aeronautica imperialis Archives - Page 2 of 8

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.

The Doom Scythe is a heavier aircraft armed with a powerful death ray.

Though I like the look of the models, I think this is a purchase I will probably either leave to a later date, or not make at all.

Also announced is 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.

Bringing in rules from across various sources and White Dwarf along with new rules, means this is a book I probably will buy.

Painting the Thunderhawk Gunship

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.

Undercoating the Thunderhawk Gunship

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 will be painting my Adeptus Astartes Thunderhawk Gunship as a Grey Knights Thunderhawk as discussed in this blog post.

I gave the model a white undercoat.

Going grey with the Adeptus Astartes Flyers

As with my Asuryani Flyers the next stage after giving the Adeptus Astartes models for Aeronautica Imperialis a white undercoat was to think about the colour scheme. I have the models from the Wrath of Angels and I now have a Thunderhawk as well. I did think about Ultramarines blue, then Salamanders green, but in the end decided on painting them up as Grey Knights. Forge World had a display of a Grey Knights Thunderhawk at a GamesDay event which is what inspired me.

I think this could work, however they used a grey colour scheme rather than the metallic finish of the Grey Knights themselves.

So I gave the Storm Eagles a basecoat of Basilicanum Grey contrast paint.

I did the same with the Xiphon Interceptors.

The next stage will be that heavy dry brush and then a lighter dry brush to draw out the highlights and make the models look more like the Forge World Grey Knights.

After that it will be detailing the hull (with red), the engines and weapons.

Going green with the 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.

So the next stage after giving the Asuryani Flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis a white undercoat was to think about the colour scheme.

My Ork flyers are red and yellow, so decided I wanted something different to that. My Imperial Navy flyers are dark blue, and again I wanted to avoid duplication. So what was left on the colour wheel was potentially green.

I did quite like this Eldar colour scheme from the GW displays at Warhammer World and Games Day.

And this one.

So that was that really, I was going green.

It did what I wanted on the model in the sense of adding shadow to the panel lines.

This wasn’t as effective has I hoped with some pooling in places on the flat wings.

I think with a heavy dry brush I can retain the shadows and remove some of the effects of the pooling.

The next stage will be that heavy dry brush and then a lighter dry brush to draw out the highlights.

After that it will be detailing the engines and weapons.

Undercoating the Xiphon Interceptors for Aeronautica Imperialis

Having constructed the Xiphon Interceptors for Aeronautica Imperialis I gave them a white undercoat.

The next stage will be the basecoat.

I did think about Ultramarines blue, then Salamanders green, but now thinking about painting them up as Grey Knights.

Undercoating the Asuryani Flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis

Having constructed the Asuryani Flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis I gave them a white undercoat.

This is one of the three Phoenix Bombers I have built.

This is one of the Nightwing fighters.

Next step will be the basecoat.

Asuryani Flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis

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.

The primary aircraft employed by the enigmatic xenos known as Craftworld Aeldari, Nightwing fighters possesses a level of speed and manoeuvrability that appears preternatural. In battle, squadrons of Nightwings weave around enemy aircraft, tearing their foe apart with bursts of fire from shuriken cannons and bright lances. The Asuryani air fleet is full of intensely fast, hard-hitting yet fragile aircraft. Nightwings are all of these, with the speed and maneuverability to stay out of the line of fire and set up an ideal tailing position before unleashing devastating firepower.

There are three of these in the Wrath of Angels boxed set. These are the painted versions on the GW website.

There are three models on the single sprue you get in the Wrath of Angels boxed set.

These were simple models to construct, though the swing wings were a little fiddly.

They do move, but I kind of expect them get “stuck” once undercoated and painting.

Next step will be a white undercoat.

In the Wrath of Angels boxed game, you also get three Phoenix Bombers. Continue reading “Asuryani Flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis”

Sokar pattern Stormbird for Aeronautica Imperialis

I have in previous blog posts discussed what possible future aircraft we coud see for Aeronautica Imperialis. In the first of the discussion pieces I went through prospective models, and I followed this with an updated version back in May when the Wrath of Angles boxed set was announced.

One model I mentioned was the Stormbird. Having recently constructed the Aeronautica Imperialis Thunderhawk Gunship I was reminded of the Stormbird and did start to think about if we would see an Aeronautica Imperialis model.

Stormbird is a catch-all term that refers to a series of various super-heavy dedicated attack landers that were once used by the Legiones Astartes as their primary means of deploying forces into combat. Stormbirds also served in air support and general planetary transport roles during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia.

Forge World have released a 40K scale model of the Sokar Pattern Stormbird, which is a huge (expensive) resin kit. I have seen the model at Warhammer World and it is one big model

The Sokar Pattern Stormbird was one of the later patterns of Stormbird developed during the Great Crusade and was used as the design precursor to the smaller, more widely produced Thunderhawk gunship.

The Sokar pattern Stormbird is a dedicated attack lander. It has served as a high-durability orbital assault craft, a mobile bastion and firebase which could land a Space Marine strike force and withstand heavy ground fire while its cargo or troops and war machines disembarked to press the attack.

I could see Forge World making and releasing a Sokar Pattern Stormbird in resin for use in Aeronautica Imperialis, though such a large model may be problematic from a rules perspective. The Thunderhawk Gunship is not as big as the Sokar Pattern Stormbird and even that looks like it might be problematic from a gaming perspective, as it might be too big for the board.

This then got me thinking about other large flyers and that they would have similar issues.

In the olden days I am sure Forge World would have just gone ahead and produced a model, as they did with the Epic scale Thunderhawk Transporter they did for the original release of Aeronautica Imperialis which was shown off at GamesDay 2006.

They (appeared) to be more independent back then, now they seem part of the planned release cycles.

So will be see a Sokar pattern Stormbird for Aeronautica Imperialis from Forge World, I actually don’t think we will.

See the Sokar Pattern Stormbird 40K scale Gallery.

Space Marine Thunderhawk (in plastic)

Well of course I am talking about the new Adeptus Astartes Thunderhawk Gunship for Aeronautica Imperialis. Of course one day we may see a 40K scale version, but not today. I did manage to get a box of the Aeronautica Imperialis Thunderhawk when it was released.

The box comes with two sprues with the parts divided between them.

Construction was actually quite simple and I found the model came together quite easily. It was an interesting build and it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

You can model the landing gear deployed or stowed. I decided that I would have it deployed, maybe I could use the model as scenery (or an objective) in future games of Adeptus Titanicus.

What I was less sure about was the “attack wings” that can be constructed in a manner so they can move, but mine don’t stay in place and just flop down. I think I might keep them loose (for painting) and then take a view.

The model is very large compared to the other Aeronautica Imperialis models I have, the kit comes with an extra part to extend the flying base, so the Thunderhawk can fly higher than the other models.

The next step will be a white undercoat.