Devos IV Map

I suspect that many of you have been wondering what it looks like. If you click on this, it should scale up.  If you have access to campaign cartographer, you might be able to import it and get it in alternative views.

The landmass on the left is Acer, the Spaceport being where the archipeligo meets the landmass in the NW.  The landmass on the right with the large landlocked sea is Benq; if you would care to see the inland sea as a square, the Imperial Guard port of entry, Randstat, is on the southern edge of the small peninsula in line with the top edge of the square.  Xyphonica, the seat of the rebellion is at the top right corner of the square.

Which of course makes more sense in conjuction with the more adequate background information.

Wild Riders. More of them...

Something to give Space Wolf armies paws for thought (see what I did there ?!?!).  Many of these newer Siam Hainn wild riders have Chapter Mouse parts.  As with Karitas' experience with the Cawmera, I gather there were some fit issues.

This group shot is not complete, as it does not include the Cobra.  Which is still not mounted.  Both of the Cobra(s) really need a short length of fairly substantial acrylic rod (prolly about as thick as your thumb [assuming you have normalish thumbs]) which I'd then use with a couple of those large oval bases used for flyers and MCs.  Must sort that out sometime....

Moving on to the new guys:

 
The two with schmanzty outriggers on their EJBs are Farseers.  So that's a six strong EJB Seer Council (these five and the shakespear, below) and another five EJB troops (the two below and the three in fancy hats).

These should expand if you click the pic. (humm, enso's world is rubbing off on me).Of course, the three dudes in fancy hats (below) are zooming about ready to either be extra Seer Council members or another three EJB riders.

Paint by Golem.   Incidently, Soviet Space, who more or less ran our first Devos IV battles, is back in the country (he had been exile for tax reasons) and more or less local (ie not as far away as everyone else), so I hope to give him a bloody nose soon.  The core of this army once belonged to him. 

War time memoribilia

As you may have picked up, In October last year Mrs Z and I had a break by the coast down near Admiral Drax (who'd have thought our favourite Admiral lived by the sea ?!?).

Any way, one of the street names in Salcombe caught my eye:

So, whilst the crowds whiled away their late summer break cruising the grockle traps of South Devon, I and my helpful friends (who are actually no help at all and just wanted to go back to the beach and chase sticks floating on the waves) had a closer look. 

As Brits, we get a bit precious about WW2 in general.  But the facts speak for themselves.  The US Army, regardless of all other considerations, had over 70 Divisions in the field in NW Europe by the end of the war.  We are proud of our part thoughout the war, but let's not forget Mr Churchill's words on hearing that the USA had joined the war.  We as a nation arn't that good at giving credit for USA's achievements in WW2. 

If you are a visiting American and were wondering where to go on your European vacation, the southern coast of Britian and Normandy coast of France are studded with memorials like this, mostly too small for internet mentions of their own.  There is a small Woodland Trust place near here where the ancient woodland has a B17 shaped stand of newer (now fully mature) trees.  There is a recovered Sherman hulk guarding the beach at Slapton, near where Admiral Drax lives.  South of there, across the wet bit there is a memorial at Piriac Sur Mer to another 8th Air Force crew. Europe is studded with memorials like this, if you can one or two and get your eye in, they become easier to spot.  If you actually visit Normandy, it becomes apparent that this seemly idylic stretch of coastline was at one time where tens of thousands of men met their deaths.  A sobering thought.

Moss Trooper Doak

026583-AAA Moss Trooper Doak

2 Bn Hulin Rifles

Moss Trooper Doak wears the traditional kilt and Tam’o’shanter of the Drookian disporia scattered throughout the Imperium.  He wears a locally manufactured Flak vest with a body rig carrying his ammunition and personal equipment.  He is armed with the locally manufactured (Hydraphur) G44 assault rifle, a small calibre auto gun with a high rate of fire.  The G44 is equipped with a standard IG Kantrel pattern bayonet, probably scoured from 72 Army Groups stocks.  Additionally he carries a canteen and additional knife as a part of his belt kit.

Moss Trooper Doak is typical of the units raised on Devos IV by the Departmento to service 4* General Zhukov’s third Korps (38 Korps).

Click the pics for a better view; these are Vicky Lamb kilts and swedes with Pig Iron bodies.  The Bayonet is Cadian and the extra canteen and knife are there to visually tie the torso to the legs as without these, the mini looked distinctly like two random bits, one sat on top of the other.  With these items bridging the gap, Moss Trooper Doak looks a lot more like a single entitiy, rather than a victim of some vaudeville magician.

I have background for the Hulin Rifles, but you'd want to wait for painted minis for that, wouldn't you ?  I though so.