Tyranid Gothic expansion – more escorts!
As you saw earlier, I helped two people at AFK get into Battlefleet Gothic. Talk of a campaign was had, but there were not really enough people to make it work.
I considered at this time to use my Tyranid fleet. However, when breaking down the points, I didn’t really have enough to do a full campaign list.
So I did what I do.
I went overboard.
Six Kraken with torpedoes. These are Warrior bodies, Mawloc fangs on the side, two Gaunt Adrenal Glands for the rear thruster, and flesh hooks for the torpedoes.
Five more Kraken with Massive Claws. I have several of these already, this brings the total to 11. The front is a Hive Guard Spike Rifle, the back is a Devourer, and the armor vanes are Genestealer armor plates cut in half.
A similar build, Kraken with Feeder Tentacles. These are Spore Mines cut off the base with Flesh Hook tips covering up the cut ends. The top is cut off with clippers and stuck onto a Venom Cannon with more Genestealer armor on the sides.
Again, I’ve made these before, but now I have more. Vanguard with Feeder Tentacles. Hive Crone Tentaclid with Fleshborers on the bottom as thrusters.
I made these a while ago, but hadn’t shared the pics. The fighters (left) are venom glands with a flesh hook tip as the rear thruster. The Assault Boat (right) is the top of a Ripper, with the top of a Spinefist in the rear and two venom glands at the front. Both are supported with the stalks of Flesh Hooks leftover from clipping the tips. Remember, NEVER THROW ANYTHING AWAY! You never know when it could come in handy.
Next: Legion Imperialis Astartes Infantry, the fourth box which will give me full formations of the support stands!
Khalil and Piers – Azure Flames Primaris Captain project complete!
In 2024 I set out to replace all of my older and almost never used Space Marine Captains with Primaris versions of themselves (which also probably would rarely be used).
2025 sent that for a curveball with all of my painting competitions. There were only two left and they sat on the backburner.
In truth, they were 99% done until today. I was waiting for a custom waterslide transfer order. Now, they are finished.
I’ll start with Khalil. He uses the new (but not the newest!) Space Marine Captain with Jump Pack model. Because the newest model allows for Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield, I used Vanguard Veteran bits for the arms. Additionally, older players will recognise that head from the 3rd edition Tactical Squad box; the same head I used for Khalil in his two previous models.
Standard paint job, but I’ve added a glow effect that I practiced on my Inceptor models last year for the jump pack. I also gave special attention to the script on the shield and pauldron.
Khalil was recruited from an ailing Hive world past its prime; where being able to climb the rotting superstructure of the domes meant the difference between life and death. He broke the record for shortest time in the aspirant trials, and was, after serving in the reserve companies, assigned to a Land Speeder squadron. His squadron was destroyed by the forces of Victor Kalan during his dark campaign with The Alliance, but Khalil managed to crawl from the wreckage with what remained of then Lieutenant and soon-to-be-Captain Edgard. Khalil continued to serve and was promoted to Captain during the opposition campaign against Grimgull the Red. Khalil himself had the distinction of ending the Red Ork, but not before Matthius, Prophet of the Four had reclaimed the daemonsword Ba’arzunipal.
After the Chasma Spica war, Khalil struck out with a portion of the fleet after the fleeing Chaos Warlord Esharradon of the Sicarii. The relentless campaign of vengeance earned him the nickname “Fury of Iperin” as he was a living embodiment of the wrath of the Azure Flames’ new homeworld.
Before the Omega War, Khalil almost lost his Battle Barge, His Anvil (additionally most of the 7th company and his own life). However, due to the brave actions of Zeraf Antonius, His Anvil was salvaged and refurbished. Now, Khalil lives every day trying to live up to the name Fury of Iperin, slaughtering the foes of the Imperium with speed and precision.
Piers was named by my friend Joe during our writing of Big Game V. I chose his first name after Virgil from the 90’s television adventure cartoon Might Max. Piers’ voice is Virgil’s haughty British one on the occasion that I hear him speak in my head. He uses the new Space Marine Gravis Captain model, modified with a bit of green stuff at the shoulder to cover one of the WORST MODELING GAPS I HAVE SEEN in a modern GW model. Additionally, the helmeted head had the neck clipped and was attached to the hip, and the head replaced with the pewter head that Piers’ previous model had (the Captain with the Thunder Hammer from the old pewter Master of the Chapter box set).
Piers has a small OSL effect on his wrist, and the VII on his leg is a custom decal that I ended up painting over. The “purple” from the printer was a bit more like dark purple and red pixels, probably due to printing limitations, and the top had an unsightly white stripe. I covered it gently with the same purple as the cloak.
The Azure Flames have a policy; if they answer your distress call and fail, they save whoever they can as Chapter Serfs. If they succeed, they ask for a percentage of age-appropriate boys to take the tests to join the Chapter. This policy has been in place since the Azure Flames were the Sons of the Salamander. One year after their Founding, the flagship His Hammer responded to a daemonic incursion on a small space station. Few survived, but Chapter Master Logain himself led the counter-incursion and banished the last of the daemons back to the Warp. With a successful mission, the station owed a portion of its youth to the Chapter, and that was Virgil Piers, the only surviving child on the station.
Born in the void, trained to operate high tech void weapons for the majority of his life, and possessing a once-in-a-generation genius, Piers showed tactical acumen that made him a Sergeant faster than anyone else in the Chapter (only later surpassed by Zeraf Antonius). Ambushes, sieges, counter-sieges, line duty, covert actions, and any other scenario was understood, enhanced, and executed superbly under his leadership. His experience in Void Combat let him eventually be appointed Master of the Fleet by Atrus himself. Piers rarely leaves the Command Throne of His Hammer II. Now that the Chapter has a homeworld, he tends to lead expeditions on behalf of the Chapter. Only recently during the relief of the 4th company on Altea has he commanded the fleet in its entirety.
And that wraps up the Primaris Captain project! Now all ten captains plus the Chapter Master have new models and backstory.
Next: Legion Imperialis Astartes Infantry!