Spotlight on Mechanicum Myrmidon Destructors

I've been working on painting again recently and I'll be showcasing some of my stuff in the near future.

Let's get started with my Forge World Mechanicum Myrmidon Destructors.

I've had these for a while now but it's only in my latest purge that I've painted them.

I don't have the Forge World rules for these guys as yet but in the meantime I'm using them as Kataphron Destroyers.

A Fully Furnished Zone Mortalis!

I think I just had a wargasm.

Welcome to my fully furnished Forge World Zone Mortalis, all thanks to Newbury Colours wargame festival, Antenocitis Workshop, another company I can't remember the name of and a small lot of cash.

I'm going to blog about each of these rooms sets individually at some point and look at them in more detail. For now, let's have a super fast tour.

This first room is the command centre. We have the map viewer thingy, the strategy table thingy...

A couple of desks with holo screens (manned by Adeptus Mechanicus from Micro Art Studio). And what's that at the back?

It's a command chair! Complete with holo screens!

The screens on the walls are also  from Antenocitis, held in place by a super strong magnet inside the wall.

Store room full of crates...

Little robot-controlled buggies for carrying round stuff. These are from the other company I can't remember.

 A bunch of machinery items...

And then there's the finally complete Medi-Bay! 

You can see the diagnostic couch with holo displays, another screen for the wall and cryo tubes too! 

This is exhausting! I need a rest!

In the Rec Room! 

I really need a pool table and a juke box - maybe a vending machine. Anyone know of where I can get them? 

And that's it for now.

I'm half way though a game at the moment on this lovely board - Sqiats and Adeptus Mechanicus versus Tau. The furniture adds so much to it! I'm hoping Forge World will bring out some furnishings at some point - and bring back that dissection table!

Till then... stay tuned for more pictures in future.

Spotlight On: The Squat Walking Ancient

This beautiful thing is the Iron Ancestor from Mantic.

Which I'm purloining to be part of my Squat/Adedptus Mechanicus force: Initiative 0999XXB#14-12.In my force He'll be a Dreadnought with twin-linked Autocannons and a close combat weapon.

For colours I went for the same scheme I've been using for my Squat infantry: Khorne Red | 2 coats of Nuln Oil A Khorne Red | Wazdakka Red and then Ianden Darksun and Sunburst Yellow. The metals were black inked down then highlighted back up.

I'm going to have to be careful as my Mechanicus/Squat force is becoming a little vehicle heavy. Which makes sense background-wise I guess, but may not be so fun for my opponents.

But the look of the army is really coming together to my satisfaction. It does pay to delay painting an army until the perfect colour scheme is discovered. 

Zone Mortalis Doors!

(Evil laughter)

My Forge World Zone Mortalis is really starting to come together now that I have bought and painted two sets of doors!

I went for subdued greens and a dull bronze for the eagle to match the dark and brooding look I am aiming for and they really add a lot to it.

Suddenly rooms start developing and you can see how much doors blocking egress will add to play.

I still really need at least one more set of the Zone before I can have a proper game and another set or more of doors but I'm thinking of having a little mini game once I've done my furniture and painted up some of my Mantic Squats.

I've been buying up mini scenery pieces to put inside the Zone at war game conventions (most recently at the Colours event in Newbury) and my next project is to complete all the furniture I've got to create much more realistic interiors. The zone is great on its own but needs some interior detail really. I just wish Forge World would release some stuff to go in it (though there's no sign of any on the way).

Here are the first two pieces of furnishings - a pair of cryopods. They're lovely but they're just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned for more additions over the coming days.

Spotlight On: Forge World Zone Mortalis

(Drool)

I just finished painting the first four sections of Forge World's Zone Mortalis. 

I'm very happy with how these look and the floors are the same colour mix as my war blanket so my miniatures' bases will blend in nicely. 

The subtlety of colour isn't that visible on the walls in these shots as the lighting isn't great but hopefully you get the idea. 

Watch this space. More to follow soon.

Dinosaur Attack!!!

Crimson Blades vs Tau | Tim v Mike | 40k | 56 | 110.997.M41 

The outbreak of war between Valorax and the Tau was not going well for the Valorax Guard.

The opening battles had led to defeat time and again, and now, vast numbers of Tau warriors were being funnelled into the war zone so that the killing blow of Mont'ka could be exacted, crushing the human resistance.

In the ruins of a Chalice outpost, the Tau command gathered for a strategic review, Shas'o Sa'Cea Shi, overall commander of the Montyr'nan Contingent. Shas'o Ka and Shas'o Run'al attended him, discussions rapid and brief so that the best way to crack open the more challenging defences ahead of them could be decided upon.

If the perfect strategy could be finalised here then the humans were all but doomed.

 

Which made it the perfect strike point for the Crimson Blades! 

In quick succession a Landing Craft and Thuderhawk swept out of the low cloud cover and embarked the Deinous Battle Company, only a hundred metres from the abandoned facility. 

Fire Warriors took up firing positions against the broken walls and parapets, letting fly with pulse fire from their rifles, but the Space Marines kept coming, most of the fire splintering off their power armour. With boltguns level, they returned fire as soon as they came into the blessed minimum range of holy retribution. The ruinous cover deflected much of the return fire but the attrition began and started to progress; attrition the Tau could scant afford. 

Shas'o Shi ordered the concentration of fire and gave the signal for additional support. He watched the approaching Adeptus Astartes and the mighty xenoforms striding alongside them and frowned. Then he reluctantly gave the order to break the summit and withdraw the command staff. This would delay the coordination of their forces prior to full scale war but survival was paramount. 

By his command,a Stealth Team teleported into position to provide covering fire, tracing their Burst Cannons across the detritus to spot incoming enemies.

But before he could start to move to get clear, a veteran sergeant of the Crimson Blades broke through the cordon into the complex and Shi realised with horror what device the human had built into his armour. 

There was an implosion of transmat fusion, knocking all the Tau within ten yards to the floor and in the veteran sergeant's place was a gigantic and roaring Mammoth!

The Mammoth smashed into the ranks of Firewarriors, hurling them in every direction with its trunk and impaling them on its great curving tusks. Beneath its razorwire shod feet it crushed their armour and ground their bones.

Shas'o Shi called for the full retreat of his commanders and lifted out of the building on his jets surrounded by his Crisis Suit bodyguards, but as the men of the Crimson Blades entered the complex, drilling his warriors under withering bolter fire, the Mammoth smashed through the outer wall, coming after him.

There was only frenzied withdrawal now. There was no time for anything else. Shas'o Shi called down his Orca Dropship and his and his guard clambered onto the rear ramp. There was no decorum; no poise of command; only panic and survival.

The Orca took off as Barracudas swept in to provide covering menace for the retreat of the commanders against the circling Thunderhawk. Staggering to a viewer, Shas'o Shi looked down on the battle below as the Crimson Blades wiped out the remaining Tau in the complex until all were gone.

He was enraged. Not only had this debacle postponed the collaboration of the Tau's powerful forces but it had been a costly defeat. It had lost him more warriors than he would have cared to lose. But worse, it had cost him respect in front of his Troops and the other commanders. And it had cost him self respect.

He had fled like a child from the humans. He had fled like a child.

He swore now that when next they met, he would answer this affront to his character by total annihilation. The humans would be wiped from this world. Every one of them!