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

Sited: Abhuman techno-heresy

Black Library: Eisenhorn Omnibus

SPOILERS AHEAD
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I'll not waste words here. The attack on the Triumph! The way he takes out Esarhaddon with the void shield collapse? I'm just past Inshabel's visit to Ocean House and holy shit how did I ever miss these novels!? I'm a Dan Abnett fan. I'm waiting for The Warmaster eagerly. I love his work in the HH series, on Guardians, on the Annihilation Wave... THE PUNISHER!! my all-time favorite comic character.

These are great stories. I have to say, my favorite part of Titanicus was the glimpse of life in the habs. Well, favorite not giant robot stompy death part. Every glimpse of life in the work-a-day Imperium of Man is pretty fucking dark, you gotta admit. The nobility gets paid of the backs of the rest. You might get chain-ganged into a work detail and never see home again. Hell you might not see next week. Nascent psykers, cultists... I think the story of Eisenhorn losing his hand is the best example of what I mean.

I'm going to go read until I fall asleep.

Cheers!

CJ

Happy Easter 2015

I has an idea last night, and I had the bits left over to make it happen, so this morning when I woke up I ran with it.

First I wove a basket.

Then I built a base.

Then I got some zombies worked up.

Happy Easter!

CJ

Necromunda Bases 001

Somehow the discussion of appropriate bases for Necromunda came up and I decided I ought to make some. Since I scored that box of Necromunda terrain back in 2013, it was a snap to pull out a few deck sections and go from there.

I picked a few details from each design and drew them out 1:1. Then I did a lot of careful cutting, gluing, cutting, trimming, filling, filing, more filling, filing, then paint... none of which I managed to photograph. I really suck at stopping to take photos.

These two bases are made of layered .020" plasticard sheet. The base and the plasticard were both scored with a stencil knife prior to glue being applied, and the same was done with the subsequent layer. After the plastic cement set I used a precision curve shear (toenail clipper...yes, new ones!) to trim the edges. Liquid green stuff was applied to hide the seams and then filed smooth with #1500 & #3200 Flex-i-Files.

I can take photos of the finished product, though. The hazard chevrons came out okay. I will have to work on getting them more even in the future. As for the shade of blue and the weathering, I wanted more rust and wear. The card walkway looks more like it's from a desert outpost than an underhive sink somewhere.

Four more bases are planned. Now I just have to find some Arbites to mount on them...

Cheers,

CJ