Saturday, December 20, 2014

WIP - Salamander Scout/Command Vehicle

After building an Imperial Guard Chimera using the Chapter House Studios six wheel kit I had a set of Chimera tracks left over. I used those tracks, a multitude of bits, and styrene stock to create my very own Salamander Scout/Command Vehicle. This will become part of my 8th Pardus Armoured Regiment, the heavy support for my Tanith 1st army. The following are pictures of my current work in progress prior to painting.

All of the weapons, the main gun, hull mounted weapon, pintle mounted weapon and a hunter killer missile (not shown) as well as the dozer blade have been magnetized.



I've always liked the look of a modified exhaust. This one was made from styrene and a Leman Russ exhaust.




Shown above with the autocannon option.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Unboxing - Sabbat Crusade 1st Edition

The Tanith 1st and Only, respectfully referred to as Gaunt's Ghosts, hold a warm place in my heart and a couple of rows on my bookshelf. When I saw that a new collection of Ghost related fiction was coming out in a limited first edition I had to shell out the dough. Considering I'm in the process of assembling a Tanith army I thought it would serve dual purpose as source material and reading entertainment.

Today it arrived and if there is one thing Games Workshop does best it's produce quality publications. I'm the proud owner of three Imperial Armour books and this collection lived up to the level of quality I have come to expect from GW.


My excitement began when I opened the mailbox to see the "Black Library First Editions" box art stairing back at me.

 After opening the box I was greeted with this lovely red tissue wrapped package sealed with a the Tanith emblem.

 I was very careful when removing the sticker. I have plans to scan this and start printing some decals sheets in the very near future.

The book itself is protected by a gorgeous gloss camo book sleeve adorned with the Tanith emblem on the front and spine.

A beautiful battle rages across the front and back covers in a combination of matte and gloss which lends a real depth to the image.

 A murderous vision of Colonel Commissar Ibram Gaunt graces the inside cover page.

The book contains a copious amount of new reading as seen here in the table of contents.

There is some additional artwork including illustrations of Gol Kolea, Tona Criid, and a couple of other characters. Not nearly as much artwork as I was hoping for but that's okay because it leaves tons of room for more stories, time lines, and maps. There is a page marker ribbon incorporated into the book. The inside back cover is a star map of the areas involved in the Sabbat Crusade.

I'm only on the Sabbat Martyr in the Gaunt's Ghosts series so I wont be publishing any reviews any time soon on the story content of this collection. With that in mind I am thoroughly pleased with my purchase. The book is one of uncompromising quality and I'm proud to set it on my shelf alongside the rest of the series. I'm also excited at the prospect of using the illustrations to help me design my Tanith army to be as true to the fluff as possible. I've already started to consider what bits I can use to recreate the banner and ornate pole depicted on the front cover of the book.

For die hard fans of the series this is a must have. Thank you Games Workshop!