Warhammer 40K Terrain How To - Part One - Courtyard and Statue Ruins

OK, in view of the new Warhammer 40k 6th Edition Rule Book being released we're going to start a series on building terrain for Warhammer 40k. We're going for the war torn city fighting feel in this series.

Today we'll show you how a little ingenuity and patience can help you build a great terrain piece for the center of your war game table. This is going to be a monument with a statue and courtyard of types.

This could be for Warhammer or Warhammer 40k. You can use this same technique for historical wargames as long as you can find the right "statue". You'll need an action figure or two, a lid from a spray can or similar substance, some foam sheeting and a piece of hardboard. Here is a sketch of what we wanted to build.

Watching the price drop over the last few months on the Green Lantern and Thor action figures finally paid off. I scored two of these multi-figure packs for $1.50 each in the clearance aisle at Walmart. The yellow lid is from a can of spray foam insulation. There are no markings on it, so nothing to file down.
Other good sources for action figures would be garage sales and flea markets.

We started with cutting off the one arm and using a pin drill to add holes on the figure. Using a craft knife (careful, they're sharp) add chips around the holes edges. Bullet holes on stone are not nice round circles. We also used some thicker adhesive to fill in the joints.

Once your carving is completed, prime the action figure black. We typically use Rustoleum Automotive Primer for metal and plastic models. It's only around $3-4.00 USD a can and has a fine spray so doesn't fill in details.

We then drybrushed a dark gray, medium gray and light gray onto the figure. Use an off white to highlight edges and chipped areas near bullet holes.

Now that he was painted we took the lid from our can of spray foam insulation. There are no markings on the lid, so nothing to file down. We used the same technique to paint the lid to match.

Once painted we drilled holes in the bottom of the "statues" feet and matching holes in the lid.

Using small screws leftover from some household repair, we secured the statue to the pedestal.

Here's the completed statue!

Now we need someplace to put him. A friend was throwing out a couple old frames when I noticed the hardboard backing. I quickly "recycled" them to the workshop and cut a 12" square for a base. Using pieces of one inch thick leftover insulation board I had to cut two 4" x 8" pieces to get the 8" square I wanted. I placed the pre-painted base on the center to make sure it was a good fit.

Now the steps. Measure an inch all around the foam and 1/2 inch down. Carefully cut vertically on the short edge...

then cut down around your one inch line from the top.

This should allow you to remove half the height one inch all around leaving a nice step. Next you'll want to notch one inch marks across two sides and draw squares for the stones. Press in with a pen or pencil to leave indentations. Don't forget to do the vertical parts of the steps too.

Here's the base after all the lines are drawn on.

Now to distress the base to look battle worn

As you can see, we took quite a few chunks out of the foam board. Don't be afraid to remove large chunks if you want to!

Now we add debris. Using any craft glue and chunks of foam, plastic or gravel. Here we used clippings of old sprues...

...pieces of foam and coarse ballast are randomly placed around the base.

You'll notice we cut a circular groove for the base of the statue to fit into the top of the platform.

Now to paint the creation. I've mentioned in the past, always be on the lookout for bad mixes in the paint department of your local hardware store. We found a gallon of gray for 3.00 US.

Using some of the coarse ballast and sand we mixed it with the paint in a small container to give it some texture.

Painting over all the debris seals it in place and will help preserve your terrain piece for many gaming sessions.

Let the paint dry thoroughly before the next step.

Shading and highlighting are essentials to painting your terrain.

Here we used a black wash to fill in all the recesses. You could prime the whole thing in black too, especially if the paint you found was some shade of green or red. Either way, wait until it drys before moving onto highlighting.

Using a larger flat brush and minimal paint, lightly stroke the brush across the texture. Once again, we used successive layers of medium gray, slate gray and then light gray.

Some areas were given a light dry brush of off-white.

There you have it, a great centerpiece or objective for your Space Marines to take or defend.

Next we'll look at recycling other parts you have laying around and building barricades!

Have a Great Battle!
The Old Crow

New Warhammer 40k Rulebook from Games Workshop

The new 6TH Edition Warhammer 40k rulebook from Games Workshop is out and is pretty impressive. It is 452 full color pages and will set you back 74.25 USD retail.

Like all new Games-Workshop books, it's hardback and beautifully illustrated and full of awesome photography.

Here are some sample spreads from the book with units...

with weapons....

and the photography.


I found this fairly extensive summary of the rules on The Hogs of War blog. You can check them out there or read them below:





Core System

• Turn system is the same
• New deep strike mishap only kills you on a 1
• No consolidating into new enemies.
• All the fortifications are already GW terrain models. The Aegis defense line is 50pts. Bastion is 75. Fortress of Redemption is 220. Skyshield Landing pad is the final. You get 1 fortification, and upgrades are along the lines of extra guns, or Comms Relay for 20 oints that rerolls reserves. (Skyshield comes with this)
• Still roll for your turn and seize initiative
• Night Fight mean you cant shoot over 36″. Over 24″ away has shrouded (+2 cover save), over 12 away has stealth. Night fight is in play for all the missions. It is only in effect on a 4+ however, and you roll for it to go away every turn on a 4+
• No change to weapons skill or to wound charts
• You can always measure
• Can regroup as long as you are above 25%, and independent characters mean you can any time

Movement Phase

• Jump infantry move 12, re roll charge dice (2D6) get a impact hits (called hammer of wrath).
• Bikes turbo boost in shooting phase 12 (jet bikes 24, eldar jetbikes 36 for a total of * 48inch move in 1 turn).
• Cavalry and Beasts move 12 and are fleet. Cav aren’t slowed by terrain but counts as dangerous. Beasts ignore terrain altogether!
• Mysterious terrain: you become so comfortable you get FnP, but must make a leadership test to leave.
• Mysterious terrain: Ice that freezes your armor and gives you a +1 save

Shooting Phase

• Wound allocation is closest to furthest simple as that. Doesn’t matter what gear they have. So put you important stuff at the back! With multi wounds you have to kill a model before it goes back any further. With different armor saves in units you have to kill the closest first before you start hitting the back models. Independant chars get a lookout sir 2+ so you can still have them at the front.
• If you cant see a model or are out of range you cant kill it no matter how many wounds you do on the unit.
• Cover save is generally 5+, ruins is 4+, most everything else is 5+ including shooting thought troops. but you only need to have 25% hidden or troops or tanks to get cover.
• Anything can shoot air, but only with snapshots (6+). Some weapons are AA and hit normally.
• Runs do disallow assaults. Fleet doesn’t overcome this but lets you reroll your charge.
• Snipers can allocate the wound on a hit of a 6
• Infantry with heavy weapons can move and snapfire

Assault Phase

• Charges are 2D6, and you can overwatch against it which is every model gets to shoot at BS1 except heavy weapons. Template weapons do D3 auto hits at S and AP of the weapon. Blast can’t snapshot so no over-watch shots. Because of wound allocation, overwatch also pulls from the front before they reach you.
• Overwatch activates before the assaulting unit rolls for range, but after they declare
• You can’t run and charge even with fleet.
• No assault after Rapid Firing
• Assaulting through cover: roll an extra dice and take away the highest. Then you are I 1 unless you have assault grenades then its normal I order.
• Models pile in I order instead of all at the start.
• All units can choose to fail their leadership to run away from a unit they can’t hurt, unless fearless

Weapons

• Power swords are AP 3. Axes +1 S, AP2 and make you I 1.
• Any power weapons unspecified you must look at the model and see what they have for what kind of power weapon they have.
• Powerfists and power axes are both unwieldy (strike at I 1).
• Witchblades are 2+ wounds 2D6 armor pen, but not S9
• Anything that counts as a power weapon get AP 3 and the rest of its special rules. * Power claws are powerfists. Big choppas are not mentioned. The only odd weapon with an AP is a ”heavy chainsword” with AP 5
• “Force weapon” is a modifier, not a type, so a Force Sword is AP3 with the force weapon rule
• Lances (the CC weapon) are S normal AP4, but +1 S and AP3 on the charge
• 1 model per unit can throw a grenade instead of shooting normally. All are blast except krak and haywire. Frag are S3 AP -, plasma are S4 AP4, Krak S6 AP4.
• Mauls are +2 S and AP4 (ie Crozius)
• Icarus Lascannon 92″ S9 AP2 Heavy 1, Interceptor (can shoot reserves) Skyfire (uses full BS against zooming flyers)
• Blast weapons seem to use full strength against vehicles even with partial coverage

Vehicles

• You can usually shoot all weapons as long as you don’t go flat out, but its a snap shot so only hits on a 6+
• Two new vehicle types: chariots. look like they work like the necron command barge. and heavy, works like the monolith.
• All skimmers get a 5+ “jink” if them move, same with jetbikes
• Walkers still move 6″ and get Hammer of Wrath, a single auto hit attack at base S and AP-
• Fast skimmers can flat-out 18″ in the movement phase, then turboboost in the shooting phase. Fast skimmers can go 30″ in one turn
• Vehicles that move are WS1, those that don’t are WS0
• Squadron rules are the same, and use the proximity wound allocation

Flyers

• Flyers move 18″ at combat speed and 36″ at cruising while zooming. If they are forced to move less than 18″ they are automatically wrecked.
• All things on flying bases are flyers
• You may choose to evade if you are zooming (as opposed to hovering) works like going to ground and gives you jink but can only shoot snap shots next turn.
• While zooming, flyers can only make a single 90 degree pivot, and then move straight. * They also do not take terrain tests, and move over models.
• Zooming flyers cannot embark or disembark troops, ram, tank shock, or be rammed
• Flyers must start in reserve
• Zooming fliers that die drop a S 6 large template of debris that hits the table
• If flyers die with troops inside while zooming every model take a S10 AP1 hit
• Zooming flyers can fire up to 4 weapons at full ballistic skill while moving at cruising speed
• A flyer that moves off the board enters “ongoing reserves”
• If it suffers an immobilized result while zooming, it suffers “Locked Velocity”. It can’t evade, go flat out, and must remain at the speed it was using when hit.

Vehicle and damage

• Hull points are taken off by glancing hits but no roll on the table. All gone = wreck.
• Pens roll on the table and take a hull point. 1-2 shaken, 3 stunned, 4 weapon gone, 5 immobilised, 6 explodes.
• Most vehicles have 3. land raider have 4, vipers have 2, battle wagon thats 4, buggies are 2, defilers and soul grinders have 4, Venom-Raider-Ravager-Jets all have 3,
• Hitting a vehicle that moved is a 3+, but you can’t attack zooming flyers

Vehicle and Passenger

• You may not disembark at all if the vehicle moved more than 6″. You are allowed to move up to 6″ after you disembark though.
• You can shoot from a vehicle that has moved 6″ normally, snapshot at cruising, and no shooting at flatout
• Normal explosions are the same.
• No 2″ deploy, just a 6″ move, even if the vehicle has moved up to 6″

Monstrous Creatures

• No longer get 2D6 armor pen
• Get smash: AP2 and half attacks to double strength and reroll Armour pen results.
• Can be “shot down” during a Vector Strike. Getting shot down is 1 or more hits from a units shooting, and then rolling a 1or2 on a D6.
• Get Hammer of Wrath (the impact hit)

Psychic Power

• A new psychic power that lets you overwatch with full BS as well.
• Mastery levels are in
• Divination: roll 3 dice for reserves, outflank and terrain and choose
• Divination: make an opponent reroll all Armour saves for a game turn!
• Divination: make a units shooting ignor cover.
• Telepathy: make a single model shoot its own army.
• Telepathy: make a unit hallucinate making it either pinned, cant do anything or hits its self.
• Telepathy: give a units +3 stealth save, can be counter attacked, and CC opponents are WS1
• Psychic hoods are limited to range 6
• Generating Discipline spells is a roll like in Fantasy (but you reroll a double instead of choosing)
• A power’s Warp Charge is how many spells you can cast. So a Warp level two requires mastery level two and counts as casting two normal powers

Characters

• Sergeants count as characters.
• On a hit of a 6, characters can allocate the wound.
• Challenges: chars just get to fight each other one on one.
• Can get around the proximity wound allocation using “Look out, Sir!” to make someone else take it

Special Rules

• Preferred enemy is reroll all hits and wounds that roll a 1, from shooting and combat. *Fleet lets you re roll all run and change moves.
• FnP is now 5+. You get FnP against anything that doesn’t cause instant death
• Acute senses is rerolling outflank
• Rage is +2 on the charge
• Fearless works the same, except the “No retreat” rule couldn’t be found (may or may not exist)
• Beasts and cavalry can move 12, then assault 2D6 with a reroll.
• Soul blaze is basically a unit stays on fire and takes extra hits next turn.
• Specialist weapon is you don’t get a bonus for extra close combat weapons with it. like powerfirst now.
• Move through cover ignores dangerous terrain, but doesn’t affect assaults
• Night Vision ignores Night Fighting
• Furious charge no longer gives +1 initiative

Tidbits

• Codex updates will be separate, probably WD or FAQs
• Daemonic Fear is a LD test or become WS1. Fearless units and know no fear and immune to it.
• Storm ravens are listen under the vanilla space marine section too apparently.

Missions

• Normal one D3 +2 objectives.
• One where heavy support can claim objectives and you get extra points for killing heavy support. Same but with fast attack.
• A kill point one.
• One where there is a relic you take and move with that’s basically an objective. And a capture and control-ish one.

Hope all you 40K players are ready to rumble. We'll have some posts on Warhammer 40k terrain to go with the new rules in the next couple weeks.

Have a Great Battle,

The Old Crow

Warhammer 40k Aerial Assault - Space Marines Stormtalon Gunship vs Ork Dakkajet

June saw the Gamesworkshop release of The Stormtalon Gunship and Ork Dakkajet (and other variations) for battling in the skies over the Warhammer 40k battlefield.

 My first thought was of the Stormtalon was of the old Unreal Tournament 2004 Raptor. No matter, it's still a sweet vehicle for your Space Marines to take the fight to the enemy!It is a very versatile vehicle which you can use as an interceptor or ground-attack craft.

 As for its stats, a nice BS of 4 should help in targeting and an armor factor of 11 all around should keep it flying long enough to toast your enemies either in the air or on the ground.

What can you use to obliterate those pesky Tyranid swarms? The Stormtalon can be equipped with a vast array of weapons including a twin-linked heavy bolter, a twin-linked assault cannon, a twin-linked lascannon, a typhoon missile launcher or a skyhammer missile launcher.

This Ultramarine's Stormtalon carries the skyhammer missile launcher which fires a volley of missiles at their targets and are ideal tank-killers!

Here's a White Scars Stormtalon with twin-linked lascannon and a twin-linked assault cannon

The Salamanders variant with twin-linked heavy bolters

The multi-part plastic boxed set contains these 90 components and includes a clear plastic canopy, transfers and base.

The kit will set you back 45.50 USD retail.


Now onto the Ork Dakkajet!

The Ork Aircraft have always been suspect, but recent invenshuns from ork flyboyz and mad meks have brought them the Dakkajet, Burna-bommer and Blitza-bommer.

With this kit, you'll get tons of weaponry including a Grot Gunner and options like a big shoota, boom bombs, burna bombs, skorcha rokkits and supa shootas - everything budding flyboyz need to create big explosions!

The Dakkajet would be the blur of color roaring across the sky with guns blazing! Dakkajet flyboyz believe firmly in quantity over quality, and bolt as many big shootas as possible to their aircraft. Even with a BS of 2, some of those bullets are bound to hit the target.

The Dakka jet is perfect for straffing runs at those skinny run about Eldar!

Other flyboyz prefer fire, so attaching canisters of volatile promethium to the underside of an Ork Bommer gives you the Burna-bommer!

Armed with burna bombs and skorcha rokkits, the Burna-Bommer performs its attack runs at low altitudes and leaves a large fireball, hopefully behind.

The grot turret might keep the Stormtalon at bay for a moment.... ok, just a moment.

The craziest orky invenshun is the almost suicidal Blitza-Bommer! These boyz 'aim' their bombs by diving at the target, releasing their Boom Bomb at the very last moment possible and hopefully not forget to pull out of their dive and end up smashing into the intended target too!

Those dives tend to panic the onboard Grot Gunner.

The plastic boxed set contains 114 components also including a clear plastic canopy with which to build either a Dakkajet, a highly flammable Burna-Bommer or a break neck Blitza-Bommer

The kit will also run you $45.50 USD but you do get plenty of options and lots of leftovers for other projects.

No matter what you choose you'l have some phenomenal air support for your intended army!  For complete rules and Codex updates on these fine aircraft, pick up the June issue of White Dwarf!

Have a Great Battle,
he Old Crow

Reaper Miniatures Kobold Raiders

Many moons ago I painted these Reaper Kobolds to be used as duelists in an old Warhammer Fantasy Dogs of War Army. Duelists could skirmish in front of your army and help screen "expensive" units from taking early shots from arrows or handguns. As they skirmish, they are harder to hit with ranged weapons!

Here are the lot of raiders, using the jungle as cover to advance on their target! You can still get these guys from Reaper Miniatures, here they are! Thanks to the Reaper Bone Yard, you can buy them individually too.

This is the Kobold with spear and Kobold with sword and shield

This is the front and back of the above Kobold with sword and shield

Another front and back, this time of the Kobold with sword and raised shield

Front and back of the Kobold with sword and and spear

This big guy is the Kobold with Two Handed Axe. Here he is, front and back and also with a weapon swap on the second one. Added a spear in case I ever wanted to add a standard.

We did some experimenting with lighting and jungle terrain...

One of my favorites....

another nice shot of the raiders advancing...

ahhh well, hope you liked these oldies but goodies!

Have a Great Battle!
The Old Crow