Crowded skies

This is the T-65 Strike Fighter, as flown in number by the PDF.  Their two single crewed airframes were the locally reproduced lightening, flown in the air defence (interceptor) role and the T-65 Strike Fighter flown in the 'strike' or ground attack role.

Certainly with an internal bay holding a pair of air to ground (hunter killer) Anti armour missiles and its quad las cannons, it was an unwelcome reminder to 72AG that the PDF was still operative during their advance across the prairies of central Benq. 

However, the Imperial Navy did maintain air superiority and the individual raiders were invariably hunted down.

I keep hearing "Open wings to attack formation" in my head.  Of course the Thunderbolts did not everything their own way; as they closed in on Xyphoinca, they sometimes found themselves the hunted. 

A Xana II (sing it, everyone ! who doesn't like ELO ?) lineage HellBlade in Black Legion colours.

The HellBlade must be extremely confident to take on two Thunderbolts; like I noted in the previous post, if it gets in front of Thunderbolt, it's toast.

However, the appearance of the forces of chaos proper, emerging from the warp will invariably trigger a response from those watching from the webway:

Void Dragon's might technically be pirates, by they're still Eldar.  If they've appeared above Devos IV, then it wouldn't be coincidence.  Here configured for an air superiority role.

Hurrah !  (and thanks to Andy BG) I really must dig out the transfers for these.

The HellBlade (based to match the Brick of Scrutiny) attempts to peel away.  Possibly for the best.

Imperial Air Power

Just to credit the artists, Karitas put one of these together and the paint is by Jeff at PVP.  

I had a little time to myself and thought I'd get some toys out and share the love:  My Thunderbolts.  These are big ol' things, for 40K model flyers.  Compared with anything else I've seen Thunderbolts have heft and presence, even compared to bigger models. 

A decent pict of #9.  As anyone who has read Mr Abnett's Battle of Britain story will know, they use the quad autocannons dog fighting and the TL las cannons to strafe.  The thunderbolt is a heavily armed and armoured airframe.  You wouldn't want to get in front of one.

Then the pair.  Of course they hunt in pairs. And not just with their integral weapons.  They 'go equipped' as the local law enforcement authorities here would say.

And what more stylish manner could there be of putting eight hellfires on the table ?  Hunting for tanks.

Zoom.  Whoosh.  Eeeeeeoooooooooooww.  pew pewpew.

Would this ever be worth the points ?  What ?!?! am I kidding ? Who cares ?

1000 kg on the centre line with two 750kg free fall bombs on the inboard pylons.  This option really needs dive bombing rules (gotta sort an avenger/stuka at some point)

500kg on each pylon. Because bombs.  For when I just want to daisy chain blast markers across the board.  'Cause it's cinematic.  Presumably in eighth, this doesn't happen.  They just land with a splat.

Hunting other things; 'cause CAP are not all about sitting in the cab rank, waiting for an FAC to call you onto a target.  4x 50kg unguided GA rockets and 4x much bigger and more expensive AAM.  Because sometimes they might need to shoot something down...

If you want to see the DKK in an RTS game.

I caught this on a DKK Facebook group post.  Like the OP commented, I can't understand a word, however, this would seem to be what Steam was made for:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKkh9y11llA  This is the DKK (three LRMBT with Plasma sponsons vs late war USSR ( a stupendous amount of T34/85s and SU100s and infantry).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvmAyA91_PY  Two tac squads of Blood Ravens vs late war Wehrmacht.

Skies with out flies and ground of rubble.

The lack of infantry resources for 3422AG is a thing which came to the attention of the Lord General as a part of the usual monthly discourse (which he likes to think of as “Strategic War Progress Conferences” but are actually routine management meetings).  

The Macharian 203^rd were a part of the reinforcement chain from the DM, brought in on the Optime 3.  The Ordo Hereticus, having witnessed the first part of the campaign, instruct the IG on Devos IV to reinforce 903 Div of 72AG.  Lord General Zukhov’s intention to send another infantry regiment to 3422AG made more military sense on one level, although may just have encouraged him to order the formations east of the city into action before they had adequate resources across all arms to achieve optimal synergy for the forthcoming operations.

The People’s Libertine Army is no longer the former Planetary Defence Force and a few add ons.  It is now roving bands of militia gangs eeking out a living in the ruins of their once proud capital city.  The remnants of the PLA lack the organisation or resources to mount an offensive, although still pose a threat to the forces investing the city and a significant obstacle to final victory.

Comptrollor Bellormus has secured a Jornathi Unit, the Kula Conservator Cohort (KCC), an experienced and recently reconstituted Imperial Guard formation from a world which has fought a multi-generational war against Ork infestation.  Assisted from the outset by numerous Astartes formations, it’s only with recent strategic and tactical interventions by the Mortifactors and Sons of Medusa (along with massive IG reinforcements from Sector Command, spurred on my the Astartes involvement) that the campaign has subsided to the level of ‘pest control’.

As with everything done by his Plenipotentiates, the Lord General feigns disinterest and a desire for more, sooner and better.  He has no idea what the DM has achieved in resourcing his war; he has not asked about the KCC and so Comptroller Bellormus has not told him.   The KCC consists of ten infantry regiments broadly formed on Tallarn lines[1] and one mechanised regiment.

Re-organised with their own post war identity even stronger than before, the KCC’s constituent regiments have all been named after significant actions which mean something to any student of Jornathi Military History.  Note that there is no ‘6^th Regt’ for obvious reasons[2].  These honorifics did not exist during the Jornathi Ork Wars, as most of these honours stem from that conflict. 

1^st Suetonious Regt

2^nd Usamiljen Regt

3^rd Berhas Regt

4^th Nizajain Regt

5^th Oakenzid Regt

7^th Bolasku (the 906ers) Regt

8^th Grehazin Regt

9^th Remits Maw Regt

10^th Gruffmans Plaza Regt

11^th Vasinus Honourias (The Old Guard) Regt

12^th Rothresh Mechanised Regt

The KCC is headed by a Regent General.  3* General Muntenfur (the Plenipotentiate for war, effectively the man running the war for the Lord General) has made the Regent General a part of the Imperial General Staff, allowing the KCC to be split between the two Corps of 3422AG.  Regiment numbers 1 to 5 will go to 44 Corps and regiment numbers 7 to 11 will go to 6 Corps with the 12th Regt being established, at least for the time being, as the AG’s reserve[3].

What effectively happened after the KCC deployed was that as they integrated in to the fabric of 3422AG, aided by the fact that their titular head was in the Imperial General Staff (in fact becoming Muntenfur’s Deputy)[4] and that one of their constituent units formed the basis for the AG HQ, is that by time 3422AG began their assault on Xyphonica in earnest, their C³ largely followed Jornathi procedures, allowing for a more cohesive performance from all levels of command down to Battalion level[5]. 

---

[1] Each of approximately 22000 men under arms.  At the end of the Jornath Wars, the KCC was no where near its TO&E and received help not only in reconstituting itself, but as an exemplar IG formation, acting as a cadre for rebuilding the PDF.  Immediately after which it was demanded as part of the planetary tithe by the DM. 

[2] And quite probably this has filtered down into the PDF – it is quite possible that there are no ‘No 6s’ anywhere in the Jornathi military, at least for the time being.

[3] Eventually reinforced by the Ankran 107^th Mechanised Infantry, 5 battalions of Chimerae mounted infantry.   It would be these men, along with the mechanised Jornathi who effectively formed another division, plugging the gap torn in the Hrossy Yeomanry by the unexpected assault of the World Eaters in the plastic millinery.

[4] Indeed, the Regent General became CIGS (Chief of the Imperial General Staff) after the first round of purges and succeeded Muntenfur after the second round of purges.

[5] The lack of Orks, important role in the army at large, elevated position of the Regent General and finding themselves a part of a functional, successful (so far) campaign (as opposed to a cluster feth) all serve to bouy the morale of the KCC, despite the regiments being assigned to different Corps within 3422AG; something which the common soldier would probably not even notice anyway.  

Goats

You may be aware that Vicky Lamb is relaunching her beastmen troops.  This has caught the attention of some you and I said I would find picts of my goats to show you.  Just to be explicit here; these were painted by Mr Lee's Painting Emporium, I just put them together.  And boy, was that a pain in the arse.  Oh well. 

There they all are on the Brick of Scrutiny.  Ten altogether, they make for a decent gang/kill team/whatever.  They're also a nice addition to the Khorny bit of my CSM army.  Although some of you will remember when the Imperial Army included beastmen (and human bombs).

The leader with giant axe and plasma pistol, why not ?  Other guy with stolen Ultra smurf bolter.

The menagarie; GL (one handed when you're that big) Flamer with CC attachment and HB with UM shoulder pad and additional CC accessory (a flamer !)

Imperial Fist bolter...

And two giant axes along with face mounted jock strap with additional CC attachment.

Bolter and two las guns.

That last goat is wearing a Barcelona shirt.  He doesn't get on with the GL toting goat, who is a Man U supporter.

They are supposed to look like they've looted, stolen and pillaged all their gear from others.  Suitably piratical and so on. They are an excellent fun set and the one time they were used, they were played WYSIWYG, with the HB goat having that one shot flamer and one of the goats having a TL las rifle. But the killer was the one out of focus in the group of three at the top who has a bolter in each hand.  They are tough, strong, aggressive and very killy without the indestructibility of Spayce Mareenz.  What's not to like ?

Something slightly different

Still not Devos IV content (sorry), but it's been a bit busy.  But as it's just my hobby time which has been interrupted, I'm in no position to complain.

Anyway for one reason or another, I had to clear out a lot of the garage.  Some of you know just how much there is in there.  Those who remember the film clip will have a sense of how cluttered it is, but the rafters were pretty much jammed with stuff.

Anyway, clearing out and throwing away I did find caches of AD&D and Traveller stuff.  Along with this:

A reminder that we live in a different world.  Germany is not bisected by the Iron Curtain, the UK is about to leave the EU and China is screwing down on pro-democracy elements in Hong Kong.  There is no reason that we should expect GW to behave in the way it did then, it might be nice, but then so would a lot of other things.  Ho hum. Mail order trolls, indeed.

Amongst the stuff are character sketches in ink from my AD&D stuff from the early 1980s.  It's all derivative; the trio of elves and pet sabre tooth kitty are very much taken from Liz Danforth's work; probably for the best.

This is an elf mage which I really loved.  So those two works are now saved here for prosterity; the late teenaged me was creative.  I discussed this with my Dad at the weekend (my sister and I took him out in London as a late birthday jaunt) and he reminded me of a pencil sketch which hung in the loo of my childhood home.  It was a kestrel on a post, looking at the viewer over her shoulder.  My Dad reminded me this had been the case and commented that the eyes of the kestrel seemed to follow the occupant around the room as he or she went about their business.  Nice that he should remember to remind me of that.

Anyway, I thought some of you might find this interesting.

...Just on the off chance.

More free stuff.

Hordes legion raptors.  Just the mounts (including the cast-in riders legs), as the rider's torsos were used for Eldar Corsairs.

Like before, if you want, they're yours.