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 1

It was sun time by the planetary rotation but the dust clouds that wrapped the city kept everything in endless dusk. The orbital bombardment that had heralded Hades Legions' arrival had reduced Oxen City to rubble, they had not come to colonise but to remove, to sweep away in preparation for the Khanates return.  

The Malig Ordos divisions were the first to make planetfall, Drop Spears falling from the sky and digging deep, like pins to a map, securing Hades to the world.

Captain Myroc signaled his Tesseran forward, it had already lost two troopers to PFD fire but was determined not to lose momentum. He served the Legion with pride, but it did not suffer failure well and he would see his orders fulfilled no matter the cost. 

Rifle and pistol hummed into life and the Hades line moved forward again, white uniforms blossoming to red and falling to the grey earth.

Continuing with working through by 28mm Ion Age miniatures,  I picked up with the Malig Space Goblins. These were sculpted by Bob Olley and show his usual style, personality and attention to detail, some of these remind me of his original Adeptus Mechanicus Servitor sculpts.

The Maligs have been painted in the purple livery of Hades Legion like their 15mm counterparts.

  

Three troopers armed with Juno Laser rifles and a Cupid Laser Pistol. I painted the end of the pistol in off white to give the impression it was a ceramic material

A Malig officer with twin Cupid laser pistol and two more troopers armed with a Cupid Laser Pistol and a Juno laser rifle

Group shot. 

Maligs supported by Metaborg Proauctor Belial

Scout elements of Hades Legion encounter Lithic Assumption forces within the ruins of Oxen City

Ion Age 15. Hades Legio Malig Ordos

...INQUIRY

...Hades Legion action/Confirmed

...ACCESS DIRECTORY

...Transcript excerpt from Port Administrator Barras/Planet Guttenberg. 

...The first we knew there was something wrong was when the Starport sirens began to sound. a Carrack Superheavy carrier from the Agri-moon was not returning hails and as it came into the land you could see damage and fires from several sections. We had assumed she had been caught by raiders but managed to pull through. Support crews were summoned and went to meet them. 

The Carrier had landed badly and sat in silence as the crews approached and then all hell broke loose!
Bay doors fell and great wheels shot out, dark purple livery with lasers and rocket pods blazing as they moved out from the ship and began to tear through them. Like the ripples from a stone in the water, they spread out, wave after wave of them moving out, and then came troops. Rank upon rank of armoured shapes roaring in their advance, flashes of purple amongst dull armour and sickly green skin.
I hid in the server room as the Starport burned and they told me what they had done afterward, the whole city on flames and ruin, the scars of their wheels and guns everywhere. By the time the Militia could gather enough to counter-attack they had pulled out and left only the dead, impaled and violated. 
It was only much later when the clearing up began that the real reason for the attack was discovered. The Starport and all that had come after had just been a feint, a distraction while others had gone to the University and taken the archives. All of it gone, a thousand years of history from paper to data spool to Crystal chip. All taken.

I still cannot sleep...





I have made a concerted effort this year to be more strategic with my painting so I can actually field whole painted units armies. With the Ion Age I have been pushing with my Shia Khan forces and finally completed my Malig figures, many of which I have had for 20+ years!

Malig troops from the Archive (AIAF002) 

Malig Command. The set also comes with two casualties

The banner features the letters M (Malig) and H (Hades)  in Mongolian

Jacto Missile Orb with Hades Legion H letter

Hades legion on the surface of Guttenberg

Malig Ordos  - comprises of three Tesserans of 8 Maligs each and a Command Tesseran

Hades Legion 

Hades Legion left to paint. Nox Ordos, Pugnus Light tank and three casualties 

Ion Age 15. Hades Legion

...INQUIRY

...Shia Khan

...ACCESS DIRECTORY

...Hades Legion

...ACCESS DIRECTORY

...Neocastle Report/Opening statement 

...The name is of Styx is well known throughout the Precinct, Foremost of the Shia Khan's legions.

But as the Matter Gateway stands open other Legions are emerging and building their own reputations

Recent reports has identified Hades Legion amongst the invasion forces and records from the first Khanate have confirmed this. 

Hades Legion was recorded as the first Legion under the Khan, clearly there has been a change in fortunes with Styx now in their place but Hades have lost none of their arrogance and are noted as a brutal Legion, even for the Khanate. Legion tactics favour orbital bombardments and heavy assault with high deployments of Pioneers and Armoured units. 

They are a Hammer and care little where it lands.

For my first project of 2019 I have decided to return to 15mm and the Ion Age universe

Firstly to paint up the figures I have had boxed up for many years and then to expand with a small Shia khan and then a Prydian battlegroup. 

24 Maligs based on pennies

On the left painted 10+ years ago and test model with new paint scheme.

1st Tesseran unit

For a bodyguard unit of Legionnaires I used figures from the Alternative Armies laserburn range 

Legion officer, laserburn figure

Hades Legion

Legate Barath with bodyguard Tesseran

supported by Malig auxillia

Pict capture from Khanate Forces 

following Orbital bombardment of Newcastle IV Colony.

 Ion Age

Alternative Armies laserburn Range