Painting the Ruined Factorum

I bought an issue of the part work series Warhammer 40000 Imperium. I usually see the first few issues of part works in the newsagents or at WHSmith, so was interested to see they had issue #31 in stock. I haven’t really been paying attention to this series, however I thought I would see what was “free” with his issue and I was quite intrigued to see they had a Ruined Factorum sprue. So I bought it. The model has two pieces, a larger ruined building and a smaller ruined corner. They are easy to construct and I initially gave the model a white undercoat.

I then gave the model by a spray of Mechanicus Standard Grey Spray.

I used Humbrol Tank Grey 67 spray to give the underfloor a darker feel before giving the model a Mechanicus Standard Grey Spray.

Here is the smaller corner piece.

The next stage will be shading the model.

Buccaneer S2B

Buccaneer S2B XW547

Buccaneer S2B XW547 in Gulf War markings is on display at RAF London.

The Blackburn Buccaneer is a British carrier-capable attack aircraft designed in the 1950s for the Royal Navy (RN). Designed and initially produced by Blackburn Aircraft at Brough, it was later officially known as the Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer when Blackburn became a part of the Hawker Siddeley Group, but this name is rarely used.

Designed for the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm as a carrier-borne attack aircraft, the Buccaneer S1 entered service in 1962.

As it proved to be underpowered, new production aircraft were fitted with Rolls-Royce Spey engines. The Buccaneer entered Royal Navy service in 1962.  The RAF adopted the Buccaneer in 1969 after the cancellation of TSR-2 and F111 long-range strike aircraft.

First deliveries of RAF Buccaneers were Fleet Air Arm aircraft, later aircraft were built specially for the RAF with larger fuel tanks, a strengthened undercarriage and provision to carry Martel anti-ship missiles.

The Buccaneer was originally designed in response to the Soviet Union’s Sverdlov-class cruiser construction programme. Instead of building a new fleet of its own, the Royal Navy could use the Buccaneer to attack these ships by approaching at low altitudes below the ship’s radar horizon. The Buccaneer could attack using a nuclear bomb, or conventional weapons.

The Royal Navy retired the last of its large aircraft carriers in 1978, moving their strike role to the British Aerospace Sea Harrier, and passing their Buccaneers to the RAF.

The ending of the Cold War led to a reduction in strength of the RAF, and the accelerated retirement of the remaining fleet, with the last Buccaneers in RAF service being retired in 1994 in favour of the Panavia Tornado.

There is a Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S2B at Duxford.

 

Camouflaging the Bolt Action Home Guard Mark IV Tank

I am in the process of building a Bolt Action 28mm Home Guard force, I did want to add some armour to them with a Mark IV Male World War One tank put into service, even if it was merely as a mobile pillbox.

The Bovington Tank Museum has on display a Mark IV Male tank that was used just in this way. It was used in World War One and then presented to the Navy. When war broke out in September 1939, the Tank Mark IV (Male) number 2324 was refurbished for Home Guard duties.

Having constructed and undercoated the Mark IV Tank the next stage was a base coat of Army Green Spray from the Army Painter range.

Looking at the original photograph it was apparent that the Mark IV had a camouflage pattern that looked like the kind that was applied to early war British tanks.

Mark IV at HMS Excellent
Mark IV at HMS Excellent

I masked the Mark IV with blu-tak and duct tape.

I then used a Humbrol Tank Grey 67 spray for the dark colour.

I did the model in stages, mainly as I didn’t have enough blu-tak to do the model in one go.

I tried to copy the camouflage pattern as shown in the 1940 photograph.

This is the same view but with more spraying done.

The rear view. I am pleased with the way this turned out.

This is another view. the blu-tak did remove some of the base coat paint, so I will need to do some retouching up.

The next stage will be painting the tracks.

 

Sepecat Jaguar GR.1

This Sepecat Jaguar GR.1 was on display at RAF London.

The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service with the Indian Air Force.

The aircraft served with the French Air Force as the main strike/attack aircraft until 1 July 2005, and with the Royal Air Force until the end of April 2007.

It was replaced by the Panavia Tornado and the Eurofighter Typhoon in the RAF and the Dassault Rafale in the French Air Force.

Undercoating the Haemotrope Reactor

After picking up a copy of Warhammer Imperium with a Ruined Factorum I did start thinking about whether to get some future issues, or picking up some past issues. In the end I bought issue 27 which came with a Haemotrope Reactor.

After constructing the Haemotrope Reactor I gave the model a white undercoat.

Haemotrope Reactor

New boxed set for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy revealed

new boxed set for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy

So we now have details of the new boxed set for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy. You get forty “beaky” Space Marines in Mark VI armour, Terminators, Contemptor Dreadnought and a Spartan Assault Tank.

It was revealed on the Twitter.

I do quite like the idea of this box set, lots of nice retro style beaky marines and a great looking tank as well.

More ruins in the bag

Having picked up the Ruined Factorum sprue that came with Warhammer 40000 Imperium 31 a couple of weeks back, I set myself a reminder for today, to purchase issue 34 for the second sprue .

The ruins are from the The Battlezone: Manufactorum – Sub-cloister and Storage Fane kit which did cost £37.50 at Games Workshop and contains two similar sprues. So at £8.99 you would be making a saving of £9.76. However you can’t buy the kit anymore anyhow.

This time, as before, you get two more corner ruins, all coming on a single sprue.

The final models, combining the ruins from issues 31 and 34 (did) look like this on the Games Workshop website.

Another view.

de Havilland Chipmunk

One of the RAF’s longest serving aircraft types, the Canadian designed Chipmunk entered RAF service in 1950. Chipmunks replaced the Tiger Moth as an initial pilot trainer, offering relatively modern features such as flaps, brakes, radio and an enclosed cockpit.

They also equipped the RAF’s University Air Squadrons until 1973. Although the type was retired from flying training in 1993, Chipmunks continued to serve with the RAF’s Air Experience Flights until 1996, with which many thousands of Air Training Corps and Combined Cadet Force cadets have had their first taste of flight. Over seven-hundred Chipmunks were built for the RAF, some of which also served with the Army and the Royal Navy. A substantial number of civilian Chipmunks are still flying in countries around the world.

Painting the Warlord Titan Base

Having landscaped and undercoated my Titan bases, I used Basilicanum Grey contrast paint as a basecoat. I then started drybrushing and detailing the bases. I have already posted the Reaver Titan base.

This is the Warlord base.

Here is the base with the Warlord legs.

Another view of the base.

The base with a taller Warlord Titan.