Legio Praesagius Warhound Titan

Legio Praesagius walks for the Emperor!  Vengeance for Calth!

This features custom waterslide transfers, and the straight lines were painted with the assistance of automotive masking tape.

This completes the 1500 pt list for my Solar Auxilia teaching list.  Anyone who wants to learn LI can now do so with a fully painted army!

Next: Unless I desperately need something for LI, I think I’ll be moving back to the Primaris Captain project for the Azure Flames.  Additionally, look for this model and all the others in my teaching lists in a game where I show Lexington the ropes!

Solar Auxilia Armoured Column

Big batch paint completion for LI Solar Auxilia!  The Manachean Bulls will be supported by some heavy armour!

Leman Russ Vanquisher Squadrons.  I painted different stripes to allow me to more easily use them as separate if desired.

Emperor’s Husband Malcador Tanks with Battle Cannons and Heavy Bolters

Finally, some of the legendary Baneblades!

Next: Legio Praesagius walks for the Manachean Commonwealth, for the Omnissiah, and to bring vengeance to the hated Surturvora!

Manachean Bulls Ogryn and Leman Russ proof of concept

Finally finished the four infantry frames for the Manachean Bulls with the Ogryn:

Additionally, I built 8 Leman Russes, 4 Malcadors, and 2 Baneblades! (partially).  I came up with a paint scheme that will hopefully let me paint them super fast with high quality.  However, all schemes need a test.  So, I painted one Leman Russ completely to make sure the scheme worked.

The tank was primed Grey Seer on the sprue.  Then, partially assembled (turret, body, and rear struts seperate).  Here is the scheme after that:

• Metal areas were painted flat with Two Thin Coats brand Sir Coates Silver.
• The entire tank (except the dude popping out of the hatch) was washed with 50/50 Nuln Oil/Lahmian Medium.
• Yellow areas were carefully painted with Iyanden Yellow contrast.
• Blue areas were carefully painted with Asurmen Blue contrast.  Lines were cleaned up with Grey Seer and Nuln Oil.
• Gold metal is Retributor Gold with a light wash of Gulliman Flesh where there was detail
• Tiny details were added, along with decals.

Note to all LI players who want to build Russ tanks: the rear struts WILL BREAK FOR LIKE NO REASON.  Be EXTREMELY careful when clipping them off the sprue or cleaning them.

Next: more tanks!

Legion Imperialis Manachean Bulls

Google sucks.

That’s the post.

Just kidding, if you saw the thumbnail you know that there are new images of things I’ve painted.  Namely, three more sprues of Legion Imperialis Solar Auxillia infantry.

However there was a problem.

When I needed reference for the commander for the Auxillia Tactical Command (the lesser command base) I looked up the image on Google Image Search.  This is what I did when I first chose the color scheme for the Saturnine Rams.  They had a lovely blue with yellow scheme I thought would be complimentary to the Sons of Horus and look good against them on a tabletop.

However, the reference images I found for the color scheme THIS time named them the Manachean Commonwealth Bulls.

*rage simmers*

Oh well, crying doesn’t fix misapplied decals.  I’m glad I caught it this early.

Here is a redone Legate Commander and another new one:

Here are the Tactical Command bases (which will be used more frequently):

Lasrifles:

Flamers:

Veletaris:

Sentinels with redone decals:

Next: Charonite Ogryn and then tanks!

Legion Imperialis 2000 Sons of Horus vs. White Scars

Had a blast at AFK with it’s owner, Dan, playing me in a brutal 2000 point game!  Here are some highlights:

A Warlord Titan of the Legio Crucius stomps some traitor Dreadnoughts flat!  He later one-shotted a Warhound!

A Large Formation of White Scars dropped into the traitor backfield!  Sadly the Leviathan Dreadnoughts were reduced to one and the remaining walker fled the rest of the game!  Infantry was blasted from all sides after they charged the Sicarans protecting the board from aircraft.

The White Scars airforce removes the Sons of Horus who captured their home objective.

In the end, the traitors were victorious!

Next: more LI Solar Auxillia!

Legion Imperialis Solar Auxilia Saturnine Rams first sprue and color scheme

As part of an effort to get some Legion Imperialis Solar Auxilia painted and ready for a future event, I started in on the first sprue that came with my starter box.  I chose the Saturnine Rams because blue and yellow are starkly different from the teal and black of the Sons of Horus, and I think these two forces would look good squaring off against each other.

Here’s the color scheme:

• Prime Grey Seer
• Blue: Asurmen Blue Contrast
• Metal: Two Thin Coats brand Sir Coates Silver on metal areas, washed with Nuln Oil
• Yellow: Grey Seer and then Iyanden Yellow Contrast over cloth areas.  Tiny areas or edge highlights Yriel Yellow
• Gold: Retributor Gold washed with 50/50 Agrax Earthshade/Lahmian Medium for gold areas.  Fine details edge highlight Pro Acryl Light Bronze.  Deep recesses darkened with Nuln Oil edge paneling
• Visors and flamers: Pro Acryl Light Bronze.  Edges of flamers messily drybrushed Abbadon Black.
• Power Weapons: Grey Seer then Blood Angels Red.  Highlight edge Trollslayer Orange.
• Bases: Grey Seer primer.  Sir Coates Silver or Warplock Bronze for metal areas.  50/50 Nuln Oil/Lahmian Medium over all.  Stipple Grey Seer on grey areas to create a concrete effect.  Reinforce base sides with Grey Seer. (note, this is the same as the Sons of Horus, so these forces can be used together, or will look perfect against each other)

The Command base was done first.  I used one of the larger decals on the banner as well as the numerals from a lower part of another Solar Aux banner.  I used the other large decal on the back of the commander’s cape.

The Lasrifles were next.  My original idea was that these loyalists were to look ragged and beat up, but initial attempts to do that didn’t quite look good so I abandoned it and kept it simple.

Next: More LI Solar Aux!

Legion Imperialis Sons of Horus Thunderhawk

I’ve been painting a lot of Legion Imperialis lately.  May main faction is Sons of Horus, although I’m starting up some Solar Auxillia to have a teaching force.  I added an image gallery for LI, but I never did a post on my painting scheme, so for all of you Sons of Horses who want your XVI Legion to look snazzy, here’s how:

• Primer: Black
• Green: Basecoat Sybarite Green.  Wash with 50/50 Coelia Greenshade/Lahmian Medium.  Reinforce flat panels or areas where the wash pooled too hard with Sybarite Green.  Edge highlight Gauss Blaster Green.
• Black: Abbadon Black.  Edge highlight Warpfang Gray.
• Metal: Two Thin Coats range Sir Coates Silver either drybrushed onto black for slightly larger or isolated pieces, or painted flat and then washed with 50/50 Nuln Oil/Lahmian Medium
• Bronze: Brass Scorpion
• Red: Small areas are pure Evil Sunz Scarlet.  Larger areas or textured areas like capes are Pro Acryl White with Blood Angel Red contrast and then Trollslayer Orange on edge highlight or raised areas.  (for this Thunderhawk, the Trollslayer Orange was mixed 50/50 with Contrast Medium and lined at the bottom of the panel)
• White: Pro Acryl White (literally miraculous compared to previous white paints I’ve used)
• Bases: Primer Grey Seer.  Add Grey Seer to any place the primer didn’t hit well.  Paint metallic areas with Warplock Bronze or Sir Coates Silver.  Wash with 50/50 Nuln Oil/Lahmian Medium.  Drybrush stipple flat areas to cover up wash and make it look like concrete.  Reinforce base sides with Grey Seer.

Four Strands Re-Launch! Updates, New Novel, and Surprise Announcement!

Welcome back!  Fourstrandshobby has returned, with a new scheme same as the old scheme!

A while ago, WordPress updates made the old scheme for this site unworkable.  This was after years of hackers breaking into the site again and again.  It turns out that scheme was vulnerable.  I chose another one that was very… blue.  And ugly.  And as such I wasn’t incentivized to post.

But, thanks to Lexington, I have a new scheme that looks like the old scheme, but works with modern WordPress and is secure!

In the intervening years, I’ve been up and down, but I’ve always made time for Modeling, Painting, Gaming, and Storytelling.  I played a lot of 9th edition 40K and then 10th when it came out.

I also got into Legion Imperialis!  I have a huge Sons of Horus force that grows all the time and will soon be joined (opposed?) by a Solar Auxillia force!  Click the link below to see the brand new Image Gallery!

Legion Imperialis Image Gallery

More importantly, I’ve been writing!  Big Game V: The Battle of Iperin was a novella made of vignettes contributed by multiple people on the old BGV forums and was chiefly written by myself, Lexington, and Joe.  Big Game VI: The Omega War was a more focused narrative written by Lexington and myself.

However, the newest novella to be featured on Fourstrands is Home Fires: An Azure Flames Novel.  This finishes what I’ll refer to as the Azure Flames Omnibus at least in terms of main stories.  I also have a short story between BGV and BGVI, and I am considering another between BGVI and Home Fires to make a complete Black Library style omnibus.  Click the link below, or the one in the Features bar.

Home Fires: An Azure Flames Novel

I’ve also done several projects for the Azure Flames!  I’ll post a few pics below, but most will have their own posts soon.

But finally, and most importantly for my life, I’m getting married!  Me and my Fiancée bonded over the classic Adult Swim show: The Venture Brothers.  As such, I commissioned an expert to 3D print the Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch from their wedding.  I then painted the duo myself.

Coming up next: Legion Imperialis Thunderhawk Gunship, some Solar Auxillia, and hopefully a battle report against loyalist scum, the White Scars at AFK!

Blood Bowl Exhibition

Blood bowl league is starting up! I went to an Exhibition event to meet everyone involved.

Exhibition game was Konquata Monitors against the Thunder Dead! Sadly TWO Saurus went down for the count, and Thunder Dead won 2-1.

League starts in the new year!

Necromunda Campaign Finale – The Crucible

In the finale of our narrative campaign, the gangs are keyed into a bounty against invading Orks! Smelling a fortune to be made for whoever kills the Warboss, the gangs ambush the Orks as they try to establish a camp!

Gangs got victory points for slaying Orks. The Fighting was rough until Petra’s Ash Waste gangers shot the Warboss in the back with a missile!

Suddenly, the Gang Leaders were swallowed with white light! They were teleported to an arena!

Last one standing wins!

The fighting was fast and fierce, and the last two opponents were both limping around with flesh wounds!

Finally, Syn Decote, leader of the Field Testers, was triumphant!

***

Syn Decote wrapped his cloak around his wounds. Only his armoured undersuit had saved him from being blown apart by the Palanite Captain’s lucky bolt rounds. He slammed a painkiller and took a deep breath.

A white column of light appeared in the center of the arena. With no other options, Syn readied his plasma pistol and stepped into the light.

He appeared before the Eldar Farseer that had helped the gangers before, when they had been ambushed by the Imperial Fists. Beside him were the other two Eldar with the slim meltaguns and the fire motif on their armour. Syn narrowed his eyes, but didn’t flinch.

“Greetings, champion of Man.” the Farseer said. “I am Yrthrian Mardawn, Farseer of the Aeldari. Long have I searched for one as you. I beg you, before you leave, hear my plea. I offer a lifetime of glory, luxury, and freedom.”

Syn figured that this alien could have slagged him at any time. He could have also set him rot in that sealed off room. Despite the drills from childhood about how aliens were scum, Syn decided to give the weirdo in the tall hat a chance.

“I’ll listen.” he spat.

The Farseer motioned to the Fire Dragons: “Leave us.” Even behind their tall helmets, Syn could sense thet were confused. They left after a moment, with Syn face to face with the Farseer. He removed his tall helmet, revealing pale skin, delicate features, and pointed ears. He spoke.

“Before I ask of your skills in combat, I must explain why I have searched for you so long. The Aeldari live on ships known as Craftworlds. My Craftworld, Saim-Hann, is ruled by the most dominant family. Many years ago, I received a vision of the future. In this vision, the galaxy was rent in two and the Great Enemy you know as Chaos tore the Human Imperium apart. The Craftworlds of the Aeldari were not spared this wrath. However, under the leadership of my family, Craftworld Saim-Hann survived, and aided the humans to hold back the night.

“My family was not in a position of leadership. Therefore, I challenged the ruling family. It was decided that in ten years’ time, we would choose a champion, and these champions would duel. The winner would bring glory to the family that chose them, and that family would rule.

“I scryed the future once again, and saw this place, this Hive. Within it, I knew I would find a champion capable of the victory I needed. I searched for years, ultimately deciding on the Human known as Bull Gorg. I spirited him away from the Human authorities that hunted him, and they presumed him dead. He accompanied me to Saim-Hann. However, something happened that no one foresaw:

“Bull Gorg and the champion of the opposing family slew each other at the exact same moment. No victor could be decided. So, both families agreed to another competition in ten more years.

“This time, however, I did not search at random. I contacted Rangers who ply the webways to manipulate events. I gave aid to House Ty and fueled their ambitions for dominance. I worked with the Human Inquisitor Von Styr, pitting him against his enemies. I gave false leads to the Astartes, who came in search of their fallen brethren, only to find you. Finally, I used all the resources at my disposal to re-direct an Ork WAAAAGH, but to weaken it so that it could not destroy this place.

“All this, I have done, to turn this Hive into a crucible. To burn away the impurities and find perfection. I believe you are the champion I need to save my world.

“For your services, I will extricate you from this hellish place. I will shower you with riches, and allow you to live on my Craftworld, or on any other planet in the galaxy, barring those belonging to the Exodites. I will even pledge my Craftworld to defend your Imperium from the coming darkness.

“For this, I require you fight for me. It will not be easy. But I believe you are destined to prevail.

“What say you, Champion of man?”

Syn was in awe. This guy had so much power, and all he wanted was a fight?

Syn could fight a guy. He did it all the time.

“You got a deal.” he said, holstering his pistol and extending his hand. The Eldar looked at the hand as if it were a rat three days dead, but then seemed to steel himself and shook Syn’s hand.

“Then, you shall come with us. It is a weeklong trek in the Ash Wastes to the Webway Portal.”

“Whatever.” Syn said.

It was the last word he would speak aloud on Necromunda. He was alright with that.