Mechanicum Thallax Unit

I've always wanted to create a Mechanicum force. In the back of my mind I imagined it would be scratch built and modified models running as space marines, probably with contemptors since I always thought they'd make nice Legio Cybernetica constructs. That's why my first two got painted red. 

So when GW finally created an Army List in their expensive set of Horus Heresy books it was time to eBay the Imperial Fists, buy the books (because they're so pretty!) and take the plunge. The start point arrived earlier this week. 

I have to admit that, sadly, it's far better than anything I could have created. But also it fits with what I had in mind. I'm looking forward to painting them up, if not actually playing a game with them. I'll lose. I always do. 

Chaos Decimator Daemon Engine - Part 2

Well the rusting, flaking paint job kind of worked. I think it may not of helped that it didn't show up as well as it might underneath the main colour I ended up applying. Yes, I did go with purple. Partly because I couldn't think of a better idea for my Chaos colour scheme. Red and black is so last year.

The Chaos Decimator Daemon Engine

Don't ask me why I bought it, I don't even play chaos! I guess I'm just a sucker for a pretty model, and I really like dreads even if I'm not that big a fan of the general design of the other mecha in the 40k universe. The tanks are a bit naff in my opinion. Everything just seems a bit chibi, if that makes sense! Plus I'm unlikely to be playing it ever at this rate, so it's purely eye candy.

But, as I said, I do like a nice walking suit of armour and when ForgeWorld released the Decimator Daemon Engine I ordered it the next time I was down in Nottingham.

So I wanted to do something different with the paint job and I thought a chipped paint finish would be a good idea. A bit of youtube research on the hair-spray technique later and I had him all rusted up.

Contemptor Dreadnought - Double Team

The second of my planned three Contemptors (don't ask me why three, I don't actually know) is now complete:

Imperial Fist Librarian

After much failure using Lysander as a general I eventually decided to try a librarian. Apparently a librarian is always a good idea to have around anyway.

Most of all though I really like the model. It's probably the most time I've spent on a paint job so far, and the first time I've actually tried to stick to the techniques described by much better painters than me. Overall I'm very happy with how he turned out.

"Hang on, I'm not the one with the hammer and big-ass shield here!"

Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought Episode 2

Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought. Now in red!

I've pretty much put all other gaming projects aside now to paint the Contemptor Dread. I might even have given up on the Dwarfs altogether, but that's another story! It seemed a bit of a shame to just leave the dread in a drawer when it's such a nice model. So over the last couple of days I had a go at doing a half-decent job. Combined with that I'd picked up sets 1 and 3 of the Vallejo pigments and I was desperate to ruin a model as soon as possible. I realise that's a bit of a conflict, wanting to do a decent job and deliberately trying something new on it, but that's just the way I roll...

I'm particularly happy with the base! I have no idea what that stuff is oozing out of the pipe, and I guess it doesn't really matter. The pigments are actually great fun to use. I think it fits nicely with my desire to make things look like they have actually been in a fight. I wanted this guy to look like he'd kicked and punched a few walls on the way to the front. The oil and rust effects look a little better from a distance, but I think he looks used, yet carefully maintained between scraps!

This could be the start of a Legio Cybernetica force, I just haven't worked out the fluff yet. Plus they don't have robots in 40k any more, which is a bit crap!

All in all I'm quite happy with him, and since Forgeworld released a bunch of extra weapons for them just recently I can see myself picking up one or two more. I think I'll call them Babydoll, Sweet Pea and Rocket...

Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought

All the bits for my contemptor pattern dreadnought finally arrived after Forgeworld kindly shipped me the missing shoulders! So today I put him together:

The quality was pretty good. Not too much flash, went together easily enough and only a few small bubbles to fill in. One slight issue is the fact that the shoulders come with the body rather than the arms. The simplest way to magnetise the arms is at the shoulder as I have done here:

But since you only get a set of shoulders when you buy the whole body there's a problem should you buy any new arms with the intention of magnetising them for swapping. You're missing the shoulders for your spare weapon arms. I'm not sure if this is a deliberate oversight on the part of GW. If it is then it seems a bit of an insult to customers. You could try and magnetise lower down the arm, but I think it would be a lot harder to pull off successfully.

Anyway, since there are no other contemptor pattern weapon arms at the moment it's not such an issue! I do want to try and convert a couple of autocannon arms for him at some point though.

My next decision is the colour scheme. I really want to paint him red, but don't fancy starting another space marine army to put him in! I'll have to come up with some fluff...

Imperial Fist Scouts

When I needed to make up a few point in my 2000 point list I thought I may as well add another scoring unit. I really like the sniper scouts too so I spent a fair bit of time painting them and thought I'd at least give them proper camo cloaks.

It turns out I perhaps shouldn't have made them quite so camouflaged. One game I left them standing in the trees for the first three turns. They merged in to the scenery just a little too well!

Imperial Fist Devastators

These guys have turned out to be one of my most effective units. Four missile launchers can be applied to most any situation.

The biggest problem is GWs reluctance to provide you with enough missile launchers in any of the kits! I was one short until I found this guy in a box in the loft:

He's just so sweet! Must be over 20 years old. They certainly don't make them like that any more...fortunately, some might say.

Imperial Fist Tactical Squads

I really don't get on that well with my space marine tactical squads. I don't think anyone does. You put them in a rhino and try really hard not to take them out or let them get shot at. My 2000 point list currently has two squads and for simplicity they are both the same with lascannon, meltagun and combi-melta/power-fist on the sergeant. Quite effective in a range of situations - if I didn't have to keep them safe for taking objectives!

Dreadnoughts and Drop-Pods

I did briefly consider the rather costly dread drop pod from Forgeworld, I even added it to my basket on the site. Then I saw that were still going to charge me a stupid amount of money for delivery. I find it offensive that they just slap a percentage of the item cost on for postage. The price they wanted to charge would have covered the cost of lead rather than very light resin. Anyway, I came to my senses and spent the weekend making a cut-out-and-keep version from a plan I found on the internet!

Does the job nicely I think, plus it's a lot cheaper. Having said that, if I was charging an hourly rate for making it the cost would be considerably higher than the Forgeworld version! The original plan was to make several, but I don't know if I'll go that far. It didn't help that I wanted to improve the original design which was never intended to open or actually hold a dreadnought.

Check that out! BS5 multi-melta dropping next to your big thing on turn one! So far it's proved quite effective, though I admit to regularly rolling 1 on the vehicle damage table.

Then at the back of the field we have the poor cousin of the venerable dread...

The TL autocannons are taken straight from the Aegis Defence Line set and the only conversion is the addition of magnets so they fit on the already magnetised dreadnought body.

Lysander's Elite

Thought it was about time I put up some images of my still-to-be-completed Imperial Fist. These are the terminators, though I usually only play with Lysander and the TH/SS termies.

There is also a Landraider, but I've yet to complete the paint-job on that.

Planetstrike: Defence of Somewhere-or-Other

The faithful servants of the Emperor line up their forces...

...and face up the combined 'Nid and Ork horde.

The alien scum appear on the horizon

What the heck?!? Guess what gets shot at first?

Perhaps surprisingly, very few run away. But then the deep striking begins...

It wasn't entirely obvious until now just how much the Imperium was up against.

Aw heck...

Sadly, Lord Creed takes his eye off the ball whilst answering the call of nature. Not even a Death Leaper can distract him from the task in hand. It is believed this ultimately led to the downfall of the loyalist forces.

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Cue the pantomime chanting...

Then comes one last, valiant stand before the alien scum achieve victory. What on earth are Orks and 'Nids doing working together anyway?!

Hold on lads, I have a cunning plan...

...ah, that's not quite what I had in mind