Welcome to Wave 2 of the 40k 2nd Edition Challenge Mark V – Month 3! As always we have some really great entries for you. We had our first contestant to be knocked out and be given the dreaded Sanction Redactus by the Inquisition, one mulligan, and two contestants get really, really close to their mulligans as well. It was shaky but we are persevering!

After the abject failure of February, March was decidedly touch and go. I went with a fairly light approach for this entry of just getting my Farseer done. I’ve always been a fan of this model and I personally don’t think it’s been beaten by any others GW have made. I carried on the theme of purple robes for my seers, but went with a blank white helm instead of the yellow I used on my warlock. I might go back and paint the lenses later, but for now I like the look.

Wachtmeister: I think this is one of the greatest Farseer models Games Workshop has every made.  I’m super happy Rat Lord shared his version.  The all white helmet looks quite haunting and very “other worldly.”  Welcome back after last month Rat Lord!

For the second slice I wanted to go easy in order to have plenty of time for some bonus content, so I went with Redemptor Kyrinov. I was so confident that I even painted first a bonus model, a Sister Hospitaller from the third edition. Then I got distracted with real life and some LOTR dwarves and lost most of my painting time, up to the point of almost failing the challenge.

Thankfully that would not be the case, but any other bonus must be postponed to only God knows when, so this month I come here with only the two aforementioned models. The Hospitaler has been a thorn in my side for years and this is actually her third paintjob and the only complete one at that. I am not completely satisfied with it but, honestly, I am glad she is finished. She will be played as a priest with carapace armour and the medicus ministorum relic, which I think fits the model perfectly.

Kyrinov has been far more pleasant to paint, even if I had to cut corners and have him less decorated as I originally intended. On the other hand the colour scheme is beautiful to look at and it fits nicely with my other models from the Ecclesiarchy. As one can imagine, he is going to be played as himself.

To summarize this second slice:

– Redemptor Kyrinov, full equip: 88 points.

– Sister Hospitaller (carapace armour, medicus ministorum, laspistol, chainsword): 34 points.

Total: 122 points.

Well, it is truly down to the wire this month, but with fifteen minutes to go, Month 03 is in the bag!

Just two models this month, but what models they are! The hugger, the lover, the classic Screamer-Killer. Despite his recent 10th edition reboot, no Carnifex is better than these 2nd Edition beauties.

I had a lot of fun painting these two crab-clawed kings. It was encouraging to see how the paint scheme transferred on to larger models after the smaller termagants and gargoyles of the last two months. There was a little bit of blue-tac/greenstuff work to get the claws to fit properly and I printed new bases to fit the updated 10th edition base size, as that is what these two will be used for primarily. To that end – giant, foam tactical rocks! I needed to add some height. I’m not totally sold on how square/simple the bases turned out and might go for something more dynamic later with some more pink foam and modgepodge, but, for the moment, I’m more than satisfied with these guys.

Till next month – can’t believe it’s half over!

Month 03 – Screamer Killers x2 – 398 pts.

Wachtmeister: Even when TJM is taking an “easy” month he goes all out.  Two Screamer Killers is no easy feat!  TJM really took the tactical rock trend to new heights with these guys!  He is right, they are the best version of the carnifex, although I do really like the 10^th edition homage.  Once again a terrific job!

Points this month: 11
Model Count this month: 1
Say something about this months entry:
Not much of an accomplishment this month – a single model that wasn’t even in the original pledge. I’ll be using this Ghost Warrior as a leader for a Guardian squad.

 Wachtmeister: Onze managed to stave off a mulligan with this cool little dude.  An unexpected bonus model as a leader of a guardian squad, this Rogue Trader guy mini really pops in Onzes bright color scheme!  Looks like Onze finally has some range to support his Dreadnoughts!

This month I completed the first of my Armorcast figures, an Exocrine gunbeast. This was a model I always wanted to get my hands on back in the 90’s. It shows up in two classic artworks that I know of, including the Tyranid swarm artwork by John Blanche (page 10 of the Tyranid Codex). It really is a beast of a thing and took a heck of a lot of painting. Like a Spore Mine, the Exocrine’s Bio-Cannon is a real bane for enemy armour. With its powerful penetrating ability (4d6 + 8!), it is a threat to heavy tanks, with the Slime Fungus continuing to cause damage long after the initial hit. It seemed appropriate to back the Exocrine up with a pair of Biovores, which is the maximum allowed for a 1500 point list. At only 20 points each, they rarely fail to earn their points back in a game. I will be painting some Spore Mines, which need to be purchased separately, later in the challenge.

Total points: 205

Wachtmeister: As always M4crDutch knocked it out of the park this month.  I wouldn’t want to face that firepower, and the Exocrine looks so good I’d almost feel bad killing it. Almost. 

This month almost force me to take a mulligan with finishing up school but I managed to finish off a Predator tank.  I had planned on finishing two, they were both started and brought up to good enough for a convention game last October, along with a Techmarine but it wasn’t to be.  Still, I managed to knock out a bonus month early and saved my mulligan.  I’m hoping I can still finish the second Rogue Trade Predator, the Techmarine and some Imperial Guard (I’ve painted at least some Imperial Guard every challenge so far) but time will tell!

1 Model, 180 points

Wachtmeister: Real life got in the way of Jon’s Waaaghhh so he used his first even mulligan.  Five challenges in that’s pretty impressive!

Wachtmeister: Unfortunately Peter is our first casualty of the challenge.  I hope he gets the time to finish the Ultramarines he started, they really have promise!

I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with next month, until then!

-Wachtmeister

PS I really need a better sign off.  Until then?  Until then what?