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It’s Political Correctness Gone Heretical – 40k & Modern Values

Posted by johnnya10 on 30/01/2017
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment, Uncategorized. 2 Comments
space wolves
Some of you may have come across a story that’s been going around this week about a letter from Animal Rights group Peta to Games Workshop, asking them to stop modelling fur on their Warhammer 40,000 miniatures. This letter, now confirmed as real *facepalm*, does raise some interesting talking points though, and chief amongst them is the idea of applying modern values from the here and now, to the dystopian nightmare that is the galaxy of the 41st Millennium. While the setting needs to be unique, and represent the bleak grimdark that we all know and love, do we also need to adhere, even on a basic level, to the morals and sensibilities of today? Or can we leave all of that off the table, and just enjoy a game without having to consider the tiring moral complexities of it all? Let’s explore.
By the way, this post isn’t really about that letter. I mention it a couple of times, but I’m thinking bigger picture here. There are now several humorous threads on Facebook, Warseer and Dakka Dakka so that’s where the funny stuff is at.
The first thing that we need to remember, is that in Warhammer 40,000, the galaxy is a true dystopia. A lot of people seem to forget this, while also gleefully acknowledging the horrors that supposedly await us. If one were to put a particular spin on things, one could describe the 41st Millennium thusly: A tyrannical demagogue rules from his golden palace, supported by a zealous bureaucracy who will stop at nothing to retain power while the vast majority of the human race suffers through constant war, invasions, enslavement and unremembered deaths at the hands of equally zealous aliens and heretics. Looking at all of that (and noting the similarities Donald Trump’s America) one might wonder why we enjoy this game so much. The fact is, dystopias have always been popular because they allow us to explore and experience what could happen if we weren’t as nice as we are. There but for the grace of the Emperor, go we. Like a bleak mirror, dystopias allow us to reflect on what the worst might be, and it can prompt us to think of what we can do to improve our odds. It’s also just quite a fun thing to immerse oneself in, if one is so inclined. You don’t want to end up with Big (Battle)Brother watching you…
dystopia_definition_-_google_search
Now that we have clarified where we are, let us first look at things a little more from our current world view. The 41st millennium genuinely is a nightmare. It almost couldn’t be worse. And when we look at each aspect in turn, we see things that should offend our current morals, were we to not think of this as an enjoyable game and hobby. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has never experienced the setting before, and who knows nothing of how it is received or who received it. Approach it from a point of isolated ignorance of how it is enjoyed, and one cannot blame those who see it for the first time from an angle different to our own, who would decry it as nothing short of awfulness.
Our favourite genetically enhanced super soldiers, the Space Marines, go from being mighty heroes and noble souls in our eyes, to being monstrous products of eugenics and horrific science experiments, who are bent to the will of a fascistic regime determined to rule the galaxy. They’re nearly all white, exclusively male, and, yes, some of them wear animal pelts. We see the likes of Commander Dante and Logan Grimnar as heroes battling to save humanity, while someone who had not arrived at the knowledge of their existence from the same place might view them as fanatical lab experiments who like to kill people who are different than them. All the while wearing armour emblazoned with gold Eagle symbols, used in the past by the Romans, the Nazis and many other invading and conquering forces.
john blanche dystopia
Now, I can hear some of your feathers ruffling already. I know, that that is both true and untrue. Yes, it can be viewed like that, but all of this can be justified. And unlike when people have to justify things in real life (which often means they’re wrong and trying to be clever), in this fantastical setting, it is warranted. Yes, the Space Marines are gene-enhanced super soldiers, but they, like the Thunder Warriors and Custodians before them, were designed to actually give humanity a fighting chance in the 41st millennium. Yes, they wear an Eagle, but that’s not exactly an uncommon heraldic device and has been used by the French, Americans, Mexicans, Albanians, St John and about a million others over the course of history. It’s a cool looking bird. Yes, the Space Marines are nearly all white men, but it’s hard to really call them ‘men’ considering that their evolution (albeit forced) makes them as similar to human males as human males are to chimpanzees. And there are the Battle Sisters, and, when you actually look into it, there are plenty of Space Marine chapters that either don’t have skin colour specified or are actually based on other races and cultures. Yes, the Emperor is a corpse atop a golden throne, but said throne is stopping daemons from destroying Earth, and the Emperor did sacrifice himself to do just that. And as for the bureaucracy, they are trying to run a galaxy wide Empire – there’s bound to be a bit of paperwork. There is awfulness, but there are plenty of reasons for the awfulness, and oddly, very few of those reasons are actively malicious. And this is a dystopia after all. I don’t think any of us are sitting around thinking ‘I really wish things were actually like this’.
There are lots of instances of this sort of thing. So you have the Sisters of Silence who are women who aren’t allowed to speak. Were you to just focus on that, you might miss the fact that they are among the most revered and respected warriors in the Imperium who provide a vital function within the defences of humankind. This sort of thing can crop up time and time again, if you’re looking to find something to be upset about. There’s awfulness everywhere.
I don’t want to talk to much about the aforementioned Peta letter which is likely nonsense anyway (ok, so it’s real, but it’s still nonsense). But let us consider the treatment of animals in the 41st Millennium. Given that humans have a pretty ropey time of it all, can we really expect, in this dystopia, that wildlife sanctuaries and dog sitters really still exist? As Earth was being ravaged during the Unification wars, were Techno Barbarians really going to say ‘Sorry lads, we’ll have to take the long route to Albion – we can’t risk going through this newt sanctuary’. Of course not. It’s all part of what makes this a dystopia. I, like many of you, I’m sure, love animals. I’ve always had a cat or two in my life, and I would never dream of intentionally harming an animal for sport or fun. I eat meat, but I am, physiologically and psychologically, an omnivore. And yes, I would like to know where every bit of meat I eat comes from and that the animal that it came from was treated well until its death, though alas this is not always possible. In the 41st Millennium though, if it has nutritional value, I imagine it gets eaten without any thought or care whatsoever. And thinking about it, actually, the galaxy of the grimdark future has at least one planet sized animal sanctuary. It’s called Catachan.
catachans_jungle_patrol
The fact of the matter is, that we are perfectly capable of enjoying a dystopian setting, without having to apply our own moral codes and sensibilities to it. However, these concepts make our enjoyment of these theoretical and fantastical ideas all the more compelling. We all like looking into the abyss to see what looks back, and we like to use our imaginations not only to look at our dreams, but also our night terrors – that’s why scary movies exist. If I wanted an activity where I care about animals, worry about things like sexism, racism, religious freedoms, agism and politics, I’d go for a walk outside. The modern world is depressing enough, and it is important that all of us work to make it a better place in whatever way we can, but we are still capable of enjoying books like 1984, or Brave New World, or games like Warhammer 40,000 without applying our current moral standards to them in such a way that they become invasive and obstructive. It may not be the most charming of escapes, but it is still a compelling one.
I suppose the one good thing that came from that letter, is that I got to explore these sort of ideas here. And I can say that I for one would hate to live in the 41st Millennium, unless someone 100% guarantees and promises that I will be one of the 0.0000000000000000000001% of humans who actually has a good time there and then. And it is perfectly normal to have a good moral compass, and still enjoy this nightmare setting. What’s good, is that every now and again, it will prompt one of us to quietly ask ourselves whether or not we think something is wrong or right – that’s how we develop as humans. What’s more, maybe those of us who regularly dive into this Emperor-forsaken setting are more often prompted to try and make a difference in the here and now to ensure that our Great, great, great, great…. *many more ‘greats’ later* ….great, great grandchildren won’t have to deal with this tragedy of a galaxy. I would never wear fur, but I don’t have anything against a power armoured super soldier who kills Tyranids like it ain’t no thang in a galaxy thousands of years in the future (that doesn’t really exist) from getting the ermine out every now and again.
Have you ever had any thoughts about this sort of thing in Warhammer 40,000? Have there ever been any bits of fluff that have made you feel uncomfortable? Do you think Space Marines should have to attend sensitivity training? Do you think that this is all really just a load of tosh and we should all just concentrate on enjoying a game? Stick a comment below and let me know. Hopefully some of that made sense and you didn’t find it boring at all. Onwards!
P.s. If you want my opinion on the actual letter, I can tell you that I think it’s pretty weak. There’s real fur still being worn out there, and Peta should be focussed on that, rather than the fantastical, future fur that’s made out of plastic on 28mm scale minis. But then knowing what a ridiculous, callous, hypocritical and stupid organisation Peta is, it doesn’t surprise me. If you care about animals, donate to your local shelter, your local zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, or organisations like the WWF or Green Peace. Just avoid these jokers.

WIP: BA Spartan

Posted by johnnya10 on 27/01/2017
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . 1 Comment

As it’s going to take me a little while to get this finished, and as a nice Friday treat, I thought I’d share with you a couple of images of my latest project – A Spartan for my IXth Legion. Here it is in very little of its glory:

spartan wip

Thankfully, a lot of the leg work is done here. All the base coats are on, and the silver areas, and the top of the hull, have all seen some wash, but boy did it take some effort to get to this point. You know when you get a perfect storm of issues that lead to a project being a lot less fun than it ought to be? Well, that’s what I’ve been going through with this.

It started on Boxing Day (26th of Dec for those who don’t box), when I put this kit together. I was hungover and grumpy from a lot of festive celebrations so I was less than caring when assembling things. Entirely my own stupid fault, and I have plenty of regrets. It’s a gorgeous kit, and I owed it more TLC during assembly. But I will forever be reminded of this as there’s a little bit of wonkiness running through everything. Not overly noticeable to most (I hope) but I’ll know. There are also a lot of mould lines that I have spent a lot of time removing and this thing is now more green stuff than resin in some places, and some of the lines are still there. Weathering will save the day in the end, I’m sure.

Blood Angels Land Raider Door

I wanted to get one bit of it finished just to have some sense of true accomplishment, and so I have done the upper front door, which is one of the Forge World upgrades meant for Land Raiders. This is ever so slightly wonky, as it was a tad too thin and so I had to add a couple of millimetres of green stuff down one side. But that is literally the one bit that is done. All the rest of the tank is still to do and it’s going to take a while. I haven’t even built the guns yet!

fullsizerender-2

So this is what will be keeping me busy for the foreseeable future. And speaking of those guns, they’ve come in classic curly FW styling so they’ll be getting a dunking in boiling water before I even start with those. But yeah, it’s a beast. A huge kit that will be fun, but I am realising more and more that I do prefer working on smaller miniatures. I don’t mean epic scale or anything like that – but I get a lot more enjoyment out of working on a single character than a big tank. I’ll still enjoy the tank, but I’ll enjoy painting a single dude a lot more. It’s important to learn these things about oneself.

There you have it then. That’s what I’ll be struggling through, and you will see the completed monster here soon(ish). May your own projects go well and speedily for you. Onwards!

The End Times Are Upon Us – Spoilers A plenty From The Fall of Cadia

Posted by johnnya10 on 24/01/2017
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 1 Comment
Ok, so here’s the deal; if you’ve not read Fall Of Cadia yet, or if you’re trying not to see spoilers for the next Gathering Storm book, you best leave now. There are going to be plenty of spoilers for you here, and I want to give you fair warning. This is a spoiler alert, and once you’ve scrolled past the next random image, I will be talking about a lot of stuff from the first book and some recently spied miniatures. You’ve been warned…
random image to protect spoilers
…are they gone? Good – Let’s start.
Oh. My. Dark. Gods. I am so excited by the Gathering Storm storyline that’s going on right now, I can’t believe that it has taken me this long to get round to writing a post about it but I wanted to give everyone a chance to read the first book before I put something on this blog, because it really is best enjoyed by reading it yourself. There’s just  so much I want to talk about!!
fall of cadia book
I picked up Fall Of Cadia on the day that it came out and I’d read it cover-to-cover within three hours. I couldn’t put it down. So many amazing moments and lots to be awed by. In fact, here is an accurate reenactment of my face while I was reading through this tome’s 100 pages of fluff:
shocked-will-smith9ga9gpicgifs-nailed-it-amazed-excited-225257shockedgiphy-1
Yes, it’s that good. I was never one who desperately wanted the story to advance – I thought there was enough going on to keep us all busy for, well, for 10k years probably. But I’m now 100% on board if this is the sort of story we’re going to get. Now let’s talk about some particular incidents and events from the book that helped to make this soooo cool. These are my favourite talking points from the Fall of Cadia books…
The Many Rebirths Of Celestine
saint celestine 40k
The very first thing you read of the story is a mysterious, unnerving account of what it is to be Celestine and how she bides her existence while waiting for her next rebirth. There’s something quite crucial in this opening piece though – that there will come a time when Celestine won’t be able to be reborn. She is finite. The living saint has reappeared many times, but now, we learn that soon, she will not be able to reappear again. This is big news and could be a big part of the plot later on. Celestine is a brilliant character in this book, going toe-to-toe with Abaddon and inspiring the Imperial Forces like no-one else, save perhaps a Primarch. And that model…
Tricksy Space Elves
Belisarius Cawl is also a great new character and the idea that he’s been spending millennia scouring the galaxy in the name of Mars is pretty cool. What’s even cooler, is that he’s being guided by a mysterious Harlequin who is using his hunger for understanding and unlimited resources for her own designs. This is our first taste of the Eldar sticking their nose in, and the fact that it has something to do with a Pylon is even cooler.
What’s That Behind Trazyn
Gah! I tried to find this image on the internet, but no joy. Every book is made better by an appearance of Trazyn The Infinite. He’s a fun character who’s pretty cheeky in a resigned, galaxy-weary sort of way. And there are some great bits in this book, from opening his tesseract vaults, to assisting Cawl with the Pylons. But for me, the best little Easter egg in this book, doesn’t come from the storyline, but from a single image; the first of Trazyn in the book. Behind him is a giant Space Marine in Green armour that appears to have been pulled apart. The second I saw it, I said ‘Is that Vulkan!?’. Whether it is or not, that’s blatantly a little teaser/joke from the GW artist team. That rumour’s been around for a long time, and although it may not be Vulkan, we can dream…
The Blackstone Fortress
blackstone fortress
It was a long time ago that I last heard a mention of these beasts of Battle Fleet Gothic fame. It plays a key role in the story, and the destruction of Cadia as well. I like the idea that the Chaos fleet must have been saying to themselves ‘We brought that thing here to destroy Cadia, and it’s going to do just that. Quick! Strap a load of massive engine to that chunk of it and use it like a massive asteroid!’.
Kell’s Death (!)
Best guardsman’s death ever. Kell is a hero right to the end, and actually gets to spit in Abaddon’s face before having his spine snapped like a brittle, dry twig. That’s how you make a character a legend right there. Top stuff, though I was of course very sad to see him go.
Closing The Eye
When I got to the bit where Cawl works out how to use the Pylons, and actually starts to close the Eye of Terror, I did a little dance in my chair. Thousands of years and no-one’s been able to make sense of these things, and then this Johnny turns up and all of a sudden the Eye of Terror begins to close! Shame he was just a little too late. Hell, if he’d started doing that an hour earlier, we might have had a completely different story. Stupid Eldar. Why didn’t they tell him sooner!? My jaw dropped when they said the Eye was starting to close, and dropped again when it burst open again.
Trazyn’s Offer
Empathic Obliterator
Kell may have snuffed it, but just as you think Creed is going to go the same way, Trazyn offers the Commander of the Cadian 8th a place in his private collection. We never find out if he accepts, but it’s an elegant way of keeping him alive. Losing Kell was bad enough, so losing Creed after he led such an amazing defence of Cadia would have been a bit hard to stomach. Will we see him marshalling an army of Necron in the future? Who the heck knows.
Cadia Actually Falls
Yep. It’s dead. Outside of Mars and Terra, the most famous planet in the galaxy is now cracked in half and lost in the warp. That really is a huge deal as the Astra Militarum have now lost one of their most valuable recruiting worlds. Just thinking ‘There is no more Cadia’ really is quite weird.
Abaddon Learns Of The Box
I loved this bit. The intrigue!! This could be huge, and it’s really annoying that we don’t know what name was whispered into Abaddon’s ear by his Sorcerer as he prepared to leave Cadia, but whatever it was, it made him turn the Black Fleet around and chase Cawl’s Ark Mechanicus into real space. But what was that name? I know what I hope it will be, but I don’t dare to dream… Loken. We’re all just wondering…
se7en what's in the box
The Eldar Have A Plan
Of course they always have a damn plan. That only they really understand. When the Imperial survivors crash down onto an Ice Moon, it’s the Eldar that eventually save them from Abaddon and his marauding Black Legion. That’s when we get our first glimpse of The Visarch. While Eldrad and Ynnead’s lot are holding off Chaos, the Imperial survivors appear to join with the Eldar and head into the Webway…
How about that for a game of toy soldiers, eh? These are just the bits that I loved, either because they were super cool, or because they raise so many more questions. A lot of my guesses are just guesses of course, and none of us know what’s going to happen, but we can all have a lot of fun speculating.
But Wait; There’s More!
And then, while we’re still all swooning from all of that, we get to see the new Eldar goodies, and boy do they have a story to tell. Ynnead is real, and this could spell dire times ahead for a lot of entities, most notably Slaanesh and Khaine. Before we start talking New-New-Dar, let’s just have another look at one of the shiny new models.
visarch
So many questions still to be answered here. We know that they’re all part of the Eldar’s God of Death theory (that now no longer appears to be just a theory) and that they represent Ynnead on the battlefield, but who are they? What’s going on?! Is the Yncarne part Slaanesh? It’s certainly got the looks for it. And how will this new deity get on with the famously fiery Avatar of Khaine? Can they get along together? Then theres the Yvraine. Is this a new ruler of Commoragh? She certainly looks the part. And then there’s The Visarch. Is this Arhra, now with a calling that fits his ambitions and philosophies? Or a completely new entity? And with the book being called ‘Fracture of Biel-Tan’, can we expect to see one of the most famous craftworlds fall?
I don’t think I’ve ever put more question marks into a single paragraph. There’s so much going on and it’s just so exciting. If you’ve got your own theories, stick them below in the comments section. I’ve got about 9,000,000 of my own, but who knows if any of it’s right. Black is white, up is down…
dogs and cats living together
I can’t wait for this series to continue and find out where this is all going. Who else is going to die, who’s going to be born, how will the balance be found, and what will 8th Ed bring?

How I Weathered My Rhino

Posted by johnnya10 on 19/01/2017
Posted in: Tutorials, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 9 Comments

simple weathering on a rhino

More than a couple of people have complimented me, or asked me about the weathering that I did on my recent Blood Angels rhinos. The compliments were very happily received and in order to answer the questions about how it was done, I thought I’d force myself to do one more blog post featuring these rhinos. So below, we have a step by step guide on how this is done.

Before we go into this though, I should say that this isn’t necessarily the best way to learn how to do weathering – it’s kind of a ‘cheat’ even though I don’t really believe that there’s such a thing as a ‘cheat’ when it comes to painting. If it works, it works. If you want to learn how to do this properly, Forge World books and a number of vids on Youtube will help you a lot more. This is a relatively fast method that looks pretty good (at least I think it does anyway). Here goes.

basic tank door

I started off by painting up this rhino door. It’s in basic red with a white stripe (not perfectly straight but it will do for us now. It’s been washed and highlighted too. Now let’s mess this stuff up.

Step 1

white line weathering

Using Mephiston Red, we put in some basic splodges around the white line. Don’t water this down as much as you might do normally or it’ll look pink against the white background. It will look a bit weird when it’s dry, but there’ll be enough going on that it’ll be fine by the end.

Step 2

sponge weathering

The classic technique. A bit of Abaddon Black on a sponge – seriously, just a bit. Dip the sponge in the undiluted paint, wipe/dab off the excess on a paper towel, and apply lightly and sparingly over the model. Make sure you get a little on the white line – it’ll look great. Also, I was a little more liberal but focused around the grate like some fumes have come out (I know you wouldn’t have an exhaust in a door, but let’s pretend for now).

Step 3

fullsizerender-31

It’s hard to see but I’ve added a couple of little drips to that vent. A mix of Rhinox Hide and Abaddon Black does the trick here. This is going to get covered up by what we do next, but it’s a nice little touch to add in areas where things aren’t going to get all dusty.

Step 4

typhus corrosion weathering

If the dust and dirt is coming from the bottom (which it nearly always will be in my experience), start off by using Typhus Corrosion. Dab it around the bottom of the mini in a rough manner. This technical paint will add a bit of texture and shadow beneath our dust.

Step 5

fullsizerender-9

This is why you don’t throw knackered old brushes away. This Pro Arte brush is far more useful to me in its current state than it ever was when it had a point. Take some Dawnstone and remove most of it from the brush with a paper towel. Then lightly brush it around the lower part of the door in a random pattern.

Step 6

fullsizerender-2

Now take a bit of Administratum Grey and do the same thing that you did with the Dawnstone, only a little less so.

Step 7

fullsizerender-3

Finally, touch up a any highlighting that you might need to, and you’re done! That’s it.

Simple as that, and it works well enough for me. I hope that’s helped out anyone who wanted to know. I shall now go and get on with painting up another tank using similar methods. Onwards!

Blood Angels Rhino 2

Posted by johnnya10 on 18/01/2017
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . 6 Comments

blood angels deimos rhino with combi bolter

How’s that for a quick turnaround, eh? My second Blood Angels Deimos Rhino in as many weeks! Done, and looking dusty in record time, I now have to try and make this blog post interesting seeing as I just wrote a post about a very similar tank last week. Let’s see how that goes.

As with the last post, I can say that the kit looks great, and is a little tricky to assemble if you don’t read the instructions. It is a joy to look at when finished though, and while the GW variant is a classic, this Forge World version just looks so cool. Classic styling with modern design aesthetics – very nice.

the front of a rhino

So, yeah, it’s the front of a rhino again. I suppose the weathering is a little different, and the missing paint on the white stripe is also a little different… yeah, it’s a little different. Oh, yes, and there isn’t a flamer on this one. I almost forgot that. This tank sticks to the combi bolters. This was done because I thought it was only right because one ought to have a pure, basic variant. Also, Forge World doesn’t give you enough hatches in the pintle mounted weapons set to allow you to do too many of these – the one minor drawback of a great little upgrade kit.

the side of a rhino

The weathering was fun to do, again. Beaten up brushes, sponges, blacks, greys and Typhus Corrosion in generous but subtle amounts. Also, again I’d like to give a shout out to Mephiston Red spray – such a wonderful product. Were I to do it again though, I might not cover the silver parts with it. A bit of masking tape might mean a single coat of silver rather than a couple. I could knock these out even faster!

tactical marking on a rhino

And (again – sorry about all the repetition) there are some tactical arrows on the roof to go along with the unit that will be riding around in this thing. And, that’s about it. For all other details, rather than repeat myself, please see the post about the first rhino from last week. But, as a treat, here are a couple of snaps of both APCs together.

blood angels rhinos

a pair of space marine rhinos

That’s me done with Rhinos for a little while at least. Bigger fish to fry. Well, one bigger fish anyway. That has taken up a lot of liquid green stuff – but more about that later. In the meantime, I hope you’re enjoying the Gathering Storm as much as I am (you have no idea how much I want to talk about it but I’m going to wait so as to not give away spoilers). Lots to look forward to there. More on that, and my Blood Angels in the upcoming posts. Onwards!

Blood Angels Rhino 1

Posted by johnnya10 on 09/01/2017
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . 2 Comments

blood angels rhino

I decided that my Blood Angels needed some wheels (well, cat tracks anyway) and so I’ve put together my first Rhino transport vehicle for them. And, as it happens, I’m pretty happy with it. What’s more, I learned a couple of lessons with this one, that I shall happily share with you here.

But before that, let’s talk inspiration. As you will know if you’ve been following the progress of this army, I’ve been using classic 2nd Ed Blood Angels as an inspiration for this army, and it’s no different here. I took the classic Rhino APC from the below image and updated it a bit, and did a fair bit of weathering too. See if you can spot some similarities.

2nd edition blood angels rhino apc

Now obviously there are some differences – a lot of them really, but this was where my ideas started. The tactical arrows on the roof, the symbols on the front, the general colouring… this was in my head when the project kicked off.

deimos pattern rhino

So first lesson to impart; read the instruction that come in the box when assembling. I’ve put together many a rhino over the years, but with this kit, things are a little different. I of course charged into it thinking ‘I know how to do this!’ and then came a cropper when I went to go and put one of the side panels. It’s a lot easier if you do it the way they tell you in the instructions. Just so you know.

Second lesson; Mephiston Red spray is brilliant. A couple of thin coats of it, and you’ll have saved your brushes a lot of time. Heck, you’ll have even saved time with your airbrushes if you’re that way inclined. What’s more, with a slightly elevated angle, you get some great natural shadows in there. So glad I picked it up, and will definitely be using it again.

forge world rhino

With this kit, I used a couple of extra bits as well. The pintle mounted heavy flamer (because you can never have too many flamers) comes from the FW upgrade clam pack, and that’s some etched brass on the front piece there. As with any FW kit, there’s a lot of swearing involved in assembly, and plenty of mould lines to clean up, but of course you also get an amazing looking miniature when all of that’s done. I much prefer this kit to the one you get from GW when it comes to looks and design.

blood angels transport

I’m really happy with the weathering job here. Typhus Corrosion is a great pot of paint and appears all over this tank, but the effect I really like was required by using a couple of grey paints to give the lower parts of this vehicle a dusty look. I’ve used it on my dreadnoughts before now, and it fits in with the basing of my other minis, so it’s great for tying the army together.

Now, why didn’t I do the big white Blood Drops on the doors? A, the door teeth make that a bit difficult, and B, putting white paint onto a red surface is not easy. And by that stage, I’d done enough of it, as you can see from the picture below.

rhino top hatch

When I worked out that painting white onto red was difficult (which I always knew but we oft relearn this sort of lesson), it gave me a bit of idea. It would be plenty tough for the guys maintaining the armoury on a space marine ship as well. Especially if they’re constantly coming in and out of battle. Sure, the important vehicles would get perfect spray jobs, but rhinos? The workhorses? Maybe when all the paint was being retouched, it left marks, where the new paint was slightly different or applied too thinly or heavily. So I added this to my weathering plan and it worked really nicely I think. Breaks up the flat red surfaces a bit at least. Won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I like it.

rhino back door

And so I shall leave you with the back end of a rhino to look at. Don’t fret though – you’ll have a new front end to look at soon enough. Like the titles says, this is rhino ‘1’. The next one is primed and ready for a bit of attention so I shall get to work on that soon enough. For the time being, I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at this one, and I hope your own painting projects are going well. Onwards!

Warhammer 40,000: “End Times” – Who’s Gonna Die?

Posted by johnnya10 on 06/01/2017
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 10 Comments
So, the fall of Cadia is nearly upon us, and some big things are going to go down. But the big question is; are any noteworthy characters going to go down as well? In the Old World version of the End Times, we saw a host of much loved characters axed, so will we see something similar as the clock nears midnight in the 41st Millennium. Of course, I have no idea but it’s always fun to speculate, and the following are some of my favourite speculations about all of this. Of course, this may just be another campaign and nothing big may really happen at all, but when Abaddon is involved, and given all the rumours circulating at the moment, I get the sense that a shake up is on the cards. Let’s take a look at who might be about to shuffle off their uber-mortal coil…
The Emperor
the emperor
The Big E himself might not make it through this, and a lot of people have been speculating about the Master of Mankind finally succumbing to the injuries inflicted by Horus 10,000 years earlier. Maybe the Golden Throne will fail, and daemons will spill out of the warp gate and devour Terra? Maybe Abaddon marches on to the throne world after taking Cadia. Of course, even if the Emperor does snuff it, that may not mean he’s dead at all. The ‘Starchild’ theory requires the Emperor to die in order to be born again, young and strong once more, and this could see an Emperor miniature coming from GW in the future. I’m pretty certain that would shift a fair few units. If this is the start of a new Heresy Level Event, this would be the biggest possible change GW could make.
Abaddon The Despoiler
abaddon
Cadia may be about to fall, but the Despoiler may not be around to make it happen. As Chaos looks to move forward, there is an argument that getting rid of Abaddon might be the best thing to do. A clean slate to start afresh. After all, if the daemon primarchs are coming back, do we even need Abaddon any more? Personally, I don’t see this happening. In fact, I think we’ll get a big, new Abaddon miniature with all the bells and whistles GW can give him, but again, if they do want to shake things up, killing the master of the Black Legion would be a big deal.
Eldrad 
eldrad
The greatest seer of the Eldar has of course already died in the 13th Black Crusade, in a parallel universe created through retconning the original global campaign that they ran many years ago. Eldrad Ulthran made the ultimate sacrifice to scupper Abaddon’s plans in that campaign, but he never really left, and eventually, the tail of his demise was quietly removed from the fluff. But what’s to stop it happening again? Ulthwe is the closest craftworld to Cadia after all, and knowing how much they enjoy meddling, it’s almost certain that the Eldar will stick their oar into this event with their usual grace and sneakiness. Will history repeat itself?
Slaanesh
slaanesh
Much has been made about how uncomfortable GW is with Slaanesh and after they used the Old World End Times to rid themselves of the PR problematic Prince Of Pleasure in that dimension, would it really be a shock if they did it here? Maybe an Iron Hand finishes off the daemon version of Fulgrim to avenge the Gorgon, Saint Celestine deals with Lucius and is so saintly that she doesn’t turn into him, and maybe the World Eaters finish what they started on Scalathrax? With no champions left, and perhaps with a little help from the Eldar, Slaanesh will bite the dust and a new God will take its place on the high pantheon. Would you be shocked if they pulled the same trick twice?
A BIG Chapter
big space marine chapters
The Space Wolves are still reeling from Magnus’ attack on Fenris, the Dark Angels are eating themselves from within with guilt and treachery, and the Blood Angels are starting to lose their grip on the curse in their blood. What if one of them was finally wiped out here? It’s unlikely – these are popular armies that GW makes plenty of money from, but what if they really want to mess with us and decided that this is what had to give? I don’t really see it happening, but then none of us saw GW wiping out an entire world when they made the Age of Sigmar shift, so anything’s possible.
St Celestine
st celestine
Now this would be cruel. And a bit weird too, but it does make me giggle. Just as they release a new model that Sisters’ players have been crying out for for years, they decide that it’s Celestine who has to sacrifice herself. I really don’t think this one will happen, but it would be tragic and hilarious if it did. Perhaps she makes the supreme sacrifice and takes Abaddon out with her. But given that she’s a ‘Living Saint’ perhaps she can come back from death. Who knows. Now I’m just making stuff up.
And that’s just for starters. When the Old World fell, we saw a lot of characters go out with a bang (and in some cases, a whimper), so what will we get if these really are the ‘End Times’ for 40k? Of course, if you’ve got any guesses, ideas or insider gossip, do stick it in the comments section below. if you think I’m talking drivel, let me know. All will be revealed soon enough with a new White Dwarf out tomorrow, but I do enjoy these guessing games. Onwards!

Here Comes 2017 – Another Busy Year On H&H

Posted by johnnya10 on 26/12/2016
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment, Uncategorized. 8 Comments
With the rotten, miserable and downright awful year that was 2016 almost out of the way, we’re now looking forward to 2017 with a sense of hope that perhaps a few less beloved celebrities will snuff it in the coming 365. I’m also hoping of course to bring you plenty more posts here on Heresy and Heroes dealing with both my own endeavours and of course the news and rumours coming from the dark citadel in Nottingham. So, as a new year’s treat, here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming up in the next few months.
Baal’s Finest
blood angels veterans wip
Yes, there will be more Blood Angels and as you can see from the photo above, I’ve started work on another squad. In fact, as my Veterans, these are going to be my fanciest looking Blood Angels yet, so stay tuned for more WIPs of these guys coming soon. But also, having seen the year’s progress on this project in the previous post, I noticed that something was missing; armour. So I pick up this from Forge World:
fullsizerender-3
Yep. That’s a lot of tank tracks – the first of several. In fact, when these kits, and the veteran squad are finished, we can say that ‘phase 1’ will be done. Then I can really start to have some fun. But stay tuned for the completion of these kits and the next stage of my Blood Angels coming next year.
Blood Bowl
naggaroth nightmares logo
Yes, I bought the box set, and, no, I’ve not done anything with it yet. But I’m looking forward to getting the Dark Elf team when/if they ever release it. The Naggaroth Nightmares were my old team and I’d like them to be my next team too. Though I do have plans to paint up the Orc and Human teams too, the Dark Elves will likely be the kit that gets me painting for this game as well.
Slaaneshi Dark Mech
slaaneshi dark mechanicum cult
My side project, my favourite break from the boys from Baal, my Slaaneshi Dark Mech is going to grow in 2017 and I’ve already got some crazy plans in my mind for this small force. I’ve even bought some old, err, Skaven (?!) kits that will help me to do this. They’re happilly sat in the grey tide at the moment, but I’m waiting for the time when I need a break – then the dark tendrils of She Who Thirsts can creep back into my life again. Which should be oodles of fun for everyone.
My Titan
painted shin titan guards test
*cough* Moving on…

The Wider Galaxy

But that’s not all. 2016 has been an incredible year for GW and 40k (and, in fairness, for FW and 30k too) and it only looks like it’s going to get better in the next year. We’ve already seen the leaked pics of the new St Celestine, a new Inquisitor, and the crazy-looking Ad Mech dude, and we’ve been teased with a brooding trailer, voiced over by Abaddon himself, and the words ‘Fall Of Cadia’. With the return of Magnus, can the other daemon Primarchs be far behind? Could it be time for the Lion to wake, Russ to return, and Guilliman to heal? It looks like the story is moving forward and you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m going to have plenty to say about that here. I have the feeling that this is going to be big.
 60020187014_horusheresycollection01
What’s more, once the Prospero book comes out from Forge World, I was told by one of the team there at the last Open Day that the Blood Angels (and Dark Angels) would be coming next, and that’s really exciting for me. Sanguinius and co may well get released in 2017 and as well as picking up the models, I dare say I’ll have at least a book review for you too.
So, that’s at least some of the stuff I’ll be writing about next year. I can’t wait to show off more images, share more opinions and even dish out the odd rumour here and there (didn’t I correctly call the Sisters release in one of my earlier posts…?). I hope you’re looking forward to it too, and I shall see you here in the New Year. Have a wonderful start to 2017. Onwards!

Blood Angels Land Speeder – The Hammer

Posted by johnnya10 on 21/12/2016
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

Blood Angels Land Speeder

What weighs half a tonne, is made of metal and is a real pain to paint? My Blood Angels Land Speeder for my Horus Heresy/30K force, that’s what. It’s been really fun to work on this, but also a real struggle too because of, well, plenty of reasons that I’ll get to in a short while. Anyway, without further ado, let us take a closer look at the model that I’m calling ‘The Hammer’.

old metal land speeder

As you may well know, your 30k legion armies can take Land Speeder Javelins and they make an excellent addition to any force. The Forge World model looks amazing and you can take some real firepower with each one. I wanted to add one of these to my Blood Angels force as I felt I needed some Fast Attack, but, you see, there’s always been one type of Land Speeder that I’ve always wanted to paint and play with since I was a wee nipper and you’re looking at it.

I picked this up from Ebay for less than £15 (plus shipping) and I got a pretty good deal as it was missing its weapons – parts I wasn’t going to need anyway. I picked up the pintle mounted weapons set from Forge World for another project (as yet unstarted) and one of the Contemptor Dreadnought missile racks as well. These have given me a tank hunting speeder that can dash into the back lines and start taking apart some armour.

space marine land speeder

I also used an arm from a 40k space marine, an icon from the Blood Angels upgrade pack, some shoulder pads and some etched brass from Forge World to add some details to the kit. The old metal mini weighs so much that your wrist starts to hurt if you’ve been holding it for more than 5 minutes, but it’s also a little light on details, so these little embellishments helped to bring it up to snuff. They also added to the weight, so a wrist support was used at all times. Seriously, if anyone calls a Stormraven a ‘flying brick’ again, get them to pick up one of these.

I’ve named it the ‘Land Speeder Hammer’ as opposed to the Javelin and I like to think that it’s an experimental mark that the Blood Angels are testing out for the Mechanicum. Also, I’m pretty sure I could use it to bang a nail into a wall. And I’m not talking plaster – I’m talking brick.

land speeder hammer

So you might have noticed the flames. Yes, they are very cool. I’m really happy with the way they turned out and it really helps to make the model a little less bland. The yellow helmets were something that I ‘ummed’ and ‘aahed’ about for a little while, but they work so I’m glad I went in that direction. That being said, I hate painting yellow – it’s a knack I don’t have yet as I don’t get a lot of practice with it. I also painted the flying stand black. I hate the look of the clear plastic stands and this works fine for me. Will a truly elegant solution ever be found? Well, there’s that guy who used magnets to make his Eldar jetbike float but I don’t think there are any magnets strong enough to lift this thing.

old school land speeder

There’s lots of light weathering too. Mainly because it fits in with the army and looks good, but also because it hides a lot of issues with the old metal. Weird lines, lumps and scratches. They don’t build them like they used to, and that’s a good thing. Although the old styling is still pretty boss.

I was reminded again that I hate painting metal minis. I love the nostalgia, but in practice, they’re a pain. When someone says ‘but if it’s got undercoat on it, isn’t it the same as painting plastic’ you may laugh in their face. The brush moves differently, the paint sits and dries differently, and details get lost fast. I’m really looking forward to working on a plastic mini next, and preferably not one with so many hard to reach spots. Half of the parts needed to be attached, detached and reattached all over again just so that I could get to everywhere that needed painting. Not fun. Long live plastic minis.

land speeder javelin alternative

And etched brass can be a pain too. But even with all of that in mind, it was still great to finally paint one of these minis. I’ve wanted to paint one of these since I was a kid, and I actually love the blocky looks. And I’m thrilled with how the underslung missile pod looks – I love it when a plan comes together. Another childhood dream realised – always a nice feeling.

blood angels converted land speeder

With that, I think I’m done for the year when it comes to Blood Angels. Well, at least when it comes to posting things up here. Let’s just say that I’ve been scrubbing a bit more resin lately. Anyway, I hope you like the Land Speeder – it really was great fun to see it come to life, even with all of its flaws.

I thought I’d end this post with a group shot of all the Blood Angels I’ve done so far. These have all been done this year, and all of them have been shared here. More will come in 2017, so keep your eyes open for those. All that’s left to do is for me to wish you a very merry Christmas. Onwards!

john ashton blood angels

Index Chaotica: Apocrypha – Book Review

Posted by johnnya10 on 13/12/2016
Posted in: Product Reviews, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 3 Comments

index chotica apocrypha

This weekend, I picked up two awesome (and, I know I use that word a lot, but I really mean it this time) books that have made me super, super happy. Ecstatic even. The Traitor Legions book is fantastic and it’s given me a new lease of love for the Emperor’s Children and I’m very tempted to go overboard on my old favourite army again, but this isn’t the book I want to talk to you about. Everyone and their battle-brother has been pouring over this and discussing at length and anything I say here and now will be simple repetition. The book I want to talk to you about is Index Chaotica: Apocrypha, or, as I like to call it, All The Reasons I Became A Happy Heretic In One Book (Ok, their title is better).

So, what is this book? This is a huge slice of nostalgia, a history lesson, an art show, a miniatures showcase, a design guide and a fluff factory rolled into one. It will take you back in time to when Horus was just an ‘Imperial Commander’, to when the Iron Warriors were dedicated to Slaanesh (yup), to when there were more daemon engines than you could shake a power maul at, and to when artists had more freedom to really just let Chaos spew forth onto the page.

old chaos illustrations

This book is a collection of Chaos-themed articles, images, illustrations, rules and stories from when 40k first began and its early years. With pages taken straight from Slaves To Darkness and The Lost And The Damned, we get to see the very origins of Chaos in the 41st millennium, and as the book moves on, we get to see how the stories, interpretations and illustrations of both the characters and the lore moved on. What’s more, they’ve pulled in some of the old fluff as well, and in the image above, is a real favourite of mine – the tale of Inquisitor Thrax. It’s a very short tale, but I remember reading it as a kid and getting goosebumps. And now I have it in this amazing book too!

old chaos allegiances

It’s fantastic to see how much the GW team have dug around in the archives for some of this content and the book has been put together exceptionally well. It flows faultlessly through the ages, the armies and the illustrative history of Chaos in the early years of Warhammer 40,000. And I love that they found the images above. Remember earlier when I mentioned the Iron Warriors being sworn to Slaanesh? Well, as you can see above, so were the Alpha Legion (and the EC of course). And opposite them on these beautiful colour plates, we have the legions dedicated to Khorne. I’ll leave you to work those out and go ‘huh’ or ‘eh!?’ for yourself.

jes goodwin chaos space marine sketch

Another real treat here is the inclusion of many of Jes Goodwin’s original designs for the Chaos Space Marines. Shown above are the Emperor’s Children, and the early sonic weaponry, but there’s a huge amount more in these pages too. I recently picked up Jes’ Eldar book as well, and just as with that, there are some brilliant little notes across all of these that show you the logic and uniqueness of each design. In the above example, there’s a note talking about how, due to their raiding tendencies, the Emperor’s Children have access to even modern Space Marine armour marks, and another talks about how they customise their armour too. You can get lost in these little tidbits – well, I can anyway.

epic slaanesh miniatures

And then there are the model shots. That’s not really what this book is about, and there aren’t too many in here, but when they do appear, your nostalgia bone breaks in half with excitement. I haven’t seen the above pages since they first appeared in White Dwarf and it’s a joy to see the Subjugators stride forth again. If only Forge World could make some of these… (hint, hint if any of you at FW are reading this). And yes, all of the Khorne Daemon engines are in there too, along with the Banelord, for anyone who remembers that amazing mini. They’ve just ticked all of the boxes with this book, and even though I’ve been flicking through it endlessly since Saturday, I’m still finding things in there that make me smile. A wicked, terrible, teeth-baring smile.

old chaos rules

And just to top it all off, there are rules too. Lots of them. You can see all the old profiles and stat lines, alongside some of those favourite illustrations and fluff-pieces. It’s just great. There really isn’t anything bad to say about this book, except that I wish it was twice as long. Not that 140 odd pages isn’t enough – it’s a good sized tome – but I’m just greedy like that and perpetually want more.

Who is this book for? Anyone with a love for the Dark Gods. They all get a lot of coverage here and there’s plenty to dive into. If you’re interested in the history, or even if you want to relive it, this book is a must. It’s so much fun to read through this. That’s the word. Fun. From the incredible illustrations that have been done by people like John Blanche and Adrain Smith, to the stories, secrets and special characters who all have their origin stories included in one way or another, this is just a wonderful read.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourite illustrations below (though it should also be mentioned, if you have a favourite old Chaos illustration, it’s almost certainly in here – there are so many!!), and just a final note to say that this is a great book. I can’t find anything to moan about. I can’t see a downside. Maybe Slaanesh has got to me, but this book gives me nothing but pleasure to read, and if you’re a fan of Chaos in Warhammer 40,000, you’re going to love it too. Onwards!

bloodthirster vs avatar