Terrain: What's in the box?

Got a big box of terrain related goodies in the mail this week. Let's take a look!

VHS cassettes, styrofoam, and corrugated card.

PVC drain, plastic from assorted tech, med tubing, skewers, some reclaimed HA blocks in the bag

the top layers: styrofoam, a box of bits, ventilator tube, a card chessboard, an LED repeater and a chunk of light grate

I've got chunks of this already allocated to projects that find themselves in planning. Watch for some 'Ork' terrain of course, inspired by the models in Dawn of War since they're great. Another bit of urban elevation is in order, as well. What else?

Cheers.

CJ

P.S. Thank you, benefactor!

Abhuman Technoheresy: Spanna Boyz Mob 002

The first ten 'umie tribesmen are finished!

Gotta love those left handed weapon arms. The guys with the shotguns got extra grenade drum pouches since they've also got drum mags. Anyone with a pistol  got a set of pouches with the appropriate size energy cells. Everyone got some grenades. One of 'da boyz' is sporting a pulse carbine from the re-purposed Tau drone. On the models armed with close combat weapons, they have been left 'clean' so that I can add glyphs later... maybe dags or checks. The same follows for all the nice clean skin on this lot. Once I decide on some tattoo designs, they will feature throughout the army.

Speaking of army, I decided that the Dred Mob list is the way to go. Stay tuned for a proper Drax-a-gram laying out at least the core soon.

Cheers,

CJ

Paint Table Saturday

Here is a brief update of what's been on the workbench this week.

I got a lot of work done on the Deff Dread and the first ten Boyz. The Deff Dread need finishing work on the ammo chutes and then greenstuff. The Boyz are well into paint at the time this gets published, and the bases all but done. Then there are parts in the wings for ten more Boyz, not to forget the other figures that came in the mail this week.

Paint in progress shot of the Boyz.

Cheers,

CJ

Abhuman Technoheresy: Spanna Boyz Mob 001

The Lykans and Da'Namians arrived as my last post indicated. I got right to work on getting legs and torsos paired, then heads, arms, and weapons.

I made up the figures in two batches of five. They got pinned neck, waist, and shoulders to give them hardiness. One ended up with a Tau pulse carbine.

Then I set to creating a 'Mek' to lead the unit. I had a bit of inspiration and decided that one of my 'Meks' would have a mostly complete set of Imperial kit. I got to work with some pars and immediately changed legs. Then I added a bit of greenstuff in the form of a pelt. The Lykan totem rounds him out as a 'boss pole.'

Here is the completed lot. Ten down, ten to go. Then more. Always more boyz. Oh and grenaded and pouches.

WAAAAAAGGGHH!!

FOR DA EMPRAH!!

Cheers,

CJ

Abhuman Technoheresy: Reinforcements Arrive

Got some reinforcements for the heretical tribesmen... and a couple of the actors who helped implement the augmentations to the 'Mek.'

First up are 20 minis fresh from Mad Robot Miniatures. I got a squad of the Lykan Sawtooths and then a mixed unit of Da'Namians and Imperials. The mix will give me a good variety across the unit of 'Spanna Boyz.'

I got this lot of models in trade. Let me tell you, every one of these has been carefully converted into a representative of the Adeptus Mechanicus. I cannot overstate how well this fits my purposes. The unit out front are cultists with Necromunda rifles and press-moulded greenstuff masks and chest plates. The wraiths sport an assortment of weaponry. I haven't decided what exactly I'm doing with them, list wise; they may just become a creepy retinue for Inq28. The servitor-ogryns are going to either stay as is and get used for Inq28 or they'll be further converted and used as 'counts-as' Grot Tanks. Finally the FW Titan tech priest and the savant  with the chirurgeon arms are going to make great characters for Inq28, as well.

On those cultists, though... There are 16 of them, and then a servitor with heavy flamer and a converted engineer. I'll need two more models and then I'll have another mob of 'Spanna Boyz.' The distnction between tribesmen and the Machine Cultists is more than evident and will do well to keep em separate on the field and between battles (of course I have to go play...).

Finally, a progress update on the 'Deff Dread.' It seems to have sprouted a servitor, how odd.

Cheers,

CJ

Achievement Unlocked: Man Cave

I cleaned out the sun room on my apartment so I can have a quiet space to do work from home tech support. In the process I gained my first ever dedicated hobby space.

As far as man caves go, this is a modest specimen... but I can not complain. I have my bookshelf, my red desk to build stuff on, and my computer desk. Right now my red desk is covered with stuff that needs sorted, but everything else is in place. When I was clearing out the space, I was thinking I could wedge a gaming table in here... that was entirely overly optimistic. Ah, well, next time?

I'm thrilled for this time xD

Cheers,

CJ

Abhuman Technoheresy: Deff Dread 001

Progress on the Abhuman Technoheresy is moving forward, albeit slowly. While I am waiting on a package from Mad Robot Miniatures to arrive, I decided to build a Deff Dread for the army.

HOBBY DISCLAIMER: If you have or are taking on a new army, I recommend you get the guts down first, HQ and two Troops choices. I am not following the pattern here since I don't have the models for troops in hand. Yet. Doing all the cool shit for your army can leave you with a small pile of completed projects and a sea of grey foot-sloggers.

Like many kitbashed vehicles in the 40k universe, I started with an old Sentinel. Actually, three of these eBay rejects gave bits to make this build a possibility, I also ended up using a few leftover pieces from when I put together my Armoured Sentinel. Have I mentioned how much I love models that are superglued together? They come apart nicely once the glue is given time to become brittle. These Sentinels were no exception. Once the first sacrifice was prepared, work began.

First thing I worked out was the Deff Dread were the close combat arms, of course using Sentinel legs. A 'fist' was made using a couple of 'big toes' and the center bit of the Sentinel foot. These bits are mounted on a gear recovered from the Tonka used in the Imperial Excavator project. The other arm sports the Sentinel close combat saw as a tool of destruction.

The cockpit has been enclosed with the Armageddon pattern armour bits. The power plant has been expanded to include another hip section. These hips are now shoulders for the close combat arms. Fuel bottles and a battery pack were also included to indicate the increases output of the power plant, as well as hide gaps. The giant glyph on the front is to help reinforce the fact that these mad tribesmen adhere to the Imperial Cult (sort of).

A pair of autocannons are pressed into service as the Deff Dread's dakka. The oil drum is going to be used as a helical feed ammo drum. The ammo hopper on the weapon and drum will be where the ammo chutes connect.

Here are all the pieces assembled and in some cases held in the pose I want with wire. This build is still very much work in progress. Still to be done are power cables (lots and lots of power cables), the ammo chutes, lots of greens stuff work, and of course, paint.

Until then, cheers!

CJ

Terrain: One Man's Rubbish...

...is another man's treasure. When it comes to styrofoam in the dumpster, that is a treasure for sure. This stuff goes for more than I'd like over at Home Depot. When I spied out this piece on top of a dumpster when I was out for a walk yesterday, I quickly used my walking stick to help fish it over to the side. If need be, I'm not above getting in a dumpster. This time there was no need. If you aren't grown, stay out of dumpsters. If you are, don't get caught. Some people are weird about their rubbish.

Anyways, I broke the sheet in half for ease of transport and when I got home I measured the pieces; two rectangular pieces about 27"x20"x2" thick. Not bad. This is the same walk I usually take, to the gardens where I found the slate. The time before this that I was out I got a bunch of nice classified sand, where run-off had built it up around a drianage barrier. I'll take a photo next time, so you know what to look for as a source for nice clean, classified sand.

Cheers,

CJ

Abhuman Technoheretics 001

Watch that? Good then. Nothing in the grim dark future says Mad Max to me than the Ork Speed Kult. George Miller brings us another awesome look at the grim dark near future, and it has inspired me to have a go at an Ork army.

Not just any ork army. Here is some fluff I came up with to tie these orks in with the rest of my collection.

There have been disturbing reports coming in from the fringes of Imperial-Tau space. Aberrant behavior has been seen in human and abhuman (ref.Ogryn-JOVIAN genostrain) have been reported to be manifesting marked xenos (ORKOID) traits.

The xenos tendancies of these remnant settlers is apparent in their ready fusion of IMPERIAL, TAU, and ORK battlefield debris (one can only thank the Emperor these monsters didn't colonize a [REDACTED] tomb world) into functional war materiel. The most disturbing part of the report is the University scribe insists these brutes have adopted the Cult of the Emperor!

Much like ORKOID society, these human tribes are lead by the largest, strongest creatures. The Jovian strain Ogryn seems to be a 'bonehead' (ref.ASTRA-MILITARUM rank designator) and carries an ADEPTUS MECHANICUS spanner-axe. From all the reports returned this monster seems to be responsible for the techno-heresy being performed. The same reports cite a xenos (ref.TAU) drone familiar. The drone has been modified to a nonstandard silhouette and it's function cannot be determined.

As previously stated, the tribes tech is a mix of IMPERIAL, TAU, and ORKOID. A 'DEFFKOPTA' (ref.ORK harrier flier) was seen and picted. It was armed with an IMPERIAL Mars pattern multilaser and crude rockets. All manner of vehicle provide their locomotion in the field.


MECHANICUS representatives from ARMAGEDDON have taken interest in these human tribes due to their xenos traits. They have mustered an explorator force lead by MAGOS [REDACTED] and his ADEPTUS MECHANICUS enforcer troops. They are supported by ASTRA MILITARUM elements seconded from STEEL LEGION and CADIAN xenos specialist units. Also supported by a detachment of TECHMARINE SPACE MARINES in training and diverted from manoeuvers to forge world [REDACTED].

This is my Big Mek. He started life as a Mad Robot Miniatures Jovian. They are pretty sweet models and I didn't do anything past add the Techmarine axe.

A repurposed Tau drone serves as the Mek's dakka and force field projector as needed.

Abhuman deffkopta. The rest of the squad will have more mixed weapons.

I have more planned for this army, so stay tuned.

Cheers,

CJ