Friday 22 January 2016

From DavidB - Catachan GrassSnakes, 1st Platoon (205 Points)

Finished the 3rd troop selection for the Catachan Grass Snakes. I only have a few more bits and pieces to paint for them now. Probably one of the perverse joys I get from 40k is playing imperial guard where a command squad and two or more squads of 10 troops takes one slot of troops on the force org. Granted the lasguns are just a touch more lethal than a flashlight; yet, these 41 troops occupy a slot of 10 marines. Being numerous and Deathworld Vets, they are not going to be easy to shift either! ;)

Above is 2nd squad 1st platoon, a standard vet Sgt leads a squad with a heavy flamer, flamer, and com-link. Due too my predictably unpredictable photography, 1st squad which has a similar load out save for a chain sword wielding Sgt has been lost to the camera gods.

3rd platoon has a standard vet Sgt, flamer, com-link, and a tread-fether.  I refuse to call it a missile launcher as it has the word MISS in it! Rocket launcher could work as a title, but Dan Abbnet's "tread-fether" has more charm.

4th squad has yet another bog standard vet Sgt, a flamer, and another tread-fether. They do not have a com-link....yet. I do have several in my box of reclamation that I can paint up and attach to some troops. I may wait till later as I really should see just how many points I have collected for this force.

Above are just a few of the more characterful models I made using bits from the command squad and weapon squad sprues. The lasgun camouflaged in leafy fronds, the kneeling legs, guardsman head with the flying bandanna, and the backpack all came from those sprues. I like the pairing of the head with the running legs as he has better movement. I also like the silhouette breaking lasgun and backpack as they really help bring stealthy jungle fighter theme to the force. The kneeling Commo troop has a catachan long tooth"knife" on his back in addition to the radio. He was going to be Commo for the Catachan Devils squad, but apparently, they are far too tough to be allowed radios. Still, according to fluff it is a "just" a knife, 3-4foot long with a hollow core filled with mercury to help with the downswing. Knife fighting via Catachan rules! :)

I just have the heavy choices, another fast attack choice, the command squad, and some extra Catachans to paint yet. Being Deathworld Vets, the squads do not have to be at full strength since they operate for long periods without supply. The extra troops will let me adjust the platoon strength to represent below strength squads.

41 Catachan troops...the photo shy PL and 1st squad did make it in the above picture!

We had several frozen days of sub zero since last posting and I was dong a lot of work outside for my job. A coworker who I saved from going outside bought me the above books from a Goodwill Store for a dollar apiece. I'm now going to have a nice gourmet coffee, put on some warm socks, and enjoy a bit of reading before I dive back in the jungle!

Is Catachan blindness a thing from the 40k rule books? I've seen so many of these little buggers in the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge I think I'm experiencing symptoms!  Great work on all of these guys - the size of this force continues to expand in leaps and bounds. It's a good thing that you appreciate the "quality of quantity" aspect of playing the Imperial Guardsmen in the 40k rules, as goodness knows they die by the boatload on every turn.  I have never tried the "death world vets" angle, however, and that certainly sounds cool.

And clearly I need to hit the Goodwill store fore books! What an awesome score! Well done David - we look forward to more next week.  That will be another 205 points for you today...

26 comments:

  1. More nice Catachans David :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent work - enjoy the coffee and Osprey's!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Getting ready to that now! Skis stowed and kids winding down...;)

      Delete
  3. Awesome work David! (AND a brilliant score on those books!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Curt! I suppose having another book on the Peninsular War is another sign to get cracking on THAT project! ;)

      Delete
  4. Thank you, Greg! You ought to get a platoon to serve as LRPs for your VTOL force, Pathfinder for the hammer! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations David!
    quality of painting work and vast quantity of figures submitted, welcome to the Jungle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I am still very deep in olive drab territory! ;)

      Delete
  6. A great lot of Bargains. $1 each. Fantastic I am a little bit jealous.

    I am loving all the catachan goodness. I am even looking on eBay at 40k figures myself now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks,Clint! The books were a very nice suprise
      I am approaching the finish line with the Catachans...At least until I too can score some more! ;)

      Delete
  7. Great stuff! Those catachans are properly dangerous looking. I also wholeheartedly approve of the use of the phrase "tread-fether"!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I hope to get them in a game soon.
      Tread-fether...has such a nice ring to it, doesn't it! ;)

      Delete
  8. Cracking painting work on those! Your Catachans clearly are a force to be reckoned with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! They are getting more toys very soon too! ;)

      Delete
  9. Very nice. One thing that has my head spinning about IG is their force org. I have an old codex that says 3 squads per platoon but I've seen up to five online. It's also maddening that the boxed forces only have two squads. Nice score on the books, if I had known they had stuff like this I would be in there more often.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks, Sean!
    The force org is maddening, it has bounced from 3-5 for a long time. 2 squads are the minimum per platoon. I like to use up to 4 in a platoon depending on the theme I'm creating. My platoons also iclude remnant squads where rules and them allows.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I thought that was an Osprey for Catachan! Nice work!

    ReplyDelete