Work in progress, part 2

Ravenwing assault squad

        For some unknown reason, I decided to inventory my Dark Angels army. So, I  made 2 list on army builder to see what my painted & unpainted lists would contain. I only included completely painted models in my finished inventory and I did not include unseen war gear or special banners or versions of a weapon. The total came out to be 4587points. I was fairly impressed with this number. the progress I have been making in the last year has been exciting for me. It has rekindle my love for the hobby side of things as well as sparked my interesting in playing games tenfold from where I was 2 years ago. So, as I'm sitting here going through my inventory, I realized how close I am to a personal goal I had put out so many years ago. I only need to paint 2 tactical squads and an assault squad to be able to field a whole battle company. And the best part about that is ....... The tactical squads are both in my hobby progress challenge. The next thing on my desk is one of these. So I need to gather up the pieces to assemble the assault squad and I have it.

    While speaking of the hobby progress, I only have 4 more units to paint. The two tactical squads I just mentioned, a land speeder typhoon, and a veteran squad. Not too bad from my point of view. So, that means since last update, I painted: Ravenwing assault squad, librarian and company master. I also got a chance to assemble a Ravenwing command squad and a librarian on a bike to go with them. They are not part of the challenge, so they will wait to get painted. Along with that, I have started assembly on a wraith guard unit. There is something therapeutic about assembling models when I am stressed out. So now, I am off to get to those Tactical marines finished.



  

The Light Side of 40k

       What makes the lore of 40k so alluring? Is it the epic battles? Is it the Exterminatus of a planet? Is it the titan battles? No. I think it is the characters. Everyone loves the hero. From the Emperor of Mankind to the lowliest guardsman. Whether it is the unlikeliest of heroes from the most unlikeliest of place to the ultimate fighter cutting swathes through the enemies of all that is good, the hero is the one that inspires us to be a better person. The archetype of the hero doesn't matter, he just needs to defeat his enemies. The need to see the hero defeat all the odds to succeed even if it costs him everything. His life, or even his soul, may be on the line. The universe allows for all types of heroes to overcome their odds or just die trying sometimes. Even the armies of chaos or orks can have that archetype hero. The narrative allows for the ork warlord that is trying to save his clan against the tyranid scourge. But usually, it is easier to connect with a human, or genetically altered human, than some strange alien race that is a bit racially profiled like the orks.

        For today, I would like to talk of the heroes of Mankind. They are the ones that are easier to connect with, in most cases. The Imperial Guard are the bread & butter of the universe. They are the infinite hoard of lasgun toting soldiers that fight for the existence of mankind. In almost any story, you can find a guardsman. They are the army, navy and planetary soldier that defend their home lands every day. They have a strict, I mean STRICT, military organization. If things go bad for you in the guard, you don't get court marshaled. You get executed on the spot. Which brings me to the first character I would like to talk about. The Commissar. What would be cooler than to be the guy in the trench coat that everyone is afraid of? Break formation and Sergeant Tom gets a bolter shell to his forehead. How better to prove what a good and noble cause fighting for the Emperor is? This guy is arguably cooler than any other position in the imperial army. Especially considering the highest field rank is Colonel.


       Then, there is the spiritual leader of the Space Marines. What is more grim dark than a 8 foot tall black armor-clad, skull helmeted, power weapon wielding hero? The chaplain is the spiritual leader of the chapters. They drive (or maybe scare) the space marines forward to destroy their foes for the "good" of mankind. "In the name of the Emperor and in the name of .... (insert primarch  or chapter master name)!" Hopefully, they scare the bejeebies  out of whoever they are charging at.  It would work on me, for sure.

     The only thing that scares me more than that is the whole adeptus sororitas. Because there is something not right about form fitting power armor.