First post in a while, but I hope there are many more to come.
eBay picture of three Adeptus Arbites models with boltguns I woneBay picture of two Adeptus Arbites models I won. One has a bolter and the other has a grenade launchereBay picture of four Adeptus Arbites models with boltguns I won
I recently won a couple of eBay auctions and I’m looking forward to receiving 9 Adeptus Arbites models soon. I’ve been eyeing these models since I played 2nd Edition of 40k. They’ve been “out of print” for a LONG time so I’m happy to pick up several because I really like how they look.
I was thinking of fielding them as Inquisition Acolytes with Carapace Armour, but I recently started thinking of fielding them as Astra Militarum veterans with the “Grenadier Doctrine” which equips them all with carapce armour. I could still attach an Inquisitor as an Independent Character to either. Here’s how they compare.
Inquisitional Acolytes
Astra Militarum Veterans
Unit Type
Elites
Troops
WS
3
3
BS
3
4
Leadership
8
7 (8 with sergeant)
Points for 10 models
80 points
75 points
The biggest difference is how they play in the rules: As Inquisitional Acolytes, they are elites rather than troops, so they lose the “objective secured” special rule. And Inquisition Acolytes can’t take Orders. But, the Inquisition has access to nicer toys like Boltguns for all, and Storm Shields.
Their transports are a little different too. An advantage to the Inquisition Chimera is that it’s 10 points cheaper, and can have 5 units fire its fire point instead of the AM which only has two. The AM has the lasgun arrays, but they aren’t very special.
Inquisition Chimera
Astra Militarum Chimera
Base Cost
55
65
Searchight
1
0 (included)
Dozer Blade
5
5
The Inquisition Chimera could also have Psybolt ammo for 5 points more, which could make it very dangerous with two heavy bolters firing three S6 AP4 shots each!
I suppose I have to choose first though. Inquisition doesn’t have access to grenade launchers for some reason, so I’ll have to modify that model. And If they have bolters they have to be Inquisition. An Inquisition Acolyte with carapace armour and a boltgun is 9 points. A Tactical Squad Space Marine is 14! Perhaps if I run them as Inquisition I’ll probably give most of them storm bolters. Only 11 points each then!
Or, as Astra Militarum veterans, I’d have to remove their bolters and give them lasguns or shotguns.
I bought this Ogryn model for Nork Deddog as part of another wave of eBay purchases. I’m not very fond of the new, plastic model for Nork Deddog, so finding a version of the old, medal model made me pretty happy.
Original Nork Deddog model, primed white
I tried to follow a similar colour scheme to the rest of my infantry models. But I did make it a point to give him big medal shoulder pads. And I have him a beret. A soft fabric hat seemed ironically appropriate for a brutal giant assigned as a bodyguard!
Tactics:
He makes a very interesting character to add to a command squad. At 85 points he’s more expensive than a Chimera! So, obviously in a mechanized list, he’s not useful points. But, as Imperator Guides states, he can be very valuable in the right deployment.
In my previous games, my command squad was decimated in close combat, and my commander murdered in close combat challenges. This powerful, very tough, close combat-oriented character can now absorb challenges that would normally decimate my commander. And his Heroic Sacrifice special rule is rather ridiculous: If slain in close combat, he gets to make all his attacks (again if he already hasn’t) before he expires!
He also makes a very efficient meat-shield. He has look-out so he can take a wound for another character, including the regimental advisers. Having Feel No Pain almost replaces the need for a medic. And 3 wounds with T5 and 4+ armour save is nothing to sneeze about!
Nork Deddog with a Company Command Squad
He also looks interesting as part of the Command Squad. Like other Ogryns, he’s head and shoulders bigger than all humans. So, he looks like the most intimidating character in the group, even though he’s “merely” a bodyguard.
I look forward to using him in combat and taking down enemies with his “thunderous headbutt”
I ordered this set of Regimental Advisors through an independent Tabletop Hobby store. Although I saved a few bucks, it took a month to be delivered, so I won’t be going back to them.
After reading about the Regimental Advisors in the Codex and some tactics blogs, I decided I had to have them as options to add to my Company Command Squad.
Regimental Advisors in the back row flanked by a command squad and Basilisk
Astropath
I feel like I’m going to add this character to my Company Command Squad (CCS) in every game I play. He’s the cheapest psyker in the game at only 25 points, easy warp-charge points. And he generates his powers from Telekinesis discipline which the Primaris Psyker can’t.
My Astropath Regimental Advisor
Master of Ordnance
The Master of Ordinance (MoO) is an interesting character. He’s a T3 single wound character for 20 points. But, he has the ability to call a S9 AP3 Large BlastBARRAGEattack down anywhere on the board. The problem is it’s likely to scatter 3D6″! And since the attack counts as Ordnance, he has to remain stationary. A odd tradeoff, but could be handy for a static CCS.
Master of Ordinance on the back of a Basilisk (being blinded by my camera’s flash)
Master of Ordinance on the back of a BasiliskMaster of Ordinance on the back of a Basilisk with a command squad in the foreground
Officer of the Fleet
The Officer of the fleet (OoF) is character I don’t plan on using, but I’m glad to have.
Upon passing a leadership test, this character improves your reserve rolls by one (so 3+ on a D6), or reduces your opponents reserve rolls by 1 (5+ on D6). This is stack able with other modifiers like a Comms Relay, Emperor’s Tarot, or another Officer of the Fleet. I don’t think this is all that great, especially since the leadership test will only be successful about 50% of the time for this character.
However, from the moment I saw this model, I knew how I wanted to paint him. I hope it’s painfully obvious.
My officer of the fleet. I hope you can recognize his resemblance to a certain Starfleet Officer (hint, see vessel in the background)
Uses and Tactics
I was planning on usually having my CCS in a Chimera, which is fine for protection, issuing orders, and firing a witchfire power. However, if the tank moves at all that turn, it eliminates the ability for my MoO to fire.
Alternatively, I may have my CCS stationary hiding in cover or behind a blob squad. In that case, I’ll either have to be strategic about being stationary, or make use of a trick like the “Forward For The Emperor” order or hope my warlord rolls “Relentless” to make use of the MoO’s attack.
This chimera is one of the oldest models I own. I bought the kit for this Chimera at the Grand Opening of the Games Workshop at the Eaton’s Centre in Toronto around 1998. It’s one of the few times Warhammer models were all discounted! The store has since closed, but I still have the tank and treasure it.
Chimera “Eaton” before its update
The paint colours reflect the colour scheme I had for my Imperial Guard forces at the time: Black with blue and red trim.
Old Imperial Guard models whose uniforms inspired the old colour scheme for Chimera “Eaton”
My new forces have a distinctly different colour palate. My new infantry models are grey with black and gold trim. I will probably get around to re-painting those old models too, but my mechanized army made me prioritize getting the vehicles up to spec more quickly.
Rather than re-painting the black hull Administratum Grey to look like my other Chimera, I decided to flip the colours a bit. I left the hull black, and gave it gold and grey trim. And I’m really happy with the result!
Chimera “Eaton” with its new paintjob
Chimera “Eaton” with its new colours, side view
Nameplate of Chimera “Eaton”. It says “Espandor VII” in a highly stylized font. I don’t remember what that was supposed to mean, but I decided to leave it.
I found that the gold on black looked really, really sharp. I’m tempted to paint others to look like it, but then I decided this should be a special tank.
The only physical change I made was to switch out the pintle-mounted storm bolter with a heavy stubber. Most tactics I’ve read suggest the heavy stubber over the storm bolter. They’re the same points, and although the heavy stubber is weaker and has a poorer AP, it fires 3 shots instead of 2, which is really important, especially if snap-shooting.
Chimera Eaton Before(left) and After (right)
I’m glad to (re-)introduce Chimera “Eaton” with its new colour scheme. I plan on using it as a stationary “pillbox” for a command squad. That way they are kept safe, the commander can still issue orders, and the tank can fire all of its weapons with full ballistic skill.
I first mentioned my new Basilisk in this post. This has by far been my favourite model to build so far.
Basikisk parts as they arrived from the eBay order: Partially assembled and unpainted
Partially assembled Basilisk
As I mentioned in this post, the parts weren’t complete so I had to partially disassemble and re-assemble the Hellhound and Basilisk so that there would be enough parts for both. Part of the puzzle was that they supports for the Basilisk’s Earthshaker Cannon weren’t included. So I improvised using some spare parts.
After I started painting, I realized I wanted to do something special for this tank. The Earthshaker Cannon is so iconic of the Imperial GuardAstra Militarum that and unsubtle that I felt it needed something. I wanted to make it something I would be personally proud of. And that meant going back to my Engineering roots and adding some electronics and circuitry.
I wanted to make the gun light up and make sounds. The simplest way to do this would be to scavenge the speaker, light, battery and control circuitry from a Dollarama Toy Gun. I got the below toy for $3 (plus tax).
Dollarama Toy Gun that was scavenged for parts
I must admit, I had a lot of fun exploring the device. It was kind of like an autopsy or a dissection of a mysterious object.
Dismantled toy gun showing speaker, integrated circuit, vibrating motor, light, and wiring
Taking it apart, I discovered it wasn’t very complicated. There was a tiny integrated circuit that handled the noise generation. Connected to the circuit was a simple speaker and a LED. There was also a motor that made the gun vibrate. I wanted to use that to make the tank shake, but it was pretty bulky and heavy.
Detail of internal parts of Toy Gun
Toy gun’s integrated circuit I scavenged for the lights controller and sound
I decided I wasn’t going to use the vibrating motor thing. But the light and sound were very necessary and I was looking forward to using them.
Simplified circuit of lights and sound for my Basilisk tank
Actually fitting the electronics into the tank was trickier than I expected. The inside of the tank is actually quite small, so there isn’t much room to work with.
The tank came mostly assembled from the person I purchased it from on eBay, so I actually had to break the tank apart to get inside.
Disassembled Basilisk Tank
I mangled the battery holder from the toy gun and shoved it into the tank. The batteries are surprisingly bulky! At the same time, I slid the speaker into the forward section below the ‘hatch’, positioned the integrated circuit chip behind the battery, and made sure that the control wires and LED light were free to reach the outside of the tank.
Crafting the battery holder and other parts into the inside of the tank.
I punched a crude hole int he top of the tank so that the light and control wires would come out. The idea was that the wires would come up just below the Earthshaker Cannon so that they could go into it with minimal distraction.
Crafting station
The LED went into the cannon from behind, and I installed a momentary pushbutton on the back of the cannon. I rather like the way the barrel of the cannon lights up!
It lights up!!
After all that fancy assembly, I needed to finish the paint job to make it presentable. It’s mostly just Administratum Grey with Auric Armour Gold highlights, like the rest of my army. However, I’m proud of how the wash on the skulls and wings on the top of the guard turned out.
New basilisk, front viewNew basilisk, left side view. You can see the pushbutton on the back of the cannon.New basilisk, rear view. The pushbutton doesn’t stand out much, which was the idea.
New basilisk, right side view
Why did I name this tank Bertha? Well, it’s a very unsubtle tank, so I thought it deserved an unsubtle name. And, there’s the historical Big Bertha.
I really enjoy that it’s an ‘active’ electronic model. I plan to incorporate electronics of some sort into future tanks.
My biggest regret is probably that the battery is inaccessible inside the tank. Changing the batteries is all but impossible, and I’m worried about a leak eventually. It’s something I’ll keep in mind for future projects.
Basilisk Tactics:
Both Grumpy Guardsman and Imperator Guides agree that the Basilisk is iconic but not particularly competitive. The main blast is a very impressive S9 AP3 large blast. However, the barrage rules give it lots of trouble. Its minimum range is a whopping 36″ which means it can’t use the Barrage rule within that distance. And scattering 2D6-3″ means it’s pretty likely to miss its target.
Another new tank from that big eBay purchase all those months ago. It started like a a Chimera manufactorum, but I’m starting to make my way through the backlog and starting to field an army of tanks!
My tank factory (or Chimera Manufactorum). Most of these tanks are finished now
I’ve already published posts about my new transports Taurox “Lechon” and Chimera “Dauntless“. Today’s post is about my first non-transport tank: A Hellhound I’ve named “Cerberus”.
Construction
Just putting this together was a bit of a puzzle. The eBay package I bought of 3 tanks wasn’t exactly complete. The model that I assume was supposed to be the Hellhound was missing several tank track links. To remedy that, I pulled the track covers off of the Basilisk model and used them to cover the gaps in the tracks of the Hellhound. I have to admit that putting this puzzle together was pretty fun!
Unassembled parts of original Hellhound (left) and Basilisk (right). I moved the track covers from the Basilisk to the Hellhound to cover up missing tank track links.
There were other pieces missing like the top hatch and front window. I cut up a random piece of plastic to simulate the top hatch and used some liquid green stuff to fill in the gaps. For the front hatch, there was a mount for a heavy bolter in the Chimera kit which I wasn’t using. It looks like a sensor array in the front, which I rather like.
It wasn’t fun to clean up the mess of glue. The model seemed to be covered in a lot of cheap glue, perhaps even from a hot glue gun. I think I chipped off most of it.
Painting
I stayed with the same grey, black and gold colour scheme that I’ve used on my infantry, chimera, and taurox.
Work in progress on Hellhound
To make this vehicle unique, I freehand painted some flames on the front and on the back door.
First layer of flame detailShowing flame detail (and some liquid green stuff filling holes)
The tank commander kind of came together by accident, but I really like how he turned out. I used a head leftover from my Taurox kit. I think it was meant for the driver if it was a Taurox Prime driven by a Tempestus Scion with the gasmask. I also gave him a baton from the Command Squad sprue.
Tactics:
I followed the advice of Grumpy Guardsman on this post and equipped my Hellhound with a multi-melta. It is one of the few ways Astra Militarum can field this powerful weapon. However, I’ve used it in a battle already, and the BS3 of the hellhound makes it rather unreliable to hit.
I can also field this as a Devil Dog where the main gun is a 24″ blast melta. That would make quite a tank hunter!
I have parts to make a second one, so I’ll probably follow Imperator Guides’ advice and make one with a hull flamer and a pintle-mounted heavy stubber. Being a fast vehicle I can fire two weapons at once, so if the hull heavy flamer is out of range I can still use the heavy stubber.
Name Origin:
I thought of a few different names, and Cerberus is the one that stuck. From Greek and Roman mythology, Cerberus is the name of the eponymous Hellhound of Hades. It’s also the name of a somewhat sinister organization in the Mass Effect series of games.
Another addition to my mechanized army: A new Chimera!! I got it from an eBay purchase several months ago. It was completely un-assembled when I got it so it was fun to put together.
Partially completed Chimera
I originally thought of giving it white “Tiger Stripes” but it didn’t look very good, so I went back to the matte grey like the rest of my army.
I also made a conscious decision to keep it as simple as possible. The base model is 65 points so I left it at that. It’s a fairly versatile tank like this because it already includes a searchlight and smoke launchers. I can always add more features later.
Chimera “Dauntless”. Front view
Chimera “Dauntless”. Detail of nameplate
Chimera “Dauntless”. Side view
Chimera “Dauntless”. Rear view with guardsman exciting the hatch
Chimera “Dauntless”. Rear/side view with guardsman and Techpriest
Chimera “Dauntless”. Front View
Chimera “Dauntless”. Detail of “Tank Commander”
As you can see in the below photos, even though the design of each vehicle is quite different, the Chimera and Taurox look like their part of the same army by virtue of their similar colour schemes.
Imperator Guides and Grumpy Guardsman each have great tactics articles on the Chimera. I plan on using this as a “meltavets” Chimera with a squad of veterans and two meltaguns that can can fire out of the top hatch. It could also be an effective mobile command vehicle with a company command squad or platoon command squad inside with an officer, vox-caster and couple of special weapons like meltaguns or plasma guns.
I bought this as part of my big $120 order to get the Web Exclusive Space Marine Captain. The Taurox is a new vehicle for the Astra Militarum that isn’t getting a lot of love. I was looking forward to building and painting it during my vacation a couple of months ago.
I’m was agonizing over whether I want to play it as a regular Taurox or a Taurox Prime, and after fielding it once as a Prime, I’ve decided to make it a regular Taurox.
As a regular Astra Militarum Taurox, it’s a cheap transport with the ability to transport a 10-model squad. It also comes with twin-Iinked autocannons. However, it has no fire points which is a bit of a drag, and it lacks the Chimera’s capacity to add a couple independent characters and also lacks the chimera’s special rule of mobile command vehicle, so I won’t be placing a command squad in it. Imperator Guides has a really good blog post talking about the Taurox.
For only 30 more points, I can upgrade it to a Taurox Prime. That adds a nifty battle cannon and it becomes a fast vehicle which can move 12″ per turn and fire both weapons. However, it can only be taken by Militarum Tempestus Scions, which I find very expensive to field.
Construction
Since I bought this vehicle new, it started as merely a collection of sprues.
Collection of sprues that would become a Taurox
I spent a lot of time making a detailed interior. I probably shouldn’t have bothered because it wound up being completely enclosed and hidden anyways.
Taurox under construction
It was a fun model to build. The instructions were clear and
Its first iteration was as a Taurox Prime with the gatling gun.
Taurox Prime with Gatling Gun
As I discovered in the battle against Andrew, the Taurox Prime didn’t do much and neither did the mandatory Scions that had to go with them. So, I converted it to a regular Astra Militarum Taurox.
Astra Militarum Taurox with Twin-Linked AutocannonsTaurox “Lechon”. Front View.Taurox “Lechon”. Front/side View.Taurox “Lechon”. Back View.Taurox “Lechon”. Side View.Taurox “Lechon” with Chimera “Dauntless”
Why did I call it “Lechon”? Well, Lechon means Roast Pig in Spanish and many spanish-based languages, including Tagalog. And apparently, it’s also the national dish of the Philippines! Many early reviews referred to the Taurox as a “Spider-Pig”. And, when I played Pokémon W2, I started with a Tepig which I named Lechon.
Omnissiah be praised! Bless these machine spirits!!
And I probably should have stopped there until I finished my backlog which now includes about 25 infantry and these two tanks. But no, I made one more purchase…
eBay lot of 3 incomplete tanks, a Chimera, Basilisk and Hellhound
The lot consisted of parts for 3 Imperial Guard tanks: A Chimera, a Hellhound, and a Basilisk. I thought it was too good a lot to let go.
I’m looking forward to having a heavily mechanized army now. When it’s all assembled, I’ll have the following vehicles:
I went to my local Games Workshop on the afternoon of July 13 planning to play a beginner league game. The person I was planning to play was already engaged in a game, but someone recommended I play Andrew’s Blood Angles at 1000 points. I was there and ready to go, so I accepted. I hastily added models to my army to make 1000 points. I should have examined what he was fielding…
This was actually my first battle of 7th Edition Warhammer 40,000. A good learning experience since I expect I’ll be facing a lot of Space Marines in the future.
My troops well entrenched within a ruined building
My army consisted of the following:
Two Company Command Squads, one with a lascannon
Three veteran squads
Chimera
6 Stormtroopers in a Taurox Prime
9 Ratlings
5 Rough Riders
Techpriest Engiseer
2 Psykers (ML2)
Andrew fielded a very daunting Blood Angels Death Company Force
Reclusiam Chaplain
Librarian
8 Death Company Space Marines
Dreadnought in Drop Pod
Land Raider
Vindicator
Imperial Guardsmen engage Blood Angels Death Company Space Marines. the close combat goes VERY badly for the guardsmen…
I wrote the following little bit of fluff for the Narritive League giving a more dramatic review of the battle.
Orders were orders. The Munitorum had ordered the Commander’s detachment to hold the square and eliminate any forces that tried to cross it. The square was the only clear path through what was left of the sprawling settlement, so it had been a strategic choke point against the enemy.
The square was now far back of the front lines, but the Commander’s Imperial Guard troops continued to follow orders. From well-entrenched positions, they attacked anyone who tried to cross it: Enemies, allies, and Imperial Citizens. The square was now logistically vital for getting supplies to the new front lines, but the guardsmen continued to follow orders.
This could have all been avoided if the Munitorum had rescinded or clarified their orders. But, the Imperium being what it was, the Guardsmen continued firing on anyone trying to cross the square.
The inglorious task of unseating these loyal yet foolish guardsmen fell to a detachment from the Blood Angel’s Death Company. Approaching quickly with a Land Raider and Vindicator, they seized the opportunity to attack.
An entire squad of loitering guardsmen were obliterated by the opening blast from the Vindicator’s Demolisher Cannon. These tanks were more like mobile fortresses and quickly eliminated the weapons that posed the greatest threat to them.
A dreadnought deployed by drop-pod caused havoc and confusion in the guardsmen’s lines. But it was brought down with by a torrent of disciplined fire.
The guardsmen had little time to lick their wounds or repair their damaged vehicles as the Land Raider deployed its deadly cargo of Death Company Space Marines. They brutally tore through a squad of guardsmen. The marines shrugged off dozens of lasgun blasts and surged forward, scaling a ruin to cleanse it of the troops entrenched within.
Meanwhile, the Vindicator and seemingly invincible Land Raider continued to harry entrenched Ratlings and guardsmen. The Astra Militarum troops had the advantage of cover, but without a means to penetrate the heavy armour, it was only a matter of time before attrition took them all.
Finally on the roof of the ruin, the Chaplain leading the Space Marines challenged the Commander to single combat.
“I’m only following orders!” bellowed the commander.
“So am I,” the Chaplain coolly replied. With a mighty blow from his Crozius Arcanum, the Chaplain felled not only the Commander, but also his entire Command Squad.
From atop the ruin, the Chaplain had a clear view of the square. The remaining Imperial Guard forces were either fleeing or slain. The Chaplin’s thrill and satisfaction from the kill momentarily faded to melancholy. What madness must haunt the Universe for loyal Imperial forces to slay each other over an administrative error?
Looking over the ruins, the Chaplain quietly whispered: “You are relieved, Commander.”
Death Company Space Marines about the scale the ruin
The less fluffy version of the story? Bad news:
The Vindicator destroyed 9 of 10 models in a squad with one shot! Woah! (I’m getting one for my Imperial Fists Army…)
The Space Marines tore through my guardsman in close combat like tissue paper!
The Land Raiders AV14 armour seems almost impenetrable. Strength 3 lasguns don’t stand for much.
Space Marine power armour can take an obscene amount of punishment
My plasma weapons caused more damage to me than my opponent
Psychic phase is very random. I don’t think the ML2 psykers casting Precedence was worth the points, especially since veterans hit on 3+ anyways. I also rolled for the Misfortune power which causes Rending, but even that doesn’t add much.
The Tempestus Scions (stormtroopers) were almost useless. AP3 is nice, but it’s only Strength 3, and the Death Company had Feel No Pain anyways, so it was like they still had an armour save.
Good Lessons Learned
Because of their stealth, Ratlings in ruin get 3+ cover save. Very nice! And as infiltrators they can camp and harass infantry throughout the game.
The Rough Riders were surprisingly effective at close combat. I regret holding them in reserve.
Orders worked quite well. The Vox-casters came in handy.
My vehicles were surprisingly sturdy. I should have let my troops hide in there much longer in hopes of avoiding death by CC!
Techpriest was handy: Power of the Machine Spirit was nice for restoring full BS to an extra vehicle weapon. And he did constant repairs to the Chimera.
If I were fighting such an armour heavy army again, I’d equip a squad or two with the Demolitions doctrine so that they could use Melta Bombs against tanks. The Rough Riders could have caused a mess with Melta Bombs too.
At one point I had a squad set off a torrent of 21 twin-linked lasgun shots (7 lasguns, rapid fire, rank fire order, precedence). Regrettably, that caused only 1 wound! Rather disappointing. Perhaps a less tough infantry-based army would suffer more from the onslaught…
Hope you enjoyed the report!
My Warhammer 40,000 Blog featuring Imperial Guard, Space Marine and Inquisitor Models
