+ inload: Alien Wars Blood Angels +

+ For those new to the Alien Wars, check out the tab above. To catch up on my retro-inspired Blood Angels specifically, start here [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] +

[10: LOAD "80s punk style Scouts"] 
[20: LOAD 'guitar riff #3']
[30: IF 'Awesome', Vol +1]
[40: GOTO 10]

+ Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the Imperium? +

+ Yeah! Scouts comin' atcha from the early 90s. Asymmetric puffy sleeves, ponytail mohawks, heavily armoured codpieces, knees and shins, powerful shoulder pads and a general disregard for anything except being rad. +

+ These are such wonderfully over-the-top figures; dripping in the mix of punky, baroque finery and Napoleonic warfare that typifies 40k. These particular figures were brand new at the time of the original army (WD138–141), being previewed as the first pieces by a new sculptor. They differ from the previously-released scouts, which can be seen alongside them here [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], by being slightly more refined. While the same design cues have been used, these four figures have cleaner lines, some smoother plates, more cohesive detailing, and (to my eye, at least) overall better sculpting and posing. +

+ They are divisive; there's no denying that – they're often held up as exemplars of the weird old figures Citadel released – but that's part of why I like 'em. They're a far cry from the common design cues of sci-fi soldiers today, and clearly draw much from the Citadel sculptor's historical experience. Compare them with the Empire troops released shortly after – the slashed sleeves in both cases are presumably drawn from Renaissance-era Landsknechts; but I think they're more creatively employed here, in a sci-fi setting. +

+ In any case, they work perfectly for the crumbling, post-Romantic, Dark Age feel of the Nova Terra Interregnum period. + 

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+ Digging out the Blood Angels has got me fired up, so I got stuck into the painting. Minor progress, but every little helps: +

+ Note the injured/dead figures. Things like casualty markers tread the line between part of the army and part of the scenery; and as such they're a great way to try new techniques or – as here – a great way to remind yourself how you painted something that you haven't picked up in a while. It doesn't matter so much if they're slightly inconsistent. +

+ In-game, I'm vaguely planning them to act as markers for morale; a visual reminder to do tests etc. +

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+ Getting involved +

+ Remember, the Alien Wars setting is not invitational – it's open to anyone who fancies giving it a go. In addition to using it as a way to get stuff like my orks and Blood Angels painted, it's also been a great chance for me – and a lot of others – to paint some fun one-off aliens and oddments.

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+ While the setting involves the whole Galaxy – and thus anything's fair game – the fight between the Space Marines and the various Xenos (particularly Orks and Eldar) is at the core of the idea. +

+ I recently spotted this rather lovely Chapter scheme; a short-lived Excoriator scheme that was retconned (they're now cream). That might put you off, but since the events of the Nova Terra Interregnum are shrouded in mystery, it's a great opportunity to paint up some of these 'lost' schemes. +

+ Perhaps you've never painted an Eldar, or ork? Why not give it a go? Similarly, why not have a go at painting a one-off Space Marine? +

+ inload M35: Blood Angels and Squats build updates +

+ Slipstream into M35 +

+ After two campaign weekends, and much frenzied painting, I have polished off the Iron Warriors (for now, at least) my Steel Legion, and a small Genestealer Cult. Not bad going for the past few months! +

+ So, having played around in M31 and M41, I thought I'd take a detour back into the Alien Wars of M35, and return to the Blood Angels 3rd Company. +

+ A quick spray later – you can check out my painting method here [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] – and the latest figures are ready to paint. From left, you can see a Scout (a lead Rogue Trader figure), a finished Tactical Marine, a Terminator veteran, and the awesome third party Dreadnought. +

+ I've no doubt at all that the Dreadnought and Scout will be pretty divisive – the styles are very different to the modern visuals, but that's all part of the beauty of exploring a fresh era within the universe. Rather than arguing that 'X doesn't look like that', it's easy to say 'this looked like that at this time.' +

+ More importantly, it's a chance to play around with some figures I like! +

+ Also bubbling under are the Squats of the Iron Staff League (above), and a few other bits and bobs for the Blood Angels (below). +

+ War for Akkar: 30k Frontier's Horus Heresy gaming event +

+ War for Akkar: After-action report +

+ I had the great pleasure of playing a part in the War for Akkar, the last part of a grandly-scaled series of Horus Heresy campaigns run by a group called 30k Frontier [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]. I had an absolute blast – great people, great tables and great armies. +

+ But don't take my word for it – check out these fantastic forces. I don't seem to have got everyone's armies, but they were all great. Thematic and clearly lovingly constructed. +

+ The Warmaster's forces +

+ These brutal-looking World Eaters, commanded by a great fella called Stacy, were a mix of older marines and those more recently 'elevated' and pressed into service. He won a well-deserved 'Best Character' – and probably the gaming highlight of the event by pot-shotting a vital Imperial strategist with a long-range plasma pistol strike! +

+ The 242nd fought alongside Sam's cool Mechanicus force. The thralls (on the right) were some suitably chaotic conversions of some Age of Sigmar troops. +

+ Some chump brought these Iron Warriors, too. +

+ Joe's beautiful Word Bearer force won 'Best Walker', and featured some blinding conversions. I particularly liked the Terminators. +

+++

+ Emperor's lapdogs +

+  A lovely infantry-heavy Alpha Legion force; fighting for the Emperor – or were they? (Yes). Had a good scrum against these; and my only victory of the weekend – so thanks for going easy on me, Alex! +

+ I faced this assault marine-heavy Raven Guard force in the first game, where I was trying to prevent them escaping a collapsing space station. Needless to say, trying to catch them was like grasping mist... Nevertheless, a surprisingly tense and enjoyable game. +

+ Jack's Ultramarines had a great theme – a Chapter of Destroyers – and in addition to being beautifully painted, were accompanied by some great props. They won a well-deserved 'Best Fluff' award. +

+ I faced Will's Raven Guard both one-on-one, and in a team game; and ended up getting mulched by assault marines on both occasions. A very well-constructed force, and a lovely – and very patient! – player. +

+ Sadly I didn't get a chance to face Alex's Imperial Fists, but they were amongst my favourites. While the Dreadnoughts (Mk IV box dreads forever!) are the stand-outs, the whole force was executed with great attention to detail and background. +

+ You'll probably spot that the armies are unusually (and pleasingly) infantry-heavy; and that's because the Zone Mortalis rules were in effect for the campaign. I was really glad of this; there's little more demoralising than sweeping half your army off when facing two Typhons. The army selection restrictions were quite tight, but really made for close, enjoyable games. +

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+ Akkar itself +

+ Terrain and scenery – the third army – can sometimes be an afterthought at events like this, but the 30k Frontier team went above and beyond; creating really tense and innovative missions over beautiful scenery, with fun intergame effects and loads of cool NPCs and in-campaign events. +

+ A healthy dose of Predator memes abound – poor, poor Dillon; buried under a wall. +

+ A squadron of Arvus landers swoop in from the jungle – this board saw Imperial Fists attempting to evacuate a vital Imperial officer from World Eaters. +

+ The attention to detail in all aspects really helped to make the event memorable. +

+ 12 x 4ft boards were used for the final doubles games. +

+ I was also very flattered to receive these awards – thanks all for a great weekend. I'm looking forward to adding some Akkar battle honours (and wargear) to some new troops as I gear up for a future event in the near future. Hope to see you all soon, and remember – if it bleeds we can kill it! +

+ inloads: Iron Warriors 'Officio Monstrosa ' army shot +

+ Iron Warriors 242nd 'Footsore' Great Company and the Officio Monstrosa +

+ Is there any greater satisfaction – hobbywise, at least – than seeing an army you've painted laid out, and completed to the best of your ability? +

+ MIssing the tanks, but otherwise complete +

+ I found myself in the (unusual, for me!) position of having finished everything I need for an event with some time to spare, so I decided to double-check everything was complete. I ended up surprising myself with how much I'd done for the force. Because they've developed rather more organically – i.e. with less pre-planning than other armies I've done – I'd quite forgotten some of the models. It was nice to dig 'em out and get some details – I hope you enjoy the show. +

+ Tactical legionaries are at the heart of every space marine force I've ever done. I've ended up with nearly forty, all told. +

+ Perturabo hasn't seen table-time yet. Now the army's 'done' (though is any army ever really finished?), I'll have to twist the arm of Stuntwedge to face me with his Imperial Fists in a suitably large game. Perhaps that cowardly wretch Rogal Dorn will make an appearance? +

+ Zaricus Cjarn has led the force so far. A relatively lowly Centurion, I think he'll end up being superceded by a higher-level officer soon. I won't forget this axe-wielding loon, though. One of my favourite models full-stop.+

+ You see the benefit of 'boring' poses when you set out your models like this. Having more restrained marines helps the more dynamic poses stand out, and makes for a better overall look. +

+ Talking of dynamic poses, I think this chap is my favourite in the force overall. +

+ The stripped-back aesthetic of the Iron Warriors still leaves a little space for details that add a bit of narrative. Here a little wolf token – a gift from the XVIth Legion? A trophy from the VIth? – is there for viewers to pick out. Note also the hazard striping. I've deliberately kept that minimal. It's such an eye-catching device that it can really draw attention away from the metallics. +

+ Freehand banners. A lot of fun, and a good opportunity to practise your brushwork. +

+ New Destroyers. The damaged pauldrons come from Master-Crafted miniatures. The metallics here are ever-so-slightly darker than the rest of the army; to reflect the rad-soaked background. +

+ Multi-meltas – a perfect example of a unit made just for looks. They attract a lot of positive comments, which goes to show a change is as good as a rest, sometimes. One of my favourite bits of the army, they make heavy use of the Blood Angel helmet that I adopted for its sinister eye slits.  +

+ The new apothecary – see yesterday's inload [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] – was designed to fit alongside the vignette of two injured Marines [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] I made. +

+ Again, a bit of freehand detail really sings out against what is, at root, a super-easy metallic scheme. The little targetting panels were painted with the same blue accent I've used sparingly across the army. +

+ Rapiers are fun – small enough that I enjoyed painting them (unlike most vehicles), large enough to stand out. +

+ GIANT ROBOTS +

+ MORE GIANT ROBOTS +

+ ...and back to regular ol' troops to close. Converting every model is time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, but it really helps to make the army feel like yours; adding a very personal artistic touch. It also helps to remind you that even the 'basic' Space Marine is a distinctive hero (or villain), with the potential for own narrative development. This all adds to the enjoyment of every aspect of the hobby; from generating ideas for painting honorifics to suggesting storylines and plots for gaming. +