Ursa Miners: Jotunn Heavy Hailstorm Cannon

Next off the Ursa Miner assembly line is this artillery piece: the Jotunn Heavy Hailstorm Cannon.  It bears quite a resemblance to a piece of 1980s 40K nostalgia known as the “Thudd Gun” too, not that I am complaining.

The Jotunn is quite a large, chunky piece.  It was a little awkward to assemble.  Nothing major, but I should have plonked the kit in hot water to remove the small amount of bowing/warping in the kit before I started gluing.  It wasnt a big deal though, definitely not something that should put anyone off.

I had a couple of issues with a pot of Devlan mud that decided to misbehave while painting this piece.  Between that and the hassle with assembly I was glad to see the Jotunn finally finished.  If I get another of these models tableworthy it will take me about half the time I reckon.

In keeping with trying to keep the fantasy element reasonably low I chose to avoid the runic script and iconography normally associated with dwarfs/squats.  I decided to add Tau transfers to the Jotunn (the white writing just about visible on the top of the camouflaged shield above) as:

1. I had a couple of those transfer sheets handy
2. The Tau transfers look a lot more anime or sci-fi than the usual gothic/grimdark, roman numeral heavy transfers that I own loads of.

More Space Dwarf stuff to come.

Post Apocalyptic Vehicles

Some post apocalyptic wheels today.  As two of these sat around with just a black spray coat on them for the last year or so, I got a kick out of getting them finished last weekend

Whilst painted to be suitable for use by any of my PA figures, these resin models from Ramshackle Games are primarily going to be used as the vehicles for my “Bigdogz” ork mob in the post-apocalyptic Gorkamorka setting.

The vehicles were each painted in straightforward single colour schemes.  Largely this was to minimise confusion in game terms by aiding easy  identification.

I was tempted to add some more rusty areas but I as I wanted the vehicles to look battered but serviceable, rather than disintegrating, I held back a bit.

As I wanted to use the vehicles for non-ork-centric games as well as GoMo, I avoided too much obviously ork styling, even going so far as to add some more traditional sci-fi trappings like bar-code licence plates.  I like the implication that while these vehicles are obviously pretty rugged and heavily abused, that they exist in an environment that still has some more advanced tech, somewhere.

The weapons mounted on the vehicles are interchangeable mini turrets, attached by magnets.  I made them from various gun parts that I had access to.  Each weapon is mounted on a plastic disc which is glued to a washer.  The washer then sticks to countersunk magnets on the vehicles.  Simple but effective and convenient.

No. 7 above is a cute design I think.  It looks rugged and reliable.  Nothing fancy but able to take a pounding.  If I were stuck in a mehcanised post apocalyptic wasteland I think that of the three vehicles here, this is the one that I would choose as most likely to extend my lifespan.  The enclosed cab would help with radstorms, mutie marauders, ripperjack swarms and the like.

No 4 is a peculiar beast.  Its a fun looking vehicle I think, but I think that I need to add “something” to the paint job:  it is lacking a focal point.  Its perfectly adequate for use as it is but there is something missing and I cant put my finger on what that missing thing is.

No 3 is my favourite of the three.  Not as reliable as No 7, but streets ahead in terms of cool.  Of these three vehicles, this is definitely the road warriors choice I reckon.

Farseer / Archon Yuminor

Todays figure from the vaults is the leader of the Eldar army that I painted in 2002, the Eldar from the Iacon fleet.

The army was made from GW parts from a variety of sources but mainly from a mix of Eldar and Dark Eldar parts.  At the time I played using the army chosen from a Craftworld Eldar list, but I wanted to be able to field the figures as Dark Eldar if desired too, even though I never did in the end.

The background for the army plonked the Iaconian Eldar somewhere between the Craftworld Eldar and the Dark Eldar in philosophy.  The idea was that rather than base themselves in a craftworld after The Fall, that the Iacon fleet had assembled for safety in numbers.  As a result the fleet contained ships of many sizes along with occupants with their own agendas.  Obviously this was loosely based on the concept of Battlestar Galactica, although the remake wasnt around at the time.

Another influence was a vaguely Egyptian theme, mostly added so that I could tie the figures to some cheesy decorations that I had been collecting with a magazine around then (visible in a game here).  It also helped to focus me on some of the visual elements of the army such as colour and some of the decoration.  Everyone is familiar with the concept of “Space Egypt” anyway due to Stargate.  Funnily enough I didnt like the Stargate show (because it is shite), although the look of the tech in the movie was cool.

Farseer/Archon Yuminor

Yuminor above is assembled exclusively from plastic parts: Dark Eldar and Craftworld Eldar jetbikes, High Elf arms, a modified pair of High Elf spears, Dark Elf torso and helmet, a bit from a Falcon grav tank, some old shuriken catapults, some styrene strips and a Bretonnian helmet crest.  I think that the cape is High Elf too, but it might be from a Chaos Warrior, I cant remember.

The circular thing stuck to the back of Yuminors head is a part of a Falcon kit.  It is supposed to tie in with circular gold Egyptian decorative elements that were used to venerate Ra, representing the sun.  The piece of plastic that I used was just a bit too thick and so looks a little odd (or maybe just a little bit foreign and alien if I am feeling charitable).

Jetbike Canopy & Singing Spear Detail

Just about visible in the shot above and easier to see in the photo above it is the hand painted glyph in the side of the canopy.  Each unit in the army has their own unique glyph inspired by both the existing Eldar look and Egyptian heiroglyphs.  Obviously they dont mean something specific or anything like that but they do give a nice element of detail on the figures, Yuminor included.  I find that one area on a miniature brought to fine detail like that can help to give a sense of scale to figures.  When it works the figures start to look a little less toy-like and just a little more real (as far as space elf sorcerers on jetbikes look real, but you know what I mean).

Another element that I carried through the larger models in the army was a phoenix-y bird type motif.  The main reason that I did that was because there was a suitable crest on the High Elf sprues that I had in sufficient numbers to put on all of the vehicles that I had planned for the army.  The bird on the jetbike canopy above however is a Bretonnian knghts helmet crest with some styrene strips making a sort of tail.  That shot also shows the High Elf Spear which I made double ended because I think that it looks good like that.  It also looks a bit like Prince Nuadas spear from Hellboy II now that I look at it.  That cant be a bad thing.

The Entire Model

I like this model a lot even though as I mentioned in a previous Iacon post the paint scheme was laborious in its execution.  Still, Yuminor (name inspired by a character from the super cool Ulysses 31 cartoon) is one of my better examples of a unique figure used to represent an army leader.  Yuminors career didnt have the same gaming span as my Nurgle Chaos Lord but he still stands as one of the better examples from my own corner of the hobby.

Star Wars Escape Pod

I spotted this in a newsagents a couple of months ago.  It was packaged with a Star Wars magazine.  Although that magazine is available every month or so, the models supplied with it tend to be in scales that are not that useful for my gaming purposes.  This however, was perfect.

Six-Seater Faberstein Lago 37 Escape Pod

The pod is rather hastily pictured above with a selection of miniatures for scale: L to R – Heroclix, Warzone, Hasslefree, Megaminis.

The escape pod from A New Hope although pretty bland, is still recognisable.  As a result I decided not to paint it and to leave it the colour scheme shown.  I did cave a little bit since I took the photos and give the whole thing an ink wash in order to accentuate the detail and make it a little more “used” looking.

Side View

The pod will make a nice terrain or objective piece for gaming with.

Crashed Aquila

Mean Machine Angel is gonna get hisself sum salvage fer his Paw.

The crashed Aquila model was included in the 4th edition Warhammer 40000 starter box, Battle for Macragge.  I have had it knocking around for a few years and while I never really played 4th ed 40k my recent renewed interest in sci-fi skirmish games prompted me to paint it.

I decided to steer clear of the usual subdued schemes that dominate non-Space Marine Imperial forces, instead going for a more Flash Gordon, pulp type look.  I wanted it to look like something that Brian Blessed might land on the wing of.  The purple that I went for was then used to determine the scheme for my Starmada faction.  The paint job was reasonably quick and I think that it looks good on the tabletop.  I added a cork base to help it fit in with the rest of my Planet Heck terrain project.

SPD Captain Stig Palomino investigates a crash site.

The more recent 40k starter box (Assault on Black Reach) didnt include any scenery.  I was disappointed with that news.  While Black Reach undeniably has a whole load of cool figures in it, the inclusion of the Aquila and the other thematic bits and pieces in Macragge was more geared to scenario play.  Even when I played a lot of 40k I never enjoyed the standard line-up-at-opposite-sides-and-roll-dice-for-two-hours approach that much.  Scenario play is absolutely what playing toy soldiers is all about as far as I am concerned.

Sin Eater Chaos Dreadnought – Brother Tankorr

Brother Tankorr

As early playtesting went on using my Sin Eaters (way back in 1999) it looked like getting a second Dreadnought on the table would be fun.  While Brother Rhinox was made more or less exclusively from the basic metal chaos Dreadnought kit, Tankorr was made from a metal Imperial Dreadnought, albeit an Imperial Dreadnought with loads of spiky death metal type junk stuck on.  Examples above include the spiky panels on the main housing and the tombstone-for-a-face.

Tankorrs huge and ludicrous close combat arm.

Tankorrs arms were made from spares from the kit that was used to make Rhinox.  The left arm above had an Ork Choppa and two Necromunda Pit Slave weapon arms attached.  I also added another pit slave chainsaw bit to the front of the body on that side for good measure. 

In the above shot you can make out bits where some of the many spikes attached to the figure used to be attached, only to have broken off at various points over the years.  The lesson here is simply not to bother sticking those things on in the first place.  If Tankorr gets away with it it is simply because of the zombie-like, dilapidated look.

Rear view.

Plasma Cannon

I like the combi-bolter mounted on Tankorrs shoulder for some reason that I cant put my finger on.   I also like the silly zombie hands bursting out of the ground, “Thriller” style.

Sin Eater Chaos Dreadnought – Brother Rhinox

 

Sin Eater Dreadnought: Brother Rhinox

Like many geeks, I like robots and power suits.  Dreadnoughts and Titans  have always been a big 40k draw for me.  As a result one of the earliest miniatures that I painted for my Sin Eaters Chaos Space Marine Nurgle army was Rhinox.

Power Claw

Rear Shot. Just greasy looking metal really.

Twin-Linked Lascannon

There was only one weapon fit appropriate for a Dreadnought in those days: Twin Lascannon & Power Fist/Claw (I have no idea what, if anything makes Dreadnoughts competitive in the current 40k tournament climate, nor do I wish to know).  There wasnt a twin-lascannon model available for Chaos Dreads then so I chopped up the twin-autocannon in the box and replaced it with two weapons cut from a Space Crusade dreadnought (I think). 

Possibly I should have added more detail to the muzzles of the cannon while I was adding the trim that had been removed when cutting the autocannon off.  On the other hand it does give the gun a pretty primitive and brutal look that is very suitable.

Other than the Lascannon arm the figure is unconverted apart from the added scuffs and dents etc.

Warlord Titan and Imperial Navy

Traitor Warlord Titan of the ? Legion

Rounding up the shots of my Epic scale stuff (for a while) are my titan and navy support units for my traitor Sin Eater space marines.  The titan and attendant navy units colour scheme is more or less an inversion of the Sin Eaters in a effort to tie them together pallete wise at least.  I never named either my traitor titan legion or this particular Warlord: I really should come up with something…

Warlord rear view. Note the Sin Eater Marines at its feet

The navy units have the same scheme as the legion as they are intended to represent Praetorian or Skitarii titan legion support troopers.  The fighters and bombers are EM4 miniatures rather than “official” GW stuff, not that it matters.

Lightning fighters

Marauder bombers

Thunderbolt fighters

Marauder bombers

Epic Sin Eaters Chaos Space Marines: Recon

Sin Eater space marine Bike unit

Sin Eaters space marine Land Speeders

Sin Eaters space marine Land Speeders

Epic Sin Eaters Chaos Space Marines: Elites

Sin Eater marines in tactical dreadnought "Terminator" armour

In the WH40k universe it doesnt get much more elite than these guys.  Even in this scale these guys are fun to play simply because of the disproportionate presence that they have on the battlefield.

Sin Eater Land Raider battle tanks

Sin Eater Land Raider battle tanks

Sin Eater space marine Dreadnoughts