Tactical combat squad – 150

Missile launcher 45

195

Hello all, back again and nose to the grindstone.

December was never going to be easy.  My ork army (see last challenge) was part of a year long commitment which I had to finish 34 pieces for, before really thinking about my shiny new army.

I did wind them up around the 23rd, and I had a solid two very late evenings spent working on the panthers.  I am ‘reasonably’ happy with how they turned out.  The paint is a bit thick in places, and the highlights on the black are something I have never attempted before.

They are a basic tactical combat squad of the 4th company.  (The company colour changed late in the piece – I am quite happy with the green).  I chose this as a first slice just to allow me a chance of finishing.  I don’t know if I could do marines without several standard tactical squads – feels like the heart and soul of the army.  

My time frees up significantly in January and I should have a lot more fun with this.

Oh hi!

For this month I finished the first Brood Brother Squad, armed with lasguns and led by a Genestealer Hybrid Acolyte and for a HQ model I painted a Cult Icon Bearer. As a bonus I also painted a Cobalt-1 miniature for a corrupt local despot.

The Brood Brothers will act as cannon fodder to protect the important Purestrains and Hybrids when the upheaval Begins.

The story so far: Tef Dupont has managed to proclaim himself Governor to the Eastern Autonomy of Khardishian Prime, by some strange ways of manipulation, bribes and brute force. Along the way he procured the backing of the Khardashian 8th Company. Governor Dupont has set up base in Twin Angels and the Khardashian 8th Company is slowly digging in around the city.

http://deathworldadventures.blogspot.com/ is my usual playing ground and I will also document my progress there along with this challenge.

1 Cult Icon Bearer @ 45 Pts

     Laspistol

10 Brood Brother Squad @ 91 Pts

     Basic Hand Weapon; Lasgun (x10)

     1 Genestealer Hybrid: Acolyte @ [11] Pts

          Lasgun

Roight.. luks like itz time fer da first Slice-wassit.

True to Da Plan, Warboss Blackaxe ‘az dee-sided to push doze Skarboyz inta da front line first as dey seem ded ‘ard. Also, dey just got pistols an’ axes so dey need moar time ta run up to da enemy and smash ‘em in DA FACE!! I fink he was lookin’ fer more boyz ta turn up as extra, but dey is still lurkin’ somewhere and being VERY un-orky. Da good newz iz dat dey have two Nobz ta sort ‘em out and shout louda. I rekon we kan get betta pick-chaz next time..

17pts Grimgit da Goff, Nob & Bolter, Axe

18pts Gitgrim da Uvver Goff, Nob & Bolter, Axe, Scanner

130pts 10 Skarboyz

Hi there. First month done 5 dragons of fire, 140p. The story continues. 

Using a part of the webway that no one had traveled in such a long time always included an element of chance, and  Mauruin had been a traveler long enough to seldom be taken by surprised. But the sight that met them when the Eye of the storm exited the webway was still nothing short of shocking. The planet that was once said to have been a paradise with vast oceans and forest had been reduced to a blackened shadow, dwarved by the bloated and raging form of its once lifegiving star.  His head hurt by looking at it to long. 

Inaestuo on the other hand could not look away, the dampener is his visor tried to force some of the radiance out but he ignored it. It was almost like locking gaze with a sentient being, horrible and destructive yes, but that was not much unlike his own path, although the scale was different. As the Farseer spoke he shifted focus. “You will take your warriors down to the surface, your armor will resist the heat better than anything else we possess, and there are other of your skills that might come to use. But do not stray, we know nothing of the dangers that might be down there, all that matters is the mission” Inaestuo nodded and turned to gather his men. 
 Cheers! Mattias

Dear Second Ed. Fans,

For the first month of the challenge, I painted two vyper jet bikes with shuriken shrieker catapults at 80 points each, for 160 points total.

I knew that time was going to be tight in the first month of the challenge with a combination of work deadlines, Christmas, and family (who we haven’t seen for over two years due to coronavirus) coming to stay with us for the Christmas and holiday period, and—worst of all—having to move house in the week before Christmas. For this reason I chose an entry that I thought was viable for me to complete within a limited amount of time (I generally find that vehicles take less time than infantry).

As it happened, time was even tighter than I had imagined, but with the incredible motivation of the challenge itself I was able to put these together and paint them to a decent tabletop standard within a few days to get them done in time for a month 1 of the challenge.

I still need to go back at some point and apply the decals and highlight the gems and do a few other edge highlights, and varnish them, but I certainly feel that these are more than good enough to put on a gaming table so I’m pleased with the outcome.

Until next month….!

ROLLING TOTAL:

Month 1: 2x Vyper Jetbikes……..160 points

TOTAL SO FAR: 160 points

Blog link: https://classic40k.com/2021/12/30/3rd-40k-second-ed-army-challenge/ 

Codicer Astrovel and Lexicanum Daskhoreal are my first “slice” for season 3 and are helping me kick things off in a spectacular, if slightly blue-tinged fashion.  Ever since seeing pictures of the three lower ranks of librarians for a chapter in early 90’s issues of White Dwarf and 2nd edition codexes,  I have always wanted to replicate that selection of models for my army.  Over the first two seasons of the challenge I have learned that one of the most fun elements of this project is finally fulfilling all those long desired plans for armies of old.  Along with their etheric value, these two librarians will also make their presence felt  on the battlefield; adding more powers and psychic energy to each turn when used together or offering me a range of different point value plug and play psykers for games where I take just one.  Codicer Astrovel is wearing the colors of the 4th company to match the squads I painted in season 1, and Lexicanum Daskhorael is a leader for the 6th company squads from the previous season. Tying things together both visually and thematically with the space marine insignia and colors as interpreted by my long steeping in the 40K universe is another bell this challenge helps me ring in the category of huge hobby enjoyment.  Follow along as I find my joy with my Dark Angels army over at 1st Legion Chronicles and best of luck to all my fellow participants and the good Dr The Viking.

Month one is off to a swooping start as I kick off this challenge with a squad of four Swooping Hawks led by an Exarch. I chose these models as the first “slice” for a couple reasons: the first being that in my twenty-plus years of collecting Eldar, I’ve never painted Swooping Hawks before! The second reason is that I wanted to adhere closely to the ‘Eavy Metal Warhammer 40,000 Painting Guide from 1994, and I thought a squad of aspect warriors would really showcase that gimmick. I used all paints from the original Citadel range with the exception of Horizon Blue, which I don’t own. Luckily, the rulebook for the Epic supplement Armies of the Imperium (1991) had a painting section that told you how to make most of the colors from the Epic Battle Paint Set (where Horizon Blue was first released), so with my mix of Enchanted Blue and Space Wolf Grey, I was able to finish the last few highlights on the armor. This squad is armed with the standard array of lasguns, laspistols, Swooping Hawk grenade packs with frag and krak grenades, Swooping Hawk wings, and Swooping Hawk aspect armour (112 points total). The Exarch has a laspistol, lasgun, Swooping Hawk grenade pack with frag and krak grenades, Swooping Hawk wings, Exarch armour, and the Crack Shot ability (88 points total), which brings this unit in at a grand total of 200 points! Right on the money! Some more pics and thoughts on my blog at On A Roll Games.
See you next month! – Carmin Carotenuto.

Slice 1 (December)

Do you know this: when you start running again, and struggle to get even the first round done right? Well it sure felt like that for me! I had planned with only two models for December due to all the usual nonsense on the horizon, and ven got a bonus one painted in the end. However it was a slow crawl for good parts of the month and no fun at all. Anyway, done is done!

• Chaos Lord with Mark of Khorne, in Terminatorarmour with Twinbolters und Power Maul … 168 Points
• Standardbearer with Mark of Khorne and Warpbanner, with Power Axe and Boltpistol … 104 Points
• Chaos Space Marine with Lascannon … 60 Points
• Total … 332 Points

Hello again , 
Here’s my 1st slice of the pie . 
Half of the 10man unit from the entry list and bonus entry that is none other then the main man Sergeant Centurius . 
Legion of the Damned have always been on my hit list and wanting to do a Marnie army this time round made it an easy decision . 
I know my painting style isn’t to everyone’s taste but 40k for me has always been grimdark even when I started painting with my Dad I always tried to paint in a  John Blanche style. And even today draw a lot of my inspiration from the 2nd Ed chaos codex . 
Next month I’m going for the second half of the unit and maybe a bonus librarian. 
Hope you like and check more of my stuff on Instagram @ebpminis 

Hello Dr The Viking,
December can be a cold and dark month, but nothing brings warmth to the heart like a bright red squad of marines!  Month 1 of the #40k2ndACIII gave me much joy to build and paint my first allocation (slice) of glorious metal 90’s goodness and when ive not been painting ive had my nose deep in the 2nd-ed Angels of Death codex hunting for inspiration.
In my introduction to the challenge I pointed to being inspired by the 2nd edition boxed set art and this first slice dives deep into that inspiration, doing my best to bring some of those marines into life.
First up we have the first squad of the blood angels third company, bringing a flamer and led by a veteran sergeant. I went with a veteran sergeant here as the 2nd-ed art shows the first squad sergeant with a red bolt pistol, and the veteran sergeant model of 1993 looks just the part (and is even pictured painted in the Angels of Death codex). I need to sort out a banner for him but did not get time this month (*failure #01).
Bringing some fire*power (*pun intended) for this squad is a marine with flamer and again I’m using the 2nd-ed art to pick up some embellishments this particular marine added to his armour. Clearly the emperors enemies need to know what they are getting when they come to close!  Its not something you see much in 40k art or eavy-metal painting these days, but things like this were common in early 90’s White Dwarf showcases so its great to add a little fun to my army.
And finally, leading this force (and the rest of the army) into battle is my Champion Chaplain. This particular model choice was inspired by the model painted in the Angels of Death codex and I have tried to replicate the paint scheme shown. He also needs banner added as I was unable to source an original and my printer is not of sufficient quality to print one (*failure #02).
The models were completed to the best I am able for my current skill level, which was no mean feat as December is a busy month. There are some areas that could still be improved when my hands are feeling steady and eyes sharp, but the main sticking point is the bases which need some sand added for the full 90’s feel (*failure #03). Sadly my supply was short so a new batch has been ordered to ensure consistency across all the models going forward. I have more pictures and some reference images in the blog i set up to track this projects progress. https://secondwarforarmageddon.blogspot.com/
My tally for this month, 227pts

• Champion Chaplain with bolt pistol and corzius arcanum 53pts
• Tactical squad – combat squad 150+5+10+9=174pts
  • Veteran Sergeant with master crafted bolt pistol
  • 3 Space Marines with bolter
  • 1 Space Marine with flamer

Looking forward to next months task, bringing some devastation to the table

Major Ivan Kordayev scanned the frozen landscape laid out in the pale moonlight, taking in the silent scene as snow flakes drifted from the cloudless frigid sky. Flat fields extended to the North, West and East of him, a grid made of wild steppe grass for the livestock or tiled soil for crops, irrigation ditches separated lots into neat squares. Further to the north, beyond the fields laid his target, the town of Laenteglos’s, its lights piercing the darkness. The blocky silouetes of the buildings were broken up by the irregular shapes of snow dusted vehicles scattered amongst the town. From atop the small wooded hill, the area held a picturesque stillness as the early winter claimed the land. 

Laenteglos was the center of Agriculture in the region, the southernmost town of the planet’s bread basket. Every ounce of grain and protein produced within 500 miles ran through Laenteglos, flowing into the Hives of Khardasian Prime further South. Recently a rebellion had struck the town, it’s grain silos and warehouses falling intact as the garrison turned on its commissars. The 5th Valhallans were called in to recapture the town and keep the rebels from moving further south. Major Kordayev’s men had force marched for 4 days along the snaking river beds and gullies to reach the wooded hills overlooking the Highway south on the outskirts of Laenteglos.

Turning, the Major walked down from the crest and away from the fields towards the groups of Valhallans huddled in the trees on the reverse slope. Lieutenant Sokoloff, waiting midway down the slope, joined the Major as he walked towards the men.

“That  Laenteglos is a fortress, broken open ground in every direction and the only heated buildings in 100 miles, why don’t those damned traitors ever take poorly defended places?” growled Sokoloff.

 “Cowards have a habit of hiding in the deepest holes. After the success of those Blood Skulls, the hordes of damned Orks and those tall tales of Tyranids it seems some troops have second thoughts about loyalties. Thanks to those rebels we have a Planetary Governor barking every hour for this place to be taken back, I guess his meal was almost late.” Ivan said as he shook his head dismissively.

“I heard he complains about everything, it seems the war is an annoyance more than a threat for him. I wish we were matched against the Orks, at least I would have something to look forward to after walking through this mud for days.”, a light but clear tone of disappointment was present in the junior officer’s voice.

“Don’t worry Lieutenant, the walking in mud is over, now we’re digging in the mud.” Ivan said dryly as he stopped and knelt down at the base of the hill. Using a stick he started to sketch rough shapes and markings in the fallen snow as he mapped out the area. “I want you to deploy your Heavy weapons on this hill, overlooking the road. In front of them we’ll have your platoon in the closest irrigation ditch. At dawn we’ll harass them with the mortars and see if they’ll come out to play. Hurry up, we have 4 hours until dawn, they might finally notice us then.” Sokoloff nodded and started off towards his men.

“Petrovich! Call Command and inform them that we’ve reached our target! I want all formations to follow up to our position!”

****

1st Month down! I thought I’d start off with my 2 command squads, filled with special weapons, specialists and two officer conversions: Major Kordayev and Lieutenant Sokoloff. I always ensure that my army commanders are converted, both to stand apart from other armies and to impart a bit of personality to my characters. That said both officer conversions would present a different painting challenge. I wanted to press two themes with these entries:

1. The officers have nicer equipment, if you look closely the officers are sporting gloves, fur lined gear and fancier coats.

2. The grit and grime of the troops, as stated I’m going to keep to a dirty basing scheme (muddy snow, dirty boots, mix of grass snow and mud) and work in little bits of battle damage (the Lieutenant’s facial scar, the Major’s dented helmet) alongside wear and tear like the meltagun’s muzzle burns.

The lieutenant is based on one of the classic commissars with a head swap (cadian command squad head) and hat/collar made from green stuff. I had a moment where I started to 2^nd guess Lieutenant Sokoloff’s appearance midway through painting him, I wasn’t sure if the head swap and green stuff really sold the model as a Valhallan. Fortunately, he really came together once I cleaned up his facial scar and got the washes on him. After that he looked at home alongside the rest of his squad.

Major Kordayev presented a different issue, based on an armless Commander Chenkov model with a tank rider’s head, completely built new arms, and replaced his missing pelisse coat with a Warhammer fantasy fur cloak. After all of that I found a bit of difficulty reaching all the parts of the model, mostly due to the cloak.

The command squads were straight forward, though the medic was a tricky combo of white and free hand but otherwise everything came together.

I was also able to knock out 2 bonus entries, one is a priest I had originally included in my submissions, but I dropped to get my total closer to an even 1000 points. The other is a 10-man squad I had started a few weeks back, taking them from 40% to finished.

Feel free to follow along with more WiP shots and bonus entry insights on my Dakkablog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/801340.page

On to Month 2!

Month 1

Command HQ (Captain)	Captain [Boltgun, Powerfist, Medpack], 2x meltaguns, Commlink	139
Command Squad	Lieutenant [Boltgun, Sword], Rocket Team, Grenade Launcher	103

Bonus entry

Infantry Squad 4	Meltagun, Bolt pistol/chainsword	110
Preacher	Chainsword, Laspistol	12

I painted a lot of termagants for Hivefleet Omikron… I wanted to get these guys out of my sight immediately. From experience I know that trying to finish a mammoth task in one of the last months could prove fatal. But now… it… is… done. The gloss varnish wasn’t meant to be the final finish – I normally give the models a matt cote afterwards, but I didn’t have the time to do this before the deadline and taking the images. Buuuut luckily I can easily do this at some point in the future. I like the finality of giving the figures a coat of varnish – it ends all your inner discussions of whether there should be more work to do on them.

Paintingwise I went for “doable”. So contrast red, contrast skeleton horde, contrast purple mixed with another contrast purple. Fast lane. The bases got a coat of green. I went for a warmer route than goblin green, as I actually found goblin green to be a rather dull kind of green in my mind. Haha. I still wanted green bases to go with my ‘Nids as I think the classic look with the striking red against the green is really cool. Next month I am painting my ‘Stealers and they’ll basically take their inspiration from the Termagant rifles seen here. I know the fluff says Genestealers are always blue, but mine aren’t.