The last of the named Commanders for the Resistance has finally arrived, and what a sweet model! Gunnar the Ferryman has always been one of my favourite characters in the fluff, and though we don't get a special model for him and his Myrmidons, their transport is a beautifully detailed AT-77 Lifthawk armed with a flamethrower, upgraded machine guns and a double rocket battery.
Over the past couple of weeks I have been busy painting this up, alongside some Berserkers I had built some months previous. This would add some serious Feral flavour to the list, and also a splash of colour.
Gunnar is an interesting addition to the range, not a Commander per se but an especially violent unit of Berserkers and their transport, carrying with them some special Command Cards that boost the entire force. An army containing Gunnar should be large, but also geared towards infantry and close assault, as one would expect. Sending him off alone is not the best plan.
With these models complete, finally my maniac Berserkers can travel to battle in style!
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| The chariot of Gunnar |
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| The additional weaponry and flamethrower make this a brutal prospect |
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| A large troop carrier hangs from the underside |
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| I modelled it low to the ground, searching for prey |
NOT A STRATEGIC THINKER
Gunnar may be a special Commander, but he cannot be your leader - you need another Commander on the field. This is a bit of a tax, but since he is only CV2 it is not a great loss. Hopefully not too many of his 300pts are spent on the Command Value!
THE MYRMIDONS AND LAST MAN STANDING
The points for Gunnar cover four bases of special Berserkers, The Myrmidons, and their transport. The Myrmidons feature a better Dodge save, enhanced CQB and pass Fortitude tests automatically, but they cannot look for Objectives or Intel. Not a huge loss! These guys are not for grabbing Objectives, but slaughtering the enemy infantry.
Last Man Standing means that Gunnar is not considered lost until all four bases have been destroyed - somehow he always makes it through!
GUNNAR'S LIFTHAWK
The special transport of the Myrmidons and their mad leader does not have a name, but is obvious from its gruesome displays and tribal markings, massive upgunned weapon points and armoured crew compartment. The modified Lifthawk features better armour and Evasive Countermeasures, is faster (by 9"!) and has double the weaponry of other Lifthawks. It also features a flamethrower, for clearing buildings and dealing with anything else out there rocking Evasive Countermeasures. Regardless of the cargo, this is a brilliant vehicle, and will continue to serve the Resistance well long after Gunnar and his bodyguards have been cut down.
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| The Myrmidons pour from their modified transport |
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| Butchers and lunatics, the Berserkers charge forward |
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| The Ferryman stands out alongside the other Lifthawks |
LIVE TO KILL AGAIN
On a successful roll, damaged bases of infantry go back to full health. Excellent card for later in the game, where your troops have started to fray! There have been a few games in recent times where this would have been very helpful.
GRIZZLY TROPHIES
If at least two bases of enemy infantry have been destroyed in CQB, you gain a Victory Point and 200 Kill Points. Wow, nice card - very situational, but in combination with the Myrmidons and perhaps some other cards, you could achieve this one quite quickly. A hard card to hold onto if you don't have any combats, but it could swing the game in later turns.
GLORIOUS CARNAGE
Playing this card gives all Technicals and Wagons in the force an extra SH for their weapons, making Wagons more reliable and doubling the power of the Technicals. This is very, very cool, and I would love to field a big force of Technicals just in case this card came up. Doubling the power of these units could really help against, well everyone! Really impressed with this one.
CRAZED CHARGE
This card allows a unit of infantry to take part in combat even if they have just entered a building, and gives them a bonus to their CQB as well. Nice! This could be very useful for suddenly turning a combat as you pour fresh troops into the grinder. Situational, but awesome if you get the opportunity.
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| A special base was required for completion |
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| The underside of the model is covered in great detail |
Gunnar's Lifthawk was a fairly easy model to put together initially, as it shares the same pieces as any other Lifthawk. There was a lot of flash around the lenses and wings which was a pain, but I tried to be careful not to damage too much of the detail.
The big issue with the Lifthawk is that it does not have a place for the peg - the designers have carved some lovely detail on the bottom of the vehicle and left no space for the flight stand! Determined not to damage the detail, I resolved to fix the model to its base with a pin. This would make it less secure than the other Lifthawks, so I would make up for this by modelling the Lifthawk low to the ground - perfect for the maniac Gunnar and his Berserkers swooping into combat! This would also help explain mounting a flamethrower on a plane.
The special mounting meant a special base, and I modelled this one with a crashed Wagon. This enabled extra support for the pin, while also looking suitably ruined and matching the rest of the force.
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| Leading the feral charge |
Thanks for reading,
George
Hi
ReplyDeleteLove the models,where did you get the cars from?
The resin cars in the bottom picture are Resistance Technicals converted with spikes, the cars on the bases are N Scale metal cars from Model Railway kits - these are nice metal ones off eBay.
ReplyDelete