warhammer 40k – Felix's Gaming Pages

Thunderbolt Fighter

The Thunderbolt heavy fighter is one of the two main fighter aircraft patterns used by the Imperial Navy, the other of which is the Lightning air superiority fighter. The Thunderbolt is the mainstay weapon system of Imperial Navy fighter wings and is a rugged, well-armed and armoured heavy fighter with all-around capabilities, a good maximum speed and above-average manoeuvrability, powerful nose-mounted weapons and hard points located on the wings for missile or bomb load-outs. It is an aircraft that is well-liked by those who fly and service it and it has served the cause of the Emperor for many centuries.

The Thunderbolt’s primary combat role is as an air superiority fighter. It seeks out and engages enemy aircraft in dogfights or hunts enemy bombers to establish air superiority. The Thunderbolt’s greatest strength is its versatility, since it has good performance as a high-altitude escort fighter while it is also serviceable in the roles of a low-altitude fighter-bomber, night fighter or even as a reconnaissance aircraft when necessary.

Arvus Lighter at Warhammer World

There were quite a few models of the Arvus Lighter at Warhammer World.

Serving as an essential workhorse for void-ships and planetary logistics across the Imperium of Man, the Arvus Lighter is a compact, unarmored cargo shuttle designed for raw utility.

Commonly deployed aboard Imperial Navy warships, merchant vessels, and Rogue Trader fleets, this reliable shuttle handles routine short-range transport between orbital platforms and planetary surfaces.

Piloted by a single crewman, the Arvus lacks any standard weapon systems and relies on only the most rudimentary navigational gear, external sensors, and proximity alarms.

What it lacks in combat capability or advanced technology, however, it makes up for in pure hauling power: equipped with exceptionally potent thrusters, the Arvus easily carries heavy payloads, supplies, and personnel through dense atmospheres, ensuring the vital flow of material across the Emperor’s domain.

I do have an Arvus Lighter on the workbench, initially I thought of doing quiet a quick paint job, but then later I considered undertaking a more thorough job, and do a detailed inside.

Ordered some Orlock Ogryn Minders

I mentioned before that I was thinking of getting the Orlock Ogryn Minders to use as Ogryns for my Tallarn forces.

I do think these models would be ideal for my Tallarn forces, and I much prefer these models over the existing Imperial Guard Ogryns that are available. I think they also fit in with the slightly anarchic look I am going for with the Tallarns.

Speaking of muscle, the violent and physical nature of convoy protection makes it an ideal vocation for listless Ogryns, who Orlock gangs are only too happy to hire for their natural head-breaking talents and tendency to follow orders without question.

This weekend they went on pre-order, so after a little thinking, I went and pre-ordered them from my FLGS.

As I said last time, I am going to paint them in desert uniforms, and I used AI to work out what they could look like.

Boomdakka Snazzwagon

The roar of overcharged engines and the crackle of blinding flames herald the chaotic arrival of the Boomdakka Snazzwagon, an iconic favourite among Ork Speed Freeks. Stripped down for maximum velocity and clad in little more than hastily welded scrap armour, these light-built speedsters fishtail, skid, and leap madly across the battlefield to evade incoming fire. While a single direct artillery hit will instantly vaporise the fragile vehicle, its blistering speed and unpredictable manoeuvres make targeting one a nightmare for enemy gunners. Clinging to the chassis is a gang of howling Burna Boyz who gleefully pelt the foe with volatile burna bottles and blast them with heavy mek-flamers. The resulting firestorms are just as likely to incinerate the Snazzwagon’s own crew as they are the enemy, but the cackling Orks are far too entranced by the noise, heat, and spectacle to care.

Megatrakk Scrapjet at Warhammer World

A beloved menace among Speed Freeks and grounded Ork Flyboyz alike, the Megatrakk Scrapjet is a roaring, rocket-propelled war-rig that brings the frantic thrill of aerial dogfighting directly to the battlefield floor.

Built around the salvaged fuselages of crashed Ork aircraft, these scrap-built monstrosities allow former pilots to relive the glory of low-altitude strafing runs, and the devastating point-blank collisions that grounded them in the first place.

Powered by a thunderous rocket engine, the Scrapjet hurtles toward enemy lines at terrifying speeds, using a massive, thrust-driven nose drill to grind through heavy armour and infantry.

As it charges into the fray, a fearsome array of welded, bolted, and lashed weaponry unleashes total carnage, unleashing a barrage of rokkits and missiles into enemy armour while a cackling Grot tail-gunner blazes away with a chatter of big shootas to keep pursuers at bay.

Ork Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy

Born from the greasy ingenuity of Snakebite Orks with a canny eye for battlefield economics, the Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy wasn’t initially conceived as a weapon of war, but rather a mobile snack bar for the speed-addicted Speed Freeks. Imagine ramshackle, rattling pens on wheels, teeming with edible squigs, keeping pace with the thunderous advance of Warbikers, buggies, and Trukks. Above the din of engines, the Squigbuggy crews, all toothy grins and booming voices, would hawk their squirming wares.

For a hefty bag of teef exchanged mid-chase, a lucky (or perhaps unlucky) customer would have a choice squig launched directly into their waiting hands – or even their cavernous maw – courtesy of the vehicle’s ingenious Squig Launchas. However, legend, thick with the pungent aroma of squig and Orkoid mishap, whispers of a pivotal moment. It was when a particularly ferocious Attack Squig, mistaking the launcha for a new burrow, was accidentally fired into the face of an unsuspecting Ork. In that instant of unexpected carnage, the true, brutal potential of this mobile menagerie of mayhem was violently unleashed.

Now, the rumble of a Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy signals more than just lunchtime. These ruggedly built vehicles, instantly recognisable by their bellowing engines and the chaotic mass of squigs and Orks clinging to every surface, now muscle their way to the forefront of any Speed Freek advance. They unleash volleys of their living, close-range artillery, turning enemy ranks into a squirming, panicked mess. The Squigbuggy, once a purveyor of battlefield snacks, has evolved into a fearsome engine of destruction, proving that even the humblest beginnings can lead to gloriously violent ends.

Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy on my workbench.

Tempestus Scions Valkyrie Airborne Assault Carrier

These Tempestus Scions Valkyrie flyers were on display at Warhammer World.

The Tempestus Scions are elite special forces of the Imperial Guard. They have the best equipment and weapons. The Valkyrie are troop carrying gunships used by the Imperial Guard. They are used to take soldiers into the heart of the battle. Flying through the enemy gunfire, landing in the hotzone and dropping off their payload before flying up in support.

Sometimes the troops are jumping, using grave chutes, from high above the battlefield. The Valkyrie is armed with lascannons or a multi-laser, and under the wings are missiles or rocket pods. The Valkyrie, like most of the Imperium’s aircraft, is piloted and operated by the Imperial Navy, with a pilot, co-pilot and two door gunners. Though not a helicopter, the Valkyrie is used in a similar way.

I do have a Valkyrie Airborne Assault Carrier kit, but it currently remains unbuilt in its box. I did though paint some for Aeronautica Imperialis.

Gallery of Valkyrie models.

Missed the deadline…

I mentioned last month that I was thinking about getting the Made to Order Classic Deff Dread for my Ork forces.

There are a few miniatures they are making available which I am thinking of ordering, one is the pack of Goff Rockers, which I never bought the first time around. The other is one I thought I already had, which is the classic Deff Dread. Checking my collection I realise I have three of the smaller metal Killa Kan models from the same era, but I never got the larger Deff Dread. Well that went straight into the basket.

Well it went metaphorically into the basket.

I then completely forgot to confirm the order by the deadline, which meant I won’t have it now…

Ork Fighter Bommer

This Ork Fighter was part of the Shanty Town diorama.

One of the nice features of the kit for this model is that you get alternative options for building from the tail, to the nose and the superstructure. This model combines the front of the Dakkajet with the tail from the Burna-Bommer.

The Fighta-Bommer is the Orks’ primary tactical and strategic bombing aircraft. The Fighta-Bommer is capable of both void and atmospheric flight. It is used to bomb enemy bases and to assault enemy starships, or even in some cases to dogfight with enemy aircraft.

Constructed with typical Orkish crudeness, these rickety, gravity-defying contraptions are often surprisingly effective and dangerous to friend and foe alike, as is common with most Ork technology. Fighta-Bommerz are often deployed as air support during large Ork planetary invasions, or to serve as point defence for Ork starships.

Fighta-Bommerz are created by the few Meks who are interested in aircraft. As with all Ork vehicles, Fighta-Bommerz are kit-bashed affairs that usually defy the laws of aerodynamics, and fly despite their ungainly, brutish construction.

Workbench feature on my plastic Ork Bommer.

Workbench feature on my Forge World Ork Bommer.

More photographs of Ork Bommerz.

Flakk Wagon

The Flakkatrukk or Flakk Wagon is essentially a Truck or a Wartrakk equipped with varying number of Flakka-Dakka Gunz, the design was pioneered by the Mekboy Grimgutz, who was sick of local Ork aircraft constantly buzzing his workshop. He designed the weapon in the course of an afternoon to shoot down the pests.

Firing the same explosive ‘glowy bullitz’ used by Flash Gitz, Flakkatrakk’s weapons are often fired by Grot assistants and are capable of filling the skies with hundreds of rounds per minute, making them a grave threat to any aircraft that ventures into its line of sight. The design has become popular and copied by many other Mekboyz in light of its success, and wherever the Orks are beset by enemy aircraft a Flakkatrakk is likely to appear.

More photographs of the Flakk Wagon.

This model was part of the diorama showing an Imperial assault on an Ork Shanty Town to rescue a downed Valkyrie of the Militarum Tempestus.

More photographs of the diorama over the years, it started off as an Ork diorama at GamesDay 2009.