Mastodon Heavy Assault Transport

Imperial Fists Mastodon Heavy Assault Transport on display at Warhammer World.

The Mastodon was one of the heaviest assault transports in the arsenal of the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade, and is still found in the armouries of the Space Marine Chapters of the 41st Millenium. Its cavernous assault bay, capable of housing almost half a Company, is protected both by thick layers of ceramite armour as well as crackling void shields. It also mounts a fearsome siege melta array, allowing it to breach even the most formidable defences with ease, as well as an array of secondary weaponry intended to defend the vehicle as it approaches its target. Unleashed only against the most fearsome of enemy redoubts, there are few obstacles that can stay the wrath of this relic of the Imperium’s bloody birth.

The Mastodon is heavily armed and armoured, carrying 40 Space Marines, and even Dreadnoughts, safely to the heart of battle. Whilst embarked, the warriors within will defend their immense transport, turning the sponson weapons on any enemy brave or foolish enough to come close. It’s Siege melta array can easily destroy fortifications, and makes short work of armoured vehicles, whilst its Skyreaper Battery will tear through any airborne threat with ease.

Painting the T29

One of the Clash of Steel Starter Sets have been on my wants list ever since I found out about them at the beginning of the year. I ordered Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks.

I decided I would add to the game by ordering the other Operation Unthinkable set, which contains American and Soviet tanks. Three of these are the T29 or T30 Heavy Tank.

The T29 Heavy Tank was an American heavy tank project that was started in March 1944 to counter the German Tiger II heavy tank. Although it was not completed in time for use in World War II, the T29 served as a valuable testbed for post-war engineers to apply new concepts to artillery and automotive components. The tank featured a powerful 105 mm T5E1 gun and a massive, heavily armored turret. With a weight of approximately 64 tons, a crew of six, and an upgraded V12 engine, the T29 was a formidable and innovative design for its time.

Having constructed and undercoated the model, the next stage was adding a shadow.

I then sprayed the underneath of the model with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green. This is to add shade to the model before applying the basecoat.

Then the models were sprayed with Army Painter Army Green Spray.

Next stage will be painting the tracks.

The Professor and Time Machine

I went to Colours 2025 at the Newbury Racecourse and there were a fair few traders there. I passed the Great Escape Games stand and a boxed set stood out for me, The Professor and Time Machine.

Great Scott…

Yes this wasn’t any old professor (and any old time machine). Though with those names you might expect to see the Doctor and the TARDIS. However this was the old west, so this professor and old time machine was a facsimile of Doc Brown and a covered DeLorean.

In the box you get a metal Doc Brown figure and a resin casting of the DeLorean covered with a tarpaulin. You also get a card and two scenarios for Dead Man’s Hand.

After cleaning the castings, and washing the resin model, I also based the professor on a coin and added some Citadel Sand to the base. I gave both models a white undercoat.

The DeLorean bode shell is made from stainless steel, so I decided I would use a Citadel Leadbelcher spray. As I happens, I am not sure what had gone wrong with the spray, but it certainly wasn’t working as normal.

I wasn’t happy with the result of the spraying of the basecoat. Still thinking about the next step with this model.

I do have some reference photographs of a DeLorean to work with (not the film car, but a nice copy).

The Great War

I went to Colours 2025 at the Newbury Racecourse last week. Its been a fair few years since I have been to Colours, I have a feeling it might be as long ago when Colours was at the Hexagon in Reading after they changed the name of the show from Armageddon. Anyhow the show was great and there were a fair few traders there, I did buy something. 

On the top floor though were all the demonstration and participation games. This beautiful looking 28mm Great War game was put on my Gripping Beast.

It reminded me of The Great War demonstration game that was put on at Games Day 2007 by Aly Morrison and Dave Andrews. See photographs from that game.

Painting the ISU-130

One of the Clash of Steel Starter Sets have been on my wants list ever since I found out about them at the beginning of the year. I ordered Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks. I decided I would add to the game by ordering the other Operation Unthinkable set, which contains American and Soviet tanks.

The ISU-130, is a tank destroyer based on the IS-2 chassis armed with an 130mm S-26 gun.

Having constructed and undercoated the models, I then sprayed the underneath of the models with a black spray to add shadow and depth.

For the basecoat I used Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green.

I decided that this was too dark, so for these models I then gave them a light spray of Army Painter Army Green Spray.

This will then be my testbed for the models and my other Soviet tanks.

The next stage will be painting the tracks.

Painting the IS-3

I had ordered Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks. I decided I would add to the game by ordering the other Operation Unthinkable set, which contains American and Soviet tanks. There are three IS-3 tanks included in the boxed set.

The IS-3 is a Soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944. Its semi-hemispherical cast turret (resembling that of an upturned soup bowl) became the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks.

I had already constructed two of the IS-3 tanks, so it was a relatively easy process of constructing the other one., to which I added a commander figure to the cupola on the turret. I also gave the models a white undercoat.

I then sprayed the underneath of the models with a black spray to add shadow and depth.

The next step was to paint the models with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green.

I think this colour may be too dark.

Rohan Stronghold at Warhammer World

A shadow has fallen upon the once-green lands of Rohan. Under the cruel command of Saruman, the armies of Isengard, a relentless force of Uruk-hai and vengeful Dunlendings, are not merely raiding—they’ve come for total annihilation. As the Westfold burns, a tide of destruction turns toward the great strongholds of Rohan. Yet, within those ancient walls, the proud Rohirrim stand ready. They know the odds are overwhelming, but with shields locked and spears raised, they will face the onslaught, prepared to fight to the last man to defend their home from the Legion of the White Hand.

From the display at Warhammer World.

More photographs of the diorama.

Painting the Centurion Mk3 tanks

One of the Clash of Steel Starter Sets have been on my wants list ever since I found out about them at the beginning of the year. I ordered Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks. There are  17 tanks in the box, of which four are the Centurion Tanks. They can be constructed as a range of variants.

The Centurion tank was one of the most successful post-war tank designs. It was introduced in 1945, just too late to see combat in the Second World War. However, it went on to serve in a number of conflicts, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Arab-Israeli wars. The Centurion was a well-balanced tank with a good mix of armament, armour, and mobility. It was armed with a 105mm rifled gun, which was capable of firing both high-explosive and armour-piercing rounds. The Centurion’s armour was also very effective, and it was able to withstand the fire of most enemy tanks. The tank was also highly mobile, and it was able to keep up with the latest advances in tank warfare.

For the first model I put together, I went with the Mk3. I did think about the Mk1 initially, but I did think I would initially model two Mk3 tanks and two Mk1 tanks, however in the end I decided I would model all four models as Mk3 Centurions. I modelled them with various variations though, including missing skirts.

The next step was a white undercoat.

I wanted to give the models some shadow, so I sprayed the underneath of the model with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green.

Then the models were sprayed with Army Painter Army Green Spray. I wasn’t too happy with the result after the paint had dried, that I gave the models a second coat (in places) to ensure coverage across the models.

Next stage will be painting the tracks.

Supermarine Spitfire MKXIV

Supermarine Spitfire MKXIV at the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

Supermarine Spitfire MKXIV

The Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV was a major upgrade of the iconic fighter, introduced in 1944. It was the first mass-produced Spitfire to be powered by the powerful 2,050 horsepower Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 engine, a significant leap from the Merlin engines used in earlier models. This new engine, along with a five-bladed Rotol propeller and a lengthened fuselage to handle the increased power and torque, gave the Mk XIV a distinct look and improved performance. It was a more powerful and faster aircraft, with an excellent rate of climb, which made it a formidable opponent for late-war German fighters and an effective interceptor against V-1 flying bombs. The Mk XIV saw widespread service with the RAF and other Allied forces from late 1944 until the end of World War II, playing a crucial role in armed reconnaissance and air superiority missions.