Cowabunga IV
Starting point
After finishing my 1000 point Night Lords force in the previous challenge, and actually playing a game with them (woot?), it’s now time to add some more stuff to it! Since I’m not a very fast painter I felt the Gamer’s Challenge would be too much for me, so I opted for the Painter’s Challenge instead. Last time I painted a lot of regular Chaos Space Marines, and I honestly got a bit fed up with that, so this time around I decided to focus on vehicles and daemons. And Terminators. You can’t have enough Terminators!
Having established a foothold on Khardasian Prime, the Heralds of Darkness now seek to consolidate their position and bring in heavy support in the form of vehicles. Sacrifices to the Ruinous Powers have also been made, and the boundaries between the Warp and the physical world weaken…
Chaos Space Marines – Painter’s Challenge
Daemons:
3 Plaguebearers with Plagueswords – 105
4 Bloodletters with Hellblades – 140
Support:
Chaos Rhino – 50 points
Chaos Dreadnought with Heavy Plasma Gun and Power Scourge – 195 points
Chaos Predator with Autocannon and 2x side sponson Lascannons – 180 points
Squads:
4 Chaos Terminators (1x Heavy Flamer and Power Fist, 1x Combi-Melta and Chainfist, 1x Combi-Bolter and Power Mace, 1x Combi-Bolter and Chain-Axe) – 253 points
Total:
923 points
Slices
Slice 1 Plaguebearers
Slice 2 Bloodletters
Slice 3 Chaos Rhino
Slice 4 Chaos Dreadnought
Slice 5 Chaos Predator
Slice 6 Chaos Terminators
Subgoals
-Build a faction specific piece of terrain/objective
I would like to build something along the lines of a Chaos monument or temple for my army.
-Paint a backdrop for your army
I painted a backdrop last year, but I would like to try some different techniques and have another go at it.
-Build useable game tokens
For this I want to try and build markers to represent destroyed or burning vehicles.
Month 1 (January)
Asuramandos Sul stood before a dark and twisted altar, surrounded by the burnt-out ruins of an Imperial shrine. The Sorcerer had defiled the holy ground, desecrating it with the blood of sacrifices and the symbols of Khorne, the Lord of Skulls.
The Night Lord raised his arms, and began to chant ancient words of power. The symbols on the altar began to glow ominously, and the ground beneath the Sorcerer’s feet began to shake. The air grew thick and hot, as if it were alive with energy.
Suddenly, a crimson red portal opened, and a pack of Bloodletters emerged. The daemons were tall, muscular and had red skin. In their clawed hands they carried massive, razor-sharp blades that seemed to somehow have a life of their own.
The Bloodletters let out a deafening roar, their voices echoing through the shrine. They quickly turned their gaze on the Sorcerer, snarling as they approached with weapons raised.
The Sorcerer calmly raised his staff, using the power of the Warp to bend the daemons to his will.
Asuramandos sent a telepathic command.
++Halt! Your master will not claim my skull this day.++
The daemons hissed, but came no closer.
++Go now. Your quarry awaits.++
With a gesture of his hand, the Sorcerer sent the Bloodletters on their mission. The daemons disappeared into the portal, ready to wreak havoc on a nearby PDF outpost in the name of the Blood God.
My first slice consists of a pack of four Bloodletters of Khorne. These daemons are armed with deadly Hellblades which give them +1S, cause D3 wounds and grant Parry!
I wanted to stick to the GW Studio colour scheme on these, so I used photos in the Warhammer Fantasy 5th edition Battle Book and Codex: Chaos as reference. I also used my Nostalgia ’88 paints for that old school feel. These models are mainly red, so once the skin was done there wasn’t a lot left to do! The biggest challenge was the dark green swords since I wanted to try some blending on them. I mixed black and green for the first stages and added in some yellow as I went along. It turned out alright I think!
The Chosen of Khorne
4x Bloodletters with Hellblades (140)
Total: 140 points
Month 2 (February)
The PDF troopers had been holding the outpost for days, and so far the forces of Chaos had been unable to break through their defences. But this day something was different. The sky had turned a sickly green, and suddenly a horde of Plaguebearers emerged from the banks of noxious clouds drifting across the battlefield.
The troopers opened fire, their weapons spitting hot death at the oncoming foe. Mortar shells slammed into the ground, throwing chunks of earth and body parts into the air. But still, the Plaguebearers came on.
The PDF troopers fought with bayonets and flamethrowers, trying to hold the line as the daemons crashed into them. The stench of the Plaguebearers was overwhelming, a combination of rotting flesh and sulfuric fumes. The troopers fought bravely, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. As the last of the troopers fell, their commander screamed in defiance, a lone figure standing against the horde of daemons. Within moments, the Plaguebearers were upon him, their claws tearing through flesh and bone.
The battlefield was silent once more, save for the screams of the dying and the buzzing of flies.
My second slice consists of a pack of five Plaguebearers of Nurgle. I was originally only going to paint three, but I managed to add another two to the squad.
I once again turned to the Nostalgia ’88 paints, and for the skin colour I mixed Orc Brown and Bilious Green for a sickly green tone. These daemons have a lot of open wounds so I used some gloss varnish to make them look wet and unpleasant! I was a bit unsure on how to do the Plagueswords, but in the end I settled on a Chainmail base coat followed by a few different green washes to make them look plague-ridden and filthy.
The Tallymen of Nurgle
5x Plaguebearers with Plagueswords (175)
Total: 175 points
This month I also managed to finish one of my subgoals!
-Build useable game tokens
I’ve been wanting to make some fire markers using tea lights for a long time now, and this seemed like a good opportunity to get it done! I took four electric tea lights and hot glued on some stuffing from an old cushion to simulate smoke. I then sprayed it with some cheap black paint. Simple and effective! I’m thinking these could be used to represent destroyed or burning vehicles or artillery bombardment.
Month 3 (March)
The night was dark and quiet, but the silence was suddenly shattered by the grinding of metal and the clanging of chains. The village was plunged into chaos as a Night Lords dreadnought, its hull pockmarked and scorched, trudged through the streets. A sense of primal horror settled over the villagers. They knew that they were no match for such a monstrous thing, and that their fates were surely sealed.
People cowered in their homes as the dreadnought started blasting apart buildings with its heavy plasma gun, sending fiery debris flying in all directions. Its power scourge flailed wildly, cutting through anything in its path. Men, women, and children alike fell before the machine, their screams of terror drowned out by the roar of the dreadnought’s engines.
As the night wore on, the dreadnought’s rampage took on a more twisted aspect. It seemed to be playing with its prey, stalking its victims through the maze-like alleys and courtyards. Sometimes it would pause in its destruction, as if savoring the terror of those who still lived.
And then there were the whispers. Faint, ghostly voices that seemed to come from nowhere, speaking of unspeakable horrors and offering promises of power and glory. Some of the villagers thought they were going mad, but others knew the truth. The dreadnought was possessed by the dark powers of Chaos, and it was slowly tainting everything around it.
The night was long and bloody, and when the dawn finally came, the village lay in ruins. The dreadnought, its ammunition depleted and its power scourge caked in gore, had finally exhausted itself. It stood dormant amid the rubble and ashes, its madness sated for the time being.
My third slice consists of a mighty Chaos Dreadnought of the Night Lords Legion! I used the same colour scheme as for my Chaos Space Marines, so at least I didn’t need to think about what colours to use. I decided to paint the pieces separately, as it would have been hard to reach the areas behind the arms otherwise. Also, since this is a very heavy beast (0,2 kilograms!) it was a lot easier to hold a single arm when painting compared to the whole model. In order to make the most out of the kit I magnetized the arms, so it can be armed with a Heavy Plasma Gun or twin Autocannon on the right side, and a Power Scourge or a Power Claw on the left side. I thought about putting it on a base, but I’ll keep it in the original 2nd edition baseless style for now!
Overall, I’d say it was quite a challenging model to paint because of the weight and some hard-to-reach areas. It is a very lovely sculpt though, and I think it still holds up very well to this day.
Vesperon the Infernal
Chaos Dreadnought with Heavy Plasma Gun and Power Scourge (195)
Total: 195 points
Month 4 (April)
The Night Lords Rhino rumbled across the battlefield, its metal hull creaking and groaning as it plowed through the rubble and debris of the war-torn city. Inside, a squad of Chaos Space Marines sat patiently, their eyes fixed on the holo-screens that displayed the tactical situation.
The leader of the squad, a hulking figure clad in midnight blue power armour, spoke into his vox: “Brothers, prepare yourselves. We will disembark at the next intersection.”
The Rhino slowed down as it approached the designated location, its engines whining as it came to a stop. The side doors of the vehicle opened with a hiss of hydraulics, and the Night Lords of squad Kalex leapt out, their weapons at the ready. As they emerged from the Rhino, they found themselves in the middle of a fierce battle. The air was thick with smoke and the stench of burning flesh, and the ground shook with the detonations of artillery shells.
The Chaos Space Marines advanced, their weapons spitting fire and death at the enemy. Bolter rounds whizzed through the air, tearing through flesh and armor alike, while plasma and melta beams lanced out, melting through walls and enemy vehicles. The Night Lords moved with a cold efficiency, their movements calculated and precise. They showed no mercy to their foes, cutting them down with brutal efficiency.
My fourth slice consists of a classic Rhino with added spiky bits! I always assumed the Chaos Rhino came out in the later stages of 2nd edition, but it was in fact not until April 1999 (a good six months into 3rd edition) when GW designed the spiky Chaos vehicle upgrade kit and packaged it with the existing Space Marine Rhino. The Chaos Predator would follow in May 1999.
I once again broke out my Nostalgia ’88 paints, and more or less used the same techniques as on the Dreadnought from last month. Though there’s thankfully a lot less gold trim on this model!
Nightrider
1x Chaos Rhino (50)
Total: 50 points
This month I also managed to finish one of my subgoals!
-Build a faction specific piece of terrain/objective
I’ve always liked the look of the GW Studio Chaos monuments from the Warhammer Fantasy 4th edition era (also used in 2nd edition 40K), and I’ve been wanting to build some of my own for quite some time. This challenge provided me with a good opportunity, so I finally got around to building a shrine/monument dedicated to the four Chaos gods. I imagine the statue at the top represents a mighty Daemon Prince blessed by the four powers.
I used a plastic cake pillar for the column and a resin gargoyle from Greebo Games as the statue. The base was made out of insulation foam, and the Chaos icons are the plastic ones from the 3rd edition vehicle sprue (I think). I used tile grout to texture the stonework and then painted it with a selection of greys and browns.
Month 5 (May)
With swift precision, the Predator engaged its target. Its cannons unleashed bolts of darkness, tearing through armor and flesh alike. The crew, their eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure, relished the screams of anguish that followed each devastating salvo. The twisted laughter of the Night Lords melded with the cries of the dying, creating a cacophony of horror.
My fifth slice consists of a Chaos Predator with an Autocannon turret and two side sponson Lascannons! This kit was released in May 1999, so it’s technically a 3rd edition model, but it fits well with the 2nd ed range.
I once again broke out my Nostalgia ’88 paints, and more or less used the same techniques as on the Rhino from last month. It’s just a Rhino kit with some added metal bits after all!
Soulreaper
1x Chaos Predator with Autocannon and 2x side sponson Lascannons – 180 points
Total: 180 points
This month I also managed to finish the last of my subgoals!
-Paint a backdrop for your army
The backdrops from the 90’s GW publications always looked really nice, so I wanted to try and make something along those lines. I went for a fairly generic sky, a treeline and some hills in the foreground. I used cheap acrylic craft paints (not something I would use again if doing another one – they dried too quickly) and as canvas I used a length of old wallpaper glued to a sheet of insulation foam. The backdrop measures about 120×50 cm.
Month 6 (June)
The Terminators moved in perfect synchrony, their heavy footsteps echoing ominously in the dark halls. The Imperial soldiers, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Traitor Marines, scrambled to form a hasty defense. Lasgun fire erupted, illuminating the darkness with erratic beams of energy, but the Night Lords’ thick armor shrugged off the feeble attacks. The Night Lords struck back with brutal efficiency. Power fists shattered barricades and sent soldiers flying through the air. Chain axes tore through flesh and armor alike, leaving trails of blood in their wake. Bolter rounds, fired from the twisted barrels of their combi-bolters, exploded with deadly precision, reducing entire squads to mangled corpses.
My sixth and final slice consists of a squad of four Chaos Terminators! These models were sculpted by Jes Goodwin, and it really shows. The detail is great and the design holds up to this day! There’s a massive amount of detail on them though, so the painting can be a bit of a pain. I painted three of them in the last Cowabunga challenge, so I already knew the minis well and how to paint them. It was simply a matter of doing it all again…
I did manage one bonus miniature this month – a Chaos Sorcerer! I had intended to do more bonus minis, but time ran out sadly.
The Night Reavers
4x Chaos Terminators
1x Heavy Flamer and Power Fist
1x Combi-Melta and Chainfist
1x Combi-Bolter and Power Mace
1x Combi-Bolter and Chain-Axe
Total: 253 points
Zal’Kar the Malevolent
1x Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer
1x Force Sword
Total: 62 points
Grand total: 315 points
Finished Army
As this is the final month I broke out my scenery and arranged an army shot. I used my backdrop and a new large hill I made for the purpose of photographing armies.
Thanks to Dr. the Viking for running the show once again! Always a pleasure to take part in this!
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