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.

Mechlock in Flames - Part One: Blockade at the Razor's Edge

Orks v Imperial Guard | Tim v Peter | 40k | 57 | 109.997.M41 

 

On the eastern coast of frozen Kaltirey, Mechlock Base was under siege.

The greenskins had landed scorchward of the base and already rolled over the outer defences. There were only a few miles of barren snow now before them and the installation and when that fell there would be little to stop them consolidating their position on Valorax and claiming the whole of the Gales Peninsula. From there they could strike in any direction, perhaps most frighteningly against the already beleaguered capital of Qualitat on its island in the inner Sea of Gore.

The innermost defence line around Mechlock Base had long since been christened the Razor's Edge. It was here that the penultimate stand against any invasion attempt would be held off. It was here that the men of the Valorax Guard, the Stormriders of Kaltirey, would fight until the yawning edge of death to defend their greater position.

The defensive line was made up of lines of bunkers and bastions, each layer designed so that troops could fall back and back if necessary, giving inches to protect the miles beyond. But the Orks cared little for defensive strategy. They flooded over the lines, cackling as they incinerated all resistance in a great swath of turbulent willpower that stretched kilometres in both directions - one gigantic horde of green.

And in the last line of bunkers, the Stormriders unlocked their weapons and slammed freshly charged magazines into the undersides, levelling the barrels out across the lines. There was no need to aim; such was the overwhelming number of Orks rushing down on them. There was only the need to shoot and keep shooting; reload and shoot some more.

Killa Kommandos slinked forward from the main body of the horde, grinning as they whirled their killing blades but mortar fire came down hard amongst them, ripping them to shreds. Shell after shell fell, splaying their remains across the sizzling snow. But Burna Boyz and Slugga Boyz and Cum Bukkitz and Nobz came after them; far too many to hold off or even slow.

A few Boyz fled in panic but the tide kept coming en-masse. The gestalt consciousness of the mob cared little for individual deaths. It was frenzy. It was a riot. It was unstoppable!

A Valkyrie scratched across the sky raking the Orks with its multi laser but an errant round took out the weapon and as the veteran troopers inside spiralled down to the battlefield on rappel lines, hoping to stall the advance, they were torn to pieces by Nobrod and his bodyguards.

The last bunker in the line stood proud, the platoon command squad on top bellowing out orders to hold ground, but a single rokkit sliced through the sir on the end of a filthy contrail and the front wall shattered, dropping the commander and his veterans down into the rubble. Before they had even managed to begin pulling themselves clear of the wreckage one of the Cum Bukkitz waddled across the blocks of rockcrete and ground them to death with its gigantic scissors.

The line was crumbling. Nothing could stop the Orks. Only the heroism of the mass of conscripts stationed there proved incorruptible. They died to a man but not before fighting on and on and on, long enough for their central command to come to their aid but not long enough to survive.

Nob Rod and his Hard’Onz hacked and stomped, laughing and roaring until every last human at the Razor’s Edge had been eliminated. Then Nob Rod bellowed a challenge into the freezing air, raising his power claw high.

Between him now and the inner gunline of Mechlock base was only half a mile of razor wire, mines and auto-tracking weapons. The humans were as good as dead.

And in answer to his cry, something huge crunched the icy ground fifty yards behind him. Some vast shadow passed through the gun-smoke. And then a ghastly discordant horn sounded from maybe sixty feet above the Warlord’s head as two gigantic metal feet came down on either side of the Ork leader.

Claiming Back the Jungle - Part One: The Retaking of Station Xeta

Jungle Fighters vs Tyranids | Gill v Tim | 40k | 58 | 110.997.M41

Deep in the heart of Lapitar, the dense jungle region of Valorax, stood Station Xeta, the chillward entrance to a once thriving manufactorum complex in a time where defences for individual buildings were not a priority. Now it was just another point of contagion, a festering zone where the mass Tyranid brood nests pulsed, preparing their grisly children to take back the world they had almost conquered once before.

But this was Lapitar and the alien menace had not taken full calculation on the other inhabitants of that region. The Tyranids had not reckoned on the the determination of the Jungle Men of Lapitar to take back what was theirs!

The infantry squads moved in through the underbrush and took up firing positions, spying out the brood nests as priority targets and unleashed fire from their Heavy Bolters and Lasguns.

Immediately, the foliage erupted as huge stalking creatures burst forth, wielding lethal bioweapons, each of them hurling chewing fleshworms or globules of scalding acid at the encroaching humans.

With a roar, a Hive Tyrant strode out of the manufactorum and led its forces toward the guardsmen, slicing the air with two gigantic pairs of scything talons.

As Vendetta gunships swept down and tore apart one of the brood nests with their twin-linked Lascannons,. the eggs of the other burst open to release a massive brood of Hormagaunts, frighteningly close to the human line of fire.

Without concern, a third Vendetta dropped from the clouds, disgorging a squad of hardened veterans on rappel lines who unleashed the fire of hatred from not one but three flamers, wiping them out. Simultaneously, storm troopers fell on grav shutes into the upper layer of the manufactorum, hotting plasma and hotshot lasfire into the Carnifex lurking inside and bringing it down under a single salvo.

Then eggs attached to the underside of one of the ceilings cracked and a Ripper Swarm  slithered out, swarming up the walls and forcing the paratroopers to withdraw.

Station Xeta was still in the hands of the Tyranids but sniper rifles and heavy bolthers, plasma cannons and, most importantly, the twin-linked lascannons of the Vendettas, were systematically wiping out all opposition. But then the ground started to shake and split asunder and right in the centre of the Guard's defencive positions, a gargantuan Trygon tore up and ripped one of the infantry squads to shreds.

The autocannons of the scout sentinels and the Swirling Vendettas almost brought it down immediately, but it tore into the Guard lines, obscuring itself from return fire. Only when it had destroyed the sentinels and a dozen more men were the Vendettas able to bring it down.

Genestealers swarmed from the jungle, too far away to achieve much good as the Guard Target Assassin moved into position, sniping a Zoenthrope and charging in to dispatch the remnants of a brood of Tyranid Warriors. Meanwhile, as the Hive Tyrant ripped into the command squad sent to intercept it, the Storm Troopers counter attacked, refusing to break so close to their regimental standard, and in time the brute was brought down and disintegrated.

As this was going on, one of the Venettas came in high overhead and dropped a squad of infantrymen into Station Xeta on rappel lines.

The Tyranid forces were coming apart, their synapse chain breaking open at key points. Without the bigger creatures to support them, the ground troops were scattering.

With more and more guardsmen funnelling into the area, their infestation was disinfected.

With extreme prejudice.

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!

Scenery Showcase: Deep in the Jungle

With an upcoming battle between Tyranids and Jungle Fighters in the deep jungles of Lapitar, I thought I'd showcase the scenery we'll be fighting over.

This nice creeping ivy was set up by my son Raish from Lichen. It isn't stuck there. It's just resting. He's cool.

The set-up represents an abandoned Manufactorum facility where the Adeptus Mechanicus have long since moved on... or been devoured.

Army Showcase: Tyranids!!!!

They're voracious predators.

They're intergalactic killers.

And they're mine.

Shall we start with my Hive Tyrant?

And Carnifex:

 Hormagaunts:

These lovely Forge World Meiotic Spore Sacks I painted the other day: 

The always delightful Ripper Swarms (including some of the Forge World ones). Notice I put more than usual on the normal bases to tie them into the Forge World swarms. 

Termagants: 

I nice blast from the past in the form of a dismembered original Zoenthrope. I used cut up Termagant spare parts to connect his limb sockets so they looked logical and now I love this guy!!! 

Here's his identical twin brother. 

And what army would be complete without a Trygon Prime??? 

The Broodlord having a nice morning stretch...

The Yellow (ahem) terror. This guy, the original Red Terror, has been marginalised in the latest army list but I use him as A Tyranid Prime which fits quite well. 

Genestealers.

And their slightly older cousins. 

This beauty is a Carnifex in my book but is actually a conversion from a non-GW model I can't remember the source of now. 

Speaking of conversions. How do you like my version of the humble Spore Mine? 

Heh heh. This Biovore dude is kind of funny. 

A Lictor (that I've never liked the pose of). 

And some of my favourite 40k models: Tyranid Warriors. 

And how about these Brood Nests, that I actually prefer to the official Forge World ones. 

These weren't made from cat vomit.

And the lovely Forge World Capillary Towers.

You'll have to wait for the Spore Chimney (I haven't finished painting it yet).

You can't buy them anymore but they are some of the nicest pieces EVER made! 

And that's all folks!!!