2019... Review of My Hobby Year!

Well as you may have noticed today is the 31st of December which means that it’s time for my annual look back and review of all my modelling projects over than last 12 months!

Blood Angels Terminator Librarian - Rogue Trader

After finishing last week’s Rogue Trader Terminator Captain for my nascent Blood Angels force I decided that he needed someone to keep him company in the form of a Librarian clad in Tactical Dreadnought Armour.

I always wanted one of these guys as a kid but at the time I was intimidated by the large amounts of iconography scattered all over the model (which ironically when compared to modern space marines actually seems pretty sparse!)

Blood Angels Terminator Captain - Rogue Trader

With two squads of old school 1980s Blood Angels Terminators under my belt I decided that the time had arrived to give them an equally venerable character. Theo’s fellow would be responsible for leading them on their deadly missions against the encroaching Genestealer menace!

So this week I have been working hard on painting up an original Terminator Captain (complete with auxiliary wrist mounted grenade launcher) to command these first company veterans in the field of battle... and in the narrow confines of a Space Hulk!

More Rogue Trader Era Blood Angels Terminators

As frequent readers of this blog will be aware I am something of a completionist when it comes to my hobby activities!  Thus I have spent this week finishing off the Rogue Trader Terminator Squad that I started in my last post.

These intimidating looking chaps are also clearly members of the Blood Angels Chapter (maybe even Legion); and I have tried to emulate the old ‘Eavy Metal colour scheme for this faction as far as practicable.

Second Unit of Blood Angels Terminators (1989 Originals)

This week I’ve been busy working on my 1989 Blood Angels Terminators for the first edition of Space Hulk. 

After finishing my first squad of these veterans a few weeks back I decided that I would paint another unit with identical weapon load-outs in order to match the predetermined units from the Space Hulk Missions Book.

Final Two Crimson Fist Devastators!!

This week I primarily worked on completing the outstanding two marines for the Crimson Fist devastator squad that I started on as part of my previous post.

These two fellas are made from the current Tactical Squad boxed set enhanced with a couple of Imperial Fist shoulder pad upgrades.

Crimson Fists Devastator Reinforcements

Following my work on some classic models and retro 1980s painting over the last few posts I have returned to something a bit more contemporary this week...

A couple of years back I did a few five man devastator squads for my Crimson Fists Army. My intention was always to eventually increase these to full size units however with the appearance of the new Primaris Marines in mid-2017 this never happened...

Genestealer Cult Force - 1989/1992

Having fallen back in love with Space Hulk recently and having completed a new (old) Blood Angels Terminator Squad for this venerable game I decided to take the opportunity to revamp my Genestealer Cult as well.

Followers of my blog will know that I have been gradually building this Force up over the last decade or so and as such it has a models that have been painted at varying stages in my own hobby development process/evolution.

Blood Angels Terminator Squad - 1989 Space Hulk

After the fun that I had with my test model last week I decided to take the plunge and paint up a full squad of 1989 era Terminators for use in the classic first edition of Space Hulk.

As per the test model I stuck with the bright red heraldry of the noble Blood Angels chapter of the Adeptus Astartes! 

As these fellas appeared on the front cover of the Space Hulk box and both versions of the Space Crusade box art I felt they were the poster boys of the period (before the Ultramarines took over!)

Blood Angels Terminator - 1989 Space Hulk Test Model

After playing a fantastic game of Space Hulk with my girlfriend last weekend I was well and truly bitten by the retro Oldhammer bug (again)!

The sheer pleasure of moving those bulky Space Marine Terminators down tight, claustrophobic corridors simply reinvigorated my love for all things 1980s and I just needed more!

I looked at those beautiful Terminators pictured on the side of the box and the large painting on the game’s main cover and I knew that I had to paint up some more of my own astartes warriors clad in mighty suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armour!

Space Hulk 1989 - Battle Report

So what is there to do to pass the time on a rainy Sunday afternoon in October... not much really! 

Thus I decided to break out my copy of the original 1989 Space Hulk for a quick game with my girlfriend. Whilst I do like bigger battles it is nice to have a game like this that can be set up and played relatively quickly.

Two More Crimson Fists Primaris Reivers

In order to bring my new Reiver Squad up to a strength where they are ‘legal’ for gaming purposes I have now painted up another two models. 

These guys are a couple of the Easy-to-Build variants that I have had lying around since I got the Dark Imperium and First Strike boxsets a couple of years back when eighth edition was first released.

Crimson Fists Primaris Reivers

So having finally finished my Iron Warriors Squad last week I decided to take a break from painting gunmetal grey and revisit one of my other power armoured forces... Namely the blue clad warriors of my ever expanding Crimson Fists army!

Having subscribed to Conquest magazine last year I have had a steady influx of new Primaris models arriving on my doorstep every month that I haven’t really gotten around to painting this far.

Final Five Iron Warriors for my First 30k Tactical Squad

Following the last few weeks’ output I have pushed on with the final five models for my first Horus Heresy era Iron Warriors Tactical Squad.

I have really found that painting individual models or smaller batches like this helps to keep me motivated and prevents me losing interest ... which is a real risk for a hobby butterfly such as myself.

Yet another Five Iron Warriors for Horus Heresy gaming!

This week I decided to make my first Iron Warriors Tactical Squad for 30k into a larger 20 man/model variant in order to maximise the sheer destructive potential of so many boltguns firing in unison.

I used the same colours, techniques and basing methodology as on the previous batches in order to maintain a general sense of consistency throughout the Force.

Five more Iron Warriors from the Horus Heresy

After the initial success of my first batch of Iron Warriors last week I decided to knock out another five Astartes in order to keep them company.

I went for another five tactical marines in Mk III Iron Armour (my favourite version of the iconic space marine battle plate) in order to bring the squad up to ten warriors.

Iron Warriors - Warhammer 30,000 / Horus Heresy

I decided to start another new project recently in the form of a further Legion for Horus Heresy / Warhammer 30,000 gaming. 

I know, I know... I have a thousand different projects on, but I find I need variety to keep me interested.

Flesh Tearers Stormraven Gunship

So after the sheer joy of last week’s Storm Talon Gunship I decided to go one better and do its big cousin in the form of a mighty Storm Raven.

Flesh Tearers Stormtalon Gunship - Space Marines

After a few months of intensive infantry focus I decided to treat myself to attempting something a bit bigger and more substantial in the form of a Flyer.

I opted to give my growing force of Flesh Tearers something to help them dominate the skies..... specifically a Stormtalon Gunship.

Flesh Tearers in MKIV Maximus Armour... Plasma Cannon Trooper (and friend)

So to finish off my squad of Flesh Tearers in Mk IV Maximus Armour (my Army represents the Chapter at the time of the scouring, so all of the models are in archaic models of power armour) I have completed the last two marines.

 

I have gone for a normal tactical marine with Bolter accompanied by the squad’s ubiquitous heavy weapons specialist.

Five more Flesh Tearers in Maximus Armour

Having generated some great results with my first few MK IV Flesh Tearers last week I decided to push for a larger squad this time around.

Thus I assembled another five tactical marines from the Horus Heresy MKIV Armour box. 

Four of these archaic marines were equipped with the ubiquitous boltgun whiskey the final brother Astartes was carrying a Heresy-era plasma gun.

Flesh Tearers in MK IV Maximus Armour!

Despite being forced to work the weekend and thus missing out on BOYL 19 and the second edition 40k tournament I had organised I still managed to churn out three models this week.

Another Sons of Horus Demi-Squad!

This week I’ve churned out yet another Demi-Squad of Tactical Marines for my Sons of Horus 30k Force.

Sons of Horus 30k Tactical Marines

Sometimes I stare sadly at my hobby desk and look at my piles of unfinished projects and think to myself... I really must complete them!

This happened to me this week as I stared at some Sons of Horus Mk III Infantry that I had initially started work on about five years ago. 

Even More Kasrkin/ Inquisitorial Storm Troopers!

Having thoroughly enjoyed my work on the old school Storm Troopers (Kasrkin) last week I decided to paint another five this week in order to bring this up to a full sized ten man squad.

I opted for a second plasma gun in this unit as these weapons are just so potent in 8th Edition 40k and Kill Team... I’m definitely planning to use these guys in both games.

I absolutely loved painting these warriors... they are such crisp, beautiful models to paint. There’s something about the hefty weight and feel of metal models that I still love.

I now have three squads of these classic Storm Troopers, so I might have to do some HQ options soon in order to make this a legitimate battlefield detachment!

Kasrkin / Inquisitorial Storm Troopers

After having recently spent a fair bit of time expanding my force of Battle Sisters I fancied a bit of a break from power armour this week.

So I had a quick scrabble around my bits box and found some classic old Kasrkin models that have been sitting in there for the last fifteen years.

These are probably some of my favourite ‘normal’ human troops for 40k and I definitely prefer them over the new ‘Tempestus Scions’ that replaced them as the Storm Trooper option for Imperial Guard armies a few years back.

I painted them Black and Red as I will probably be using them as Inquisitorial Storm Troopers in the future. 

I’ll also use them to help reinforce my Battle Sisters in the eventual refight of the ‘Massacre at Sanctuary 101’ that I’m planning to conduct soon.

Adepta Sororitas: New Support Troops!

As ever I’m still working hard to bolster my Sisters of Battle Force by churning out a few miniatures at a time. 

I find as I get older and my hobby time is more restricted it’s easier for me to commit to painting a small number of figures here and there rather than attempting to generate massed squads!

I decided to focus on a bit of additional firepower this week in the form of a Multi-Melta for tank-busting capabilities and a flamer for torching Infantry! 

Additionally I knocked up another Imagifier to bolster the performance of nearby Sororitas squads with her nifty banner!!

Overall I’m happy with these girls, though I quite fancy painting something different next as I have done a lot of Sororitas models this year!

Sisters of Battle - Adepta Sororitas: Order of Our Martyred Lady

So after last week’s fantastic trip to the local Wargames show and my impressive haul of awesome Oldhammer finds I’ve been cracking on with some Sisters of Battle this week to bulk out my Sororitas Forces. 

These girls will be making up the numbers for my inevitable refight of the Massacre at Sanctuary 101.

Whilst I do paint vehicles and larger models I must admit that it is in basic infantry models that my real passion lays. I like to spend time making sure each basic ‘grunt’ looks their very best!

Here we have three normal sisters armed with bolters and a veteran sister superior equipped with a plasma pistol and chainsword.

I will try to get these girls on the table soon to practice delivering the Emperor’s wrath to heretics and Xenos filth!

Oldhammer Haul!! Epic, 40k and More!!!

As an enthusiastic wargamer I am always keen to attend hobby shows and conventions throughout the year. I think it’s important that where possible hobbyists support these types of event as they are the lifeblood of our hobby and are vital for bringing in new blood/recruits to this wonderful past time. Also it provides an opportunity for people to support smaller companies and also to meet each other face to face. 

I am very lucky that three or four of these events run near to me each year and I try to attend them all as far as possible. For me one of the best bits aside from the various traders and demo games is the ‘flea markets’ and ‘bring and buy’ areas where people can sell off their unwanted hobby items! As an Oldhammer fan this is always a good hunting ground for me. 

Today I was lucky enough to attend one of these shows and I hit the jackpot with the ubiquitous bring and buy... so let’s see what I got in my haul...

Sisters of Battle Reinforcements

As my forces gradually get larger and approach readiness for my eventual refight of the Massacre at Sanctuary 101 I’ve been reviewing my armies and doing a bit of restructuring in order to ensure that they fit in with the current eighth edition rules.

Necron Destroyer Lord

So with a full squad of Necron Destroyers floating around the battlefield I decided that the time had come for them to get some sort of equally mobile support from a dedicated character.

Two More Necron Destroyers to finish off the squad!

So I’ve pained up two more Necron Destroyers this week to bulk out my growing force of psychotic robotic killers.

Oldhammer Culexus Assassin (1997 Original)

So regular readers of this blog will know that a few weeks ago I painted up one of the new plastic Culexus Assassins from the Execution Force boxset. 

That particular model was great fun to paint but as my heart and passion lies in ‘Oldhammer’ I sourced myself one of the original 1997 metal assassins to go alongside it.

Kill Team - A great afternoon of small scale Skirmish!

As most readers of this blog will be aware whilst I frequently play games of all sizes I have to admit that it is in small scale Skirmish gaming that my true passion lays! 

Therefore when GW announced the return of Kill Team last year I was very excited by this prospect as warband sized battles of 40k have been my thing since the good old days of Rogue Trader.

Necron Destroyer And Heavy Destroyer

So... I really liked the two Necron Destroyers that I did a few weeks back and thus I decided to reinforce them with some more floating robotic killers.

This time around I made the choice to do one standard Destroyer and one Heavy Destroyer for an even more powerful weapons upgrade.

Culexus Assassin - Officio Assassinorium

So I’ve been working on something a little bit different this week... in order to have a break from Battle Sisters and Necrons I’ve decided to make a change and as such I’ve been working on an Imperial Assassin for 40k.

Necron Destroyers for the Massacre at Sanctuary 101

So with my Sisters of Battle getting some much needed reinforcements last week I decided that it was time to provide the ancient forces of the Necrontyr with some heavy support in preparation for my refight of 1997’s ‘Massacre at Sanctuary 101’. 

Redemptor Kyrinov... Old School Sisters of Battle Priest

After having spent a few weeks of focussing on expanding my Necron Force for the looming refight of the ‘Battle at Sanctuary 101’ I felt it was time for me to spend some time on the other faction in this scenario... namely... The Sisters of Battle of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy.

New Necron Cryptek!

My mission to recreate the old ‘Battle at Sanctuary 101’ from 1997’s White Dwarf continues apace and this week I have finished yet another Cryptek to Command my Necron aggressors in this scenario.

40k Battle Report - Crimson Fists and Battle Sisters vs Grey Knights

I finally managed to get a game of 40k in this weekend, and so I used it as an opportunity to try out my growing Adepta Sororitas Force prior to the refight of Sanctuary 101 that I have planned for later in the year.

Orikan The Diviner... Necron Special Character

Having spent the last few weeks focusing on expanding my Battle Sisters for the refight of the Battle at Sanctuary 101 I decided it was time to go back and work on my Necrons. 

This time around I focussed on my first named special character for this faction... Orikan the Diviner l, who is basically a Cryptek on Steroids.

Sisters of Battle Celestians

More fighters for my impending recreation of the 1997 ‘Battle at Sanctuary 101’ have been painted this week. 

This time around we have a veteran sister superior and a celestian for my ever expanding Sisters of Battle Force.

Sisters of Battle Imagifiers

So I’ve painted up a few more Sisters of Battle Imagifiers this week in order to further bolster my steadily growing Adepta Sororitas forces who will be accompanying their sisters in a refight of the ‘Battle at Sanctuary 101’.

Necron Cryptek - Sanctuary 101

Given that the force of Necrontyr that attacked the facility at Sanctuary 101 was so big that it managed to completely obliterate the Sisters of Battle convent on the planet it makes sense that it was probably well led and efficiently organised.

Therefore this week I have spent some time filling out one of the mandatory HQ slots for my growing Necron Force.

Classic Sisters of Battle Imagifiers

So my plans to recreate the Battle at Sanctuary 101 continue at a pace! 

This week I decided bolster my Sororitas by painting up a couple of classic Sisters of Battle Imagifiers/Signifiers/Standard Bearers.

Urban Scenery for the Battle at Sanctuary 101!

Following on from my last few posts I’ve decided that I will be responding to Suber’s encouragement and definitely refighting the classic Battle at Sanctuary 101 between the Sisters of Battle and the Necrons.

Having thought about this I’ve also made the decision that I want to revamp my scenery/terrain in order to ensure that the battlefield looks suitably impressive for  a refight of this legendary skirmish. 

Whilst perusing a well-known online auction site I recently managed to find this piece of the original ‘Citadel Urban Terrain set’ that was launched alongside the first Codex: Cityfight back in 2001 in new condition.

Necron Reinforcements... More Immortals!

So after my post last week (and Suber’s subsequent encouragement) I have decided that I will definitely be expanding both my Necron and Adepta Sororitas force’s so that I can refight the classic ‘Battle at Sanctuary 101’. This was the first encounter between the Imperium and the Necrons, and it originally started out as a second edition 40k battle report way back in 1997.

Adepta Sororitas... New Sisters of Battle Dominion Squad

This week I decided to put in some work on one of my armies that I played with recently but haven’t actually added any troops to for about five years... namely my Sisters of Battle of the fanatical Adepta Sororitas.

Having used the new Beta Codex that appeared in Chapter Approved last month I identified that this Force now has access to a couple of strategems and acts of faith that potentially make Storm Bolters into pretty solid death dealers.