Dropzone Commander - Battle Royale

This past Saturday, Bryan and I decided (once again) to wage war in the 27th millennium of Hawk Wargames 10mm Sci-fi universe.

Initially it was to be a simple 2 player Battle Royale (winner determined by the points value of the enemy models he has eliminated). But the game expanded to include Solomon's Scourge and Howard's fresh out of the packaging Shaltari. So we instead played a four corners, 1,200 points a player, all faction brawl. However this quickly degenerated into the UCM and PHR facing off (once again) on one side of the city and the two alien races meeting in the open plaza to exchange fire.

Here we see my Post-Human Republic task-force from the Heroic 7th Fleet getting in the face of Bryan's freshly painted ignorant fools... I mean United Colonies of Mankind army.

In the Purple corner we have the terrifying, parasitically controlled, bio-mechanical vehicles of the Scourge.

And in the final (colour-to-be-determined) corner we have the enigmatic Shaltari of an unknown Tribe.

 An overview of the early stages of conflict.

The building you see marked on the lower-right of the photo below is a vantage point, granting double-range for infantry units firing their weapons from it. As you can see it is currently occupied by 2 squads of UCM legionnaires. This was soon to change.

Due to Superior Covert Intelligence, (a fortunate command card draw) and consummate Dropship piloting skill (Bryan's legionnaires failing to damage my Triton light dropship as it deployed my Sirens) my PHR Immortals and Sirens gained entry to the building, slaying all but 7 (of 30) of the hapless UCM troops. Moments later a Shaltari Spirit Gate appeared outside and 6 Firstborn joined the melee.

Which was great because: A) The UCM troops got wiped out, B) We figured out how to fight a three-way close quarters combat, and C) We now know precisely how much to fear and respect Shaltari elite troops (a heck of a lot!).

By the end of the battle the bulk of the Scourge forces were just microwaved smears on the pavement, and the UCM Captain had decided after losing half his force to withering rail-gun fire that discretion was the better part of valour and vacated the city.

The PHR and Shaltari split the spoils and called it a day, leaving the littered battle-field in search of future glory!

Eldar Lynx - Complete!

...well almost. I still have the "tattoo" to paint on the right-side front panels, but other than that it's done.

Eldar Lynx - Work in Progress

This stunning model and the equally excellent Hornet, were the primary catalyst in getting me back into the world of table-top Warhammer 40,000.

However, if I'd known prior to purchasing these kits how "challenging" they would be to assemble I may not have been so eager! Be prepared to spend a significant amount of time straightening the resin pieces and locating and filling bubbles and pits with Green Stuff. All that said, the extra time spent in prep does provide a great incentive to put in some extra effort on the paint-job as well.

Shall we begin?

First up we have the Lynx model already well under way.

The Pulsar Cannon (and associated accelerator/power converter on the rear) are fully painted. These two parts are magnetized, so that I could in theory change the cannon for the Sonic Lance. In reality I did it so I can bump the weapon during play and not worry about it breaking off!

The basic armour panel blue is Army Painter Crystal Blue Primer, air-brushed with the old GW Regal Blue to shade, air-brushed back up to the base colour with GW Teclis Blue then further highlighted by air-brush with GW Lothern Blue.
The undersides and engine components have been painted GW Chaos Black.
The recesses between the Blue panels are painted GW Regal Blue.
The small panels around the engine intakes have been painted GW Scorched Brown.

Next I start work on the engine intakes.

The raised grill is painted with GW Shadow Grey, then worked up to GW Space Wolf Grey to almost a pure GW Ceramite White in the centre. This is the same painting sequence used for highlighting the underside of the tank and the black engine detail.
The engine panels are based with GW Balthasar Gold, then GW Shining Gold; worked up to GW Mithril Silver as a final highlight.

The blinding orange trim has been added in GW Troll Slayer Orange, over a base of GW Ceramite White to make the orange "pop" as much as possible.
Also the canopy hinge and vent (to the side and top of the canopy respectively) have been painted in GW Chainmail then washed with GW Nuln Oil and re-highlighted with GW Chainmail.

A lot of detail gets added in this next stage.

Assuming a light source directly above and slightly forward of the tank the panels are all edge highlighted with GW Lothern Blue up to GW Space Wolf Grey and then a final highlight with a 1:1 mix of GW Space Wolf Grey and GW Ceramite White.
The gems / souls stones and the canopy are also completed*.

Soon my shiny new Super-heavy Eldar Lynx Grav-tank will be ready for the battlefield! Pictures of the (nearly) completed vehicle to be posted soon.

* I'll make a separate post on the painting sequence I use for the Purple and Red gems.

Eldar Hornet - Complete

Introducing the first of the War Machines of Craftworld Thae Anor. The Forgeworld Hornet.

The basic colour palette for my Eldar force is:

Primary Colour - GW Teclis Blue, which is almost a perfect match for Army Painter Crystal Blue. I use the Army Painter coloured spray primers on most of my models.

Secondary Colours - GW Ceramite White and GW Troll Slayer Orange. The orange is partially translucent and is affected by the colour beneath it. Because of this all of the orange areas are based with Ceramite White prior to applying orange. The Ceramite White has excellent coverage, so at most needs only three thin coats over the Crystal Blue.

Tertiary Colours - GW Chaos Black, GW Dheneb Stone, and GW Shining Gold. Chaos Black is reserved for "hidden" mechanisms, such as the linkages between wraithbone parts and the underside of vehicles. The Dheneb Stone represents raw Wraithbone - typically used on all the armies weapons. The Shining Gold is used as an accent colour on the engine intake and exhaust, and some other elements like runes and gem sockets.

Spot Colours - GW Liche Purple + GW Warlock Purple (1:1 mix), and Mephiston Red. Reserved for the (numerous!) gems and also the vehicle canopies. The purple mix is used most (about 90%) of the time.

Another Forgeworld Construct (with work-in-progress images) to follow soon...