Christmas post

Just a quick post to say

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

I hope Santa has been nice to you all!

Cadian formation

Well, with the release of Mont'ka, there is a new way to play Guard, the Cadian Formation.

As with my other reviews, I'm not going to be going in to details, but if you do there are severl reviews out there. Two that I would recommend are Elite 40k and Cadia's Creed, both have good reviews and slightly different takes on the subject. Personally, I am more inclined towards GG's view on Cadia's Creed.

So, what's my take on this all? In a nut shell, useless. Mostly as I cannot field anything but the Emperors Shield Infantry Company or the smaller Emperors Shield Infantry Platoon, not both though, only one or the other. So in theory I can field a Battle Group Command and the Shield Company, but that's it. Not that I want to, for several reasons; 1) its 170 troops min and 3 Sentinals, I find running the 119 or so in my Hjaltland list more than enough and depending upon deployment type, it can even be too much. 2) It means they will be unsupported unless I bring more troops to field a CAD in support! 3) I cant imagine painting up that many troops!

I could in theory bring another Battle Group Command with the Tank Commander for some support, but that would leave out my fliers and arty.

So, I'll run through the various elements, and I will just sum up my views/ability to field them.

Battle Group Command: I can field either of these options. The rules are pretty good as well, the bonus to the orders is also very useful, its like having a mini version of Creed everywhere. And the rerolls to hits on the lasguns is good, as any extra hits are always a bonus, as the more hits you get, the more saves you force and the more chances to fail. The Tank Command squad is a bit less useful as it doesn't benefit from many of the rules.

Emperors Shield Infantry Company: Er, sorry, how many troops? and how much does it cost? 170 troops and 1005pts base! Er, maybe not. I could, but I'm not going to.

Emperors Fist Armoured Company: This seems good, but you need at least 5 tanks, Command + buddy and 3 squads of single tanks, you can field up to 12 if you wanted. You need some Enginseers, but if your running tanks, you probably want some around anyway. The bonus' of better BS is pretty good if your running dakka tanks, i.e. Punishers/Exterminators, but really not something that interests me, as I only have 3 tanks and don't plan on getting any more, even though I like the dakka tanks.

Emperors Shield Infantry Platoon: Not to bad if you want lots of troops, but not really anything special. I don't mind the Sentinel tax, as I like sentinels, and the Move Through Cover is not a bad bonus. I just wish that you could take Heavy Weapon Squads or Special Weapon Squads as part of the 5 squads. The Command Squad special order is also useful, its a bit like Forward For The Emperor, but enabling you to move before shooting, rather than after, it could be useful once in a while. If I'm running the Company, I wont be adding this one and seeing as I cant run the tank formation, I will be running the company formation, hence, I wont be running this one.

Super-Heavy Support Element: Well, if you like Super-Heavies, then its good, but as I don't even have one super-heavy its a bit useless. The Bonus' are pretty good though if you have the models, but you need at least 2 vehicles.

Emperors Blade Assault Company: Er, I kinda forgot about this one, I can almost field this, and when I get the last Chimera that I need/want for my Mech list, I will be able to! It will only have one Hellhound as that's all I have, but with 4 Chimeras, I think one will be fine. The bonus of Prefered Enemy on objectives is good, as that's were these boys are gonna be heading. I would run these guys with my Shield Company for some armoured support.

Emperors Spear Aerial Company: Well, if you like fliers, its all good. I've got 2, one Vendetta and one Valkyrie, and that's enough for me, so needing 3 to field this isn't great. If I could swap one out for a Punisher equipped Vulture, then that would be all good and really get me excited. The bonus' are not great though, unless you don't really care about the flier and want that last minute objective grab.

Ogryn Auxilla: Er, don't have any, don't really want any, well, maybe a unit of Bullgryns for a little CCS protection, but 4 units (2 of each type)? No not really, although if you could get this lot in to combat, then they would do pretty well.

Emperors Wrath Artillery Company: Now I like this formation, but I really don't have that many units, nor do I really want them. I have a unit of 2 Wyverns and a third would be good, but I don't really like Basilisks nor do I really have a use for Hydras, although this formation gives then the abilities they really needs, with the ability to get Ignores Cover. As for those orders, split fire could be useful, ignores cover is useful and pinning can be very useful against the right target. The other special rule that gives twin-linked can also be useful but my Wyverns are already twin-linked and have ignores cover, and the weapon works so well due to the amount of hits, so split fire is not great for them. Only pinning could be useful, as I very rarely don't cause a wound. The other unit, either Manticores or Deathstrike, is not really models I want. Yes, manitcores are good, but I still like my Wyverns. So all in all, a good formation, but it would not gain anything over what I have already.

Emperors Talon Recon Company: I like this, but then I like Sentinels. The bonus' are not to bad, orders for running, shoot and run and precision shot are not bad, nor is the ability to outflank with them, but having to take at least 6 walkers is a little steep. I own 3 and I think that fielding more would be a little excessive as you would have to loose better units or weapons from other areas. Sentinels are good disposable one hit wonder unit.

Psykana Division: Yeah, great is you like deamons, ok if you don't. The extra warp charges are handy, as is the ability for the Primaris to know lots of powers, but its the Wyrdvanes that will be doing the casting (2+ with Commissar). It can be a pretty reliable way of getting Prescience (@85pts a pop, total 305pts), but I'll probably not invest, unless I decide to convert up some of my spare troops for a laugh. Although, I'll need to convert 15 of 'em!

And lastly,

Militarum Tempestus Platoon: Can field these boys too, and in some numbers, 2 almost full platoons to be precise, and I probably would. They don't have any addition special rules, which is a bit of a shame as they need a few fixes and some extra bonus' would be great, re-roll deep strike anyone?

So what could/would I field? Either command squad, Tank CS or CCS, the Emperors Shield Infantry Company, the Emperors Blade Assault Company and the Militarum Tempestus Platoon. Not sure how many points that would be, but its not really a set-up I would like to play. So, I'll stick with the CAD for the moment.

The other side of the Battle Group is the Warlord traits, and while there are some new ones, I'll be sticking with the standard Guard ones, which have served me well up until now. And then there are the Relics, most of which are ok. Kake's Herald, which a lot of people are shouting about, is good as it gives you the ability to give orders to all tanks not just command tanks, but it is useless to me as I will either be running a command squad or normal squad, not both, at least not close enough to make use of this. Other relic that is not great in my opinion is the "Iron Left" a sword/mace/CCW thing that's +2s and Ap3. The other relics are not to bad. The Standard of the Lost, normal regimental standard until you plant it (no more moving) and then it gives a 18" fearless bubble, just what you need towards the end of a game when you just have to hold. I like it and I'll have to see if it can find its way in to my Hjaltland Company.

Volkov's Cane could be useful to the Hrossey MechVets, as orders only fail on a double 6, plus its a S user AP4 Concussive CCW, not that you'll get to use it much. Celeritas is also a CCW, but at S User, Ap- Master crafted and Deadly Riposte, which is good as it means that you get auto hits, with rending, back for every successful 4+ invun save, which means that when you die in CC challenge before you get a chance to strike back, you at least get to do something!  (and its cheap, which helps) The last, Wrath of Cadia, ties in well with the Celeritas, as a very cheap laspistol upgrade (S3 Ap-), always wounds on a 4 and armour saves are modified to 4+, very useful for that last minute over-watch before you get squatted and the Celeritas kicks in.

500 Views

Well, I've reached another mile stone in the blog, 500 views (as of last Saturday). Ok, so some blogs get this every day, I saw one conversation recently where the blogger was saying his total had dropped below 1000 hits per day for the first time in years! Well, I'm not anywhere near that level, but for my little blog, I'm pretty happy that someone is joining me in my little foray in to the 40k universe.

So, who's viewing? Well  the top ten viewing countries are;

(views at 250)
America - 284 (120)
UK - 64 (52)
Ireland - 30 (17)
Russia - 27 (8)
Ukraine - 22 (18)
France - 15 (9)
Australia - 8
Romania - 8
Poland - 5 (5)
Germany - 4

which leaves 41 unaccounted for, although I know that Italy, Netherlands and Canada have at least 2 views apiece and Hong Kong, Brazil and South Africa have also had hits.

In addition, the browsers and operation systems used are;

(views at 250)
Chrome - 234 (108)
Firefox - 121 (33)
IE - 76 (62)
Safari/mobile Safari - 48 (44)
Opera - 6
SamsungBrowser - 6
plus a few other minor ones, such as Dragon (3), Silk (2) and Iron (1) 

and

Windows - 265 (129)
Mac and istuff - 164 (114)
Linux - 31
Android - 30 (11)
Unix - 10

Again, like my last few posts of this nature (100 and 250 views), this information is pretty useless to most people, but I find it interesting. To me it shows me who is looking and at what, and also what their using to do it. Even with the rise of Mac/Apple, Windows still seems to the dominate operating system, although, IE seems to be loosing ground to both Chrome and now Firefox, while Safari doesn't seem to be doing much at all. There are even a few browsers I haven't even heard of! Mainly Silk and Dragon.

The viewing countries is also fascinating to me, as the US is dominating, with over half the view coming from there, while the UK views is slowing down! Come on my fellow Brits! As for Russia and Ukraine, I think these results are slightly dodgy, as they seem to come in rapid succession, I think I has over 10 from Russia in one day, over the space of an hour or two. I maybe wrong and there is a fan of mine living out that way somewhere, but I kinda doubt it. However, that being said, I think that there is a very good spread, covering all the corners of the globe, with views from both South and North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

I promise not to post another post like this until I hit 1000 views, which at this rate will probably be a while away!

Eagle Knight Brotherhoods

As the chapter does not suffer from the Black Rage in the same way as their parent chapter, there is no \need for a Death Company. However, I like the rules and have a place for them in my army list, namely as monster/vehicle hunters. As such, they need a backstory to explain their existence within the chapter. So here is a short story of the Brotherhood of the Eagles Talon.

The Brotherhood of the Eagles Talon are chosen from the most fearless and aggressive of assault marines. The chosen few will have shown these traits through many battles, overcome the odds to attain victory when others might have faltered. The chosen few are invited to join the Brethren and with it are given access to some of the oldest and best weaponry the Knights possess. With their role as Monster hunters, they are charged with taking down the most vile and fearsome creatures known to man, a task only the most fearless marines could endure. In addition, this task is reflected in their war gear, with Thunder Hammers and Power Mauls combined with the use of plasma pistols being common amongst the Brethren, in addition, jump packs are mandatory, to enable them to move around the battle fiend at will and at speed, to deal with any threat that may present itself. The Brethren are currently lead by the Chosen Bateleur (Lemartes), a man who knows no fear, not even death.

Brotherhood of the Eagles Talon

 

 Chosen Bateleur 

(who for those who were watching closely, use to be the leader/Sgt of the Hawk Brethen, but got a promotion to Bateleur/Lemartes )

Now, while the most aggressive and fearless marines join the Brotherhood of the Eagles Talon, another Brethren exists amongst the Knights, the Hawk Brethren. The Hawk Brethren differ from the Brotherhood of the Eagles Talon  in many ways, to start they are more selective in who they recruit in to their brethren, choosing those who display not only aggression, but also intelligence, skill and precision, for the Hawk Brethren have a different mission on the battle field. Their mission is to identify the most dangerous threat, be it a command unit or elite infantry unit, and eliminate it with maximum prejudice. As such their weapons reflect this role, as Lightning Claws and Power Swords are their weapons of choice, although some prefer to carry Power Axes for some extra power. Again, Jump Packs are used in pretty much all occasions to enable the unit to close and engage the enemy quickly, wherever they maybe. The brethren, are currently lead by Sulawesi, and are currently accompanying  Priest Bonelli, acting as his bodyguard and command squad.

 Hawk Brethren

(with new Sgt with power sword to replace the old Sgt who got promoted to Bateleur/Lemartes)

 

Priest Bonelli, with the Eagles Wings (The Angles Wings Jump pack)

 

Sorry for the crappy photos, but I'm limited at the moment as to time to take pictures, as most of the time if I try and lay the models out to picture they will either, get eaten buy the little one or be used for target practice for various Hot Wheels cars to crash in to.

More Green stuff - Power Mauls

Well, after the success of my first foray in to Green Stuff modelling, I have decided to test my new found skills. The target of this round of modelling will be power mauls. Why? Well, have you ever tried to find a power maul for a marine? Power axes, power swords, power fists, not a problem, got hundreds of them, but power mauls? Er, what? You want power mauls? I've found one in the old DA bits/upgrade sprue but that's it. EBay have some FW ones at about 4 pound a pair (I need 3), but in all my bits I cant find any more.

It seems that power mauls are one of the forgotten weapons of 40k and I can understand why. They ap4 and S+2, which sits in between power swords and power axes. Their issue comes as they are not marine killers, i.e. ap3, and they don't have the power of the axe, however, I think that when combined with the BA codex and their +1 strength on the charge. This means that on the charge, an assault marine armed with a maul will be S7, which will pretty much kill anything armoured with a 4+ save, i.e. Tau, Guard and some Orks. They will also put some hurt on to a lot of vehicles, as armour 12 is easily within reach.

But my main reason for including these weapons in my army is for my BA/Eagle Knights DC boys, as with rage they will be putting out 5 attacks at S7 on the charge. This means that they are a pretty potent CC unit. The unit itself will be formed of 5 blokes plus Lemartes, with 2 Thunder hammers and boltguns and 3 will have plasma pistols and power mauls, and they will go monster/tank hunting. This means that the unit will be putting out 20 S7 and 8 S9 attacks on the charge, re-rolling to hit due to Lemartes, not to mention the 3 S7 ap2 shots before they charge and the 6 S5 hammer of wrath attacks. All the weapons are concussive, which is a nice bonus. All in all, this will give most monstrous creature some trouble.

The only trouble is getting the power mauls, and the one I have got are not the easiest to copy, but we will see.

As for copying, here is my progress.

The moulds. One the left you can see the mould being formed and on the right, the formed mould.

The new Power Mauls.

From the images above you can see the moulds and the finished mauls. You can see that their not to bad, however, some of the finer detail didn't copy across to well, mostly the eagle on the wrist, which was to be expected. Also this shows the first ands third cast, the second was ruined by my eagerness to split the mould and ended with me warping the top half of the maul. The next stage is to cut the arms at the wrist and mount them on to different arms to give different poses to the different models. For this I have some old weapon less arms that I will be butchering.
 

The new arms

 

 

And the finished products
 

 

I've said it before in my last post, but I'll say it again, I'm not one for the outright copying of parts and models and I don't intend on doing such things, but I cant find any power mauls anywhere on GW kits that I can use. So, I have copied this one and I probably will not copy anymore as I have what I need.