A Hodgepodge of Adeptus Mechanics

Hey there everybody! Welcome back to yet another scintillating edition of Chaos Corner. Old Man Chaos is back with a bit more from the world of Warhammer 40K. First, I had a 2K point match at my local store this week. I played my Knorne Daemonkin, and my opponent was a general Space Marine army. The game was a good one, as we played with the Tactical Objectives (Spoils of War Mission). I ended up winning 10 to 6. It was a close game for a bit, but as it went on the brutal combination of 3 Maulerfiends, 20 Flesh Hounds, and 8 Chaos Bikes really put my opponent in a pickle. My bikes did get killed, but did a great job harassing. The hounds just couldn't be killed fast enough, and the Maulerfiends ran straight across the table and wrecked havoc on his rear lines. I also took allied CSM- Kharn, 1o cultists and a Heldrake. They all did very little- I started Kharn on the far edge in a Rhino- but I just coudln't get him into the battle fast enough. The Cultists were ignored, which helped me when I got the card for that objective they were sitting on. The Heldrake I equipped with the Autocannon, fearing flyers. But my opponent went man heavy- if I had taken the Baleflamer I could have toasted his whole army. Despite the win, I had 2 rather sad moments. I had tokens to call in a Bloodthirster- and I rolled 12!!! Yikes! And my Daemon Prince took 2 turns to kill a Rhino due to lame rolling. Even though the forces of Khorne won, I suspect he'd like to have a serious talk with this under-performing warband- Lol. Oh, and while I was at my local I saw they're doing a 40K Tournament in September- I know where I'll be going! 

I also managed to finish more Ad Mech stuff. I must confess I haven't gone about this methodically. I have a hodgepodge of models from both books (why is it two books again? Makes no damn sense). I couldn't field any type of real force yet (unless I did unbound and with an Imperial Knight). But, I have been going after models that I like (I'm not a fan of the Electro-Priest models, for example, and I don't know if I'll ever get a box).

For example, I love the Ironstriders- both the Dragoons and the Ballistarii. So I picked one up. I was really torn as to which version to build. I opted for the close combat oriented Dragoon with the Taser Lance. I had this vision of them standing near my Imperial Knight, ready to charge to protect him (or kill any leftovers that his cannons didn't finish off). The idea of them charging in like old knights on horseback intrigued me. Now, I know that only one doesn't look like a huge charge, but I'm sure I'll pick up some more in the next couple of months.

Again, I did him to look like my Imperial Knight. Just briefly, I painted the plates Stegadon Scale Green, with half the plates done in Thunderhawk Blue, followed by highlights of Russ Grey. The trim was done with Balthazar Gold, with Brozne over it. The machine parts I did in Leadblecher, with Nuln Oil wash, followed by highlights in lighter metals, followed by Earthshade in key spots, to look oily/dirty.

The second model I'm showing is the Dunecrawler. This model is amazing, though some of the tiny bits broke on me (one ladder rung, one thin antenna, and the first cannon I was building). It was a comedy of errors- I don't normally make that many mistakes, but I managed to figure it all out. I gave him the Neutron Blaster I believe (tried to build the other one, and the dish section snapped).

Despite the few breaks, the model went together quite quickly. I really like the look of it- part enclosed sentinel, part spider. Again, I painted it the same as described above. There are a lot of wires on this one- I did them in various colors, Khorne Red, Caldor Blue, Yellow/Black.

I know they can be in squads of three, so undoubtedly I may have to get one or two more. I could field them individually or in one unit that way, so I could be tactically flexible. I'll certainly build one to be anti-air, just in case, as Ad Mech have no other anti-flyer capability (and no flyers for that matter).

The final model for today is the Tech-Priest Dominus. I absolutely love the model. It is an absolutely perfect rendering of a higher up Tech Priest, with so many wires, mechatndrils, and servo skull. The model is just brimming with detail. It gave me the opportunity to have several different looking energy weapons (one I did with red as base up to orange highlight, while the other was a buildup of greens- which I decided to use for their eyes too).

The robes I kept slightly darker- I did all the same steps as before, though I used Nuln oil for the recesses and only did some touching up. Thus, the robe looks darker and deeper than the Datasmith's cloak.

 Of special note is the ridges of his metal back. I did the edge and his axe with the new gold paints-  Retributor Armor, followed by highlights of Liberator Gold. I must say the new golds are amazing, with Retributor being a very rich color that goes on very easily. I think that both golds will be useful for future projects too. At any rate, the Tech-Priest came out fantastically, and he looks just fine with the rest of my Ad Mech forces.

I have so far enjoyed working on my Ad Mech forces. They have been a lot of fun to put together and paint (despite my mistakes on the Dunecrawler). I still have to get a few more elements from both books if I am to field any kind of force at all, let alone a battle effective one. Plus, I want to make sure its playable with and without an Imperial Knight. I want to use him more (the whole reason I got Ad Mech to begin with), but I'm sure there will be some games where we don't want super-heavies, so I have to make sure they are viable on their own (I could always ally them with my Ultramarines or my brother's Imperial Guard if he lets me).

I am looking forward to future Ad Mech models. I think I may get a few troop options from both books- this will enable me to field them even if I don't have everything else.

Until next time...

Oh Dear... What has Old Man Chaos Done Now?

Well, Old Man Chaos is back and he's got a bit of a confession for you, dear readers. As you may be aware, I recently participated in a tournament at my local. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed myself quite a bit. I did see a lot of people using various Lords of War- Eldar, Imperial, Necron... Sadly, Khorne's Lord of Skulls is just too darn expensive to use in a 2K point game.

As I watched people field their various super-heavies, I thought of my own Imperial Knight- Veritas of House Dilabor. I have, sadly, never actually used him in combat. I have loaned him to my friend Brian for a couple of games, and I have been on the receiving end of my Imperial Knight. It is a great model, and a tough foe to handle (not impossible, but very tough nevertheless). And yet I haven't used it.

Even before the tournament, my eyes have been drawn to the forces of the Mechanicus. Truthfully, there are a few models that I don't care for in the range, but there are some that I really love. Chief amongst these are the Kastellan Robots. I think they are fantastic- bulky robots with big guns and/or power fists. They just look massive and formidable. The fluff behind them is great too- relics from the dark age of technology, tightly controlled by the tech priests so they don't run amok.

Well, I think you can figure out the rest. After the tournament I decided to take the plunge. I bought a box of Kastellan Robots, as well as a Tech Priest Dominus. I will be picking up other things from both Skitarii and Mechanicum (I love the ironstriders, I must say). So, yes, my plan is to build a 2-2.5K point list, which includes my Knight.

So, what to paint them... While I know in my story Veritas is a Freeblade, I really wanted to tie these forces together. And after all my Khorne work, I simply could NOT do another red army. Plus, in my mind's eye I really want to see a unified Mechanicus army bearing down on their foes. So, I decided to paint them with the same colors (mostly) as my Knight.

For their armor, I used  Stegadon Scale Green for the majority of the plates. I then used Thunderhawk Blue for some contrasting plates. I did an edge trim/highlight in Russ Grey. That part took the longest, but it came out really well and made the models pop.

For the mechanical parts, I did Leadbelcher with a Nuln Oil wash. Then I drybrushed Ironbreaker over chunks of it. For the symbols and the like I did Balthazar Gold with a coat of Hapshut Copper over that.

For the helms, I decided that I truly despised the silver/metal look, so I decided to try something else. I painted the visor black. Then, with Warpstone Green, I painted a cross hair and smaller, lighter horizontal lines. Then I added some Moot Green to brighten the lines. Then, I did a coat of gloss varnish. The effect worked in my opinion. The "visor" is a video screen- target reticule indicates that it is in "combat" mode. I think that the visor completes the entire look of the Kastellan Robots. They look as bad ass as I had imagined them when I first saw them.

To complete the look, I drybrushed Dryad Bark onto various parts, then some light lines of silver. Finally, I added a few patches of Typhus Corrosion. Thus, the Kastellans look worn and used. However, I didn't want to over do it. I imagine that the Mechanicum would upkeep these relics with particular fervor. Indeed, the stripped paint job GW shows are a bit too messy for my taste. So I made them worn without going overboard.

The Cybernetica Datasmith is also a cool model in his own right. I painted his robe Stegadon, then washed it with Nuln Oil for the folds/recesses. I then touched up with Stegadon, and then highlighted with Thunderhawk Blue, with a lighter highlight of Russ Grey. So it matches the armor of the machines, but still looks cloth-like. The machine parts I did, obviously, with various metals. I also did a few wires yellow/black chevron style. The flesh I did Rakarth with a cammoshade wash (thinking ahead, I'll use the technique on the Kataphrons later on too- so they'll all look consistently sickly).

So- what can I say? I am weak. GW is my crack supplier. The truth is I enjoy painting and building, and doing the Mechanicus will be a new challenge for me- no Chaos elements at all! I am looking forward to building up this army. I'll show you more when I get more. Please don't judge me too harshly. I will still slay for the glory of Chaos. But now I can do something different if I want to. So There.

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(Translates as "Until Next Time!")