Revealed at the Las Vegas Open was the all new plastic Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer.
The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer has one job – blowing up other tanks. To that end, it is armed with a centreline-mounted neutron laser battery, a relic of the dark age of technology that dooms its crew to a horrid death thanks to the exotic radiation it pumps out – but not before it dooms dozens of enemy vehicles to a much more immediate death.
I have to say I am not a fan of this vehicle. Apart from the fact that it dooms its crew to a horrid death; I am not a fan of the weapon mount. I much prefer the cannon on the Typhon tank. I think it is, because it looks like it is missing a mantle for the main weapon.
A gun mantlet is an armour plate or shield attached to an armoured fighting vehicle’s gun, protecting the opening through which the weapon’s barrel projects from the hull or turret armour and, in many cases, ensuring the vulnerable warhead of a loaded shell does not protrude past the vehicle’s armour.
I think that is similar to the reasons why I am not a fan of the Ork Kill Blasta as well.
The Scimitar Jetbikes of the Age of Darkness are modifications of complex pre-Imperium designs. Essentially compact aircraft with the addition of grav-impellors, they rush your Space Marines into combat at great speed. And soon you’ll be able to add them to your army in plastic.
There will be plastic Scimitar Pattern Space Marine Legion Jetbikes for The Horus Heresy game.
It’s on it’s way, but still looks like we will need to wait a while!
The Warhammer Community website gave us another insight into the development of Warhammer: The Old World.
The first mention of this game was in 2019, so we are approaching four years of development, and we’ve not seen a single miniature in all that time.
Though it would appear that the development team have spent hours doing research and playtesting the new game.
Our goal was to create a game that captures the best elements of all the editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, but at the same time providing new and exciting rules, and fresh challenges to overcome.
We are getting a lot of background information, the setting won’t be the world we remember from Warhammer Fantasy of the past, but a time before then.
I am looking forward to seeing where this is going and what the final game will look like. Hopefully we might see some miniatures soon.
Today saw the announcement of the 2023 Airfix range. I generally don’t do model kits, well I haven’t made an Airfix style model kit since the 1980s… though I have built a fair few wargaming kits since then.
I still have a nostalgic fondness for some of the older Airfix kits so was pleased to see that Airfix have announced the re-release of the Fairey Rotodyne.
The Fairey Rotodyne was a 1950s British compound gyroplane designed and built by Fairey Aviation and intended for commercial and military uses. The Rotodyne featured a tip-jet-powered rotor that burned a mixture of fuel and compressed air bled from two wing-mounted turboprops. The rotor was driven for vertical takeoffs, landings and hovering, as well as low-speed translational flight, but autorotated during cruise flight with all engine power applied to two propellers.
Due to army and Royal Air Force (RAF) interest, development of the Rotodyne had been funded out of the defence budget for a time. The RAF also placed an order for 12 military transport versions. According to rumours, the U.S. Army was also interested in buying around 200 Rotodynes.
One prototype was built. Although the Rotodyne was promising in concept and successful in trials, the programme was eventually cancelled. The termination has been attributed to the type failing to attract any commercial orders; this was in part due to concerns over the high levels of rotor tip jet noise generated in flight.
The re-release of the Fairey Rotodyne reminded me of an idea I had for an alternative history background for gaming. The basic premise was a Desert Storm background but with 1950s tanks, aircraft, helicopters and VTOL craft like the Fairey Rotodyne.
The British forces alongside Westland Whirlwinds and Westland Wessex helicopters would also have access to the Fairey Rotodyne for transport and troop insertion. I even thought about including the Bristol Belvedere, which though entered service in 1961, had its first flight in 1958.
Airfix have also announced they are re-releasing the Bristol Bloodhound SAM missile.
It was developed in the 1950s and was used for air defence until 1991 in the UK.
Alongside the aircraft and missiles I would have also added some Centurion tanks and other armoured vehicles.
I would have painted the models in a desert camouflage similar to the US Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU).
