Bigger Bugs Pt 22

   Another backlog post, this time for a unit from the Combat Patrol magazine, bought to round out a full unit, rather than for any need. These have sat maturing in their packet since the start of the year, being moved every time I've had a tidy, so, if nothing else, it's good getting them off of the floor.

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Another Light Exploratory Vehicle

   While I am trying to focus on the key projects that need to get onto the table, sometimes you just need to paint the thing in front of you and in this case its another Genestealer Cult Achilles Ridge Runner. I just love these things - are they any good, not really, but just look at them.

 

   This one came in the Combat Patrol box I bought just after the new codex dropped as I needed two of the squads of infantry that came in it and couldn't get them cheap enough any other way but as I really like these, it wasn't a hardship to have a second one.

   This one has been painted identically to the older one, down to trying to match the transfers I put on it to break up flat areas. The only difference is that I worked out how to build the guy in the back on this one and I didn't lose the spotter in the side bit after finishing the paint job.

With it's partner in crime

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The Swarm Pt 15

   A post that wasn't published for some reason. At the end of the Fratribusia campaign, I decided to have a push towards getting my Tyranid projects as close to finished as I could, even if I had no plans to use the figures themselves. These Ripper bases were caught up in that push as a fairly simple unit to just get done.

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The Swarm Pt 14

   I keeping getting odd spurts or so of actual painting motivation and some access to time coinciding with each other, so I've just been trying to get units moving off of my list*. These Barbgaunts are a unit that I hated painting the other 5 of, but as I keep writing lists where I need a full 10, and then can't bring myself to then paint the missing ones.

*it also means I have a lot of half finished units

   Annoyingly, in practise these were a unit that actually weren't too bad to paint, they just take slightly longer than a Tyranid model of a similar size due to how their body armour fits around them.

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Project CMAINLL

   Project CMAINLL is short for Crap My Army Is No Longer Legal and has come about with the release of the new Genestealer Cult codex. I've played a few 1500 point games using the army recently but with the new codex there are a few units I can no longer use in their current form or at all - the key things are the two Imperial Guard Leman Russ tanks that I have to take a specific detachment for, which is easily done but I would rather use another, and the Acolyte Hybrids which are now two differently equipped units which means my current 10 man squad isn't a legal unit.

   To solve these problems project CMAINLL has two prongs:

1. Increase my points to replace the tanks but give me some extra fire power - also wanted to make the army feel a bit more GSC and not like a Guard list

2. Break my Acolyte Hybrid squad down and then increase the resulting parts.

   To complete part 1 I have:

   To do this I have added another 5 Aberrants to bulk out a full 10 "men" and then added a Biophagus (guy in white - medic/mad scientist) to give them a buff. 

   Added a Brood Patriarch to give my Genestealer squad some hitting power

   The added a Primus as these guys are just brutal if attached to a decent squad (photo of the Magus familiar too just as I have finished the Magus it goes with yet)

   The combined with task 1 is task 2. Another 10 Acolyte Hybrids round my squad up to 20 and allow me to create the following; 1 squad of 10 with autopistols and 6 heavy mining weapons and then 2 squads of 5 with hand flamers and 2 demo guys in each - the small squads will be hit and run.

   I found this squad was the headache to build. My current 10 man squad wasn't optimised as it was the 5 I was told to build for Combat Patrol then whatever I liked the idea of to round it out - if I was buying two boxes to make my army legal, I was going optimised - so in 10 men I had to build, 2 sgts, 4 heavy mining weapons, 3 demo guys and a banner (didn't have any space for another).

 
I should have a game to test this theory out next week, so lets see how it does

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The Grand Plan

   With all the recent games of 40k using my Genestealer Cult, I've found myself being weak and buying a model I have absolutely no use for but that I've wanted since the day it was revealed, the Nexos. This one of those weird models where I don't think it really has a place in a regular games - why have your grand strategist bumbling about with all his stolen Imperial equipment in what is effectively a platoon sized engagement? However, the model is just amazing and the fact a designer needed a hologram map on it and just did the map of Warhammer World is just the cherry on top*.

*I've almost bought this model in the past to convert into my Imperial guard

   With the new codex being released in a week or so, I'll have a look at his rules, but honestly, this is a model I've almost definitely collected rather than will see table time - but I have no regrets this time.

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A Light Exploratory Vehicle

   One of the models I had on my wish list for if I ever decided to expand my Genestealer Cult army was an Achilles Ridgerunner, there was just something about this vehicle that makes me happy. So when our final Fratribusia game date fell through with 2 players dropping out, it was decided to turn it into a normal game - which made me wonder if I could get my force to the points needed.

   I was already working on a squad of Neophytes to round the infantry out and while I had/have other plans for the army, this was the perfect moment to add a Ridgerunner. 

   I built it with 2 options - main gun is magnetised - so it can either have the armaments I would choose (heavy mining laser and spotter*) or the option that the new combat patrol includes which is survey auger and missile launcher.

*somehow I managed to drop and lose the spotter on the way to take a photo of the model and have yet to find him**

**ironically, I could do with a spotter

   I painted a big 2 on the front as I thought it balanced nicely with the fact the store voucher I got for coming second using Genestealer Cults in a tournament went towards this model. Otherwise it's in the same horrible corporate cheap green and dirty metal that my other vehicles are in.

Predictably, it died turn 1 in it's first game

   I suppose now I'm getting prepared for the new combat patrol box, do I go ahead and pick it up to keep this project as useful as it can be? This army was only ever supposed to be a small project to make Fratribusia more interesting, but I've really enjoyed using them far more than expected.

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Even More Cult Troops

   After the tournament at the weekend I was actually in the mood to do some painting which hasn't happened for a good month or so now. I had picked up a box of Genestealer Cult Neophytes for a different project as I had an idea I wanted to try out, but now they have come back to the home they should have been bought for as the 3rd troops squad.

   I built these guys in a pretty standard way, but I raided old sprues for weapons that the combat patrol I built my other squads for hadn't used. So this squad has two mining lasers and has bulked up the special weapons for my other squads - mostly flamers and grenade launchers. I also cut the hand off the leaders weapon, sticking it on slightly twisted for a bit of variety, but something not even I will notice in the future.

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Bigger Bugs Pt 21

   I got to play 2 turns of a 1500 point game at my mate Steve's house a few weeks back - we started late as both parties needed to put kids to bed first, then it quickly became obvious his alarm clock was going off uncomfortably soon, so we called the game, but the game did give us some learning points;

1. I still love putting a swarm on the table

2. I need some movement trays for my Tyranids - that allow for long tails

3. Venomthropes are fun in a swarm

   My brother bought a load of space bugs from myminifactory (pretty sure that's the company) as he liked some of the alternative sculpts for Ravenors and Venomthropes more than the GW ones and while he was there he bought me a pack of each too to keep a level of consistency across our forces.

   While I'm not sure I 100% agree that the Ravenors are an improvement, I sort of see his thing for the Venomthropes. I do like that they don't look like the alternative kit for a Zoanthrope. 

   Out of curiosity, I added them to my swarm list for our game and the shroud ability when in the middle of every unit was a lot of fun, so they deserved a paint job in my limited hobby time.

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Bigger Bugs Pt 20

   Another quick paint job on the off chance of a game of Combat Patrol, this is the last three baby Lictors (Von Ryan Leapers) that I needed for the White Dwarf list, which gives me that full Combat Patrol to try out.

   Again, nothing special with this unit this far into the Tyranid project but I'm quite enjoying doing these slightly easier paint jobs once in a while. These were painted a couple of weeks ago but I didn't have a chance to do anything with them.

   With there not being anything particularly new or different in this post, I thought I would do a shot of this whole combat patrol - so three units of Von Ryan Leapers, a Lictor (hidden at the back) and a Neurolictor.

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Bigger Bugs Pt 19

   Slowing right down on the painting front again, but I have finished this figure - a Tyranid Neurolictor. In what I can only assume is a blatant attempt at selling slightly less popular models, GW has been bringing out new White Dwarf only Combat Patrols, with Tyranids getting the second of these with a Vanguard force based around Lictor breeds. In this one it's a regular Lictor, a Neurolictor and 3 units of 3 Von Ryan Leapers (baby lictors).

   As it felt fluffy for what Combat Patrol is supposed to be and I was already close to achieving it, I gave in to the obvious sales tactic and bought the bits I was missing, the first of these being the Neurolictor.

   Painting wise I've done nothing overly interesting with it, just giving it my regular paint job, but I think it looks pretty good as it is.

I need to paint up the remaining 3 Von Ryan Leapers next time I get some spare time and then organise another game in our campaign, which has gone very quiet in recent months.

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Odds and Sods V - The Odds Fight Back

   Its been quite hard to find time to do anything recently, let alone gaming or painting, but I've tried to squeeze a bit of time in to have a wind down. I also revived a title from a while back for this post as I think it covers it best.

   First model is a Genestealer Cult Magos - the last model of my current Genestealer project. I painted her in a slightly different green to anything else to try and make it look like she has access to nicer material, she's obviously not a miner herself, however, I did paint her armour in the same colour as I can only imagine it's come out of the same stock pile somewhere.

   I'd like to add to this in the future, but for now I'm calling it done.

   Next up is my current D&D character - Reizagar Stormhelm. She's a dwarf cleric from the D&D starter set. I'm not 100% on the paint job but I'm at a point it's easier to call her done then if I have an idea in the future I can fix her.

   Also not based at the basing material I've done all my fantasy stuff in has gone missing in my mancave move - when it turns up I'll finish basing her.

   Thirdly is a complete curveball - HMS Thunder Child of War of the World's fame in 1:2400 scale* from Tumbling Dice. Did I need this model? No. But how many wargamers want that ship in their collections?

*technically this is a model of HMS Polyphemus

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Bigger Bugs Pt 18

   This model is the only surviving model* of a Tyranid army I tried to build in late 3rd/early 4th edition. As I knew I had to paint a horde, the colour scheme was black with grey carapaces, just the quickest thing I could mass paint, which meant I hated the look of the army after about 2 games.

*that I can find

   I decided to paint it a slightly lighter green than the rest of the force to make it look like it might be an older beast, kept alive for some reason.

I should now be finishing off the last of my Tyranids but I've been very much distracted . . .

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The Swarm Pt 13

   Starting the year as I spent most of the last one here is another batch of Termagaunts, this time the last of the ones from the Leviathan box including a free one from the GW model of the month.

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Speed Cult

   As the year comes to an end I've been going back over stuff both in my head and the drafts on this blog, the bits that matter more to anyone who reads this is the drafts that didn't get posted. One of those was another unit of Genestealer Cult*.

*no idea why I didn't just post these at the time  

   The Atalan Jackals, a biker unit, were a unit I knew I had to buy for my fledgling Genestealer Cult army, but one I knew I wasn't going to enjoy painting. In hindsight, however, they turned out to be quite enjoyable and I'm looking forward to getting them onto the table.

   I used the same colours as the infantry for the riders and the Goliath for the bikes to tie all elements together. 

I am at that point where I am 50/50 on whether to keep buying and building this project, partly I wish I had done it earlier in the current campaign but they have been fun to paint and the game I played with them was also really good fun.

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Bigger Bugs Pt 17

   Another post slightly out of place, I painted this guy at the same time as one of my recent horde batches. This is my 5th Carnifex, so not a huge amount to add that I've not said already, but this one is full on tin opener.

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Bigger Bugs Pt 16

   While painting my recent batches of swarms I realised that if I wanted to play a big swarm list I would need a way of keeping the teeming mass going, so I picked the Tervigon off the shelf behind me and gave it a quick paint job.

   I hadn't realised that this thing was a HQ monster when I bought it, thinking it was just part of the swarm, but by running this I was able to free space for some more swarms, which never hurts. While it's the same kit as the Tyrannofex, I'm actually quite pleased by how different it looks, so many duel model kits just look like the same thing with different arms, but this one does look like a new monster.

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The Swarm Pt 12

   Carrying on with the idea of getting swarms painted up, I've picked my other most useful swarm unit the last of my Hormagaunts. To be completely honest, this unit is so over due that it is ridiculous and the fact that I've not got more than 2 boxes this many games in seems a little daft too*.

*but I'm not sure I could face painting an extra 10-20 swarm models at this point

   I've got a game lined up where I want to run a full swarm army to use the Endless Swarm detachment as I love the idea of having more models at points in the game than I started the game with, for 2cp I can bring a whole 20 model unit back onto the board . . .

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The Swarm Pt 11

   Despite being close to finishing all of my current Genestealer Cult models, I've changed tact after a bit of a think. I've mentioned that the current campaign now has an end date, so I thought I had better focus on the main army for the conflict so I can get as much of it on the table as I can.

   I figured the best thing to start with is another swarm unit and the one I fancied painting the least was the last unit of Gargoyles, if you are going to force yourself to paint, you might as well go hard.

   These are painted the same as the other 10 I have already done - one of my first swarm units - but these have their bases finished in time for the photo.

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The Cult's Specialists

   The last unit that comes in the combat patrol box are the Acolyte Hybrids. The box comes with 5 that I built as per the instructions for the box (as combat patrol gives you no options on how a model should be armed) while the second 5 I bought separately and used to make the unit a touch more competitive in full lists.

   While I was buying the second box of Acolyte Hybrids, I also picked up a Kellermorph. When I first got into 40k in 3rd edition, characters were definitely a useful thing to have in your army and gave you something to get attached to, but you rarely took more than 1 or 2*. Modern 40k, characters are where big buffs come from and are almost must haves in multiples. Genestealer Cults are one of the armies that really benefit from having some floating about and the Kellermorph is one of my favourites**.

*some armies didn't have more than 1 or 2 options

**at the point of not having yet played

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