Better a Squig than a Fascist

tabletop gaming sideblog for @asexualbrigadier

[angryangryaces]

threw paint on some generically medieval buildings for a non-40K project because I'm going to be spending the next three weeks without necessarily being in a great position to paint anything and I wanted to get at least something done

[angryangryaces]

Got some more painting done, expect another drought period though because I need to actually get my hobby room in some semblance of order.

Also I am not 100% on the underarm for my kitbashed Sorcerer, the Thousand Sons arm I was using just refused to stay on but the spacer I ended up using was pretty bulky, but it shouldn't be too noticeable on the table and I can't fuss over this one dude forever.

"And here he is: Xorat Kell. The last of my old squad, and my second-in-command at the Iron Keep; a companion in both of my exiles. He thinks I do not realise he is plotting with the Upstart against me, and he thinks that even if he is wrong, that I will not be able to bring myself to kill him.

He may be right. That is where you come in...but that is a discussion for another time."

"And these are the Shatterborn: some of the newest aspirants - although that is a relative term. They blame the Emperor's lackeys for the death of their home world, although I doubt they even remember its destruction - I believe they would have been too young, given the ages at which the implantation process must begin. I think most would expect me to have selected more experienced warriors to lead into battle, but it is them who accompany me.

Oh, I know it is unwise. An old man, grasping for the last shreds of his glory days, as has been the way of things since the discovery of fire. But the grand strategy, the balancing of allegiances, the eternal watch for the knife in my back...I do it because I must, but it was not my role, back in the old days, and there is a certain joy in once again taking the next generation of warriors under my wing."

[angryangryaces]

I live! Behold about three months of painting progress. In my defence between bad painting conditions and building other models March wasn't all that productive.

Note that some of these images either have small details I need to fix up or have had repairs done, but oh well

"Ah, yes. Gharlak - or, as he calls himself, the Upstart; I am led to believe that he came off second best when challenging another Warsmith, and fled here while he still drew breath. He is young, ambitious. Reckless. He is useful, but he is a danger by himself...and he is not by himself."

"Fortunately, however, I believe I can depend on these, at least. Sovnak has led the Ironbound since the Great Crusade - he still has a Legion vexilla, a rarity in these times - and they are among the few I would trust to escort some of our...problem players, like the Upstart. Ah, and I see Marag has a new combi-plasma. He tends to overload them, you see. From the markings and blood splatter, I would assume he used it to bludgeon its previous owner."

[angryangryaces]

Obliterators 2

These ones are somewhat kitbashed, and are for a more Nurgle-themed subdivision of my giant pile of minis

"As for these...they are the Dreadsmith's minions, not mine. You should not be required to interact with them often; the Dreadsmith tends to keep to himself. A good thing, too; he would be a significant threat if he chose to involve himself in a power struggle, but at present, he remains a neutral presence - and that, in a way, keeps things stable. If he is content with matters as they are, there is an incentive not to cause too much upheaval, lest he take exception to how things develop..."

[angryangryaces]

Obliterators!

I decided that I wanted some slightly more points-heavy investments done - Nurglings and Cultists are all good but 90pts a month is not going to get me through this heap of spikey weirdos - so I pushed up this month's total by 160pts with some Oblits!

And for the lore:

"These? These are recent allies, pledged to my banner since my exile ended. I know little about what has happened to them, and they are unlikely to provide much enlightenment - their minds are little more than scrapcode and targeting data at this point, and I expect that at some stage they will need to be put down, once they forget the distinction between friend and foe.

You have concerns about such creatures? Wise. I remember when the Iron Fourth would have destroyed such horrors. However...those days are long ago, or so they tell me. I am, put simply, in no position to turn away even the most disturbing aid. Even so, let us give them a wide berth."

[angryangryaces]

I suddenly remembered that I had been thinking of doing introductions to my CSM units in the vein of the Word Bearers articles on the Beard Bunker (only, y'know, not Word Bearers, because fuck those guys), and screw it, no time like the present.

"Ah. You are up and about, I see. Your memory may take some time to recover; you took quite a beating in the pit, and my apothecary tells me that reassembling you was no mean feat.

In brief, however: this is the planet Agrivain, and you are now of the Iron Fourth. Hm? Why have you been preserved? I will explain shortly, have no concerns on that score. However...excuse me."

"Begone, you infuriating little gremlins! Apologies. While we are nominally in realspace, Agrivain has been marked by the Warp, and naturally, these irritating little pests are drawn to the infirmary. It takes considerable effort to stop them gnawing on the power cables for medical equipment. Hold on...

You. Round up some of your fellows and bring them here. Do a Nurgling purge."

"Outside this fortress, Agrivain is a blasted wasteland; but it was once truly habitable, and the descendants of a few survivors still remain, somehow, and some are permitted to take advantage of the fortress walls...as long as they are useful, at least. Do try to kill only a few of them; there are only so many, and ideally they should be of some use on the battlefield before they die..."

[angryangryaces]

Cultists

The "actually having a painted army for once in my fucking life" train continues rolling with some Cultists, based on Necromunda Ash Wastes Nomads with some Admech limbs:

(Since these photos were taken I have applied Pylar Glacier to the snow effect on the base, I will highlight with white at some point)

These were built ages ago, certainly before the Sha'dar Hunters and Nomad Upgrade Kit came out, which is why there are so many of the same few weapons. If I add more Damned units in this vein* I'll definitely get those kits to add some variety, but painting these was a bit of a struggle and these are very much a case of "this is way too much detail to care about for 50pts" so I wouldn't expect that for a while.

*My army lore includes multiple subgroups and we're about to start playing a bit of a sandbox campaign so not every cultist-y unit is going to look like this

[angryangryaces]

2026 Project Log: Do a Bunch of 40K Chaos

I said lo, many years ago that this blog was going to be a miniatures sideblog, and while that hasn't panned out, I figure it's as good a place as any to keep track of my Iron Warriors painting work. I am calling this project "COWARDS DIE IN THE PILE OF SHAME".

For example, my first painting session of the new year has been some Nurglings!

[angryangryaces]

Achievement unlocked: get something done by your artificial end-of-the-month deadline for once

in this case it's a coven of The Empty for Reign in Hell

[angryangryaces]

Finished a team of Depth Guard for Kill-Team

Plague Marines with some bits from elsewhere, most notably four Zinge Industries helmets.

[reikacchan]

don't give up

[mornington-the-crescent]

[hobgobknowsbest]

makes me just think of this poem by Caitlin Seida

[nudityandnerdery]

[angryangryaces]

[angryangryaces]

brought to you through the wonders of my bad phone photography, a squad of "Aquilons" built from WGA Grognards with Anvil Industry backpacks, supported by sentries built from Anvil tracked platforms with Skitarii Infiltrator heads and guns from whatever I had lying around

I'm not 100% sure the sentries are the right height but I don't play Kill-Team at a high enough level for "modelling for advantage" to be a problem

[angryangryaces]

I'm meeting up with the friend I'm giving these to tomorrow, so it's lucky that apart from the troll (which he will just have to wait for, between oppressive heat and humidity and puppy-related sleep disturbances I'm amazed I even got them done), the Pitzbog Steeljaws are ready to play!

[angryangryaces]

Experimenting with sponge painting to give this Blood Bowl vampire a crushed velvet cape:

[angryangryaces]

Started working on some Dark Mechanicus because while the current Dark Commune kit looks very good, it's also so specific in concept that it's a bit weird to see three of them on the top tables, so I wanted to build my own that would both make a little more sense in context and fit in conceptually with my Iron Warriors. This is a mess that currently contains mostly parts from Skitarii and Cawdor, with Delaque for the leaders and some dipping into the Citadel Skulls kit and the leftover mecha-tentacles from a Chaos Helbrute, and by next week will probably include bits from several other Admech kits.

This first build has two leaders, two icons, and a "mindwitch" who's actually just wielding a weird gun.

[angryangryaces]

The heavy hitters of the Pitzbog Steeljaws are done, at least unless I choose to throw another layer of Nurgle's Rot on the swamp water

First time I've used sponge painting for scuffing paint, it's real useful

[angryangryaces]

so as a Christmas gift for a friend I painted up a Dark Elf Blood Bowl team as the New England Patriots and gave them to him

(we're both Australian, so his undying support for not just an American football team but the most American American football team is a little weird but w/e)

and one thing led to another

so now I'm painting up the starter box black orcs for a friend who never fucking paints anything

as the Pitzbog Steeljaws

[angryangryaces]

also for clarity I have not told this friend I'm doing this and have no idea what he thinks of the Pittsburgh Steelers