30K Iron Hands bound for Adepticon

[OwlandMoonGuy]

Hello all:

Last year, I started my 30K IH/Admech army and took them to Massacre events at Adepticon (adepticon.org). Here's the thread I hosted while I built up the army, changing my mind concerning it's makeup along the way. Here's the link to that thread:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/284961-pre-h-iron-hands-for-adepticon-massacre-event/

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/IMG_1588_zps01f842fa.jpg

This year is the biggest yet with 4 specific 30K events; 1,850 tourney, 2,000 narrative game, 500 pt Zone Mortalis (for which I'm on the wait list ) and "Tactical Strike" game with pt ranges from 350 to 450 pts. In this thread I'll post periodically with my prep for they year for those who'd like to follow along. It'll be a combination of modeling, list building, tactics & everything else. Comments on any/all of the above are welcome.

My style of play has changed since then but core elements of the army remain the same. Here's the crux of the 1,850 list (with 40 pts left over):

Iron Hands Legion

Praetor, charnabal sabre, refractor field, Rite of War: Head of the Gorgon

Casterman Orth (Sicaran Battle Tank)

Legion Tac Squad x10, combi-plas, Rhino

Legion Tac Squad x10, Rhino

Legion support x10, flamers x9, combi-plas, Land Raider Proteus, multi-melta, dozer blade

Sicaran Battle Tank, las sponsons

Sicaran Venator

Legio Cybernetica

Magos Dominus, conversion beamer

Castallax

Castallax, blades, multimelta

Myrmidon Destructors x3, volkite culverins x3

43 models, 10 units/5 scoring + 3(4) dedicated transports. In the 2K version there's a 650 pt for a LoW choice so I'll be adding a Falchion . I have models painted for these choices with the exception of the following:

• Castallax with mauler bolt cannon
• LR Proteus
• Sicaran Venator
• Falchion

The Proteus is 90% done so I should have a finish pic to post shortly. The Venator and the Falchion were just ordered so I should have a package on my doorstep here in a week or so. I just got started on the Castallax and here's the WIP.

For reference, here's the first one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_1520_zpsedc93a5a.jpg

Mirroring the base above, it'll have the same battle debris/oily water scheme.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_2777_zpsac447df6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_2779_zps42f0648c.jpg

So there you have it. Cheers, -OMg

[lionofjudah]

Alright!!! Very much looking forward to seeing this come together. Was a lot of fun last year:)... Praetor rides in the proteus I assume?

[OwlandMoonGuy]

Being the venerable legion officer that he is, he more commonly stays in the back field of the action to direct his subordinates to do the "wet work."

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/IMG_1529_zps6701a3f7.jpg

 

He's really only in the list to unlock the Master of the Legion/Head of the Gorgon.  In the past I've used him to bolster the LD of defensive squads but less so now that I'm more mechanized.  I don't want to run the risk of giving up a VP for his loss if I can avoid it.

 

I wish Praetors has some long range options as I'd gladly have him pitch in.  It's not worth tooling him out for close combat as I don't want to make an investment of a retinue + ride.

I think of him more like the king on a chessboard.

[Pearson73]

Looking great, love the smooth shades.

[marshal seanisi]

Well I will see you there this year.  I am signed up for the tournament and the narative but i'm on the wait list for everything else. 

[Raktra]

I hate your painting aptitude, you absolute :cusser. Mine just look drab by comparison.

[lionofjudah]

Would love for you to expound on your list choices for adepticon. Seems a very balanced list (I've not played 30k yet but have been reading on it for quite some time) and I wonder about the flamer squad vs MEQ- also, wonder about the venerator, seems a lil 'big gun that BLOWs up' for the points. Valdor perhaps to alter the aesthetic of the army and still punch big holes??

[OwlandMoonGuy]

@All: Thanks for the comments.

Well I will see you there this year. I am signed up for the tournament and the narative but i'm on the wait list for everything else.

Great to hear. Did you make it last year? Are you working on enhancements to your army?

@Raktra: Seems like a bit of a harsh self-appraisal IMO.

@LionofJudah: I've been running variation of the Outflanking tank list since I started into 30K. This version is the most mobile to better account for maelstrom style missions.

The flamer squad is a must and I wouldn't trade them for the points. Their limitation is their need for a delivery mechanism. I believe an outflanking transport is almost as good as a drop pod delivery. With this in place, you gain the opportunity to bring a large number of templates to bear. Even if you only cover an avg of 3 models each, the enemy squad suffers 27 hits. Likewise, if the squad is assaulted their D3 each overwatch hits severely dampens the attack.

As stated the Venator is a new addition. It's being added to partially account for the introduction of Knight and Solar Auxilla armies. Note that an outflanking Venator is a slightly different animal than driving them down table. I use to run a vindicator but I never got the hang of using them properly. The 24" range and the scatter die never served me. I'm thinking that the venator will make a mess of one high value target with Casterman Orth/Battle Tank messing up another and the Proteus messing up another, etc. etc. with enough redundancy in case they come on the wrong table edge.

I'll certainly comment more as I get some practice games in. Cheers, -OMG

[Raktra]

The Venator's grown on me as time's gone on, especially with my area being superheavy... Heavy. I'd value it for its neutering potential alone.

[marshal seanisi]

@OMG  this will be my first year at Adpeticon.  And will honestly probably be the first 30K game I have played!  I gave up on 40K about 2 years ago when the HH came to life via Forgeworld and started working on my Imperial Fists.  It's been a very slow process obviously.  So right now I'm just trying to work through some different ideas on an 1850 list.  I'm not planning on being competitive but I want to make sure I build a decent enough list so that im not a door matt!   The Venator is a must have in my list.  I'll start my WIP thread next week and hopefully I can get some good feedback from that.  Look forward to seeing you there.

[Memento Of Prospero]

Go forth and bring the Iron Tenth glory and honour! FOR THE GORGON!

[OwlandMoonGuy]

@Rakta: Any specific Venator tactics that you'd like to share would be appreciated. Though my expectations are solid and I'm sure it will look good along side the battle tank. I'm fully expecting Knight armies at Adepticon and we have a local player who's ready to start 30K w/Knights + Admech (an army I'm tempted to play myself). I'll get in some practice games to see how my IH fare against them.

BTW; Have you ever seen a Knight army deploy too close and suffer the domino effect when one blows up and takes out another one with the 'D' explosion? We played a 30K Apoc game where they were taking each other out more efficiently than we were.

The fact that we had a Reaver pitching D shots down table may have also contributed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/Apoc%2008022014/IMG_1999_zpsf0fe6d05.jpg

@Marshal seanisi: I'm sure you'll have fun with it (personally I find 30K the best version of 40K to-date). The fists are a great army with lots of interesting unit combinations. I'm also tempted to paint up a proto-templars army but Blood Angels will win out if start another loyal list. Note also that the tourney games will attempt to pit traitor players vs. loyal so it's unlikely that we'd have to face off. But if we did I'm afraid I must show you where the Hand is mightier than the Fist.

Cheers, -OMG

[Raktra]

I don't really have any special tactics for it, aside from planting it in a good vantage point and pissing off anything that relies on blast markers to be effective. Pretty simply run in my mind, I prefer to be more tricksy with the standard Sicaran.

EDIT: Also, I wasn't meaning to be self-defeating on my painting, just as a comparison to yours.

[OwlandMoonGuy]

understood Raktra - and thanks. BTW: Very festive avatar/icon - and a Merry Iron X-mas (as in 10th-mas) to you too.

As mentioned previously, the LR Proteus is now very close to done:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_2785_zps723072b5.jpg

The blank white space near the front of the tank on each side is begging for a unit marking of some kind so I may add a custom decal or two.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_2788_zps328a0874.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_2789_zpsbcc7ece9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_2790_zpsc3552c8b.jpg

Here's how the model fits with the Sicaran as a reference.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_2794_zps70140659.jpg

I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Also, here's the progress on the base for the 2nd Castallax. Sometimes I do have more fun painting up the base than I do the model itself.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/OwlandMoonGuy/30K%20Iron%20Hands/IMG_2782_zpse617b60f.jpg

Also, my FW order has arrived and I've cleaned the parts for the Venator. If time allows this week I'll get it primed and start in on painting the larger bits. Now that I see it in-person the Flachion is a really big model. It's going to take me a long time to paint it up, a very long time. I'm glad I still have a few months between now and Adepticon.

Cheers, -OMG

[Kor'Vesh]

This is some excellent work OMG. I've never been a huge fan of the Proteus model, but you've made me want one! It'd be great to see these guys progress in the casual hobby challenge over the next few months, though I'm sure you don't need much encouragement!

[OwlandMoonGuy]

Thanks Kor. I most likely will join though my fear is that won't finish anything given only one month. Actually I could see getting the Castallax & the Venator both done in Jan so could that work?

[Kor'Vesh]

That would be an awesome pledge for January. Anything is good though, you could even just pledge the castellax for December! I've been running the thing for the last three months and I've only managed 6 infantry! It has been great motivation though, and it's good fun. Would be great to have some iron hands of this standard in the thread.

 

A painting question - on your black, do you start from pure black and the build up highlights with blue tones? How much white is involved, and how many layers? I'm always a bit unsure with highlighting black, and wondering if this blue-black (which I love, and makes me want iron hands) could be a viable approach for the black panels on my Salamanders tanks...

[OwlandMoonGuy]

If you look at the first post in this thread you can see a link to more of the WIP when I first started this army - here's the basic outline for the color choice.  I fully admit that it's not a "black" as some prefer when it comes to the IH.

 

• I start off with a coat of GW’s white spray. I always water down my paints a bit so they go on thinner than they come from the factory. That allows the paint to naturally flow into the details leaving a natural highlight.

• I start with the joints in the armor with GW’s Blazing Orange (do they still make that?) then give it a little Carroburg Crimson in the darkest corners. I might pick up the highlights with Fiery Orange if it gets too red.

• The base coat is Vallejo’s Gunmettal Blue – which was the perfect find given the effect I wanted (again based on FW’s studio model of Farris Manus).
• I then do all the raised portions of the armor in GW’s Lead Belcher.

• The armor plates get an ample coating of Nuln Oil.

• The highlights are then brought out with a mix of 1:1 Gunmetal Blue & Vallejo White. I put very little paint on the brush and keep building until I get the highlight I want.

• Last I finish off the raised metallic sections & armor bolts with Mithril Silver.

Cheers!  -OMG

[Pearson73]

Love the base for the Castallax!

[Grazzlebaz]

Hey I remember seeing your army last year! Job well done by the way . I was one of the death guard players there (one of many). I got into the narrative event and the tournament so I hope to see you there. I hope this event is run a little bit better than last years.

I am waiting till after christmas to pick up my sicarian venerator, as the sicarian is my solution to any knights I might be facing this year. It's cheaper points and money wise.

[OwlandMoonGuy]

Great to hear.  Let's connect at the con.

 

And yes, the tourney was overly ambitious last year.  I did like the 2-on-2 teaming & switching it up at the last game.  I thought that was an inspired way to run a 30K event.  I actually really liked the missions too.  The 2nd game that was based on the three objectives in the middle that could either be built up or torn down was great too.

 

If they had us only use 1,000 pts each then at least we could have finished a game.  As the missions were constructed, one side couldn't possibly win if there were only 2 turns but that's all we played.  Having everyone use their 1,850 pt lists in the last game was even more impossible.  That was a brutally long game after playing all day beforehand but that's just my age showing.

 

Cheers, -OMG

[depthcharge12]

Using iron hands/AdMech is downright dirty sir! :P

 

Your enemies will have an uphill challenge for sure, especially your outflanking Sicarans of doom. I'd recommend pointing that Venator at the enemy's Spartan ASAP.

 

Your infantry will be pretty weak to assault units, so placement of your flamer unit will be key.

 

Good luck though!

[OwlandMoonGuy]

Thanks for the comments.  IH & AdMech are very complimentary armies and so you would imagine from the fluff.  I've been running a variation on this list for some time and I have no complaints.  As stated above, I've traditionally played them somewhat conservatively meaning that the "stand & shoot" portion castle up defensively while the outflanking units attempt to take objectives down table.  The demand of maelstrom missions means that more mobility may be necessary so I've changed things up a bit.  I can imagine the tactical squads pushing forward with the Rhinos plus the Castallax marching along side allowing the other tanks to outflank.  This may dilute the more static elements but you need to account for the variability of the playing field + have some fun along the way.

 

I have high expectations on the Venator but it's not at all uncommon for Casterman Orth + Sicaran Battle Tank to rip down a Spartan in a single turn of shooting (much to the surprise of my opponents).  I have a friend who runs a Night Lords list w/2 Sicaran Battle Tanks.  They are just an all around great unit but Orth + Outflanking makes them extraordinary.  I believe both tanks will also be excellent compliments.

 

Cheers, -OMG

[Marshal Rohr]

Always great to look through your logs! I love the blue-black on the armor. 

[Gab]

And followed.

 

Great work and awesome colour scheme.