Colour me thunderstruck!

When it comes to Warhammer I rant a lot to anyone willing to hear about it. Which is mainly just one person, i.e my fiancé. And I'm not too sure about the whole willing part. But anyways I did actually buy her some Sisters of Battle models a few years back and some time even before that I spent a fair amount of hours painting up a Seraphim model in her "likeness". I use the citation marks because to do otherwise would be to belie an ability with the brush that would impress. But she's had them for years.

But these last few months I have been speaking a lot more of 40k than usually because of my project and so today she asked me to get her the Witch Hunters Codex and find her models for her because she wanted to do something with them. 'Maybe we could even have a small game sometime?', was also a phrase that left her lips that had me slightly bamboozled. As I prepare to leave for class she pesters me about using my paints and brushes, something I eventually concede to. Of course I never concede in actual words. To do so would be to admit defeat and whilst defeat is a dime a dozen when it comes to the machinations of the she-devils, not admitting those defeats outright allows a veneer of male pride to exist. And so a semblance of stability is assured.

I go away to class for a couple of hours at the University only to have a look at my telephone as I prepare to leave. A text is there asking me to pick up a few paints on the way home. I oblige. I figure she's actually painted a wee bit to keep herself busy. But when I return she's actually done quite a bit! And now writing several hours later she's painted thirteen models to varying degress of completion!

If this doesn't get some bloody hot coals up my backside then I don't know what will?! Surely she can't feasibly beat me at everything? Can she?

Pictures to be supplied tomorrow.

My friend, my enemy!

Glorious news!

Yesterday I got called up by a friend of mine who I used to play Warhammer Fantasy Battles with who has once more gotten the bug of playing, only he is now interested in joining me in playing 40k. He is very interested in starting up an army of Imperial Guard and who can blame him? We've even discussed having a game sometime after Christmas so that should get me interested in starting to get this project properly back on track. I still lack time somewhat but I'll try.

I bought the Imperial Guard big box when they released new models a while after the Eye of Terror campaign so I have at somewhere around a 50 standard infantry men, a Chimera, some special weapons, a Sentinel, a Command Platoon, some junior officers, one or two Commisars and a couple of Heavy Weapons teams that I don't plan on using myself so that should set him up nicely as well if he wants to take some of them off my hands.

Fisting it to the Imperials

My favourite Legion out of the bunch is obviously the Word Bearers. But that doesn't preclude me being able to have a certain affection for other Legions or Chapters for that matter. I happen to appreciate in varying degrees almost all of the first founding. But I must confess that there is one unlikely candidate that I feel a certain bit more for that isn't the Word Bearers.

The unlikelyhood stems from a certain colour scheme. When I first saw models painted yellow I thought it was one of the most ghastly ways you could possibly paint a model outside Games Workshop's period when everything was painted in the most garish of colours. I speak of course of the Imperial Fists. But as with many things my averse position to the colour yellow was subject to change. I began to see it as a very characterful and most importantly a stand out quality. I dare say I even started to downright like the colour scheme. Reading the Index Astartes article for the Fists fleshed out knowledge about them and thus made them even more attractive. But whilst I do find the information on who, what, how and why the Imperial Fists are to be compelling, I'd be lying if I didn't say that the one thing that they are for me is the actual colour yellow. However I quite like the dogmatic stubborness, refusal to give in and their skills in fortification. In that they resemble my first army in the Warhammer family, the Dwarfs.

I've been toying with the idea of including a model or a squad from outside the Word Bearers for almost as long as I've been planning this army. I've gone back and forth between what Legion I'd use and what kind of unit would be represented. But seeing the picture of Rogal Dorn, the Arch-Betrayer, from the Dornian Heresy material found on the Bolter and Chainsword website, I immediately knew what needed doing.

Rogal Dorn the Arch-Betrayer from the excellent fan material 'the Dornian Heresy'

You see I've been a firm admirer of the Space Marines model for Captain Darnath Lysander for as long as its been out. He looks big, momentous and downright imposing. Obviously there is no such thing as a Thunderhammer or Storm shield in the Chaos Space Marine army list so they will have to go and instead be replaced with more suitable weaponry. I've decided to go with a Chainfist and Combi-melta, in homage to the Imperial Fists heritage. The Fists iconography will be staying and will alongside a mostly Imperial Fist colour scheme present both an homage to the Dornian Heresy and a giant raised middle finger to the Imperial cause.

I've gone ahead and ordered the model and am suitably excited. There is one thing that I am conscious of and that is not to lose the thing that I love about the model which is the momentum and that 'biggish' feel it has. It's hard to say how I am going to resolve this whilst not having the model but I am confident I can make it work.

I have a lot of stuff going on and can't seem to properly focus on one thing, not in life let alone in my army building. But I'll get there one day!