Lasgun Conversion Redux

I have posted about some lasgun conversions before. As an offshoot of my Escalation League build up I decided to use the lasgun conversions as veterans in my Catachan army. I needed several more lasgun armed troops so I knocked out a couple more submachinegun lascarbines.

The original lascarbine had just a short 3 or 4 mm barrel but I test fitted a piece of styrene tube as a suppressor and decided to make the suppressor equipped lascarbine the new standard. I built the two above and like how they turned out.

I went back and retrofitted the suppressor to my original carbine armed model. I have since fielded them in a couple games with all three being killed on their first outing and then making a good show in the second one.

Catachans Verses Blood Angels (sort of)

My second League Game of the day was Against John B and his Blood Angels.

His 1000 point list consisted of
A Librarian with jump pack
A death company squad with jump packs
A death company dreadnought
A Librarian dreadnought
An Assault squad
a Razorback
A tactical squad in a rhino

We rolled for scenario and got Dawn of War and seize ground. We rolled and got five objectives. I won the roll for first turn and choose to go first. I deployed my Vet squad, the command sniper squad in the top of a bastion and the Heavy weapon squad. John brought on his Librarian, in a death company squad and his death company dreadnought.

I moved the Hydras on a drew a bead on the Death Company Dreadnought. I rolled the night fight and got an eleven. So thirty three inch spotting range and the dread was only thirty two inches away. I light up the dread with my spot light and then fire both hydras. I hit with all eight shots after re rolls and immobilized it.

The immobile Death company dread (even though it looks like a Chaos dreadnought)

Turn two my Sentinels come in and outflank behind the Dreadnought Librarian. They hit with all four shots and destroy the Librarian Dread. On the other side of the table my Vet squad moves up and tosses its Demo Charge onto the Death Company and Librarian. It hits on target and kills all of them. The Hydras then open up on his razorback. After the re rolls they hit with all eight shots again and destroy the Razorback.

That leaves John with an assault squad and a tac squad in a rhino. I have everything in my army ready to go. I have six troop choices to control objectives to his two. I have yet to drop Marbo on the board and the special weapon squad is closing on his models with its demo charge.

John decided to concede the game. Another win for the Catachans. I felt kind of bad but since it was John B, it didn't last long.

The Hydra's did well again but the Demo charge was the straw that broke the camels back.

This game gives me two wins for the 1000 point third round. I want to get some more games in before this round is over.

Another 40k League game.

Family and Job conspired to keep me from playing any league games in the 750 point second round. Missing the second round puts me way out of the running in the league but the main reason I joined up was to get some gaming in anyway.
I planned to meet John B and get a game in but I was early and he was late. So I started a game against Hugh S and his Grey knights.

My List was
A Company Command squad
with 4 sniper rifles and an officer with a bolter

Infantry Platoon

Platoon command
Officer with bolter
2 flamers and a grenade launcher

1st squad
Sergent, bolt pistol power weapon, commissar power weapon, flamer
2nd squad
Sergent bolt pistol power weapon, flamer
Special weapon squad
flamer, grenade launcher, demo charge
Heavy weapon squad
3 missile launchers

Veteran Squad
Demolitions
1 shotgun, flamer, 2 meltaguns, demo charge

Scout Sentinels
2 scout sentinels with auto cannons

Stormtroopers
5 model squad with 2 plasmaguns

Hydra flak Tank Battery
2 Hydra flak tanks

Guardsman Marbo

Hugh's List was

A Terminator Librarian
A dreadnought
A heavy weapon squad
A strike squad with a razorback
A Grey knight terminator squad

We rolled and came up with Night fight and Annihilation. That left Hugh's six kill points to my thirteen. I decided to combine the infantry squad but that is still 6 to 12. I figured I had lost the game from the start. All he had to do was put down six of my kill points and have one model survive and he wins. I figured I would have to try and table him to pull out a win.

I won the roll and choose to go first. I deployed the vet squad, the heavy weapon squad and the company command squad.

Here is the vet squad deployed in cover. I am using several of the lasgun conversions in the squad to make them stand out as veterans.

Here is Hugh's Strike stating behind cover.

On my first turn I move the Hydra's on and the Infantry Blob. This is the first fielding of the Hydras. They would end up making a good show through the game. I end up not shooting anything because of night fight. In Hugh's half of the first turn he destroys my heavy weapon squad and shoots up the veteran squad who break and run for the board edge.

Turn two, My sentinels outflank and destroy Hugh's Dreadnought. It was the first time it saw the table and was destroyed before it could shoot. Such is the way of new models. I also dropped in my storm trooper squad that landed barely more than an inch away from the heavy weapon squad. I managed to make the dangerous terrain tests for the storm troopers. They then lit up the Grey knights killing all but the Justicar and one knight. The company command squad in the top of a bastion managed to snipe the other knight leaving just the Justicar.

Impending Doom, The Justicar charges in and only kills one storm trooper, the rest pull their knives and hot shot laspistols and kill the justicar.

The Blob rounds the bend and comes into sight of the Librarian and Grey Knight terminators.

Marbo arrives and gets a one inch scatter killing most of the Terminators. The survivors from the Blob assault the remaining Terminators and manage to put them and the Librarian down then consolidate toward the Grey Knights up in cover. That leaves Hugh with just his strike squad and a Razorback.

Game till the end, Hugh's Grey Knights leave cover and shoot up the Blob squad.

Then he charges in and butchers the Blob Survivors.

This leaves the Strike squad in the kill zone. I move up my special weapon squad and toss their Demo Charge and hit on target killing the entire squad. This left Hugh with only his razorback.

Last play of the game the Hydras light up the Razorback and destroy it.

It was a great game. I thought I had lost it from the start and was playing for a draw. I got lucky with the demo charges. The Hydra worked well, especially the re rolls. The Company command squad with four snipers also managed to get a couple good shots. I lost one sentinel, the heavy weapon squad, the vet squad and the combined Infantry squads. So it ended up four to six.

John and Sons of Taurus had arrived and played a game while Hugh and I played.

Next battle Guard verses Blood Angels.

Hydra Conversion

I spent a while Friday afternoon building this, a Hydra Turret to use for my Imperial Guard.

I have been planning to build a couple Hydra turrets. I have been in the acquisition phase of the build, working to a mental plan. My original plan was to build a twin Gatling gun mount with the gunner in a basket between them. I didn't like any of the baskets I started on. None of them were going to look anything like any other Hydra conversions I had seen. So if the turret was going to be different, I decided to make it really different.
This is still a work in progress but is far enough along to show what it should look like in the end. I thought about It only having one gun and the WYSIWYG Nazis taking exception but it has more barrels so I figure they even out. I am thinking about adding a search radar dome, a tracking radar dish and some other bits. I am debating adding an ammo feed from the back of the column but then I will not be able to elevate and depress the gun. I have eyeballed one of the young master's Avatar toys that has a flexible plastic ammo feed but I can't bring myself to appropriate it for the greater good, yet. I have also been thinking about adding a hunter killer missile to the top of the gun but I need to check if the Hydra can take one. This is really a proof of concept model and I plan to make a tutorial when I build the second one.

Fluff wise I plan to call it a Field Expedient modification. The Catachans needed air defense and The Munitorium had none to issue. So in typical Catachan resourcefulness they took a normal Chimera, some sentinel controls, some borrowed electronics and added a cobbled together Gatling auto cannon. It might not be pretty but it works and that is what counts.

Last two 500 point league games

I played my last two 40k league games at Heroes Hq in Mocksville. My first game was against Robert G and his Tau. His army consisted of two firewarrior squads, a kroot squad and a Stealth suit squad. We rolled a Pitched Battle and Seize Ground. The Objective roll maxed out so Five objectives. I ended up placing three of them and made the optimum placement to hold the three and be able to support each unit. Then I lost the roll for board edge and Robert thanked me for placing them so well. Robert placed his models first and spread out to cover the three objectives I placed in cover. There are objectives in the bottom of all three of the ruins.

I deployed to try and make a run for one of the Tau objectives. The missile launcher stood back to provide cover while one infantry squad advanced on the right and the platoon command advanced on the left. I held the Sentinels in reserve to out flank and the Stormtroopers to deep strike.

Robert made short work of my Platoon command but I managed to kill on of his stealth suits which broke and fled the table.

My one Infantry squad hunkered down on the only objective I would control.

I dropped the Stormtroopers into the Tau backfield and killed a few but they were burned down quickly. My sentinel arrived and charged into the Kroot squad. I manged to kill a few but they ended up destroying both sentinels. Another loss for the Catachans. I did learn to not castle up all the objectives because you don't know if your opponent will thank you for making his game easier.

The second game was against Steven J and his Orks. he had a Big mek with custom force field, two boys mobs with a nob and shootas in truck and a killa kan. We rolled pitched battle and capture and control. I placed my objective in my backfield up on a sky shield platform. I set an infantry squad with a flamer and my Platoon command with three flamers close to the objective. my plan was to sacrifice my infantry squad to get a chance to flame the Orks. I had a break when my sentinels immobilized his truck and the boyz had to foot it to the sky shield platform. Steven missed a difficult terrain roll and I managed to get a flamer shot killing several orks. The orks charged in their turn and wiped out the squad. Then my platoon command flamed the surviving orks killing all the boys and putting a wound on the Big Mek. My sentinels them shot him and took his last wound.

The doomed squad takes one for the team.

On the other side of the table the stormtroopers had advanced up and traded shots with the killa kan, losing a couple troopers but finally killing the Kan with Plasma fire. The infantry squad moved up spraying the orks with lasgun fire and doing little damage. Stevens truck fired up the stormtroopers killing the third one and they broke and ran for the table edge. The Orks came out to charge the infantry squad but came up short. Then the missile launcher hit them with three frag missiles killing most of the mob. The rest broke and ran leaving me with a win. My first one of the league.

We have moved onto the 750 point round and I hope to get some games in after Easter.

ColKG

40k league to 750 points

I managed to play four games at 500 points for the league. It left me at 1 win, no draws and 3 loses. I did refresh myself with the rules but I am still finding something new every game. We have moved into the next cycle, gaining 250 points to add to my list. I went through several lists but decided to go for more units with less upgrades. I will use this cycle to prepare for the next cycle at 1000 points. The list follows for my Catachan Imperial Guard Company Command squad 1 Flamer Senior Officer bolter Infantry platoon Platoon Command 2 Flamers Junior officer Bolter Infantry squad 1 Flamer Sergeant Bolt pistol Power weapon Commissar Bolt pistol Power Weapon Infantry Squad 1 Flamer Sergeant Bolt Pistol Power weapon Heavy Weapon Squad 3 Missile launchers Special Weapon Squad Demo Charge 2 Grenade Launchers Veteran Squad Demo Charge 1 Meltagun Sergeant Las pistol CCW 2 scout sentinels auto cannons Stormtrooper squad 2 plasmaguns Sergeant Hot shot lasgun I need to make two models with bolters and no power weapons to field the list. I dropped the power fists I had in the list because they rarely lived to swing back. I added the commissar so I can combine the squads and maybe have a chance against some of the marine assault squads. I know a couple people are going to have a 2+ save so I added a couple demo charges to at least give me a chance. I dropped the power weapon from the storm trooper sergeant and used the points else were. I went through at least five versions of the 750 list and choose this more stripped down list with more potential in later rounds. I will not be able to get any gaming in till after the Easter Holidays but maybe the weekend after that. ColKG

Catachan Grenade Launcher Conversion

I have been working on my 40k Catachan Imperial Guard army for a local escalation league. We have been playing 500 point games and will ramp up our lists to 750 points in the next round. I have been toying with several different lists and one requires more grenade launchers. Five more to be specific. I recently picked up a Catachan Command Squad which has one grenade launcher. I have another female Catachan Grenade Launcher to add to the ones I already use. I still needed three more. I bought a big lot of Catachans from a buddy of mine who was reinvesting in At-43 RedBlok. He had several models converted to grenade launchers using Necromunda Bits. I needed more lasgunners at the time so I broke apart the models but saved the bits. Always Save your Bits. Here is a shot of the bit in question. I believe it is from a Cawdor Heavy. back in the fabled time of bits ordering he had picked up a handful. It has one problem.

The back side has no detail. On the Cawdor heavy is sits against the model's chest so no need for detail. After test fitting to a basic Catachan, I realised that you could really see the missing detail on the back. It left a large gap in between the launcher and the basic Catachan's chest.

Here is a detail shot of what a regular grenade launcher looks like on the back.

A little green stuff later and this is what the Necromunda grenade launchers look like now.

Here are the new additions to the Catachans. The rear rank is an original Catachan Grenade Launcher on the left and a old style Catachan body with the new arms from the command squad on the right. The front rank all have the Necromunda bits with freshly sculpted details.