Whether you met wave 1 of our competitors here or over on The Cowabunga Journal it’s time to meet Wave 2! Either way, let’s here directly from them!
Georg Malter
Back again for another 2nd ed army challenge. I must admit I think I’ve gotten hooked on these challenges. It is so awesome seeing everyone’s take on their armies and watching the progress. This year I am continuing with my 3d printed Trollet Orks. Although these are all modern models (the Dread was only sculpted a month or two ago) they really capture the flavour and essence of the goofy brutality of Rogue Trader and 2nded Orks. I never had the pleasure to play as Orks back in the day but games with or against them were always the most memorable, for all their crazy hijinks.
The core of this years pledge is the nice big block of Goffs and the sneaky Kommandos. I have some Deffskulls with regular heavy weapons that will join my Kustomkombi Deffskulls from last time, and a kickass Nob to lead them. Not to be left out are my Bad Moons. A heavy weapon toting squad of Meganobz to take advantage of their Targeters, a Weirdboy and his minderz, a Painboy, and a second ed style Dreadnought. Most of the Bad Moons I had hoped to do as extras in the previous army challenge but didn’t quite manage to make it in time. I am hoping to get a bunch of extras done as well this time, mostly some leftover models to bump squad sizes up to make them a little easier to use in other editions of Grimdark Future. Hopefully also some cool extras like Tin boyz, a Smasha Gun, and a Scorcha.
You can find more of my hobby goodness over on:
https://www.facebook.com/ThisWayMadnessLays
| Unit | Quantity | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Weirdboy with 2 minderz | 1 | 85 |
| Painboy | 1 | 19 |
| Blood Axe Kommando Kaptain with powerfist | 1 | 47 |
| Blood Axe Kommandos | 9 | 164 |
| Deffskulls | 4 | 130 |
| Goffs | 13 | 208 |
| Meganobz | 3 | 202 |
| Dreadnought | 1 | 145 |
Wachtmeister: I’m glad to see Georg back and I look forward to his wonderful take on the Trollet Orks. His super crisp and bright color scheme really scream 2nd Edition and will form quite the horde with last years showing! That dreadnought is gorgeous, I’m hoping to see some checker pattern like the old cardboard stand up has!
Alex Dingle
Well, here we are again! Having taken part in the last three (!) challenges, I’ve had the pleasure of putting together Imperial Guard, Ork, and Blood Angels armies in the 2nd-edition style I always dreamed of achieving growing up. Last year in particular was a chance to build and paint the army that first got me into Warhammer 40,000. With that box ticked, I found myself wondering where to turn next.
A quick look over my various projects revealed a very noticeable gap: another force that holds a special place in my hobby origins. Like many kids of my generation, HeroQuest and Space Crusade were my gateway games, quickly followed by Advanced Space Crusade. I was immediately hooked by the idea of invading a living alien ship, destroying biomorphs, and attempting to cripple a vast space-faring organism by targeting its Energy Cortex, Sensory Cluster—or Dermal Sphincter. Thus, the Tyranids were firmly established as the ultimate adversary.
The artwork in the Advanced Space Crusade rulebook only deepened that fascination, depicting these creatures as something straight out of a Giger nightmare. Combined with their gradual expansion in the pages of White Dwarf—especially the towering Carnifex—the Tyranids quickly became iconic.
So, after last year’s army of my youth, this year it’s time for their ultimate enemy: the Tyranids. At 1,000 points, a pure horde could mean painting hundreds of bugs, so I’ve chosen to mix things up with some Armourcast monstrous creatures to create a more balanced force. That said, I’ve still got a few extra bugs up my sleeve as potential bonus miniatures. My 1,000-point list therefore consists of the following five slices.
| Unit | Points |
|---|---|
| Hive Tyrant with Venom Cannon and Lash Whip | 213 |
| Carnifex | 199 |
| 2 Biovores | 40 |
| 2 Spore Mines | 20 |
| Exocrine | 165 |
| Malefactor | 80 |
| 6 Gargoyles | 96 |
| 16 Termagaunts (3 upgraded to Spike Rifles and 1 upgraded to Strangleweb) | 105 |
| 7 Hormagaunts | 84 |
| Total pledge | 1002 |
Wachtmeister: Well, I never expected the phrase “Dermal Sphincter” in the challenge, but knowing this group my lack of expectation does not equate to shock. Anyway, I look forward to seeing these big critters painted, I’m surprised they are so inexpensive points wise to the Carnifex!
Chrisb
AWAITING CHRISB
Julien Bouyer
One year, it’s been one Terran year, since Yralyth witnessed the growing force of the IX Legio gathering near the Maiden-World of Balenleth. What he thought at first were just the remnants from the Destruction of Baal by the Great Devourer largely grew out of proportion. 5 times more soldiers than he believed could gather in that secretive corner of space. He probed the stones for answers, but none came. He thought of parley, but the primitives only know war. He saw firsthand the Humans tearing themselves apart a time long passed that even them don’t recall the Heresy of the Favorite Son.
Yralyth would need observation econ of the Blood Angels. Rangers would be the best of gather information.
He could foresee the Mon’keigh detecting the scouts at some point; discreet support would be needed. The followers of the Scorpion should be the best suited against the armored humans.
Once the Scorpions strike, there is no coming back. A full assault would be preferred, and the Killing Blow is best served by the Scream. The temple of the Banshees answered favorably to the call. The Phoenix will march with us.
If Yralyth were to take the fight, he would need a squad of Guardians to support his task.
A final Blow would be primordial in securing the victory. The Dead would bring death to the Humans.
The protection of the Maiden-world would be achieved without the need to call for more eclectic parties…
| Unit | Points |
|---|---|
| Farseer Yralyth | 215 |
| 5 Scouts | 115 |
| 4 Striking Scorpions | 104 |
| Jain-Zar | 132 |
| 4 Banshees | 108 |
| 6 Guardians | 92 |
| Anti-Grav Weapon Platform | 55 |
| 5 Wraithguards | 175 |
K-Dog
I’ve recently started the (rather daunting) task of collecting and painting a 2nd ed Ork army. I’m generally a marines player, but I’ve always loved the Ork aesthetic and the craziness of the 2nd ed Ork rules. I recently made a friend who was just getting into 2nd ed 40K so now seemed like a good time to delve into a new army.
I’ve started painting up my 2nd ed boxed set Goff orks and few bikes and a Dread, so this painting comp will hopefully get me through the bulk of my 1500pt force that I have so far.
My list is as follows:
| Unit | Points |
|---|---|
| Wartrak | 80 |
| Bad Moon Nobz mob in mega armour | 485 |
| Blood axe Kommandos + Painboy and Mekaniak with Shokk attack gun | 205 |
| 2 x squads of Gretchin | 100 |
| Gaz + Makari | 215 |
Total = 1085pts.
I added the painboy and shokk attack gun into the Kommandos squad as the blood axes should be pretty quick and easy. Planning on a custom base for the Mekaniak but I’ll see how I go. I want to handpaint the banners for everything as well so that should be interesting! The gretchin are the ones I most worried about as I’m not a super fast painter, but they’re small and they’ll be Goffs so it should work out pretty well.
Overall looking forward to getting it all done!
cheers,
Karl (K-Dog)
Wachtmeister: Welcome to the madness K-Dog! The Gretchin can be daunting but as they are small and mono-pose they should go by pretty fast. I’m wondering if they go fast enough if we might see some of those just off camera reinforcements get painted too!
Adrian Bell
I have been hanging around like a bad smell since the beginning with currently 1 mulligan in all the previous challenges, I think I am a reliable bet to finish. I intend to bring a tyranid army this time, re-sparking my first ever army which I started in 1991 and abandoned in early second edition (for the easy temptation of space marines and orks).
The army has quite a lot of fan casts from hybrid miniatures (as did my previous challenge) and I’m still trying to figure out if I’ll field squigs as ripper swarms or just add them to bases etc around the army (probably the later).
Thank you as always for the opportunity to enter the challenge. The previous year I hit a bit of a slump in my motivation but it is way up there again this year.
Not 100 percent set on the scheme yet, but likely to be light yellowish browns like the example from the rogue trader rulebook and I may do carapaces as maybe dark greens. Still with a bright second ed look, but not the standard bright and bone colour scheme.
| Unit Type | Model Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Hive Tyrant | Venom Cannon, 2 Boneswords | 216 |
| Carnifex | 199 | |
| 3 Tyranid Warriors | 165 | |
| 8 Termagants | with fleshboarers | 48 |
| 3 Tyranid Warriors | 165 | |
| 9 Termagants | with fleshboarers | 63 |
| 9 Termagants | with spike rifles | 72 |
| 6 Termagants | 6 with stranglewebs | 72 |
| Total | 1018 |
Bonus: Oversized hybrid miniatures Carnifex
Wachtmeister: This is going to be one heavy army, I hope Adrian doesn’t have to transport it far! Adrian has been kicking himself for that mulligan, but one in six challenges is pretty darn good, and I’m glad he’s feeling back in it. I can’t wait to see these awesome Hybrid Miniatures painted up, and am really hopeful the Carnifex will see the light of day!
Jon
For me, Warhammer 40,000 is—and always has been—2nd Edition. I was 13 in 1993 when it launched, and I played religiously until 1998, when 3rd Edition arrived just as I turned 18. That was also when I moved out of home and into what became a 20-year hiatus from miniature wargaming. Life moved on, but I’ve always remained nostalgic for long days at a friend’s house, eating pizza and pushing brightly painted miniatures around a lurid green felt mat. I’ve never felt much pull toward later editions of 40k, but revisiting my childhood through 2nd Edition has always appealed.
In recent years I’ve been collecting Rogue Trader and 2nd Edition Orks, though I’ve painted very few. This challenge is my chance to finally make progress on my Deathskulls force. So far, the army consists of 40 painted gretchin and most of an ork dreadnought. Over the next six months, my aim is to paint enough characters and boyz to form the core of a functional 2nd Edition ork army and, ideally, get some games in along the way.
To add points and break up the monotony of infantry, I’ve included two dreadnoughts and two squig katapults. All models are from the RT/2nd Edition era, with the exception of my warboss from Knightmare Miniatures—sculpted by Kev Adams, which feels suitably authentic. To avoid remortgaging my house, I’m using 3D-printed arms and weapons in place of the original plastic parts.
This is a lot of painting by my standards, but enthusiasm should carry me through. As an extra challenge, I’m aiming to hand-paint banners for every character and each dreadnought.
| Unit | Points |
|---|---|
| Warboss | 65 |
| Battle Standard (Ork) | 50 |
| Nob | 16 |
| Mekaniak | 18 |
| Painboy | 18 |
| Runtherd | 18 |
| 10 Deathskulls Mob | 130 |
| 10 Deathskulls Mob | 130 |
| 6 Deathskulls Mob | 184 |
| 2 Ork Dreadnoughts | 290 |
| 2 Squig Katapults | 80 |
| Total | 999 |
Monthly Breakdown
Block 1
- Warboss
- Battle Standard (Ork)
- Deathskulls Mob
Total: 193
Block 2
- Mekaniak
- Deathskulls Mob
Total: 201
Block 3
- Painboy
- Deathskulls Mob
Total: 201
Block 4
- Runtherd
- Ork Dreadnought
- Squig Katapult
Total: 203
Block 5
- Nob
- Ork Dreadnought
- Squig Katapult
Total: 201
Wachtmeister: Using 3D printed arms to rescue the metal torsos is a terrific use of our existing technology in keeping our figures alive and ready to use! I also have fond memories of sitting around eating pizza and playing games with friends, I’m hopeful Jon will be able to relieve that experience in six months!
Ted Gunnarson
Hello fellow Cowabungites! Great to hear that Dr. The Viking has returned to the challenge.
Ted from Sweden here. I previously took part in Cowabunga III, IV, and VI with my Chaos army, and in the most recent challenge I painted a force of Slaanesh and Nurgle allies for my Night Lords.
For Cowabunga VII, I want to mix things up by painting a small Blood Angels force, giving my Chaos Space Marines a worthy opponent. Blood Angels are the quintessential 2nd edition Space Marine chapter, and I think their bright red armour will look fantastic clashing with the midnight blue of the Night Lords. With two painted forces, I’m also hoping to tempt an unsuspecting relative into trying 2nd edition—fingers crossed.
My collection includes two squads and several characters. Leading the force is a Terminator Captain with power sword and storm bolter. Although technically a 3rd edition model, he fits the 2nd edition aesthetic nicely. Supporting him is a classic 2nd edition Company Standard bearer with a blood drop and wings atop the banner, armed with a power fist and bolt pistol. The Techmarine and Apothecary come from the Command Squad released at the very end of 2nd edition; while edging into early 3rd edition design, they should blend in perfectly. The Apothecary wields a chainsword, and the Techmarine carries a power axe.
For troops, I have the iconic plastic Tactical Marines from the 2nd edition starter set, which I’ll split into two five-man squads and strip before repainting. Rounding things out is a Terminator Squad made from a mix of metal and plastic parts, including an assault cannon and a sergeant with a power sword.
I’ve also picked up Warcolours’ Nostalgia ’94 paint range and plan to recreate the classic GW Studio Blood Angels scheme as closely as possible.
The List
| Characters | Points |
|---|---|
| Captain in Terminator Armour (Storm Bolter, Power Sword) | 125 |
| Company Standard (Bolt Pistol, Power Fist) | 67 |
| Techmarine (Bolt Pistol, Power Axe, Servo-Arm) | 52 |
| Apothecary (Bolt Pistol, Chainsword, Medi-Pack) | 44 |
| Squads | Points |
|---|---|
| Tactical Squad (Veteran Sergeant with Chainsword & Bolt Pistol, Missile Launcher, Flamer) | 363 |
| Terminator Squad (1xStorm Bolter & Power Sword, 1xAssault Cannon & Chain Fist, 3xStorm Bolter & Power Fist) | 354 |
| – | Total Points |
|---|---|
| 1005 |
Slices
- 1: Terminator Captain and Company Standard
- 2: Tactical Combat Squad 1
- 3. Tactical Combat Squad 2
- 4. Techmarine and Apothecary
- 5. Terminator Squad
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oddgits.hut
Cowabunga!
Wachtmeister: I think the 3rd Edition characters Ted is including fit the 2nd Edition feel perfectly and with his use of the Warcolours Nostalgia range they will look right at home in the brightly colored past of the far future of 2nd Edition!
Richard
Dear ‘Dr. The Viking’ and Team!
Hello again, its been a few years but id like to try my hand at the 40k 2nd Edition Army Challenge again please.
Previously I completed 1000pts of Blood Angels, and i want to get that to 2000 by completing a few extra units. Not the most exciting selection i’m afraid, but these are units ive had a long time that deserve some fresh paint on them.
I hope to add additional items over the challenge, Baal Predator anyone?, but I wanted to commit to infantry only as my core pledge and stretch for extra exciting bits where I can to get some bingo points!
My previous efforts are on the blog I created and my instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/thetalldwarf/
https://secondwarforarmageddon.blogspot.com/
Thanks for your consideration
Richard 🙂
My army list and proposed schedule is as follows;
| Part | Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | 230 pts | Tactical Combat Squad, chainsword and meltagun; Company Standard with Power Fist |
| Part 2 | 216 pts | Assault Combat Squad with mixed loadout |
| Part 3 | 165 pts | Tactical Combat Squad with heavy bolter |
| Part 4 | 198 pts | Assault Combat Squad with mixed loadout |
| Part 5 | 235 pts | Devastator Combat Squad with Lascannon and Plasma Cannon |
| Part 6 | ??? | TBD |
| Total | 1044 pts |
Tycho
Wachtmeister: Not everything needs to be tanks, dreadnaughts, or vehicles to be exciting, the not so humble Space Marine is the backbone of any army so I’m glad to see Richard working on more than a few of them for this challenge!
Tom Reynolds
I’ve done some stock taking from my pile of potential, cross referenced it with the Ork Codex and here’s my offering for the latest version of the 40k 2nd Edition Army Challenge. This will be an Ork force made up mainly of Blood Axe and Snakebite clans.
I’ve completed four of these challenges in the past, but this one is possibly going to be the hardest – this will be the largest number of minis I’ve attempted, there are no vehicles and four whole bases of snotlings!!!
The army list is a follows;
| Unit Type | Composition | Special Weapons | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snakebite Mob | Nob and 5 boyz | Nob with plasma pistol and power axe | 92 |
| Snakebite Mob | Nob and 9 boyz (mounted on boars & cyboars) | Nob with plasma pistol and power axe, boyz with bolt pistols, mix of power axes and chainswords | 258 |
| Blood Axe Mob | Nob and 8 boyz | Nob with bolt pistol and chainsword, boyz with bolters, melta gun & autocannon | 147 |
| Blood Axe Kommando Mob | Kaptin and 5 boyz | Kaptin with bolt pistol and power axe, boyz with bolt pistols and power axes | 154 |
| Kaptin Badrukk & Freebooterz Mob | 5 Flash Gitz | Flash Gitz armed with kustom shootas and a custom blasta | 270 |
| Runtherd | – | – | 18 |
| Snotling Herd | (four bases) | – | 20 |
| Painboy | – | – | 18 |
| Mek with Shokk Attack Gun | – | – | 43 |
| Total | – | – | 1013 |
Wachtmeister: Planning on finishing the whole challenge in half the time sounds like it could be a tall order, especially since this is the largest challenge Tom has submitted. Tom has consistently produced the sharpest looking paint jobs in the challenges and I know he’s going to knock these Orks out of the park, along with whatever bonus entries he ends up needing to do!
Justin
I’m Justin from the UK. I’ve been back in the hobby for about 5 years with no desire to leave it again.
I took part for the first time last year, it was a great experience and I’m keen to have another go.
It’ll be my ultimate nostalgia project so far of trying to recreate my Dark Angels army from back in the day that is sadly long lost. There’s still plenty of other miniatures to get but it’s a good start.
I’ll be creating it from the black codex as I’d stopped playing just before Angels Of Death came out – not sure there is a huge difference but it’s added nostalgia for me.
For more added nostalgia I’ll be using a Space Crusade dreadnought, as that was my gateway game and they’re just so good.
The Predator Annihilator is the odd one out as these weren’t released at the time but it was a decent price so I couldn’t resist. I was considering keeping it as a Rhino but the firepower is too tempting, plus it’s a bit like the Leman Russ I did have at the time.
The Terminators are a mix of load outs, I don’t know if this is tactically wise but this is what I did back then. Just went with models that I thought looked cool (still do). If I recall I had a cyclone and an assault cannon in one unit, not legal but we didn’t care too much about that!
I’ve included both here to give options for different games. They’ll be led by a captain.
The list –
| Unit | Equipment | Points |
|---|---|---|
| General CC Ether | Displacer field, Power sword, Plasma gun | 128 |
| Codicer Farowt | Terminator armour, Force sword | 141 |
| Terminator Captain ‘Jonesy’ | Storm bolter, Power fist | 139 |
| Techmarine | Power axe, Bolt pistol, Conversion field | 58 |
| Terminator squad x 5 | 425 | |
| Tactical squad x 10 | 356 | |
| Dreadnought | (worked out using dark millennium) | 188 |
| Predator Annihilator | 210 | |
| Total | 1645 |
Wachtmeister: The Black Codex? Maddix will never let me hear the end of this…. Welcome to the challenge Justin, pay no attention to Maddix, he’ll have you following Malal in no time. I’m hoping Justin is doing the 2nd Edition Green instead of earlier black, Maddix is already way too interested!
Check back here next week for Wave 3!
-Wachtmeister
The Wachtmeister's Patrol 