Battle for Stones River - Game Three

The Ilyrian Crusade

During the Ilyrian Crusade, the Corsican 523rd was deployed as an occupation force on the planet Verus.  It had previously been ‘conquered’ by the Space Marines, but the remaining heretics were anything but submissive.   After making contact with one such heretic warband, Colonel ‘Blitzkrieg’ Caine personally gave chase. However, he soon found he had fallen into a shrewd enemy commander's trap.  Fortunately for Caine, he was rather shrewd himself and had split his pursuit force into two formations for just such an unlucky occasion...

Battle for Stones River - Game Two

Assault on Greentoof Ford

Colonel 'Blitzkrieg' Caine looks on at Greentoof Ford, as the Ork caravan bears down on the Coriscan position.

"We hold here men! Do not give the greenskins a single inch! This is where we fight! Onward to glory, to victory!"  - Colonel Caine, prior to leading the charge into the river crossing that would be known thereafter as 'Greentoof Ford.'

When Big Mek Greentoof's rok landed on the planet of Kauro it ignited a Waaagh that would threaten to engulf the entire planet.  That is, until the Corsican 523rd arrived.  Greentoof Ford, named after the defeated big mek, was a key crossing point of the Siene River.  It had been a place of conflict between the local planetary defense forces and the feral ork tribes for centuries.  


Colonel Caine chose this shallow crossing as the place where he would break the back of Waaagh Greentoof.  He drew his battle lines here, and no ork, mek or otherwise, would make it alive across the Siene River. 

Battle for Stones River - Game One

Assault on Orlov Bridge

During the battle for the planet Charon IV, Orlov Bridge became a very important strategic location for Imperial supply lines.  Due to its location and age, it acted as a severe choke point.  All other bridges in the area had been destroyed by either the Imperial or the Chaos forces. On top of that, only one vehicle could cross Orlov Bridge at a time, otherwise it ran the risk of collapsing.  


Unfortunately, the Great Enemy became aware of this choke point, and eventually took hold of it, cutting off the imperial front lines from their much needed supplies.  Colonel 'Blitzkrieg' Caine stepped forward and offered his contingency plan to the Charon Campaign's High Command that would allow the mechanized elements of the 523rd to mobilize and break through the Chaos blockade.  High Command was working on a combined attack from the both sides of the river, but were having difficulty coordinating such an attack with the front line commanders.  They approved of Caine's assault, thinking it would be a suitable distraction at worst, giving them more time to prepare their own battle plans.  They only required that Caine keep the bridge intact, a request that would be much more difficult to fulfill than he realized.

Chattanooga Classic - Game One

Suppressing the rebellion of Nereus II When the revolt broke out on Nereus II, the Corsican 523rd was the first to be deployed to the sector.  They would lead the charge into a fully equipped rebel army. Colonel 'Blitzkrieg' Caine was more than up to the task.  The battle cry for Nereus II would soon grow into the regimental motto, 'Sic Semper Hereticus,' thus always to heretics.  

Hobby Progress: Manticore Update

Quick update for this afternoon's progress.  I base coated all my infantry, and then turned my attention to completing my vehicles.  I some touching up to do on a Demolisher and my Chimeras, but my Manticore is 100% complete, as shown above.

Hobby Progress: Chattanooga Classic prep

Going against our usual schedule of one update a month, I thought I might show the progress on my army for the Chattanooga Classic coming up this weekend.  I have the day off today, so I'll have a majority of this painted by the end of today.

Hobby Progress: Maul in the Mall Painting

Quick hobby update for the Coriscan 523rd. Shown above is my new Raphael 8404 Kolinsky Red Sable brush. I purchased it from Secret Weapon Miniatures earlier this week, and it kicked off my Maul in the Mall painting prep.  I will probably do a product review of it in the near future.  So far, I am very impressed with it.

2000 Tournament List - Coriscan 523rd

Not to be outdone by Stormcrow, I present my tournament list:

===========================================

Company Command Squad(175)
3xPlasma Guns, Plasma Pistol, Regimental Standard, Chimera

Primaris Psyker(70)

Veteran Squad(155)
3xMeltaguns, Chimera

Veteran Squad(155)
3xMeltaguns, Chimera

Veteran Squad(200)
3xGrenade Launchers, Demolitions, Carapace, Chimera

Veteran Squad(145)
3xFlamers, Demolitions, Carapace

Crunch Time

Two days until the Chattanooga SIEGE begins, that means CRUNCH TIME.  The Team tournament is Friday night, and the 2k singles tournaments are Saturday and Sunday.  I have 15 Infantry to finish painting, two leman russes and Vendetta to detail, and 62 infantry to base(plus a Vendetta base), all in two nights.

A Christening Post

Why hello there!

It seems I have been given the ultimate authority and a prize sought by many-assistant author privileges on Corsican 523rd  Any Given Codex. Bringing me aboard has increased subscribers by 500% within 24 hours; so all five of you will have an interesting read I'm sure.

Anyways, at BoxerSaint's behest I will submit my own writings on this prestigious blog from now on. My plans are to include some battle reports, painting updates for my army (those with weak stomachs are advised against viewing my attempts at painting), and theory crafting with army compositions.

Not dead yet!

I've not fallen into the abyss yet. I'm actually falling behind on my painting schedule. I should have finished up my vehicles last week, but I really only have 1.5 finished out of 4. The Vendetta and Leman Russ rivets turned out to be much smaller than those on the Chimeras, so that is slowing me down.

This week I need to finish 6 mortar teams, a Platoon Command Squad, and perhaps my Primaris Psyker(if I can decide on a color scheme for him).

Next week I have to finish 2 Infantry Squads and a Commissar, and the week after that I have a Veteran Squad to complete AND I have to base all my infantry. That is also the same week as the tournament, which will start on Friday. I may try to complete all 31 infantry models next week so I am not too rushed he following week. We'll see what happens.

I will have some pictures up in a few days time, once I finish off the vehicles. I am very proud of how my Vendetta turned out. Even magnetized it!

Company Command Squad w/Straken

Last week's unit to paint was my Company Command Squad.  It consists of Colonel "Iron hand" Straken, 3xMeltagun veterans, a Regimental Standard, a Ministorum Priest, and their Heavy Flamer/Multilaser Chimera.

I finished them all yesterday, and that puts me right on schedule.  Here is a quick look at the Command Squad.  I took a few more pictures of them, but decided not to use them.  You can view them at my flickr page, and you can usually see pictures there before I post, as I upload them a day or two prior to posting them on the blog.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxersaint/





Straken and his Priest, ready to roll.



Regimental Standard.  I struggled between making it too bland, and making it too colorful.  I wanted it to both fit in and stand out.  I am happy with the result.  Except for the yellow. I can never get a good coat of yellow. :(


I am actually pretty proud of this guy.  Old school Cadian "Chimera turret guy."  I believe that is the technical term. Haha.  Anyway, I took a flag from the lance of an Warhammer Fantasy Empire Knight, and glued it down behind him.  I originally wanted to have two flags, and mount them on either side of the Chimera like the President does with his limo, but my wife told me it looked dumb, so I settled for this.


Back view.  I painted the flag Necron Abyss, to match the trim of my infantry.



On the schedule for next week:
Magnetize and paint a Vendetta - (Been wanting to paint this thing since day 1, I am pumped!)
Paint a Demolisher
Paint a Leman Russ Battle Tank
Convert and paint a Medusa

The only thing I worry about are the converting/magnetizing, painting vehicles with my paint scheme is fairly straight forward and easy, but if the converting slows me down, then I may be hosed.  We'll see how it goes.  I may give an update halfway through the week.

Corsica - A Quick Historical Analysis of Modern Military Thought

Recently finished Ministorum Priest

Regiments of Corsica

Traditionally, Corsican regiments have been predominantly infantry-based, backed by formations of cavalry and artillery.  Very few transports are implemented into the Corsican Commanders' school of thought. This primarily reflects the historical Corsican culture.

 When originally rediscovered by the Imperium, Corsica was a developing feudal world. Corsican las technology was deteriorated, specifically in their cooling mechanism. Because engineers on the planet could not fully comprehend the internal components of a lasgun cooling system, Corsican-pattern lasguns were developed to only allow one shot every 15-20 seconds.  This allowed an infantryman to fire three volleys every minute, without overheating his rifle.

Corsican commanders developed their battlefield tactics to adapt to the technology, and would arrange their soldiers in ranks, coordinating disciplined firing lines to allow a constant barrage of las fire at their enemies, which, more often than not, were other Corsicans.

Most lasguns produced on Corsica today still retain the firing delay mechanism, for both historical reasons, and for civil protection. Most Corsican boys raised with lasguns, taught how to shoot them, how to hunt with them, and as such they are already well trained marksmen when they are drafted into the military.  Most serve their mandatory 5 year compulsory term in the Planetary Defense Force, but some are conscripted and sent off-world to fight in distant Imperial campaigns.

The Corsican regulars are generally given a Corsican-pattern lasgun, with the delayed firing mechanism. Fully automatic lasguns are reserved specifically for regimental veterans and elite combat units.  As such, Corsican commanders that take to the field still employ the old firing ranks that were used centuries ago on Corsica, and they use it devastatingly.  Of course, this isn't true for every Corsican commander. The more liberal commanders are starting to employ more transports and fast vehicles in their armies, developing rapid deployment and mechanized strategies to adapt to the ever changing ebb and flow of war in the 41st millennium.

On Schedule, for now...

Well, I am still on schedule to paint 2,000 points of Imperial Guard over 8 weeks. I finished my Veteran Squad with Plasma Guns last night, along with their Chimera.




This was my first time to paint a plasma gun.  I may return later on and attempt the "glowing" effect that a lot of people are using now, but this will suffice for the time being.

Here we have a decent shot of the Necron Abyss I am so proud of(along with my golden finger.)



Standard Chimera paint job.


And last but not least, a little taste of what should be finished next, the one, the only, Colonel "Iron Hand" Straken!  The Colonel is sporting an over-sized plasma pistol, a great coat, some elementary green stuff, and a spare space marine right arm.  I had always intended to paint my officers grey with blue trim, but now I may go with black with blue trim.  We'll see what happens.

Quick Update

 Went to my local gaming store and grabbed some Necron Abyss.  I was worried that putting it on black clothing wouldn't be enough contrast to make me happy, but I am excited to say that I love the way the two colors work together.  It will be even better once I figure out how to highlight/blend my black clothing.  But, until then, this will work.  Thoughts?

Psyker Battle Squad

That is my new paint station.  $10 at a local thrift shop, thanks to my wife.  She is a thrifty lady.  Anyway, I wanted to post my finished Psyker Squad.  I've not based anyone yet, so they aren't 100% finished, but I haven't had time to experiment with different basing techniques yet.  That will be towards the end of my painting schedule I think.


Full Squad


Squad Close ups



Force choke

Force lift

No face

And Psyker's Chimera

Back view, tried to do hazard stripes, but got frustrated and just painted some yellow.


Also, I've begun converting a Primaris Psyker. I thought at first to use an Eldar Warlock model, but the fluff for that was too much of a stretch. I could see the Inquisition coming down hard on my poor Primaris for using Xenos technology. I settled for a halberd type weapon and I'm going to green stuff a cord from the backpack to the force weapon.

Painting Progress

So far I have completed my Hellhound, my Psyker Battle Squad, and my Psyker Battle Squad's Chimera.  Currently I am working on my Veteran squad with 3xPlasma guns and their Chimera.  They were already partially painted, but I am stuck on how I want to finish them off.

I have three options, all three have camouflaged helmets, shoulders, and chests.  The dilemma comes in whether their pants will be camouflaged, grey with blue trim, or black with possible blue trim.  I've mocked up a few practice soldiers.  What do you guys think?


First, fully camo.  Sorry he is so blurry.


Next up, Black Pants Soldier.  Seems a little too plain for me, you know? But it has potential.



Finally, Gray pants with blue trim.  It would be cleaned up of course.  I just feel like he looks awkward, like he got dressed in the dark and grabbed the wrong pants.


So which do you think looks best?

Midweek Hobby Update - Painting Schedule

I was suppose to finish my Psyker Battle Squad this week, but it doesn't look like that will happen.  Right now I have a practice model just about finished. Lots of traveling last weekend and this coming weekend is slowing me down.  So I have made a revised schedule to complete my 1000 pt Army, and integrated my 2000 pt list into it as well.

Week of: |-| Unit to Complete
------------------------------
Apr 3rd - PBS w/Chimera
Apr 10th - Plasma Squad(Conversion work, helmets, armor)
Apr 17th - CCS w/Chimera(Paint an infantry squad sergeant)
Apr 24th - Vendetta(Conversion work), Demolisher, | Demolisher, Medusa(Conversion work)(Try gauze for camo)
--------------- ----------------------------------
May 1st - PCS w/Chimerax2 and 6xMortars(3 with conversion work needed)
May 8th - 2 Infantry Squads w/Commissar
May 15th - Flamer Vets
----------------------------------------------------------

The week of April 24th marks the crossover from 1000 points to 2000 points. Everything after the first Demolisher is from the 2000 point list.

It is a fairly aggressive schedule. The vendetta will be magnetized(my first time to attempt it), so that will be extra work. And the Medusa will need to be converted from its current Basilisk form. I may attempt some magnetizing there, in case the Basilisk becomes awesome later on, depends on my time schedule.

My paint scheme makes vehicles go very quickly, so the two Demolishers should be knocked out in one night, same with all the chimeras.

I think I can pull it off.

Midweek Hobby Update

Halfway through week one of the 6 week Painting Drive. This week was the standard Hellhound, which was finished in two days. With that accomplished, I’ve moved onto my scheduled unit for week two, the Psyker Battle Squad.

I am using two Sanctioned Psyker models, and I’ve built 6 extra models from spare Cadian/Catachan bits. They required quite a lot of green stuff to make them look more ragged and not just like regular guardsmen. Greenstuff’ing isn’t my specialty, but they turned out decent enough. I’ll have some pictures up in a few days. I found an old, cheap necklace I had bought to use as chains on another project, and decided it’d be cool to have chains around their ankles.

In “Fluff Theory”, the two Sanctioned Psykers will be channeling their energy into the 5-6 soldiers, using them as an amplifier for their abilities.(In “Money Theory”, it was cheaper to use what I already had rather than spend $30 on 6 more models.)

I ran out of spray paint, so I couldn’t prime them last night. Instead, I moved on to my veterans’ special weapons. I needed three melta gun conversions for my Command Squad, and three plasma conversions for my Veteran Squad. I saw an online tutorial that used the Cadian grenade launcher arms for melta guns, so I used that conversion trick on both sets. They turned out rather nice. Once I find the link again I’ll post it up here.

Finally, my wife bought me an awesome drafting table for $10 at a local thrift shop. I am very excited about it. I immediately had my entire 2k point force laid out, and still had plenty of room for painting and converting. So far, it has been a great week for hobbying.

Report from the Team Tourney

So, the Tournament didn't go so well.

First round was against a Space Wolf + Dark Angel list, loaded with Terminators all around. It was a kill point game. Our only AP2 was my Vindicator, which shot once. I think we ended that game with only 3 Blood Angel assault marines alive, and they were surrounded by Terminators.

Second game was against Tyranid + Dark Eldar, we put up a good fight, but didn't have the staying power to hold the 4 objectives. It ended with us not having much left on the board. We had a few good punches, but nothing to write home about.

We left before the third game. My wife wasn't feeling well, so I had to rush home, plus we were getting slaughtered so bad that my teammate didn't mind us stepping out.

Now that all that is behind me it is time to look towards the team tournament in May with my brother-in-law's Orks. I have my list built, Imperial Guard this time, and I have 8 weeks to paint up 6 units. Week one starts today, and I will be working on my Hellhound.

It was an old nasty chimera I picked up from Barter Town, and as of this afternoon it has been stripped and primed. I had to convert the turret, of course, and I've converted a hull-mounted multi-melta. I'll have pictures up later in the week.