Friday 23 October 2020

Adeptus Titanicus - Legio Fureans Warbringer Nemesis Titan

It took me a little while to paint this one up but I'm back with another tiny titan for my Legio Fureans forces.

Serious firepower!

I really like the look of the Nemesis Warbringer, so it's a joy to have one (even a tiny one) in my Fureans maniple. As with my Warhounds, the arms are magnetised so I can change the weapon fit. I didn't bother to magnetise the quake cannon up top as it seems like a really solid option and the modelling looked fiddly. At the moment I've only painted the laser blaster and volcano cannon, but I intend to add a gatling blaster in the near future.

So much yellow paint.

It was pretty arduous laying down all that yellow by hand and then freehanding black flames over the top, but I'm very happy with the final result. I pushed myself by freehanding the Fureans logo on the left kneepad too.

Flame on!

I've stuck with aethermatic blue contrast paint for the weapon glow effects and I'm very pleased with the way it looks. The time investment is very low but the colour really pops, just what you need when you're starting to go yellow blind.

I can't wait to get her on the field, but the Legio Atarus will definitely need some reinforcements before trying to tangle with this beastie. I've made a start working on a Cerastus knight banner to oppose her and I hope to add a Reaver as well. That should even things up and make it interesting.

Fureans walks!

Tune in next time when I hope to have some Legio Atarus titans to show off as well as talking about some of the results of our early test games. We've had a couple so far and I have to say Titanicus is an excellent game!

Wednesday 7 October 2020

Adeptus Titanicus - Legio Atarus Warhound Titan

Following on from my last post I've painted up a Legio Atarus Warhound to oppose my Legio Fureans forces.

The first Legio Atarus titan walks!

At times this felt like a bit of a grind to paint because I don't find the colour scheme as exciting as the yellow and black of Fureans. However, now that it's done I'm very pleased with the finished product. I chose to arm this one with two twin turbolaser destructors (the best weapon name in the whole of 40k!) just so that the two Warhounds have different weapons. The weapons are magnetised in any case, so they can be swapped out between games.

Turbolasers! Zap zap.

As with my Legio Fureans titan I've used contrast paints for the eye lenses, weapons and the base. I'm really liking the easy effect of using these paints and definitely want to experiment with them more in future.

Engine War!

So, with one titan each for the traitors and loyalists it's time to get a couple of test games in! Come back next time for a quick rundown of my thoughts on the game and to find out the winner of the first little skirmish.

Tuesday 22 September 2020

Adeptus Titanicus - The first steps of a new Princeps

 As the title suggests I'm dipping my toes into a new game. Namely Adeptus Titanicus!


Painted up my first Warhound.

As many of you will know, I am a regular 40k player. However, a number of factors have made me want to move away from 40k. First off, lockdown due to Covid-19 has caused a dramatic decrease in the number of games I've been able to play over recent months. This, coupled with the increasing complexity of faction special rules (most prevalent with Space Marines) has made me lose interest somewhat. I still love 40k and still want to play it, but it feels like time for a bit of a step back and to try something new.

I've wanted to try smaller scale gaming for some time but have been put off of Adeptus Titanicus due to the pricing. However, as it was my Birthday this month I was able to get the starter set as a gift from my lovely wife. So far, I'm very impressed with the miniatures and the rules, although I've yet to try them out on the tabletop.

I chose Legio Fureans, basically because they look cool.

In terms of the awesome little titans, my plan is to paint them up as two different forces. That way I might be able to do a bit of socially distanced gaming with them. I've chosen Legio Fureans as my traitor forces and painted up the first warhound in their colours. I've named her Bavajuda, which roughly translates as Spite.

For the loyalist forces, I'm thinking that it will be Legio Atarus. That way I can set all the battles within the second Paramar V campaign which creates a nice historical narrative.


Final shot of Bavajuda.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. Working from home has somehow left me less time for blogging (I kind of feel like it should be the other way around!) I will make the effort to do more regular updates here so you can follow my Titanicus journey.

Monday 22 June 2020

Cerastus Knight Atropos - Painted

Greetings all! Sorry posts have been a bit few and far between, I've been working from home these last few months and it's been a bit disruptive for my blogging schedule. I haven't been idle on the hobby front though. I used the time to break out my Cerastus Knight Atropos and get her painted.

Hazardous!
The Atropos is my favourite pattern of Imperial Knight so I pulled out all the stops to try and do the model justice. I tried really hard with the hazard chevrons and the checkerboard and overall I'm really pleased with the way she turned out.

Some tasty transfers too.
The kit itself was delightful, absolutely festooned with quirky Mechanicum details. Anyone who's handled one knows that the Cerastus kits are immensely poseable and I tried to get some dynamism into mine without going too crazy.

Profile shot.
Those of you who have followed this blog for a while will be familiar with the green and beige scheme common to my knights and adeptus mechanicus. I've used the same scheme here and I've tried to add some more interest with the patterned panels and transfers. I tried to make the base interesting too by adding a small piece of terrain and some rocky debris.

Detail of the base.
I'm really thrilled to have added the Atropos to my collection. I've had the kit for a couple of years but was put off from attempting it because I wanted to do it justice. Now that it's complete I'm pretty damn happy with the finished product.

Right side.
As far as the tabletop goes, 9th edition is looming and we are supposed to be getting revamped rules for all Forgeworld models. I'm not sure what this will mean for the Atropos, but even if her rules are rubbish I'll still love her.

Hopefully I will be doing another post shortly showing off some of the other things I've been painting while at home. Come back soon and check it out!

Tuesday 12 May 2020

Painting Tyranids in lockdown

Sorry for the shortage of updates. Like everybody else I've been stuck at home, unfortunately for me that has meant a lack of internet connection. However I'm back online and have a bunch of newly painted stuff to show off. First up, the Tyranids I've been painting over the last few weeks.

A scythed Hierodule, kind of a classic model.
First up is this scythed Hierodule. I've always thought the Hierodule models were a bit old hat, but having one in hand I have to say that the sculpt has really held up to the test of time. She's a lovely thing and I'm pleased to have one as part of the swarm. I may even look at adding a barbed Hierodule at a later date.

Ok, she's a little goofy, but I still like her.
In terms of painting, all of these were done using the usual quick paint scheme for my Tyranids. I've been painting them this way for twelve years and although the scheme has undergone some refinement, it's still broadly the same.

Next up we have another classic Forgeworld sculpt, the Hive Tyrant.

Getting some 'Alien' vibes off this one.
It was really nice to get this one done as it's a bit of a classic. As you can see I changed out all the weapons, mostly because I thought it looked cooler with the Deathspitter/Bonesword loadout. It's not the most competitive thing on the planet, but rule of cool wins out every time.

Why stick with one Hive Tyrant when you can have two? I also painted myself a Swarmlord!

Bonesabres are cool.
I've said it before, I'm not really a fan of Tyranid special characters but as the swarm cruised past the 6000 point mark I thought it was about time I added The Swarmlord to the mix. It helps that I like the model but I doubt I will field him much.

Apparently I love painting Tyranid HQ choices, so I went and added a pair of Neurothropes too.

One of the two in question.
Then I felt bad, so I had to paint up a termagant brood.

Spiny spinegaunts!
I know spinegaunts are basically rubbish but I like the way they look and I had a bunch of them hanging about. I'm pleased with the finished brood and I predict they will see a lot of tabletop time, even if they spend most of it dying in droves.

Once I'd done all of that lot (and a few other bits) I got all giddy and decided to get the entire swarm out for some photos. Unfortunately they were a bit difficult to photograph but I think the overall impression is nice.

The Great Devourer hungers.
After this was taken I even added a handful of additional models which had come out of storage while I was rummaging.

Some of the zoomed in shots are a little better.
So it seems this lockdown business has been really good for bashing my painting backlog. I've also done some more Custodes which I hope to share soon.

Monday 16 March 2020

Monster March - Adeptus Custodes Contemptor Achillus Dreadnought - Week 3

Sorry for the slightly delayed update, I wasn't able to post over the weekend, so this is going up on Monday. Still, it was a weekend of excellent progress as I'm sure you will agree!

Behold! The finished Dreadnought.
Somehow, I've managed to finish painting this beast in about two weeks. That's got to be some kind of personal best. Not only that, but I'm really pleased with the way it turned out!

I particularly like the eye lenses.
As you can see, I've followed the same colour scheme as my Vertus Praetors, using purple for some of the armour panels and green for the weapons etc. The sculpted base allowed me to get a bit more green into the model with the small elements of foliage.

Got a bit freehandy with the shoulder pad.
I tried to push myself with the freehand on the shoulder pad. It was only after I had painted it that I realised Voldus is a Grey Knights character. Doh! Oh well, it's probably am pretty common Imperial name right?? Anyway, I was so happy with the way it looked that I didn't want to go back and change it.

Shows the raised areas of the base a bit better.
Thus my Monster March challenge is concluded. But wait, there's two weeks left to go! Perhaps it's time for a little stretch goal.

How about another Dreadnought??
Inspired by my own work on the Contemptor Achillus, I decided to dig out this Telemon Dreadnought and get it built. It still needs a touch of green stuff and undercoat before I can begin painting. Also, trying to do something this big in two weeks is certainly a challenge; but even if I just get a few basecoats on it I'll still be happy.

I'm finding Monster March this year to be particularly inspiring. The other participants are putting in some amazing work and Swordmaster is doing a brilliant job showcasing it over at Path of an Outcast. Keep the momentum going everyone!

That's all for now, come back next week to see if I've managed to make a dent in my second entry this month.

Friday 6 March 2020

Monster March - Adeptus Custodes Contemptor Achillus Dreadnought - Week 2

Here we are approaching the end of the first week of Monster March. I've been working steadily on my Contemptor Achillus and it's coming along really well.

A bit messy at this stage, but plenty of colours on there.
As you can see from the above, I've got a lot of the basecoats down and started highlighting and detailing the lower half of the model. I managed a bit of work on the left arm last night too and I think things are looking good for only one week in to the challenge.

I'm reasonably happy with the pose.
As far as the model itself is concerned, I was tempted to go for a more complex pose than the one I eventually chose. However, when I considered that this will be a gaming piece, I decided that a simpler pose will be less prone to breakages along the way. Perhaps if I ever get a second Achillus I will be more adventurous with it.

The left leg has had the most work so far.
So that's where things stand at the end of the first week. If I can carry on at this rate then I should have no trouble completing the challenge. That of course, opens up the possibility of a stretch goal.......but we'll see how things progress over the coming days. As usual you can check out my first post of the challenge here.

Tune in next week to see if I've maintained progress, who knows, I might have a second model to announce!

Monday 2 March 2020

Old Stuff Day 2020

Not a tradition I've been part of previously, but I love the Warhammer 39,999 blog and Old Stuff Day is something he started ages ago. This year I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon too.

Classic blog stuff.
So here's one of my own posts from 2017 when I built an Eldar (Aeldari??) Phantom Titan in a day.

http://berserkerbladeblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/titan-in-day-how-to-build-eldar-phantom.html

I love messing about with big resin kits so this was a heck of a good time for me. It's nice to have a post about it on the blog too so I can go back and enjoy it again.

I'm also going to share a battle report from Tabletop Apocalypse when my Tyranids took on his Steel Legion back in 2018. It was a brilliant game and it's a great write up too so you should go and read it now:

http://tabletopapocalypse.blogspot.com/2018/07/battle-report-steel-legion-vs-tyranids.html

Saturday 29 February 2020

Monster March - Adeptus Custodes Contemptor Achillus Dreadnought - Week 1

With Squaduary just finished it's time to dive headfirst into Monster March! If you're unaware, Monster March is an annual painting challenge hosted by Swordmaster over at Path of an Outcast. The purpose being for participants to build and paint a suitably large model in the month of March.

I've participated in Monster March since 2017 and it's probably my favourite of the blogger painting challenges. It really gives me the incentive to turn out a big impressive model for one of my armies. You can read my previous posts here.

This year I'll be continuing the theme of Squaduary by growing my Adeptus Custodes army still further with the addition of a Contemptor Achillus Dreadnought.

The Forgeworld example. Isn't it pretty?
The Achillus isn't as large as some models I've attempted in previous years but it's still an imposing and gorgeous centrepiece for the army. If I somehow manage to make excellent progress and finish early, then perhaps I'll attempt a second model within the month.

I've made a rough start building the model.
I started building the model last night and have managed to get the legs and body together so far. The rear requires a tiny bit of green stuff where a couple of the panels don't align perfectly, but otherwise the model is delightful. I'm really looking forward to having a go at posing the arms as they appear to be superbly articulated.

I've also exchanged the standard 60mm base out for a scenic base from Scibor miniatures. Hopefully it will remain in keeping with the rest of my Custodes whilst being suitably grandiose as befits such an amazing model.

Check back next week to see if painting has commenced!

Friday 28 February 2020

Squaduary 2020 - Adeptus Custodes Vertus Praetors - Complete

So the end of the month looms large and with it, the end of Squaduary 2020. I'm happy to report that I finished my squadron of three Vertus Praetors for my Adeptus Custodes force.

The squad, in all their shiny glory.
It's very cool to have a squad of these guys painted up and it really feels like my little Custodes army is off to a flying (pun intended) start.

Those big lances make them kind of hard to photograph.
Unfortunately my work rate slowed in the last week of the month. I was feeling a bit burnt out and had a cold which meant painting was starting to feel like a chore. Nevertheless, I managed to push through and get the squad finished within the month.

The guy in the middle was the most arduous to paint.
As I've said before, I'm thrilled with the way these have turned out. The colours are working well together and I've been able to complete them in a timely fashion. I can't wait to get stuck into my next challenge for Monster March which should be posted up on the blog shortly. Keep your eyes peeled for that one!

Now to see how they fare on the battlefield!
All that remains is to say thanks to Rory at Stepping Between Games for running Squaduary again this year. I hope you all enjoyed my contributions, if you'd like to read my previous posts you can find them here and here.

Monday 17 February 2020

Squaduary 2020 - Adeptus Custodes Vertus Praetors - Week 2

Apologies for the delayed post, last week turned out to be busier than I thought so I've not got around to posting my Squaduary update until now. Still, I think it's worth the wait.

This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them!
As you can see, I've added another completed jetbike to my squad of Vertus Praetors. Now I only have one model left to complete for the full squad! I'm really pleased that I've been able to match the quality of the two models so closely and it gives me a lot of hope for expanding the army going forwards.

The newest member of the squad.
Once again, I used the wet palette for the feathering technique on the lance blade and it certainly seems to help by keeping the paint workable. I don't think I would bother with it for anything that isn't serious blending or feathering though.

Detail of the rider.
For some reason, the zoomed in photo had trouble picking up the true colours of the miniature. Still these are gorgeously detailed miniatures, so I thought it was important to show some of it.

Get ready for the hurricane, heretics!
Anyway, I'm delighted with the way Squaduary is going so far. We're over half way there and I only have one (large) model to go. Certainly feels like I might have a finished squad by the end of the month! But as always, the hobby is a fickle mistress, tune in next week to find out if it has all gone horribly wrong.

If you'd like to see my previous updates you can read them here and here.

Friday 7 February 2020

Squaduary 2020 - Adeptus Custodes Vertus Praetors - Week 1

The first week of Squaduary is finished and I'm off to a flying start! (pun intended)


Jetbikes are so damn cool.
That's right, your eyes do not deceive you, I've managed to finish painting the first of my Vertus Praetors for the three model squad. I used the colour scheme shown in my previous post, but I modified the purple slightly as I wasn't 100% happy with the original. Other than that, the scheme has stayed the same and I'm really delighted with how this one has turned out.


I nearly poked my eye out on that spear several times.
As for the other two jetbikes, I've managed to build one of them and about half of the other. Hopefully I can get them primed this weekend and then crack on with the painting. It's too early yet to say how the month will pan out, but I certainly hope to keep up the pace and work through the squad.


You can see the base better here.
I'm particularly happy with the result I got on the blade of the lance. I used the same feathering technique I had tried previously on the swords of my Sicarian Infiltrators but refined it slightly. This time around I even tried out using a wet palette and I was a little nonplussed. It certainly elongated the drying time of the paint on the palette, but I feel as though I could achieve a similar result with a conventional palette. Perhaps further use will divulge the supposed brilliance of the wet palette.

Squaduary, by the way, is an annual painting initiative run by Rory over at Stepping Between Games. It encourages participants to paint up a squad of miniatures during the month of February. Having got off to a good start myself, I'm looking forward to seeing what my fellow Squaddies have got up to. If you're interested, check Stepping Between Games every week during February to see the community results.

As for me, tune in next week to see if I've managed to knock another one of these bad boys out of the pile of shame!

Thursday 30 January 2020

Squaduary 2020 - Adeptus Custodes Vertus Praetors

Somehow it's that time of year once again. That's right, Squaduary is back and this time it's personal! For those that are unaware, Squaduary is an annual event hosted by Rory over at Stepping Between Games which encourages participants to paint up a squad of toy soldiers in February. 

As you may know, I've been doing this for a few years now and have made some good progress by doing so. Hopefully this year will be no exception.

The Vertus Praetors will use this colour scheme.
I painted this chap as a test model for the squadron of Vertus Praetors I intend to build and paint during squaduary. These will form the starting point of a new Adeptus Custodes force for Warhammer 40k.

Honestly, I am slightly daunted by the prospect of painting up three Praetors in a month. They are large and detailed models and I want to do them justice. I hope, that by using the scheme above, I will be able to complete them all to a good standard in time.

Slightly blurry detail of the cloak.
Come back next week when hopefully I will have made a good start by building the squad.

Monday 20 January 2020

Necromunda Goliath Gang - Painting in progress

For a while now, one of my hobby resolutions has been to make some progress painting my Goliath gang and to play some games of Necromunda. Over the last couple of weeks I've been making some progress towards that by painting up a few more gangers.

Welcome to the Underhive.
I have to say, I'm really pleased with the way these guys are turning out. I think they hit the vibe between fluorescent 90's punk and gritty underhive pretty well. It's also a lot of fun to paint with so many bright colours.

Check out that stubble.
I finished painting the chap above yesterday and I think he's the best of the bunch so far. I relished the opportunity to paint his shotgun red, just like all the miniatures from original Necromunda and second edition 40k.

Johnny Nitro. Probably my favourite ganger name.
As for this guy, having a juve armed with two stub guns is just too funny to pass up. He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn! But he's cheap and will probably eat plenty of bullets for my more useful gangers. His hazard stripes are a bit wonky, but I'm determined to keep trying and improving.

As for the gaming side of things, I'm currently working on a loose narrative campaign along with Tabletop Apocalypse. So stay tuned to see what we get up to.