Horus Heresy: Converted Night Lords Legion Centurion

So, I found an old finecast (shudder) Wulfrik the Wanderer in the bargain bucket at my FLGS. After looking over the model for a few minutes, I couldn't resist buying him (only £3!) to convert into a leader for my Night Lords Legion force.

Well worth the asking price I reckon!

As you can see he's absolutely festooned with skulls and bones and other assorted body parts. Just the thing for making him look like a veteran Space Marine who's been carving his way across the galaxy for centuries, spreading terror wherever he goes! In fact, there's so much detail crammed into the model that it made him somewhat difficult to paint. Just knowing where one part began and another ended was a chore in itself.


The conversion is a simple one involving swapping out both weapons for plastic Betrayal at Calth parts (yes, I know a power sword and plasma pistol is a useless combination, but it looks cool, so there!) The head was exchanged for one of those delightful White Scars helmets from Forgeworld.


The only other change was to remove some of the detail from the back and add a random Chaos backpack that I had laying around. (I know this isn't strictly correct for the era but once again, it looks cool, so there!)

Obligatory 'rear of the year' view.

As my only painted HQ choice, he sees more than his fair share of battles (for such a useless miniature with even more useless weapons.) In spite of his many deficiencies, he's often performed surprisingly well on the tabletop. Winning a game by being the only surviving miniature and beating a squad of Space Wolf terminators in close combat are at the top of his accolades.

Ooh, menacing.

It's always nice to be able to make a conversion like this, a relatively simple thing which results in a unique miniature which can be used again and again. As his legacy of tabletop victories (and defeats) grows, I hope to share some of them with you in a fictional format. Until then, Ave Dominus Nox!

Night Lords Legion: Night Raptors - Showcase

Following on from my previous article, showing off my Night Lords Terminators I thought I'd continue with a brief showcase of my Legion Night Raptors.

We have come for you!

These guys are a gorgeous set of models from Forgeworld, and the only Night Lords Legion specific unit available so far (with the exception of the Terror Squad parts which are essentially just kitbash materials). I really love the details that have been worked into these minis; the bones, skulls and scraps of flesh hanging from their armour add a really horrific feel and help them to evoke the background of the Legion.

Ave Dominus Nox!

The standard kit includes enough parts to arm the squad with a choice of two power weapons and a single Nostraman Chainglaive. I have gone a step further with these guys, including three Chainglaives within the squad and adding a cheeky hand flamer for the squad Sergeant (a bit useless but why not!?)


Combined with the unit special rules, the Chainglaives mean that these guys are capable of putting out some serious hurt in assault. Potentially 5 attacks apiece at Strength 5 and WS 5. All with AP3 and rending from the Chainglaives! Now if only I had ten of them so I could take advantage of the Legion trait - A Talent For Murder.

Death is nothing compared with vindication.

Hope you've enjoyed seeing these guys, more Night Lords to come as I update the blog this week. Until then, Stand in Midnight Clad!

Betrayal at Calth - Night Lords Terminator Showcase

Well, it had to happen eventually, I finally borrowed my bro's photography set up and managed to get some decent images of my Night Lords Cataphractii Terminators.

What do you mean that's a Volkite Caliver??

These are beautiful models and IMHO some of the best plastic Space Marines that GW have ever produced. The kit comes with a vast array of weapon options but I just had to go one step further and armed them with a selection of Volkite Chargers and a Reaper Autocannon. This was mostly in an attempt to make them effective at range whilst keeping the points cost as low as possible. Unfortunately this aim failed horribly as the kit only has options for lightning claws or power fists, so I was forced to arm them with a selection of expensive close-combat upgrades.

One of the claws in question

Despite weighing in at a hefty 243 points they have performed surprisingly well on the tabletop. The volkite chargers add a real punch at range and in close combat the addition of a chainfist and power fist for the Sergeant means they are able to crack open armoured targets fairly well. Despite being 'Slow and Purposeful' the additional 4+ Invulnerable save granted by the Cataphractii plate makes them much more survivable than regular terminators. Is it any wonder I've nearly painted the full squad?!

Close up of the power sword - nice!

The four finished members of the squad - where's No 5?

I've got a load more photos of my Night Lords to show off, so hopefully there will be more posts looking at the VIII legion this week.

Games Workshop - Dreadnought Attacks FAQ

Undoubtedly many of you have seen the faqs being issued by Games Workshop via their Warhammer 40000 facebook page. Generally, I'm delighted that GW are providing faqs for their publications in this manner. It's something the game has needed for a while, and will continue to need as the complexity of the rules and force organizations continues to grow.

Think you're a nerd? My daughter has this on her baby-grow!

However, scrolling to the end of the latest Space Wolves faq, I was met with a surprising and somewhat disappointing 'house rule' for the number of attacks on a Dreadnought stat line.




Before I start complaining bitterly (and believe me, that's what this article will most likely devolve into - feel free to jump out now) let's reminisce a little. Back in the days of 5th edition (actually, 4.5 edition if you had that dodgy pdf download rulebook - does anybody else remember that?) times were simpler. They were heady days of 500 point battles, modest miniatures collections and making the attempt to use whatever you had that was actually painted.


Back then, Dreadnoughts and their equivalents were a pretty big deal on the battlefield. There's only so much you can fit into a 500 point CAD that can even glance a Dreadnought or stand a decent chance of wounding a monstrous creature. Many times these battles culminated in a miniature 'clash of the titans' as Dreadnoughts, Carnifexes and Talos Pain Engines tore eachother apart in the middle of the field. In these clashes, there was only one possible outcome. One combatant would be utterly destroyed; the other would stagger away, horribly damaged, but usually functional enough to be the deciding factor in ultimate victory.


The point I'm trying to make is that, in a one on one scrap, these things were relatively balanced and that made them tense and exciting. The dreadnought would lumber forwards, chipping a wound from the Carnifex with it's assault cannon. In return, perhaps the Carnifex would glance the Dread with it's bio-plasma. Who would get the all important charge? And would it be enough to seal the fate of their opponent? Much trepidation and nail biting ensued as the dice were rolled and the fate of the vanquished party was sealed!


Now, with the sudden enhancement of your average Dreadnought, these types of battles are no longer so balanced, nor, exciting. Four or five power fist attacks will make mincemeat of most monstrous creatures and your average walker stands even less of a chance. A Space Marine Dreadnought charging into a Carnifex or Helbrute looks almost comical as the Dreadnought emerges victorious with perhaps a couple of scuffs to his paintwork. Meanwhile his 'towering opponent' is just a pile of scrap metal (or gooey Tyranid chutney).


Changing the balance of a unit within the game (even one that is considered to be underpowered) can have far reaching consequences. Maybe in these days of super heavies and D-weapons, these types of things are insignificant. But, for me at least, this change damages the cinematography of the game. It takes away what should be an exciting and fluffy tabletop moment; and for that reason alone, it can only be a bad thing.

Skitarii vs Necrons - Battle Report

Just over a week ago I managed to get in my first game with my fledgling Skitarii force.

It wasn't quite like this....

Those of you that may have followed the construction of this army, in its brief history, may know that it was destined for a battle against Blazmo's Necrons. (The infamous Blazmo of http://tabletopapocalypse.blogspot.co.uk/) Well, said battle took place last week and since our encounter; Blazmo has been kind enough to write it up as a short battle report.


You can check out the batrep here, together with pictures of Blazmo's gloriously painted Necrons and my woefully unpainted Skitarii.

Tabletop Apocalypse: How to be a Better Painter - Basics

A great little painting article from Blazmo, busting some painting myths and giving some useful tips. Well worth a read.

I.......I can't even......

Tabletop Apocalypse: How to be a Better Painter - Basics: The road to success, or sometimes even decent results can be long and arduous. In this series of articles I'm going to share some tricks...

Skitarii - Test model

Following my previous post on my ill-advised foray into the wold of the Adeptus Mechanicus, I am proud to present my first painted Skitarii.

The first Skitarii - Ready to die for his machine overlords

I tried a few different colour variations before settling on the above scheme. Initially I tried painting the cloaks yellow but they just looked like they were wearing raincoats! In the end, a green-blue hue is much more satisfying, complemented by brass and rakarth flesh with pink for the lenses and other small details. I can't wait to have a few more finished and to make a start on the Onager Dunecrawler from the box set.


A few more images of the completed build and test painted model below for your amusement.

Side shot - Pink purity seals for extra purity!

The Onager - MOAR heavy stubbers!!

Love this model

If only the other nine were painted too