Flesh tearers Librarian Dreadnought

The Librarian Dreadnought is the final piece of my Flesh Tearer's army, bringing it up to 2000 points. I'm a little disappointed that the codex takes away upgrades for the dread once it goes into Librarian mode, making it a very specific build, but I enjoyed making the model, especially the force weapon arm.



I used the same painting scheme as I have for my other Flesh Tearers, and modelled the dreadnought as a scaled up marine, so that the black spots are placed where they would be on a space marine model. I used layers of Mordian Blue, Ultramarines Blue, a 50:50 mix of Ultramarines Blue and Ice Blue, and an extreme highlight of Ice Blue for the blue on the psychic hood.



Finally, I used the standard base for the dreadnought, figuring that it matched the grey ballast that the rest of the army has.

Victories of the Space Marines

The latest anthology from the Black Library is called Victories of the Space Marines. This is probably not the best offering from them to date. Pretty much all of the stories are fairly mediocre, though there are a few that are worth mentioning. There is a second story from Gave Thorpe called "The Rewards of Tolerance" which picks up the thread of the rogue Avenging Sons from the last anthology. They are continuing there journey toward the Eye of Terror in this story and have to solve problems of navigation and supply. "Exhumed" by Steve Parker also picks up the thread of a Deathwatch Kill Team under the command of an Inquisitor code named Sigma who are tasked to retrieve something the Adeptus Mechanicus has discovered. There is also a reprint of the short story "Primal Instinct" from the first edition of Hammer and Bolter. All in all, if you aren't a die hard BL reader, I would skip this one.

Executioners Stern Guard

I built these Stern Guard marines from a tactical squad boxed set. Four of them have combi meltaguns from the Space Marine Commander kit. I used a the terminator honors shoulder pads to denote their veteran status, and unlike the tactical squads, these marines have the standard rimmed shoulder pads.



A variety of purity seals and honor scrolls were used to add veteran touches to the models. The sergeant was modelled with a power axe a metal bolter combi meltagun from one of the veteran kits. Finally they were given industrial bases to continue the boarding action theme.



I used the same painting scheme as I have for the other Executioners for these models as well.

Ultramarines 10th Company

Here are pics of my 10th company Ultramarines. The scout company has some ad hoc aspects to it, since I built it over about five years. Unlike the rest of my companies, this one was built along side the others. When the plastic scouts and Land Speeder Storm came out, I filled out the company as part of a drive to finish the chapter. The bases still need to be unified to some degree, and some of the camo cloaks need to be brought into some kind of order to make each squad more easily identifiable. I also want to add some more Land Speeder Storms as well, but for now, this is a work in progress that is at a good state of completeness.

James Swallow's Garro Legion of One

The latest installment in the Garro audio books is Garro Legion of One. In this audio drama, Garro has picked up a second recruit, a World Eater named Lazlo Varren (I am unsure of the spelling) and they have headed to the planet that will see the culmination of their mission and, if successful, a return to Terra. What is known, is that it is a world that Horus has devastated, and they seek someone here. At the same time, a madman named Cerberus is roving the area slaughtering all in his path. I could tell you what happens when they meet, but it would ruin the surprise! This was another great story of Garro, one which I enjoyed listening to while painting my Executioners. If you are have listened to the last Garro audio book, definately pick this one up. Next book up, Victories of the Space Marines.

Nick Khyme's Fall of Damnos

The much anticipated, by me, release of the Fall of Damnos by Nick Khyme came this past saturday, and unlike some of the previous Black Library releases lately, I was eager to read this book. Sadly, real life being what it is, I couldn't devour this book in one sitting like I would have wanted, but I have read it all now. This novel is excellent, for one, Khyme is a writer on the same level as Abnett, McNiell and Dembski-Bowden in terms of skill and the weaving of his story.

For those familiar with the Space Marines codex, you may know the outcome of Damnos, it is one of the stories listed within that codex. If not, here is the synopsis: The mining world of Damnos, has found some odd alien technology. Turns out to be a Necron tomb world. The Necrons awake, death ensues. The Ultramarines, recieving their distress call, arrive and attempt to save the planet.

This novel is a great read for two reasons. The first is Khyme's ability to weave a great narrative. Picking up on threads from the Assault on Black Reach novella (available through Games Workshop only, sadly it is some what mediocre despite being written by Khyme)the Fall of Damnos is centered on the viewpoints of three Ultramarines sergeants who each view Sicarius in different ways, ways which are echoed throughout the Ultramarines chapter. There is Sergeant Praxor, who longs to be a Lion of Macragge and believes Sicarius should succeed Calgar. Sergeant Scipio, who has lost his spiritual mentor Chaplain Orad and has turned grim because of it, he takes a pragmatic; what will be, will be approach. Finally, Sergeant Iulus, who is tasked with defending the lone human settlement on Damnos. His beliefis that Agemman is Captain of the First, Sicarius Captain of the Second, and the chain of command, and thus succession is clear. How these viewpoints shift and develop through the course of the war makes for compelling reading.

The second reason to read this novel are the evolving views of who and what the Necrons are as a race. Ideas first offered in Apocalypse: Reload are developed so that we see how the Necrons interact and act at the highest levels of control, where those nodes have remnants of personality beyond pure hate. Ideas from the Medusa V campaign are also brought in, such that Necron Lords have their own names, and personalities as well.

In conclusion, I would strongly urge 40k fans to read this novel. Ultramarine fans will love it, as it brings up questions that have long surrounded Sicarius and Agemman. Necron fans will enjoy it as it fleshes out their race and may offer insight as to what the next codex may bring.

Executioners Ironclad

This is the first of two Ironclads I intend to build for my Executioners army. With a focus on boarding action scenarios, they are ideal for the close quarters fighting that would take place. Also, they fit the strong close quarters theme of the Executioners as well.



I used the same painting schemes as I did for the other Executioners, taking inspiration from the IA:10 Executioners' dreadnought depicted therein. I choose to use the dreadnought close combat weapon and seismic hammer as the weapon choice, with meltagun and heavy flamer so that it can take on an anti-infantry and anti-armor role if necessary.



Finally, the base is a tech themed base from Armorcast to add to the shipboard look of the Executioners.