Updates From the Front!

Howdy ya'll Praetorianofthe_East here, we here at BTL know it has been a while, but we have been slammed with school work, but we have an exciting new endeavor starting to make up for the lack of content (and expect new content soon between new 40k armies and our forays into Star Wars: Legion), and this endeavor is *DRUM ROLL*

A YouTube channel!

Here, we will post a variety of things including a Podcast (with topics ranging from models to tournament play), online battle reports played on Tabletop Simulator across a variety of games, Pen and Paper RPG sessions, physical battle reports, and sometimes even video game footage because we do enjoy a variety of strategy games, but expect this to be infrequent.

This blog will remain open of course and expect blog posts more frequently now that I can remember how to make Blogger posts (much professional, I know).

The link to the YouTube channel is here if you're interested

Thanks for the support guys! Eventually we plan on publicizing a Discord, but there are some kinks like bots and rules that have to be worked out first. Cheers, and for the Dark Gods!

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2018: A Year in Review

Another year has passed by. For those of you who are long time readers, you know that at the end of every year I write a blog post about the top 3 most viewed post of the year. I do have a quick aside though. From August to now, I have not had the opportunity to post much. I found a new job and it has kept me very busy. What that means for this blog at the moment I do not know. However, I do intend to do 1 post per month in the coming New Year. Just to keep this blog alive. I also will be encouraging guest writers to add to the blog with their own takes on their miniatures and models. Another idea I had was setting up a Youtube Channel and filming a few games to post here as well. Would anyone be interested in that? Let me know in the comments below!

The Tanith and the Guard army grew with new tanks and new infantry soldiers throughout the year. Mad Robot released his Rangers set which helped to boost the army significantly. The Ad Mech grew in numbers with more skitarii and Onager walkers purchased. I now have a 2000+ point army of Ad Mech ready to march across the table into the enemy.  The Tau were mostly ignored this year as the points cost and the army size made playing the army no longer fun for me. However with the chapter approved 2018, I might try to start playing them again. I started a Sisters of Battle army this year and grew it to 1500 points! I am ready for 2019 and the Sisters beta codex is giving me a lot of hope for things to come. The Menoth from Warmachine were also mostly ignored as well as the local warmachine scene is dead here.

What wasn't dead here though was Kill Team for Warhammer 40k!  I built 2 kill teams, one based upon the Tanith 1st and Only and the other built around the All Guardsmen Party. Both of those saw extensive play through our shops Campaign which was played over several weeks.

As always we will now look at the Top 3 projects were have done this year.

Coming in at #1 was the Blood Pact Commission which was done for my friend Matt
Coming in at 1,303 views this post was the most clicked on post of the year. Matt's Blood Pact is being build in response to my Tanith army and soon we hope to have a few battles from across the Sabbat Worlds to tell.

#2 this year was the Tau Codex review at 1,281 views. This post gained a lot of views following the Tau codex release. A lot of people disagreed with my ideas on what was said but I still stand by them. The codex review was a lot of fun and something I would like to do again.

#3 this year was my Imperial Guard Verghast at 1,013 views. This post was also a surprise to me. I had not expected  for it to be in the top 3. The idea of the Verghast models came from Dave Taylors own assembly of some troopers he got from Victoria Lamb. I liked the way he had assembled them and decided that my own Verghast would look like his.

With that I want to wish everybody a Happy 2019. Hopefully 2018 has been good to you all and 2019 will be even better. Keep rolling those dice and stay tuned. Many new things are to come in 2019!

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Phantine Air Corp: Tornado's are coming!

                     Since today is July 4th, I've decided to bring you another Phantine Air Corp article. Long time readers of the blog will note that on July 4th, we here at Behind the Lines celebrate American Independence Day. The last few times have been about the Phantine as seen here and here as examples. So we figured we would continue the tradition of talking about airplanes and paratroopers.

Well a while back, I joined the 40k Aeronautica group on Facebook. This group is all about the Air Club. People post their own home made aircraft as well as official GW / FW models.Its a very exciting group to be a part of. The community is great and the admin team is super. Since aviation has always been one of my interest, it seemed like a natural fit for me. Warhammer 40k and airplanes? Whats not to like!

One of the admin had some skills with 3D design and set about designing his own aircraft to use in 40k. This quickly took off (groan I know) and in time the group had funded the design. The admin promised not only patches, but also buttons, pins, and a full model of his first design. The "Tornado" fighter.

The community came together and with the promise of a new aircraft, we set about making it happen. This project will be the first of hopefully many new designs. It  has tightened the community together. The Admin team has already started working on new designs and future aircraft that they hope to be able to bring to the table top.

Lets talk about my experience as a backer. Although the wait was long, it was worth it. This was the first true "community supported" project that I have backed. However, when the cast came in, the models were shipped very fast. The admin team has kept everyone up to date on the process and the project.

 When I got my model about three days later It arrived in a standard packing box. It was in a baggy with not only the model pieces but also my backer rewards. After washing the model pieces in warm soapy water, I sent the model to a friend to assemble. This was because at the moment, I was working on the Blood Pact Commission, which I hope I will be posting more of soon. After it was assembled and primed it was sent back to me. What I got back in return was less than perfect. The model had been rushed and the tail was bent.

I stripped the model and took it apart over the course of a few days. Then after everything was apart, I set about reassembling it. The model is easy to put together. It holds together very well. It does not eat a lot of glue, so you can fit things together quickly. My advice would be to use very little glue in assembly. A little will go a long way on this project.

It should be noted that this project does not come with missiles, bombs ect. You will need to have your own or buy some from other sources. I used GW Valkyrie missiles for mine in my second build. The Original build my friend used was the GW Chimera missiles. Both will work.

It must be noted that this model is MUCH smaller than a GW Thunderbolt or Valkyrie. I like it however. It looks like a fast air to air fighter that it is mean to be.

 I haven't had time to airbrush or paint the model since it was reassembled. Life has been very busy as of late.I hope to break out my airbrush and get some work done soon.

Now I would like to take some time and talk about how this model will be used on the table.

It could be either a Lightening or a Thunderbolt depending upon the players wants. Im going to run it as a Lightening fighter since I own two thunderbolts already. This Lightening will be a part of the Phantine XIX. Also known as "Orbis" Squadron.

 In the books, Orbis squadron was described as deep grey with their fins and tails painted a deep blue. For this aircraft, Im planning to use my standard mix of Basalt Grey from Vallejo for the body and then use a GW Kantor Blue for the blues. The Cockpit will be a mix of many blues that I have collected over the years. For the engines, I will be using a gold color.

To all my fellow Americans, Happy 4th of July! and to the rest of the world Happy Wednesday!

Leave a comment, say hello or just let us know you were here. We enjoy hearing from you. Also check out our Patreon page. Even a 1$ per month would help us bring you new content. If you like what you see please consider donating. Every little bit helps.

If you want to pick up your own Tornado then head over here

Until next time!

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Commission: Blood Pact Infantry

First 5 members of the squad

"They hide their faces in snarling iron, but the cruelty in their hearts is manifest in their burtual deeds. We are lost and we are done. May the God-Emperor forgive our failure and protect our souls." - Last Transmission of General DeLesstt, Urdesh

Back of the first 5 members. Notice the cloak done up in the style of my Tanith

So I've been commissioned again and this time Im painting Chaos. I never really thought I would paint chaos. However since this commission was something that was close to the Gaunt's Ghost series, I decided that it would be fun to paint. The Blood Pact are the main villains of the Gaunt's Ghost Series. A chaos force that has built itself up as a massive threat to the Imperium in the Sabbat Worlds. Having read the entire series, I was excited to paint red, lots and lots of red after painting my Tanith army for so long.

These traitors are the first squad of Matt's new Blood pact army. In order to get them ready, I ordered them from Mad Robot Miniatures. His Crimson Pak models make perfect Blood pact! Next I washed the models in warm water and soap. After a 24 hour wash, I dried them out and prepared them for paint. After a lot of intense airbrushing, I saw these models primed and readied for paint. After they dried, I started to add the base colors. I used Vallejo red for the base.I then used Vallejo Black-grey for all the black colors.After a Nuln wash, I then highlighted the reds and blacks. The bronze was Games workshop Bronze and the silvers were Vallejo silver and Vallejo chainmail. Both colors were to help the models look closer to their artwork. Sharp eyed viewers will notice that I added some dead Tanith models onto the bases and that the sergeant is wearing a ripped Tanith cloak. This was a request by Matt, both as a personal joke against my Tanith army and as a way to connect our two armies together from the book material.

Second 5 members of the squad

My poor attempt at Photoshop

To complete the look of the models, I added in a special "blood wash".  Since I dont have Games workshop paints available to me here, I mixed my own paint using Nuln oil, agrax earthshade, 4 different types of reds and lots of matte mediums. It worked very well I think.

Back view

Matt did request that I not base these models since he wants to add them onto his chaos army. However, the few pieces of Tanith bodies, stocks, and guns helps to make the model feel as if it is on the battlefield. In the future, he hopes to commission me again. Eventually this army will grow into a full force. One that will rival my Tanith on the tabletop. Matt has already started talking to me about doing a few Blood pact Chimera for him in order to transport this squad across the battlefield. Before too long we might see a few Leman Russ Tanks.


Now onto other news. We here at Behind the Lines have set up a Patreon page. This Patreon would to support us in bringing you new content such as painting tutorials, gaming reviews, blog post and eventually videos. If you would like to support us please head over to here. Even 1$ a month would help us out to bring you more content. The team has been gearing up to add a lot of new content that we are excited about.

As always, leave a comment, say hello or just let us know you were here. If you would like to get a commission price as well you can message us here or on Patreon.

Until Next time!

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Sisters of Battle: Saint Sabbat and her angels

"There are no miracles , there are only men" - Saint Sabbat
"Do not shrik! Do not falter! Give them death in the name of Sabbat"  - Saint Sabbat at the Battle for the Gates of Harkalon

Welcome back to Behind the Lines!

 Today we have a Saint Celestine proxy for my new Sisters of Battle army. The Sisters of Battle are currently the oldest line of models in 40k and so most of my sisters are going to be either 3rd party or proxy. For Celestine and her angels, I choose to have a Harbinger of Menoth to be the base of my model. I then found some Blood Angel wings thanks to a local gamer (Thanks Charlie!) and converted my Celestine model. For her angels, I found two old Sister models on ebay and bought them for probably more than they are worth. All of this was done before the plastic Celestine came out.

However, its been a while and with the Sisters back on as a possible 2019 release, I wanted to get my army ready. So I found the pieces, converted Celestine up and painted her in the colors of Saint Sabbat as described in the Gaunt's Ghost series of books. This will allow me to connect Sabbat (Celestine) into the theme of my armies so that I can use my sisters across multiple armies.

In order to paint Sabbat, I used a grey primer. I then used scarlet red for her robes and metallic bronze for her army as described from the Gaunt's Ghost wiki page. After those dried I was both in Nuln oil before highlighting the red with Wazzadakka red and the bronze using Balazhar gold. The wings had already been painted by Charlie and looked fine to me so I added them on after I was done with the paint job. For the flesh, I used Flat Flesh by Vallejo and then added a flesh wash. After that dried I used a rose flesh mixed with a light flesh and highlighted her skin.

For her hair I used a Vallejo black base and then added Vallejo black-grey highlights. For the basing I used GW astrogranite and then highlighted it with Longfang grey.

For her Geminae Superia I did the same color scheme as described above. However for the power armor I used a black base and then added a highlight of black-grey. The scheme I decided to go for with my sisters is the Order of the Ebon Chalice. This is the traditional Sisters scheme of Black armor with white robes on the outside and red on the inside. For the silvers, I used Games workshop Ledblecher with vallejo silver. For the reds I used Vallejo Scarlet and then added Wazzadakka red as a highlight.

This is just the start of the Sisters of Battle. I have ordered and put together 2 Exorcist Tanks as well as 2 Repressors. I also have ordered 2 more squads of 5 sisters. That way, I can run a battalion of sisters. I am excited to run this army in 2018 and I hope to have more to show off soon.

Until next time!

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Marcharius IX Campaign: Curtain Call

"I dont care about that damned planet,I only care that the heads of each and every [Chaos] Lord there is on a [expletive] pike" - Uriel Bejz (Renegade Marine, once of the Minotaur's chapter 999 M41)

"I commend them, the Gue'La. Not for their tenacity, not for their ferocity nor for their cunning. It is for their honor that I now have great respect for them. Even when drawn down to a man, even when death was inevitable, they still fought us with all they had, instead of cowering or surrendering like dogs. When faced against overwhelming odds, they stood strong, even when scores fell. These...humans...they will forever have my respect." -  Shas'O BrightSun (T'Kain Sept, Marcharius IX reclamation Force M41)

Today ends our groups Marcharius IX Table top Campaign. Marcharius IX first appeared in our Dark Heresy game as a world on the edge of the Imperium. Located between Tau Space and the Imperium, this world would come to have drastic consequences for the party.

The party first encounter Marcharius IX in their pursuit of the Rogue Trader Josiah. Josiah had been spreading chaos tainted wheat across the imperium for years, having been chased by Inquisitor Herodotus and his warband. Bo Terran, the charismatic interrogator and de facto leader of the party, unintentionally brought the party to the world after getting captured and pulled into in a webway with eldar pirates. What the party found was a world high in tension. Tau and Humans living together in tense truce. After reestablishing contact, they found that the local Governor of the world had made a trade deal with Josiah in order to sell the world's resources to chaos in exchange for immortality. It was discovered that Bubo the plague father and Kordan of the Thousand Sons would soon arrive. Bubo with the Rogue trader, and Kordan in pursuit of Bubo. The party only barely escaped as the world fell to chaos around them. Having made it out alive, the party called upon the Marines of the Dorn's Raiders and "The Coalition", a mass gathering of Space Marines, Guardsmen, and other factions of the imperium in order to retake Marcharius IX. When the party returned to Marcharius, they had one goal. Kill the 2 chaos lords. While Bubo was killed in the fighting, many members of the Coalition were lost. Unable to stop the imperium, Kordan summoned a warp storm and consumed the planet in the warp. The party was only barely able to escape having suffered major losses in friendly Non player characters and major damage to themselves. The Coalition along with the Dorn's Raiders took massive causalities in the fighting as well.

100 years passed......

This is where the table top campaign took off. After 31 days in May, each of the former PCs and GM recorded a total of 20 games played.  The armies were as followed:  Jon: Detachment D-44 (Imperium), Jerry: T'Kain Sep (Tau), Greg: Dorn's Raiders (Space Marines) and Tallarn (Imperial Guard), Kurtis: 186th Death Korp (Imperial Guard) and Chaos Marines (Night Lords) , and Matt: Brother Hood of Ferrus (Iron Hands Space Marines).

 The Imperium had a 1:4 win loss ratio.  The Tau had a 1:1 win loss ratio and chaos had a 0:0 ratio. The height of the campaign was when the Dark mech stole a former PC's power lance that they had left behind for the survivors. What chaos wants with the Power lance is a story that will be told when Wrath and Glory (the new 40k RPG) releases this June This is not the last we have heard of Marcharius IX. In the mean time, the Tau of the T'Kain Sept had reclaimed the world in the name of the Tau Empire. What they found was horrific and barbaric......

Post Campagin Patch for Detachment D-44

The last of the Gue'la lay dead in a pile. The firefight had been tough and many shas'la of the T'kain sept lay dead near where the Gue'la tank had blasted their position. After a month of fighting, the human world, once known as Marcharius IX had been reclaimed by the Tau Empire. The Etherals wanted to cleanse the world of all chaos taint and make it into a new sept world. One that would be a shining example to the rest of the Empire. However Commander Brightsun was not so sure. Having seen the horrors of the landscape and the chaotic influences that had ravaged this world for so long, Bright sun was sure that no tau citizen could ever truly consider this a home. The surviving human forces had either been scattered or died en masse. As for the chaos forces, they had disappeared as quickly as they had come. Many of the Imperiums soldiers had escaped and command reported that they had gotten back to the Imperium lines. Entire parts of the world burned. The Imperium had not left quietly and Brightsun believed they would back someday. Among the survivors had been found humans as old as 150 years old. Many Earth Caste believed this was not natural for the human life span and questions had been asked of those who had been found. One of them, a young human had responded that the warp had kept them alive to live their own personal hells. Many Earth caste scientist took this be the ramblings of a insane human.Whatever the case was, there was still work to be done. The twisted barren landscape was still full of daemon creatures and resistance cells. Whether or not the world could ever  be fully reclaimed Brightsun did not know. Taking a last look at the deadpile of tau warriors Bright sun activated his XV-8 and flew off to find another battle.

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Tanith 1st and Only: Verghast Recruits from Vervunhive

"For Vervunhive! For Verghast! For The Emperor!" -  Battle cry of the Verghast
Tanith First and Only

Another month done for 2018. Where is the time going? Today I present to you my next squad of Tanith 1st and Only. This time is is my redone Verghast squad. Sharp minded readers might remember that I had showed off this squad Here back in 2016.

So you might be asking, Jon, why are you posting these guys again? Well they're part of the great "repaint of 2017 - 2018". Essentially I have started adding eyes to all of my Guard infantry models. Ive also added Tattoos to some squads like the one shown here. For the moment, im focusing on the eyes and repainting the flesh to be less flat. Ironically, the flesh paint I got for these guys originally was "flat flesh".

 Ive also finally found a supplier for Dark Reaper Layer paint so im adding in highlights of dry brushed dark reaper to all my models. Ive also started adding highlights to all the camo cloaks so all squads in the future will have their cloaks highlighted.These are really just touch ups to older models. My painting skills have improved,and so have my desires to make this the best army I can.

Now whats coming in the future? Well, first off Ive ordered myself a small group of Sisters of Battle. That order will be shown off and painted here. Secondly, Ive gotten my Marauder Bomber back from the gentleman that I had assemble it. Im going to get that model painted up and show it off here. I am excited to see that centerpiece come to fruition. Ive also started working on my Knight and Ad mech again. There are a lot of projects going on here. Perhaps too many!

A quick note: Part 2 for the painting Tanith series is coming. I just need to get back to them.

Until Next time!

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