Felix's Gaming Pages

Dwarf Gyrocopter Pilot

I did think I had this model somewhere, however the pilot has turned up.

This was the original Dwarf Gyrocopter and personally I think the best. It comes across more as an autogyro rather than a helicopter, whereas the later models do feel more like helicopters, almost too sophisticated for a fantasy setting.

This is the original pilot, later Citadel did a pilot with a helmet with a winged helm, which you could argue was more fantasy than this pilot.

You can tell there are issues with my modelling here as the seat of the dwarf pilot has a large glob of epoxy glue there, this was when I use that over superglue.

Now I just need to find the Gyrocopter.

Achilles-Alpha pattern Land Raider

Minotaurs Achilles-Alpha pattern Land Raider on display at Warhammer World.

I quite like the up-armoured appearance of this pattern of Land Raider, and the weaponry looks quite formidable. I can imagine this being used to clear barricades in the ruins of an Imperial City.

The Achilles-Alpha pattern Land Raider is the most durable vehicle currently in the service of the Legiones Astartes. These vehicles shrug off weapon strikes that would cripple other battle tanks, and are proof against even the most toxic environment. The weaponry of these vehicles is formidable, featuring an advanced quad launcher and powerful volkite batteries.

This Achilles-Alpha pattern Land Raider is from the Minotaurs Space Marine Chapter. The Minotaurs is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter whose true origins and genetic lineage remain unknown. The Space Marine formation by this name at large in the Imperium today appears to bear little resemblance to accounts of its past.

15mm Second English Civil War

A few decades back I wrote an article about a modern era English Civil War that was published in Issue #43 of Wargames Illustrated in April 1991.

” … its six o’clock, on Tuesday the 27th October 1998. This is the Royal Somerset Broadcasting Service, and now the news from Wessex and around the world. The headlines: Scotland has seceded from the British Republic, fighting has broken out along the border. Royalist army and volunteer militia units have pushed back across the border an armed incursion by Democratic Guards into south-west Dorset last night. Bristol Docks were once again the target of bombing over the night, but damage has been minimal. The United States has once again confirmed its commitment to the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Wessex and Duchy of Cornwall.”

The main inspiration for the background was the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and wondering if a similar scenario could play out in a disunited broken Great Britain. It was also an opportunity to bring in modern armoured trains as well.

After a visit to The Tank Museum I posted a photograph of the Alvis Saracen.

I also wrote: As part of the Second English Civil War, you can imagine the use of the FV603 Saracen to patrol urban areas and to suppress armed resistance.

So when I saw Battlefront were releasing a 15mm FV603 Saracen for Team Yankee, I thought it was time to reboot my Second English Civil War and start painting some models for it.

The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier built by Alvis and used by the British Army.

Along with the Saracen release, Battlefront also released the Saladin armoured car.

I also posted some photographs of the Saladin Armoured Car from The Tank Museum and said of possible Wessex scenarios: You can easily imagine how these armoured cars would have been used for reconnaissance, keeping down unrest, and defending key installations against attack.

So I have ordered one pack of each.

I already have some Scorpion light tanks and along with some recently ordered Militia Pickup Trucks as well, I have the first makings of a 15mm army of Wessex. I have noted that Hornby have started a TT120 range of 1/120th scale trains, which would sit well within Wessex. Some ideas to work on there now.

Avenger Strike Fighter

The Avenger Strike Fighter is used for high-speed low level ground attack missions. This makes it ideal for attacking armoured vehicle formations and high-value strategic assets such as munitions dumps. Compared to other Imperial Navy aircraft of its size, it is equipped with more weapons and munitions.

This Avenger Strike Fighter was in the displays at Warhammer World.

Basing the Werewolves

On the cover of a recent Miniature Wargames was a sprue of Wargames Atlantic Werewolves. I constructed the models and based them on two pence coins.

Then using PVA white glue I used Citadel Sand on the bases.

Then the next stage will be a white undercoat.

Auric Runefather on Magmadroth

Auric Runefathers inspire awed devotion in those they command, fearless and mighty warlords who stand at the head of each Fyreslayer lodge. Mounted atop a flame-belching Magmadroth, a Runefather thunders into battle and hacks down enemies with his long latchkey grandaxe, while his steed tears foes apart by the dozen with its searing talons and blazing maw.

Constructing the Necromunda Trazior Pattern Sentry Guns

This was one of those models that I liked the idea of. If you have ever seen the special edition of ALIENS, you will remember that the Colonial Marines used automated sentry guns to defend the colony from the aliens. I am pretty confident that these models are inspired by that film. I also liked the Tarantula sentry guns that were once available from Forge World.

In the pack you get two identical sprues that allow you to build two turrets mounted with twin grenade launchers, and two with twin heavy stubbers. It also includes ammo crates and control consoles. The models go together quite easily.

As is the case with many Games Workshop models there are a number of parts, some quite fiddly. Next stage will be a white undercoat.

Land Raider MkIIb

The Land Raider MkIIb is probably my favourite Land Raider variant. I do have one of them in my collection. I knew that if I was going to get a Land Raider it would have to be the Forgeworld MkIIB Land Raider. I did get one in the end at GamesDay 2006. Sadly it was recently retired from the range. I wrote up some reflections on my MkIIB Land Raider, on the current state of the painting and what I needed to do next. In the end I went down a different route.

This one was on display at Warhammer World.

The standard Land Raider, also known as the Land Raider Phobos, is an Imperial main battle tank and troop transport which serves as the “armoured fist of the Space Marines.” It is one of the most resilient and iconic armoured vehicles in the galaxy. The Mark IIb Land Raider Phobos is one of the earliest marks of the standard pattern of Land Raider, and it still bears similarities to both the Land Raider Proteus and the Spartan Assault Tank that served as the models for the design. The Mark IIb Land Raider Phobos is the only pattern of the standard Land Raider Phobos that uses the older armoured sponsons, as they do not allow the weapons they hold to fully rotate. This pattern of Land Raider is mostly extinct, however, some Chapters may still possess one or two as treasured relics of their ancient past.

Of course the Mark IIb reflects the Epic 40000 version of the Land Raider from the late 1990s.

Snotlings

These are Citadel snotlings from my collection.

I based them individually to use them as Lesser Goblins.

Krondys Son of Dracothion

Long ago, before Sigmar was plucked from the heavens by the great drake Dracothion, the powerful Draconith empire was brought low at the hands of Kragnos, whose divine rampage smashed city after city until only a handful of Draconith remained. In a desperate gambit to defeat what they could not kill, the princes Krondys and Karazai enlisted the aid of the enigmatic Lord Kroak to seal Kragnos beneath a mountain, where he stayed until the Necroquake sundered his prison. With the God of Earthquakes returned, the Draconith princes have sworn the Pact Draconis with Sigmar and lead a new generation to war against the enemies of Order.