Phantine: Marauder Bomber project "G for Greta" Part 1

"Strong men have conquered the land, bold men have conquered the void, between land and void lies the sky, and only the bravest men ever conquer that."

- Dedication to the Hessenville Aviator scholam on Phantine



As per tradition, on the 4th of July I usually release a blog post about something in relation to my Phantine. With that holiday coming up here in the United States that means its now time for me to get this article out of the way. I have had it in my backlog since at least Winter 2016. So today I present to you my biggest (literally) project yet. I am going to assemble, paint and play a Marauder Bomber for my Phantine Air Corp.

At first I was unsure if I wanted to do this as a single blog post or a series. Now having put off this article for a long while, I have decided to release it as a series of post. The model has been bought, washed, and primed for all of its pieces.

I decided that this model will be "G for Greta", which belonged to Commander Oskar Viltry during the Enothis campaign (772-774 M41). This aircraft first appeared in Double Eagle by Dan Abnett and so I have been looking back through that book for details about the aircraft. This will be my first super heavy of any type so I am excited to see what  I can do with it. Since I am a huge flyboy, the Marauder spoke to me as a Flying Fortress stand in that you would have seen in World War II. Having the connection to the books will only make it better when it is out on the table.

Phantine as I have noted before has no ground to muster a PDF on. So pilots and aviators are rounded up for the Guard. Long time readers of my blog will also note that Ive made a small Phantine Skyborne Force too to go with my Air Corp. In the pipeline I also have 5 more Phantine I need to do in order to complete the ground forces of my Skyborne forces. In the future I might expand upon them but for the moment Im going to be long term working on Greta and the Phantine. July is looking to be a busy month for me, so I hope that I am able to keep the 2 blog post a month mantra going. June saw me fall behind with my new job but Im not complaining.


As we celebrate this day, let us remember that in our own world, there are people fighting for us to remain free and risking there life for us. Even though we war game and have fun, we have to remember the real sacrifice that is asked of all who serve.

Happy 4th Everybody!
Till next time!

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Phantine Skyborne! Ready to Jump!

Command Squad with Scanner

 For the men and women of Phantine, everyday is a fight for survival. Growing up living on mountain tops in closed off cities, the people of Phantine live above the polluted clouds of their world. Called "The scald" these clouds can kill a man in minutes should anyone fall into them. Therefore when the Imperial Guard came for a tithe on Phantine, there was no ground to muster the troops.

Two types of soldiers are pulled from this world: Airmen for the Air Corps and Drop Troopers from the Skyborne. Today we cover the men and woman of the Skyborne. First appearing in Dan Abnettt's Guns of Tanith, the Phantine Skyborne played a vital role not only in reclaiming their world but in the Sabbat Crusade.

A Phantine Sargent

"They were all big, powerful young men wearing cream-coloured quilted jackets and baggy, pale canvas pants bloused into the tops of high jump-boots. The sides of their heads were brutally shaved, leaving just a strip on their crowns. Not as a result of lice treatment, Varl thought. These men kept their hair that way. They were Phantine troopers. Skyborne specialists."  - Guns of Tanith

This description didnt do enough for me so I decided to email the man himself about how the Phantine would look. Dan Abnett was kind enough to respond (for which I am very grateful!):

"I think they would look very much like WW2 aircrew crossed with paratroopers, with the jump-packs being "jet-pack" type units about the size and shape (and appearance) of an un-deployed parachute
Any help?
Dan 

With this information in hand ive set about painting them based off the images I could of World War II aircrews and paratroopers. It is my hope that these are the best representation of the Phantine that I can do.

Scald Squad

My own Only War Character (Captain Jonus Remaus) is a modeled in this army as well with his power sword "Liberus". As a member of the 44th Phantine He is the leader of "Scald" Squad seen here.

Full army shot with Holm Squad on the far right

 The second squad seen here (Far left) is Holm squad. This squad is led by Sergeant "Cowboy". Cowboy was originally nicknamed Cupcake after a superior called him a "cupcake solider",In response, Cowboy bettered himself and during the Ventra Majoris crusade fought against Chaos to protect the world of Sigma Majorus. He is current serving under Captain Remaus and someday hopes to get command of Scald Squad.

My yet un named squad

Seen here is the newest squad of the 44th. This is my last unnamed squad. They are the newest recruits after the Ventra Majoris campaign. Currently they are on patrol with the 44th fighting against Necrons and Orks. Whether or not they can stand against the horrors of the galaxy remain to be seen.

After taking these pictures I realized that I forgot to add in the 2 lascannon sentry guns conversions I had done for this army as well.

The Drop Sentinel in the back is a converted regular sentinel that has been heavily modified to fit the drop role. Its been a big part of this army since the beginning and earned me a few kills of enemy armor during the campaign I ran with my brother against his (read: my) tau forces. It is now a constant part of my drop army.

In the mail I have 2 more surprises coming for this army.  While these are just the ground elements of the army, I hope to be able to show the air elements soon.

Write a comment, say hi or just let me know you were here! Every little bit helps.

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Pardus 8th Armored: Fury of Pardus

A New Year means new models to try and build. This  time around its the Pardus 8th Armored! Yes Im finally back working on my tank company. Last time I had messed around with these guys was way back in 2012 when I started to paint up my Leman Russ tanks. Those were sold and traded away on a (much regretted) whim. Now I've been forced to restart from scratch.

Originally, I was gonna wait for Victoria Lamb or Mad robot miniatures to release there own versions of the Leman Russ tank (and I still might) but in the mean time, I have converted up my 3 extra Chimeras into a Leman Russ Tanks with the power of magnets! Since my own regretted whim left me without tanks, I put away playing my IG for tau as of late. However, this does not mean that I have been slacking. Instead, I decided to convert up these models as proof of concepts to show that it could be done.

Today I think the proof is in the pictures. This is the first conversion I did. Its named Fury on the side, which is short for "Fury of Pardua" found in the book "Double Eagle" by Dan Abnett. It was commanded by Lt. Klodas and was abandoned in the desert on Enothis. Here, it before that fateful battle. It was also a nod to the movie "fury" which came out last year about the tank crews in WWII. Although I havent seen it, It was too good of a opportunity to pass up.

I did my paint scheme up in a urban environment since my armies are suppose to be fighting to retake a Hive world in the Sabbat Worlds. Since these pictures were taken, I have converted up two more tanks to add to the Pardus. With the news that Madrobot is coming out March 1st with the new Gideon Tanks of his, Im not sure how long these tanks will remain tanks but in the mean time I hope to have some fun with them and enjoy a few more games with my guard. Its been too long since they've seen action and a few of the squads have been done up (as seen here).

In other news, The Adeptus Mech have been getting some love and painted. Forge World Metallica is growing and I hope to soon be able to post their pictures here along side my Tanith army. One of the coolest things about the Ad Mech is their weird playing style. Its like a battery that starts off strong and weakens the longer the game goes on. They truly are a alpha strike army. Hopefully I will get to take them out soon! My regular opponent has now picked up a Ork army also. This means guardsmen vs ork battles might soon be a thing. Fingers crossed for some exciting battle reports.

Until next time!

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Hello 2016: A New Year,A New Start!

Hello and welcome to the 2016 edition of Behind the Lines! Like last year I will be attempting to blog about a new project every two weeks. This is not a promise by myself or anyone here to keep to that but we will strive to do so.  2016 hopefully will see many new and exciting works done and updates to the blog. Hope on and get ready, its going to be one hell of a ride.

First off, I will be continuing to paint up my Victoria Lamb Tanith army. This project remains my main goal and will be seen to completion. New Tanks and vehicles will also be joining the ranks as I expand my Imperial Guard army, Hopefully I will be able to keep up the momentum! Of course that all depends on what kind of time school and work allow.

Secondly, my Tau and Menoth armies will be shown here!  You all have seen my Tau before  but not the new scheme I have planned for it. The Menoth Army is a tougher choice on what I want to do with it and Im hoping to get some community feedback on it. Also in the works is a major new army! Yes, an Adeptus Mech from Forge World Metallica is joining the war in the Sabbat Worlds along with another new PC from our Dark Heresy Game! News on that to come!

Finally We have been talking about a big project all year long. This project is still on course and is due out this Year! Needless to say we are excited to show it off to all of you and hope that you all are as excited as we are. I apologize for the lack of information on this but we have been very busy with our real life  as well as preparing this for everyone.

2016 is going to be a major year of big news and exciting new items. Hopefully you all are ready!  Happy New Year Everyone!

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Tanith Scouts & Snipers....

Where oh where has the time gone?

It seems only yesterday I was starting on this blog post working towards my first platoon of my new Tanith Army. Now its November! What have I been up to you ask?

 Well, first off time has gotten away from me as I have been working on my masters degree. School has formed a large part of my life and kept me up many a night. Secondly, I got a job working at a nearby place. Even though the extra money has been very nice, it has killed my hobby time. Such are the sacrifices of life.

So what do I have for you today? Well we have a couple of shots of my Tanith Snipers. These models were ordered off of Ebay as rescue jobs and stripped in LA's totally awesome. They were then primed and given a new paint job. This brings my total sniper count up to 8. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

I had meant to post these way back during the summer but time got in the way. I've had these sitting in my queue since June.

 The models were painted in the traditional colors of the Tanith First and Only with tattoos added in after the models were finished. Just like the Tanith Trooper and scout seen here, the models have been kept as true to the lore as possible. One addition I have recently added was using the Citadel Dry paint "Longbeard Grey" to go gently over the astrogranite texture paint. This addition to the models bases really helps to highlight the face that they are fighting on the battlefields.

So whats next you ask? Well Ive been working on the Tanith and Verghast models to help flesh out the army. I also have started to repaint my tau forces with the release of the new 7th Edition Codex. This new codex seems to have offered exciting new options to Tau players. Also in the works is BIG news that I am hoping to share with you all soon. At the beginning of the year, I had writtern that this news was to be placed throughout the year. Although ive been mentioning it, I havent been able to talk about it just yet.

Rest assured that everything has been progressing as we had hoped and the lack of writing has seen a greater number of feedback and work being done in regards to this project.

Hopefully as the year draws to a close I can keep you all up to date with not only my Tanith project, but also my tau and my warmachine Menoth army.

Until next time!

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Wargaming and Attitude discussion

This has been a topic that I've been heavily considering writing on a for a while. In the course of painting models, a few topics came up the other day on one of my recent pictures posted online. The paint job in general was considered "unfinished" , "Just primer" and "Shit" by many that commented on it.

First off, let me make something clear. This is not a whining post! 

This is a discussion on how we as war gamers are not always welcoming to others that might wish to join in on our hobby of plastic soldiers (No matter the system!) When I posted the picture I never imaged the hatred I would receive from people that were looking to either boost their own egos or put down others. The worst part was that this was a group of gamers that I frequented often. This group has a wonderful membership but the fact remains that people will begin to feel uncomfortable posting their own models if they are only going to get told that their work sucks.

Over the course of the last few days I have been watching the group. In that time I've painted a few more models here and there. Detailed a few and enjoyed painting. However I am hesitant to show anyone my work. If I, a veteran painter and player am hesitant to post my work, how must a new player feel watching the community tear itself apart over one or two "bad" paint jobs. This is unacceptable.

Primer or Paint? Can you tell the difference?
side note: This was not the model in the discussion

The facts remain on those models. First off, it was not "just primer" or "unfinished". There were two coats of paint and two different washes on there for just the body alone. The rest of the model was covered in colors ranging from golds to grey. Secondly, anytime you call somebody's work "shit" or "unfinished", please realize that you are not adding anything to the conversation. A more helpful attitude would have been to suggest a way to better the model or talk about what the positives of the model were.  Thirdly, if the model in question is not one that you like or feel is to YOUR standards, instead of posting on it, leave it alone. It cost you nothing. I will be the first to admit that I am not a class A+ painter. However, this was shockingly below the average post quality of the group in question.


So what can we do to encourage people to post their work and not feel judged? Be welcoming for starters. Encourage people to show off your work and give helpful, good advice on what they can do. Be friendly, even if it is the internet, people still want to feel good about their models they put time into. "The Thin your paints!" and "My eyes drill your barrels" post are funny but tried memes at this point. Offer painting tips to new painters and new players alike. Finally, realize that people paint to their own standards. What might be "Unfinished" to your eyes might be a new timers "master piece".


I hope these ideas and topics encourage you to think about your own painting. If you got anything to add post in the comments below!

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Commission: Death Korps Of Krieg "The Bloody 18th"

     

Middle Blue Krieger

     So here it is, my first commission work!, Originally I wasn't going to post this till it was done but I wanted to get in the mood and excited for the project. This project is for a close friend of mine "Bandogora".  He sent me his first five (5) Death Korps to be painted in the middle blue scheme. Readers of my blog will recall that my first Krieger that I painted was "Clark", a member of the Inquisition and part of Umarus's War band.

That Battle damage (Not mine but clients request to look similar)

These first 5 models arrived just as i was starting to type up this blog post. After looking at the models it was apparent they needed A LOT of TLC. These models had seen better days and it was up to me to make sure they were granted the right tools for the trade. After soaking them in a bath of LA's Totally Awesome, I cleaned them off and got to work putting them together. The picture to the right was requested as the bases for the wear and tear look on Bandogora's own work. No base work was requested and when asked the client refused to have any done.

Another Concept found online

My First look at 18D from pictures

That Red has got to go

 Bandogora had a request for me to make one of the models "18D" also known as "Alein", and make him specifically different from the other 4 Kriegers. 18D was Bandogora's character in Dark Heresy produced by Fantasy Flight Games. 18D was described as a Krieger sniper, so his character was going to have to stand out from the other four. A scope and a camo cloak was request for 18D which I promised to get.

He'll look better soon 

 Bandogora had purchased the models second hand and it was obvious they had seen a lot of wear and tear.  To replace the broken lasguns i suggested that Bandogora purchase some Victoria Lamb arms which he did. These arms were meant to make the regiment more his own and to replace the missing lasguns. What I had failed to realize was how broken these models were, It was going to be rough.

My plan is simple.

 I'm going to prime the models grey and then go over them with a space wolf grey / blue. Once the model is looking good I will add in some brown for the boots and the chest piece. My only hope is that Bandogora hasn't used anything too rough on the black primer, The Flamer is probably going to be the hardest part of this commission but we will see. I also want to add in some highlights and some rough wear and tear that was requested. Since my scopes and on-going Tanith project models had not come in yet, This is all going to be a Work in Progress.

Keep checking back! The Bloody 18th of Krieg will rise once again...

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