
A journey back into 40k, and back in tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime!
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About the Project
Picture the scene. Its the early 90s and at a Games Day in Birmingham a young Hazyboy has just purchased the Space Marine boxed game and is sitting on the floor gazing in wonder at the contents. Like a chest of plastic treasure inside it was bursting with THREE tiny, tiny armies (Ork, Marine and Eldar) buildings and an actual Warlord titan! Now, I was involved in the hobby before this but 2nd edition Space Marine was the first time I can remember really playing a game properly and collecting proper armies with my mates. It was also when I first remember making scenery and creating boards beyond and bit of floor and some books! All was well and when the expansions (and Titan Legions) came along all was well in Hazyboys garden of gaming. So what happened? Well basically 3rd Edition came along. Initially I was was excited for its release and it was purchased as soon as it came out but to this day I still remember a sense of unfolding disappointment as to what the game now was. Blast markers, new base sizes, what was this nonsense? Now, with hindsight I was just naive and pissed that the game I had invested so much time into in had changed and like that the magic was gone. I didn't realise then that I had the choice of continuing with the version I enjoyed, like most people when they first get invested into a universe I just thought you had to play the 'new' version. The previous editions were consigned to the bin. Anyway, that was the last of Epic until a few weeks ago when during a random group chat with some pals the subject of Epic came up. Now that should have been the end of it but the very next day someone posted a pile of games for sale on Ebay and I spied a very familiar logo... Obviously this was a sign from the gaming God and a quick exchange later, id managed to snag it for a very reasonable price. When it arrived I was immediately transported back to those halcyon 90's days, the art, the simplicity, the humour, the tiny rhinos, it was all there in one massive nostalgia hit and I've been hooked again. So its time to break out the tiny armies, scour Ebay, the 3D print files and recreate the 90s!
Related Game: Warhammer 40,000
Related Company: Games Workshop
Related Genre: Science Fiction
This Project is Active
Who let the dogs out!!!!

All in all I’m pretty pleased with this one as a test model. There’s a little detailing I’d like to explore and also I’d like to try a brighter red as the one I used feels a little to dark for my liking. I’m trying to stick the the colours of the mighty Legio Metalica because, well why wouldn’t you and this doesn’t feel poppy enough.
Finally, the actual battle report!!
Apologies but this has taken a lot longer to pull together than I initially thought!
Please find below images and dispatches from the front lines.
As the smoke clears the 4th turn proved decisive. Key moment was the Rough Riders of the Kriezkurg going above and beyond all expectations (obviously heretics!) and smashing the right flank. This caused the Battle Company to test morale which in turn led to the Devastator detachment to abandon their position. Could have been avoided if I hadn’t been so blaise with my Company Commander earlier on and getting him instantly killed! Despite heroics from the Tactical and Scout detachments attempting a counter attack the damage was done. The breaking of the Company lost me a whole bunch of VPs and control of the battle. Still, lesson learned for the future. Now, just what was in that building that the Kreizkurg was so desperate to find…
A prelude to war...
At last, between me and my partner in Epic crime @anderssen we have enough forces for an actual game and so we thought what better way to kick off than with a battle report!
As this was the first time we will have played Epic in over 25 years we thought we’d get started with a small skirmish using what we had painted so far. We both had around 1500 points
I will be using the heroic Space Marines of the Warp Sharks whilst @anderssen will be using the probably heretical Imperial Guard of his very own 144th Kriezkurg.
These guys have tussled before albeit in 28mm and whilst trying to find names, colour schemes etc. i stumbled across an old file on my laptop with the details of a campaign i ran back in 2010.
It was set on the planet of Godwyns Hope and seeing it really made me want to to do something a little more narrative than just a straight up battle report. As we are treating this a little like a slow grow expanding our forces every month i thought a little background may help me to be a little more creative in the upcoming battles rather than just standard list building.
Governors Palace
Imperator City
Godwyns Hope
“Trust me dear boy when I tell you that this is the only way.”
“But Uncle, the whole regiment, it feels a little on the extreme”
“Nonsense! Extreme is when the regiment you spared turns traitor during battle and cowardly shoots a loyal regiment in the back. No boy, as soon as you have evidence of chaos in the ranks you must be ruthless. If a weed takes root in the garden, you don’t just pull it out, you salt the whole damn thing, burn a few mutants, and build a monastery on it. it’s your duty.”
“Oh, come now Uncle, it was but a minor infraction on a single soldier, we can’t even be sure if the trinket in question was a harmless souvenir let alone a blasphemous relic!”
“Listen to me, you are young, and this is all new to you. I have served the Imperium, untarnished may I add, for nearly 150 years and I know how these things work. Let me explain this to you. Say you do show leniency for this infraction. The priests and the Commissars do their diligence, burn a few ner do wells, restore order and off to another war they go. Grand! Bless be the agents of the Emperor, but, say by some chance they miss one soldier, just
one plain soldier amongst thousands who may have unwittingly come into possession of said beguiling amulet.
It could be that in the next warzone he visits he simply gets mowed down and the trinket in question gets trampled into the mud. It’s entirely possible, he is a guardsman after all, but say he survives that warzone, and the next, and the next and suddenly you have a grizzled veteran, burned by the fires of war with an ungodly voice in his head. He may even command warriors of his own and his dark influence spreads even further. This takes us back to that future battle I mentioned earlier, the one where this soldier’s humanity is finally stripped away and he and his acolytes finally answer the dark call and turn upon their loyal
allies, tearing them apart in an orgy of heretical destruction. Well, then my boy that’s when the questions will start.
How did this happen? how was a heretic missed? and most importantly who is at fault here? The Imperium may be all powerful but on the inside it’s a vicious nest of vipers constantly looking for scapegoats to blame and aid their own rise
to power. Slowly but surely, they will trace the lineage of heresy back to this very moment and before you know it, you’ll have been lobotomized and fitted out as a servitor before the hearing is over.
No boy, this is how it must be, to my knowledge the Imperium has never judged anyone for being too zealous.”
“Thank you, Uncle, for showing me the way, I must ask though how does one liquidate an entire regiment? we don’t have anywhere near the manpower for such an undertaking.”
“Your right boy we don’t, but remember we live in the most bountiful Empire the Galaxy has ever seen. Those same Inquisitors that could tear us down in the future could be our saviours now. Just get the word out and the Inquisition will come running with their torches and righteous sermons.”
‘But Uncle, what would I tell them that would bring them in such force?’
“Gods be damned nephew you need to start showing some initiative if you are going to rule this household one day. To get the Inquisition here, tell them what they want to HEAR! Damnit tell themthere’s a damn Leshen in the ranks if that’s what it takes!”
“But Uncle, what the hell is a Leshen?”
“I don’t know boy, nobody does. Just get the call out and get this problem off our hands as soon as
possible!”
“Yes Uncle, it will be done.”
Here’s a little of my opponents (@anderssen’s) work...
MISSION 1 – FIRST CONTACT
After being notified by the Inquisition of a possible taint to the 144th Kriezkurg regiment currently garrisoning the Planet of Godwyns Hope a small detachment of the Warp Sharks was sent in to investigate. Upon arrival there was no obvious strongpoint that the Imperial Guard were holding out in giving creedence to the theory that the regiment had indeed gone rogue and scattered its forces across the planet.
After a few days Warp Shark scouts detected a small column of guardsmen and racing towards one of the smaller cities circling the capitol. The column was moving fast, obviously hoping that speed would be the key to survival. Hoping to find out what was so important that the Guard would risk themselves coming in to the open a rapid response force was hurriedly despatched to intercept…
The spirits have awoken…
As much fun as the marines have been it’s time to ratchet up those bold nineties colours and dip back into the Eldar thanks to a frankly ludicrous shipment from@anderssen‘s Mars factory!!
First up it’s another internet find in the form of these awesome Wraithlords!
Veteran Company

Back in my 28mm 40k days the veteran marines of the Warp Sharks wore a bone colour armour which is what I’m going to replicate using speed paints. Also I’m going to paint them one slot on a base at a time to avoid difficulties getting the brush in when the base is full.
Land Speeders

Ready for a good flocking!
Dreadnoughts!
Terminator Company
In yet another gift from Mars I have a Terminator Company to paint up!
Deathwatch
Predators Ho!
Devastator Company
Next up it’s something a little more complex as it’s the Devastator Company. In the old days these were just missile launcher armed marines but upon investigating the files available it looks like I can have 4 different weapon models and a sergeant so of course, I will! I’ve gone for a plasma cannon, multi melta, autocannon and an old school missile launcher fired from the hip. Delightful!
The pastel blue for the plasma looked a little washed out so I made it brighter using Andrea blue instead.
Also, in a moment of giddy nostalgia I remembered my original Warp Sharks had a bone effect on their weapons and whilst there was no way i was recreating the look on the bolsters I did decide to do it on the heavy weapons. Brilliant idea on 6mm!?
The Forges of Mars (Elegoo) open!

I had to pause for a few weeks to sort out what I needed but now the floodgates will open for the glorious rebirth of the mighty Warp Sharks. Also, @anderssen is building the guard force of his dreams so expect a large confrontation soon.
Oh and I haven’t forgotten about those Eldar and Orks, believe me when I say with the amount of file we have this is going to get epically out of hand!!!
Basing decisions!
Now, I’m my head I was going to do a basic sand base and be done with it but Ben and Gerry mentioning going full green on the bases hooked me in so like a fool that’s what I did!
After about three coats of army painter Ork Green I finally got an even colour down and got to work with some woodland scenics flock I had laying around.

And now for the Orks!
Next up I have some Whirlwinds I found on EBay and some Vindicators i found on Thingiverse. Now I have an ageing FDM printer so yes there will step lines and the quality won’t be great but for the time being they are effectively free and will do for now!
