IonAge 28. Malig Infernus Tank

 

The belly of the  of Anvils Shield split and a dark red light briefly flooded the ground before being shadowed by a darker tide of men and great machines. Dark purple cloth and flashes of worn rust edges metal from weapon and armour, sickly green skin and yellowed teeth bared in the eagerness of the hunt. 

The Malig forces of Hades Legion were the first to move out, tasked with securing the area and moving on in a Trident formation, the deployed Ordos split with Tesserans forming each of the prongs with heavy support forming the shaft behind, ready to move up to whichever point met resistance. 

The Maligs moved quickly over the broken ground before them and within the hour the left most prong had made contact, trading fire with equal sized force of Prydian Muster that was establishing an outpost. The Malig officer, Hurteg Tar, ordered the unit to hold and called in support. 

A wall of sound and fire broke the tree line before the Infernus came into sight like a vision of hell itself. A tide of churned earth created with shattered wood, fire and smoke. A great ball of tarnished Iron charged forward, its two halves spinning and chewing all before it as gouts of fire shot from guns held at each side. Great plumes of black smoke cut into the sky from dirty stacks on its back, pushed out from screaming engines that spun and drove it into the enemy

‘Hades Demands’ Hurteg shouted in its wake and the Malig Charged 

Within the 15mm universe of the Ion Age Malig Forces can deploy the fearsome Infernus Tank

Alternative Armies Malig Infernus Tank

Inspired by a design for a tank, known as the Tumbleweed Tank that appeared in Popular Mechanics in 1936

As part of my Ion Age 28 project I wanted to try and bring some of the 15mm vehicles to the larger scale and even though there are not currently any rules for them in Moth they will make great terrain pieces/objectives and once I have actually got some games under my belt I will have a look at working some up!

Luckily I found an STl of the Tumbleweed Tank which made for a much easier start. 

thingiverse.com

I increased the size by 250% and made some conversions to match it up better with the Infernus tank, adding metal plates,  a rear engine block and smoke stacks and changing the weapons.

Painted up in the same style as the 15mm,  rusted bare metal, I added the weathered icon of Hades Legion

Infernus Tank advances with Malig forces 

Ion Age 28. Hades Legion 2

The bay doors of the Anvil of Suns opened, the ship's inner light sliced out as if the very night had been cut like cloth, and three Pinna transport barges slid out into the void toward the planet below.

Engines flared and the Anvil of Suns pulled away from the barges. Debris fields from ancient space battles encircled the planet and even in high orbit, the risk of damage was too great. The last of the exploration force has been deployed and now it would withdraw and carry on in the system to survey the rest of the planets before returning.

Aboard the lead Pinna, Anvils Shield,  Sub-Legate Atarr watched the descent counter roll down with one eye while his other watched the location markers of the other Pinnas maneuvering through the twisting ruins all around

Proximity alarms sounded as Anvils Eye moved too close and then swung away as its pilot attempted to avoid a collision, but too late and dived into a wreak fragment that might have once been exhaust post. 

"For the Khan" the radio burst from the Anvils Eye before filling the cabin with static as the transporter was destroyed.

"Anvils Will. This is Anvils Shield"

"Copy Anvils Shield " the radio crackled back into life.

"Reduce decent by 10% and follow our vector. Respond"

"Anvil’s Will in compliance"

‘Signal the Anvil of Suns’’ the Sub-legate instructed the Comms officer

‘Anvil of Suns. This is Shield. Mission update, Eye is broken. Shield and Will on the final approach. Request reinforcements’

The planetary analysis had reported a planet cut off by the heavy debris, preventing communication reaching into or out of planets surface while travel down was high risk. On the surface, the environment was in turmoil from the wreaks that periodically dropped out of orbit, ruin scattered the landscapes. Urban areas had been identified but the majority were in decline with evidence of decay, civil unrest or inter-faction warfare while others showed impact damage. Data fragments had identified three possible sites and the Malig Drop Spears had made bridgeheads but it would be for the Legion to lead and coordinate the search for clues to the long-hidden Hades Vaults that had been scattered across the galaxy an eon ago.

‘"Anvil of Suns acknowledged. No longer within planetary range. Proceed with the mission. Hades Demands"

Sub-Legate Atarr had not expected any further support and began to replan with the forces left to him, Praying that both barges would make planetfall and not follow Anvil’s Eye’s fate and resolve his challenge another way.

"Shield and Will in Compliance. The Khanate Advances"

Shia Khan legions form the backbone of the Khanate forces and I had acquired several as part of a job lot as well as some recent reinforcements from Alternative Armies website. The figures were painted in Hades Legion livery.

Legion Tesseran with Sub-legate Atarr and Pioneer armored bodyguard

Legion infantry armed with Juno Laser Rifles

Legion Infantry with Juno laser Rifle. Legion Assaulter with Maia Mpi. Legion Support with Janus Blast Gun Team

Legion Officer and Legion Pioneer with Maia Mpi

Warlord with Juno laser Cannon

Warlord next to Metaborg

Nox Trooper with Janus Blastgun

Size comparison.

left to Right - Malig. Legion Infantry. Legion Pioneer. Nox. Warlord. Metaborg

Hades Legion 

Alternative Armies

Ion Age 28. Lithic Assumption 3

...INQUIRY
...Lithic Assumption Civil Structure.
...ACCESS DIRECTORY
...Exploration Section/Brief
...Department of the Lithic Assumption governmental structure. Departments are titled a Major or Minor Sections depending on budget and Committee. ExSec was designated Minor Section and has been redesignated Major Section with oversight of ColSec and level 2 requisition access for DefSec.
...INQUIRY
...expand listed Sections
...ExSec...Exploration Section
...ColSec...Colonization Section
...DefSec...Defense Section.
...INQUIRY
...resume brief
...The ExSec was established as a scientific unit with access to AdSec and level 2 requisition to Defsec. Year 1 - 5 records log 12 off-world deployments and explorations attached to DefSec.
Year 6-10 records 38 off world deployments with 6 DefSec support.
...INQUIRY
...Public record scan/Brief
...'Contact with the wider galactic Civilisation and increasing Spacer influence within the House of Prefects has seen significant changes within the Civil Services, most notably with ExSec. What began as a small scientific unit has become a major Section and has become the instrument of Spacer expansion. ExSec now has oversight of ColSec and with it Colonial Outposts, Corporate Contracting. With DefSec status moved to High Alert, ExSec as Section Major has established its own security forces
...INQUIRY
...ExSec Security Forces
...ExSec security forces draw from Militia and Muster level for the defense of ExSec and Corporate holdings, Explorations, and Colonial Outposts. ExSec personal retain the teal of the civil Service livery as opposed to DefSec Red.

Coming back to my 28mm Alternative Armies Ion Age figures with a mind to use them for trying out the Planet28 ruleset created by Nicholas Evans

Blood and Rust Blog

Available here to download from Wargames Vault

Wargames Vault

The figures could also be used for other games like Rogue Trader, Kill Team, Inquisitor, Necromunda, etc and also allowed me to expand on my realm, The Lithic Assumption.

My first planned piece was a gun drone converted from an engine from Ramshackle Games (a fantastic site for miniatures and parts!)

Ramshackle Games

The design style for the Lithic Assumption is for a vertical asthetic.

Engine with plasticard and twin heavy bolter slung underneath

I went for quite minimal design with heavy weathering to add detail and would fit in with the narrative of the Warband as a group of crash survivors

I went back over the first four Militia I had painted and added the stripe and weathering

A Muster Majoris Officer and Muster Centaris Officer 

Warband so far. 

I plan on adding some more Muster troops and transport and possibly another Drone

Ion Age 15.Tank War. Pt 1

Many years ago I picked up a copy of Tank War - Fireball by Larry Steelbaugh. Despite never having read the first book it made for a good read and I have lost count how many time I have read it.

The book is set just after the outbreak of WW3 and a Cold war setting as Soviet forces invade western Europe. The story focus on exploits of the battle tank XM-F4 'No Slack Too' and a group of gun buggy Jager-Komandos as they fight behind enemy lines.

Inspired by the book I have started work on a buggy and tank force for my Ion Age collection and ties in with my image of the Prydian militia being used more like scouts and rangers in the Lithic Assumption. The final force can be adapted to serve as an element of a  Condot force or to operate being lines following a Shia Khan invasion 

 The tank will be an easy pick and I will be using a Taranis main battle tank.

For the Gun buggy I drew from my bits box and found a very old metal Alternative Armies scout car. These have not been sold for some time but after contacting Gavin Syme he was able to identify the miniature and even locate the mold so i could get some more! 

first sketch make to check that the idea would work, though this was a little too Fighting Golf Caddy!

Frame made with 5mm plasticard

Assembled design next to a militia figure

using a section of a Chupa lolly stick which almost matches the gun stand I can fit the guns but removed them for transport of to change weapons later

Rotary cannons from the Adder Vehicle Conversion pack

Four cars off the assembly line ready for the canopy to be added.

addendum - I have recently got hold of some more of the series so I am now finally reading book one!

Ion Age 28. Planetary Militia

...INQUIRY

...Access Location Stamp.

...LITHIC ASSUMPTION SPACE. PLANET FATE.

...Run holo log

The sensor light flashed and triggered a stream of data to scroll across the previously dormant parameter screen. Officer Freya Glas punched the duty alarm that would wake up the rest of her unit from their sleep rotation and began to suit up as she glanced over the screen. Listening to the others gathering on the hatch floor below her she rechecked her weapon clip and smiled, catching fragments of sarcastic banter and grumbles from the team. Once this would have intimidated her but now it was a comradely comfort, the squad renewing their bonds and exercising their own nervousness before the mission

Born to the parents of Prefect Administrators, she grew up in Crater Wall South a well off suburb Prefect outside Monolith City. Educated with the expectation she would join the civil service  she had given her future little thought but when the time came for her to start her Planetary Service it seemed to wake something within her and she signed up to frontline duty within the Militia. Her parents were concerned and implored her to take a safer post but she was adamant and after excelling during basic training, she was accelerated to the command track and found herself on Fate as second officer in a border listening station.

" Squad Assembled, Ma'am " called up Iban Cal, her Communications specialist, and she descended the stairs and led them to the garage that lay at the base of the station. Mounting their  Recon Adders, the squad sped out of the station and into the state grey landscape of Fate. 

Sorting though a bits box I found several of the 28mm Ion Age figures I had picked up 20+ years ago and had originally intended to use them as a state terrain but then found the remaining two figures from the set and decided to see what I could do with them, and if nothing else use them as a trial run for their 15mm equivalents!

 Cant remember when I picked these up ( might have been my brothers!) and never really looked at them until now and appreciate the quality of the sculpts. Post modern with a subtle sci-fi detail.

I wanted to keep the style fairly realistic, for the Lithic Assumption these are the Territorial Army, The National Guard of the Armed Forces, but also those with the most local knowledge and tracker/Guerrilla skills. I have not done any figures in Camo pattern before and settled on an urban pattern based off the classic Rogue Trader Imperial Guard stripes

I wanted to tie the more Sci fi elements back into the rest of the uniform and show it distressed and worn as if it was passed from recruit to recruit and damaged through constant drills and manoeuvres 

 Detail of the dropped weapon

The full squad led by Second Officer Glas

My most recent acquisition on ebay has given me quite a variety of Ion Age 28m to make up and enjoy opening a blister pack again! 

The next question is whether I paint  the Shia Khan in the more traditional Styx Legion red or my own Hades Legion purple and where to source a good 28mm recon buggy model 

Ion Age