Regiments of the B&C - Big Guns Never Tire

[Brother Handro]

Thanks all!  It's just the standard method of lens painting, and a gloss coat. I think the Sentinel searchlight, mounted sideways, is a much better scale for a Russ turret than what is provided.

 

I love tank stowage, but alas my stockpile decreases, what with GW helpfully not providing the extra sprue in the vehicle kits anymore...

 

I've realised I've forgotten to weather the actual gun barrels, but I guess they'd be changed out often enough, and hence look new.

 

Eager to see the final few completions!

[WarriorFish]

You mean this sprue? I'm hoping our last tanks come in ok, getting some painting done myself at the moment :)

[Brother Handro]

Yup. Only comes in the Basilisk kit now, I believe.

[WarriorFish]

I can't remember if it still does, as the Bassie got the "new" Chimera chassis? Fortunately I have plenty stored up I'm getting my Russ painted, I'll reach a good stopping point and work a bit more on the fluff. It's always risky doing evening painting as sometimes you look in the morning and find it wasn't quite as good a job as you thought :lol:

[elmo]

I got that sprue with my FW medusas so I am stocked up... Speaking of which, it will soon be time to start them :)

[Brother Handro]

It does come with one of the new Chimera sprues, namely the hull one, (obviously), but this lacks the hull-mounted weapon, so they give the entire accessory sprue as well. I assume this is why your Medusa got it too, elmo.

[WarriorFish]

Here I am with an update - just in time to get us back on topic

Pretty good progress for an bit of work over an evening, though I think the picture isn't that bad considering I should be able to get the tank finished tomorrow, along with finalising the write ups Oh, and finding the lascannon bit wherever I put that.

[scatmandoo]

Well done Commissar.

 

Keep up the good work mind, else you may have to use that pistol of yours on yourself!

[Chefzilla]

Any of you guys with extra tank bits sprues can send them my way.

[WarriorFish]

I will be doing some more painting tonight, with a bit of luck I'll finish it :)

[CoffeeGrunt]

Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado I present you with Armoured Unit: 341 "Last Resort."

 

Pictures:

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/coffeegrunt/WP_20150206_00_02_53_Pro.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/coffeegrunt/WP_20150206_00_03_04_Pro.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/coffeegrunt/WP_20150206_00_03_13_Pro.jpg

 

Vehicle Fluff:

</Open Appended: Data Missive> <Sender: Designate Honoured Fio’vre Sha’muy Ka’yen>

</Missive Relay Begins>

Armoured Unit designated: 341, Gue’la name “Last Resort,” is a Ryza-manufactured Leman Russ Executioner in service to the 4^th Tarosian Regiment, allies of the glorious Tau Empire. This unit was recovered from a battlefield with the 4312^th Cadian regiments deployed during the first, ‘Damocles Crusade,’ by Gue’la forces attempting to attack Dal’yth. Abandoned during their retreat, the vehicle was rounded up with several others, where it was subjected to non-destructive study in order to assess the capabilities and faults of the primitive yet surprisingly capable Gue’la fighting vehicles.

 

It was during this time that the first unexplained incidents occurred, (see attached Holodata file <413.INCIDENT09> for imagery of one such incident.) The machine exhibits eccentricities that cannot be accurately quantified in neither mechanical nor computational terms. Indeed, the governing intelligence of the tank is a disgusting design including the merging of a brain with the cybernetic framework. DNA tests confirm the flesh belongs to a Gue’la sub-genus.

 

After the loss of fourteen experienced Earth Caste staff to incidents including sudden internal plasma venting, sudden engine motion while operators were underneath the chassis, and most worryingly, unprompted weapons discharge, it was decided that the unit would be disassembled for scrap, the cost of new data being considered too high given the current mortality rates. Postulated causes are faulty plasma seals causing power supply fluctuations and accidental power bleed to deactivated areas, but this remains a hypothesis without confirmation.

 

The unit was thus shipped to the Tarosian band of planets, who, newly-liberated from Imperial rule, accepted the gifted tank into their regiments. Reports began to be filed that the tank’s <translation error: Unknown religious or spiritual signifier> “Machine Spirit” was angered and they had spent some time attempting to “placate” it. I personally am tired of dealing with the Gue’la’s superstitious tendencies long ago, and the concept of machines possessing souls to be appeased is more dishonestly primitive than the Kroot, and does great discredit to a reputedly galaxy-spanning species.

 

Still, I would like to investigate this artifact personally, as reports of the machine’s unusual faults and incidents pertaining to them have all but faded away since the Gue’la completed their “rites.” Perhaps there is some technical foundation to their superstition after all? 

 

Regimental Fluff:

“I care not what the Imperium wishes to think of us, for that realm has long since abandoned dignity for survival. Let us once more build without fear nor ignorance, the Tau are a means to this end, little more. We will first cast aside the yoke of Imperial rule, before we turn to casting aside the second yoke of our own fears and superstitions. Joni with us, fellow Men and Women, for the Tarosian Empire is mighty and prosperous.”

-Governor-Militant Xanthar Decanus, shortly after the failure of the Taros Campaign

 

The 4th Tarosian is one of many regiments in service to the Tarosian Empire. In the wake of the Taros Incident, during which Tau forces battled with an Imperial Crusade to reclaim the planet and the system it resides in, the people of Taros bought their independence in blood. Though the Tau value the region massively in a strategic sense, it has little value for settlement of colonists due to its currently arid climate and very small area of potential colonisation space. It was decided in the years since that Taros would be returned to its human population, and remain a human-held world, but a world held by humans who would cooperate with the Tau.

 

Taros' location to the Galactic North of the Tau Empire makes it an excellent, "buffer zone." The Tarosian armed forces are entirely independent of the Tau Empire in matters of local defence, such as fending off piratical raiders or small Ork hordes. However, this independence is still supplemented with an extensive Earth Caste program that aims to make Taros not only a mining powerhouse, but a production powerhouse as well. Vast arms factories were raised in the planetary capital Tarokeen, fueling a massive force of Fire Warrior-trained Gue’vesa that have spread out to hold a small cluster of local systems in a firm and steady grip. While the Tarosian Regiments are normally left to defend and expand their own borders with only advisory interference from the Tau, the Tau are always on standby to assist in matters of defence where an enemy presents a mutual and grave threat to the small empire's existence. The arrival of the Splinter Fleet Orochi was one such instance.

 

First engaged by the Air Caste vessels assigned for local defense around the Taros system, Hive Fleet Orochi was immediately recognised as a resurgent splinter of Hive Fleet Gorgon. Immediate aid was requested from the leadership on Taros, as the matter of defeating Orochi would be of grave concern to all those involved. The cordon of Air Caste vessels fought in retreat, making the small force of Tyranid vessels pay for each moon and planet they aimed to encircle.

 

It was on Taros Secundus that the Hive Fleet fell hardest, falling upon the first inhabited world in the system they had managed to break through to. The 4th Tarosian Regiment joined with elements of the local 11th Regiment, as landing ships ferried support from all other nearby forces. A literal line in the sand was drawn across the ash deserts of Taros Secundus, and the Regiment's mighty war machines formed the steel backbone of a stoic defense. The battle was fierce and brutal, with massive casualties mounting on either side. It was a few weeks since Hive Fleet Orochi entered the system, that the Tau Sept of Von'ta reached the system, their Hunter Cadre unleashing volleys of searing Ion fire that sent the Hive Fleet's vessels crashing to the ground. As the Hive Mind's control began to falter with the loss of the ships, hordes of loyal Kroot mercenaries were unleashed alongside precision strikes by Crisis Teams, to root out and massacre any creature that stalked the deserts, lest they entrench themselves in hiding for a new Hive Fleet to appear.

 

It was also during this time that the distrust in the Regiment towards Kroot was born, as in the aftermath of the battle, the Regiment counted its dead and began the burial rites.  A large discrepancy was noted, and though the Kroot and Tau assured the humans that it was more likely the missing dead had been devoured by the Tyranid menace, a few veterans of the Taros Campaign whispered among the man of tales of the Tallarn Regiments of the invading force during the Taros Campaign engaging the Kroot being torn to pieces and devoured by the avian creatures. As such, and to the dismay of some Water Caste ambassadors attempting to mediate peace, the Tarosian Regiments are loath to fight alongside Kroot mercenaries whenever their paths cross, and there are even reports of Kroot being shot down in friendly fire, "accidents."

 

However, despite this xenophobic distrust of their fellow Empire members, the humans of Taros still maintain firm political relations with the Empire at large, and thus are still working their way into the fold as a trusted member species. In battle their weapons' power dissuade any fears of their primitivism, and with the aid of the Earth Caste and salvage teams fighting Imperial forces, they are able to field greater and more potent weapons in each battlefield, all to crush their enemies in the name of both the Greater Good, and the Tarosian Empire.

[scatmandoo]

Love it Coffee. Great read up and tank looks good too.

[WarriorFish]

An excellent completion Coffee well done! :D You will soon be promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 and the entrants list has been updated to show this :tu:

[Chefzilla]

Coffeegrunt, that is an awesome looking tank! My favorite so far and I love the idea of Tau allies. I salute you.

 

Where did you get the ammo cans?

[WarriorFish]

Well, not my best work but I've still not sorted a daylight bulb yet but the most important thing is it is done!

Resting on paint pots as the track wash hasn't quite dried yet and I won't have time to complete tomorrow Here's demonstrating the magnets at work:

I'll have to get a better picture later, maybe after I've had the time to touch up bits I no doubt missed or buggered up in poor light

Here's the almost as hasty write ups:

Vehicle

"Fire!" Yuji bellowed over the din of battle, and the Vanquisher cannon dutifully roared sending an Ork walking contraption to the floor, gouts of flame spilling out like molten blood. Emperor's Judgement whirred to life as the turret started to turn to find the next victim, the driver adjusting the pivot to aid without needing instruction.
"Thrice damned greenskins, you think you can take us? This hill is ours you filth, come take it if you think you can!" Yuji shook a fist clenched so tight his knuckles were white, "Target that red one, bring it down!"
An almighty crack signalled another tank unleashing the Omnissiah's fury, Emperor's Beneficence's cannon reduced the red dreadnought into screaming pieces of metal flying into the xenos lines.
"Come, you curs! We'll kill you all! Is this all you can muster?"
A familiar clunking sound emanated from the turret, along with an equally familiar voice.
"Ready!" Constance shouted, as much for being part deaf as raising her voice above the battle.
"Now, we've got a bead on that transport - we can't let them reach our soldiers!"
Emperor's Judgement's cannon had sprung to life before Yuji had finished his sentence, the armoured vehicle obliterated and the shredded remains of its passengers flung into the air as Yuji cackled with unrestrained glee. Loud and bellicose, aggressive and some parts unhinged - there is no doubting the presence of an acolyte of the celebrated tank commander Britain. Where his tanks go victory is only a matter of how many enemies he grinds beneath his treads and under his guns before all is reduced to destruction. An effective, if extremely blunt tool in the 144th's arsenal.

Regiment

Commander C. Britain - lifetime subscriber to "How to kill xenos" - strode purposefully through the camp. Arrayed gloriously on each side was Leman Russ upon Leman Russ, turrets proudly aloft. The tanks were teeming with crew, all lovingly caring for their stead and giving thanks and offerings to their machine spirits. A few paces behind was Britain's assistant Al, carrying his belongings and Britain's personal banner - all except for his cherished artificer bolt pistol, castigatia, which never left his side.

To the higher echelons of the 144th Britain is almost a rogue element, with little regard for rules or regulations - something extremely odd to find in the regiment. Worse is his tenancy to reduce entire battlefields to flattened rubble as he attacks relentlessly against all odds (and sometimes reason). Yet they know talent when they saw it, and such talent has won so many victories many are seeing him as favoured by the Emperor. His ability to turn a battle from the cusp of defeat to a dramatic victory is nothing short of miraculous in the eyes of the common soldier, his banner said to imbue all who see it with courage befitting a Space Marine.

One by one the crews started to spot the (in)famous banner and began to call out and cheer his name, much to the discomfort of the nearby 144th infantry who found it most unbecoming.
"Anna, Uni - you keep that girl of your purring!" he called out, knowing that Emperor's Providence was particular about her engine blessings.
"Leona I expect you to lead the next charge, any less than three score confirmed kills and you'll be on latrine duty!" he roared with laughter, which was only met with more adulation.
With that Britain carried on towards the regimental command bunker, hand resting comfortably on castigatia's grip and his banner fluttering in the light wind to the cheers of the men and women under his command - entirely in no rush to answer his summons. Not a hero by any measure, but certainly a legend albeit by his own terms - coincidentally the only terms he ever accepts.

Special little treat in the regimental write up for those that can spot it, and what I'm planning to do for my Pask model

For those remaining you have less than 24 hours! The deadline for the completed tank picture is tomorrow at 20:00 GMT, make sure you don't miss it! Also please don't forget to let everyone know if you've updated you vow in a previous post so we can have a look and your status be updated correctly (looking at you, Jono!)

[scatmandoo]

Congratulations there leader. Glad to see the warp storms didn't delay your arrival.

Good looking tank and right up.

Is the mystery a banner holding pask?

 

Good luck to the rest! Keep up the work and you'll get over the finish line in time.

[Kierdale]

Good stuff, WarriorFish. :tu:

I look forward to seeing commander Britain!

[Grotsmasha]

OP updated with finished pics.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[Kierdale]

Nice work, Grotsmasha.

 

I've got to get some Sentinels...

[scatmandoo]

Well done indeed. Great looking sentinel and a great idea for mounting the missile launcher.

[WarriorFish]

Thanks guys, Pask will indeed be holding a banner but that's far from all he'll be doing Now I've had the chance to look at the tank in daylight it's not looking bad which is nice, just a few touch ups and it'll be ready for some weathering once I've experimented a little more on another, older tank to perfect my method

A fine completion from Jono, I like the spot light and weathering! I do love Sentinels - fortunately the all seeing eye of the commissariat spotted the completion already I'm very pleased with what everyone has done, the completions are rolling in. Look at the entrants table and see those lines of red links signalling glorious completions and promotions

So those few that remain, this is your last chance to join in the great crusade's victory! If at all possible please pull out all the stops to get at least the completed tank in before 20:00 GMT today! I will be busy the rest of today, so I will be processing dispatches tomorrow

[Kierdale]

I will be processing dispatches of failures, to the morgue tomorrow :)

:tu:

[Sviar]

Great work everybody. I regretfully don't have the time to read anything today,but after the hospital visit tomorrow I'll have all day.  

[WarriorFish]

That's it, Big Guns is over with a good completion rate! Well done everyone this was a good showing :D Weep for those who failed in their duty as their faith was lacking; for everyone else the glory of the presentation service awaits - including the two new ranks (though only one used so far!). We have four top ranks too which is good :)

 

I will be sorting our the awards ceremony soon, hopefully tomorrow :tu:

[Kierdale]

I received images (via PMs) from 6 members for the mosaic.

Any more?