Fire Hawks. OWAC January

  The Fire Hawks took pride in their savage reputation, but even within their own,  the 8th Company was known for its bloodthirsty choler and eagerness for battle. On more than one occasion elements had been been censured for their habit of interpreting or ignoring orders to allow them to engage or pursue the foe and in one particular admonition they had been reminded that they were not World Eaters.  Captain Agni had responded;

'Only Worlds?! We are Eaters of Fire!'

- 'The Burning Chronicles, 8th Company Remembrances'

2022 has started well for my hobby, the OWAC has been a big driver and helped focus my energy as well as looking towards the finishing line and finally owning a whole Rogue Trader army!

I started the project with my Assault Squad and ended up with quite a few extras

Completed Assault Squad

Medic and Chaplains

Chaplain and Rhino in Field Police livery

Five more Field Police

Full January and the five Field Police I completed in December

The full breakdown of January on the OWAC blog is here

Old World Army Challenge 

Tzeentch. Brother Jest and Brother Marc

 A couple of small additions to my Tzeentchian Warband before the year is out, hopefully 2022 will be a better year for the Church of Transmogrification.

Brother Jest of the Outer Church

Brother Jast had always been a religious man, but never a humble one. Raised a devotee of Sigmar, he had been a thorn in the side of the priests with his wealthy family affording him generous donations that always came with price and a demand that his voice be heard. 

Jest had always felt blessed and elevated in the eyes of the Gods but unappreciated of the earth and after arguing with the local priest for the last time he stepped into the Church of Transmogrification, maybe they would be grateful. Grateful they were for his patronage and flattered his ego until he had given all and took the Lilac Sacrament. The hand of Tzeentch reached out and blessed him with pale wings and his ego soared to new heights. He boasted of their beauty and revealed in flights between the colonnades of the church Halls, announcing to all that was amongst the favoured and would soon be blessed again, to join the Churches Cherubim and then on to daemon hood  and to stand by the side the Great Changer! 

His words were heard and the next time he took Sacrament he was brought low and his wings were shrunk until he could do naught but hop, his bright mask burnt and twisted and became a comical grin. Jast became Jest and now serves as a bloody Fool for the Church and still dreams of flight as he perches and drops with his mace

Brother Marc of the Outer Church

Marc had ended his life before the Church found him as a thief of poor skill and little luck. 

Born to a family with a little land, he was the third son and had inherited nothing on his father death. Unwanted at birth and unloved at home, he had been encouraged by uncaring brothers to seek his fortune away from them and in the town. They had given him a small sum of coin and their fathers sword to bribe him on his way. 

But his older brothers had no desire to give anything to him and had plotted for their farmhands to set upon him like brigands when he reached the town and take back all that they had given. Beaten and robbed, the town only saw yet another filthy worthless dreg, his protestations and pleas for help as only begging lies. Desperation drove him to steal, but unskilled and unaccustomed to his new life he was caught by the town watch and punished. His ears were cut and he was pilloried for his theft. Further undone he was found by the Church who took him in and showed him his first kindness and he gladly took the path they offered. Healed of his wounds, he now bears the drums of service and beats out each step on the Changers Way.

Brother Jest is a C12 Citadel Goblin Splat with a set of wings I found in my Bits box. Brother Marc is another figure taken from the Red Redemption set

The Church of Transmogrification revealed so far

  

Fire Hawks. Astartes Field Police

 

The Badab War saw a visible resurgence In the Astartes Discipline Corps and their Field Police Units. Supporting Chaplains and active in recently liberated battle zones, the increased presence of the Field Police had been in response to concerns around facing fellow Astartes but also to try and halt the increasing numbers of civilian casualties.

Complying with the directive, the Fire Hawks saw little need to Police their own, and the capture of the Red Harbringer had quelled any hesitancy at holding back from the Separatists 

The Chapters august history was replete with proof that they would do their duty and punish those that strayed from the Emperors Light and those within the Badab Zone would be treated no differently.

Accounts from Iblis Suppression during the early campaign against Mantis Warrior holdings indicate that the Fire Hawks Field Police were utilised in repression strikes against PDF and high profile civilian targets 

- Notes on the Astartes. Badab War. Inquisitior Iranq Da Veryt

From the pages of Rogue Trader emerged a single image of the Space Marine Field Police. The Lore of the Astartes was still being formed and drawing inspiration here from existing military organisations. 

Later in one of the Forgeworld releases they are mentioned again.

Awaiting the new year and the start proper of my Fire Hawks Chapter force I have put together a little Field Police Unit. As with the wider project, this is pushing me out of my comfort zone with the free hand work on the helmet and the Unit badge. I would not consider freehand detail one of my skills and hopefully the project will start to help and provide the practice to improve!

Some additional inspiration found online

I will eventually plan on making this a full 10 man squad with a Rhino which can act as a tactical unit to support one of the Chaplains and also be used in more narrative games or even as part of a Judicial force with some Adeptus Arbities I have (also awaiting a coat of paint.

The Unit icons I painted are not the best so may go back over them at some point later in the project but overall happy with the unit and they will make a nice contrast and addition to the Army. 

 

Fire Hawks. Old World Army Challenge begining

2021 has been a odd year for my hobby, and although I have managed to complete some long overdue pieces It has not felt a particularly productive or focused one. Lots of project have moved a step forward and other new projects have appeared despite my best efforts, though the addition of a 3D Printer to my room has to take part of the blame!

I have high hope for 2022 (without wanting to tempt fate) and hope my inclusion in the next Old World Army Challenge wil help that.

 The Old World Army Challenge to quote its founder and Overlord is :

The Goal? An Oldhammer army

The Challenge? 6 months to achieve it

The Old World Challenge was set-up by Iannick Martin as an initiative to motivate fellow Oldhammer painters and gamers to create an Oldhammer army in 6 months. Every month for 6 months, the Challengers have to submit a number of Oldhammer figures, using their favourite army lists. It is not a competition, as there are no winners, but rather we encourage one another to reach our goal.

We are 40ish challengers, from Japan to Canada, and most factions of Warhammer and Rogue Trader are represented, from Dwarfs to Elves, from Space Marines to Orks, from Goblins to the Empire.

With an invitation to join the competition in 2022, though preparation can start this year,  I had a host of Army's to pick from and initially narrowed it down to:

1. Slann - Expansion of my Slann Army with Cavalry, additional Bull and Elite Slann units and the second Slave Unit. A possible future entry

2. BB@OD - use it to help focus on my ongoing Bloodbath at Orcs Drift Project to complete the Orc contingent. Felt like I would be cheating and decided to make sure I add more to this next year and also giving myself a new challenge.

3. Imperial Guard - Rogue Trader Imperial Guard. Unfortunately on a quick survey I have not yet got enough to field a full force so this one will continue to slow burn and grow for now.

4. Space Marines. - I had attempted to start this one before as Dusk Raiders but lost steam but have recently been going though the Rogue Trader rulebook and also reading up on the Badab War...

In the end I settled on the Emperors finest, which was also spurred on by a recent acquisition of some RTB01 marines.

The full breakdown of my planned force is on the Old World Army Blog.

oldworldarmychallenge.blogspot.com

Starting in January I will post my progress here and a link to the a main article there.

Ral Partha Legacy.1 Armoured Stone Trolls

 As long as I have been collecting miniatures and wargaming there has been Ral Partha.

I can still remember my first trips to the Hobby store when I was in my early teens and been overwhelmed by the ranges of figures arrayed on the shelves to pick from and being given some fantasy figures from an Uncle who had kept them from his Dungeons and Dragons days.

Last year Ral Partha Legacy was founded by Iron Winds to enable a focus on some of the classic Ral Partha range including Chaos Wars

ironwindmetals

As part of that an invitation went out for gamers to paint up some of the range that would be used for promotional use and I was amongst those accepted. A fantastic opportunity to work with some fantastic sculpts as well as showcase some of my painting. 

The first of the figures I have painted for them are Armoured Stone Trolls. Highly detailed sculpts in high quality metal, they have a huge amount of detail and convey a real sense of weight and menace to them, the sword bearers also have scaled which I always love to see.

I have painted the set in quite subdued and realistic colours as I wanted to let the detail be the focus.

Next on the table is some Artillery!

Dark Age. Terrain 1

Clearing some space on my WIP shelf I have managed to complete the Dark Age Village I started in 2015,

I say 'finished' but what I mean is i have completed the first set of buildings. The buildings will also work well with Erin, Warhammer Fantasy and other medieval settings and 

My original inspiration was a set put together by Battle brush Studios 

battlebrushstudios.com

I ended up contacting Warbases who made the MDF buildings and sending them the link and asking if they could make me up  the same set, right down to the bases!

 warbases.co.uk

Warbases were extremely helpful and were able to make up the order and would recommend them for both quality of products and good value range  

MDF building with Coffee stirrers. The wood has been scored to add texture and take the paint better

Pigsty WIP

Bark Chippings wil form the basis of the small hill for the watch tower

Wattle fencing made for woven wire

The Competed set of buildings with flannel roofing for Thatching

First test building. I went with quite weathered and desaturated look to match up with the troops and also the green boards I have already made up

Small well I made a long time ago but will probably make a larger one to act as the village centre piece

Figures and terrain on green board

Pigsty

House

House with covered area with wattle fence

Watchtower on low hill

Between coats of paint I also made up three crop areas, sections of door mat cut and mounted on foamcard. Mud added to the edges and then grassed. 

Test set up with my green boards and trees. Using the lake I also made up a small dock out of coffee stirrers 

Small raiding party attack the settlement who can only muster a few defenders

Next on the build list for terrain will be a Barn, raised grain store, a stone bridge and a blacksmiths as well as some more green boards