#39: The Destroyers of Everything!

Hi, boys and girls. 

I have been absent but not idle. And I'm going to jam in a quick blog post this afternoon to specifically address three topics! 

The first of which, with a decidedly pink flavour, are my necrons! There is not much more satisfying than deploying a powerful and not-often-seen formation on the gaming table, especially if it is painted. But I have attained the goal! I present to you, my Necron Destroyer Cult!

Now, the keen eye will spot a few heavy destroyers in there (converted with the heavy guess blaster from the Triarch Stalker Kit), and these are easily my favourite elements of the formation. Each normal destroyer squad can upgrade one of their number to be 'Heavy' for a measly 10 points, essentially handing him a Guass Lascannon. 

This formation is arguably one of the most powerful in the book. Not only do all these Jet Pack Infantry gain Move Through Cover, an often ignored rule that makes the jump-shoot-jump an effortless affair, but the whole formation gains re-rolls To Hit, To Wound and Armour Penentration. The whole formation. The efficiency of this military force is beyond compare! Taking into account the fact that every gun in the formation can hurt any model in the game, as well as the huge number of Heavy Destroyers you can jam into the restricted unit options!

Currently, my lord is accompanied by three units of four destroyers (one heavy in each), and I'm currently putting the final touches on the last unit available in the formation; a unit of three heavy destroyers. These guys form my strongest and most reliable anti-armour, and I am very confident in their ability to draw some sweat on more than a few Imperial Knights!

The second topic I want to tackle is Tau! Despite my general fear and disgust at the all-welcoming aliens, they look like they are going to get some serious love!if you've been on the Internet in the last few weeks, you will have undoubtably seen images of some new battle suits that tower over riptides, a new "super stealth suit", potentially new Fire Warriors, and of course the Forgeworld Gargantuan creature, the fearsome Supremacy Armour! The rules for this beast have been leaked online, and all I can say is "wow". 

I have fallen into the habit of comparing every gargantuan creature and super heavy unit against the Ork Stompa. A lot of units shine in this comparison, and the Supremacy Suit is no different. However, when thrown into the mix against such units as Warhound Titans and some of the bigger Eldar units, I don't think they throw out the current balance too much!

As for the inevitable new Codex, the one thing I think is a sure thing is the following of trends when it comes to those Decurion/Gladius Strike Force-esque detachment of formations. I don't quite know how this will look yet, but I already fear it!

Last, but definitely not least, and the focus of (ironically) a huge amount of anger in the community at the current time, is Skarbrand. 

For those of you who don't know, this beast of a Bloodthirster was once the champion of Khorne until he got a bit too big for his boots and threw down against his boss, who in turn threw him down out of the Brass Citadel, shattering his wings and leaving him very battered. Cool fluff. So, why the hate?

Well, the big guy got his own model this week for preorder, and his hefty price tag caused a lot of drama. Costing some $80 more than the regular (and very impressive) Bloodthirster, this cool, calm and collected fellow has just taken the top spot as most expensive plastic kit Games Workshop makes by a respectable $60, beating out the super-heavy range of Baneblades, Lords of Skulls and Stompas. 

The fury of the community was only exacerbated at the discovery that Skarbrand only containes a single new sprue, the rest of the model being drawn from the existing Bloodthirster kit. 

So, why such a huge price jump on what is essentially an upgrade sprue? Short answer; I don't know. To me, it doesn't make a lot of sense. If it was indeed marketed as an upgrade sprue, I don't think there would be an issue, but as it stands, I think the wider community feels as though someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes. The only answer I can really give is that perhaps this is primarily a product aimed at collectors. 

I am largely unaffected by this as a general rule, having no connections to Khorne and all his underlings, but I am mildly concerned that this will become a trend. 

What are your thoughts on Skarbrand?

I know that was a bit of a depressing topic to end on, but I would be remiss if I did not address this current drama, and I'm not about to spin untruths about how I feel. Tough day. 

As always, thank you for reading and Tor patronage on my humble blog!

Thanks, 

Gabriel 

#38: Terrainasaurus Wrecks

This week has been a bit of a "works in progress" week. A lot of hobby progress has been made, but nothing finished off. 

First on my table has been the new AOS Battle Standard Bearer for my Magnificent Host. 

He's only about half done, but the detail on this model is off chops. I ended up plonking his ass on a 40mm round base due solely to the size of his banner. I'm enjoying the diversity in modelling that Age of Sigmar offers, and I've been enjoying just picking the base that looks coolest for the model. It's a simple shift in focus, but it allows a lot of customisation from model to model. 

Next up is a 10-man Tankbusta squad that I'm painting for a narrative campaign. These guys are a really powerful unit within the Ork codex, and having used them once, I won't be leaving home without them! A whole squad with Tank Hunting Rokkit Launchas AND what are essentially melta bombs just spell death for armour of any description. And don't even get me started on Bomb Squigs!

Lastly, I've been pouring a fair amount of time and energy into terrain. 

This blastscape is one of my favourite pieces of terrain, and is definitely a good one to start with. The shattered shell of a Rhino has naturally recieved a Crimson Fist paint job, and while this piece still needs a lot of work, it's definitely coming together!

This leads me to my current dilemma. Terrain variety. I'm a huge fan of the Games Workshop terrain. I really, truly am. However, I'm a little conflicted at the moment, because for 40k, their terrain range can be put into two distinct categories. "Cities of Death" with the ruined buildings and shattered walls, and "Wall of Martyrs" representing the imperial defence networks. Outside of those two categories, I feel like there is not a great deal. Now, to be fair, my desert table that I'm working on at the moment leans heavily upon Wall of Martyrs as an arid, active war zone as well as utilising a few older pieces such as the one above.

But for my next table, which probably won't be too far away, it's going to be pretty heavily converted anyway. Its going to be an Ork settlement table worthy of my sizeable Greenskin horde! But I get ahead of myself... 

So yeah, I sincerely hope that there are some great terrain pieces in the pipelines, but if not, that's ok. I'll just have to brush up on my arts and craft skills!

I'd love to hear what you guys are working on! Don't be afraid to sneak me some work-in-progress pics.

Thanks for reading,

Gabriel 

#37: Packing some serious heat...

How quickly a month goes! It felt like just last week that I painted my HQ choice, Brother-captain Santiago. With work taking up a fair bit of my time and tackling a lot of half-finished projects that have made their way onto and off my desk in quick succession, I managed to come within a handful of points of that ever elusive 500pt deadline! 

Backing up Santiago is my first tactical squad, mounted in a Razorback and wielding plasma weapons. A Devastator squad has joined my force, giving me some focused long-ranged anti-tank hitting power! Four missile launchers seemed adequate for the task, given my tight points budget, with Tank Hunter assisting them in their role thanks to the Chapter Trait. 

I was pretty happy with how my first vehicle turned out. I was a bit concerned that the predominantly blue vehicle would have a certain "ultramarine" appearance, but the flashes of deep red on the turret and primary hatch put my fears to rest, giving me great satisfaction that the infantry colour scheme transferred effectively onto vehicles. 

Other participants are keeping pace, too! Let's take a quick look. 

Jamie: Squats

Backing up the Chapter Master, Jamie has spent a lot of time and attention creating a Librarian Squat Conclave by blending the Dwarf Ironbreaker and Grey Knight Strike Squad kits in a genius fusion of bearded, psychic might! He has also started work on an Aegis Defence Line, utilising the Dwarf fence from the Battle for Skull Pass kit. He has spared no expense to embellish the most delicate of details on this heavily converted army. 

Matthew: Dark Eldar

In this round, Matt has added some speed to his Dark Eldar force in the form of a pair of Venoms. These crafty skimmers can be a real thorn in the side of your opponents if used correctly and Matt has the right idea, packing them full of Trueborn Kabalites!

Tim: Ultramarines

Ever the bane of all heavily armoured shock troops, Centurions spell trouble no matter who they are facing. With Grav weaponry currently being the dominant force when it comes to the Imperium, "Grav-cents" are a common sight on the board of serious marine players! I know for one, that I intend to add a squad to my Crimson Fists eventually, but with no small blame to be placed on the juicy Tank Hunter rule on Devastator Cents in a Fists' army, I'm actually inclined to veer away from the shiny Grav cannons in favour of the ever reliable Lascannons and Missile Launchers. I know a lot of people swear by Grav, but it's hard to argue with my weapon load out when considering every weapon has Tank Hunter...

Ryan: Inquisition

Ryan may be seen as a late comer to the race, but this is not so. In fact, I am probably (read definitely) to blame that it has taken so long for Ryan's models to grace this page. As the start of what I can only anticipate to be a heavily converted Inquisitorial Warband, he has put forth an Inquisitorial Rhino and four Death Cult Assassins, made from Dark Elf Witches and Tempestus Scions. In writing, that conversion sounds bizarre and a little out of place, but have a look at the models! They just work so effortlessly, and really portray these blood-hungry women in all their murderous glory! 

Jarrod: Daemons

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum comes Jarrod with his furious Khornate cavalry! These three brass bulldogs make a solid and fast moving addition to his already aggressive force, and will no doubt be reaping skulls with enthusiasm before the day is out!

Now, I'm going to close this post out with something that I don't really like talking about, but it seems to be necessary, given the circumstances. With Facebook's algorithms being what they are, this Facebook page will be phased out of your newsfeed unless you actively are involved with it. This is a practical, if at times frustrating, function. My point is, basically, if you enjoy reading this blog, and wish to see posts made by the Rune Axe Facebook page, be sure to "Like" said posts if you enjoyed them! That way, when the next post comes along, Facebook knows to show you. 

I don't like to bring it up and I'm certainly not trying to 'click bait' anyone. Just working towards building a healthy, positive and ever-expanding hobby community. And I sincerely hope you join me for the journey!

And lastly, I have just arrived home from my first game with the Orks in a narrative campaign, and I can say that I got a convincing win over some filthy Renegades, despite my warlord getting gunned down by two las-guns in the dying moments of the game. I didn't have time to put together a battle report but I will be sure to do so for my next game, so that you can share in the fun and laugh at the lack of discipline display by my rowdy greenskins!

Thank you so very much for reading!

Gabriel

 

#36: Hobby Butterfly...

I'm going to be honest. My desk has projects from seven different armies. I have a pair of Rat Ogres to add to Clan Itchit, a Devastator Squad from my Crimson fists, an Ork Warboss for an upcoming 40k campaign, a handful of Slannesh Hellstriders for my Warriors army, a Word Bearers Helbrute, a total of eleven Necron Destroyers and a smattering of models from a variety of other projects. 

I'm really struggling to hold focus on a single project at the moment. 

But enough about my attention span and its shortness. 

Let's talk about upcoming stuff! Next week is Stage 2 of our 40k army builder challenge. 500 points, including your big, bad warlord! I'm optimistic that I'll actually hit this deadline! I have minor details left to touch up on the Devastator squad, packing four missile launchers, then just their dedicated Razorback to click over that 500pt mark! 

One big project that I am about to embark on is building a gaming table and painting up a full table's worth of terrain. Terrain is one thing that often gets neglected in this hobby, where so much focus is naturally upon the models and not their environment. 

I've been tossing up what landscape to focus on. Turns out that my armies made this choice very easily. My Grey Knights, Crimson Fists and Necrons are all based in desert schemes. So, a sandy desert world my table shall be!

The plan is to have the board in two rough 'halves'. One end will be a heavily defended, trench-heavy defence line. I will probably use a lot of Wall of Martyr products as well as a few supply dumps, weapon caches and fuel depots. The other half will be scattered with craters, tank traps, razor wire and a few shattered ruins to represent no-mans-land on some far-flung battlefield. Hopefully this table will look like a well thought out scene, rather than just a table with some hodge-podge terrain spaced out here and there.  

I'll probably invest in a desert Fat Mat, purely because they are affordable, practical and they look amazing! A lot of Youtubers and Vloggers use them, and it's easy to see why. 

This leads me to my next piece of news, and by far the most exciting announcement I've had the pleasure of making in the history of the blog. I, and a small team of people, are going to be launching into the big, new world of video content! This ties a lot of recent decisions together, as I'm prioritising a gaming table, painting up armies to a high standard and decent points level. It's going to be a big challenge, but hopefully we can conquer each challenge that comes our way! This is a decision that is for the community! I want to get people involved and play some great games and showcase some great armies! 

Apologies to everyone as well for my pervcieved absence! Facebook being what it is, some articles have not had the coverage they usually receive! But fear not, I'm not going anywhere soon. 

Thanks for reading,

Gabriel

#35: Progress in painting...

Over the last week, I have had a lot of spare time for a variety of reasons, and so I've taken that opportunity by the horns and have been cranking out the painting! I've had my fair share of challenges, but battling my ever-wandering attention span, I managed to focus on priority projects. The first was my Crimson Fists army. 

Determined to keep on top of this challenge and not let it defeat me, I vowed to stay ahead of the deadline!

I always like to focus on mandatory elements of the army first, usually taking the form of a HQ (in the form of my captain from last week) and two troops. This gives me a chassis upon which to build my force, and means I can play legal games with painted models! The first of these troops came in the form of a five-man Tactical Squad packing a plasma gun and a combi-plasma on the veteran Sergeant. 

To accompany them, I backed them up with a Razorback, which will eventually be free! I'm pleasantly surprised at how quick this paint scheme is to paint and I take comfort knowing that I can smash out units pretty quickly to a decent tabletop standard. Onward, the sons of Dorn.

The second project I am tackling is my massive Skaven army. Now that Age of Sigmar is my gaming group's staple game for the Fantasy genre, I was torn as to what army to make my primary force. After a lot of indecision, I chose Skaven because while their models are incredible, I always considered them an awfully daunting army to paint, purely based on the model count. 

But thanks to Age of Sigmar's much smaller game sizes, fielding a fully painted verminous army is not an unreasonable ask. 

The Island of Blood models were the perfect place to start. While the models are probably considered "common-place", there is no denying that they are fantastic quality models. Starting with the basics and focusing on narrative, I painted up Warlord Itchit, an ambitious young chieftain who is attempting to establish himself as a political and military force within the Skaven empire. While his clan is still small and far from influential, his acquisition of a Warpfire Thrower, however the means, has given his clan a bit of martial impact within the hordes of his verminous kin. 

I'm really looking forward to tackling this army on a big scale and forging a narrative to progress alongside the model collection. 

What army have you chosen to focus on for Age of Sigmar?

Thanks for reading,

Gabriel

#34: Heroes of the Grim-Dark...

Photos have begun rolling in, and characters are standing up to represent the forces that will follow them in coming months. 

If you wish to participate in this challenge, it's still not too late! 

But, in a bid to waste no time, here are a few of the entries! 

Tim: Ultramarines

The first character, and champion of the Imperium, is Brother-Librarian Gabriel of the Ultramarines. This new plastic Terminator Librarian is a fantastic lay dynamic model, and the stark contrast between the rich red and royal blue is only accentuated by the flash of green glow effect on his outstretched gauntlet. There is also a great amount of detail taken on the ancient tome atop his armour. Ultramarines have always been the mainstay of the Imperium's military might, and it's a pleasure to see them represented in this challenge!

Kriston: Mordian 213th

This Redcoat command squad is charged with garrisoning an isolated outpost on an Ork-infested savannah world. They are constantly in conflict with roving green skin warbands, but with the help of some long-ranged artillery, they are capable of shattering an assault before it reaches the outer defences of their stronghold. It's wonderful to see an Astra Militarum army comprising of one of the discontinued regiments. 

Matthew: Dark Eldar

Varik the Flayer is the malicious leader of a marauding Kabal, intent upon ascension in power within Commorrah, and afraid of no action to further that agenda! Varik's rise to power has been rapid and bloody, leaving no small body count of murdered rivals upon the way. 

Jarrod: Denizens of the Warp

Taking this challenge by the horns, Jarrod has tackled painting the biggest model he could get his hands on! This towering Bloodthirster stands head and shoulders over almost everything else on the battlefield, and his vibrant colours challenges you to avert your eyes from his fiery form! I am incredibly impressed at the insane level of attention lavished on such a big model in such a short space of time! Bravo, good sir!

Jamie: Squats

By far the quirkiest army to join the challenge so far, Jamie has tackled the notorious Squat armies of old in a series of hilarious conversions that will inevitably make their way onto this blog in the near future. Using the Space marine Codex as the chassis upon which to build the army, this classic White Dwarf model from space will stand in as a Space Marine Captain with a thunder hammer. The backstory behind this army is fascinating as well, based on a military force dedicated to bounty hunting and salvage missions, as well as some activities of more questionable honour. 

Gabriel: Crimson Fists

Lastly, my entry. Brother-Captain Santiago. It only seemed fitting to give him a Power Fist, and I've used a lot of components from the Sternguard kit to give him a regal visage. I also decided to mount him on one of the new oval bases, which on its own, makes him like much more threatening! 

Again, this journey has not closed its doors to participants, so if you'd like to join in, it's not too late!

Thanks for reading,

Gabriel

#33: Sons of Dorn...

So, for those of you who are unaware, the deadline for the painting challenge Warlord stage has been extended to this coming Sunday as a few participants are tackling monstrous creatures as their Warlords! This gives everyone (including myself) a bit of breathing room to put the final details on our glorious heroes!

As we approach the first stage of the challenge, foresight is a valuable thing and I have been investing a fair bit of time into list building and future-proofing my army! With the release of the newest Marine codex, the obvious framework for my 1000pt list is of course the Demi-company formation.

In this formation, I must take a Captain (sadly not Pedro Kantor, as he is a Chapter Master), three tactical squads, an assault or bike squad, and a devastator or devastator centurion squad. There is also the option to include a command squad and a dreadnaught, neither of which I could comfortably fit in a thousand points and still meet the requirements effectively, so they would have to wait. 

I tackled the tactical squads first. I am typically not a huge fan of minimum sized squads, but given the restrictions, I was more inclined toward this course of action. I purchased three five man tactical squads, arming two with a plasma gun and combi-plasma, while the third wielded a melta gun and combi-melta to deal with any armour I might come across. As mentioned in my previous post, I was excited to use Sternguard models as my sergeants, as not only are they incredibly detailed models, but the kit comes with more than enough combi weapons for an entire company!

For my mandatory heavy support squad, I reluctantly steered away from Centurions purely because of cost. Points are tight and I had to cut costs wherever I could! I opted instead for a five-man Devastator squad with four missile launchers. With the added bonus of Tank Hunters from the Fists' chapter tactics, this squad gives me some long range armour-busting abilities. The missile launcher is also pretty flexible, able to drop drags on big mobs of infantry. 

In the essence of future proofing my army, I invested in four Razorbacks for the previously mentioned squads. When I go to two Demi companies, these will all be free, so I figured I'd drop the points on them now! I purchased two with the stock Heavy Bolters for some added anti-infantry firepower, while the other two, I upgraded with the classic Lascannon/Twin-linked Plasma Gun combo. 

My next choice was my fast attack slot. I genuinely considered Assault Marines, but I am a huge fan of Bike Squads. I chose a squad of six bikers, and geared them up with two melta guns and a power fist (which seems a fitting choice). 

This left me with my Captain. It was an easy choice for me to mount him on a Bike, making my Bike Squad a perfect bodyguard. This was the most logical place for him. I stacked on some extra protection with a suit of Artificier Armour, and close combat punch with a Power Fist. This build makes my Captain one tough nut to crack! A 2+ armour save, a 4++ invulnerable from his Iron Halo, and an extra point of toughness (making him more resistant to being Instant Deathed) makes him seriously hard to kill! 

That rounds out my list. The Fist bonuses to my boltguns add a bit of firepower but the real bonus comes from my Formation! Objective Secured on every unit means I can be much more competitive in objective games. The Tactical Doctrine is also a great tool, and I will probably drop it on the turn that I plan on firing the most Plasma shots, reducing the risk of overheating! 

Lastly, thanks to a well-timed White Dwarf article, Crimson Fists now get their own Warlord traits! They are as follows...

1: Feel No Pain

2: Counter-attack and Stubborn

3: Hatred and Preffered Enemy (Orks)

4: If your Warlord doesn't shoot or run in the shooting phase, a friendly model within 12" may use his ballistic skill 

5: Eternal freakin' Warrior

6: Warlord and all friendly Crimson Fists within 12" are Fearless

All in all, this is a very solid table to roll on! #3 is a little situational, but the other five are all fantastic, and fit the Crimson Fists perfectly! I wholeheartedly plan on rolling on this table for every single one of my games!

What army are you tackling for the challenge? If you are keen to have your Warlords shown in next week's blog, be sure to send a great photo my way! I look forward to seeing all these projects come into their own!

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Gabriel