A Second Reaver Has Hit the Shelf

A Reaver Battle Titan needed to fill out a Ferrox Light Maniple I intend to take to Adepticon for the Adeptus Titanicus Doubles event. It may also see play in my Legions Imperialis list. #AdeptusTitanicus #LegionsImperialis #LegioTempestus #LegioIgnatum #PaintingWarhammer #WarhammerCommunity

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— countelmdor.bsky.social (@countelmdor.bsky.social) January 21, 2025 at 8:44 PM

    I backed into this color scheme a while ago when I decided to paint up a second Titan Legio. My first was Legio Ignatum "Fire Wasps", one of the Triad Ferrum Morghulis, the three principal Titan Legios of Mars. Legio Tempstus "Stormlords" and Legio Mortis "Death's Heads".  I wanted a second force of Titans to play against my first, one that would have probably been on the Traitor side of the Heresy. The Stormlords fit the bill. I overshot their bluish color, though, and ended up with more of a burgundy in the end. I like the scheme, though, and it's relatively fast and easy to replicate, so I'm sticking with it. I was able to build and paint the Reaver here to what I deem an acceptable standard in just about a week, so that is a win in my book. 

    It'll slot in to both my planned lists for Legions Imperialis and Adptus Titanicus for Adepticon this year.

    

Elsewise, I'm working on painting some Stormcast Eternals now for Age of Sigmar. I'll have pics later, but the scheme is very bright red with black and yellow, drawing on some very old Blood Angels colors, and I've named the Stormhost The Burnin' Fahrr, after my mis-hearing and misunderstanding of my grandfather's place of employment when I was a child.

Alpha Legion Mission Accomplished?

Kratos Heavy Battle Tanks for my Epic scale Alpha Legion. #LegionsImperialis #AlphaLegion #HydraDominatus #PaintingWarhammer #WarhammerCommunity

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— countelmdor.bsky.social (@countelmdor.bsky.social) January 12, 2025 at 8:18 PM

With those Kratos painted, I now have a solid 2,000 point Alpha Legion list for Legions Imperialis that I could run at Adepticon this year. This may be the last I paint in AL colors for either Epic or 28mm scale, since I have pretty much what I need on that side, as well. For further Epic scale Astartes I am planning one formation of White Scars, and another of perhaps Iron Warriors or another legion. I am finding playing the game, tracking formations can be difficult when everything is painted the same colors.

So, next up, a second Reaver Titan for my Legio Ignatum force for Adeptus Titanicus!

2024 Video Gaming

Somewhere along the line this switched over to being a hobby blog for miniatures games. I do still play video games, also. At least sometimes.

2024 was a pretty light year on that front, but I did have a torrid affair with Fallout: New Vegas, completing two full playthroughs in a row, first siding with Mr House, and then with Caesar. That leaves only the NCR playthrough left, but I was not up for a third consecutive at the time.

I also decided to pick up FFXIV once more, and spent a good month on that before being distracted. I do plan to go back, and I'm keeping my subscription live.

What side-tracked me was wanting to play through Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic again in order to play along the podcast A More Civilized Age. I had a really good time doing so, and completed a full playthrough as a Dark Lord of the Sith. I had no idea I would be forced to kill so many of my own companions in doing so! I'm really looking forward to eventually playing KOTOR II now, as well. That's one that I never got to, previously.

Elsewhere I dabbled a little in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Total War: Warhammer, Diablo IV (didn't grab me), Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear (need to get back to this), Skyrim (as per usual), Fallout 4, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Dark Souls II, and Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. I think I basically opened Crusder Kings III and Elite: Dangerous this year and bailed before doing anything. Even less impressively, I bought Shin Megami Tensei V in Japan this year and never booted it up. I did play a little Warhammer 40:000 Mechanicus there, though. Seems OK.

I don't have a GOTY pick for 2024. I'm not sure I even played anything new this year. It's been busy, otherwise. As of this writing early in 2025 I am installing Red Dead Redemption 2 to give that a shot. I've also felt a little bit of a tug back toward Assassin's Creed Origins lately, too. We'll see if anything comes of those. I do still need to play my fair share of FF XIV, after all. They've recently added some FFXI content to it's endgame that I want to experience. I love FFXI, but I'm not ready to go back to it yet. I need to familiarize myself with it's younger sibling that may one day inherit.

2024 Booklog

Well, the end of the year snuck up on me. So I guess here is the final list of titles read for 2024. Over the winter break I began and continued a few others, but didn't finish anything further.

I'm not sure I care to pick a book of the year, but I'll go ahead and call it The End and the Death Volume III, the capstone of the Horus Heresy series. It was definitely momentous. For a runner-up, I'll say Hand of Abaddon by Nick Kyme, which was a lot of fun, also. Special shout out to John Gray's The New Leviathans, one of the few dalliances into non-fiction I've taken lately, aside from articles online.

The Hunt for Vulkan by David Annandale

The Beast Must Die by Gav Thorpe

White Dwarf 483

White Scars: A Codex Space Marines Supplement

Warhammer: The Horus Heresy - Liber Mechanicum

The End and the Death Volume III by Dan Abnett

White Dwarf 484

White Dwarf 485

The Art of the Horus Heresy

The New Leviathans by John Gray

Watchers in Death by David Annandale

The Last Son of Dorn by David Guymer

Shadow of Ullanor by Rob Sanders

White Dwarf 486

The Beheading by Guy Haley

The Verdict of the Scythe by David Annandale

White Dwarf 487

Sanguinius: The Great Angel by Chris Wraight

Inquisitor: The War for the Emperor's Soul

Resurrection: The Horusian Wars

White Dwarf 488

White Dwarf 489

White Dwarf 490

White Dwarf 491

War Zone Octarius: Book 1: Rising Tide

War Zone Octarius: Book 2: Critical Mass

Arks of Omen: Vashtorr

Dawn of Fire: Hand of Abaddon by Nick Kyme

Defragmentation by Nick Kyme

White Dwarf 492

Prologue to Nikaea by David Annandale

The Prisoner by Graham McNiell

Dread Night by Nick Kyme

Crucible by John French

Kaldor Draigo: Knight of Titan by L J Goulding

Sacrifice by Ben Counter

Witness by Joe Parrino

Maledictus by David Annandale

True Name by David Annandale

Incorruptible by David Annandale

The Mourning Tower by David Annandale

Solemnity by Nick Kyme

Army Building - Legions Imperialis and Adeptus Titanicus Forces for Adepticon 2025

Questoris Knights of House Taranis during the Horus Heresy. Against everyone’s advice I am considering playing a Knight Household list at an upcoming event. #LegionsImperialis #HorusHeresy #AdeptusTitanicus #30K #PaintingWarhammer #WarhammerCommunity

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— countelmdor.bsky.social (@countelmdor.bsky.social) January 5, 2025 at 2:33 PM

Above is my latest hobby project finished. As written, I had been considering playing a Questoris Familia style list, all or primarily Knights, at Adepticon this year, but the event organizers have put out their rules packet and forbidden that army type.

So, I will tentatively take my Alpha Legion force in Epic scale, instead. I have enough painted that I can run three full formations and be very near the 2000 point army limit. It'll just require the addition of 4 Kratos Heavy Battle Tanks, which may be the next thing I build and paint.

In addition to Legions Imperialis, I plan to play in the Adeptus Titanicus doubles event with my friend Dave. He and I also partnered up for the same event in 2023. To make my tentative 1250 point list, a Ferrox Light Maniple of Titans, I'll need to build and paint one more Reaver Battle Titan. 

Fortunately, I have both the Reaver and the Kratos tanks on my shelf ready to be started. So, that's what I have decided to work on next, hobby-wise. These are both good projects in that they will be toward a clear goal and from my pile of potential, reducing it by a few models. 

Unfortunately, I had laid out cash for a couple more Knights model kits before I saw the list restriction, so I'll be adding those to the shelf without a clear mandate for the models. I guess if I organize my own event and plan my own games, I can run whatever I like, though.

End of 2024 Hobby Recap and Looking Ahead at 2025

Never did post the second hastily painted Leviathan Siege Dreadnought I did for my Alpha Legion recently. #HydraDominatus #HorusHeresy #PaintingWarhammer #WarhammerCommunity

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— countelmdor.bsky.social (@countelmdor.bsky.social) December 19, 2024 at 9:17 PM

Another sprue of Solar Auxilia Infantry done. #LegionsImperialis #SolarAuxilia #Epic #WarhammerCommmunity #PaintingWarhammer

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— countelmdor.bsky.social (@countelmdor.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 7:35 PM

Final hobby project of 2024 done! That makes 4 Solar Auxilia Infantry sprues painted. Will it be enough? For the Emperor/Warmaster! (delete as appropriate). #LegionsImperialis #SolarAuxilia #HorusHeresy #PaintingWarhammer #WarhammerCommunity

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— countelmdor.bsky.social (@countelmdor.bsky.social) December 31, 2024 at 12:16 PM

I've finished my recent work on my Alpha Legion in 28mm scale, for the Horus Heresy tournament at the beginning of December.  I had forgotten to post the second Leviathan Heavy Siege Dreadnought until a later date, however.

Since then, thinking about what I need to get painted for the next big thing, it's all come down to more models for Legions Imperialis. The Storm Eagles I posted previously are a part of that effort. I need them, specifically, to fill out an Aerial Assault Formation for my Alpha Legion in Epic scale, which I think is roughly 8mm, rounded up. Games Workshop says it's 1/4 scale of Age of Darkness, which is commonly referred to as 28mm scale, but is actually a little more "heroic" than that, in how certain features of models are exaggerated for aesthetics. Regardless, I have Alpha Legion forces in both scales. 

I also have Solar Auxilia in Epic scale, and the infantry bases shown here are the last of those I had unpainted around the house. I'm not sure I'll use them much except for games around the house for practice or potentially to demo the game at my local store, but I had the army from buying the initial launch box of the game, and I'd bought an additional kit of them, as well. Those are all painted, now. All that remains are my 10 aircraft for the faction. Those should be fairly quick to paint at some point, though.

For now I am painting 3 Questoris Knights, again at Epic scale. In my first game to learn the system I had fun moving my Acastus Knight Porphyrion around shooting stuff. I think this scale might be the best way to play with Knights and Titans (I'm sure it is for Titans, albeit using Adeptus Titanicus rules).

I suppose it would be good to prep some of those Auxilia aircraft soon, also, especially to run in practice and learning games head of Adepticon, where I plan to play in a Legions Imperialis event. I do also need to brush up on my Adeptus Titanicus play, since I plan to play that there, as well.