Flames of War Early War Monsters

We have had an update from Battlefront about the Early War releases we heard about before.

We saw again the TOG 1, the Char 2C, but also the German Early Wars Monster, not quite the Großtraktor I thought it might be in my blog post last July.

The tank they have gone for is the Neubaufahrzeug. Multi-turreted, heavy and slow, they were not considered successful, which led to only five being produced. These were primarily used for propaganda purposes and training, though three took part in the Battle of Norway in 1940.  The Neubaufahrzeug had many connections to the previous Großtraktor, utilising many of the same components including the engine and transmission.

Battlefront also showed us some pages on the other Early War Monsters as well.

Warbringer Nemesis Titan

Warbringer Nemesis Titan models from Warhammer World.

The Warbringer Nemesis Titan serves the Collegia Titanica in the role of heavy fire support. It mounts a single Warlord-scale weapon on its upper carapace and Reaver-scale weapons on its arms – sacrificing the speed, armour and manoeuvrability of a conventional Battle Titan in favour of firepower far in excess of its size. Though rare and specialised, the Warbringer Nemesis is a sight to inspire dread in all but the most battle-hardened enemy princeps.

Adepta Sororitas Repressor

Sisters of Battle Repressor
Sisters of Battle Repressor from the Forgeworld Displays at GamesDay 2005

The Repressor is an Imperial armoured personnel carrier (APC) based on the standard Rhino chassis. The Repressor is used by both the Adeptus Arbites as a riot control and crowd suppression vehicle, and by the Adepta Sororitas as an infantry transport during intense urban battles. The Repressor uses an extensively converted Rhino chassis; the transport compartment has been greatly expanded upon, a raised roof featuring firing slits for the passenger’s weapons has been added, a large dozer blade used to plow through debris and rioting mobs is attached to the front of the vehicle, and the vehicle possesses a small forward cupola-mounted turret. The Adeptus Arbites variant of the Repressor is armed with non-lethal weaponry such as water cannons and grenade launchers that fire stun and gas grenades at angry mobs. When the Adepta Sororitas started to use Repressors near the end of the 40th Millennium they replaced the non-lethal weapons with Storm Bolters and Heavy Flamers.

My workbench feature on the Forge World Inquisitorial Stormtroopers Repressor Transport.

The model is no longer available from Forge World, and there is no new variant, or a replacement.

Mûmak

The Battle of the Pelennor Fields was a battle for the city of Minas Tirith, and ultimately for Gondor, immediately following a large-scale siege of Minas Tirith by Sauron’s army. It was the greatest battle of the War of the Ring, and indeed the largest of the entire Third Age. Major casualties resulted from the battle, including the deaths of King Théoden and the Witch-king of Angmar.

The armies of Harad often employ Mumakil, massive war-beasts trained by the Mahud, to trample their enemies under colossal hooves. A Mumak is nigh unstoppable once is begins its charge, tossing aside enemies like broken dolls. The largest model in The Lord of The Rings range, a Mumak can break through an enemy line while Haradrim warriors rain deadly arrows from atop the howdah on its mighty back.

War Mûmak of Harad from the display cabinets at Warhammer World.
War Mûmak of Harad from the display cabinets at Warhammer World.

The miniature is based on those seen in the film version of Lord of the Rings, and is seen in the climatic battles in Return of the King.

Flintloque Goblin Caçadores

In the world of Flintloque, the fantasy Napoleonic setting, the Goblins are based on the army of Portugal.

The Caçadores  were the elite light infantry troops of the Portuguese Army, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

These Flintloque Goblin Caçadores are from my own collection and are some of my favourite minatures and I am also really pleased with their painting.

Grey Knights Jetbike back on the workbench

The greatest threat to the Imperium of Man is, and has always been, the followers of Chaos and the foul daemons of the Warp. The Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus, the Daemonhunters, are at war with forces too terrible to comprehend and, together with the holy warriors of the Grey Knights, they must take the light of the Emperor into the darkness. The threat of the daemonic is so great that only these heroic warriors have the necessary skills and knowledge to stand against such diabolical foes.

When the Dark Angels were released I really liked the Master of the Ravenwing on the “last” remaining Imperial Jetbike.

The Master of the Ravenwing on display at Warhammer World.
The Master of the Ravenwing on display at Warhammer World.

Master Sammael of the Ravenwing is a true Angel of Death. From the saddle of his jetbike he cuts down any foolish enough to stand in his path with the infamous Raven Sword, its blade cut from the same meteorite as the Sword of Secrets. A highly accomplished hunter of The Fallen, Sammael is rightly honoured by his brethren and he is feared by his foes as few other holders of his rank have ever been.

So much so I knew I had to get one for my Grey Knights army, possibly maybe more than one!  If anyone other than the Master of the Ravenwing was going to have arcane technology it would be the Grey Knights!

This is as far as I have got putting the jetbike together.

The other components.

Next step is finishing putting the bike together.

Solar Auxilia Leman Russ

The Solar Auxilia use the Leman Russ Strike Tanks in various roles. The tanks have been upgraded with solar-pattern survival systems, this allows the tank and the crew to fight in any harsh conditions on different planets.

Solar Auxilia Leman Russ

It is usually armed with one of four primary weapons – a battlecannon, twinned heavy lascannons or autocannons, or a long-barrelled Vanquisher battlecannon with a co-axial autocannon.

Solar Auxilia Leman Russ

Dracosan Armoured Transport

The Dracosan Armoured Transport is manufactured to standards only usually required of war machines destined for service with the Legiones Astartes. It is large enough to accommodate a full strength Solar Auxilia Infantry Section of twenty auxiliaries, and heavily armoured enough to protect them from intense enemy fire.

Dracosan Armoured Transport

More photographs of the Dracosan Armoured Transport.

Revisiting the Grey Knights Masters of the Chapter

Back in 2007 I was given the Masters of the Chapter box. This was four metal Space Marine models with a variety of weapons and armour, including a shield, an axe, a hammer, a broadsword and lots of ornate armour. I thought these would be perfect alternate models for Grey Knights.

They were, like most models, retired, but at one point they did make a return in resin.

These metal models of mine though consisted of a variety of parts, as well as some plastic rear packs.

I started putting them together and basing them, then I got distracted by other things.

These are the four individual models. Not completed, but they are based.

Looking over the figures recently I realised I hadn’t even updated the workbench page with the progress I made.

So the next stage will be finishing putting them together. Then there is the decision, do I continue with the Grey Knight concept, or maybe go down another route, Imperial Fists perhaps. Decisions, decisions.