Vastarian: the Beacon awaits

We have all seen the signs in our dreams and know deep in our marrow that our apocalypse is nigh. But all is not lost, for we put our Faith in Him.

Take the pilgrimage to Ravachol, bringing resources to construct the beacon. Bring those among your congregation that have psychic aptitude, to power the beacon and illuminate the world.

Finally, most of all, bring faith. For faith in Him is the bedrock of the Imperium and only it can quell the darkness dwelling in our souls, a blackness that is slowly eroding the liminal space between wakefulness and sleep.

Vastarian: The Knights of Reclamation

And I feel so proud when the reckoning arrives.

Since its creation, we have been thrilled with how many people have gotten involved in our Open Invitational Vastarian - Dreams of the Pious, including through our contest, creating Cult Shrines, and creating civilian cultists. Some people have even created entire warbands that they sent to be used in the event, including an amazing Adeptus Mechanicus Cult by Nicky Grillet. Excitingly, this week, our friend Jake (@master_splinters_pizza_kits) provided us with a warband he created for use in the Vastarian event in Houston this month!

A Study in Scale: Deathwatch Artemis

The 54mm scale Deathwatch Space Marine towers over all of the other Space Marines models I currently own.

Earlier this year, we converted and painted a Dark Angel in the style of Lunax7070, based on parts Lunax7070 cast in resin for us. If you are familiar with his work, you would correctly predict that the Dark Angel we created was massive. We got a few comments on social media suggesting that the model was so large that they were likely similar in size to the famed Deathwatch Space Marine Artemis, released in 2001 for Games Workshop’s short-lived 54mm RPG. This got us to wonder, how do they compare to each other? Fortunately, I had an unassembled copy of the model that was gifted to me years back. It stayed unassembled due to the time-consuming frustration of metal models. This seemed like the ideal time to get the model out and assemble it!

Oldhammer: Commissar Molotov

The scale of models has changed a lot over the years!

Over the years, our blog has put a lot of focus on INQ28, from the Pilgrym to working on Zone Secundus. Its focus on creating characters and telling stories stands apart from the vapid battles that typify Warhammer 40,000. The INQ28 scene has been built and fostered by so many people since the release of Inquisitor some 20 years ago, but Commissar Molotov played a critical role in getting the idea to take root, with his forum presence and INQvitationals. He continues to be a huge proponent for INQ28, and in 2018 he started the #INQ28th initiative, where hobbyists share INQ28 models they are building on Instagram, using the aforementioned hashtag. Inquisitor_sharpe realized that on April 28th 2021, it would be the 28th month of the initiative, and reached out to us and others to help celebrate Commissar Molotov’s continued contributions to this dark corner of the miniature hobby. To do this, he suggested that people create miniature representations of Commissar Molotov himself. We thought this was a wonderful idea, and decided to paint an old Rogue Trader Imperial Guard/Commissar model in his honor!

Into the Past: a look at some of our old artwork

Cadian vs. Blood Pact (circa 2004).

Although we started this blog in 2013, we have been involved in the hobby since around 1997 (when the Warhammer 40,000 Storm of Vengeance campaign was released, the Sisters of Battle got their first models, and Epic 40k and GorkaMorka were released). Being in grade school, we did not have the funds to purchase too many models, but that didn’t stop us from imagining the grim 40k setting in our heads. This often led to us sketching out our ideas, combining elements from whatever inspired us at the time (Dan Abnett novels, and Neon Genesis Evangelion come to mind). Sometimes these drawings led to building models, but more often than not, they never went further than the paper. It has been a long time since I did any significant drawings in the 40k setting, but when looking through some old files, I found a collection of old drawings from my early time in the hobby, and thought it would be fun to share a few, even if I cringe a little looking back at them.

Inquisitorial Arvus Lighter: Finished

”We're in the pipe, five by five.”

A few months back, I found an old Forge World Arvus Lighter, forgotten and unassembled in a box, and decided to assemble it. With that hurdle surmounted, I decided to do the last step, and paint the model! I do not have much experience painting larger models, having only painted a scale T-26 for Iron Sleet’s Thorn Moon project. Like that model, I really wanted to experiment with using more scale modeling techniques, rather than the more traditional ‘Eavy Metal style. When planning the paint scheme, I watched a lot of YouTube videos by the scale modeler Night Shift, and would strongly encourage you to do the same if you are interested in pushing your painting skills.

Assembling an Inquisitorial Arvus Lighter

“We're in the pipe, 5 by 5”

It is not secret that we at Between the Bolter and Me are not overly fond of resin miniatures. Unless all the stars align perfectly, resin models tend to be defined by mold shifts and bubbles. This is certainly the case when talking about Forge World models. And while this has gotten better over the years, assembling any large resin model from Forge World can be a frustrating experience, particularly if it was designed before the advent of digital sculpting. We have purchased quite a few Forge World models over the years, but have assembled very few of them due to the aforementioned challenges. When searching through my backlog of models, I found one such Forge World model, an Imperial Arvus Lighter that I purchased during the excitement of the Pilgrym and Curse of the Alabaster collaborative games. Pulling out the partially assembled model, seeing many of the pieces were warped, I remembered why it was never finished. I have grown a lot as a hobbyist since that time, and thought now was a good opportunity to finish assembling the diminutive craft, and then paint it!

Conversion Corner: Arco-flagellant

Never worth your name.

Ever since the introduction of arco-flagellants into Warhammer 40,000 with the release of the 54mm game Inquisitor, we have been fascinated with them. Their concept is something that represents 40k so well: taking Imperial citizens condemned to capital punishment and converting them into specialized servitors that are pumped full of combat drugs and stims to send them into a bloody frenzy upon the vocalization of a trigger word. The original 54mm Damien 1427 model expertly captured the drug-addled madness of the concept, but the 28mm 40k models always fell far short. Fortunately, better versions are being released with the new Sisters of Battle release. In celebration of this, we decided it would be fun to convert one ourselves for our Conversion Corner series!

Curse of the Alabaster: Finale

No One Deserves Happiness. 

Having covered the events of the first two Alabaster games, we practically had to show you what happened in the final game!  This one involved all of the factions from the other two games, as well as a host of NPC characters, including some from the luminary Thistle, as well as the talented Eli Parsons from the Dragons of Phaeton.  To play the game, the two boards from the first game were combined (thanks to the ingenious modular design that Shibboleth devised), making one massive board.  The complexity of the board and the sheer number of players and models involved, make it virtually impossible to detail everything that happened, but we will endeavor to cover the events as comprehensively as possible!

Curse of the Alabaster: Game 1B - Secure the Alabaster

The Alabaster still has more lives to take.

While the Cursed Isle game for the Curse of the Alabaster event was taking place, another game was being played at the main, larger table, called Secure the Alabaster.  This game included the Arbites that Adam built and painted!

Like the first game, Shibboleth wrote some background to set the scene:

It's been 47 days since the Alabaster emerged into realspace within the Tarantus Hive, unleashing devastation in its wake. Distress calls have been received far & wide, and with it, the vultures seeking to profit and benefit from the rare anomaly.

Forces descend into the lowest reaches of the industrial hivespire hoping to gain an upperhand all while dealing with the madness of the local populace. 

Curse of the Alabaster: Game 1A - The Cursed Isle

52 days after the Alabaster Incident...

Anyone who has visited this site in the past two months or so will know that we were invited to participate in a narrative-focused Nercomunda/Inquismunda event in Los Angeles, curated by Shibboleth. Adam built a small group of Adeptus Arbites that had been sent into the chaotic Tarantus Hive to quell the psychic maelstrom around the wrecked Alabaster vessel. Furthermore, Eric built the psychic dinosaur Dreadwhisper to rampage through the hive.

The event took place this past weekend, and we are excited to describe many of the great gaming moments that took place over its course. The event consisted of two simultaneous games following different occurrences taking place in the devastated hive, followed by one larger game that brought everyone together for one climactic battle. We plan to have a series of posts documenting these games, starting with one of the smaller games, "Fate of a Family/Library of the Damned."

INQ28: Building a female Imperial Guard Trooper

The Emperor guides my hand.

Having just completed building Paige Levkau, a pilot hired by Inquisitor Anton Soljic, I decided that I wanted to continue to bolster his field agents.  I realized other than Levkau, I did not have any other female agents and decided to change that with the next conversion!

Between the Bolter and Me: 2015, a year in review

2015, our most productive year yet!

Somehow, it is January again. Another year has passed us by, and I find it hard to believe that Between the Bolter and Me is now three years old! I am happy to say that the third year was our most productive year yet. We converted all sorts of models, but most impressively, Adam even started to paint again (after an absence of more than five years)! But as 2016 begins, we wanted to take a little time to review our accomplishments last year.

INQ28: Studio McVey Jetgirl conversion - Paige Levkau

Thought Begets Heresy

Although it has been over 5 months since I created my last Inq28 model (Beltran Destrieux, of Stygies VIII Explorator Fleets), I am always on the lookout for models that might serve as a starting point for creating more characters to stand along side Lucanus Molnár and Anton Soljic.  Recently, I found such a model when looking through some of the resin models offered on Studio McVey’s website, in particular this model.  The leather jacket and flightsuit of the model reminded me of Medea Betancore, the Glavian pilot who flew Gregor Eisenhorn’s guncutter.  I realized she would be the perfect starting point for creating a pilot for the ever practical Anton Soljic of the Ordo Xenos.

Musings: What makes an Inquisitor

No Miracles, just Men.

Migsula, over at the excellent blog Iron Sleet, just wrote a fascinating post musing on the thought process behind building an effective Inquisitor retinue.  In it, he puts words to some concepts that I have tackled and explored while creating models for Inq28, but never consciously put down in writing.  He argues that the key to creating an evocative and effective retinue depends largely on the hierarchy in the group and the contrast in this stratification between the Inquisitor and their lowly henchmen.  The Inquisitor is the radiant sun around which the other members orbit.  These Humble Human Henchman (thanks for coining the term Migs!) that surround the Inquisitor serve to anchor the group in reality; they are humans that we can relate to, and not Saints, Space Marines, or Alpha class psykers.  To emphasize the importance of this contrast, Migsula asked “how interesting would a group of equally and similarly powerful individuals be?”  And while I think he anticipated the answer to be a resounding “Not very,” my first thought was the opposite.

INQ28: Painting Beltran Destrieux

We are all but a weapon in the right hand of the Emperor.

The release of the Skitarii Rangers was an exciting time for the Inq28 community, giving a wealth of excellent conversion opportunities (and finally some plastic Adeptus Mechanicus models!). They where also the perfect models to base Lucanus Molnár’s first companion, Beltran Destrieux, a soldier in one of Stygies VIII Explorator Fleets. Having finished all the conversion work on the model, the next step was to devise a color scheme and then get to painting him. The backstory that Eric and I created proved a good place to start. Thankfully we were able to find Stygies VIII color scheme in the Skitarii codex. Unsurprisingly, it had a major emphasis on red (Hail Mars!), with all of the armor being a deep crimson. Unlike the other Forge Worlds, it also had a large amount of black, with all their coats and robes sable.

Skitarii: Progress Report

Servants of the Machine God assemble.

Games Workshop continues its relentless release schedule, having just finished the Eldar and the Imperial Knights, it is about to complete releasing a set of kits for the new Cult Mechanicus, just a few months after the Mechanicum entered the scene through the Skitarii. Despite our excitement for these new Mechanicum models, we work pretty slowly at Between the Bolter and Me, and are still hard at work finishing our Skitarii. So before the internet floods with new Cult Mechanium models and conversions (and we break down and buy some too), we decided it was a good time to show everyone the progress that we have made with the Skitarii, namely how the Rangers and Infiltrators are coming together, in addition to the Inquisitorial operative, Beltran Destrieux.

INQ28: Skitarii Ranger conversion - Beltran Destrieux

The machine spirit guards the knowledge of the ancients.

Having finished Lucanus Molnár last month, we at Between the Bolter and Me have been musing about his background quite a bit, and decided it was time to share some of it, particularly how he became a member of the little know Ordo Machinum:

Although initially a member of the Ordo Xenos (with an obsessive fascination with the Ghost Warriors of the Iyanden craftworld), after his investigations into an aberrant technovirus (OTAV1X) led him to the to the forgeworld of Stygies VIII, Lucanus Molnár shifted his primary allegiance to the Ordo Machinum.  The shift went largely unnoticed in the Pacificus Conclave, and seemed a natural transition for the technologically minded Molnár.  Even the Mechanicum’s quick acceptance of his presense did not raise eyebrows, with the prevailing thought that his timely aid with the OTAV1X scourge opened doors.  The truth of the matter is more iniquitous, and while garrisoned on Stygies VIII, he uncovered elements of the heretical Xenarite sect.  The Xenarites, scholars and archivists of xenos technology, were thought to be eliminated in the Inquisitorial purge of 335.M36.  Instead of reporting the sect’s existence to the Conclave, Molnar saw a potential ally, one who might aid in his search for technology (human or xenos) to restore the Emperor to his former glory.  And so a tenuous union was formed between Lucanus Molnár and the Forge World of Stygies VIII; the Mechanicum would aid Molnár in his holy work, providing the limitless material resources and wargear that only a Forge World could supply, and Molnár would ensure the less “open-minded” members of the Inquisition would not learn of the thriving Xenarite sect within their midst.

Iron Sleet Invitation: For the Emperor's Soul

Everything you have been told is a lie!

I find it hard to believe, but after the most intense two hobbying months of my life, the first Iron Sleet Invitational is complete! To corroborate this, my entry and a host of fantastic entries are displayed in all their glory on Iron Sleet’s website, including an evocative entry by none other than John Blanche himself! For me, the whole process was a great learning experience, particularly encouraging me to pick up a paint brush after many long years of absence, as well as to try some more ambitious green stuff work.  It also got me to revisit Inq28, which I had been meaning to do for many months.  Now, with the two inquisitors done, I can start to explore some of the more eccentric members of their retinues (the new Adeptus Mechanicus models will work wonderfully for Molnar’s crew)!  To round out all of our Invitational posts, I figured that I would do one last entry focusing on the completed Molnár, and to show some pictures of the three models together.

Iron Sleet Invitational: Naval officer Nils Fernow

These dying days.

March is rapidly approaching an end, and that means Iron Sleet’s first Invitational is coming to an end! I am excited to say that one more of my models for the entry is complete: Nils Fernow, First Security Officer of the Saudor 23rd Imperial Navy, affectionately know as the “Voidstalkers.” I was a bit concerned that Nils would take significantly more time to paint then the pragmatic Anton Soljic, due to the increased complexity of the model (all the different layers of clothing…). Fortunately, that did not really seem to be the case, and I as I began painting the model came together quite nicely. Like Inquisitor Soljic, Nils is painted in dull earthy colors (though it is a little tricky to tell due to the greyscale images). Based on suggestions here, and from the Ammobunker, I decided to add an accent color to the inside of his cloak, as well as paint an =][= on one the the clasps holding it in place.  My excitement having finished Fernow was great enough that I knew I needed to put up some pictures to share with everyone, even if they are sepia toned for the time being, before they are finally revealed in April.