Finishing out 2022

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Some more acolytes for an as yet unknown Inquisitor.

This is my last post for the year and a quick one at that! I'm going out with a few more minis painted on Christmas day. 

These three match nicely with the first 'pointing guy' that I painted back in October. Their Inquisitor is in transit and ought to arrive here sometime within the next week. As they're adorned in lavender armor, they'll at least be riding into battle in the matching (yet unfinished) Rhino-turned-Razorback that is on my todo list for 2023.

Iggy backpacks for the win!

I hope to see all of you again in 2023!

This week in my 'out of left field' category...

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My favorite sculpt of the handful that I have, making her the squad's leader by default. 

On Christmas day I started painting up some of Hasslefree Miniatures' Modern Adventurers. I've always wanted to just chill and paint minis on Christmas. Ya know, just relax after the family gatherings, gift exchanges, food and other fun stuff. I never had the chance to do so as my mother always made Christmas into a big production where everybody had to spend all day together in a 'forced-fun' scenario (yes, even all the way into my late 40s). 

This year however, aside from making dinner for Grandma at her house, we did our own thing and we rather liked it. Am pretty sure this will become our default Christmas plan from now on. 

These four are all female, of the remining three to paint there is one more female (the driver) more or less flipping the male-to-female ratio in a typical mixed gender unit.  

Anyways,  I've had most of these for years, with only a few recent acquisitions. I have seven total minis in this collection, a squad of six, a driver and their APC. I will of course post a final group shot when I get the rest painted up.  

The (literal) rear view, more to show their varied kit rather than their tiny little butts. Personally I've never been a fan of the sexy soldier sculpts that sadly populate so many sci-fi-female miniature ranges. 

A close up of the squad leader on the left and one of her subordinates. 

They're basically 'near future' fighters, equipped with similar though not really standardized body armor. All are armed Heckler & Koch G36c carbines, as well as holstered sidearms. These could easily be used as Ariadna troopers of some sort for Infinity (not that I was ever able to wrap my head around that maddening ruleset). 

Close up of the other two troopers. 

In all likelihood they'll just find a little spot in which to reside in my display case. Though if we were to come across a decent near-future skirmish ruleset I wouldn't mind using them on the table top at some future point. 

Ultramarine Hellblaster Sergeant (v.2)

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This squad is now a third of the way painted.

If you haven't already stumbled across it, to view today's actual blogpost, just scroll down to the post *published* on 'December 19th' (and not on Christmas Eve when I actually typed it) due to a typo when scheduling the date and hitting 'publish' icon.

I would complain to blogger, but this is a free service and you get what you pay for. 

Merry Kratos to all...

 ...and to all a Good Fight!

Y'all know you just LOVE 40k Christmas puns!

This is kinda like an Iggy Demolisher in that the big, intimidating gun hits like a truck, assuming it actually gets in range. Despite having a barrel that's 4.5" long, it only has a 36" range because reasons. Meanwhile heavy bolters aside, all of the other weapons can reach out to 4 feet. At 325 points, and costing a command point to field, you would think that GW would at least give it the range of the standard issue battle cannon. 

Oh well whatever. 

The sponson weapons will fit snugly enough that no magnets are required and you can them out for all of the options. Pro tip: Don't do a test fit until you're sure that the glue is dry, otherwise you'll feel like a dumbass and just be stuck with heavy bolters like me!

36" ranged weapon issues aside, the Kratos looks really good (even unpainted) and as was discussed in my prior post, my Smurfs are woefully under-gunned. I had bought this to go with my 30k Blood Angels who seem to reside permanently in my cabinet. I was thinking that maybe the Coyotes would then get it, however currently the Smurfs are claiming at least temporary ownership. For the time being it won't get painted meaning all of the above may field it (well, probably not the 9th Legion...).

An assembly-in-progress pic. By the way, I've (at least unofficially for now) dubbed this The Over-Compensator.

Happy Holidays folks!

Ultramarine Hellblaster Sergeant

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For Macragge, fire on my mark!

I hope everyone had a good (and warm) Christmas! I certainly am sure I will (I'm writing this on Christmas eve). As my fiancé doesn't purchase minis, my only holiday hobby acquisitions will be limited to a Tau Broadside from Rob (mwuhahaha...) and some squad differentiating rings for my marines from Screech. Pics to come on the latter as they are still in transit, but he has them himself and they're pretty neat (you can see them in my last sort-of battle report). 

Speaking of...

I seriously doubt that the tank got painted this week as well.

In that game, once Frankie started rolling dice so that they all didn't come up as a '1', his Hellblaster sergeant pretty much withstood an ungodly amount of literal Hellhound fire. Something like 8 or 9 successful armor saves with only 1 command reroll (that succeeded unlike every other command reroll ever). I should add he was already down to a single wound when this feat of dice rolling commenced! As such that mini earned a paint job and as you can see it got it. 

This marine commemorates his prior service to the Deathwatch with apparent pride. 

In hindsight, the leg plate wearing the chapter icon on it ought to have been in Ultramarine blue rather than black, but oh well. I was going for symmetry and don't feel like repainting it. 

It does still need to be clear coated. However, as all of my fellow Americans are painfully aware, when I painted this mini today (Christmas Eve) and just prior to writing this, outside temperatures resemble those of Hoth (its warmed up to a balmy 1 degree Fahrenheit at this moment). 

Indeed, even the basement which has become my alternative priming/clear coating venue this winter, is also too cold for clear coating right now. Looking at the current weather report, it looks like he'll get his clear coat somewhere around New Year's Eve. 

Clearly my Smurfs need a bit of retooling...

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Half a dozen Hellblasters can only do so much...

I had Frankie in tow with me this weekend when I met up with Rob and Screech for our usual 3-player 40k battle. Running 1k each, I gave Frankie command of my Smurfs though I did coach him as he (1) hasn't played 40k in quite awhile and (2) he's only ever played with my Tau. Clocking in at a little over 700 points, the remainder of our force was my allied Ad Mech contingent lead by the recently finished Techno-Archeologist 808-Linam (named for my friend Bob who is an Archeologist). 

He survived his first game both unscathed and without accomplishing anything (no doubt he'll blame a lack of funding). 

Anyways, following my sales pitch about the abilities of the Emprah's finest, It took approximately 1.5 turns to reduce 27 marines to just 8. With 30 proxied Immortals backed up by war walkers and characters bestowing we'll be back rerolls all over on one side, and Imperial Guard with hellhounds and an all heavy flamer equipped chimera backed up by howitzers (nice minis those are), mortars and a plasma cannon equipped sentinel in the other.

Unsurprisingly, the Smurfs were dying in droves. 

Plasma fire from one direction and Hellfire from the other. Ultimately this duel would prove to be bloody but inconclusive. 

Needing a 5+ to wound everything in range for every model in our army but the Hellblasters didn't help. Seriously what the hell? 

Frankie also was channeling Neverness and his die rolling techniques. Eventually I had to tell Frankie to stop rolling the dice in the way that he was as he kept rolling 1's. Looking to prove me wrong in the typical 13 year old manner, he then went on to roll several more 1's in a row before finally agreeing with me!

This pretty much sums up the game. 

It wasn't all bad though. 

My Negavolt Cultists Fulgurite Electro Priests after making their first game, combat debut where they wiped out a squad of 7 or so Immortals!

His assault intercessors made it to close combat vs. a squad of immortals, where the proceeded to struggle but not die, instead holding them in place. The following turn, my Fulgurite priests made their charge into the fray, inflicting 7 total mortal wounds plus several other regular wounds and wiping the unit out. I was pleased with this experimental unit's initial performance. 

Screech was not pleased with this and not even a 4+ invulnerable save and a 5+ shrug against lost wounds would save the unit from the 2 walkers. 

Also on the plus side, the Skitarii Vanguard inflicted a nice average of 6 or so successful wounds per turn. The Necrons survived most of them, but they did make nuisance of themselves. Indeed after inflicting a pair of wounds, they even sent the Necron Lord scurrying for cover!

This was a lost cause, though (field promoted) Captain Horridus did wipe out a mortar squad in the backfield in one volley with his master-crafted auto bolt rifle. 

This sergeant was cruising for a paint job after shrugging off a good amount of enemy  fire, but then he charged these three guardsmen and failed to do anything to them with his power sword over the course of 2 turns. Schmuck.

In the end these two would finish the game with 1 wound apiece. This guy did earn himself a paint job after surviving a full round of shooting by the hellhound. 

You know things have gone awry when Screech takes and holds an objective in order to win the game!

Not wanting to invest much more $$$ into the game at this point, I'm guessing that I'll have to build the box of hellblasters and the Kratos that I have as my Smurfs are proving to be seriously undergunned when facing most anything anymore.

A Friday night brawl in the Appalachian Subsector

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If this doesn't qualify as a brawl, then I don't know what does.

I got to play another round of 40k this past weekend vs. my buddy Screech and his golden horde of Necrons. It was just the two of us in a 'standard' rather than multi-player game, and as such we upped the game size to 1500 points apiece. 

Three central objectives were used, approached by many, and taken by none. However, we'll get to that here in a bit...

My 1318 points of Smurfs (their maximum at this point) accompanied by a small Mechanicum contingent lead by Techno-Archeologist 

808-Linum and Ordo Mechanum Inquisitor MS-D05.

The golden Horde. Note: all of the warriors were being proxied as Immortals (gulp).

The Necron Deployment.

The Smurf Deployment with the Mechanicum off in the distance.

My first turn was disappointingly uneventful with the sole exception of my Firestrike Servo-turret removing a heavy destroyer from the other side of the table (it was perched atop the ork ruin in the distance). 

Displeased with this, his war-of-the-worlds walkers opened up on the Firestrike. The transhuman physiology stratagem was the only thing to keep said turret from being blown off of the table itself, though it came perilously close with but 1 wound remaining. 

I didn't get pics of the wraiths 1st turn charge, however my Smurfs were soon victorious and my close combat 'blob' advanced on the Necron line with another squad of Intercessors near by in support. The intercessors in back were meanwhile trading fire with that walker in the distance.

A better view of the close combat 'blob' consisting of assault intercessors, Reivers, a Chaplain and Lt. Horridus.

On the other side of the table, the combined fire of a third squad of intercessors and the Hellblasters dispatched a squad of Immortals who had done the same to my Skitarii the turn before. The Skitarii were arguably less of a target than the other two squads, however they out-shot all 16 marines combined, which slated them for immediate (and successful) removal.

After a short ranged fire fight, the Smurfs prepare to charge!

Or conversely, to take a charge on the other table end...

Overwatch got one!

And then the big 'crons killed two marines and wounded a third. 

After 3+ games in which every anti-tank weapon I've had has harmlessly bounced off of Screech's War-of-the-worlds walkers, the stalker bolt rifle equipped Intercessors of all things (with the aid of a stratagem or two) actually managed to take one down, huzzah!

Retreating to shoot again (its a Smurf thing). All while cursing the useless Inquisitor and Techno Archeologist 808-Linum for failing to do anything useful to the monster in their midst. 

Turn three, and practically everything I had left outside of the stalker equipped squad charged. 

Well, and Lt. Horridus who felt it prudent to hang back and buff those in combat with his Tactical Precision following his charge roll of a 2...

Turns out that a flag pole makes for a halfway decent close combat weapon!

Thinning 'em down but then...

...Necron chicanery fills their ranks with the undead Immortals once more! 

That has got to be one of the ugliest walkers in the whole 40k universe! 

After the Inquisitor failed to psychically dominate the Necron Lord's already dead mind, the beast charged yet again, taking down another marine!

And as it was almost 11:30 pm, that's basically where the game ended, with damned near everything in close combat and not an objective to be had by either side at any point. 

Not mentioned above but worth noting here: the Immortals toughness of 5, rerolls in addition to their we'll be back rolls and vast number of shots that they can dish out is down right frightening! Once again I had to question Rob's lack of wisdom in gifting this army to Screech when he arrived to play peanut gallery. 

We had fun though, so all was good even if the game only ended in a draw. 

Dad's Droid & some Cog Boys

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#snodgrassart

At this mini's 70mm-ish scale, the large grassy tufts look like regular ones that you normally see on a 28mm mini's base. 

First up for this week I have a gone fishin' robot that I painted up for my dad, who's birthday is later this month. I got this in a subscription from snodgrassart.com. My dad loves to fish and this seemed perfect for him. I'm hoping he'll like it. 

The omnispex wielding grunt is in the middle, flanked by a pair of regulars. Note the dead tufts on their bases; clearly this is a result of their leaky radiation issues. 

Yeah, those unit decals are looking a little sketch. It's a good thing that they were killed before my Smurfs got a good look at them...

Next, I painted up a trio of Skitarii Vanguards for my little Ad mech allied contingent from the Expansionist Forgeworld of Hel. These three along with the rest of their little squad of six fought valiantly (albeit briefly) in a game that I played this past Friday. I'm hoping to have a bat rep for that up later in the week.