aeronautica imperialis Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

Legions Imperialis Solar Auxilia

Over on the Warhammer Community site they have showcased Legions Imperialis miniatures painted by community painters.

One force caught my eye, and it was a Solar Auxilia force painted by Gadge.

Legions Imperialis models are incredibly detailed despite being in epic scale, so it’s really important not to lose this detail with overly thick paint or too many layers. Drybrushing and Contrast paints are the key to this ‘sand and spinach’ scheme that will look good on both desert and temperate battlefields. I started off with a base coat of Zandri Dust Spray undercoat, which was drybrushed up with Flayed One Flesh, where the tonal difference helps pick out every hatch and rivet. To avoid swamping the model with excessive paint, I used Creed Camo Contrast paint to apply the camouflage bands and blotches, as the translucent quality of Contrast paint allows the existing highlights on the base coat to surface. Other parts were painted variously with Black Legion, Blue Horror, and Evil Sunz Scarlet, before being outlined lightly with Agrax Earthshade. Lastly, I applied weathering by giving the tracks a light drybrush with Terminatus Stone, before dipping a brush in Ratling Grime, wiping most of it off, and dabbing it all over any areas where I felt the tanks would be either well-oiled or getting in contact with a lot of grime – the vents, grills, gun barrels, and wheels.

I did like the scheme and it reminded me of the Aeronautica Imperialis Valkyrie Assault Carriers that I painted.

I think I might use the same scheme and process on any Legions Imperialis Solar Auxilia I get.

See the Aeronautica Imperialis Valkyrie Assault Carriers workbench.

It’s the end of Aeronautica Imperialis as we know it…

An FAQ about the new Legion Imperialis has been published.

As you might expect there is a lot of commentary about Legion Imperialis, including some interesting stuff about the scale of the new game.

Has the scale changed since Epic 40,000?

Sort of. Your classic Epic games of yesteryear had a fairly inconsistent scale: tanks, infantry and Titans were only roughly proportionally in line with each other. Legions Imperialis, on the other hand, is far more consistent. Infantry is the same size in relation to vehicles as their larger Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness equivalent miniatures would be. Generally speaking, the new models are much more detailed, and a little bigger.

It will be interesting to do some comparisons when the new models become available. It’s true that over the years models did change in size, but were pretty consistent across a single game, with models only really changing when there was a new release.

I think the sad news is the announcement of the retirement of Warhammer 40000 era Aeronautica Imperialis.

Support for Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis (in the Horus Heresy setting only) will continue, so you can continue to play these games alongside this exciting new epic scale game.

So there will continue to be support the Horus Heresy era for Aeronautica Imperialis, but we will lose support for xenos and Astra Militarum aircraft.

This being a Horus Heresy-era game, xenos craft from the Aeronautica Imperialis range will be sitting this one out. Additionally, as the Astra Militarum of the 41st Millennium wasn’t an entity during the Horus Heresy, Vulture Gunships, Valkyrie Assault Carriers, and Vendetta Assault Carriers will not be part of the game. These will be leaving the range soon, so if you want a fleet of tiny Xenos and Astra Militarum aircraft to call your own, pick them up now.

Yes you don’t need support to play the game, we get that.

You will still be able to enjoy the game with your existing collections, but support for models specific to the Warhammer 40,000 setting will be ceasing soon, and the relevant miniatures will be coming off sale.

However without new releases to inspire and engage, less and less people will play the game.

So no more Aeronautica Imperialis, well no more Aeronautica Imperialis for the Warhammer 40000 setting.

I am also, as I blogged previously, a little disappointed that there won’t be any xenos races, or even 40k era Imperial forces.

Legions Imperialis is a new game which is set firmly in the era of the Horus Heresy, letting you recreate the biggest and bloodiest battles fought in the civil war that set the galaxy aflame. There are no plans to expand this game into Warhammer 40,000 at the moment.

I guess at the moment doesn’t mean never, but if it was going to happen, it’s years away.

Horus Heresy: Aeronautica Imperialis

For two hundred years, the Imperium of Mankind has laid siege to the galaxy, its all-conquering armies spreading outwards from Terra to unite all humanity under the Emperor’s banner. Now, as the galaxy burns in a brutal civil war, the Horus Heresy takes to the skies in the ultimate test of aerial supremacy.

This looks interesting.

This new rulebook catapults your favourite Loyalist or Traitor Legion into swirling dogfights, bombing runs, and nail-biting air raids. Using the existing ruleset, it layers the Horus Heresy setting over Aeronautica Imperialis, making it the perfect complement to your games of Warhammer: Horus Heresy.

A nice idea to complement Horus Heresy miniatures game.

Drybrushing some tiny planes

I did some more painting of my Asuryani Flyers. These are the Asuryani Flyers (though I think of them as Eldar Flyers) that came with the Wrath of Angels boxed game. You get three Nightwing fighters, in the Wrath of Angels boxed game, you also get three Phoenix Bombers.

I had given the models a base coat of Ork Flesh contrast paint. After touching up bits of the model that I had missed, I then gave the models a drybrush of a green dry paint to bring out the highlights.

This is one of the Nightwing fighters.

This is a Phoenix Bomber.

Drybrushing the Grot Bommers for Aeronautica Imperialis

I have been working on my Grot Bommers for Aeronautica Imperialis. The Grot Bommers are one of my favourite planes from Aeronautica Imperialis.

Having constructed the models I gave them a white undercoat. This was then followed by a base coat of Blood Angels Red contrast paint.

I did quite a thick coat, though reading round the use of contrast paints, two or more thinner coats would have been better. Something to do in the future with future models and contrast paints. I am even tempted to repaint my Adeptus Astartes flyers.

After touching up bits of the model that I had missed, I then gave the models a drybrush of Astorath Red dry paint to bring out the highlights and this actually toned down some of the dark patches I had by using the contrast paint.

The second of the two Grot Bommers.

Next stage will be adding the detailing before washing the model.

Painting Big Tiny Planes

I have been working on my Grot Bommers for Aeronautica Imperialis.

The Grot Bommers are one of my favourite planes from Aeronautica Imperialis.

The diminutive Gretchin have long been enthusiastic supporters of Ork aviation, whether gleefully pushing bombs out of open bays, crawling into tight spots to fix engines, or acting as spotters and even gunners on ork planes. It doesn’t take long before they become obsessed with flying just like their bigger kin, begging for their own turn on the control stick. Some enterprising Ork meks decided this arrangement could be mutually beneficial, and created guided missiles that could be flown like a tiny, gretchin-sized airplane. Fitted with a short-burn rocket engine and stuffed with unstable explosives, some rabid grots are happy to climb aboard just for the (short-lived) thrill of speed and freedom. They’re loaded into the wings of specially-fitted Grot Bommers, and launched in support of the Air Waaagh!

Having constructed the models I gave them a white undercoat. This was then followed by a base coat of Blood Angels Red contrast paint.

I am liking progress so far.

Painting Tiny Planes

I did some more painting of my Asuryani Flyers.

These are the Asuryani Flyers (though I think of them as Eldar Flyers) that came with the Wrath of Angels boxed game.

You get three Nightwing fighters, in the Wrath of Angels boxed game, you also get three Phoenix Bombers.

Got a copy

Managed to get a copy of the Aeronautica Imperialis Companion.

The perfect addition to your games of airborne combat in the 41st Millennium is here in the form of Aeronautica Imperialis – Companion. This expansion collects new rules, aircraft, and factions, along with existing content previously found within White Dwarf magazine, allowing you to field squadrons from the Necrons, Asuryani, and Adeptus Astartes. Experience a deeper dogfighting experience with detailed expanded damage rules, new Ace abilities, and the challenges of limited ammunition. Novice and experienced commanders alike can use these rules to revolutionise their Aeronautica Imperialis games across a suite of new matched play scenarios.

I had planned to buy it from my local gaming shop, but they didn’t get any in. I had also tried a gaming shop in Birmingham, but I was a week early. I tried a few retail branches of Games Workshop as well, but they weren’t stocking it or had sold out (I didn’t ask). I did consider ordering it online, but at both full price and having to pay P&P I was a little hesitant.

In the end I managed to pick up a copy from Dark Sphere in London. Excellent.

Asuryani Vampire Flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis

Was really only yesterday that we had the announcement about new Necron flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis. Today was have another Forge World Aeronautica Imperialis released announced, this time for the Asuryani.

We will be getting the Vampire Raider and the Vampire Hunter.

The Vampire Raider is a large Asuryani atmospheric craft, but its speed and agility belie its size.

Armed with twin-linked shuriken cannons and a nose-mounted scatter laser as standard, it can put out an impressive 17 shots at close range, all while carrying its load of jump troops to their drop site.

I love the mention of jump troops, part of me with my wishful thinking, is we will see those jump troops in a expansion of ground forces for Adeptus Titanicus (a future Epic or Space Marine game). The rational realist in me says, no, won’t happen.

The Vampire Hunter is a similar craft, it though replaces the Raider’s troop compartment with phoenix missile launchers, meaning it’s the ideal heavy ground attack bomber.

It’s also armed with a twin-linked pulsar instead of the shuriken cannon, making it absolutely deadly at long range.

Suspect that like the Necron flyers, this will be a single kit with the option to build either version.

Unlike the Necrons I may actually order these models to go with the Eldar, sorry Asuryani, flyers I already have on my workbench.

The Necrons are flying in

So announced today for pre-order next week (from Forge World) are some nice new Necron flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis.

Each set contains two planes buildable as either Night Shroud bombers or Doom Scythe fighters. The former possess speed and manoeuvrability akin to the fighters of lesser races, dropping deadly doom spheres with unerring accuracy, while the latter shred rival interceptors with a powerful death ray.

The kit allows you to either model. The Night Shroud is akin to the fighters of other forces.