Strike at Deanarm: Warhammer 40000 2nd Edition - 800 Point Battle Report: Chaos Space Marines vs Orks

It’s been a fair few months since a post on this blog. I put it down to a painting lull mainly. But today it’s Battle Report time! 

Notably Warhammer 40,000: 2nd Edition!

The Strike at Deanarm is a small encounter between a force of Orks and some Chaos Space Marines with 800 points a side. As this was the first game of 2nd in a very long time for both of us the armies were kept to a manageable size of 800 points.

Pre-game setup while rules and army lists are prepared.

I pre-selected wargear cards for both sides and also gave out a haywire grenade for dealing with vehicles, as I realised the forces built were a bit light on anti-vehicle weapons.

So let’s look at the two forces:

Ork Army - Mission: Engage and Destroy

The Warboss is ready to wreck the Chaos force.

Warboss Le Green: Kustom Shoota, Power Fist, Bolt Pistol and Mega Armour

Mekanik: Melta Gun, Bolt Pistol, Eavy Armour, krak grenades

Painboy: Bolt Pistol, Flak Armour, Sword, haywire grenade

Runtherd: Bolt Pistol, Flak Armour

Weirdboy + Two Minderz: Weirdboy Staff, Bolt Pistols

7 Goff Orks led by a Nob: Bolt Pistols, Axes, Flak Armour and 1 chainsword.

5 Stormboys led by a Drillboss: Jump packs, Bolt Pistols, Axes, frag grenades, Flak Armour and 1 plasma gun

10 Gretchin: Autoguns

Ork Dreadnought: 2 Power Claws, lascannon and Heavy Bolter

Scorcher: Heavy Flamer

Splatta Kannon w/two gretchin crew.

- - - - -

Chaos Space Marine Army - Mission: Dawn Raid

Chaos Space Marines ready to remove these Orks from the planet.

Chaos Lord Xamahato: Terminator Armor, Combi-Twin Bolter, Chain Fist, Haywire Grenade. 

Chaos Sorcerer Champion: Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, Mastery Level 2, Bionic Leg

4 Chaos Space Marines: 3x Bolt Guns, Missile Launcher, 1 chainsword 

4 Chaos Space Marine Terminators: 2x Chain-axe, 2x Combi-Flamer, Combi-Melta, 2x Power Mace, 4x Terminator, Twin Bolter

Chaos Dreadnought: Twin-Linked Bolter, Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter, Power Claw

- - - - -

The battlefield had a wide variety of scenery strewn about it and with that missions, psychic powers, deployment and who starts first were decided. Only after which I did strategy cards and forgot they can effect deployment. So after re-drawing the strategy cards we were ready to begin.

Strategy Cards, Psychic Powers and the Special Issue wargear result.

Except it's strategy card time already as the Ork force unveils a special issue a quick gathering of all the wargear cards and they get a Toxin Grenade which is completely useless against space marines so the redraw is a Neuro-Gauntlet!

Early painting ambition and setting realistic goals.

*Note this is an old post updated with new photos and thoughts.

 It occurred to me the other day that a lot of what I see on the internet in regards to painted miniatures is often excellent and amazing. Images of hand-crafted spawning pools of chaos daemons rising from the blood pits or incredible detail on a Dwarven Lords runic hammer and armour. 

Wonderful looking clash between Tzeentch and Empire forces.

Which is great, I love being inspired by such artwork. I remember when I first got into this hobby and looking at White dwarf or a codex Eavy Metal page and going 'Wow' to myself. You know this kind of thing:

Always liked that Eldar Warlock.

But despite wanting to paint something like that myself I have never been as skilled or patient enough to get anywhere near that kind of result. So this post is more a display of hope for any aspiring miniature hobby painter that no matter what you do it can only get better and we have all had to start somewhere. Indeed welcome to crudely painted Space Crusade 1991 Space Orks.

Gold skinned orks with black teeth have yet to really take off :)

These four fine chaps have now gone to the dettol dip to be cleaned up but I thought I should take a photo of what young me thought you could do with citadels paint. 

(On the main page? Click to see more 😎)

Tzeentch Bird Demon attempts to scare an Ogryn and a Gretchin

Spring sunshine is here! I hear bird song, wait is that screaming?!

Once there was a series of greater daemons. The Bloodthirster of Khorne, canine fury with axe and whip drenched in the blood of numerous corpses. The Keeper of Secrets, seduction and terrifying beauty in the the name of Slaanesh. The Great Unclean one, Nurgle's bloating virus laden puss bag. Which of course leaves last the Tzeentch greater daemon, The Lord of Change

Bring forth the Easter Mini Eggs or suffer my wrath!! 

For me as much as I like Tzeentch the daemons of the chaos god are an odd bunch. The Flamers got all the cool abilities with the bounding leaps, jets of eldritch flames and bizarre models (I prefer the old mushrooom looking ones over the bird heads or whatever the pure magic looking new ones are supposed to be). The horrors are amusing as they divide in two like really a strange bacteria performing binary fission. Whilst the disc come across as the best form of transport for tooled up sorcerers. Yet the Lord of Change is bland rules wise (well in 3nd edition at least), just causing terror (like all the greater daemons) and having the ability to fly. Of course it can cast all the Tzeentch spells but I felt they missed a trick and could have given it something of it's own for it to stand out on it's own a bit. Like a hypnotic gaze or some sort of chameleon effect from it's feathered body

Anyway the original miniature is the last of the greater daemons I acquired. Although not the last to be painted. When it arrived from ebay it was in bad shape. The leg had broken off at the ankle and I don't know what paint was used on it but the dark navy blue colour would not shift easily.

The only photo I have of it's original condition, low quality as I had to scavenge it off the ebay sale.

Once that was all sorted out and it had an undercoat it was time to choose a colour scheme. For me it had to be mainly blue which meandered into purple, that's just how I relate to Tzeentch, but as I had been watching The Dark Crystal TV series (the cancellation is a crime) I took some inspiration from the Skeksis, particularly the Chamberlain for the head. The yellow beak and purple to red skin shading.

 hhhhhhmmmmmm

I found the model to actually be a lot of fun to paint as a bird like creature isn't my usual area of painting, all those orks get in the way. The thing is the actual pose of this Daemonic Bird is kind of surprised which can make for interesting photo options. Thus instead of the usual photo stylings the photos here will be the Bird interacting with other miniatures I have painted up.

You are under arrest for crimes against the Emperor! 

As you can see he's a loony looking bird daemon, especially on his left side with that big eyeball. I tried to go with a more eagle bird of prey looks for the legs. The mushroom on the base was just some spare green stuff I needed to use up. As you can see we also have a Frateris Milita chap with an autopistol I have painted. I have no sisters of battle army for him but I have use for him in Stargrave so he got a lick of paint recently. 

Keep going, click the 'read more' there are many more photos.

Phantom of the Goff-era

 A short and sweet post about three Goff orks that got painted recently.

So as you know I have been running through the monopose plastic Goff orks that were in the main base game of 2nd edition and these three are the final ones (unless I find one in a bitz box mangled to near destruction). 

Hey Gobcha, how di the Goffs win da last battle?

However these three required some serious fixing. While one just needed a left arm fixing and a new axe source the other two needed a bit more. Both had no arms and so another search returned some arms, weapons and some makeshift shoulder plates for the right arms.
The last ork had a bigger problem in that the face had been half hacked at or possibly melted? Either way there was no way to salvage that and my painting skills would be struggling.

Ere boss? When u gonna paint us?

To resolve this I first armed him with a plasma gun and then decided after some discussion to go for a half mask in the form of the phantom of the opera. So chopping up an old shield part for a warhammer fantasy skeleton unit I put that over the face.

Plasma burns! Gonna scare da ladz this Halloween!!

With the necessary fixes applied it came time to paint the three of them with the tried and tested methods I had used before. I decided the mask was going to be metal and went for a dirty gold look for it. I think it has worked out well in saving the model.

Da boyz got some dakka, then got stuk in to dem beakies. That's how!

That's it for this update, short but fun painting session to get these three orks battle ready, next time maybe some Dreadnoughts or a Grot or possibly something else entirely from the stars..

Until next time :)

Original punk orks and other lads

The oldhammer hobby is a mixed bag of fun painting, hard to find models and nostalgia. For me one of these nostalgia moments is the original plastic orks from rogue trader which were given to me as a child from an older cousin.

Specialist hair squigs really bring out the green skin complexion.

These orks were already painted up when I was given them and have remained that way. I never really thought a lot of them once I got my own orks from the 2nd edition box, however they did have cool sunglasses and mohawks so remained in use as another squad. Only now after coming back to my ork army and looking through my collection am I beginning to appreciate these guys and the variety of faces they have.

Orks or Fist of the North Star goons?

Having said all that they still needed a fresh coat of paint and some alterations to there arms and weapons. The result of which you can see above.

"Right where are the rest of the goff ladz at den?"

Also in the paint pile has been some more Goff Orks. If the last lot needed some repairs these guys needed saving from horrible painting cataclysms. You can't see it now but the ork on the left has a weird bobble effect from some spray paint from 20+ years ago.

"Ere to fix ya up, what do ya mean ya need dat leg?"

Now this Ork Painboy has actually appeared before on this blog. Way back in 2017 he got in on a photo with two other orks. (Check it out here!) However I was never really happy with him. I felt the colour scheme was too similar to all the other standard ork boyz. So he's had a new lick of white/bone paint to imply he is some sort of doctor.

"Forgot Doc's toolz, never a grot around when ya need 'em"

A bit of red/green stains on his apron add a little character to the miniature. The back has always had this blue eyed skull logo and I decided to leave it on him.

Dungit is much better now. No I didn't just hit im wiv a hammer!

A final shot of all the orks together including another madboy. I took some solo photos of him but hey came out blurry. Guess you will have to wait for me to paint some more for a closer look at that ork.

Until Next Time :)

Bad Moon Orks, they got all the Teeth!

Social distancing and self isolation feels alien to some, but to the miniature hobby enthusiast this is the best opportunity to get some painting, solo gaming or terrain projects done. With that in mind and putting down the How to Make Wargames Terrain book here is a photo of some Bad Moon orks who have been sitting about on the to be done shelf for quite a while.

Der Goffs got nuttin on us Bad Moons! (edited the image quality on instagram)

These orks come from across the range and although some are classed as being from other clans they are now fully integrated into the Bad Moons.

We av all da teeth to buy all zat good gear!

The main joy from creating this squad is the chance to add a bit of much needed colour and brightness to my ork force. It has also provided me with a challenge of trying to paint a proper yellow and blue paint scheme.

Quit messing around, need to show off our flash yellow and blue clan!

Blood Axe Kommandos: Stay Alert behind enemy lines.

Lockdown is no fun for those who like to be out and about exploring new places. Which obviously means I need to paint the ork equivalent. The Blood Axe Kommandos

Now those who have been following me online here may have noticed the occasional photo of some Blood Axe Kommandos appearing here and there. (The Kill Team Battle report had a couple) whilst I believe this photo below also appeared at some point

The snotlings are just pleased the trollslayers are looking the wrong way.

On and off I have tackled these lads but never made a serious attempt to get them all done (still have two more somewhere but they can wait). That is until the quarantine came along.

Kaptin Ezee Fearzug and his squad of Kommandos

Kommando models from 2nd edition are so full of character you never quite realise they are finished. Much like a Rob Liefeld comic from the late 90s they have so many pouches, kitbags, knives, ropes it's a treat to paint them. One of them even has a grappling hook.

We iz az kunnin as Mork himself!

Terrifying scream, enraged and full of anger - Tyranid Screamer Killer!!

Hello everyone. For those who have been reading this blog you may remember a post about my top ten miniatures of all time (You can read all about it by clicking this link). Those that have read it will have spotted that number 3 on that list was ...

THE TYRANID SCREAMER KILLER!!!!!

Run for your lives!!

This is the model that sealed my love for the hobby. Others may claim it was some cool space marine terminators, a dwarf on skis, that amazing John Blanche undead bridge diorama or even a giant spined dragon but for me it was the Tyranid Screamer Killer or Carnifex to it's science friends.

Hivemind has consumed an ork.

I love how alien looking this giant battering ram looks. With its four massive scythe arms, that disturbing head and gaping maw, the fact it also had some amazing stats to go with it was just gravy to an already delicious roast dinner.

Mad Boys for life!

Easter time means more painting time, especially when you can't leave the building. What should hop up next on the painting schedule, why a depressed ork Mad Boy.

You may remember I painted one of these expressive orks before, if not follow this link:
(https://oldhammer40kquest.blogspot.com/2019/09/mad-boys-mad-boys-whatcha-gonna-do.html).

Apparently this one is known as a melankolik according to the white dwarf 'eavy metal showcase. To me though he looks more depressed what with the hangman's rope around his neck and sad face.

This was a nice little miniature to paint up in between other bigger or multi model projects.

Anyway that's it for this small update.

Until next time :)

More Goff Orks get painted

This will be a very quick showcase post on the blog. With the dreaded Covid-19 Virus lurking out there in the streets like some sort of abomination spawned from Papa Nurgle himself, it has been a great time to get the paints out and work on some miniatures.

"Ahh, turn dat flash off ya git! Bright enuff up here in dis snow!"

As is always the case when it comes to dusting off the brushes, I am always drawn to something simpler to paint. Often the classic Goff Orks from the 2nd edition box get the honour. Anyone who has been following this blog will know I have already painted quite a few of them and today four more join the ranks.

These four are the kind of plastic goff ork that got raided for parts back in my youth. Arms, weapons and even helmet spikes got removed for some other project or idea. The rest of them then got dropped in the bitz box where they remained until recently.

Right ladz, better now we can see.

On fishing the four main bodies out it was clear not one of them was complete. Three had issues with there left arm, whilst the last one was entirely 'armless (Ere' dat not funny!).

A quick root around and some new arms and weapons were found and attached. Even if one was part of a damaged lasgun and the mace end of a heroquest orc.

Chain-sword party at the ready! "Grrzrrzrrz!" "Cut it out Nogzub"

I painted them up with the standard technique I have been using which can be found in the Links and Showcases bar on the right of this blog.

Hope you enjoy this little painting trip, stay tuned for more regular blog posts now we are all inside.

Until next time, stay safe.

Fly me to the moon, let me crash into a tree: Stormboy Orks.

Orks are not reliable, kustom weapons will blow up, madboyz will stand around drooling. Yet nothing compares to the Stormboy Jetpack!

Oh yes the joy of being able to leap miles along the battlefield for a deadly strike ... at that large clump of spiky cactus and deal explosive death ... in midair!? Okay so Stormboys are not great but they have character, buckets of it. 

"Attention! Lads there is report of chaos activity in the mountain!"

Ditch the ere' we go mantra it's time to get professional, regimental and organised! When I think of Stormboyz I think about old time wrestler Sgt Slaughter; not the american patriotism part, but the backstage promos: "Listen Up Maggots!". Angry but ordered and with great pride in there skills and equipment which makes them feel all a bit un-orky.

Camouflage at it's finest.

Now when it came to painting these guys I didn't want the standard drab grey uniform that is found in the codex. All a bit 1940s Germany and also a bit dull. Instead I looked through a variety of military uniforms and found the Georgian Hussars. Now this is more like it for orks, bright yellow coats and boots with red pants. Amazing!

"Ready and waiting. Drillboss Displeen wat orders?"

As you can see although these minis are mostly classic stormboyz the one on the right here is a normal blood axe ork I gave a jump pack too with his axe on his belt (nicked from a trollslayer). I think he fits in quite well and brings the squad up to seven.

How to unicycle your way to victory with Orks ... (part 2)

Now where had we got to, looks at photo of half undercoated Ork on a mono-wheel, ah yes a paint scheme and I need a banner too.

For the first part head over here:
(https://oldhammer40kquest.blogspot.com/2019/08/how-to-unicycle-your-way-to-victory.html)

So what next, well let's see if that monowheel can be covered in some more paint so the day-glow orange and green is less visible.

At this stage I wasn't sure he was going to turn out okay.

First I covered the metal parts in Rhinox Hide using the method I have for the Goff Orks I have painted previously. Next it was time to base coat the Ork. Tyre black, shirt and pouches various browns, the bandolier I think I started with elven flesh for some reason. The skin was the usual Goblin Green and hair blue. Followed by a custom watered down wash of black/dark brown mix for everything that didn't get a dark angel green for the skin. This resulted in the following:

 

Life got in the way at this point, nice trips to Jersey for weddings and Whitstable for fish and chips meant our Orky friend sat on the shelf for a couple of weeks. But free time loomed yesterday and he is now complete including fancy banner. 

No time fur dat, gotz sum Oomans to nok down! Outta way!

Mad Boys, Mad Boys, What'cha gonna do? What'cha gonna do when they come for you? Mad Boys!

It's Oldhammer Ork Madness!! Bob Olley style!

As some of you may know over on the Oldhammer Facebook page this month is #PaintaBob as in Bob Olley. Now my knowledge of Bob Olley is not great so on doing some research I discovered that he made quite a few of the 2nd Edition Ork Wierdboys and Ork Madboys. He also did the Iron Claw Black Orcs, well there is some fun history there but that is a story for another time.

Madboyz are fun, stupid, daft and mostly useless on the tabletop. They ooze charm with the minatures though so many poses, faces and pleasant parts to paint. I chose this chap:

I'm covered in flour, I iz! 

According to the Eavy Metal spread in White Dwarf he is officially a Deliriak so I guess he is either delirious or spends his time serving customers pork pies and samosas at a big chain supermarket.

Where da baddies at den? *snort~gigglez*

Went for a variety of colours for the Madboy because well they are mad, hadn't used much purple recently so felt that would be a good choice for the undershirt. Bit of blue for the hair (I quite like using blue for Ork Hair think it comes out well with the green ork skin) and the rest was standard orky style colours.

Dis is too scariez, me off now.

For a bit of fun I tried making a spiral pattern on the back of the madboy, think I'll make that there logo/brand when I paint the rest. Oh yes didn't I mention, I have another 6-7 of these madboyz. Not that it will help on the battlefield as they will end up just picking there nose or looking for a lost puppy.

Until next time :)

Wargear cards of 2nd Edition 40k (General) - Investigation continues

While the Ork on the Monowheel decides which clan he wants to be a part of I thought it might be fun to go through the general wargear cards available to every race in 2nd edition Wrhammer 40,000.

It has to be said the sheer amount of customisation for your characters is one of the highlights of 2nd edition and the general wargear cards add to that feel greatly, providing oodles of strategy and combinations. Unless you are an invasive alien species from outside the galaxy but we'll get to the Tyranids another day.

There will be some additional input from ever hopeful Warboss Slegg Bloodnug because Orks know what's best :)

Slegg: Alright dere, I got de kno'ows bout dese contraptions. Jus let ol' Slegg guid ya and everything will be gud. If not blame a grot! Nar har har haa!

When picking wargear I like to remind myself that an extra Gretchin is only 5 points and they can take an objective or hold up the angry looking Deathwing terminator, before deciding if I really need it?