BACKGROUND: Ork Air Waaagh - Kolath Gutbad's Ironkrates

Now that I've finally gotten my Aeronautica Imperialis Ork Air Waaagh painted I thought it was about time to come up with some background stories for my squadron.

Ork Air Waaagh - Kolath Gutbad's Ironkrates

• Fighta 'Jawz of Doom' pilot Skargrod Nobskab
• Fighta 'Da Ridgeback' pilot Shakskab Naffrunt
• Fighta 'Flaming Deff' pilot Wazgul Ugrot
• Fighta 'Go Fasta' pilot Kolath Gutbad
  
• Fighta 'Wingtoof' pilot Snagazod Gobuz
• Fighta-bommer 'Jagged Deff' pilot Badurty Skarthug
• Fighta-bommer 'Killa Krate' pilot Duffrunt Duffsnik
• Fighta-bommer 'Flames of Waaagh' pilot Oggrod Urtygrub
• Fighta-bommer 'Widda Maker' pilot Grimsnaga Waaarg
• Bommer 'Big Burd' pilot Urtyuz Naffshak

The Skolarii Sector
Ork activity has increased right across the Skolarii sector at the end of the 41st millennium. This is largely due to the presence of one very influential Ork; Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Following the second war for Armageddon, the first Ork invasion, Ghazghkull travelled the galaxy replenishing his forces and rebuilding his strength. The Skolarii Sector was one of his destinations. He has stirred up Ork aggression on a dozen worlds but he did not offer just inspiration. Ghazghkull also brought with him a cadre of Mekboyz, Ork engineers.

These Meks, along with Ghazghkull's fiery oratory, spurred on the scattered Orks of the Skolarii Sector. They were more ambitious in their attacks against the Imperium and other factions, using new vehicles and space ships to co-ordinate their forces.

The rise of Kolath Gutbad
Kolath Gutbad was a lowly Trukk driver in an Evil Sunz warband led by Badskab Gobsnik. Kolath loved nothing more than to drive his Trukk at top speed, firing at his enemies in a hail of poorly aimed shots. His tactics were non existent, in fact he rarely gave a thought to the Boyz clinging on for dear life in the back of his Trukk, but he knew how to squeeze every last ounce of speed out of his vehicle and boy did he know how to drive!

Kolath Gutbad's name would probably have never been heard of by the Imperium had fate not intervened. Badskab, the Evil Sunz warband leader pledged his allegiance to Snagra Bullteef, a mighty Bad Moon warboss. Snagra was an ambitious Ork and had led a massive Waaagh from the sleepy backwater world of Moresp to the Hiveworld of Finschan in the Kandaeon Worlds many years before. Together with a cadre of mysterious off-world Orks Snagra was gathering forces to mount an attack on Garrison 41, a bastion that had consistently repelled wave after wave of Ork assaults in the past.

Garrison 41
Eager to throw his Trukk about on the ash-dunes outside Garrison 41 and riddle it's defenders with bullets, Kolath drove his Trukk out of the back of it's landing craft before it had even touched down. The last thing that went through the mind of Badskab Gobsnik was the exhaust pipe of Kolath's Trukk. He was standing right underneath the Trukk as it slammed to the ground.

Undeterred Kolath drove hell for leather into the teeth of the Imperial Guard forces at Garrison 41. The rest of the bewildered Evil Sunz piled in after Kolath and by the time Snagra Bullteef arrived in battle the Imperial Guardsmen had been overrun. Kolath received the acknowledgement of Snagra as a brave, ruthless warrior and assumed leadership of the Evil Sun warband.

Kolath called his warband the Ironkarts and won great acclaim from Snagra, fighting at the forefront of numerous engagements. His only command was 'go fasta' heard on the wind as he raced out ahead of his warband. The Ironkarts took heavy casualties as Kolath threw them into the opposition regardless of numbers, reinforcements or any other tactics or strategy. Eventually his warband had lost more than nine tenths of it's starting strength and looked like it might be wiped from existence.

A fortuitous meeting
Kolath then had his second stroke of luck. An Ork Mek called Morfug Waalug was thrown out of his warband when a Deff Dread he had helped to build ran amok killing several important Nobz. Kolath almost ran him over in the ash-dunes of Finschan while scavenging for parts for his vehicles.

Morfug had discovered a vast horde of archeotech buried beneath the ash. Kolath offered him a place in the Ironkrates warband if Morfug agreed to repair his vehicles. Morfug had a better idea. Why not use the archeotech to build some really fast and shooty vehicles - planes!

So the Ironkrates were born. Kolath renamed the warband and found many willing volunteers amongst his surviving warband to pilot his new fightas, fighta-bommers and even his big bommer. Kolath himself has never been happier and spends every minute he can in the air above Finschan, flying his fighta Go Fasta, dogfighting with Imperial Navy Thunderbolts and shooting up the planet's hive cities.

PAINTING: Ork Air Waaagh finished

I finished painting my Ork bommer last night. Like my previous models I slathered it in a heavy Badab Black wash and let it dry overnight. This morning I took some photos of it, along with a photo of my whole Air Waaagh.

The bommer didn't take long to paint, despite it's size compared to the fightas and fighta-bommers. I had already undercoated it black and then drybrushed it Boltgun Metal.

My first job was to paint Mechrite Red over virtually the whole model. Once that had dried I painted Blood Red over the individual armour plates. It was at this point I could have spent a lot of time highlighting each plate and maybe painting some in different colours but I just painted each plate red, leaving the darker red in the gaps.

The next small step was to block in the cockpit glass with Knarloc Green. There was so much glass I used some Dheneb Stone to highlight the upper edges.

I also used Knarloc Green to paint the Ork dropping bombs out the back.

I picked out the details in Dheneb Stone. The checks on the wings are sculpted detail so they were easy to paint. The teef on the nose are also modelled on. I pondered painting on some further markings but decided against it. I figured the model was distinctive enough as it was.

The engines were such a stand out feature I thought they needed an extra bit of attention. I washed the back end of them with Devlan Mud. When that had dried I applied the Badab Black wash over the whole model.

Here is the whole Ork Air Waaagh finished.

I'm fairly pleased with my efforts. It's a classic case of balancing the look of the models against the time it takes to paint them. I could have done a better job but it would have taken far longer, and time is something that is at a premium at the moment.

So, onto the Imperial Navy planes next.

PAINTING: Two more planes roll out of the hangar

With two hours spare on Wednesday night I knuckled down and painted some more Ork planes.

I finished two fighta-bommers. One is armed with Grot bombs, so I also painted up both of my flying Grot bombs.


I used the same techniques on these planes as described in my earlier posts. The first fighta-bommer I decided to go for a big and bold flame effect on the wings and tail. As a result I decided to name this plane Flames of Waaagh.

I was running out of variations of checks, dags and flames by now so I painted solid markings on the wingtips and spine of my last fighta-bommer. The checks on the wings of the Grot bombs are molded on and the model is so tiny there was no space for anything else.

So I have now painted everything in my Ork Air Waaagh except the big Bommer. This will take a good couple of hours on it's own, if not longer, due to the size of the model. I expect to get this done today as I have a day off work.

If I'm feeling really inspired I might push on and start some more Imperial Navy models.

PAINTING: Red ones go fasta!

Another day, another plane painted.

I'm really getting into my stride with my Ork Air Waaagh now. This plane, which I have christened Jagged Deff, only took an hour to paint.

That's all of the fightas finished now, so I have two fighta-bommers, a bommer and two grot bombs left to paint. If I keep up at this pace I should be finished my Ork squadron by the weekend.

PAINTING: AI Ork reinforcements

I had a couple of spare hours last night and although I really couldn't be bothered I forced myself to my painting desk to work on my Aeronautica Imperialis models. Given my mood I decided it would be best to paint my Ork planes - if I made a mess of them I could get away with it more easily!

Just like exercising, I found I enjoyed myself once I got started. Just two hours later I had two finished planes. Result!

I painted up one fighta and one fighta-bommer. I hoped that painting two different models would stave off boredom and keep me at the painting station.

I decided to take some close-ups of the models. I'm not sure I'm doing myself any favours by showing them at this level of detail!

You can see in both photographs above another problem I've had with my Ork models in particular. The big shootas in the wings are so fragile that many of them have snapped off. I considered replacing them with some brass rod but the wings are so thin I'm not sure I'll be able to drill a hole to stick it in. I think I'll wait until I've painted all the planes before I make my decision.

PAINTING: Thunderbolts ready for action

After some umming and ahhing I've decided to call my AI planes done and move on to painting the rest.

I've been in this position before with other models and usually I push on, adding more paint then wishing I hadn't. Why add more when I'm happy with the way they are?

As you can see in the photograph I have added some identification markings to the tail fins. They come from an old Imperial Guard decal sheet I had, dating back to 1994. I'm not totally familiar with how Imperial Navy wings are organised but for my purposes the Thunderbolts are led by plane C and then are numbered 1, 2, 3, etc.

I will use more decals later, once the planes have seen some action.

So, I have now added the nine points to my painting point total for the year, bringing it up to seventy points. I have two Fightas, three Fighta-bommers, a Bommer, two Grot bombs two Lightnings, and two Marauder bombers left to paint. I'm going to count the Bomber and Marauders as two models each because of their size so the remaining models will add fourteen points to my total. That will bring me up to eighty four points for the year.

Will I get the other sixteen points painted to take me up to the magic hundred I'm aiming for? It looks unlikely at the moment, but watch this space.

PAINTING: Take two squadrons into the air? I just wash and go!

I did this painting a few days ago but I have only just got round to photographing the results.

I washed the metallic parts of the Thunderbolts with Badab Black and then slapped some Devlan Mud on the red tails and darker camo stripes.

I'm dithering over the highlight stage now. My normal process after the basecoats and washes would be a highlight layer but I actually quite like the muted, matte finish on the planes at the moment. I'm considering just adding some identification markings and calling them done.

I also washed my Ork planes heavily with Badab Black. This went over the whole model, red and metallics. Again, I think it's given the models a more subdued, gritty look which I'm digging, but I feel guilty for not completing the process.

When do you know how to stop painting a model anyway?

Comments and criticism are welcome!

PAINTING: Dogfight!

I had a day off work today so I knuckled down and got some significant painting done on my Aeronautica Imperialis models.

This is bad news for my Warseer Tale of 40k painting pledge. I promised to paint 1500 points of Orks in a year but I skipped the first two months while I put the army together. If I miss another month I'll be thrown off the tale. The deadline is in two days time, so today I should have done the minimum I could get away with and slapped some paint on a Deff Dread.

Instead I painted my AI models. This is taking longer than I expected because the models are quite detailed and I want to do a decent job on them. When I finish both my Navy and Ork squadrons I will still have my Planetstrike terrain to start.

My current plan is now to drop the Warseer pledge but still paint the Orks, albeit after my other projects, probably after Christmas. That gives me about eight weeks to paint my AI squadrons, and build and paint my Planetstrike terrain.

Anyway, onto the aircraft!

I began with my Thunderbolts, adding some Calthan Brown camo stripes over the basecoat. I mixed in some Bleached Bone for the second coat. I also painted the tails Mechrite Red, then added Blood Red on the top.

After I took this photo I washed both the camo and tails with Devlan Brown wash. I also washed the metallic bits with Badab Black.

While the Thunderbolts dried I moved onto my Orks. I drybrushed the lot with Boltgun Metal and then went over the top with Mechrite Red, followed by Blood Red. You can see the basecoats in the photo below.

And the photo below this is with the Blood Red coat.

Once I'd painted all of the planes red I moved on to the markings. I used dags, checks and flames in different locations on each plane to individualise them. I used thinned down Dheneb Stone which gave good coverage over the red.

The checks were the hardest to do but because the pattern is on an Ork plane I figured I could leave it a little rough.

I painted the cockpits Gretchin Green. It had to be green really, given that they're Orks.

Since taking that photo I've washed all of the planes liberally with Badab Black wash.

So that pretty much completes my first two batches of aircraft and once the wash is dry I can start to actually play out some dogfights.

ARMY BUILDING: AI initial squadron lists

I started painting my four Imperial Navy Thunderbolts first as I imagined them to be the core planes of my Navy wing. I had originally planned to paint my whole IN wing together but then I realised it would be better to paint up a handful of Ork planes next, and then when they were done I could try the models out in some small games while I got the rest of the planes finished.

So I drew up some basic squadron lists from Tactica Imperialis for my IN and Ork air Waaagh.

Imperial Navy
Thunderbolt, additional weapons load
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt
84 points

Ork air Waaagh
Fighta, additional weapons load
Fighta, additional weapons load
Fighta
Fighta
Fighta-Bommer, additional weapons load
82 points

The Ork aircraft are cheaper than the Imperial aircraft so have five planes to four, have more additional weapon loads and come in two points cheaper overall.

I have no idea how effective any of the wings will be until I get them on the tabletop.

Righto, back to the painting...

PAINTING: Thunderbolt assembly line

I spent a couple of hours painting my AI Navy squadron last night.

As soon as I began I realised that this was going to be a big job, not the twenty hour blast I had previously assumed. The problem is that the kits are heavily detailed despite their small size and I couldn't bring myself to just slap the paint on and call them done. I want to do the best paint job on these models as I can.

I started with the four Thunderbolts. I am painting them in a desert theme to match the desert terrain I will probably play most of my games on. I thinned down some Iyanden Darksun foundation paint to use as the initial base layer, going on over the black undercoat. Next I mixed in some Bleached Bone and went over the planes again, this time concentrating on the raised areas. The Thunderbolt front left is at this stage while the others are one stage behind.

Once I'd added the Bleached Bone/Iyanden Darksun mix to all the Thunderbolts I washed them all with good old Devlan Wash. It did exactly what I wanted it to do, turning the parchment yellow basecoat into a deeper, warmer yellow-brown. It has also picked out all of the lines between the plating.

I had originally thought I'd go back over the planes again to tidy up the edges but I'm loathe to start mucking about with wash as I really like the finish it has given. I might start working on the other colours first while I'm pondering my options.

MODELLING: Ork air Waaagh

It's taken me six hours today to put together my Ork air Waaagh for Aeronautica Imperialis. Some of the models went together just fine but others were badly cast and/or twisted and bent. I had to soak many pieces in hot water to straighten them up. I'm not convinced I've got everything perfect but hey, they are Orks so I think I'll get away with it.

I have six fightas, three with rokkits or bombs, four fighta-bommers, two with bombs and one with grot bombs, and a big bommer.

I also put together two flying grot bombs. They were the most frustrating models to construct because they were so fragile; they just couldn't stand up to cleaning up the flash and mould lines. I threw two in the bin and have shelved the broken bits of others in my bits box.

I've just undercoated both my Imperial Navy wing and the Orks with Chaos Black spray and I'll be painting up my Orks first.

MODELLING: Take to the skies!

As any of you who follow my Twitter feed already know, I decided to put together my Aeronautica Imperialis models rather than my Planetstrike terrain. I'm hoping to build and paint both my Imperial Navy and Ork wings within one week.

The first models I put together were my Navy Lightnings. This was because they had the least number of parts and I thought they would be a 'quick win.'

Wrong!

The models were very poorly cast and took an age to complete. I had similar problems with the Marauder Destroyer which looked like the mould hadn't filled with resin fully and thus had jagged mismatched lines a good millimetre or so proud around the fuselage.

And bloody hell are those under wing missiles/bombs difficult to attach!

I eventually glued eight to the Marauder and then had two spare which I stuck on a Thunderbolt. They will count as Skystrikes,Hellstrikes or bombs depending on my mood.

Here is a photo of my Navy wing assembled:


I reckon I have about twenty hours spare this week to dedicate to this project and so far I have spent six hours constructing my IN wing. I hope the Ork planes will go together a bit quicker, now that I've had some practice playing with resin, and I can then spend the remaining time painting the models.

GENERAL: Plans and schemes

My seven year old nephew came by today to have a look at his uncle's models and terrain. He was absolutely blown away by the stuff I now take for granted, and some of his boyish enthusiasm rubbed off on me. Going through my drawers of finished models and terrain, some of which I haven't looked at for years, made me itch to get stuck back into this fabulous hobby with gusto.

Fortunately my new resolve coincides with a window of opportunity. My better half is out on Monday, Tuesday and Friday night, while I also have a day off work on Friday. That means I can probably throw about 18 to 20 hours at my various projects this week versus the 5 or 6 I usually have. But which projects to concentrate upon?

With my Ork army built, the obvious choice is my Planetstrike terrain. I'd like to build all of the plastic kits I have first, just so that I can see it all together in one place. I'm sure that would inspire me to paint everything too.

The other wildcard option I have is Aeronautica Imperialis. I have an Imperial Navy wing and an Ork wing unbuilt at the moment and just seeing my desert terrain earlier today made me want to use it as an AI battlefield. I think the Navy planes would look so cool with a desert theme and I could potentially complete the building and painting of all of the models in the time I have available this week. The Orks would be easy too, and by the end of the week I could have a new games system to play!

Whichever I choose I also plan to paint some Orks for my Warseer Tale of 40k Painting pledge. I've jokered the first two months already so technically I only have a week to paint 150 points of models or I'll be thrown out of the tale. With the deadline tight I think I'll paint the Killa Kans or Deff Dread rather than a twenty Ork mob.

So what do you think? Should I start my Planetstrike terrain or should I finish my Aeronautica Imperialis wings?

BACKGROUND: Afriel Strain Imperial Navy wing

I got a little piece of inspiration this week which has helped me inform the background of my Imperial Navy Aeronautica Imperialis wing.

I like to develop background material for all of my models, at the very least recording their origins, their commander and what they are up to in the Skolarii Sector. This background then feeds into my paint schemes, conversions army lists and even in-game tactics.

I'd been struggling to come up with an interesting hook for my fly-boys when I happened upon a documentary about the Tuskegee airmen. They were a group of African American pilots which were formed into a fighter group during the second world war and proved to be at least as able as the white pilots already fighting. What really hit home to me was one pilot who explained what happened when they returned from the war. They got off the plane and were then forced into a different line from the white pilots; segregation was still in place in the USA at the time.

This injustice was reminiscent to me of the harsh backdrop to 40k universe, and I wondered what the equivalent of that racism would be in Aeronautica Imperialis.

Then I remembered the Imperial Guard Afriel Strain doctrine from White Dwarf 303. These are genetically engineered albino soldiers who are given the best equipment and training to turn them into super-soldiers. All of the regiments so far have started out successfully and then succumbed to a variety of unfortunate accidents, leading to their entire destruction. Additionally, other troops despise them because of their unusual appearance and appalling bad luck.

I dug out the article and upon closer inspection I found no reason not to make my Navy wing an Afriel Strain experiment. It specifically mentions that the mysterious creators of the Strain continue to experiment, fielding their 'perfect soldiers' across the warzones of the Imperium.

The Tuskegee Airmen formed the 332nd Fighter Group and my own wing will also take that number.

Now I just need to pad out the background material and paint the models.

NEW MODEL FUND: Death from above

It's been about six weeks since I updated my New Model Fund and there has been lots of activity to report on.

The good news is that I have managed to get a good run of auctions going on eBay. I am putting up two items a week which isn't a lot, but if I keep it up it will amount to over 100 items per year. It keeps things manageable without taking over my life. It'll also keep a steady income stream coming in to fund my model purchases. So far I have made over £50 by selling old role-playing books and I have plenty more to sell.

The bad news is that I bought some models. Expensive ones.

I finally succumbed and ordered two Aeronautica Imperialis fleets from Forge World. One was Imperials, naturally, and my wing now boasts four Thunderbolts, two Lightnings, one Marauder Bomber and one Marauder Destroyer.


I deliberated over their opponents for some time. Chaos was an obvious one as they fit into the narrative of the Skolarii Sector and my main opponent plays Chaos in 40k, but I understand they can be tricky to get the hang of; they have a horde of cheap and nasty aircraft and then one ginormous bomber. At the other extreme the Eldar are very powerful and elite to the point where some of their craft have had their points values changed. Because I wanted two evenly matched factions I was left with Tau and Orks. I finally plumped for the Orks because they fit in with the Skolarii Sector background better.

My Ork wing consists of six Fightas, four Fighta Bommers, a Bommer and some Grot bombs.


I hope that the two wings will be balanced opponents and have enough different models, and play differently, in each wing to compete with each other in a variety of missions.

Did I mention that they were expensive? These two armies set me back almost £150.

Here is what all that activity has done to my fund.

• Total income from sales (and my penny jar) £436.08
• Less selling fees £34.32
• Less models bought £515.12
• New model fund -£113.36

Ouch! I've never been in such bad shape with the fund. So time for some belt-tightening.

I really need to not buy any models for a few months until my eBay sales catch up. Fortunately I have a birthday coming up so I may be able to convince relatives to buy some for me, and this could be very good timing for the 40k Battle for Black Reach boxed set. That is packed with so many models it is an unmissable deal. It will thicken my Blood Angel army nicely as well as adding lots of new models to my Ork army. Other than that I will just concentrate on painting the models I have and not buying any more.

The second part of my plan will be to ramp up my eBay sales and bring out the big guns. As well as the RPG stuff I have a few non-gaming items to sell which I will put toward the NMF. These include my old mobile phone, my old film SLR, my old MP3 player and the old RAM from my computer. I'm confident I can wipe out my deficit with just these items alone so I need to get them up for auction ASAP.

I'll be back in another month to tell you how I got on.

REVIEW: Tactica Aeronautica

Tactica Aeronautica. An expansion for Aeronautica Imperialis by Warwick Kinrade. Published by Forge World. £26.


I liked Aeronautica Imperialis and awarded it a rock dang solid 8 out of 10 score in my last review. I bought this expansion book at Games Day at the same time as I bought the first book and I've only just finished reading it a month later. In many ways there is more 'to get your teeth into' in this shorter book than in the initial longer tome.

So what exactly is in Tactica Aeronautica?

There are seven sections spread over 128 pages. The book opens on familiar ground (in familiar skies?) with new aircraft. They are presented in the usual format; a photoshopped picture of the model in action, some background on the aircraft, it's specifications, some technical drawings of the flyer and then several variant paint schemes. The Imperials (natch), Orks, Tau and Chaos get some love here. The Chaos addition, the Harbinger heavy bomber, is mind bending, especially compared to the existing Chaos craft. The model is as big as your hand! To give you some idea of the scale difference the wingspan of a Hellblade fighter is 5.6m while the Harbinger has a wingspan of 33.3m. It's huge!


The section ends with two pages of aircraft upgrades which allow wing commanders to add equipment to their machines such as chaff, star engines, daemonic possession and blacksun filters. They seem like an interesting way to individualise each aircraft.

New squadron lists
Next up are the new squadron lists. The lists are significantly longer than in the last volume as they now include all of the aircraft upgrades described earlier. Players are now able to buy aces and double aces to fly their planes for one-off games. The major change I noticed to the points values was to Eldar Vampire Hunters which have increased a whopping 10 points in value. I knew that Eldar aircraft were considered to be the best in the game - I guess now they're really paying for it.

The data sheets give rules for the new craft and also outline some new weapon fits for existing flyers such as Vultures and Valkyries.

Typha-IV campaign
One of the chunkiest sections, and the main reason why it took me so long to read the book, is the Typha-IV campaign. Readers of previous Forge World books will recognise the format. We start with a planetary survey of Typha-IV which is 80% water and entering a premature ice age due to extensive mining pollution. All of this work is carried out by indentured prisoners. Production has been stepped up to meet the threat from the Tau third expansion and extra Navy wings have been garrisoned there. The Navy also uses the planet for training exercises.


The Tau decide to launch a hit and run attack on Typha-IV to stop production and to show the Imperium that they can strike deep into Imperial territory. The Tau hope that by doing so the Imperium will have to defend it's assets and this will in turn give the Tau time to establish their empire on the newly acquired third sphere planets.

The forces of each faction are described in detail which at least gives us an inkling of higher level aerospace organisation in the Imperium. There are tons of graphics of planes that fought in the campaign, my personal favourite being the Thunderbolt of Ixan Muro. If and when I get some planes I want to paint them in a similar scheme.

The events of the campaign are told in less than compelling language and there seems to be no real narrative drive behind the story. This could be good or bad depending on your point of view. In theory it could be a deliberate attempt by the author to reject the dynamics of storytelling in favour of a more 'realistic' description of events. Real conflicts don't often fit into neat little narrative boxes or compact into discreet, fulfilling events; instead they are messy, inconclusive and ambiguous. On the other hand, and I think that this is the case having read this book and previous Forge World books, the author just isn't very good at telling stories and holding our attention. He says things over an entire page that could have been conveyed in two sentences while significant events are glossed over.

Examples in Tactica include the description of 'Black Week' when Tau fighters harried and attacked Imperial craft from a secret airbase. These events are painted in incredibly broad brush strokes and don't give us any real feeling for why it was such a 'Black Week' for the Imperial pilots. Later in the conflict the Imperium launch 'Operation Defiant Hate' in an attempt to stop the Tau. As far as I can tell this involves the Imperial commanders saying 'Righto lads, I think we should actually try and find this secret Tau base and bomb the hell out of the blighters.' The discovery of the Tau base does not seem to come from any cunning plan or individual display of bravery, it comes because we're getting to the end of the campaign description and things need to be wrapped up. It's ultimately not satisfying. Still, it is a rather cool backdrop to play your games against. It made me want to create a storm-tossed sea board to play my games on.

Which brings me to the campaign system. This is presented as a strategic target campaign, so although it is heavily tied into the Typha-IV specific conflict, it can be used to represent any campaign of this type. Many of the campaign rules from the first book are referenced and tweaked and new scenarios are introduced. It looks like it would be a lot of fun to play.

Other scenarios are added later in the book. The first is a tournament scenario, intended for competitive rather than narrative play, and the others include some of the new aircraft described earlier in the book.

Ground installations are re-imagined in far more detail than the previous tome and rules are provided which allow players to build their own custom buildings. There are even some sample photographs of buildings and two schematics of Imperial airbases (these tie in with the new terrain from Forge World). There is also a three page spread on how to build an ultra realistic airbase using their terrain. It looks absolutely stunning.

Battle report
Another major section of the book is given over to a battle report. Again this is Tau versus Imperials with the book's author Warwick Kinrade taking charge of the Imperials. The graphics are well drawn and convey the action quite well although the decision to show two turns on several of the maps can confuse the action somewhat. This section was a great read for me as I haven't bought any models or played a game yet and it gave me a real feel for how the game plays.


Hobby articles conclude the book. They include some basic tactics, a brief Q and A and the designer's notes (which are illuminating - I wish all Games Workshop books included these).

I think this book is pretty much essential reading for all Aeronautica enthusiasts. The new squadron lists and campaign system will be invaluable for those most interested in actually playing the game while rabid fluff-monkeys will love the campaign description and new aircraft. As it is slimmer than most Forge World volumes it is also a bit cheaper but I found it actually had more in it to read.

I give Tactica Aeronautica a solid 7/10.

Scores

All of my reviews end in a score out of ten for the product. The table below explains what that score means.

• 10/10 Perfect, absolutely nothing better
• 9/10 Excellent, highly recommended
• 8/10 Very good, recommended
• 7/10 Good
• 6/10 Above average, some problems
• 5/10 Average, some good points some bad points
• 4/10 Below average, some redeeming features
• 3/10 Poor, major flaws
• 2/10 Very poor, avoid if possible
• 1/10 Absolutely appalling

REVIEW: Aeronautica Imperialis

Aeronautica Imperialis by Warwick Kinrade. Published by Forge World. £35. Aerial combat in the 41st millennium.


This book has 10 sections and is in the usual Forge World large, glossy format. The book is crammed with the same type of photoshopped model photography and vehicle diagrams and paint schemes found in the Imperial Armour books. This will either delight you or appall you, depending on your sensibilities. For me, the price is not such an issue, so I like that the book looks and feels expensive, kind of like an upmarket Games Workshop publication.

The book opens with the game rules. They are relatively short and simple, with a turn consisting of choosing manoeuvres, initiative, tailing fire, movement, firing and the end phase. Many players will be happy to learn that this isn't an I-go U-go system, players instead alternating their actions between planes in the same turn. The advanced rules are only two pages long and could easily have been incorporated into the regular rules. Squadron lists for all of the races in the game finish off this first section. The lists are small and basic, with little real choice - the Chaos list has only two options, for example.

Section two contains the aircraft data sheets. These include all the profiles of the aircraft (type, hits, manoeuvrability, speed, thrust, weapons, etc). This is where the differences between the aircraft start to emerge, where even a slight variation in an aircraft can have big consequences on playing style and tactics on the tabletop. By all accounts, the Eldar seem to have a very powerful set of flyers.

The following six sections detail each individual aircraft used by each of the factions in the game. There are flyers for Imperial forces (by far the largest section), Orks, Tau, Chaos, Eldar and Space Marines. For someone simply wanting to play a game, these sections are largely superfluous but for a fluff-junkie like me they are one of the best parts of the book. The format is usually a photoshopped picture of the model in action, some background on the aircraft, it's specifications, some technical drawings of the flyer and then several variant paint schemes. The only criticism I have, and it's a big one for me, is that there is no background on the higher organisations of any of the air forces. I'd love to know how fighter groups are organised, how many aircraft form a wing and a squadron and how aircraft fit into their faction's overall battle plan. It's not that there is little information on this, there is nothing at all!

Scenarios are outlined next, and they are presented as historical encounters. There is some background fluff, a note about choosing non-historical forces, set-up rules, special rules and the victory conditions are described. The scenarios cover pretty much every possible mission, from search and rescue to ground attacks and convoy escorts. They look like a lot of fun and will add to the game immensely, given that the number and types of aircraft themselves are limited.

The penultimate section contains rules for a campaign. It supposes that the air forces are battling for supremacy over a warzone. The rules look like they would add another dimension to the game without bogging it down in loads of extra rules. Forge World seem to think less is more in this regard and it is a sentiment I agree with. There is even a one page example of a campaign which illustrates the rules very well.

The final section contains quick reference sheets, combat record sheets and photos of models and boards.

I enjoyed reading this book. It seems to me that it will attract two separate types of audience; the inveterate fluff-monkey and the gamer looking for something new to play. There is something for both, but there are reservations for both.

It sheds some light on new background material in terms of individual aircraft but I think it could and should have gone even further with the bigger picture. Fluff-monkeys may be left wanting more.

Similarly, out and out gamers may find the force lists limited and the rules basic, but at it's core this could be a good little game to pick up and play once in a while. It's not a game for people who like 'chrome' as Jervis would put it.

These are relatively small quibbles, though, so I give Aeronautica Imperialis a solid 8/10.

Scores

All of my reviews end in a score out of ten for the product. The table below explains what that score means.

• 10/10 Perfect, absolutely nothing better
• 9/10 Excellent, highly recommended
• 8/10 Very good, recommended
• 7/10 Good
• 6/10 Above average, some problems
• 5/10 Average, some good points some bad points
• 4/10 Below average, some redeeming features
• 3/10 Poor, major flaws
• 2/10 Very poor, avoid if possible
• 1/10 Absolutely appalling

NEWS: Is this a Thunderbolt I see before me?

I couldn't post yesterday because I went out to the theatre straight after work to see Macbeth as part of my ongoing birthday celebrations. So I still haven't managed any more work on my Blood Angel tactical marines, although they are plaintively staring back at me from my desk as I write this. Tomorrow my pretties.

I did manage to finish Double Eagle in my lunch break, though. The book has only gone up in my estimation since first read it. Sure, some people have complained about the repetitive nature of the action but I think Abnett actually managed to negate much of this by creating a multi-strand narrative following a number of characters that we can care about. Anyway, I'll post up a synopsis and review in the near future.

I just got the latest Forge World newsletter. It has some nifty new stuff, especially regarding Aeronautica Imperialis. There are some sample pages from the new book, Tactica Aeronautica, and some new models in the form of an Imperial airbase. The airbase looks especially sweet. I got all excited reading Double Eagle when a secret Imperial forward airbase is described and is attacked by Blood Pact troopers. I thought this would make a great 40k themed table. Now I could have a stab at it in Epic scale.

Forge World have also revealed a Games Day only model. I will absolutely HAVE to acquire this because it is an Ogryn berserker for the Chaos Renegade Miltia. Beautiful is not the word.

Okey dokey, I have to get off to work now. See you all tomorrow.

GENERAL: Just a quickie

Here's another Warhammer battle report between my Hordes of Chaos and Gary's Dark Elves.

No progress on my Blood Angels I'm afraid as I've been out and about all day and only just got back home. I'm planning to finish them tomorrow night when I should get a couple of free hours.

Meanwhile, I started to re-read Double Eagle today. I'm already up to page 90. I'd forgotten how fast paced and gripping it is. I'm not really sure why I picked this book up again but it surely spells trouble. I just know it will excite me in all things aeronautical and Forgeworld has this product called Aeronautica Imperialis...and it has a new expansion out which will be on advance sale at Games Day...and I'm going to Games Day a week on Sunday. Willpower fading...fading...rising...fading...fading...

Whatever happens I'll post a review up on this blog once I finish the book.

NEWS AND RUMOURS: All-out Chaos attack!

The big news for me is the release of more Forgeworld models for the Chaos Renegade Militia. First up are the Enforcer conversion kits. These guys perform a similar role to Commissars in an Imperial Guard army. I don't like the rules for Commissars and I wasn't sure about the first sneak preview I saw previously. Having read the Renegade list in the Siege of Vraks Imperial Armour book I think the Enforcers will see significantly more use in CRM lists than Commissars do in IG lists. This is due to the rather random nature of the CRM leadership values. So I might HAVE to include some of these models. With that in mind I took a careful look at the figures (there are 5 in total).

I'm still not sold on the heads. Everyone parodies Games Workshop for overusing the skull imagery and it's just too easy to slap a skull on something and call it Chaos. Each Enforcer carries a different type of weapon. The 'power prod' looks the best to me as it is very finely sculpted with lots of detail. The chain and power sword look okay, as does the mace, but the whip just looks weird. Maybe it's the angle of the photo but it seems very awkward. Plasma pistols, bolt pistols, las pistols, auto pistols and shotguns round out the their armoury. These models still get a meh from me. Perhaps I need to see them in the flesh.

The Rogue Psyker models look far more promising. These are sculpts by Mark Bedford, one of my favourites at Games Workshop. There are two distinct poses. The first has arms outspread and is obviously revelling in his powers. My first thought on seeing him was to use him as a Daemonhost for my radical daemonhunters army. A very nice model.

The other psyker seems to be a bit more concerned about his powers. He's holding his head like the Edvard Much painting 'Scream.' Again, this is an excellent sculpt.

The only problem is that the rules for them are not great. They are very similar to the Imperial Guard Sanctioned Psykers who add lots of character but not much practical power to an army. There are some neat rules for becoming possessed, but they are hardly an essential choice.

So, a bit of a mixed bag. We have one unit which is vital but has iffy models and another unit which has good models but dodgy rules. Ho hum.

It's not just 40k that has new Chaos models. Forgeworld have finished the Harbinger heavy bomber for Aeronautica Imperialis. Take a look at the scale comparison with the other Chaos craft. This thing is huge!

I want to get into this game one day. The only good thing about not getting it straight away is that Forgeworld will have a load more models for sale for it by the time I take the plunge.