Road To Warhammer Fest – Update 1: The Duel Begins

Posted by johnnya10 on 19/02/2018
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling. Tagged: , . 8 Comments

This is is my first update for you on the work that I’m doing on projects to take to Golden Demon at Warhammer Fest this May. And to start with, I’m going to take you through the very early stages of my first project – a duel.

So, I’ve kind of had this idea for a couple of years now, though I’m now adapting it to make it more thematic and in line with the fluff and the current stories running through the 41st Millennium narrative. I wanted to paint up a Harlequin Solitaire using his Harlequin’s Kiss weapon, but in the original iteration, he would be facing off against a T’au Crisis Suit. But I don’t have any experience painting T’au, and it’s not very story driven – these guys have no long running specific beef. That’s why I’ll be working on…

solitaire vs slaanesh

I never could stay away from Slaanesh for too long, and in this case, I’ll be using a crazy-colourful Emperor’s Children terminator – one of my favourites. This guy won’t be having a fun time though, as he’ll have been hit by a lightning fast attack by a Solitaire who is now leaping away and leaving him for dead.  I’m hoping to create something quite unique and dynamic to take to the show – it has its risks but if I get it right, it should look very cool.

I’ve started work on the base. It’s going to be simple, but I’m going to stick to what I know, and play to my strengths. Here’s an early snapshot for you:

making a display base

Of course it’s going to have some flock added to it, and there will be a few more smaller details to be help give it some personality, but this is the basis of the base. The Terminator will be standing atop of the rock formation, and the Solitaire will be using the terminator to spring forward – that might be a little hard to imagine, but hopefully you’ll see the finished work before too long.

wip slaanesh terminator

It’s not the best of pictures, but you can see that I’ve started work on the crazy colourful terminator armour. I’m working from his boots up and I’ve already reached the belt. I’ve learned new methods for painting metallics, and my animal skin/pattern game is happily on point at the moment. So far, I’ve got space tiger, space zebra, and space snake all in the mix.

One other thing that I need to be on point is my freehand game. I wanted to include a portrait of daemon Fulgrim on one of the shoulders – something a little different to a classic Slaanesh symbol, and I started off by picking this illustration to work from:

daemon fulgrim

And my first attempt didn’t go very well…

bad freehand

Now, if I was trying to paint Eddie for a new Iron Maiden album, this might not be so bad, but this didn’t work for me. It’s far too sloppy, and the colours don’t work – it’s not good enough. So, I covered it up, and started again, approaching things from a different way.

fulgrim freehand

Again, not the best shot – gold always seems to mess up my iphone camera, but this is much, much better. It’s far more in keeping, and it actually looks like the illustration of the daemonic Phoenician. It’ll look great when the whole thing is put together.

So, that’s the WIP of my duel so far. When I bring you my next update, I’m hoping to have the terminator and the base done. The Solitaire will be coming later when I’ll have to work out how to model monofilament wire – that should be interesting. I hope you’re having fun with your projects too, and until next time, as ever; Onwards!

Top 5 Things I’ve Learned About My Goliath Gang

Posted by johnnya10 on 15/02/2018
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment. Tagged: , . 3 Comments

necromunda underhive logo

I now have a few games of Necromunda under my belt, and I am very much enjoying it. I really like the activation system, and its the perfect length of game at the right level of intensity for me. I’ve played each game with Goliaths, and though I have lost as many games as I have won, I’ve had the chance to make some observations about my gang. A lot of this may not be new to you, but I want to emphasise these learnings in this – my top 5 list of things I’ve learned about playing with a Goliath gang.

Speed (Or The Lack Of It) Kills

When your raison d’être is to charge headlong into combat, swingin’ you spud jacker about (saucy), being hamstrung (almost literally) by 4” basic movement is a pain. It’s often only an inch less than most of your opponents, but that’s doubled over a double move action, and it does make getting into charge range a tad hazardous. That’s why the tactics card that gives you +2” of movement (and an extra attack) is an auto-include.

goliath gang ready to fight

The Jagged Aggressors begin to advance into territory that a Brat Gang has claimed for themselves…

If you’re playing outside of Zone Mortalis, or your players enter any large open spaces on a ZM board, you really need to use cover to stay alive. And your first move for each fighter pretty much has to be a double move. You need to get up the table as fast as possible, but keep close to walls and behind cover if you can.

The Renderizer Is Amazing

Easily my favourite weapon so far. I’ve not had a game where it’s failed to cause at least one Out Of Action. A Champion, with the Bulging Biceps special rule is lethal with this thing. Add that +2” charge/+1 attack card that we mentioned earlier, and this guy can make it into the fray at a blistering speed, and everyone is pretty much terrified of him. That weapon rips people to shreds, and you often get that satisfying feeling of rolling all the injury dice in your set.

But, while he can make up this ground, it’s important to not leave him isolated. I’ve done this twice, and ended up losing him to withering fire and, in one instance, he then got coup-de-gras’ed by a measly Delaque Juve (he is now ‘humiliated’ in the campaign I’m in – a fitting punishment). The weapon is amazing, but maybe ensure it’s safe to strike out and use it, and that you use the buddy system too.

Click 

I’ve already mentioned one great card, and in many games, you get two. If the choice is yours, take click. As soon as someone fires that weapon you’re scared of, throw this down and they’re out of ammo. Of course, they can reload, and there are cards that counter this, but it’s worth taking all the time. Don’t like the look of that heavy stubber? Click. Scared of that flamer? Click. When you’re a Goliath who wants to deal with a little less firepower when charging across the board, this card is a cracker.

goliath vs escher

The Jagged Aggressors creep into Escher territory, trying to use as much cover as possible…

Oh, The Krumper

I really want to like the Krumper. But it does suffer from needing two actions to use it, and coupled with its very short range, the trick is to get somewhere in cover and wait for your opponent to get too close – think of it as an ambush predator. Give the Champion carrying it Nerves of Steel, and you can stop him getting pinned (it’s so annoying when you get into a good spot and he gets pinned – it basically means you can’t fire his weapon), and give your leader the Overseer skill and you can double activate him, but that’s a lot of effort to spend in just getting that weapon to be viable.

The krumper in my gang also suffers from a Dice Gods curse – he has managed to get a few shots off, but every time the damned thing missed. I’m going to persevere with it – if only for the rule of cool – but I don’t see it being a star of the show unless someone is really stupid/unfortunate enough to get within 3” of that thing.

necromunda game

With their gang unable to weather the storm of Escher firepower, the Goliath forces make a courageous and dignified retreat…

You’re Not As Tough As You Think You Are

When I first started playing with them, I think I had a few things in my head that made me think that each one had the toughness of a Contemptor Dreadnought. Yes, T4 is a good bonus, and furnace plates are a nice thing to have, but they won’t save you if you’re stupid enough to let multiple guns draw a bead on you. Yes, you can weather more hits from lasguns and autoguns, but you’re not invulnerable to these by a long shot. I’ve lost more than a few fighters thinking “oh, he’ll be fine out there in the open with all those Eschers still to activate – what are they going to do with those puny laspistols, lol” – that’s something for me to work on right there.

=][=

And those are my key takeaways (as the cool kids are saying these days) from my brief time as a Goliath gang player. I’ve got a couple of long campaigns ahead of me, so we shall see what more I learn, and if I can take these lessons on board and get a few more wins out them. Might even try and do you guys a battle report if I can remember to take photos. Onwards!

Road To Warhammer Fest 2018

Posted by johnnya10 on 13/02/2018
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment. Tagged: . 4 Comments

I just wanted to let you all in on my news – I will be heading to Warhammer Fest this May, and I will be bringing you plenty of news and gossip from the event.

warhammer fest 2018

I had thought about heading back to Italy, a favoured haunt of mine, this Spring. Tuscany, maybe Rome… Or perhaps heading back to Porto to do some sketching. Sunshine, good food, relaxation… But no. I’m going to Coventry. I will be hauling myself, and a few choice miniatures up to the Ricoh Arena for a couple of days of junk food, bad weather, a hammered credit card, and large men in hoodies and baggy jeans.

ricoh arena coventry warhammer fest

But I’ll make it fun. As I’ll be staying in the arena, I’ll be there from start to finish, and I will bring you updates on Saturday night, and maybe even Sunday night too (I’ll be travelling back then so we’ll see about that). And if you’re heading along to the event too, give me a shout, and I may well be up for grabbing a beer somewhere too – having been up there before, I’m going to need it.

blood angels veterans golden demon pin john ashton

What’s more, I’m going to be painting a couple of things especially for the event, and of course, you’ll see my process here on Heresy & Heroes. At the moment, I’m thinking of another squad (I have form in this category after all) and maybe even a duel… that’ll be a challenge for me (pun somewhat intended). Oh, and I’ll be taking this guy along for some giggles too:

original noise marine

And who knows what else!? I may do more, but I’ve only got a couple of months to put any entries I want to take to the Golden Daemon Classic, and I don’t want to rush anything.

I’m really looking forward to more new releases, more seminars, and more of bringing you all the best gossip that I can bring you from the biggest Games Workshop event of the year. Even if it does mean going to Coventry. Onwards!

Are you popping along to Warhammer Fest? What new releases are you already anticipating? Stick a comment below and let me know.

Horus Heresy & Necromunda Weekender – Part 2

Posted by johnnya10 on 06/02/2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: . 3 Comments

If you missed yesterday’s post on Day 1 of the Horus Heresy and Necromunda Weekender, you can find it here. Now let’s take a look at Day 2.

We arrived at the Belfry early on Sunday morning in the hope that some more new stuff had been put up for sale, but no dice. Well, not only no dice, but also no new miniatures. Although, actually, I believe there were some dice so… Anyway, the day there started with a quick mooch around, and a chat with a few people before  attending our first seminar.

Tales From Necromunda

black library logo

Nick Kyme was giving a seminar on what we can expect to see from Black Library in the coming months that will deal with Necromunda. However, Nick was running late, so fellow esteemed author Josh Reynolds kept us entertained with a tale that had us all in stitches, or shocked, or a mixture of the two – ‘enthralled’ is probably the best word for it. I won’t try and tell it myself, but if you ever meet him, ask him about the grave digging story. It’s a classic tale of grave robbing, tax avoidance, shotguns, beer bottles and a wild hog with a grudge. He made growing up in South Carolina sound like a lot of fun.

Eventually Nick turned up and the intimate seminar (there were only about 8 of us patrons in attendance as everyone else was talking titans in the main room) began.

john blanche ratskin

By the end of the month, we should see at least the first of six short stories about life in Hive Primus. What struck me was how much scope and freedom the writers had been given, and that they were really having fun with the new setting and narratives. With Necromunda, they could write stories that they’d never be able to write with 40K or AoS, including romances, comedies, heists and detective fiction.

Among the works to come are tales of Ratskin juves seeking to see the sun and pass an ancient initiation rite, tales of enforcers chasing thieves and fighting Eschers, and even Nick Kyme’s own interpretation of Romeo and Juliet featuring a cast of Goliaths and Eschers in fair Hive Primus where our play is set. Nick actually read some of this to us (and Josh read some of his own work too) and it was very funny, and very well done – I look forward to giggling and remembering his voices when I read it all myself.

warriors

And they were very interested in our suggestions and ideas. Films like Gangs of New York and Warriors are ripe for parody in this setting, and they seem very keen to bring old characters like Kal Jericho back into the mix – a character that many wanted to hear more about.

kal jericho and wotan by henry south golden demon

Josh and Nick were great to hang out with in this session, and if you ever get a chance to chat to them, I heartily recommend it.

The Orlocks Appear

orlock queue weekender

When we got out of the session with the authors, we noticed a line starting to form towards the sales area. Instinctively we joined it, and were then told that there were 100 boxes of the new Orlock gang, and 100 copies of Gang War 2 now available! They were 1 per ticket holder and had we taken a few more minutes in that seminar, we might have missed out as we were around 40th in the queue and it grew very quickly after that.

So, I did bag something that I wanted after all. I was very pleased to pick these up, but before going to have a read, we swung by Golden Demon to see if any judging had taken place. It had, and what’s more, I had been given a pin! Only my second time at Golden Demon, and I had earned a pin for my Blood Angels Veteran Tactical Squad! Though I wouldn’t make it to the podium, I was absolutely overjoyed with this. I went in just wanting to see my work alongside the work of some truly talented painters, but I actually finished 4th in the squad competition that had some pretty stiff competition. Made my month. And obviously, the plinth did it most of the work. 😉

blood angels veterans golden demon pin john ashton

The Siege Of Terra

After a spot of lunch and a flick through the Gang War 2 book (more on that in another post – it’s too good to shoehorn in here). It was time to hear from the Black Library authors (Nick Kyme, Gav Thorpe and Guy Haley) about the Siege of Terra – the final chapter of the Horus Heresy series.

siege of terra black library

They are planning a number of books, full of lots of surprises, to cover the most momentous part of the Horus Heresy. They wouldn’t say how many, but it sounds like it could be up to 10, and there won’t be huge waits between each book. Gav Thorpe, Guy Haley, and Dan Abnett have all been confirmed as contributors, though they wouldn’t confirm if Dan would be ending the series (as, after all, he did start it all).

The authors are terrified but also very excited about this project and we did get a couple of tidbits on what we can look forward to. We will see an ending to the Perpetuals story, and we will see Angron walk to the walls of Terra alone to demand the Emperor’s surrender. And they have confirmed that in one book, we will see a fight between the Khan and Fulgrim – which sounds just awesome. All of these books will be set within the Sol System and on Terra itself. And you’ll be able to tell when these books are due to come out as the tale of the Death Guard turning fully to Nurgle will be the penultimate book before the Siege of Terra begins.

And the Heresy series will end when the Emperor gets placed on the Golden Throne. They may return to the setting to fill in some gaps in the future, but everything else that follows (the scouring, etc), will not have the Horus Heresy stamp on it. All in all, there’s a lot of good reading to look forward to.

New Miniatures On Display

There were some shiny, new minis added to the display cabinets by this point, including everyone’s favourite Squat who is looking fantastic with this simple but awesome paint job (along with another very cool looking bounty hunter):

squat bounty hunter forge world necromunda

enhanced bounty hunter

Lots of new weapons options for Goliath, Orlock and Escher gangs will be coming from Forge World very soon we hear, and there are some stunners in this collection – that Orlock Heavy flamer in particular is a real winner.

new orlock goliath miniatures february 2018IMG_0190IMG_3224

Animals! Yes, the Underhive’s pets made an appearance with Croco-Dog being by far my favourite – the Jagged Aggressors will definitely be adding one of these to their ranks some time soon.

escher phyrr catscawdor bomb ratsgoliath croco dog sumpkroc

And a termite too!

termite vehicle forge world

Golden Demon Awards

This was a very special Golden Demon as I got to see my mate, who I’ve been painting and playing toy soldiers with since we were knee high to a squig-hopper, pick up his first Golden Demon statue. Henry South picked up silver for his Kal Jericho (as pictured above) and, though I may be a little biased here, I thought he deserved gold. Was a pleasure to see my oldest pal pick up a gong.

henry south with his golden demon

Everyone was in good spirits, but perhaps none more-so than @Kenkenwf (worth following on Instagram) who was literally jumping for joy when he picked up gold in the vehicle category for his Night Lords dreadnought. He’d come all the way from Tokyo, Japan to enter, and apparently he’s only been painting since 2016 (which is really impressive, as well as being a little depressing too for veterans like me!)

The best of the Single Miniature category also scooped up the Slayer Sword, and it was no surprise to anyone that it was Andy Wardle’s magnificent Magnus the Red that won. Andy not only has a track record of picking up these prizes, but his work on Magnus was frankly mindblowing. Seriously, check him out on Instagram too if you’re not already aware of him – it was an amazing piece.

When I went to pick up my miniatures, I got the chance to ask the judges what I could have done to turn a 4th place into 3rd or better. He was very nice and said that there wasn’t much in it, and that it came down to a few brushstrokes, but they do judge you on your mistakes as much as they do your successes (and there were more than a few tiny mistakes on mine – I’ll admit to that). He also gave me a good tip for future Squad competitions – paint 5 instead of 10, but spend as much time painting those 5 as you would have done 10 before. I shall take that on board, and try again next time.

Only slightly galling was overhearing him say “yeah, we don’t really look at the plinths” and I could have kicked off then and there.

You may see my entry in print, or on the Golden Demon website, but you also may not – who knows if 4th place is good enough…

Warhammer TV

Finally, I should bring it to your attention that I have made my initial Warhammer TV appearance. You can see me (large, hairy guy in the black/red hoodie which says ‘Heresy & Heroes’ on it – that the damn camera didn’t even pick up!) and others talk about the weekend.

 

In the initial cut, I even made a howler of a mistake – I said “Age of Sigmar” when I meant to say “Alpha Legion”. Warhammer TV have thankfully spared my blushes by not including this in the latest cut, but I maintain it was a ploy by an Alpha Legion operative located somewhere in the building who didn’t want me talking about Age of Si- Alpha Legion! See; they’re still doing it! 😉

And That’s That

When the awards were over, so was the weekend. A quick trip to the pub, followed by a long journey back to London. But we were in high spirits. Awards and pins in tow, we left Nottingham happy, monetarily poorer, experientially richer, and sleepy. It was something else to wake up on Monday morning and see my pin on my bedside table (it’s now on my desk so I can look at it every time I paint). It’s on to the next project for me now, but you’ll have to wait to find out what that is. I hope your weekends were just as wonderful as mine, and that you have a great week. Onwards!

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Horus Heresy & Necromunda Weekender Review – Part 1

Posted by johnnya10 on 05/02/2018
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment. Tagged: . 9 Comments

Due to the amount I have to show you and talk to you about, I’m splitting the weekender review into a two part article, with the second part to come tomorrow, so check back for that!

nottingham street art cats

My favourite bit of street art from Nottingham. Three of my favourite cats in one.

Well, I have returned from the Horus Heresy and Necromunda weekender in Nottingham, and boy do I have many a tale to tell you guys. It was an awesome weekend – many cool things seen, many cool things heard, and many lovely people met. From staff to attendees, everyone was great. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. You’ll no doubt have seen a billion photos from the event on the internet over the last couple of days, so I’m not going to try to compete with all of that – my photos aren’t great and there are many better on facebook and other blogs. But I took a lot of notes (this will be a hefty read), so hopefully I’ll be able to provide you with a lot of details from the event, and as much gossip about the Heresy and Necromunda as possible. Let’s start though by looking at the venue and host city…

Nottingham

Nottingham remains a fair city (which turns into a complete warzone on a Saturday night) and there’s lots of cool things to see and do. My weekend started with drinks with friends in a quieter part of town.

We (I went with Henry South of 4gotowar.blogspot.com) elected to stay in the Ibis in central Nottingham rather than the Belfry where the event was held. We chose to do this because we wanted to spend some time in Nottingham and the Belfry is a long way from, well, everything really. It’s in a business park to the north west of the city, and about 4 miles from the centre. Next time though, if I go back (and hopefully I will), I’m going to try and stay in the Belfry. For one thing, despite it not being advertised as such, the Forge World store up there opened on Friday night and so when we got in early on Saturday morning, the Hive Scum had sold out, along with a couple of other new releases. They could have held off on that a bit, or let us know that it was open. I’ve got some on free shipping order though, so all’s well.

Secondly, despite emailing the events team about Golden Demon and following their reply of “All things Golden Demon are on Sunday, so registration and all parts of the process happen then” we were told on Saturday first thing that you actually needed to get the models in and registered before 6pm on the Saturday. There were many curses uttered, and many taxi rides to and from my hotel to the event that day. But as you can see, I got my entries in there all on time:

john ashton golden demon horus heresy squad entry

No, it’s not a duel – the sign is on the shelf below. But check out that plinth!

john ashton single miniature horus heresy golden demon entry

So, organisationally, the event gets a bit of a black mark, but that pretty much covers all of the negatives – almost everything else was a plus. And it was great to see my miniatures in the display cabinets.

The Belfry has charming, helpful staff and plenty of space, and the teams from Forge World and GW have got the whole thing set out really professionally. What’s more, everyone working that weekend was friendly and chatty and up for a good time too. The hotel has plenty of space, comfy seats and outdoor areas to mill around, and it’s just generally a very nice setting – and by all accounts the rooms are good too.

New Models On Show

There were various upgrade kits which I won’t post up here – if you’re a Space Wolves or Custodes fan, you’ll be able to find them elsewhere. The big news of last week was the release of Dorn and I have to say he’s one of the best looking Primarchs that we’ve had so far. The detailing on the armour is gorgeous, and I love the stoic pose – was great to see him in person.

Rogal Dorn

Valdor looked pretty good too, and while there are bits of the miniature that I don’t exactly love, it looks a lot better in the flesh than in the photos.

valdor

The new Orlocks were on display, as were the new Hive Scum – both kits that I wanted to get my hands on this weekend:

orlock gang

hive scum

More would come on day two, but I’ll show those off in tomorrow’s blog post (although you’ll be able to find images of everything everywhere – it’s not about suspense; it’s about the story).

Welcome To Necromunda

The first seminar I attended featured a number of Forge World and Specialist games team members (including Andy Hoare) talking to Tony Cottrell. They gave us a bit of a guided tour of Necromunda, and we got lots of juicy tidbits. Here are some of the highlights:

We started with an exploration of the planet. Yes, the planet. Necromunda will not just be focussed on Hive Primus, and in the future, you will see your gangs walk through the ash wastes beyond the walls, and into other hives like the haunted and malevolent Hive Mortis, and the Xenos-infested Hive Secundus.

We also found out more about the Eye Of Selene – the Helmawr-controlled space station and dock that sits in geo-synchronous orbit above Hive Primus and controls all of the off world traffic to the hive. And yes, at some point gangs will have the opportunity to go up there and fight space dockers and space pirates.

Then we got a look at the concept illustrations for the as yet unreleased gangs, and I can tell you now that Cawdor, Van Saar and Delaque are all going to get some very cool treatment if the illustrations are anything to go by.

We also got some more information on the gangs. The Orlocks are “rock hard road warriors” who not only keep an army of slaves to work the mines, but they also take heavily armoured convoys through the wastes to the Goliath smelt-facilities. And they have surprisingly modern (as in 2nd Millennium) names like “Jack” and “John”.

new look van saar ganger

Van Saar have this secret and unsafe STC that helps them to develop weaponry, but it is also killing them slowly through radiation poisoning. But on the plus side, they are going to have some mechanical spider buddies/pets to help them out in a fight.

new look delaque

The Delaque are “Creepy noir assassins” while the Cawdor will be “beggers and thieves” with a fanatical devotion to the Emperor. The latter also wear candles on their hats, which is kind of cool.

new look cawdor

Then we got into a bit of a terminology-based distinction. There are no plans to bring out any Adeptus Arbites models for Necromunda. However, there will be a release of the Enforcers. Tony Cottrell wanted to keep that distinction clear and pointed out that the Arbites are an Imperial force, working for the Emperor – a bit too top level perhaps. Enforcers though are the local beat cops of the Underhive, paid for by the noble houses and the Hive city taxes. So, fans of batons, riot shields and cyber mastiffs need not fear.

The Future Of Necromunda

the future of necromunda

This was a fun one with lots of concepts and miniature ideas revealed. They kept stating that this wasn’t all confirmed, and that it was all early stages, but we got to see plenty of the miniatures they were talking about, and you could see how excited they all were, so I’m sure most (if not all) of this will see the light of day.

Firstly, beyond the pyromaniac Cawdor, sneaky Delaque, and very serious Van Saar, we will be getting Chaos and Genestealer cults. We’ve known this for a while of course, but we were told that the rules to come in White Dwarf will allow you to use existing miniatures, though they’d like to do more specific Necromunda minis for these factions in the future. This includes the feral genestealers of Hive Secundus.

necromunda water guild

Palanite Enforcers (as already covered) are planned, along with more Chaos cults, outlander gangs, and Guilds. The guilds seemed to be most people’s favourites from this, and the concept sketches for potential future miniatures looked amazing – full of imagination and certainly a great way of expanding the setting.

necromunda promethium guild

From the Water Guild, who hunt for this most precious liquid (which they mostly get from inside people, living or dead), to the Promethium Guild and the Corpse Guild, who all act as brokers and deal-makers for the houses and help to keep the hive running, the concepts looked amazing.

corpse guild necromunda

We may also get the opportunity to visit the Sump Sea and meet the pirates, rig workers and, I’m guessing with this one, underground space sharks, that inhabit the ocean-sized sump at the base of Hive Primus.

There will also be big monsters (think giant spiders and rats), and crazy psychic nonsense in the form of Wyrds returning to the game at some point.

We won’t be getting much in the way of Xenos – the team are really keen to keep this as much of a human (or maybe abhuman) setting and story as possible, but some lesser known elements and the occasional bit of tech might make its way through from the races beyond humanity. But don’t expect to see any Orks, T’au or Eldar appearing in the Underhive because they really don’t want it to happen. You’re more likely to see a Hrud!

goliath overlord

We will however be getting Goliath Overlords and Escher Queens, who look insanely cool, and add a new tier of leadership to your own gangs.

escher queen

Along with gang-specific bounty hunters, there will be a continual flow of bounty hunters, and indeed the new Gang War Book (more on that tomorrow) has some very cool rules to help you create your own.

Star of this particular part of the weekend though, was the pets. Each gang will be getting pets and animal aide. The Cawdors will have bomb rats, Escher will have Phyrr Cats, and the Goliath gangs will have Sumpcrocs, which are going to be called “Croco-dogs” whether they like it or not (that’s the studio name for them). These pieces will add some fun new mechanics and even more character to your gangs.

cawdor bomb ratgoliath sumpkrocescher phyrr cat

In the future, we should also be seeing gang-specific brutes, as well as slave ogryns, mining robots and much, much more. You really got the feeling that the sky is the limit with this game – it’s like a whole new frontier for gamers, painters, modellers and designers alike!

All in all, the future is looking full of fun and amazing miniatures for Necromunda, and it was a real treat to get the early glimpses of this from this event.

Malevolence

Or as the organisers joked, “the worst misspelling of ‘Angelis’ that you could possibly come up with”. The new book is due out at some point this year, but don’t expect it any time soon – there’s still a lot to be worked out for the two legions that will appear in full, with their primarchs: The Blood Angels and the White Scars. Sorry, Dark Angels players, but you’re going to have to wait a little longer, but you will be paired up with the monsters of the Dark Mechanicum when it does happen. There will also be a full Horus Heresy daemons list, along with additional rules for the Alpha Legion and Space Wolves.

horus heresy malevolence details

Interestingly, the daemons you see in the heresy might be a bit more powerful than what you’re used to in 40K. This is because of the Ruinstorm which will be buffing the armies of the Empyrean, and that makes sense in a terrifying sort of way. What’s more, they’d like to include rules for every named daemon included in the Heresy series so far to help give your armies even more flavour.

Even more flavourful is the fact that daemons may react differently to different types of weapons – a blade may have a lot more strength against this enemy than even a bolter, so we’ll have to see what they do with that.

heresy malevolence timelines

Signus Prime will dominate the book, but, as stated, the White Scars and Blood Angels will both get the full on legion treatment – Primarchs, new unique units, characters (Raldoron was the only one they spoke of at length), new ways to build your armies, new tactics… the works. There may even be two versions of the Khan – one where he’s on foot, and one where he’s on a jetbike, but we’ll have to wait and see if that happens.

Also, the “what’s the point” unit, the legion destroyers, will get an update in the form of a Blood Angels unit that will become the archetype across the legions, and they will have better rules. A lot of people seemed happy about this.

At some point in 2018, I think the owners of these two legions are going to be very happy indeed. And they’re aiming to bring out a book a year, which given the amount going on, sounds fair, even though some players are bound to find it frustrating. With these studios doing so many wonderful things, some sacrifices have to be made.

New Models

Next up, we were shown some new miniatures that are coming up, and there are some real crackers to look forward to in there. Like I said at the beginning of this (now enormous) post, you’ll have likely seen all of these elsewhere, so I’m just going to show you some of my favourites.

ordinatus mole

Moles and Termites! Another Epic scale classic is being reimagined for 40K by Forge World. The termite is a bit bigger than a rhino but smaller than land raider, and the Mole will be around the same size as the other Ordinatus engines, albeit with a massive tunnelling behemoth on top.

termite assault drill

The classic landspeeder is coming back. This got a real cheer from everyone and it’ll be wonderfully fun to see this thing shooting around the tabletops again.

legion land speederscorcia

Scorcia meanwhile is a genuinely beautiful model and this image got a lot of oohs and aahs when it was shown off. But not quite as much as this guy…

alpharius ?

Like I said, my images aren’t the best. For far better pics, I suggest heading over to the Warhammer Community website where the shiny official photos look much better.

Day 1 End

And that’s all I have for you from day 1. It was a busy one, and when I got back to my hotel room that night, I had a lot to process and think about.

Tomorrow, I’ll take you through Day 2 and all it had to bring, including the Golden Demon contest, new Necromunda stories, new Heresy miniatures, and why you should ask Josh Reynolds to tell you his grave-robbing/hog-hostage story. Oh, and I snuck on to Warhammer TV too! I hope this gives you plenty of information to keep you excited about both the Heresy and Necromunda. Tomorrow, I’ll give you even more. Onwards!

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Gor Half-horn – A Bounty Hunter From A Hive Far, Far Away

Posted by johnnya10 on 01/02/2018
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling. Tagged: , . 7 Comments

gor half-horn bounty hunter

What’s this? A 4th finished miniature in five weeks? From me!? That’s right – I found some speed from somewhere, and that means that today I can introduce you to my interpretation of Gor Half-Horn who you may have noticed has taken some inspiration from another rather infamous Bounty Hunter.

When I picked up Gor from Forge World, I guess the words “Bounty Hunter” jumped into my head and pulled out an image of Boba Fett. So, I set about working out how I could conjure up the look of the Mandolorian Menace while working with a Beastman abhuman from the Underhive.

necromunda bounty hunter boba fett

I thought about trying to make a helmet for him, but that idea died a death when I realised my greenstuff-sculpting skills really aren’t that good, and that he already has a rather cool head. So instead, I chose to use the colour palette from the Fett-man and apply it to Gor. That’s why my version has grey fur – to create the look of that jumpsuit. Beyond the grey, I realised that Boba Fett is actually quite colourful, with reds, yellows and of course greens appearing across his armour. At one stage I was worried that Gor was going to end up looking a bit too much like Robin Hood, or some of the older Marvel Doc Doom illustrations, but it turned out fine in the end. Colourful, but not out of place.

I also managed to sneak in a couple of adapted Mandolorian symbols, and while the camera might have a little trouble picking these out, they’re actually missing half a horn – clever, eh? Well, I thought so. Though trying to fit the illustration onto the chainsword blade was a bit tricky – the surface was just a tad too thin. Still, you can see in the below image that it turned out alright.

mandolorian symbol necromunda chainsword

I also worked out a nice trick for painting yellow (which others may have worked out long ago) which is to use watered down Seraphim Sepia wash to darken Averland Sunset ever so slightly lower down on the armour plates. I’m going to remember to use that a bit more in future as it definitely helps to put a bit of depth into yellow which is of course a notoriously tricky colour to master.

I really like the plasma pistol on this model – it’s so nice to have this type of weapon not be dominated by the coil, and it’s such a unique design too. I went for a non-Fett colour here, using Dark Reaper as a base, and applying the little tally freehand (it’s hard to spot in these pictures) on the nearside was fiddly but rewarding. For the base, I used the same techniques as I’ve used on my Goliath gang, and it was was kind of nice for Forge World to include a skull on this one, rather than having to add my own.

gor half horn backpack

There you have it then. My bounty hunter who resides in the 40K galaxy while looking like something from the Star Wars galaxy. Two of my favourite things combined.

And speaking of two of my favourite things combined, I’ll be heading up to Nottingham for the Horus Heresy and Necromunda Weekender from Saturday so if you’re heading along as well, keep an eye out for me – I shouldn’t be hard to miss. A full review of that event next week. I actually don’t know what’s next on the painting table for me, but I dare say we’ll all find out sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I hope your own painting and modelling efforts make you happy. Onwards!

Heresy & Heroes Goes Big Time – We’re On The Warhammer Community Site!

Posted by johnnya10 on 29/01/2018
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment. Tagged: , . 13 Comments

This is just a very brief update from me today (more fun to come later in the week). Did you see the Warhammer Community site this weekend? Did you notice a certain pair of name generators turn up? And a couple of names, like my name and the name of this blog? Did ya!?

heresy and heroes warhammer community post

That’s right – Some lunatic in Nottingham actually thought it would be a good idea to get me to contribute to actual official pages (well, I may have begged them to let me do it but whatever). I wrote a piece for the Warhammer Community website (egotistical corporate sellout that I am) and it was a real thrill to see my name, and the name of this blog on an official GW website. I was tickled screamer pink.

seinfeld celebration gif dance

It was lovely working with Nick over at the Community team, and hopefully that won’t be the last bit of work I do for that website – the responses have been quite pleasant so far (by and large). I hope, my loyal and adoring fans, you’re as happy seeing my name appear in this milieux as I am.

I still haven’t managed to truly appreciate it all yet, due to the fact that I spent all of Sunday (when the post went live) playing the non-GW affiliated Twilight Imperium from Fantasy Flight games. It’s 12 hours of fun and pain that I’m still recovering from. But, when my brain is working properly again (I need another 10 hours of sleep and a gallon of water), I shall go and properly read the article. Seriously though, I now thing of 2,000 point games of 40K as light and breezy!

twilight imperium

Check out a new take on my Necromunda name generators that I did for GW, and have a splendid, fabulous, amazing and awesome week. Onwards!

And Now For Something Completely New – The Latest 40K Releases

Posted by johnnya10 on 25/01/2018
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment. 5 Comments
Over the last month, this blog has had a decidedly retro, old school, sepia toned feel to it. Between the history of dreadnoughts, and my own Oldhammer projects, I’ve not been paying so much attention to the new stuff appearing in Warhammer 40,000 and boy, has there been plenty going on. This post means to set that all straight as I take a look at the freshest fluff and fanciest figurines that Citadel has served up over the last month or so. It’s not so much a review, but really just my own thoughts on the newness.
Gifts From Grandfather
new nurgle daemons 2018
Let’s just set the record straight from the get go; the new Great Unclean One is gorgeous. Well, gorgeous in a pus-filled, maggot-ridden, gross, grimy, gribbly sort of way. It’s a fitting tribute in a way to Wayne England’s iconic Great Unclean One illustration, with much of the design being influenced by the sadly now departed artist’s work. If I didn’t have so much on the project list at the moment, I’d have a go at painting one of these up myself, and I may well do so at some point soon. The scale of the miniature is so impressive, but what I think is even more impressive is the amount of detail, along with the options that you get. An inspired bit of work from GW, and the greater daemon that we deserve.
wayne england great unclean one
For the other Nurgle daemons, it’s a mixed bag for me. The Heralds of Nurgle (and their delightful Nurglings) are fantastic additions, full of character, humour and innovative sculpts that make me want to have a go at painting them all. The Beasts of Nurgle, I like less. It feels like they’ve tried to shoehorn the unit into the current style, and they look a bit too much like chubby sea cucumbers with horse penises on their heads for my liking. I think, if I ever have the need for Beasts, I’ll just use the Forge World Plague Toads instead.
new beast of nurgle
And Codex Chaos Daemons has provided new options for the armies of the Warp. What I like about this book is that in all the ways that you can take daemons, there are boons to be found in the stratagems and army builds. No one faction looks grossly more powerful than the others, and so I’m looking forward to seeing more mixed God armies in the future (even though it’s probably easier to get boons from going monotheistic). All in all, it’s been a good month for the denizens of the Empyrean. Oh, and they got a tree!
Traitors From Tizca 
thousand sons 2018
The Thousand Sons are getting there own new book, and while there are no new miniatures (though does anyone else see the Mutilath Vortex Beast in that image from GW!?), this tome will undoubtedly reinforce the idea that these guys can even make the Grey Knights look amateurish in the psychic phase. The sheer volume of buffs and attacks, especially if Magnus is on the board will almost certainly be incredibly intimidating, and though I’ve only seen what’s been posted on the community site, what I like is that the army certainly doesn’t seem to be broken. Others may think otherwise, but to me, they didn’t look terrifying, while still looking formidable and strong. I like that.
I don’t think they need too many more units, but who knows what we’ll see from the Egyptian Space Wizards in the future (Vortex Beast included). What’s more, the potential for synergy with Tzeentch daemons will be fun to watch. I get the feeling that there’s a lot the two factions can do a lot for each other, and I look forward to seeing some of that on the tabletop.
Praetorians From The Palace
legio custodes illustration
After all that time hanging out, chilling and playing games while Space Marines have been getting gut punched across the galaxy, the 10,000 have finally been let off the leash and now the Custodians are starting to look like a real army. While the Adeptus Custodes have been around for a little while now, this new wave of miniatures and their shiny new codex have turned them into a fully fledged fighting force. They’re a very elite army, and with lots of buffs and characters, it will be interesting to see how they fair on the table top.
trajann valoris
The new jetbikes are stunning. The Eagle’s head design is very true to some older illustrations and this unit gives the heavily armoured Custodes some real speed and a different edge to use in combat. The Allarus terminators with their axes, standards and spears give them some tanking abilities as well as some real heavy hitters. And I have to say that Trajann Valoris is a truly stunning miniature. I may well have to get my hands on him because there’s so much to have fun with there.
The codex itself looks very interesting, and having read the many articles that have featured on the Warhammer Community site, I get the feeling that keen chess players may well favour this army. Just a theory, but like all elite armies, getting the tactics right for the golden boys is critical, and thinking a few moves ahead will be a key part of them being successful on the battlefield. What’s more, with support from Forge World too, you won’t have to use that Custodes Contemptor which, let’s face it, against these new releases, and even the older ones from the Prospero box, looks a bit naff (especially when compared to minis like the Galatus).
forge world galatus dreadnought
Looking Into The Future
There are still a few armies left to get full 8th Edition updates and Ork player in particular seem to be chomping at the bit to get their Gorkanauts and grots tooled up and into the fight. I guess then that we’ll be seeing more release windows similar to the above until everyone has been catered for. Some will just get books, while others that need it will get some resculpts and new units.
So, I don’t just spend all my time gazing through my Screamer Pink coloured glasses at the miniatures of yesteryear like I know you think I do. I do new stuff too. Sometimes. All in all, it’s been a month or so of big wins and good miniatures from GW – long may the trend continue. What have you thought about the new additions to the ranges? Stick your comments down below. Onwards!

Eldar Farseer – An Oldhammer Treat

Posted by johnnya10 on 23/01/2018
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling. Tagged: , . 3 Comments

original metal eldar farseer rogue trader oldhammer

In yet another instalment of Oldhammer here on H&H, I can present to you my original Eldar Farseer in all his glory. I had so much fun painting this, yet another miniature that I have always wanted to paint, and I’m very happy with the results. I’m also throwing him into an online painting competition, but before I do, let’s take a closer look at him here. We’ll start off by taking a gander at my freshly painted fellow compared to the original that was painted all those years ago which featured in the old 2nd Ed rulebook.

old eldar farseer comparison

I don’t know what it is about this miniature that I’ve always loved, but it’s always been on my list of things to paint. The weird, knobbly helmet, the pointing finger, those huge eyes… so much about this miniature makes me smile, and that’s why I went out of my way to pick one up recently. My collection of old metal miniatures continues to grow, and I’m thrilled with this addition.

I wanted to pay plenty of homage to the original mini from the Eavy Metal team, but I also wanted to update a few things and add my own spin to it. I can tell you right now that the Yin Yang symbol is just about the toughest thing I’ve ever had to paint. It’s so tricky to get it balanced (which I suppose is the whole point of the symbol really) and I can tell you right now that what sits at the bottom of those robes is not the first attempt. It’s not even the third attempt. It was actually easier to paint the Eldar runes on the scarf/sash. I only went about half way up with these as I didn’t want it to be too busy – there’s a lot going on here. I also went with more of a galaxy/star-field look for the cloak instead of the almost-paisley pattern of the original.

original metal farseer rear

I never knew what the rear of this model looked like, so the big sword on his back has been given a tiger stripe pattern which I’m quite happy with. The base has also been updated from the original (sorry goblin green fans). I went for a sort of floating rock pile look and a desert feel that fits in with the other Eldar I have in my collection. I also added sand-dust to the bottom of the robes to make him sit a little more in his surroundings. The camera struggled to pick out all of the vibrant colours on the back here, but it looks very vivid and colourful.

eldar farseer osl

And you’ll no doubt have noticed that I’ve actually employed a little OSL lighting here as well, which is something that I rarely do. I like the idea of that finger summoning a star, just like the ones on his cloak, before hurling it into the oncoming enemy, or divining the future from it. It’s literally just a small ball of greenstuff that was left to harden and then glued to the finger tip.

There’s also a lot of spirit stones here, and while I was tempted to make them all different colours, I went with green for those because, well, I do a good green spirit stone. They also echo the original, and help to complete the rainbow scheme on this guy. I’m particularly happy with the eyes on this guy too – they’ve got a nice glassy quality to them with plenty of depth.

And there you have it. I’m going to add him to the competition on the Eavier Metal facebook group so keep an eye out for it there. Back to more modern things soon I reckon. I hope you’re having as much fun painting as I am. Onwards!

In Praise Of Dreadnoughts – A Lovingly Written Ramble

Posted by johnnya10 on 19/01/2018
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment. Tagged: . 11 Comments
venerable dreadnought
Of all the units in the 41st Millennium, the Dreadnought remains my all time favourite. In all its forms, these hulking beasts have forever held a special place in my heart, and I want to spend a little bit of time today talking about them, their history, their looks, their fluff, and why, to me, dreadnoughts will forever be my 40K Favourites.
In The Beginning…
original furioso dreadnought
I remember vividly the first time that I saw a dreadnought in the flesh (or ceramite). It was in the old Games Workshop store on Cheapside in Reading. Before they were called Furioso Dreadnoughts, Furioso was a Blood Angels Space Marrine Dreadnought. He could be found in White Dwarf battle reports and Eavy Metal pages, and someone had painted up a very nice one that sat in the window display case of this store. Among a clutch of the old metal/plastic Death Company, stood this giant. His yellow multimelta, the smoke launchers which at first I mistook for his eyes, the chubby fist and bulky boy, and the Furioso flag that fluttered (alright, technically it hung statically, but in my rose-tinted memories it definitely fluttered) above him… I was enthralled. Right then and there, I had found my favourite.
When I got the 2nd Ed box set, the guy working in the store asked if I would like a Furioso for just £5 because it came with no feet but extra hands and I snapped it up. That humungous lump of lead was my first dreadnought, and though it was sold long ago, ol’ Fist-feet has a spacial place in my heart. But when I was flicking through the pages of the rulebook, I found this page:
warhammer 40000 2nd edition dreadnought page
Everyone gets dreadnoughts? And what’s that thing with the Inferno banner!? I suddenly realised that there was a world of dreads out there, and I wanted to paint all of them. But I never really did get the chance to do that. I never had the patience to save up the money to buy them back then. Hell, even the Eldar had dreadnoughts before someone clever came up with the whole wraith-schtik. What a time it was…
old metal eldar dreadnoughts
Since my return to the hobby, I’ve painted more than a few dreadnoughts, and my love for them remains. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as finishing a dread, and there’s nothing quite as fun as painting them. They offer just the right amount of bare space to have fun with freehand, while still having so much detail. Every Space Marine army that I’ve worked on has had at least one of these monstrous behemoths hauling an impressive array of weapons. And every now and again, I still get the urge to buy one and paint it up, and I’m having one of those urges right now. More on that in a bit.
heresy and heroes john ashton dreadnoughts
The Stomping Dead
The story of how Space Marine Dreadnoughts came to be, and how they exist, remains an interesting part of the 41st Millennium’s narrative to me. In such a cold a callous setting as it is, where death is a part of everyday life, the idea that any warrior could be so great as to be entombed is an intriguing one. While Space Marines feel the pain of their losses, the Imperium as a whole does have something of a “Meh, we’ll make another one” point of view when it comes to their resources expiring. So a warrior has to be something truly special to deserve entombment in a Dreadnought.
dawn of war dreadnought gif
Snatched from the arms of death, these warriors are interred in their sarcophaguses – words that conjure up the idea of death in no uncertain terms. And then they are sent to sleep. They dream away the months, years or even decades before being summoned back into the land of the living again only to fight the unending war. As far as grimdark nightmares go, this is pretty atrocious – being kept alive in perpetuity only to fight the unending war until a second death befalls the husk of a warrior buried within the metal shell. And yet, there is something noble about it all. To become a Dreadnought is to serve a legion or chapter as few others ever could, and the sacrifice that comes with that is truly frightening. This is yet another reason why I love these beasts.
dawn of war 2 dreadnought gif
While more whimsical is the Ork dreadnought, which is just a Mek’s way of showing off, has now become a terrifying beast in its own right, though the driver gets to be alive (until it blows up because her pressed the wrong button). One of my favourites is still the cardboard Ork dread that came in the 2nd Ed box. I heard a tale of someone bringing it to a tournament once and because it was an officially produced unit, there was nothing against using it. I dare say there is now a ruling against doing this now, but it made me laugh when I heard about it.
ork cardboard dreadnought
Chaos dreadnoughts of course have their horrifying daemonic qualities, while the wraith constructs of the Eldar are perhaps now something too far removed from the term ‘dreadnought’, though still the souls of ancient warriors are used to propel these giants of the battlefield. However you look at it, being a dreadnought can’t be a lot of fun, but in every case, there’s something unquestionably cool about these walkers.
The Looks
There’s almost too much to cover here. Just thinking about it all is intimidating enough as there are now so many options to choose from. If we’re just talking about the boxy Space Marine dreads, we’ve got the classic box, the up-armoured Ironclad, the Blood Angels Librarian, Furioso and Death Company versions which reflect that chapter’s fighting style, classic venerable dreads with all their embellishments, and all the Space Wolf variants too, including two characters! And while the boxy dread still looks good for its age, it’s now dwarfed by other imperial variants, from the now diminutive Contemptor with its smooth lines, to the hulking Leviathans and Redemptors.  Forge World even offer three character dreads themselves among the vast quantity of variants that they produce. You can now buy a dreadnought for any occasion. In fact, when you consider the weapons options, you could probably paint a dread a week for two years and still not be close to completing the range.
forgeworld character dreadnoughts
Beyond the Imperium, you have Decimators and Helbrutes for Chaos, while Orks have a range going from the Kill Kan to the Mega Dread. All of these help to add character to those armies, and the dreadnought is a great way to show off an army’s personality and embellishments – they’re almost caricatures of the species or faction they represent.
ork dread
But all of these do share one thing – size. Not as big as a knight, they still tower over troops, and that’s where they fit in. They still look massive next to your average rank and file warrior, but whether you’re sitting them next to a grot or a Primaris Marine, they match the scale better, and occupy their own space. And for smaller games, they are about as much of a beast as you’ll be able to fit onto a table. To a new player now, I wonder if they seem small compared to the other things that appear on the tables in hobby stores these days. To me though, they will always be huge. Giants, striding over the battlefield, death spilling from their weapons, instilling fear in the opposition like nothing else.
The Redemptor just about breaks the rules around scale as these things are absolute colossuses, but I like how traditional elements of the Dreadnought have been included while expanding both the scale and aesthetics of this unit. And it does fit in with the Primaris look and feel. It feels like a good blend of boxy and contemptor, with a few of Cawl’s growth hormones added for good measure.
primaris redemptor
Where Next?
I keep thinking that we’ve had as many dreads as we can take, but Games Workshop and Forge World keep finding new ways of creating more, and I’m not even mad about that. In fact, I’m thrilled by it. I’ve yet to see anything with the ‘dreadnought’ monicker that I haven’t wanted to paint (ok, those ancient Eldar ones push this statement to the limit but even they have something about them). They appeal to my ‘giant robot in space’ sort of sensibilities. I’ve been in love with these models ever since I first saw one, and while they are no longer wrist-snapping lumps of lead, they are still a heavy part of my hobby enjoyment. They have always been part of my hobby experience, and they always will be, and I think that the reason I still love them to this day, is because I remember being that wide-eyed kid, staring up at Furioso in the store window, and just being amazed.
And that brings me to the other point of this article, or rather the reason I’m writing it. As much as I love waxing lyrical about Dreadnoughts (and I really do), I’ve got the real urge to paint one. But I don’t know which one! I’ve got so many options now, and there are old favourites I’d like to do again, as well as new things that I’d love to try working on. This is the very definition of being spoiled for choice.
Question_Mark
I need your help, readers. Give me suggestions and ideas. Tell me about the dreadnoughts you’ve enjoyed working on, or tell me what you’d like to see me turn my hand to. Help me!!
I hope you enjoyed that long, stompy ramble. I’ve had a lot of fun looking at these old images, but I’m still frustratingly trying to work out what to paint next when it comes to these big chaps. I look forward to reading your ideas. Onwards!