Let’s dive in and see how our Wave 2 participants got on with their Month 2 entries!
| Number of models painted: | 20 | Number of points : | 1111 |
| Hours spent painting: | 30 | Crisis level (1-5): | 1 |
Jain Zar – The Storm of Silence: Battle Fortune, Bounding Leap, Distract, The Blade of Destruction [12 pts], The Mask of Jain Zar [20 pts], The Silent Death [25 pts] [189 pts]
Exarchs Laspistol, Power Axe [7 pts], Banshee Mask [12 pts], Disarm [5 pts], Sustain Attack [5 pts], [79 pts]:
Exarchs: Laspistol, Shuriken Pistol [3 pts], Fast Shot [25 pts], Web of Skulls [25 pts] [103 pts]
Dark Reaper Squad: 3x Dark Reaper [201 pts]
Guardian Squad]: 6x Guardian, Shuriken Catapult [18 pts], 2x Power Sword [6 pts], Shuriken Pistol [3 pts], [99 pts
Howling Banshee Squad: 4x Howling Banshee [108 pts]
Anti-Grav Platform Weapon: 2x Guardian, Lascannon [59 ptsEldar Falcon Grav Tank: Crystal Targeting Matrix [5 pts], Holo-Field [35 pts], Pulse Laser, Scatter Laser [35 pts], Twin-linked Shuriken Catapult [273 pts]
Month 2 is in the book! It started with most of the guardians being base coated already. The banner is something I wanted to match the cover of the Epic Eldar War Host. The platform was almost done as well but I wasn’t still unsure about the 2 guardians. In the end, I kept them and used that unit for 2 bingo objectives!
The intended goal was the guardians and the falcon. I added quickly the Banshees to the paint station but turned out it took a bit more time that I planned as I screwed up the base coat and went ith the wrong shade. I tied it up later but it’s not what the plan was. Anyway, they’re painted now. I did the same thing as with the Warp Spiders, prep 7 models and painted only 4 of them. I guess I’ll go back to them at some point in life.
The Falcon was a blast to paint, and I can’t wait to do the Fire Prism. I think I found a way to go around the yellow and will transfer the method once I tackle the jet bikes. Mixing a wet blending approach with the Contrast paints saved me time and a lot of hassle.
Dark Reapers were an easy way to get 300 pts added to the list, so I can be above 1000 pts!
Stress wise, it was okay, I painted less than the previous month due to work/kids/warm weather coming back but I maintained a healthy pace.
Wachtmeister: I’m not sure Julien needs the challenge being able to pump out a challenges worth of points every month, but I’m glad to have him here! If you think this is impressive you all should see how many times he posts “I should be painting Eldar” in our group chat while he is burning through dozens of other projects!
| Number of models painted: | 5 | Number of points : | 100 |
| Hours spent painting: | 37 | Crisis level (1-5): | 2 |
Attilan Rough Rider Squad, with Hunting Lances
In all the years of this challenge, I don’t think I’ve ever struggled as much with an entry, as I did with this one. They were literally a pain to paint. But that having been said, I really love the old Attilan Rough Riders, and I’m happy to finally add a full squad to my army. In my opinion these minis are peak 2nd edition and it just doesn’t get much better.
I knew I wanted to paint them like those seen in the 2nd edition codex, so I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about what to do which probably saved me a lot of time in the end. Even so it took me more time than expected to finish the 5 minis (10 if you’re counting the horses), and if nothing else I learned that I will never do another of these squads… or at least that’s what I tell myself.
I was both excited and nervous to do the banner for the unit. I’ve never really done much in that category, so I knew it would be a hard test considering my lack of experience and skill. Long story short, I failed. So for now I’ve got a print of the codex banner on the pole, and that’s about it. Some day in the future I might go back and do something proper, but that’s something for “Future Mørk” to worry about.
For the Emperor, Tallarn and the Screaming Camels.
Mørk
Wachtmeister: Considering I have a full troop of these guys to paint Mørk has made me nervous with how much difficulty he had with these guys! Still, I think they look terrific and the effort is well worth it! I’m also glad to know that I’m not the only one who makes things more difficult for “Future” me!
| Number of models painted: | 13 | Number of points : | 483pts |
| Hours spent painting: | 30-40 | Crisis level (1-5): | 2 |
Deathskulls Mob: 4 models, Heavy Bolter, Missile Launcher, Heavy Plasma, Nob with Power Sword and Plasma Gun, 130pts
Weirdboy: 3 models, 85pts
Stormboyz Korps: 3 models, 2 Chain Swords, Power Sword, 58pts
Tinboyz: 3 models, 210pts
This month I made an earlier start on my models to give me a more relaxing time to work on them. This also gave me the opportunity to work on some extra models. I added 3 more Stormboyz to the Korps I painted in last year’s 40k2ndAC, bringing the unit up to 10 strong. I also added in a unit of Tinboys who are just the best characatures. The Stunty and Panzee are both based off of Warren’s paint schemes. For the Beaky I went with a Blood Angel since any Marine armour on the Orks so far have been red. Naturally the boyz messed up and gave it both a Death Company and normal pads. It also got the blue helmate so all 3 would have colours tying them together.
Wachtmeister: Once again Georg presents some terrific models! Despite having similar colors they are still zany enough to look like proper Orks without having a uniform. I love that he is expanding his army from last years challenge, that’s part of what this whole crazy project is about!
| Number of models painted: | 4 | Number of points : | 244 |
| Hours spent painting: | 7 | Crisis level (1-5): | 4 |
4 Tyranid Warriors with Deathspitters. 244 points.
Welcome back, my beloved warrior strain! How are the symbiotic weapons coming along? Fusing with your personal biomass okay? Hmm, that looks infected, but let’s check that out later as we have a new brood to inspect…
This month, I have managed to get together some of the classic “Turkey Warriors” from the Rogue Trader era, alongside one rather short metal prototype warrior from Space Crusade which is pretty exciting! I’ve also gone for that old Advanced Space Crusade colour scheme, with all the primary colours and none of the subtlety XD
I’ve also fitted in that Aussie Aposematism here on the backs of the warriors with the patterning, having done some “clusters of drop bears” via the warrior’s chitinous armour XD You’ll need to check out my Instagram to check out all the extra pics – be prepared, once seen it cannot be unseen.
Till next time fellow organisms!
Tain
Wachtmeister: I’m not sure what’s scarier, Tyranids, or Australian wildlife but combining the two is absolutely horrifying! I love when people base their Tyranids on real animals, and Martin is knocking it out of the park!
| Number of models painted: | 5 | Number of points : | 135 points |
| Hours spent painting: | 6 | Crisis level (1-5): | 4 |
Howling Banshees, 5 models, no additional wargear, 246 points
This month was a definite struggle for me. I have noticed that sometimes when life gets very busy, the decisions needed on a busy model can be overwhelming, and I realized I just needed to switch gears to get something done. I ended up painting up 5 howling banshees to give myself a little more time to get Eldrad right. So even though I did not accomplish what I was planning, I am happy with the result.
Wachtmeister: The 40k 2nd Edition Challenge is definitely a marathon, not a sprint so slowing down to look at things from a different angle is well worth it. Eldrad is looking good, and having a head start on the next month is never a bad idea!
| Number of models painted: | 3 | Number of points : | 187 |
| Hours spent painting: | 14 | Crisis level (1-5): | 4 |
Ravenwing Bike Squadron, 3 Ravenwing Space Marines riding Space Marine bikes, power sword, plasma gun, meltagun, 187 points.
Another month of eBay rescues! These bikers were in really bad shape when I got them. I was able to pull some of the pieces apart and strip them, but for the most part I have just been painting over the top of the old black undercoat. I have only ever painted one 2nd Ed. Ravewing biker, which had a powerfist back in the day. I had big plans of making a whole squad, then 3rd Ed. rolled in and took away the assault weapon options. I loved painting these guys; the combination of red spot colour and the blue/grey highlights just screams 2nd Ed. Dark Angels to me. I started working on the banners and decals pretty late in the month and the nostalgia really hit me. I can remember struggling with that banner back in the day and the winged sword decals need to be trimmed close to the blade so that you can fit them on the forward wheel housing. I kinda wish I could go back in time and sit next to 16 year old Marc and give him some advice; he’d be thrilled I’m still painting these guys in 2026! As I was waiting for the decals to set I worked on a quick objective marker called “The Grave of the Unknown Rider”. I liked the idea of his raven companion dutifully holding on to the keys of his bike until the Chapter returns to recover his remains.
Wachtmeister: I remember attempting to paint a Ravenwing Chaplin back in the day and getting so frustrated with painting black. Seeing how great these have turned out, and knowing I’m much better at painting black these days, is really tempting me to give mine another go. I do have enough Ravenwing for a full challenge one day….
| Number of models painted: | 5 | Number of points : | 150 |
| Hours spent painting: | 32 | Crisis level (1-5): | 3 |
Tactical Squad (Combat Squad), 5, Bolter, Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, 150
This month I had to finish off the final unit in the Call of the Crown Warhammer Fantasy painting challenge, leaving me roughly half a month for my Cowabunga entry. Not the best starting position, but I figured five of the 2nd edition starter set monopose Tactical Marines would be fairly straightforward to paint. Turns out they took far longer than I had anticipated, and I had to paint right up to the deadline (hence crisis level 3 again)! Thankfully I had already worked out my colour scheme for the red armour (Nostalgia ’94 Blood Red with Blazing Orange and Fiery Orange highlights) in the previous month, so I could at least get stuck in right away. I turned to White Dwarf 166 (the release issue for 2nd edition) for inspiration, and I also looked at the colour pages in Codex: Angels of Death to make sure I got the company and squad markings right. I decided to go with the 2nd company (yellow blood drop on the right shoulder pad) and the 1st squad (black right kneepad with a white skull) for my Tactical Squad to get the iconic look I was after! These models, painted in the bright Blood Angels colour scheme and mounted on Goblin Green bases, really epitomizes 2nd edition for me! They are what immediately comes to mind when I think of early 90’s Warhammer 40,000, and I’m really stoked to finally have a small unit of them painted up!
Wachtmeister: Ted really nailed the 2nd Edition look on these iconic figures! They might not be the most thrilling looking figures but if you hail from 2nd Edition these mono pose marines painted in the colors of the 2nd Edition box set are just chefs kiss perfect!
| Number of models painted: | 4 | Number of points : | 274 |
| Hours spent painting: | 12 | Crisis level (1-5): | 3 |
Malek Ironclaw, The Rolling Guillotine. Among the ranks of the Iron Warriors, where attrition and siegecraft reign supreme, Malek Ironclaw is an anomaly—velocity weaponised. He commands The Iron Wing, a hand-picked cadre of bike-mounted warriors who embody a brutal evolution of Iron Warriors doctrine: the siege brought at full throttle. Malek does not wait for walls to fall. He ensures they are never manned. Under his command, raids are executed with machine precision. Vox arrays are silenced in the opening seconds. Supply convoys are annihilated in motion. Defensive lines collapse before they are even fully formed. The Iron Wing does not linger—they strike at the critical point, fracture it, and move on. At the forefront rides Malek himself, mounted upon the war-bike Ferrum Vindex. His power claw—Grief Render—has ended countless commanders in a single, high-speed pass. He hunts leadership with cold intent, tearing the head from the body of the enemy force before it can react. The Iron Wing follows in perfect discipline, engines howling like a storm of iron. There is no glory in their advance. No fury. No chaos. Only function. Only destruction. By the time the enemy understands the nature of the assault, Malek Ironclaw is already gone…….and their war is already lost.
Wachtmeister: I love how Shepherd is using bikes in his Iron Warriors. Often times those dour veterans of siege warfare don’t get the faster elements of war so it’s nice to see bikes painted in the Iron Warriors scheme. The fact that I’m planning a Horus Heresy army has nothing to do with this I’m sure!
| Number of models painted: | 8 | Number of points : | 233 |
| Hours spent painting: | ~50 | Crisis level (1-5): | 4 |
Painboy Miffbitz, 1 model, doc’s tools, 26 points
Mekaniak Tinwizza, 1 model, mekboy’s tools, 23 points
Deathskulls mob, 6 models, 2x heavy bolter, 2x autocannon, 2x lascannon, 184 points
This month I’ve added the essential painboy (Miffbitz) and mekaniak (Tinwizza) to my army, along with six heavy weapon wielding loota boyz.
Despite painting less models than last month, March’s batch felt much more time-intensive. Upon reflection, I made a couple of key mistakes.
First, I started with the characters, rather than the troops. Last month I did the boyz first, which meant that I knew exactly how much time I had left to work on the boss. This time around, I did the characters first, and ended up having to rush the boyz.
Second, I made the mistake of fully assembling the boys before painting. I knew that was going to be an issue when I put them together, but I wasn’t sure how else to do it given that I needed to do some sculpting on the arms/sleeves to get them to attach to the minis in the right place. Painting between the heads and the weapons was a real nightmare and I was worried I wasn’t going to make the deadline, which made the whole process more stressful than it needed to be.
Finally, I feel I should mention that I have had to completely change my painting schedule from my original plan. I’ve been trying to get enough models painted to participate in a 2nd Edition event, Only War, and have had to pivot to painting my most points heavy models first to achieve this.
Next on the paint table: dreadnoughts!
Wacthmeister: I love how vibrant Jon’s Orks are, they look like they would be right at home in a combined army with Georg’s from a few entries above. The blue’s look super sharp, and I really like the checks on the weapons. My son is trying to get some checks on his modern Orks, I’m going to have to make sure he sees these!
| Number of models painted: | 6 | Number of points : | 449 |
| Hours spent painting: | 20ish | Crisis level (1-5): | 2 |
Devastator Combat Squad with Veteran Sargeant, 5 models,1 x lascannon, 1 x missile launcher, 2 x bolters, bolt pistols, frag grenades, 1 x plasma pistol, 1 x power sword. 261pts.
Dreadnought, heavy plasma, assault cannon, 2 x storm bolters, 185pts
Similar entry this month as I my plan to do 10 marines in the first month and the techmarine and dread in the second month changed due to time constraints in month one.
Then a happy chance score, I found the lascannon for the marines in a random bits lot I’d bought for something else and realised I could now have a devastator squad using the combat squad rules!
The sergeant is one of the old drunk Christmas marines, also acquired randomly in a lot, he’s the one that triggered me collecting Dark Angels again, he’s been sitting waiting for some troops to lead for a few years now, so long he’s made it to veteran, laying down his pint for a plasma pistol.
I loved painting the dreadnought, one of the most nostalgic things and totally robocop!
Painting went well, pretty much the same as last month, lots of green. The main difference being more red – took me ages to decided what colour to paint the heavy weapons, in the end there was no decision, red of course.
Had fun painting another banner and some little details here and there, had a bloody nightmare with decals, nearly all of them split or folded and none of them are smoothly on.
No bonuses this month but I’m hoping to get one done next month which will be the bosses.
Good luck all, on to month 3!
Wachtmeister: I love the super dark green Justin is using for his Dark Angels, they have a nice Rogue Trader look to them. The red of course screams 2nd Edition, but screams it in a slightly more subtle way than the more bright red that M4cr0dutch uses. It’s been a great wave for mono pose starter set Space Marines too!
It’s been a great wave, I look forward to seeing wave 3 over on cowabungajournal.com next week!
-Wachtmeister
The Wachtmeister's Patrol 