Republic of Poliebo Republican Guards Squad

I finished painting the minis that I had converted to have body armor. I painted their vests with an ocher color followed up with a dry brush of khaki. It stands out nicely against their camo uniforms. These are the first of the Republican Guard forces for my ROP troops. I don't plan on expanding their numbers anytime soon but I'm sure that I will eventually.

These guys are ready to push forward the borders
of the Republic of Poliebo.

They have the blue and yellow beret badges that
mark them as Republican Guards.

Extra equipment and body armor are needed
when you're the elite of the ROP troops.

They look good next to the regular forces
of the ROP.

Should have another platoon of regulars and another walker finished soon, but I'm working on finishing the UN forces at the moment as well. I also have some armored transports for these guys but those are pretty low on the priority list. Anyway keep checking back for more on the War in Africa. Thanks for reading and stay thirsty.

Body Armor for ROP Troops

I was doing some more painting on my ROP troops when I felt like they were missing something. That's when I decided to add some body armor to some of the infantry. It's a simple pattern of jacket but really makes them stand out from the un-armored infantry. I had some extra Green Stuff left over and so added some pouches and a few holographic sights to make them seem even more upgraded.

It's a bit hard to make out, but the left and center mini have
sights and the right mini has extra pouches.

I converted eight total, that'll be enough to give me a
heavy infantry squad.

You can see the pouches better on the right mini,
and the armor plate pockets on the others.

Should have this batch of minis finished soon. I'm hoping to get in a game using my UN forces and these ROP troops. Maybe a mission where the UN have been cut off and must preform a fighting withdrawal. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and stay thirsty.

Plague Bearer Test Paint

Last Saturday I picked up some of GW's plastic Plague Bearers, I'd seen them online and decided that I really wanted some because they looked so cool. I got started on one to try and decide on a paint scheme. I started with a base coat of Rotting Flesh over a Chaos Black primer coat. Then the blood and guts bits were started with Mechrite Red mixed with black and highlighted with pure Mechrite Red. Then I washed the whole mini in Asurman Blue wash. Next I painted the buboes and pustules with Snakebite Leather, those were highlighted with Tau Sept Ochre and finally a bit of Skull White. Then the whole model was washed with Nuln Oil. The sword is Chaos Black, with progressive highlights of Mordian Blue and Skull White.

After getting some hands on time with these minis they
are some of the best looking new plastics from GW
in my opinion.

They have tons of neat details, more pustules than
you can shake a plague knife at.

Things like the twisted palsy hand really play to
the idea that Plague Bearers embody the
nature of Nurgle.

I'm not happy with the light shade that I painted the base in. I'll go back and change that when I paint the rest of the unit. I know the color breakdown in the first part of the article may not be helpful given that the paints I used are out of date but it will help me later when I inevitably forget what colors I used. Let me know what you think of the color scheme. Thanks for reading and stay thirsty.

Purging the Pipes

     There were things down here in the dark. He knew that to be a fact, even before the war terrible things sometimes lived in the pipes. Once one of the maintenance men that he worked with was mauled by something that was half dog, half giant reptile. The crew had managed to track it down and kill it, the Magos had said it was a Phelderan scale-hound, if he had been forced to name it he would have chosen something more like 'damn ugly bastard'. Given the things that he was looking for now he would trade them for pack of sclae-hounds.
     The only reason he was back in the pipes was because he had been a lay-adept before the war started. The cartel troops tasked with clearing the pipes and pumpstations didn't know their asses from an access hatch. They had gone in without "plumbers" at first, all of those patrols were disasters. One whole platoon got lost and turned up clogging one of the still functioning pump houses. That's when he was drafted into the cartel armed forces. They all were at this point, every lay-adept, pump house worker, and even the wheel jockeys. They had been doled out to different platoons like they were fresh rations, they had lasted slightly longer. Most the "plumbers" were dead now, only Able, and Derek were still working in the pipes.
     He tried to put that bleak thought out of his mind he had a job to do. "Hey, plumber Falk!" The sudden shout nearly made him jump out of his skin. He wheeled around towards the source of the sound. His lamp pack barely illuminated the rebrether mask of the trooper who had addressed him. He was one of the replacements, too eager to be wearing his red rubberized suit that marked him as a cartel armsmen. "Quiet!" Falk hissed at the disruptive trooper. "The things down here have ears and I'm sure they heard your shouting past the next three junctions." The trooper seemed crestfallen, but pointed to an access shaft behind him "Sorry plumber, but I spotted something." Falk took a step towards the shaft and the trail of the thing they were looking for seemed obvious even in the pale light of his lamp.
     A grey green trail of something stretched off down the pipe. "Good work trooper, but keep it down. We don't want those things to get the drop on us do we?" This seemed to buoy up the lad's spirits. The pair set off down the pipe following the unusual slime that indicated they were now on the right path. They moved quickly, occasionally slipping in the trail. Soon they were approaching an end to the pipe they were walking in. Falk pulled out his data slate, this must be cistern 238, none of the other teams had cleared it yet. "Alright trooper, time for you to move up front." The pair awkwardly squeezed past one another. Once Falk was behind the young man he tapped him to move forward.
     At the end of the pipe the trooper stepped gingerly out onto the narrow ledge just before the drop into the massive cistern. Falk braced himself at the portal and angled his lamp pack down into the abyss. It was a sight he had seen too may times. At the bottom the massive holding tank was horde of creatures more foul than anything had a right to be. Twisted and pale, oozing foul fluids and secretions, they shambled back and forth aimlessly tearing at each other when they collided. The worst part was that a few weeks ago these things had been proud Imperial citizens. Now they were just rotten husks, filled with corruption. "I'm ready." whispered the young trooper. This was the part of the job that Falk hated most. "I'll get you armed, but before you jump, what's your name?" He couldn't see the young mans face as armed his pack, he made sure he could never see their faces, but he could hear a mix of fear and pride in the young mans voice "Caspen Delacroix, and I willingly give my life for the Emperor!" with that Caspen tilted forward and fell into the cistern.
     He screamed as he hit the hard metal of the floor, it was a long drop, but nowhere near fatal. With unnatural speed the foul creatures were surging towards the writhing form of the injured young man. Caspen pulled himself up even as the first things began to tear at his heavy rubberized suit. He forced himself through the horde into the center of the chamber as the nearest beasts forced their claw like hands into his guts. He let out a shrieking cry that trailed off into gurgle. By now all the things were on him. A massive pile of filth struggling to tear into the fresh flesh crushed at its center. The next sound was impossibly loud, the charges packed into Caspen's suit detonated with massive force. The horde was consumed in a conflagration of righteous fire so intense it burned Falk's face through his rebreather. He peered into the smoke and guttering flame left in the wake of the blast. Nothing moved now, the bombs hadn't always done the job, but after command realized the devices worked better when attached to a piece of bait there was never a doubt of success. Falk pulled out his data slate and headed back the way he had come.

UN Peacekeeper

I ordered some of the Earth Force Armored Troops from Rebel Minis to use as South African troops and UN Peacekeepers. This little guy is the first that I've painted up to be part of the small detachment of Peacekeepers. After looking at examples of real Peacekeepers I decide to go with light blue torso body armor and helmets. The rest of his armor is pretty simple being dark green. To break up the monotony of green all over I painted accents and pouches in a khaki.

He looked a little sci-fi till I got him finished.

I plan on painting UN on the chest and
helmets of all my Peacekeepers.

A little plain from behind but I though he
may look too busy with a camo
pattern on his fatigues.

I always liked the look of these minis from Rebel but I held off on ordering them due to the lack of matching support or command options. That didn't seem like such a problem for UN forces as they are more for security than busting tanks or heavy action. After getting them I realize that they are better than I thought. That's why I've decided to use most of them for an elite South African force to fight against my growing ROP troops. These will make up the tip of spear for the AOAD as the other troops are mostly Angolans that are represented by Rebel's Well Armed African Militia. Thanks for reading and stay thirsty.

The Assault on Pump Station 12

     With a fleshy thud the headless body of Captain Valheim came to rest at the foot of the gantry. The blood seeping from the late officer already putrefying due to the horrendous contagions held within the blade of his killer. Lord Haemophlague casually stepped over the body of his most recent victim, taking joy in stepping on the severed head at his feet. He chuckled at the sickening crunch of the skull beneath his tread; the wet popping sound reminiscent of the bursting of the massive boils that blessed his putrescent form. Nurgle had seen fit to gift Haemophlague with countless such rewards, and in return he would offer up the bodies and souls of his conquests. This place would know the glorious touch of Grandfather Nurgle, but first it would need to be purified of the mites that infested it. The pitiful followers of the corpse-god had dug in around Pump Station 12, but their attempts at resistance did little more than entertain the Cankerous Reavers that now hunted the remaining Imperials.

     The phlegmatic wheezing of one of Lord Haemophlague's followers broke his reverie and returned his attention to the battle at hand. "My lord," croaked one of the Cankerous Reavers behind Haemophlague, "we have secured the perimeter of the pump station. The remaining enemy have fallen back to the primary pump house." Haemophlague's visage split into the approximation of a smile, "Good, Nurgle smiles on our deeds today. Have the Havocs concentrate their fire on the pump house. We'll crack their walls as easily as we crack their bones."  Hacking laughter erupted from the surrounding Reavers.

     Within moments the Havocs had redirected their fire. Contrails of smoke and tracers lashed out form the lines of the Cankerous Reavers. Great chunks of the pump house fell away in the explosions and torrent of solid rounds that impacted the structure. Even over the din of battle a new sound could be heard. An earsplitting boom signaled the arrival of Haemophlague's newest weapon, the Defiler Plague Debt. The impact of the battle cannon proved more than the pump house could withstand. A rumbling like the crashing of a thousand waves resounded across the pump station, as huge plumes of dust rose from the once proud structure. Despite the foul fluids that clogged Haemophlague's augmented ears he could make out the last screams of the Imperial defenders as they were crushed beneath falling rubble.

Just a little taste of what I'm planning for a narrative campaign that my friends and I are going to be playing this summer. I've been hard at work trying to get the forces of the Cankerous Reavers together. Should have some more neat things to show you soon. Thanks for reading and stay thirsty.

Reinforcements From Rebel

Got some paint put on my African Military from Rebel Minis. I like them but they do look different than my Peter Pig minis. The Rebel minis are chunkier but have a very similar height, and there were some obvious differences that I knew about when I ordered them but thought the variety would look good. They have  berets instead of ball caps and their rifles seem to be some AK variety with a folding wire stock.

The small group I started with.

You can see they have good detail and natural
poses that seem right.

Next to the Peter Pig minis up close you can see the
differences in bulk.

They blend in pretty well at a distance so I think
they'll work great on the tabletop.

You might have noticed the difference in color between the Rebel minis and the Peter Pig ones, I used all the same colors in the same order but I undercoated the Rebel minis in black while the Peter Pig minis were primed in white. I've got another twenty-two ROP troops from Rebel to paint, and thanks to a trade with my friend Aaron I've got another squad from Peter Pig too. I didn't intend to do quite so large a force but at least I've got the infantry shortage taken care of. Thanks for reading and stay thirsty.