See you 2013. Looking forward to 2014!

Its been a while since I last posted. There are various (real life) reasons for this including, but not limited to, children, a high intensity job, Guildwars2, and most recently: changing jobs, and intercontinental movements!  

So 2013 saw the blog authorship expand to include the talented Eldrad Vect. He's been doing some terrific things with warhammer 40k armies that I don't personally play such as dark eldar, and most recently the Carcharodons Chapter than I cannot wait to see more of!

Warpstone Flux started out for me as a chaos (marines and daemons) dedicated blog. It has long since out-grown this remit! With articles spanning a full range of conversions, painting, battle reports in 40k and several other companies also featured, the time has come to revise the remit of this blog. Hence there is a new banner in place for next year with the tag line "A tabletop gaming & hobby blog". I feel this new tag line is much more appropriate to my own and Eldrad Vect's interests.  We're now covering a great deal more materials than we ever used to on this blog and despite my lull in posting in the second half of this year, we'll be picking it up again in 2014. 

I might even start to cover my roleplaying interests in a bit more detail...

But that's all from me for now.  Thanks for following Warpstone Flux in 2013 and Happy New Year to you all - whatever timezone you are in.

-Jabberjabber

Carcharodons - The First of Many

Hi everyone, Eldrad Vect here, crazy Christmas has passed and I thought it had been a tad too long since I last posted on the blog, anyhow I have been busy re-painting my Dark Eldar lately and to break up the monotony of painting thin glowing lines on segmented armour plates and pale flesh (well that one not so much) I began work on my Carcharodons Chapter.
It is by far one of my best paint jobs I've done, I'm not sure how it stacks up to other peoples works since I quite often think other peoples are way better but this is the standard I'm going to paint my Carcharodons from lowly Scouts to mighty Centurions.

The Carcharodon's iconography is by far one of my favourites as it incorporates my favourite animal in it, the shark, don't know what that says about my personality but all I can say is painting this free hand was extremely fun and very rewarding to see it play off. It also stands out, on the dark grey of the armour and black of the shoulder and knee pads it works well, catching the eye and adding a spark of brightness on an otherwise dark colour scheme.

I chose to use silver as the predominant metal colour on my Carcharodons, not sure if it is canon, but I always change colour schemes slightly to make my models a little different and stand out in their own unique way. I also used the Blood for the Blood God technical paint, it works so well and I think we can all agree, a blood spattered shield is pretty wicked looking.

I use glow effects quite a bit and on a dull scheme like this it was imperative that I have bursts of colour to break up the sea of grey. The eyes, wires and sensors on the model were done up with glow effects and came up quite well.

There are tribal markings on his knee pad as Carcharodons have shunned the Adeptus Astartes squad marking for their own, this also looks good when allied with my Space Wolves as they both use different squad markings. This is a first attempt so it does look a bit rough, I'm sure they will get better as I go. The Purity Seal is not blank because I'm lazy but left blank so that when this marine performs a heroic act or the likes of which, I will write it down, it adds more character to the model which I find is quite nice like naming models too. The base is done snowy, not only does it look cool but it contrasts the dark model on top making both the model and base stand out that little bit more. The snow effect (for anyone wanting to try it) was achieved by applying PVA glue to the base then adding Bi-Carb Soda to it, this also was a first attempt, so I did screw up a little and don't really know the exact way to pull of the technique, I'm still working on it, I apologise for that, but still it looks great and you just have to work out the best way for you to do it.

Once again, Blood for the Blood God works incredibly well and gives the Thunder Hammer that 'I've just pulverized so poor xeno/heretic' look. I usually paint weapons clean, as if ready for battle or hasn't yet reached the fray, but with the Carcharodons I wanted all their weapons to look worn out and blood soaked as if the were in the thick of it and hadn't bothered to clean their ancient (yet very effective) weapons.

Well that's it, my first fully painted Carcharodons Assault Terminator. Tell me what you think of it, I'm always open to some good constructive criticism.

The Inquisition: 5 Reasons Why it is Awesome

Hi Everyone, Eldrad Vect here, sorry I haven't posted a lot lately, its a busy time of year and as we get closer to Christmas, it's only going to get worse. Anyway, that's off topic, we are talking about the Inquisition here and how great it is. Personally, I love this codex... supplement... whatever it is, it's so good but this is just my opinion and is very much open to debate. So I've made a list of the five best things about the new Inquisition.

Number 1. Allies rules.
Firstly I love this solely because I can ally with every race a collect and play, but not only that, an Inquisition force can ally WITHOUT taking up your Allies Detachment slot, (good for you Chaos guys who have a Traitor Guard and want a Corrupt Inquisitor to join the party). I'll give you a quick run down of who they can ally with, IG, Space Marines (including Codex Chapters) and Adepta Sororitas are Battle Brothers, Eldar are AoC, Dark Eldar and Tau are Desperate Allies and everyone else can't ally.

2. A Converter's Dreamland.
I am pretty well known for my conversions and I love doing them, now the Inquisition has a lot of potential for converting already but I play Ordo Xenos which gives me so many possibilities it's crazy, I have already built a Deathwatch Carcharodon out of one of my useless Death Company Marine and spliced it up with some Grey Knight and Chaos Raptor bits to create an epic character or even my Ancient Eldar Tutelary (that counts as a Psyker and accompanies my Half-Eldar Psyker) made from a Dire Avenger and Wood Elf Glade Guard bits (which I will post up when they are finished). It's fun to muck around with bits and you can even build a whole Inquisition force out of spare bits if you like, don't have to pay a cent.

Number 3. FoC.
New, Funky, Fresh and you only have to take one HQ... that's all there is to that.

Quatro. Coteaz is a Boss.
In the Grey Knights Codex Inquisitor Coteaz was one of the greatest heroes anyone could choose, not only was he a cheap HQ in an otherwise expensive codex but he unlock Henchmen as troops making him widespread throughout the meta and well, pretty much everyone had him. In this Inquisition dex Coteaz is pretty much the same, except for one little thing, his rule that made Henchmen Squads troops, The Lord of Formosa, changed... now it states that Henchmen Squads count as Scoring NO MATTER WHAT DETACHMENT THEY ARE! This is huge, imagine the carnage and horror a list of Tau backed up by a squad of scoring Arco-Flagellants charging the enemies would be, this is just an example of course but truly, Coteaz is a boss.

Lastly. Flexibility.
The Inquisition is a flexible army allowing for both fun and competitive builds, full armies to a small warband, diverse and spammy, all these things are available within the dex and its really great to have something that can be so much fun to build and play.

Anyway, that's what I think of the new Inquisition, their are a few things I don't like (like no rules for Inquisitor Valeria) but nothing too major to complain about.

Space Marine Tactical Squad Points? Did we really get a large point reduction?

Hi All, Eldrad Vect here, the Space Marines codex has been out for a while now and even then the Dark Angels before them, but I have discovered something quite horrifying, most Marine players would have already figured this out too. When the Dark Angels came out everyone was in awe of the fact the humble Tactical marine was dropped from 17 points to 14! this was wonderful for Dark Angel players and something Marine players looked forward to seeing, but was it worth it.
I have put together a few examples of why the points drop have not been a great as we may have thought, I've dusted off my 5th edition Marine dex and started comparing...

First off, your typical Tactical squad setup:
Tactical Marines x10
Sergeant with Chainsword/Bolt Pistol
Missile Launcher
Flamer.
Now, in the 5th Ed codex this setup was 170 Points, due to the fact Flamers and Missile Launchers were free. This was a very common setup, due to its tactical flexibility as well as its practical use when combined with the Combat Squad special rule. Now however, Missile Launchers cost 15 points and Flamers cost 5, add this to the standard 140 points for 10 marines and this equals 160 points. So there is a point reduction here, but only 10 points! you almost can't do anything with that 10 points.

Anyway, onto the next setup, this is the primary Tactical squad that a friend of mine (Crimson Fist player) has used in his army since 5th Ed.
Tactical Marine x10
Sergeant with Power Fist/Plasma Pistol
Plasma Gun
Missile Launcher.
This squads used to cost an absolute fortune, with the sergeant spending way to much cash on the premium Power Fist and Limited Edition 'Dorn' pattern Plasma Pistol, not to mention the Plasma Gun, which would always get hot. This squad racked up a hefty 220 points, but how does it compare now? well, not much better, since the good ol' days Plasma Guns and Missile Launchers have taken a pretty big price hike, the price is 210 points, hmm... I think a pattern is emerging, once again 10 points less, here you are friend! 10 points, go buy yourself a Combi-Grav.

The third one is simply a personal favourite setup of mine, it isn't some ultra competitive tournament winning squad, I just like these weapons and think they
are cool.
Tactical Marines x10
Sergeant with Power Sword/Melta Bombs
Meltagun
Heavy Bolter.
So this was always 195 points, I loved this setup so much I memorized the points and still to this day, have never built this squad. Anyway what is the point difference now? quite simply its a 15 point difference, which is pretty alright, but still not amazing.

I guess in the long run, three squads with a 10 point reduction gives you 30 points all up, sadly though it isn't the huge drop in points most people think, unless you play all Bolter Imperial Fist Tactical squad or are like me and play CC Carcharodons (loving the new CT by the way), in which case you'll have huge 30 point savings per Tactical squad. Anyway, I thought it was an interesting thing to think about, it doesn't matter too much that there isn't a big point difference between additions, since Marines are still really awesome. 

Playing With Daemons - First Impressions

Hi All, Eldrad Vect here, I'm starting something new and I'm throwing all my armies under the bus here and focusing my posts heavily on the Ruinous Powers. This blog is first and foremost about Chaos and though I love all of my armies, none are Chaos and I think that all you loyal Chaos players that read the blog are are sick of my Sisters, Space Elves and IG. For a long time I've been slowly seduced by the powers of the Warp, I even dabbled in the realms of Traitor Marines, but now, they have drawn me further... here be Daemons...

Now, this doesn't mean I'm neglecting my other forces, far from it, I just wanted to start a new army that was fun and one that I had some amazing conversion ideas for.
Anyway, onto what I have come to so far, I wanted a themed army, none of this Undivided rubbish, but a pure force, but, which god to choose? Personally my favourites have always been Slaanesh and Khorne, so I had a hard choice to pick since I couldn't do both, as I would be sinking to much money into the Daemons. The choice all came down to the models themselves, I love Bloodletters, they look like the quintessential Daemon, red skin, horns, the works not to mention one of my favourite looking IC ever, Skulltaker. However, Khorne's elite units were not as impressive to me, the Skull Cannon, Bloodcrushers and Hounds just weren't as cool as the basic Bloodletter, which means I really wouldn't play them much and just be left with a Bloodletter horde.
Slaanesh is the opposite, I'm not a fan of Daemonettes but I love Seeker Chariots, Hellflayers and Seekers. Giant purple lawn mowers are awesome looking and also Slaanesh is the polar opposite to my other armies, being Eldar and Dark Eldar. So my choice had to be Slaanesh and with that I started writing up a list. This is a 1000 point adaptation of my original 2000 point list.

Chaos Daemons 1000 Points List.
HQ
1x Herald of Slaanesh. Exalted Seeker Chariot, Psyker Lvl.2, Greater Rewards, Lesser Rewards and Greater Locus of Swiftness
1x Herald of Slaanesh. Steed of Slaanesh, Psyker Lvl.1, Greater Rewards and Exalted Locus of Beguilement
 TROOPS
10x Daemonettes.
10x Daemonettes.
 FAST ATTACK
15x Seekers of Slaanesh. Heartseeker, Greater Rewards, Icon of Chaos, Rapturous Standard
HEAVY SUPPORT
Seeker Cavalcade. 3x Exalted Seeker Chariots

This is just a first list, I have yet to play it but would love to know what you think of it and what I should or shouldn't change.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Dedicated Transports

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Hi All, Eldrad Vect here, when it comes to Dedicated Transports, Sisters of Battle don't have much different to their Space Marine allies, but still here is my review of the Sister's Dedicated Transports.
First off, the humble Rhino, nuff said...
On a serious note, unlike Space Marines, Sister of Battle rhinos are often used quite a bit, due to the fact that Sisters are a tad more fragile than Space Marines. Nothing is different though, still the same old Rhino, just with Sisters of Battle iconography.

The second option is the Immolator, whilst a little different is pretty much the same as a Space Marine Razorback, except it is only able to take Twin-Linked Heavy Flamers, Twin-Linked Multi-Meltas or Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters. However the Immolator has one little wargear buff to its Heavy Bolters, Inferno Bolts. No not those amazing AP3 things that Thousand Sons use, these Inferno Bolts simply allow re-rolls to wound, not a awesome as Thousands Sons, but still pretty good.

Now the one thing the they have going for them is that all Sisters of Battle tanks have Shield of Faith, thus they all have a 6+ Invuln. save which on a tank is quite handy. The other wargear upgrades they can take are ok, but nothing spectacular.
I personally don't use transports for my Sisters, I only ever use the Immolator and even then only to transport Dominion Squads. But thats just me, they are ok transports, but not great, but I mean Marines don't get any better, I know the new codex may change things but still, these have been serving Space Marines for years and they still win battles.

Games Workshop Oxford: Review on Space Marine Codex Release Day

Greetings from the UK where I'm visiting for a short while (hence lots of posts from Eldrad and not many from me recently!). The news of the day is not the Aussie general election despite claims to the contrary. It is the release of the new Space Marines codex. And I dutifully queued up outside the Games Workshop Oxford store on release day a few minutes before it opened.  And yes: there were a small group of people standing on the other side of the road from the store watching as they put the final touches to their displays before opening the door at 10am.

Games Workshop Oxford is just down the road (in the adjacent building in fact) from the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church (if you know Oxford at all), sharing a building with a dry cleaners and a betting shop. Its kind of tucked away, but still very accessible from the major arterial routes that snake through the old city.  The store is quite spacious in some regards (certainly bigger than the likes of Chadstone, Australia) but is by no means a battle bunker.  That said, it does possess at least 3 large gaming tables with ample room to manoeuvre around the edges without getting in the way of customers. I find the latter can be an issue in some GW stores.

I was there to purchase a copy of the new Space Marines codex. They had several nice displays laid out and an ample pile of the new codex ready to be taken from one of the displays. Allan (staff member, possibly the manager?), whom I spoke to was ace. Particularly when I mentioned my fetish for Death Guard. Had a nice chat about pre-Heresy armies and graviton guns. He's clearly done his homework, is mature, and is very involved in the hobby.

Below is one of the display armies that I snapped: an Imperial Fists force with some neat scenery. I always think yellow is a terrifically hard colour to work with, and this army has totally pulled it off. The impressive "chips" in the armour were abundant on the miniatures and it was clear this was a labour of love. In the background, you can just see the cropped lower half of some of the new boxed sets of marines. They're a bit more grim dark than the old boxes I think, and the prices are also getting expensive now: five pounds per marine in some of the boxes is creeping up to high levels. That said, there was no shortage of customers and the store was feeling nicely packed (not jam packed) after the first 30 mins from opening. All in all, a very pleasant store, well maintained, well positioned, with excellent displays and wonderful staff.  I really enjoyed the experience! Thanks Oxford GW!

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Dominion Squad

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Hi everybody, Eldrad Vect here, with the review of yet another stand out unit in the Sisters of Battle, the Dominion Squad.
Dominions are pretty much Sisters of Battle with the Scout USR, now to most this doesn't seem tempting scout isn't really worth the extra points, but it isn't the Dominions themselves that are deadly but how they combine their wargear and special rules. Dominions can take 2 Special Weapons per 5 Sisters, the weapons up for grabs are a Storm Bolter, Meltagun or Flamer. No one ever chooses the Storm Bolter but a unit that can Outflank 4 Meltaguns and with a good BS is great, this is the same for the Flamers, its a effective way for causing panic in the back lines. Dominions are pretty much a suicide unit, Outflank then kill something before your wiped off the board, but we cannot forget these girls wear Power Armour meaning the have a chance of survival, though its slim since most of the enemies fire will be directed at them.
Special rules are pretty blank, the standard Sisters rules and Scout. Their Act of Faith is Holy Fusillade and it is amazing, making all weapons the Dominions carry Twin-Linked, making Meltaguns accurate and Flamers Re-roll to wound, this usually means when Dominions hit they hit hard.
This review was kind of small, so with that I'll give you a few ways I play Dominions. I tend to play a Flamer Dominion Squad in an Immolator, this gives me a horrid Twin-Linked Heavy Flamer from the Immolator and 3 Flamers (the Sister Superior has a Combi-Flamer) from the Dominions this usually gives me they upper hand as they Outflank and torch any unit they can. Alternatively I have played this strategy with an all Melta squad too, the thing to remember with Dominions is they suck at being take all comers, yeah you can have a Meltagun and Flamer, but neither will be as effective, Dominions have to be specialized.
My verdict on Dominions are still they same, these girls stand out as being handy and quite powerful, whilst one sided, they do their job well and like the Seraphim fill that effective aggressive role that is so desperately needs to be filled, Sure Repentia are aggressive but not reliable. They are a relatively good unit all in all, but not the best.

The New Space Marines Codex

The title might come across as a bit deceiving. Today, I wanted to mention the hype surrounding the New Space Marines Codex.  No, not the 40k space marines.  The 30k space marine.  The original legions!

I came across this video teaser / trailer earlier today and wanted to share it with you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OERW6DuG5Qg

That's Horus Heresy Book II: Massacre.

As the title suggests, its about the second major event in the Istvaan system: the massacre on Istvaan V (following the betrayal and the purging of the 4 core heretical legions on Istvaan III). The trailer looks totally compelling -- Games Workshop clearly needs to up its output quality to match Forge World on this front.

With a release date of about a month's time (UK Games Day), there are many fans (including me!) who will be anxious to get a hold of this tome.  The book will feature 4 new legions: the Iron Hands, Night Lords, Salamanders, and Word Bearers. The other legions who participated in the Massacre will feature in the 3rd (planned) volume in the series.  Given how well they treated Mortarion, Angron, Horus and Fulgrim (and their unique units like the Palatine Blade Squad), I'm pretty excited to see how they portray Ferrus Manus, the Night Haunter, Vulkan and Lorgar. In addition, the existing legions that were already detailed in book 1 are rumoured to be getting updated for the future books as things develop along.  Given Australian dollar prices for the new codex, the second book in the Horus Heresy era looks to be quite a bargain by comparison...

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Seraphim Squad

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Hi everyone, Eldrad Vect here, its been a while but I'm back with my review of the Seraphim Squad.
I love Seraphim, I loved them in Dawn of War and even the models around now are actually my pick for best unit in the codex! Ok, maybe I'm a tad bias, but that won't affect my review in the slightest. First off, stat line, same as your average Sister of Battle and as far as wargear goes, exactly the same, minus the Bolter for a second Bolt Pistol. These girls were the original 'Gunslingers' and while other units such as Space Marine Command Squads and Vanguard Veterans have adopted the Dual Pistol Build as of 6th Edition and the introduction of the Gunslingers USR, the Seraphim are still queens of this form of combat. Seraphim can exchange their twin Bolt Pistols for either twin Hand Flamers or twin Inferno Pistol, two Sisters may take this particular upgrade no matter the squad size, while Inferno Pistols are melta and getting 4 Strength 8 AP 1 shots is so tempting as it is effect vs MCs, Heavy Infantry and Vehicles, the Hand Flamers are the way to go, the reason has something to do with their Act of Faith.
Special Rules wise, Seraphim are just awesome, They have the typical Acts of Faith and Shield of Faith special rules, however they also have Hit and Run, Seraphim Pistols (pretty much an early version of Gunslingers), Angelic Visage and their Faith power, The Emperor's Deliverance. Angelic Visage is the big one, it allows re-rolls of failed Faith tests and Shield of Faith saves, which means they almost always pass their Faith tests and have 6+ Inuvln. save that re-rolls isn't something to sniff at. Then comes the Act of Faith and reason why I take Hand Flamers, The Emperor's Deliverance allows re-rolls to wound when shooting... BY THE EMPEROR!!! this power is amazing and is one of the few that are actually aggressive.
All up, Seraphim are an awesome FA choice that can really hurt enemies if played right, their only downfall is the price tag that comes with playing them, remember they still are just Battle Sisters so if your not keen on spending a lot on a unit that can be cut down quick, even with Power Armour, then Seraphim are not for you, but they are by far one of the best units in the codex.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Ecclesiarchy Priests

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Hi everyone, Eldrad Vect reporting, this is quite a short review of a relatively useful Sisters of Battle unit, the Ecclesiarchy Priests.
First things first, the Ecclesiarchy Priests have pretty much the exact same Stats, Rules and Wargear as an Ecclesiarchy Confessor, although the only difference is the dreadfully low WS, BS, Attacks and Leadership and not being able to carry a Plasma Gun. They work in a similar way to Techpriests or Ministorum Priests in the Imperial Guard Codex, they count as Elites, you can have up to 5 of them and they don't take up any FoC at all. These guys are pretty damn useless, the only reason you'd dare to waste 45 points on them is to stick one in all your squads to make Faith tests easier, other than that, they are a complete waste of time and points. Harsh I know but they aren't a very good unit.

Power Weapons: Are your Warriors using the right Weapons?

Hi all, Eldrad Vect here. Ah, the humble Power Weapon, the tool of champions and no name squad leaders, however in 6th edition they released the new rules on the different types of Power Weapons, this was awesome and I think one of the greatest things in the new rulebook (I love 6th Edition so much). It does beg the question though, what weapon should I use? well I'm here to give you the run down on what I think are the best choices for each race.

Space Marines/Chaos Space Marines (and Codex Chapters)
Power Sword and Power Axe:
Starting with the most popular race in Warhammer, Space Marines and their evil counterparts excel when using all weapon types but are particularly effective with these two. Since their base Strength is 4, the Power Sword is exceptionally useful, it's AP3 at full Initiative means in the hands of a Space Marine, can pull apart xenos and MEQs with equal ease. The Power Axe is also a great weapon for Marines but should be used defensively, i.e. if you have a Devestator (or Havoc) squad leader with a Power Weapon make it a Power Axe. The reason behind this is that the Power Axe's +1 to Strength and AP2 gives it sundering power unmatched, so it is effective at holding off attackers as it mean you won't lose combat and may even sweep your attackers since the upped Strength give you an greater chance to wound your foe.

Dark Eldar
Power Sword and Power Lance:
Dark Eldar need speed above all else and the Power Axe is too clunky for Dark Eldar and is also unnecessary because almost every Dark Eldar unit has access to AP2, whether it be shooting or CC, not only that but they have access to one the best Power Weapons in Warhammer, the Agoniser which always wounds on a +4 and is AP3 which can carve through Infantry and Monstrous Creatures. The Agoniser also makes the Power Maul useless too. Power Sword is for your shooty units to give them continuous AP3 to help even the Combat Resolution and maybe prolong combat so a more aggressive unit can help, where as the Power Lance is for your attacking squads, the +1 Strength on the charge is very handy for Dark Eldar. Personally, I typically use Agonisers but I do use Swords and Lances sometimes since they are cheaper than the Agoniser.

Imperial Guard
Power Maul:
Imperial Guard Sergeants should only ever wield Power Mauls, for them, the +2 to Strength allows them a chance to pummel even Marines in combat. No other Power Weapon is worth it, in my opinion the Sword is too weak, the Axe not needed and the Lance is pointless because IG don't often charge into combat, (well, I do).  

Sisters of Battle
Power Maul and Power Axe:
Sisters are weak, sad to say it but its true, S3 is not very good and unlike Eldar and Dark Eldar, these chicks ain't fast, with I3 they have the same problem as Guard. The Power Maul and Power Axe buff the Sisters to new levels, if your going to strike last anyway may as well do it with an AP2 Axe and take some foes out with you.

Eldar
Power Sword, Power Lance and Power Axe:
The Triforce of Power Weapons used by the Eldar all work well, Swords and Lances keep the Eldar's high Initiative whilst killing Infantry easy, even Terminators or other 2+ Armour save units if the Jinx Psychic Power is in play, however you may be wondering why I have the Power Axe on this list. Eldar Aspect Warrior Exarchs have good armour and WS, this means a good Power Axe doesn't go to waste, however I only use this on units that is makes sense to, an example of this is one of my Dire Avenger Exarch, I always play Power Weapon and Shimmershield but the Diresword is AP2 and in order to give the unit a +5 Invuln. Save I have to sacrifice the AP2... well, not really, I simply give my Exarch a Power Axe, this gives him both a lovely Strength bonus that makes him quite a good Marine killer and the AP of 2 that he was missing out on. So while it all depends on your squad and what you like to use.

Orks, Necrons, Chaos Daemons, Tyranid, Tau, Grey Knights.
Sorry you guys, you either don't have access to conventional Power Weapons or have unique weapons that a similar but way better (i.e. Boneswords, Warscythes, Hellblades...) just keep doing what your doing and you'll be fine. I know that some of them do have Power Weapons but it is not as widespread as the others.

Whatever Power Weapons your troops wield just remember, it better than a Combat Knife.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: SIster Repentia Squad

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Hi everyone, Eldrad Vect here with the crazy sisters seeking forgiveness, the Sister Repentia.
These guys are insane, same stats as a Battle Sister but with no armour save, except the Mistress of Repentance which wears Power Armour, and 2 Attacks. Now these sisters have some pretty cruel weapons as each Sister Repentia is armed with an Eviserator which is pretty deadly, not to mention the Mistress who carries two Neural Whips, which are Power Weapons that give her a Strength of 8 but you roll to wound on the enemies Leadership profile. Wargear aside, what pushes the Sister Repentia squad into the area of greatness is the giant list of special rules they have.
Feel no Pain, Fleet, Fearless, Rage, Shield of Faith, Acts of Faith and Spirit of the Martyr (which is their Faith Power) this impressive list of special rules definitely make up for their lack of a 3+ Armour save. Spirit of the Martyr is their Faith power and it rocks, you take your Faith test at the start of the Assault phase, if successful, when a Sister Repentia is killed, do not remove the model, each fallen Sister Repentia gets 1 attack at the enemy before they die! its great, because if your unit get completely wiped they can still hit and I mean hit hard.
Sister Repentia are good, I use them quite a bit but they are quite often hit or miss, having only a 6+ Invul. and Feel no Pain to keep them alive they are constantly shot off the board quite quickly and Sister Repentia aren't cheap. It is a risk vs. gain scenario and you just have to take the risk sometimes, because when it pays off, it pays off big.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Celestian Squad

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Hi all, Eldrad Vect here with my first of the Sisters of Battle Elites reviews, first up, Celestians.
A Celestian is essentially a veteran Battle Sister and has similar stats expect for an Attack profile of 2 and Leadership of 9, also they are only 3 points more than a standard Battle Sister. This is a huge difference and for a squad thats max number is 10 I was a little skeptical on how they would perform, to my surprise they are actually quite effective. Wargear wise, up to two Celestians may take special or heavy weapons, similar to the Battle Sisters squad, though this just solidifies the fact that they are just glorified Battle Sisters.
Special Rules are the same as a Battle Sister squad too, except for their Faith Power, Hand of the Emperor, which give the Celestian squad +1 to Strength and Fearless in the Assault phase, wait, what? an Assault phase power for a unit that doesn't assault. Well, I guess you could charge with Celestians and really hurt what you hit, though I think the powers real purpose, like a lot of Faith powers, is defensive as it helps a unit terrible at combat become relatively good.
At best Celestians are expensive Battle Sisters, while they can be incredibly handy and can work well, I personally don't play them since there are so many better units like Dominion squads or Seraphim squads that do much more than Celestians. I'm not saying Celestians are a terrible unit, just that they need some improvments.

Worst Unit in Warhammer 40k Ever: Kheradruakh the Decapitator

Kheradruakh Codex art, doesn't he look awesome... all rights belong to Games Workshop, I do not own this picture.

Hi All, Eldrad Vect here. My Dark Eldar codex is starting to become out of date and may need an update, well after Orks, Space Marines, Tyranid, Imperial Guard and my beloved Sisters of Battle of course. But it recently hit me that some units are starting to die off, one of them is old Sly Marbo. Since the introduction of Fortifications and that every gamer and their grandmothers have an Aegis Defence Line (except me :'( ) with Quad Gun means that Marbo is shot down before he can throw his over powered Demolition Charge at someone, thus he is no longer a regular sight on the field of battle. It got me thinking of a Special Character that is so neglected and with stupid rules that even  Games Workshop has never made a model of him over 2 whole codex editions of Codex Dark Eldar (there were only two editions of the Dark Eldar Codex). Kheradruakh the Decapitator.

To explain why he is so very bad this is kind of going to turn into a unit review but thats alright, the lament of The Decapitator must be heard. First off his stat line.
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
 6    5   5 3  3 6 4  9    -
This straight away should tell you, he is not worth 140 Points, his Strength, Weapons Skill and Attacks profiles are all pretty good but Toughness 3 and no save is concerning. Then we look at his sole piece of wargear, his sword, the Decapitator which is a Power Sword that inflicts Instant Death on a 6, useless now because most characters have 2+ Armour saves or pretty good Invul. saves.
Kheradruakh has a save though, a 5+ Invul. save which with a Toughness of 3 means he is just going to get murdered by Laspistol fire, which for the ultimate stealthy assassin in the Universe that is a living shadow, sucks. His special rules aren't very special, he has Fearless, Stealth, Move Through Cover, Fleet, Baleblast, Power from Pain, Night Vision and then his exclusive rules Shade Stalker, Hunter of Heads and Altered Physique. First rule, Shade Stalker, mean he has to start the game in reserve and can be placed anywhere on the board when he comes in and can do everything normal except assault, which is were a Quad Gun will be waiting. Hunter of Heads is dumb, choose an enemy Independent Character, The Decapitator has Preferred Enemy against him, great that'll help me when my face is being punched in by Abaddon. Altered Physique just gives him a Pain Token which gives him Feel no Pain. Also you'll notice he is a Special Character without the Independent Character rule, I though the was reserved only for the super tough like Mephiston.
Don't worry, Kheradruakh isn't the only Dark Eldar unit that suck, queue Mandrakes, ah yes, the mini Kheradruakhs that took a bat to the face when 6th ed came along, mainly due to the 'no assaulting after coming in from reserve' and 'Independent Characters without Infiltrate can't join a unit of Infiltrator even if said unit isn't Infiltrating' and this made the already hugely unpopular Mandrakes completely unusable which is a shame because the models are really good.
The final nail in the Mandrakes and Kheradruakh's coffin came from the Grey Knights FAQ, where it says they count as Daemons. Now when I read this, I was enraged by the fact that one, Mandrake are not Daemons and two, Mandrakes don't have the Daemon special rule and so they don't benefit from rules like Fear.
But that is just the way things go and I doubt we will see Kheradruakh make an appearance any time soon.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Battle Sister Squad

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Hi All, Eldrad Vect here giving you my review on the only Troop choice in the Sisters of Battle codex.
The stats of a Battle Sister is this:
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
  4   4   3 3  1 3 1  8   3+
Pretty much a Space Marine with reduced Strength, Toughness and Initiative which is ok for a model that costs 12 points. Having Power Armour saves these girls a lot of pain, especially when they are susceptible to it due to low Toughness and the Shield of Faith rule gives them a 6+ Invul. Save giving them a slim chance to avoid dying to AP3 or lower weapons. Armed with Bolters, Frag and Krak Grenades and a Bolt Pistol, Sisters are pretty well equipped to begin with and the base squad size is 9 Battle Sisters and 1 Sister Superior with the option to take an additional 10 Battle Sisters meaning you can get a pretty large squad of Power Armour wearing troops. No matter what the squad size is only two Sisters in the squad can take special or heavy weapons and depending on how your Sister squad is designed to fight depends greatly on these weapon options, if your squad is a back line objective holder you'd take a Heavy Bolter and Storm Bolter or if your squad is an aggressive attack unit you'd have a Meltagun and Heavy Flamer.
The Sister Superior is pretty good for a squad leader, having an stat line like a standard Sister with a +1 to Attacks and Leadership. Her wargear options are really good to, being able to take Power Weapons, Combi-Weapons and even Plasma Pistols, she can really add punch to a squad by adding some extra Plasma, Melta or Flamers to your squad.
Special Rules for the Sisters are simple, Acts of Faith and Shield of Faith, as well as the Faith power the Battle Sisters have called Light of the Emperor. Light of the Emperor is one of the best Faith powers in the codex, if used in the Movement phase, the automatically re-groups and can act as normal, if used in the Shooting or Assault phase they re-roll all 1s to hit, this is awesome and thats not all it is also the only power that can be used multiple times in a turn, once per phase.
They are a pretty good Troop choice and being the only choice in the codex the do well to be as varied as possible to make up for the lack of choices and on more then one occasion it is my Battle Sister squads that win me games.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Saint Celestine

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Hi all, Eldrad Vect here, with my review of the greatest Sisters of Battle HQ of all time, Saint Celestine.
Ok, so how powerful is this living saint you may ask? well, stupidly powerful the most outstanding stats are her WS, BS and I of 7, not to mention 5 attacks base and being the only Sister of Battle with a 2+ Armour save. She is also Jump Infantry, making her an amazing addition to a Seraphim Squad. Her wargear is unbelievably good, she wears the Armour of Saint Katherine which gives her her 2+ save and a 4+ Invul. save and her weapon of choice is the Ardent Blade, a Power Sword that alway wounds on a 4+ unless she can do better, this makes up for her Strength of 3, the blade can also be fired as a Heavy Flamer.
Now for the best part, Saint Celestine's rule Miraculous Intervention, every time she dies, place a counter where she died then at the start of every one of your subsequent player turns, on a 4+ she comes back to life with D3 wounds! She is almost unstoppable though her Toughness of 3 make her quite easy to kill and she doesn't have Eternal Warrior. But how many points is she? surely this undying saint is around the same price line as Mephiston or Abbadon, nope, Saint Celestine is only 115 points which is just stupid cheap.
This is the HQ you want in order to avoid giving the enemy Slay the Warlord. Saint Celestine is the a hero, more aggressive than supportive, although she does boost Seraphim squads immensely. By far my favourite character in the Sisters of Battle codex.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Uriah Jacobus

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Hello all, Eldrad Vect here with a review on one of the most amazing Confessor of all, Uriah Jacobus.
Last time I reviewed the less than impressive Arch-Confessor Kyrinov and whilst Jacobus has the same stats and save as Kyrinov, he is on a whole other level. This crazy old war dog is an incredible fighter having both a Chainsword and Bolt Pistol as well as his giant Shotgun, Redeemer. 24' range, S4 AP4 Assault 2 double barrel shotgun of pain, Tyranid Ravager? Blam! Jacobus just shotgunned it in it's ugly face like a boss. He also carries the Banner of Sanctity, which give him and his unit +1 to their Attack and Feel no Pain, imagine him with 20 Battle Sisters on an objective, they are not moving, ever. This combination of skill and actual weapons that are any good, (I'm looking at you again Kyrinov), makes Uriah Jacobus both an amazing combat god but also a great support character.
Uriah also has a couple of awesome special rules, he has Stubborn, which is helpful to some degree but most importantly he buffs the entire army with his rule Protector of the Faith, this rule allows you to re-roll the dice used when rolling how many Faith Points you get at the start of each turn, which means there will be plenty of faith to go round.
Uriah is a great character for any Battle Sister army and his augmenting abilities are gold, this guy is also the same points as Kyrinov, but so much better and well worth the 90 points it costs to use him.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Arch-Confessor Kyrinov

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Hi all, Eldrad Vect here with the review of Arch-Confessor Kyrinov, a rather mediocre Special Character within the ranks of the Ecclesiarchy.
Now I'm not paying out on this guy because I don't like him, he is really bad, hero wise. His stat line is the same as an Ecclesiarchy Confessor, understandable but quite weak and this makes him incredibly susceptible to being cut down by small arms fire or similar weapons. With a horrible save and low Strength and Toughness he is not going to be winning many combats, though he won't run since he and all squads in 6" are Fearless. Aside from unit buffing he really doesn't do much.
Kyrinov's signature weapon is the Mace of Valaan, a unique Power Weapon that pretty much has the Concussive special rule. He also carries the Icon of Chiros this is what allows him to grant Fearless to nearby squads. As far as rules go, Kyrinov has all the same as your basic Confessor except for Heightened Fervour, which just mean he counts as having a Laud Hailer and Simulacrum Imperialis.
All up, Kyrinov is not worth the his points cost, maybe if he were twenty or so points cheaper but other than that, your better off with are basic Ecclesiarchy Confessor or Uriah Jacobus, which my next review will be on.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Generic HQs

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Hi all, Eldrad Vect here, with my first ever unit review!
The Canoness is the linchpin HQ of the Sisters of Battle Codex, out of the two generic HQs you can get to lead your Battle Sisters, the Canoness is the more well known. Let take a look at her stat line
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
 5    5   3 3  3 4 3 10 3+
Not really that impressive pretty much just your standard Sister of Battle with +1 to Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill and Initiative. There are very little wargear options for the Canoness too and her save can't get any better, although you can give her a Rosarius so she has an Invul. at least, but like all Battle Sister, she already has a 6++ due to Shield of Faith rule.
As far as special rules go she has the usual Sisters of Battle special rules and of course Independent Character, also Stubborn, which is kind of useless except if she is leading a squad of 20 Battle Sisters, which is where she should definitely be. Her Acts of Faith power is great, but as a counter, giving her and the unit she is in Preferred Enemy and +1 to Initiative. She also unlock the Sororitas Command Squad, like a Space Marine Command Squad, but with less options and being Sisters of Battle.
All in all, the Canoness is no mighty hero, she is a support character that buffs a unit and should most likely be used that way, mainly with a Sister blob so they never fall back and it also makes the units Act of Faith test work more often.

The second HQ is the Ecclesiarchy Confessor, now I've never used him and there are many reasons why. Firstly the stats line is the same as the Canoness only instead of a 3+ save he has a 5+, though he comes with a Rosarius it still doesn't make up for the fact he has a terrible save and costs more than the Canoness. His option list for wargear is a little longer than the Canoness and he can sport a Plasma Gun which is quite awesome especially with his BS of 5. He has almost no special rules the list is this. Acts of Faith, Independent Character, Righteous Rage and Shield of Faith.
Shield of Faith is pointless to have since he has a better Invul. save anyway with the Rosarius, he has no Acts of Faith to call upon, the rule is just there so he can buff the rolls of other squads and Righteous Rage is just like the Space Marine Chaplain's rule that allows re-rolls on the turn the unit charged, kind of good but in an army that doesn't have a lot of assault units, it isn't that useful. He does unlock the Battle Conclave, which is essentially an Iquisitorial Henchmen squad with only Death Cult Assassins, Crusaders and Arco-Flagellants.
I would only play this guy to buff a Battle Sister blob and to have that Plasma Gun.

A Blogger's Apology and a Quest for the Future

Hi all, Eldrad Vect here, it has been a while and I must say sorry for not posting anything for a while, with both Writer's Block and an incredibly busy few weeks I've had I've been unable to write articles and take care of the blog.
Anyway I'm back with an article asking you the reader what I should do next in my hobby adventures. My work on the Baroness has hit a brick wall as the torch I use to heat my knife to cut Finecast has died so work has stopped and my slow plate-by-plate painting of Commander Farsight is going well, but like I said slow.

I have two things that are on my list of things that would be awesome to do and I will be blogging about them too, so this give you something to read and perhaps laugh about.

First, I have recently re-kindled my love for the Sisters of Battle and am currently not playing any army but Proxy Sisters of Battle armies. I like the sisters for their fluff and there unique take on Warhammer, I especially like the Faith Points system and some of those crazy attack units like Sister Repentia and Penitent Engines. After hearing rumours that Sisters were being worked on, I became ecstatic at the thought of a new look Sisters army. What I want to do blog-wise, is focus heavily on Sisters of Battle, Battle Reports, unit reviews and more.

The second idea I had was to start a Space Wolf army, my idea is simple and the article itself would be known as 'Pack of Lone Wolves' as every Space Wolf would be in someway converted and designed to work as either Lone Wolves, Grey Hunters or Wolfguard.

Of course, I will still do other thing too, my conversions, work on the Baroness more and I vow to do a lot more by way of articles. I'm also curious to know what you guys think of me, I'm trying to improve my skills as a blogger and there is only one person knows what needs to improve, that you.  

40k Bugbears: Helldrakes

sourced from: iokusangi.deviantart.com

Hello one and all, Eldrad Vect here and this is 40k Bugbears, unraveling the mysteries of the most feared and powerful units in the 40k Universe.
I know how ironic it is that I'm teaching people ways to destroy a Chaos unit on a Chaos blog but it is a constant source of fear in games now.
About the title, the Bugbear was a really tough enemy from the old Dungeons and Dragons Playstation 2 and Xbox game, Baldur's Gate, (yes I know it was on PC first and other games have used Bugbears, but this is the most memorable for me), thus the title reflects the frustrations of killing such units.
Ok, enough D&D, time to get real. The Helldrake is an amazing Chaos unit, no doubt, being a Flyer and having a horrendous Ignore Cover Torrent weapon makes it beyond good and at only 170 points per Drake you are crazy not to take it, if your a Chaos player that is. With AV 12 for front and sides its a hard Flyer to take down, not to mention the 5+ Invul. for being a Daemon and having the It Will Not Die USR, but for all its glory it has one weakness, the giant gaping hole in its rear. Yes its AV 10, now you may be thinking, Eldrad plenty of Flyers are AV 10 at the back, big whoop. This is how I kill Drakes with Bolters or equivalent weapons, this may seem strange but it works, I've fought three Helldrake lists and pulled all three for the sky with Shurikens and Death Spinners, however you should try to have a lot of maneuverable Strength 6 weapons like Assault Cannons or Scatter Lasers. Haywire weapons are the best, since the Haywire rule ignores the Daemon Invul. Save.

RRRAAAAAGGGHHH!!

While this works, you do need most of your troops still kicking after the brutal preliminary firestorm of the Drakes, here are a couple of ways I keep my units alive against the dreaded Baleflamer. First, mass Invulnerable Saves, I use things like Shimmershields on Dire Avengers or Azrael's Lion Helm to give the saves to my units keeping them alive for the counter. Another way is to have a wound soaker in your unit, a Wolfguard Terminator with your Grey Hunters or a Mega Armour Warboss leading a squad of Shoota Boyz. Of course this strategy is for those forces where you can't get Skyfire easy and en mass. As long as you have your units pointing their guys at the Helldrake back you should be fine.

Another way to beat it is to ignore it, it's hard but if your fast enough to get your army behind it or force it into Hover mode, picking it apart will be a piece of cake, of course, sacrifices must be made to kill a Helldrake.
Anyway, I hope I've help shed some light on ways to kill the mighty Helldrakes, if you have any questions please comment, I'd love to hear what you think of my madness. 

Re-painting my Dark Eldar Kabalites

In my seeking perfection, re-painting is the only option. Eldrad Vect here, I strive for the best, this has led me to repainting my entire Kabal, while I'm happy with my Wych Cult scheme and my Haemonculus Coven scheme I got really sick of the unimpressive blue of my original Kabal scheme. So I slightly tweaked the White Dwarf Kabalite Armour painting guide and started.

 1. My original colour scheme, yes very boring drab and basic. My personality means I crave praise for my work, so this terribly bland warrior won't get me any. 

 2. I re-base coated my kabalites, however due to my natural laziness I left all my original details on, I really just want to re-paint the armour.

 3. I use Incubi Darkness to line the armour plates. Female kabalites are harder to paint, there brestplates aren't flat, thus I drybrush in order to give the same effect as the lines.

 4. Second paint I use is Kabalite Green, this particular warrior has been half done. I apply it to the lines of the first colour, but leaving enough of the first to still be seen slightly.

 5. Final coat, Sybarite Green. This highlights giving quite a nice glowing effect I then lightly drybrush the armour with Kabalite Green, I stress lightly, it is used to blend the colours together.

It's particularly effective on tanks, giving the Ravager I kind of sleek look. Also thanks for the amazing support of the Baroness, I haven't posted it for a while due to being busy and sick, but I am working on it so, you shall definitely see more of her in the future.

Chaos Daemons Review: Seeker Cavalcade and Exalted Chariots

A seeker cavalcade is a squad of seeker chariots or exalted seeker chariots in any combination.

On the negative side, these chariots have only 2 HP each and are only AV11 on the front (10 on the rear).  This makes them very flimsy to say the least.  A good volley of bolter fire to the back can readily take them out.  The exalted versions has a bit more staying power with 4 HP each.  But it is still fundamentally weak.

The flesh shredder is a S4 rending hammer of wrath attack.  Sure, it gets d6 hammers per HP, but the S4 isn't much really.  On the flip side, the exalted alluress' ability to gain attacks via unsaved wounds from the hammer of wrath attacks is an interesting combination.  But its never going to be very high I suspect.  (that's to say: not high like a greater daemons..., or Angron...).

Customizability comes in the shape of lesser and greater rewards.  But, again, I'm not sold.  These beasts shouldn't need them.

BUT: on the good side: they're only a little bit more pricey than a rhino (for the basic seeker chariot).  But heck, a rhino can ram, fire guns, machine spirit, has more HP, deploy smoke... they're just better really.  AND: they're competing against soul grinders in the heavy support slot.  So, overall: I'm not sold on them.

And that concludes the Daemons Codex review from Warpstone Flux.  I'm taking a little holiday soon so will leave you with the company of Eldrad Vect :)

Crazy Conversions: Lady Commissar

Hi All, Eldrad Vect here, this time with the most difficult, time consuming and amazing conversion I've ever done, my female Lord Commissar or otherwise known as Lady Commissar. It was ambitious but I just personally didn't like any other female commissar out there and had to build my own, also none of them had twin Plasma Pistols either.

A little fluff on her, since I love fluff and write my own sometimes. Lady Commissar Anastasia Shiranova of the 99th Vostroyan Veteran Regiment, famed for her reckless strategies and almost supernatural intuition. Found by her father upon his doorstep, the half-eldar girl was raised in the Imperial Guard, counting as the first-born of her father, her xenos background was only discovered when she entered her early 20s, the physical changes involved her growing the characteristic pointed ears of the Eldar. However at this time she was a full member of a veteran squad under the command of Sergeant Yuri Korsakov, who trusted her enough to not report her. By the time the Inquisition had discovered, she was a respected Commissar within the Imperium, her deeds to the Emperor far outweighed her Eldar heritage.
Thats as far as I shall go with her storyline, or else it may drag on.

Front shot of Anastasia

View of back and trenchcoat

The original Death Korps Commissar I used. Photo sourced from Forgeworld.

I used the body and the hat of a Death Korps of Krieg Commissar, carving out the chest and head with a hot knife, re-aligned the legs and arms to the pose they are in now. The chest and head are that of Lelith Hesperax, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts. The hair was the braided ponytail of a Dark Eldar Wych and the Plasma Pistols came from a Cadian and Catachan Command Squad. The rock on the base was from the beach and fastened on using Green Stuff, I also used Green Stuff to make the top of her corset and breastplate. What do you guys think, hot or not? Also, what do you think of my fluff?

Building the Baroness: Skyboard

Hello everyone, Eldrad Vect here, I've recently had a run in with Nurgle, as such I haven't posted anything for a while due to sickness. This is the start of a series of posts about my construction and conversion of my Baron Sathonyx model for my Dark Eldar. Now the title says 'Baroness' so of course this is a female Sathonyx, I have yet to create and write fluff for her that fits with the rest of my collections. (I say collections since my storylines incorporate all of the armies I collect.)

Top shot, shows more of the details.

This is her Skyboard, converted from a regular Hellion Skyboard by cutting off the wings and attaching the lower parts of Raider tail fins to it, making it wider and bulkier with out going overboard. I removed the stubby Splinter Pods from the front and replaced them with spare Splinter Rifles also from the Raider kits, I have three Raiders so I have a lot of spare parts. I used Raider Chain Snares and tied up skulls to give the board a grisly fearsome look worthy of the mad Baroness. it's double the width of a regular Hellion board, so she'll stand out from her squad and I'm also planing for her to be higher off the ground then the rest of the Hellions too.

Chaos Daemons Review: Burning Chariot of Tzeentch

The burning chariot of Tzeentch is a new option in this codex.  It is one that actually has some significant firepower as well.  Having access to both S9 AP2 shot and an AP3 flamer template is a great boon for a daemons army - even if it is close range only.

The problems for this unit are multifold however.  The warpflame rule means that any unit not dealt with by the attacks will gain feel no pain.  I'm really over the warpflame rule: I pretty much don't want to take any Tzeentch unit because of this to be honest.  I wonder if it was truly a design mistake in hindsight?  An over-nerf of flamers that only needed a tweak?  And even the hammer of wrath attack has warpflame as well!

But the chariot itself is a major issue too.  With AV10 all around, it really is not hardy at all.  A concentrated rapid fire of bolters from a full marine squad could cause one to explode.  And that's before factoring they've probably got melta guns in there as well.

In terms of upgrades, I really can't see me taking any.  The -1Ld penalty that a blue horror crew would impose is not worth it.  The lesser and greater rewards would (on the surface) seem like points that should be better spent elsewhere.  So if I were to take this unit (which I don't think I will!), it will certainly be a "naked" none-upgraded one.

Overall, a nice addition, but one that could have done without warpflame to be worth the points.  And even then, I feel that landspeeders do it slightly better.

Crazy Converisons: Penal Legionnaires

Hello all, Eldrad Vect here with my Crazy Conversions. Now, those unfamiliar with the most under used units in the Imperial Guard Codex, the Penal Legion Squad is a group of the most dangerous and penitent criminals in the Imperium given a second chance at freedom in the Imperial Guard... by performing suicidally dangerous missions behind enemy lines. Their rules reflect the fluff perfectly, they have the Scout and Stubborn special rule as well as the rule Desperados, that gives them random bonus making the unit all that more interesting, however sadly this unit is not used all that often, since the other Troop choices in the IG codex (Infantry Platoons and Veteran Squads) are just that much more customizable and useful. However my Imperial Guard army is different using 4 Penal Legion Squads and a Veteran Squad in an 1000 point army list.
So, I present to you my first squad of Penal Legionnaires, though they aren't all finished yet I still need to apply a ball and chain here, handcuffs there, also there is one that is still a guardsmen, which will give you an insight on how they looked before. A long time ago, I purchased a squad of Cadian Guardsmen, over the years they turned from Cadians to Inqisitorial Stormtroopers, after I finished going through the Grey Knights phase, I just used them for proxys but now after a long wait and my green stuffing skills having had improved, they have found a home.

Group Shot

Before

After

I used spare Chaos Space Marine knives, Eldar guardian head, Dark Eldar Hellion bits and Blood Angel Death Company heads I had lying around and quite a bit of Green Stuff. The chains were from spare Dark Eldar kits I had around. No detail was spared as the broken handle, trigger and stock of the Lasguns were rebuilt and replaced by spare Dark Eldar Splinter Rifles and Space Marine Scout Snipers. I think they look quite impressive, though I'm quite bias, what do you guys think?

Chaos Daemons Review: Skull Cannon of Khorne

The skull cannon is an entertaining addition to the codex that fits in well with Khorne's theme of murder through any "natural" means (where "natural" excludes psychic traditionally).  In this case, technological corresponds to natural.

On the positive side, the skull cannon has a reasonable armour value (12) on its front and side with 3 hull points.  This will clearly put it in the dreadnought survivability category with some intelligent play. Therefore on that basis alone, it is viable.  The higher-than-dreadnought BS is a clear advantage too.

In terms of weaponry, the skull cannon is reasonable: at S8, its going to hurt (and potentially instant kills) some enemies, but the AP5 value feels like a let down considering a dreadnought equivalent would probably be a plasma cannon.  The dreadskulls rule is weak: allowing no initiative penalty for charging daemons is just a bit in the meh category for me personally.  Finally, the chariot also the gorefeast rule introduced on the blood throne.  Occasionally, it will therefore be able to regenerate its hull points.

Overall, for the points cost, its just a shade on the expensive side for what it does.  If only it had a solid AP, it would be much better and more tempting.  As it is, I think the soul grinder is still outshining the skull cannon for me.  And since the cannon itself is very much anti-infantry and anti-light tank, many of the other units in the chaos daemons codex duplicate this purpose.  Hence, although the model is nice looking, I'm leaving this one out of the army lists outside of Apocalypse.