Some Adeptus Mechanicus Terrain

Hello once again Chaos fanatics! Old Man Chaos is back after a couple of months with some newly painted stuff. I know I haven't posted in awhile but I have been working on some terrain when I have been able to- things are just so busy with the baby and all. I steal some time for modeling here and there as best as I can.

At any rate, I told you guys last time that I had been bitten by the terrain bug. I really want to create an entire table of Manufactorum-style terrain. An entire industrial sector to battle over. Last time I did the Sector Mechanicus building, which turned out pretty good- though I was dividing my hobby time between the Knight and that building.

So now I'm back with some other painted up terrain. First up are my Plasma Conduits (AKA pipes) and Plasma Regulators. I used the same paint scheme as the rest of my pipes and mechanicus stuff.

The metal is Leadbelcher, washed in Earthshade, with Ryza orange, Nurgle slime,  and Typhus Corrosion to add rust and other effects to the pipes. The red plasma is done with several red highlights followed up by the red gemstone technical paint, thus giving it a bright, energized effect.

The Conduits (pipes) go with my other pipes, so I now have a huge pipeline if I want to. And the Regulators can go with the pipes, as can the Haemotropic Reactors. I really like how just about everything in the Mechanicus terrain line up goes together so well.

Speaking of going together well, I also completed what I consider to be my centerpiece mechanicus terrain, the Tectonic Fragdrill. I say go together well because the piece went together very easily. It is just two platforms on top of each other plus the drill rig, which was fairly straightforward (except trying to get the drill on the track but it didn't take too long).

The metal sections are the same as I described above, except I put Necron Compound onto the drill itself, just to give it a little highlight. The armored surfaces I did Khnorne Red to match my other Mechanicus terrain pieces.

Putting the drill with my other mechanicus platforms, you can see how it all goes so nicely together.  If I had more platforms I could build quite a series of catwalks along with the drill. I probably won't go THAT nuts, but it is something for me to think about at some point.

So that is all I have to say about that (thanks Forrest Gump). I still have one more thing of terrain I have to work on, then its onto some regular stuff again (Hello Lord Discordant and Abaddon).

Until next time...

For Your Consideration: Imperial Knight Castellan (plus a bonus)

Hey there Chaos fanatics! I know its been a bit since my last posting. It has been busy both at work and at home, so I have had less time to game and model. That doesn't mean I haven't though... indeed, I have been snatching time here and there a bit. I told you in my last article that I was going to be working on something very big... so here it is!

I ordered the Castellan Knight after my in-laws got me a gift certificate to The Warstore (yes, they are very understanding in-laws). It arrived just as I was finishing up the Armigers. So once they were done I began building the Castellan. The model goes together quickly enough, and since I've put together Knights before it all seemed to make sense (the legs are the same, but the upper half is naturally, quite different).

I was very surprised at its size. I thought it would be larger than a regular Knight, and it is. But not by that much. I guess that makes sense- it is a Knight class titan. I just assumed it would be larger based on the pictures I had seen of it. But as they say- its not the size that counts...

Don't get me wrong. I love the model. I like the look of its main guns (particularly the plasma). I love all the other guns and missiles on the top of the Knight. It really does look like a war machine, spewing death in every direction. Indeed, it looks very killy and very 40K.

I painted it in my patented Adeptus Mechanicus scheme. The machine parts is Leadbelcher with liberal doses of Nuln Oil and Earthshade, followed up by some Necron Compound and Stormhost Silver. The armor plates are done generally with Stegadon Green, with other plates Thunderhawk Blue. I highlighted the lines of the plates with Russ Grey.

The only conversion work I did was a head swap with my previous Knight face mask / helm options. I wanted him to look just a little different from the Knight on the box, and this was an easy (and fairly obvious) way of doing that. Always save your bitz!!

The Knight Castellan's rules are quite imposing. The Plasma Decimator is a really good weapon firing 2D6 plasma shots (and Overcharge makes it deadlier still). The Volcano lance is a real vehicle / monstrous creature killer. The Twin Siegebraker cannons are a nice additional weapon (great for heavy infantry and light vehicles). Finally, the Shieldbreaker missile is awesome against big things with invulnerable saves (plus you can use a stratagem to target a character). I can't wait to try this out in battle.

While I was painting the Knight, the Urban Conquest box was released, and me being a sucker for a map based campaign, I immediately picked it up. If you haven't, you should consider it (if you and your friends want to run a campaign). It is a great set, and Joe and Brian and I have been playing on our map for a month or so, and we're all having a great time with it. The rules for the campaign are very straightforward, but the cards give a lot of variability.

Why am I bringing that up? Well, I got inspired by the Urban Conquest book to do more terrain- my dream is to make a Sector Mechanicus table with just Mechanicus structures- a real industrial zone. I bought the new Ad Mech building and I painted it- while painting the Knight. Yes, I was doing both at the same time, which is why the Knight took me so much longer. I was dividing up my painting time.

The building is quite large and line of sight blocking. I do like the new GW buildings in general (boy I'd like those other buildings too). So---- I will be building and painting more Sector Mechanicus terrain in the future. Indeed, I plan to do some Pipelines, Thermic Reactors, the crane set, and finally the big Tectonic Frag Drill that came out a little while ago. I figure the drill can be a centerpiece of my industrial zone.

Well, that's it for now. I'll be back to show off the terrain as I finish it. Until Next Time...

A Pair Of Armiger Helverins

Hey there Chaos fanatics! Old Man Chaos (tm) is back with another astounding article here on Chaos Corner.

First off I wanted to say that I'm really liking the new (again) format of the White Dwarf. I like that it had some short stories (about Vigilus) and a revised Index Astartes for Crimson Fists, plus a nifty battle report, all of which I enjoyed quite a bit. I hope that each issue builds upon the success of this issue. Even my son enjoyed it!

At any rate, my wife (and son LOL) got me a box of Armiger Helverins for Christmas. just as my brother got me a Bloat Drone. I assembled and painted the Drone first, as it is something that I am quite familiar with. I have also painted a lot of Nurgle the past year or so, thus I went with the Drone and decided to wait on the Armigers.

Gotta start 'em young...

With the Drone finished, I immediately dove into the Armigers. I really like the model (though I wish it had some weapon options to vary up their look). They went together fairly quickly, and are also quite sizable. Now, they aren't as big as a Knight or something, but they are pretty hefty in their own right.

I feel like it has been quite a while since I painted anything Mechanicus. If my own blog is accurate, the last time I did Ad Mech was August 2017!! Holy Cow- but that is a very long time. No wonder why I was rusty with the color scheme- I had to look up my notes on the scheme I did so that I could recall the colors used!

Despite my foggy memory, I ultimately painted them the same as my other Mechanicus and Imperial Knight stuff. The basic armor plates was Steggadon Green, with alternating plates painted up Thunderhawk Blue. Russ Grey was then the highlight for the edging and such. The trim was Balthazar Gold with Hapshut Copper layered over that. The mechanical parts were Leadbelcher with a heavy Nuln Oil wash. This was followed by a very little Stormhost Silver highlight.

In keeping with what I have done with the Knights, I added some decals to their shoulder plates. I didn't care for the Armiger decal set, so I mostly used decals from the Knight and Admech decal pages, plus a small scythe from Imperial Guard tanks (my last of the small decals unfortunately).

The decals really bring the models together. They also make the Armigers truly look like the small cousins of the larger Imperial Knights. I really like the look of them together. Now all I need si the close combat Armiger Warglaives to complete the set lol.

Rule-wise, I think the Helverins ain't bad. With 2 x 2D3 autocannon shots doing 3 damage each, these things are clearly good against heavy infantry (terminators) and some vehicles. As long as you roll well, these things could be quite formidable. I have heard that they are good, though some people swear by the close combat Warglaives (again, reason for me to get some of those).

Well, that's all for now. I wont be back right away, as I have something very big I'm working on, and I am sure that it is going to take me time to assemble and paint. Should I tell you? Maybe just a hint you say? Oh, alright. It is big, and it is Imperial Knight related. There? That enough? LOL

Until next time...

Belisarius Cawl and Friends

Hello once again Chaos people. Welcome to yet another edition of Chaos Corner. As I promised, I would be getting a bit more frequent in my postings, as real life has settled down a bit for me. Today I have something that isn't Chaos (I don't think... but you never know- he does want to muck about with the traitor legions gene seed after all). Without further ado, here he is... Belisarius Cawl (which I'm just going to call Cawl so I don't have to type his full name each time).

I must say that while I am a Chaos player through and through... I love my Ad Mech army. I have tried my hands at other Imperium armies- Grey Knights, Deathwatch, Ultramarines... but they never quite "got me" the way Chaos did. But that is not true of the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are a great "new-ish" faction in 40K gaming.

Besides their storyline (which is cool in its own right), the models are just fantastic. They have a ton of detail without being overwhelming. And while they aren't THE most posable, you CAN do conversions and cool poses with them (particularly the Kastellan Robots). The entire range is just so cool, fitting the Mechanicus perfectly. On some occasions I find myself torn- Chaos or Ad Mech?

So I was very excited to hear a few months ago about the Ad Mech getting their own character- Cawl, who would be playing a huge role in the events that have changed the 40K universe just a bit (8th Edition / Primarus Marines / Great Rift). I didn't want the Triumverate box that he came in though. Luckily my friendly storekeeper arranged to have the box split, so I got my grubby mitts on Cawl.

I didn't paint him at first because I was deep into Thousand Sons and didn't want to be distracted. Then my wife and I bought a new house and craziness ensued. I decided that I would do Cawl right after I finished Magnus, which is exactly what I did.

I love the model. Once again, he is very detailed, but its what one would expect from such a character from the Mechanicus. Cords and wires all over him. I love that he's not really human at all anymore.

He looks more alien than human. Again, it fits the narrative and their background perfectly. As for the assembly of the model, I may have cursed  a few times putting him together, but ultimately it was worth it, as he looks amazing.

As for the paints used, I won't get into that. Previous blog entries have detailed my Ad Mech paint scheme so there's no need to rehash it all here. Needless to say, I tied him into the Ad Mech VERY closely. In fact, I used all the same steps, so that he would look exactly the same as the other Ad Mech (a part of one single machine). The ONLY thing I did was that I used some brass for a couple of his arms, just to make his limbs look older / more unique. Otherwise, he is painted just like all my other Ad Mech.

I had a chance to use Cawl in a game a few weeks back. While I lost the game, Cawl was an absolute beast in the match up. I can just imagine that he will be a major consideration whenever I make an Ad Mech list (though he is expensive, he does a hell of a lot).

Alongside Cawl, I also worked on two more Kastellan Robots (which I got from my friend Pete for Christmas). This brings me up to 8 robots (4 with guns, 4 with the fists). I love these models. There is just something exciting abut them being activated by the Datasmiths to destroy a target. I imagine them moving slowly but inexorably, with heavy footfalls and whirring of their limbs (a sound like Ripley in the cargo lifter in Aliens- you know what I'm talking about).

As I was trying to catch up on my modeling, I decided to just make the Robots straightforward, with no conversions. However I did add one little thing- a grate from the new Shadow war Armageddon set. I had the Robot stepping on it just a little, giving him something interesting to do.

Well, that's it for this round of Chaos corner. I hope you liked it.

Until Next Time

Chaos Grippes (Brief) and DEATHWATCH!!

Hey there Chaos fanatics! Old Man Chaos is back with a new installment of the ongoing lunacy of Old Man Chaos! LOL

First, I want to say a big "I told you so" regarding Traitor's Hand. I don't like saying I told you so (Wife? Why are you laughing at that? You know I NEVER say "I told you so"... that's you're department), but... it was pretty much what I predicted. I posted that blog BEFORE the leaks came out.

Sadly, I knew all too well that Traitor's Hand would not come close to helping Chaos Space Marines. It is, at best, a band-aid. A band-aid for a freshly amputated limb ("Tis just a scratch"). While there are some decent formations, it just isn't at the level of Space Marine formations (or, indeed some others). It is just a resounding "Meh". I even played a game against my friend Joe using some formations- his Dark Angels wiped the floor with me pretty much. It was hardly a contest. Joe said that when I take Mechanicus, he sweats, and even a win for him is closely fought. Against CSM, he wasn't too concerned, and he took a fairly conservative approach against them. So sad- the mighty Chaos are so low.

Now, there might be hope. Recent rumblings have proven true- Magnus the Red Daemon Primarch is being bandied about, as are new Thousand Sons. Now, while I don't have 1K Sons, anything that Chaos gets that's good will make me happy. If it is a 1K Son Codex (a la Khorne Daemonkin) I could get behind that- KDK is a fun book with some nifty special rules, and KDK is a solid army on the tabletop. If 1K Sons get the same treatment I'll be thrilled. Maybe Plague Marines could happen too?

Anyways, I have been working on some Deathwatch forces. First off, I have always loved the idea behind the Deathwatch- Space Marines from wildly different chapters working together under the auspices of the Ordos Xenos... great hook for storytelling, and I have enjoyed their Black Library stories. Particularly the current The Beast Arises story, which delved into the origins of the Deathwatch! (If you haven't read the series, you should. There are a few clunkers, but overall its been a great story).

From a modelling standpoint, the Deathwatch are nice too- they are Space Marines but with a bit more variety. The different shoulder pads add color and personality to the army. They are uniform, yet distinct. Visually, the Deathwatch are a lot of fun.

My wife had bought me the Deathwatch Overkill board game when it came out last spring. The models in that box are fantastic. I really was excited and put the entire box together very quickly. But, as often happens, I didn't get to paint them for a while. Other projects, real life, etc all got in the way.  So they sat for a while.

When the Deathwatch codex was released at the end of the summer, I quickly scooped that up. Yes... I was sorely tempted. After all, I already have a good start with the Overkill box- what's one more squad? Or a Drop Pod? Or... Well, you know how that goes. I now have a new army.

However, I do TRULY intend on keeping it small, for two reasons. First, from a fluff perspective, they rarely go out as a full-blown army (unlike Grey Knights). They are usually smaller strike teams, using sneak attacks and guerilla warfare to hurt the enemy. Second, I plan to use them as allies to my Mechanicus. My Cult Mechanicus forces can use allies that have Drop Pods, Razorbacks, and air support from a Corvus Blackstar. I don't need a huge army. Just a couple of troops with fast delivery methods; by fast, I mean in a vehicle, which AdMech simply don't have access to for some strange reason (after all, don't the Tech-Priests repair and maintain these things? Seriously).

My plan is to have two squads of varying size. One squad will focus on close combat (Thunder hammers are nice). The other squad will have shooting with special weapons- the frag launcher in particular could be quite nasty- deploying from drop pod and shooting the rear of the enemy at close range... yeah, that's nice. My AdMech need that.

After reading the Codex, I'm not sure the Deathwatch are the most viable army. They are more costly than average Space Marines, and don't have access to key pieces of SM units and equipment. However, as an ally, they are a nice fit with the AdMech I think. I'll have to try it out at some point, once I have enough built and painted, that is.

So, that's my latest. Hope you enjoyed this look at my Deathwatch. I will certainly post more as I finish them. Now I must go... A squad of Deathwatch don't just paint themselves you know.

Until Next time!