More Retro Epic Astra Militarum

 

Another quick post for the last lot of Cadians done, a mechanised infantry company to go with the last lot of Cadians.

These are older, pre-Epic Armageddon Imperial Guard Chimeras, Griffons and infantry from way back, which have painted up OK.

Pretty sure Epic Armageddon companies were 12 stands plus a commander, so that's 7 Chimeras to carry them and a platoon of Griffons attached for direct support.

I've included a Commissar mainly because I had the figure. 

Again, I borrowed some decals from 40k sheets and meticulously spent hours giving the IFVs some numbering 😆.

 Think I might do some Orks next or maybe splash out for Steel Legion figs.

Epic Astra Militarum

To celebrate the recent release of Legions Imperialis, - or more precisely to spite it coming out in a scale that is incompatible with the thousands of Epic miniatures previously purchased - I decided to revamp a vast swathe of my Imperial Guard 😂

This included stripping the second hand stuff bought over the last twenty years, fixing a whole lot of broken stuff, and touching up previous paint schemes. This gets them more in line with the 40,000K Armageddon lore which has become a thing in our household now that my step-son is into 40,000K.

The result is a plethora of Cadians, Elysian Drop Troops, and Valhallans.

Cadians

First up a horde of cannon fodder in the form of three companies of foot, with another company with Chimera IFVs in the works. I think these are all from 1991's Space Marine and came based and painted. But after several days in stripping agents of varying types, I couldn't get them off the square bases, so this is how they've turned out.

Next a regiment of Lemann Russ from another early edition of Epic.

Finally some broken up Shadowswords, stripped from my previous dark green and purple, with some decals from the 40,000K vehicle decal set. I've tried rescuing the two broken weapons by making them Stormshadow-ish.

Elysian Drop Troops

Some Troublemaker Games, Mk I Valkyries and Vultures. Long story short, purchased back in the day and all but one had broken rear spurs. So in a fit of recent rage at Legions Imperialis, I got down to work with some thin brass rod and superglue... many fingers were glued in the saving of these birds. I also couldn't help but buy the giant flying brick like thing, very cool now its painted up.

The drop troops are plastics and also from earlier editions of Epic.

Really liked how these turned out.

Valhallans 

Finally, I stripped almost every tank I could find painted in my pervious dull, grey, standard 'Cadian' paint scheme and dark green and purple. I went for a more somber dark blue-grey. Also figured the plastic soldiers looked more like Valhallans than anything else, so touched up the previous dark green and purple with a lighter green and red.

The Leviathans have come out well, especially the white one - the only deviation from the dark blue-grey. With more decals from my step-son's vehicle decal sheet, they finally look more 'Epicy' if that's a thing. Which leads into the raft of self-propelled artillery and tanks that got treatment.

First up a company of metal Bombards and Basilisks from way back.

Next a company of Basilisks with not so older metals in the back row and some Forgeworld resins in the front row.

Last, all Forgeworld resins with a platoon of Manticores rear-left, some Thunderer siege cannons rear-right, and Demolisher pattern Lemann Russ front row.

There's still many companies of Epic Armageddon Lemann Russ, Chimera, Hellhounds and Griffons to go. At some point I'll treat myself to Vanguard Miniature's Industrial Waste minis, if they're still about, and use them all to form a Steel Legion.

Then my Armageddon Epic IG army will be ready to play...........

Epic Ultramarine - Updated Pics

Noticed that my Ultramarine army posts were getting some attention and realised I hadn't updated the pics, which were too dark and lacking detail when I brought them over from the last blog site.

So here are all the posts, with all new - but still not great - pics:

1st Company - Terminators and Veterans

2nd Company - Tactical, Devastator, and Assault Platoons (Rhinos)

3rd Company - Tactical, Devastator, and Assault Platoons  (Drop Pods)

6th, 7th, 9th & 10th Companies - Bikes, Speeders, Devastators, and Scouts

Ultramarines & Imperial Navy - Aerospace Units

Legion Support - Predators, Razorbacks, Whirlwinds, Hunters... More Rhinos

Titan Legion - Warlord, Reavers, Warhounds

Blue Hawk Down - EA Battle Report

So Tim and I had our final game for a while (back in early March) as he’s moving away. I felt so sorry for him having to move that I let him win… maybe not.

So it was a 3000pts tournament game, Tim Biel Tan, me Air Assault Space Marines, so no surprises there.

Tim had finished some Epic scenery and dumped it on the table, forming a little bazzar in the center. Later on in the game there was a satori regarding the movie Black Hawk Down and the bazzar in that. 

Hence the name of this BR.

Set up occurred with no great surprises. 

I set up my SC Tactical formation on my Blitz in a corner (not realising it was no longer my BTS as it was in the 4000pt army I’d been recently playing) and kept the Warlords and Land Speeders close enough to lend a hand if any first turn madness occurred against my Blitz.

Tim set up in a beautiful symmetrical pattern around his own Blitz, erring on the side of defense should I unleash any first turn madness.

First turn started with teleports on both sides (didn’t realise you put one unit down at a time – meh), and madness was unleashed.

Terminators awaiting the initiative roll.

We rolled for intiative with breath baited, my intention was to come in hard on the first turn and continue rolling up Tim’s force from (my) right to left. Everything depended on the first turn initiative roll; and I lost it.

It was a good game, if a little short, but it pretty much ended there and then for the Marines.

So Tim shoots the Terminators with his Revenants, wiping out the entire captain’s formation, then engages the remaining formation with the Avatar.

I rolled like a trooper needing '3s' for macro weapon close combat...

Oh yes I did! Then this happened...

Broken remnants of the Terminators run away into the nearest ruins.

Desperate to do something I broke with my plan and came in on the other side of Tim’s army – why? I have no idea. Will I ever learn? But at least took out his tanks.

Then this happened and I was down a Thunderhawk and two formations of Devestators as well – crikey!

I conceded at the end of turn one as my main offensive units and half my army had been shredded, but Tim has an evil and unsportsmanlike streak and made us play on.

At the beginning of turn two the table looked like this.

Stuff happened and the SMs were being worn down. Tim got my BTS taking out the Warhound pair.

At the beginning of turn three the table looked like this.

Then in the last activation Tim landed an awesome looking Eldar lander and I didn’t get a pic of it! But alas there was a massive assault over my Blitz which destroyed my Supreme Command Tactical formation and gave Tim the Blitz – but only just, as he nearly broke himself in the process.

But it is Epic and that was an epic way to end the last turn of the last game we’ll have for a while. 6-0 to Tim.

I’m not going to whine about the Marines this time (I had already had a wee cry before hand, asking Tim not to bring a developmental list). I was happy facing what Tim put on the table and it seemed a manageable match. If the initiative roll had gone the other way, I’m pretty sure it would have been a close game. Them’s the dice.

One of the things I should have have spent a bit more thought on was forming the army list. I’d just taken a 4000pt list and sliced bits off to make a 3000pt list. Not a good idea, all sorts of things happen, like only having three formations on the table in the first turn. Like the BTS switching to an offensive formation – the Warhounds.

But this speaks volumes about resilience.

This was the only SM unit left on the board. A loan Terminator which had sucked up at least 7 activations as Tim tried to destroy it outright; from turn one no less. I feel a Terminator list coming on.

I’ll miss you Tim. Be safe out there on the roads!

Imperial Titan Legion

OK last post in this line of showcases of my Ultramarine army and support, not that all the photos are that great, it was dark, it was late, there was wine…

Warhounds

The colour scheme for these guys was inspired by some of the colour photos in either second edition or Epic 40,000.

This pair is nicknamed Siegfried and Roy, don’t ask me why, it was dark, it was late, there was wine…

‘Alby’ (the albino) and ‘Old Yella’.

I kinda feel sorry for these guys. They came to me with a mass of purity seals and awards (molded as part of the sculpt), showing they’d already proven themselves in the field of battle. Yet in my armies they never seem to survive till the end of the game (there’s a pattern forming here).

Reavers

More of a regal colour scheme for the three Reavers (cool name).

Yes… sigh… I know that’s an Orc weapon on the carapace of the  rouge one, and yes thats an old Warlord weapon on top of the green one… I need some more Reaver weapons but everything is OOP or horrendously expensive on eBay etc.

The Warlord

So this guy and the Warhounds stood undercoated for the best part of ten years and were only recently finished. I got caught up on the colour scheme of this guy and the Warhounds, and everything went south…

Until I started on the Warhounds and thought I’d start gradually bringing the detail out with the Warlord by a series of grey drybrushes – just so I could figure out how to paint it and what colour. That’s how this guy got an Inquisition special paint scheme. Basically black/grey and red.

Maybe some Knights would be good to finish, so an actual army from the Titan Legion list  could be fielded…

Ultramarines: Ground Support

OK, the penultimate post of this epic blog subject, covering the plethora – yes, a veritable plethora – of unique track based armoured vehicles maintained by the Chapter, all based on the Rhino APC, and used to project specific types of force support for marines in the field. (Updated Pics)

I give you the Ultramarines: Ground Support post, or tanks for the memories!

Predator: Annihilator

SM armoured anti-tank capability.

Predator: Destructor

SM armoured anti-personnel capability.

These Predators are painted up in another early Ultramarine colour scheme, I think came just after the Epic 40,000 one. They come in units of four and there’s never enough.

Razorbacks
Fast mechanised infantry support in two flavours.

Anti-tank


Anti-personnel

Whirlwinds

For self-propelled indirect fire operations. Several colour variations depending on which company is using them.

Gotta love a good barrage!


Vindicators

For when only giant assault cannons will do.

Again never use these babies, pity cause there some of my favorite models and didn’t regret the time it took to get those decals on such small models.

Hunters

Anti-aircraft fast support, not sure why I thought I needed eight of these guys, I think I was expecting to face a lot more airpower when Epic came out. Again painted in several versions of the Ultramarines colour schemes to match whatever core formation I was taking.

Must be a way of using all these babies at once!


Spare Rhinos

Why? Because there’s never enough Marines!