The Expeditions of Forgeworld Halo Prime (Pictures)

[MoGuy]

Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it. :)

 

 

 

I would say another box of Kastelans for the Cohort Cybernetica is a good idea and maybe a second Dominus to field the Cohort AND a Battle Congregation if wished 

 

 

Another box of Kastelans would actually be pretty sweet. I'll set my sights on it when I have actually painted all my stuff (10x Vanguard, 5x Infiltrators, one Dragoon, the Datasmith and an Onager are waiting for their paint). As for the second Dominus: I LOVE the model and buying another one is really tempting. However, I would like to convert something for once. Maybe I'll go with the "standard" Crain Wraith Conversion. I just have to find a cheap tentacle/mechandrite maker. Has anyone suggestions?

 

 

 

And since I love love them: Cerastus Knights !

 

Do you live in the UK? Because Forgeworld is a rare and special treat here in Germany. I really like the Acheron Knight and the Castigator Knight, however the Lancer's shield just looks... meh. Like a big window or a plastic construct. Also their legs are a bit too long for my taste. I would rather go for the Questoris Knight Magaera who looks really badass! However, I would have to break the 250 pound value to get free shipping and stuff. Otherwise the shipping and import will just destroy my bank account. xD 

 

No matter what, I'll wait until the new Ad Mech Codex and the rumoured units are released before I will look at FW for stuff. ;)

 

 

 

You do have to use a unit of Ruststalkers but this is a fun and effective way to run an Ad Mech army.

 

It most certainly is fun for us but maybe not so much for our opponents. :'D 

 

 

On Friday and Saturday I will try and paint as much of my stuff as possible. However, until then I will try to make some terrain myself! I'll get some stuff after work today and try to make some industrial terrain that could fit in with my army (blue colors for the buildings, rusty and worn look, lava or Nurgle's rot [for toxic waste] and some other stuff). 

[Dread0]

You do have to use a unit of Ruststalkers but this is a fun and effective way to run an Ad Mech army.

It most certainly is fun for us but maybe not so much for our opponents. :'D

Yeah, but who cares about those guys

[DeStinyFiSh]

I really like the Acheron Knight and the Castigator Knight, however the Lancer's shield just looks... meh.

My friend did this, I realy like it, but it is simple though...

Edit: Sorry, I struggle uploading it straight to the post

[MoGuy]

Ah, he painted the see-through parts. That makes it look much better imo.

[Beardbattered]

Other than building a unit of ruststalkers for those times when you feel like bringing out the cheese, Idk. I'm sort of in the same boat as you. I want to get more admech, but I'm stuck in a holding pattern until these rumors sort out. You could always join the atrapos club ;)

[MoGuy]

 

 

 I want to get more admech, but I'm stuck in a holding pattern until these rumors sort out. 

 

I hear you. Still, this hold gives me the time to finish painting the rest of my models. I also started to make some terrain from scratch with garbage (empty water bottles and stuff). I'll post pictures when I'm done because as of right now it looks actually pretty decent. 

 

 

 

You could always join the atrapos club

 

Depends on what that big bad robot brings to the table that my Paladin doesn't. :P

[Beardbattered]

 

 

 

 I want to get more admech, but I'm stuck in a holding pattern until these rumors sort out. 

 

I hear you. Still, this hold gives me the time to finish painting the rest of my models. I also started to make some terrain from scratch with garbage (empty water bottles and stuff). I'll post pictures when I'm done because as of right now it looks actually pretty decent.

 

 

 

 

Post that stuff up, man!  That's one thing that my small group is severely lacking.  Terrain.  Hopefully there'll be an idea or two that I can snag from you.

 

 

 

As for the Atrapos.  It is raw mechanized sex appeal.  ...Plus this stuff in case that isn't enough.

 

https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/Horus_Heresy/Cerastus-Knight-Atrapos.pdf

 

Not sure if any of this has changed in the printing of HH book 6.

[MoGuy]

Alright, here are some pics. But do remember, this stuff is NOT finished!

 

 

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/bd4cb8-1456959361.jpg

 

This is the foundation. I took some cheap cupboard for the base and lined it with cork. Then I cut an empty plastic bottle in half and glued the lower half to the base. I took a straw and connected it to the bottle and the cap which I also glued to the base. 

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/d6dbd1-1456959553.jpg

 

I then primed everything silver and painted everything. The green color is a cheap color from my local hardware store. I mixed it 1 to 4 with white PVA glue and globbed in on the base. This creates a gooy texture and when it was dry I applied matt varnish. Tomorrow I will get me some Nurgle's Rot and cover the green area with it. 

 

I painted the bottle with the blue color of my army and put some decals on it and began with the weathering. 

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/145123-1456959733.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/95ac00-1456959749.jpg

 

It still needs some work but for some home made terrain I think it looks decent. Once I am finished I will post the results.

 

My second project:

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/b57040-1456959814.jpg

 

A little ruin/bunker in the very early stages. I'll add some rubble and grass to the base and a lot more color and details on the building.

 

 

 

Those are some sexy rules! Nice! :D

[MoGuy]

Okay, I have finished the paintjob on my toxic terrain. I would like to know what you think!

 

 

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/ff4a2f-1457028152.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/8ccdf0-1457028161.jpg

 

 

 

The tank is big enough to hide some models behind it and the terrain itself is 6" x 9" so a medium piece. One can easily fit a full squad of infantery on there and even my five Infiltrators have enough space. 

 

However, there are some mistakes I made.

 

1.) Don't use cupboard for the base. I thought it was strudy enough to not get all crinkled when I hit it with some paint but I was wrong. Instead, use foamboard. That is durable, light and won't wilt when you paint it. I couldn't get it in my hardware store, however, I can get it in my local art store for a relatively cheap price (80cm x 40cm for about 8€).

 

2.) I wasn't patiently enough with the paint and started to put my grass flock on the base before the paint was all dry. Therefore some grass is sticking to the paint, however, one does barely see it. Still, next time either the grass first or let the paint dry completely.

[MoGuy]

 

 

Post that stuff up, man!  That's one thing that my small group is severely lacking.  Terrain.  Hopefully there'll be an idea or two that I can snag from you.

 

So what do you say? Would you consider to make something like that for your group? :)

 

I got some foamboard today which was surprisingly difficult! My local hardware store didn't sell it, my go-to art store did sell it at extremely high prices. But in the end I lucked out and a guy from my Tabletop Club had some left and gave it to me for free. Now I can make durable and light bases that don't shrivel up when I put paint on them. 

 

Also, I am geting along with my painting work nicely. Today I finished my second Dragoon and two of my Vanguard. Now I only have to paint 5 more Vanguard, 5 Infiltrators an Onager Dunecrawler and the Datasmith for the Kastelan Robots. 

[Beardbattered]

Looks awesome! That's one of the big perks of having such a grimdustrial army, you can make terrain out of just about anything. Glad to see your getting some hobby done. I haven't had time to do squat.

[MoGuy]

 

 

Looks awesome! That's one of the big perks of having such a grimdustrial army, you can make terrain out of just about anything

 

Thank you! :) True, it is easier to make stuff like Bunkers or toxic industrial terrain than e.g. organic terrain for Tyranids. 

 

 

 

Glad to see your getting some hobby done. I haven't had time to do squat. 

 

Aw, dang. :/ Are you married/do you have kids? Because I know how busy life can get and I would strongly recommend to set a fixed day or hour(s) as your "Hobby Time". For example every Saturday morning etc. 

 

Since I have semester break, I can concentrate a lot more on my hobby. I try to go to my local tabletop store as often as possible (which boils down to Friday and Saturday since I'm working the rest of the week) and just paint away. 

 

Today I somehow struck that magical mindset of "I want to get hobby stuff done" so I painted six Vanguard form scratch(!) and finished my self-made bunker.

 

 

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/092ca5-1457297228.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/03d059-1457297236.jpg

 

 

 

I know that it looks a bit cheap but when one keeps in mind that it's just basicly an empty Ice Tea bottle on some cupboard and a bit of paint, I think it looks decent enough. The idea was to make it look like it has seen some previous battles and over time nature reclaimed the building, thus the grass on top of it. 

 

I also bought another crackle paint, since I am just burning through the small Martian Ironearth pots. I got 100ml of brown crackle paint for just 5.99€ which is a pretty good deal. It is really astonishing to find out how hard it actually is to get a crackle paint/paste on the internet! Most products are crackle varnish, which doesn't work for my uses since it has no texture to it and thus can't be painted without getting paint into the cracks. I'll have to experiment a bit with the new crackle paint, as one has to apply it very thick in order to get big enough cracks to see the color underneath. 

 

Has anyone experince with other crackle paints and could recommend one (if my paint should turn out to be not... crackly enough)?

[Beardbattered]

Engaged to be married actually. With wedding planning I never know when something is going to come up and I'm putting in tons of overtime to pay for it. Time should be easier to come by in a few months after the honeymoon.

 

I'm a member of the Facebook group 1houranight. It's a great source of hobby motivation and I posted quite regularly when I had time. Give it a look. Might be right up your alley.

 

As for the crackle paint, I'm afraid Martian ironearth is all that I have experience with. Though I have heard that having a gloss coat down before you apply the crackle will help it crack more, since it has less to adhere to. Just have to seal it really well afterward. Maybe someone else would be able to confirm?

[MoGuy]

 

 

Engaged to be married actually. 

 

Congratulations! I hope you will get to relax once you are married. ;)

 

Thanks for the heads up about the group. I'll give it a look. It's not so different from my current working rhythm. I paint most of my stuff at night/after work. 

 

I haven't tried crackle + varnish yet. I'll give it a go on the next base and report if it improves the crackling. 

[MoGuy]

Little bit of practical knowledge I wanted to share:

 

If you want to paint Vanguard/Rangers in a row I have a specific order of painting them, which seems to work really well.

 

1. Paint the inside of the cloaks. You will get paint on the legs but we will paint those later so it's okay.
2. Paint the cloak (in my case I paint everything in The Fang blue)
3. Now paint all silver metallics (legs, armour, shoulders, hands, backpack, helmets/masks)
4. Basecoat the weapons (in my case I use Vallejo Brown and just drybrush it onto the weapons)
5. Now for the part that takes the longest: Paint the gold parts (tubes on the chest, lines on the weapons, mouthpiece of the breathing-apparatus, incense dispensers etc.)
6. Paint the "special color" of the weapons, backpacks and strings that hang down (e.g. green for the Rad Carabiners of the Vanguard, blue for the Plasma/Arc Rifles etc.)
7. Paint the purity seals (I always forget these) and the lenses (don't forget the one of the camera on the backpack that "looks over the shoulder" of every Skitarius)
8. Highlights and other techniques (in my case I would paint the blend effect on the cloaks)
9. Shade (can be switched with 8. if you want to highlight after the shade. I want a worn-in look so I shade as the last step to make the minis look rusty)
10. Base the mini

Hope you can profit from this. Also: It is quite possible to assemble an base the mini before painting. One can easily paint the inside of the cloak even with the base in the way, as you only have to paint the parts that you can see.

[MoGuy]

Ruststalkers

 

I just finished painting these bad boys and wanted to share the results!

 

 

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/4e3987-1457467431.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/b2467e-1457467442.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/ca75da-1457467450.jpg

 

 

 

Sneaky Edit, Ruststalkers Gore Edition:

 

 

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/b84b29-1457479218.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/72b7f7-1457479228.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/00e660-1457479235.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/25fcac-1457479244.jpg

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/8ffb20-1457479251.jpg

 

 

 

Just in case you are wondering: Yes, I did edit the photos. Since I don't have a photobox for my models and I use my daylight lamp for lighting, the photos always seem "milky" and the saturation and contrast of the colors is way less than the real deal. So I adjusted said contrast and upped the saturation a bit to the point where they look pretty much just like viewed with the naked eye. 

 

Another confession I have to make is that these Ruststalkers are "converted" (in the broardest meaning of the word). I got them form a guy in my Tabletop Club and he had build them into Infiltrators. Since I already have those and I like the models of the Ruststalkers better, I used the spare parts of the kit to build the Ruststalkers. Problem is that there were no left arms in the sprues - the Ruststalkers' left arms differ from the Infiltrators' left arms - and so I had to cut and fiddle a lot with the swords and claws to make 'em fit. 

 

The Ruststalkers on the Tabletop:

 

Well, since I just finished them, I haven't actually played them. :/ In the Hard Data thread I somehow always read that they perform(ed) pretty poorly or were just outshined by their Infiltrator bretheren. I will see for myself what these awesome fusion of Freddy Krueger and that (evil) German guy from Hellboy have to offer and how they perform. Of course I will report, either here or in the Hard Data thread. 

[Beardbattered]

Ruststalkers are looking ace! And don't sweat photo editing. Even with a light box I edit every pic I take. It's really hard to convey what the naked eye sees through a photo without adjusting white balance etc to regain the true color.

 

Let's both get some full force photos up!

[MoGuy]

 

 

Let's both get some full force photos up! 

 

Alright then! I have recently put up two shelves since I ran out of space for my models. Good timing to take some pics!

 

 

 

 

Here you can see my first full Squad of Vanguard that I based. I'll base the rest of my troops the same way and models with bigger bases will get the same crackle-lava-effect that my Dominus etc. have:

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/3dd39a-1457882151.jpg

 

This is the first shelf:

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/45194c-1457882130.jpg

 

This is the second shelf:

 

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/5fde5f-1457882139.jpg

 

 

 

The rest of my army (two Onagers, nine Kataphrons and my Imperial Knight) are still at my Tabletop Club where we have showcases. I'll move them to my place soon, when I pick up my third Dragoon/Ironstrider Box. ^^

 

Your turn, Beard! :D

[Dread0]

I love the blue Mo! (for obvious reasons). Some damn good looking models.

[MoGuy]

Thanks buddy! I appreciate the kind words. Keeps me motivated. :) I'm working on a new piece of terrain (a big leaking oil-tank as a LOS blocker). Gonna post pictures once I'm satisfied with the result. 

[Cactus]

I like your bunker. Cheap and simple terrain is always better than none but despite that my own terrain collection is quite deficient. Props to you for making the effort. :tu:

 

Good gore effects on the ruststalkers too, but wouldn't it have been easier to base them first? The blue blades are really nice too, I might pinch that idea.

[MoGuy]

Props to you for making the effort.

Thank you! :) It is actually quite fun to make some terrain since it is so easy and you can get it done and painted in one sitting. It'll also look pretty decent on a woodland/industrial gamingmat.

Good gore effects on the ruststalkers too, but wouldn't it have been easier to base them first?

Yes, it would have been easier to base them first. ^^" But I got excited with the Blood color and wanted to add to them. I'll try and base them without removing them from their bases. Since they have no cloaks and their legs are far appart, it will be relatively easy to paint the base without getting color on the models.

The blue blades are really nice too, I might pinch that idea.

Thanks. It is just a blend effect. I find it works better when you blend the colors while they are still wet in order to get a smoother transition.

[MoGuy]

Okay, so I want to add some Inquisitiors to my Ad Mech but the Inquisition Forum section seems almost dead. In hope to get at least some suggestions or feedback, I will copy my post here:

Greeting fellow agents,

I wanted to ally some inquisitorial forces with my Ad Mech but I don't really know how to build the Inquisitor(s). So I would like to request your help on that matter. But before that some information to make things a bit easier:

The Adeptus Mechanicus is a pretty solid army in my oppinion. Our weaknesses lie in our low Toughness and armour value and our lack of transports. The former I'll gladly accept. If our units would have Space Marine stats they would be ridiculously strong and pricey. The later is alright too because every unit of ours that wants to make it into CC has the Dunestrider special rule which adds 3" to every movement it makes, along with Scout for all our Skitarii units and Infiltrate for our Infiltrators.

TL;DR: I don't (want to) play Inquisition just to get the vehicles. I am content with fielding my army without transports.

What I do need the Inquisition for is their access to Psykers and their great customizability. They are still fragile with the human statline but all those grenades and whacky gear (hello Demonblade) just look awesome!

Could you guys maybe give me a general overview over a few popular builds and/or uses for the Inquisitor and his warband? I am also very interested in a melee build without the Termi armour.

And:

Maybe my questions are not specific enough. Let's go about it this way:

I have gotten this suggestion in another forum.

Spoiler

Inquisition (Inquisitorial Detachment, Primary detachment)

---------- HQ (2) ----------

Inquisitor Coteaz (100 points)

Ordo Xenos Inquisitor (89 points)
- Carapace Armour
- Combi-plasma
- Force Sword
- 3x Servo-skull
- Psychotroke Grenades
- Mastery Level 1

---------- Elite (1) ----------

Inquisitorial Henchmen (20 points)
- Psyker
- 2x Acolyte
__- 2x Flak Armour
__- 2x Boltgun

______________________________________________
209 points

This setup would generate me 4(!) warpcharges. Coteaz would get his powers from Divination or Biomancy. Same for the other Inquisitor. The Henchman Squad woudl generate their power from Divination or Telepathy to assist my troops.

Would it be worth to further upgrade the Ordo Xenos Inquisitor? I really like his special grenades so CC seems to be the place for him. Maybe give him Power Armour and Rad Grenades? Or is that too costly for the effect?

I would greatly appreciate it, if someone who has experience with the Inquisition would share their knowledge! :)

[MagicHat]

I don't have that experience, but I think I would  rather take power armour over combi-plasma.

Come think of it, I can't think of anyone that actually uses Inquisitors in my gaming group. Huh.

 

The henchmen squad is 3 T3 Sv5+, so don't expect it to live for long, as a drop pods stormbolter is a credible threat against them. Keep in mind that they can use their power, then run in the shooting phase out of sight, which makes bolters redundant IMO. Also, can be hard to model, unless you have the CCS bolters. 

I generally do not roll on Biomancy, preferring Divination or Telepathy. If you use reasonable terrain, getting the Shrouding is a godsend. 

 

Rad-grenades are only useful if you want to combo with vanguards IMO, so it all depends on your army and the opposition. 

S10 IDs T7 so Manipulator Onagers, fist Castellans or Knights versus Castellans or the DE MC.

S8-9 IDs T6, so the majority of MC killed by a Dragoon charge, for the epic win.

S6-7 ID T5, so SM bikers, Wraiths and TW killed by Infiltrators, sword stalkers and Gun Castellans.

S4-5 ID T4, which is claw stalkers and Dominus smacking down MEQ or necron infantry denying FNP and RP.

Not sure it is all that useful to be honest, in comparison to just using Vanguards, but that is a question that only you can answer. Try a few games with and without, let us know how it went.

 

Also, Servoskulls are awesome. 

[MoGuy]

Thanks for your input. It doesnt suprise me that the Inquisition is not played in your group. They are pretty rare, same as Harlequins or Storm Troopers.

 

As for the nades: Since the Vanguard dont want into CC, I would put the Inquisitior into the Infiltrators who would instant death T4 models.

 

But what about the Psychotroke Grenades? On a 1 nothing happens, on a 2 the enemy is Hit automatically in assault and only has 1 attack, on a 3 re-roll failed to Hit in assault, on a 4 the enemy is reduced to Ld 2 for the assault Phase, on a 5 they are reduced to Ini 1 for the assault phase and on a 6 every enemy model needs to pass an Ini test or it hits its own unit instead of our unit.

 

TL;DR: Psychotroke Grenades will give a unit a HUGE disadvantage in CC and I would love to give my Inquisitor both Rad and Psychotroke Grenades and put him in the Infiltrators, thus making them a small Deathstar. Question is, if the Grenades are worth their points (15p. each).