Friday 12 February 2016

From DavidB - The Tanith First and Only (105 points)

Sequoia scouts from earlier in the competition to show how much fun I've been having with DG kit.
This will be an experience, as I am not currently home. I WAS supposed to be on vacation, but some details due to weather and employment has me elsewhere this evening. Since everyone else who had vacation did huge point bombs...I had to at least get one in for the week!

I took these Wed when we were getting pasted with snow and they seemed to be yellowed a touch. But since home is across the state, they will do for now! ;)

These fellows are a security force from the water logged world Aleutia. It is mostly water and boggy land with a climate similar to the Pacific Northwest. With volcanic activity and an otter-like indigenous population, it has little value save for rare earth minerals. The fellows above are charged with protecting employees and equipment of the mining corporation exploiting the mineral rights. With the native population, environmental radicals, foreign intrigue,  shoddy equipment, and substandard wages...it gets a little rough at times.

These are the latest fireteam for the Scifi skirmish I play with my kids. I used Games Workshop, Warlord Games and other bits to alter the original Defiance Games kit. I rather like the hard hat vibe of the Bretonian helmets to reinforce they are miners...we'll at least the security for!

I also painted up my modest collection of the Tanith "First and Only"! I don't read much beyond current affairs and history anymore, but I still make time for Dan Abnett and his scifi military fiction. The Tanith were being raised as their first Imperial Guard Regiment when Chaos forces destroyed their forest world.

Col-Commissar Gaunt was only able to save the light infantry and the rest perished with their world. They are expert light infantry and never quit. The are filled with sneaky stalkers and crack marksman who are always ready to go to " Straight Silver" as last resort. 


Doctor Dorden fills the command squad and will have a better bedside manner than the Catachan medic! 


Colm Corbec is the XO of the Tanith Ghosts. He helped Gaunt find his way with the men, most of whom blamed him for the fall of Tanith.

Milo is the troops mascot and survived Tanith by being assigned to play the Tanith Pipes for Gaunt. The men think of him as a good luck token. Besides the plasma gunner, Mad Larkin the sniper fills the squad. Larkin is quite mad and only believes what he can see through his rifle scope. He has ended many enemies with his long-Las rifle.

I like the mixture of troops, but GW didn't see fit to include a flamer nor tread fether with the Tanith. Feth and Gakking are two favorite epitaphs of the Tanith. I also can't seem to find Gaunt anywhere...perhaps he is lurking with the rest of Tanith someplace.

PS: The Grass Snakes are presently 1-0 as Orks didn't really do that good in the jungle. It went pretty bad for the Orks. The Badger, the Lurker, and Lt Millsy all survived, with Lt Millsy being responsibile for the new clearing left by a vortex grenade which took out a mega-nobz squad.  I'm told they must now defend an Urban Jungle from Orks next...
Well David, even with travel and weather, you still find another 105 points to toss on the pile! Very impressive.  Again, your conversions are entertaining and very well done.  A wide variety of parts that I would have never considered combining myself.  I can imagine them unloading all available ordnance on the radicals and foreign trouble-makers.  Well done!

And it's very neat to see some Tanith First and Only painted up.  I have never read those particular books, but I am a huge fan of Dan Abnett and the way he brings the 40k setting alive.  Very cool to see these Tanith troops, and I hope they can join the Catachans in their purging efforts against the Orks!

24 comments:

  1. A jolly entertaining entry David. The Bretonnian "miner's helmets" are pure genius!

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    1. Thanks, Millsy, but your countryman Dave Taylor gets the honors for the initial Bretonian head use in scifi. He mad a great looking force of WW1 inspired troops and raided all sorts of Bretonian bits for them....I'd really like to make or aquire his Earth-shaker battery. They are truly impressive!

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  2. Indeed that conversion is what makes this hobby so cool: you see some parts you like and keep them in mind and when needed you can than make a very nice figure out of it! Great, I love the Thanith series as well.

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    1. Thanks, Sander! My personal favorite is the fellow with the tommy-gun his stance just screams" Get off my lawn!"

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  3. What an excellent bunch of troops. very full of character. And the Bretonnian helmets get another lease of life.

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    1. Thanks, Clint! My box-of-reclamation just seems to keep growing. I could probably muster a squad out of it without opening another mini package. ;)

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  4. Excellent stuff! I'm a huge fan of the Gaunts Ghosts novels which manage to feel like military fiction given its normally humans fighting evil humans instead if the myriad of aliens. The home brew sci-fi chaps are great too, those bretonnian heads are ace.

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    1. Thanks, Jamie! The Ghosts are my favorite unit for just those reasons...and they never quit. ;)

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  5. Love the Ghosts and the books, cracking work!

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    1. Thank you, Fran! I know Gaunt is here somewhere. I distinctly remember how hard his sword was to glue on!

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    1. I always try to build a few as the standard kit, but then I just have to tinker with the rest! ;)

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  7. Ace work! Love the conversions you did on the miners security detachement.

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  8. Very nice, not good losing out on vacation time

    Ian

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    1. Thanks, Ian! Just a hazard of working in my occupation...it's that whole minimum staffing requirements. At least I will get my days back for possible use later on this year. ;)

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  9. Thanks, Moiterei! These are the first using Bolt Action bits. I have another set using Perry ACW Zouave bits because Fez in space aren't just cool, they are Ultra-Cool!

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  10. Great work, David - but now I really want to see some IG with fezzes!

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    1. Thank you, Evan! I have one more fireteam of DG minis coming up. I will do a group shot of all the teams I have finished...including the Fez troops! ;)

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  11. Nice work. The books for Gaunts Ghosts are a great series. I haven't read one for a long time though. chers

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    1. Thank you! I am a fan of Abnett's work, but mostly it's how his characters can fit in any time/war and even side. Hardwired is another good one that is about a future investigative reporter. I haven't found any of his stories to be lacking.

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