PiP (FOW); Russian infantry and German panzers

One of the cool finds from the 5 nations visit was that the new ww11 15mm manufacturer was stocked at firestorm games. forged in battle offers a smaller range than battlefront with similar quality but slightly cheaper. I liked the hollow turrets which I assume are cheap to make since they use less material and some of the savings can be passed on to me.

paint method for the Russian infantry;
The Base;
The base was cut from plastic card
Another strip on plastic card was glued perpendicular to the base.
The strip was coated in PVA glue and small Kitty litter was pressed into it.
Once dried the Kitty litter was recoated in PVA glue.
The whole base was sprayed black.
The stone wall (previously just Kitty litter) was dry brushed GW fortress grey.
After the figures had been painted separately (see below) they were glued to the base.
The gaps were filled with Ronseal plastic wood filler,
While it was drying some more kitty litter was sprinkled on to the base.
Once the filler was dry the new Kitty litter was painted fortress grey.
Dark green flock was PVA'd onto the base and when dry was washed in watered down PVA.

The Infantry;
The figures were glued to lollypop sticks and undercoated army painter Bestial Brown.
The tunics and leggings were painted V. Russian uniforms.
The Guns and other wooden bits were painted GW bestial Brown.
The flesh was painted V. Flat Flesh
Boots and belts were painted GW Chaos Black
LMG, SMG and metal parts were painted V. Gun Metal
Pouches, back packs, bread bags were painted a mixture if V. Green Ohrce, GW Bleached Bone and V. Khaki. The bigger the mix the more irregular looking the unit which can indicate they could be veterans or raw troops.
The infantry were coated with Army Painter Medium Tone and once it has dried they were spray varnished.
They were then removed from the sticks and glued to their base.
Once the wood filler was applied and dry. the infantry individual bases were painted GW Scorched Earth to blend into the main base

Painting method for Tigers and Panthers;
Barrels and hatches were glued to the turrets.
The tanks was undercoated FOW German Yellow
They were then base coated V. Middlestone.
Patches of V. Reflective Green and V. Chocolate Brown were painted irregularly on the tanks.
Once dried the tanks were dry brushed V Middlestone again.
The tracks were painted V Cavalry Red followed by a dry brush of V gun metal followed by a wet wash on GW Chaos Black.
The crew were painted GW black with the flesh painted V flat flesh. their helmets and gear was painted V. German Grey.
The wooden parts of the tanks were painted GW Bestial Brown, The metal parts were painted either V Gun Metal or GW Tin Bitz.
The decals are from Dom' decals ,they were applied wet to the tanks and once dried they were coated in GW gloss varnish.
All the tanks were coated in army painter medium tone and then sprayed matt varnish once the tone had dried.

Forged in battle (left) Vs Battlefront (right)

WIP (40k); Ork buggies

I'm not keen on the current ork war buggy model wise. the model has not aged well and looks out of place compared to some of the new ork stuff. to reicfiy the problem I have start to some customising to jazz the model up a little.

frist, I cut out the driver and gunner plus their seats and mounts.

Then I measured the space between the wheels, front and rear of the buggy and used the dimensions to build some simple box shapes out of plastic card.

I did a dry fit to ensure the new bodies fitted into the suspension of the buggies.


I raided the bits box for ork drivers and gunners to crew the buggies.

Sitrep (40k); 2010 5 nations

round one - Wales

Chris playing imperial guard
mission capture the flag dawn of war deployment

Chris’s army consisted of
-Company Command Squad
-Vet Squad:
-Vet Squad:
-Vet Squad:
-Psyker Battle Squad
Chimera
-1 Valkyrie
-1 Vendetta
-2 Vendetta
-1 Manticore
-1 Manticore
-3X Hydra Flak Tanks


Looking at the army list beforehand guard were the 7th choice for the Sisters and Chris got to pick the table. To make it even better he won the roll off and picked the side with large sections of cover for his artillery to hide behind. All his forced opted to deploy or roll on turn one. In response the sisters opted for all to go into reserve despite the officer of the fleet the less shooting they were hit with the better.

Chris' attack squadron close on the sisters objective

Chris advanced the vendetta squadron and valkyre while one vet squad in a vendetta stayed back to guard his objective. Turns one and two were quiet with no sisters in play and not getting shot to bits by guard artillery. Bottom of turn two saw a exorcist and immolator roll on and take pot shots. The immolator took down the garrison vendetta while the exorcist destroyed a lascannon on one of the attacking vendetta.

A single squad of Vets was left on garrsion duty at Chris' objective

By turn three the guard finally had some targets. The hydras destroyed the immolator while the rest of the army fired at exorcist succeeding in stunning it. The sisters started to arrive in force. The assassin deployed to attack the garrison vets who had lost their vendetta. Another immolator and exorcist rolled on and engaged the attacking vendetta, while inquisitor and his retinue decide to hide in the forest. The exorcist and immolator combo down a second vendetta while the assassin off'd the garrison vets.

CSM stalk through village ruins lookng for Barra's objective

In reply the guard gunships closed on the sister objective while the pysker squad targeted the assassin as she went after a manticore. Shooting was ineffective with all the exorcists and the remaining immolator all stunned or immobilized. While a celestian squad was wiped out by hydra fire and the assassin was eliminated by the psykers.

Rob's ravenwing tries to break the enemy to reach their objective

Turn four saw the arrival of the last exorcist, the only one that was able to shoot this turn, and three scoring sisters squads. The stunned immolator rushed forward and debussed a celestian squad within close range of the command valkyrie. The exorcist missed, the celestians popped the valkyrie killing most of the passengers with the remainder promptly fleeing of the table. A sister squad targeted and destroyed the pysker squad.

Celetins debuss and take out the company command and their valkyrie

The guard countered and moved the last vendetta into contest the sister’s objective. In reply the sisters shot it down and killed its passengers. The game ended with sisters holding their objective while the guards’ objective was unclaimed.

Cian Vets storm a Dark eldar objective

Results win sisters 16-4 and team Ireland won the round 2-0

Round two Northern Ireland
Dave Mcurdy playing eldar mission capture the flag deployment pitched battle.
Player: David McCurdy
-Farseer +bike locks
-Guardian Jet bike
-Dire Avengers in Wave Serpent
-Dire Avengers Wave Serpent
-Wraithguard
-Vyper
-Fire Prism
-Fire Prism

Dave's Eldar in transite

Northern Ireland Eldar was my second choice opponent from team Northern Ireland. Dave got to pick the table and won the roll off to pick sides and deployed first. A ten wraithguard unit guarded the eldar objective while a bike lock council deployed to contest the sisters objective. All the sisters units deployed between the two objectives.

Dave's Wraithguard opted for garrsion duty

Turns one and two saw the Eldar and sisters skirmish with the exorcists whittling down the wraithguard to enable and attack on their objective while the bike council worked through cover towards the sisters objective. Turn three was the tipping point with the arrival of the callidus who went after the council. Two sister squads, an immolator/celestian squad and the canoness broke formation to support the assassin. The third squad and the second immolator/ celestian squad started to push towards the Eldar objective. Shooting and close combat destroyed the council while the attack force got bogged down with the sisters rhino getting destroyed and the squad getting bogged in combat with the remaining wraithguard.

Padraig's bugs develop a taste for landraider

With the council, gone the sisters to put pressure on the Eldar position. One of the remaining sister squad push towards the Eldar position while the other when on over watch on the sisters objective. The remaining units started to hunt down the arriving Eldar reinforcements focusing on transports and anything that trying to reinforce the Eldar objective. The game ended with the sisters contesting the Eldar objective while holding their own.

Celestians on antitank detail

results win sisters 17-3 and team Ireland won the round 2-0

Grey knights defend an imperial church

but in vain as Paul Dark Eldar start to break in

Round three England
Chris green playing Nids the mission was multi-objective deployment was dawn of war.

Chris Green - Tyranids
Hive Tyrant - Lash whip and bonesword, Twin-linked devourers with brainleech worms, Old Adversary, Regeneration, Leech Essence, Paroxysm - 230pts
3 Tyrant Guard - Rending Claws and Bonesword - 225pts
Tyranid Prime - Rending Claws, Bonesword and Lash Whip, Toxin Sacs, Regneration - 115pts
3 Hive Guard - 150pts
3 Hive Guard - 150pts
3 Zoanthropes - 180pts
10 Termagants - 50pts
10 Termagants - 50pts
10 Genestealers - Toxin Sacs - 170pts
Tervigon - Scything Talons, Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs, Cluster Spines, Catalyst, Onslaught - 215pts
Tervigon - Scything Talons, Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs, Cluster Spines, Catalyst, Onslaught - 215pts

Barra ponders his next move (he's definitly not sleeping )

Chris got to pick the table going for a city fight theme ie lots of cover for the bugs. The sisters got to pick sides and go first. A single rhino/sister unit was deploy as far forward as possible to push the bugs back, while the rest of the force rolled on in the first turn. Turn one was ineffective with no targets to be found due to night fight. In response the Nids started to pour in. Hive guard spotted and destroyed sentry Rhino.

Chris bugs start to move forward through the city

Turn two saw the arrival of the assassin who was deployed to take out the gaunt skirmish screen. A immolator\celestian squad rolled forward to pressure the bugs. The assassin took out the guants the exorcists took out a tervigon killing some nearby guants. The immolator, celestians and canoness took wounds off the Hive tyrant and his retinue. The bugs response was bloody the warrior prime took out the assassin, while the immolator and celestians were destroyed but in the confusion the canoness went unnoticed.

Mike's Falcon tries to contest a CSM objective

Turn three saw a change in tack. The canoness targeted a scoring gaunt squad destroying it in combat. While the genestealers were hit by a sisters squad at close range and destroyed. The exorcists targeted hive guard and killed a couple that were killing some scoring sisters.

By turn four the bugs were down to three scoring units with the sisters on three. One of the sisters squad was destroyed venom cannons. A second was destroyed in close combat with guants and a tervigon. While the canoness was pinned in combat with the hive tyrant. In response the last scoring sister unit parked on an objective. Exorcists targeted and killed a tervigon which destroyed a nearby unit of guants. The last immolator rolled on the only objective the bugs could claim with the canoness contesting the other.

Bugs destroy a sister rhino on sentry duty

Turn four saw the Zoanthropes destroyed the immolator leaving the celestians to face off against the last gaunt squad. The canoness finished off the hive tyrant. The guants swamped the celestians but they survived, killing several in the process.

Mike's Farseer goes down swinging

The last few turns saw the celestians and guants fighting over the objective with both side trying to and failing to get reinforcement to them. The game ended with sisters holding one objective while the bugs and sisters contested another.

Padraig's bugs meets the battle wagon mob

results win sisters 16-4 and team ireland won the round 2-0


Round four – barbarians

James Ramsey playing Nids the mission was kill points deployment was pitched battle.

James Ramsey's Tyranids:
-Hive Tyrant-285
2xTwin-Linked Devourers with Brain-Leech Worms[30], Old Adversary[25], Regeneration[20], Armoured Shell[40], Paroxysm[0], Leech Essence[0]
-3 Tyrant Guard-225
Boneswords[45], rending claws[0]
-Warrior Prime-115
Lash whip and bonesword[15], toxin sacs[10], regeneration[10], scything talons[0]
-3 Hive Guard-150
-3 Hive Guard-150
-3 Zoanthropes-180
-10 Termagants-50
-10 Termagants-50
-Tervigon-210 Catalyst[15], Onslaught[15], toxin sacs[10], adrenal glands[10], cluster spines[0]
-Tervigon-195 Catalyst[15], toxin sacs[10], adrenal glands[10], cluster spines[0]
-10 Genestealers-140

James got to pick the table and went for an even bigger city fight table, hamstring the exorcist advantage of range. To make it worse he got to pick sides and go first. The sisters deployed to maximize what few fire lanes there were.
Turns one to four were very cagey with bugs tank anti units trying to infiltrate forward into range only to be hit hard and withdraw before conceiting a kill point. Similarly anytime the sisters tried to push forward big bugs moved to counter.

James picked the spot with the most cover. damaged units retreated to shelter rather than give up kill points

Turn four saw the bugs get the first kill point glancing to death an immolator after several turns of fire. The damage was quickly followed by a conceding second kill point when a callidus was killed trying to destroy a gaunt screen.

Between terrain and skirmishing guants everything got a save

Turn five saw the sisters finish of the gaunt screen and kill of the warrior prime. The game end after that with two kill points each.

The dead pile final score 2-2 on kill points

results draw sisters 11-9 and team Ireland drawing the round 1-1

Elsewhere Padraig's bugs ate Orks

While Robs Dark Angels were mauled by space wolves

Round five - Scotland
Pete playing orks the mission was kill points and the deployment was spearhead. We had been out drinking the night before and he is a nice guy during the pre game we found we both had regularly attend the UK heats and neither of us were attending them for the seeable future with the new format. But we differed in that while Pete had not made the cut at the heats I had. I felt like apologizing for what was going to happen next at that point.

Pete’s army
HQ: Warboss, Bike, Powerklaw, Attacksquig, Bosspole, Cybork Body - 155
HQ: Warboss, Bike, Powerklaw, Attacksquig, Cybork Body - 150
Troop: Nobz: 6 Nobs - 405
Nob1: Bike, Cybork body, Painboy
Nob2: Bike, Cybork body, PowerKlaw, boss pole
Nob3: Bike, Cybork body, PowerKlaw
Nob4: Bike, Cybork body, Big Choppa
Nob5: Bike, Cybork body, Waaagh Banner
Nob6: Bike, Cybork body
Troop: MegaNobz: 3x Mega Nobs in a Trukk, ram - 160
Troop: Ork Boyz: 12 Sluggas, Nob, Bosspole, Powerklaw, Trukk, ram - 152
Troop: Ork Boyz: 12 Sluggas, Nob, Bosspole, Powerklaw, Trukk, ram - 152
Troop: Ork Boyz: 12 Sluggas, Nob, Bosspole, Powerklaw, Trukk, ram - 152
Troop: Ork Boyz: 13 Shoota Boyz - 78
Heavy: Killer Kanz: 3x Kanns with Grotzookas - 135
Heavy: Killer Kanz: 3x Kanns with Rokkits - 150
Heavy: Big Gunz: 3x Kannonz – 60

Paul ponders his next move. Behind him Mike makes a mental note not to forget to fortune his council

Pete and myself were team champions and so it was a random draw for tables. Pete won the dice off to go first and pick sides. Fortunately he picked the corner I wanted him in. It offered good cover but the cover pushed the orks back and limited their approaches towards the sisters.

The Cannoness faces of agnaist nob bikers

The orks deployed evenly across the three main approaches. The war bosses and nobz went for the left with the force Kans and trucks going down the centre while another force of Kans and trucks went right. The Sisters deployed in their quarter with a health gap between forces. The callidus’s “word in your ear” force the nobz into cover to denying them a first turn turbo boost. With 30 kill points on the table (15 v 15) and fate of the event at stake this was going be messy.

Sister start to take fire from orks

The Orks rolled forward trying to close the gap. Exorcists started killing trucks, slowing the ork’s advance. A celestian squad was sacrificed to draw a nobz and war bosses into range. Once they took the bait the entire army unloaded into them wiping them out. Once the bikers were gone the sisters started to devastate the remaining orks. By the end of the game the sisters had lost 3 kill points and claimed 13.

results win sisters 19-1 and team Ireland winning the round 2-0

Barra's terminator gets swamped by bugs

But keeps on swinging.

Aftermath;
When the dust had settled Ireland had won 9 of the 10 point and won the event.

It was interesting to see how the 40k team event worked. I liked the barbarians method of picking tables to deny them to their opponents and influencing where other players played. Similarly beforehand I was worried that lurking and waiting for your ideal opponent to be put forward might be too much. But was balanced by the fact they got to pick tables. I normally like fighting bugs but I’m less keen about it when it is a city fight table. Similarly if I get paired with a nemesis army the chances are I can pick a table to minimize their strengths.

more pics can be seen here but this in the only one that really counts.

home nations winning team 2010

PIP (40K); imperial Guard

from work in progress to paint in progress.



Method
V =Vallejo paint range
Undercoat =army painter bestial brown.
cloth (tunics, trousers, coats) = V German medium camo
Armour (body armour, helmets, guns) = V Russian green
Flesh = V flat flesh
Webbing (belts, backpacks, pouches) = V green Ochre
Eagles (canteens, helmets, chest plate = V off white
Sandbags ( and rocket launcher) = V middlestone
Metal (grenades, barrels)= V gun metal
Once painted the models were coated in army painter medium coat and sprayed Matt varnish.



Bases;
were covered in Ronseal teak wood filler
Fresh katty litter was push into the filler as it dried then painted GW snakebite leather.
Static grass and Silfor tuffs were pva'd on.



Netting;
A normal bandage was dyed using dylon color dye*.
Once dry the bandage was cut to shape and a series of dry fittings were done to get the shape right.
The cut Shape were soaked in PVA and water then attached to the weapons.
Static grass was added in patches to break up the netting.

* In hindsight rusty brown looks a lot like orange and may not be ideal for camo netting.