The Ambull

I have wanted to paint my Ambull miniature for many years now. I was first really fired up about doing it back in late 2010 when the 5th Ed Dark Eldar Codex was released. I thought that the Ambull would make a great Clawed Fiend for use with a Beastmaster. I was stuck on a paint scheme until I saw Gholascale's Ambull. It seemed perfect to me, though I wouldn't go with blue for it's mandibles. Anyway, I kept that idea in the 'mental file' until such time that I could get around to it. With our local group still playing Kill Team, I figured it was a good time to finally bring this seed of an idea to fruition.

Beastmaster and Beast.

After scouring the web for painting ideas I settled on sticking with something close to what Gholascale did and the orignal ad from White Dwarf.

The orginal White Dwarf ad.

Note the word "slave" going up the left side of the image below the Chapter Approved stamp. Is this justification for using this as a Dark Eldar Beast?

Primed with base started.

I chose Apple Barrel Color Indian Red for the basecoat.

Indian Red.

I then used an old, barely functioning, Citadel paint called Dark Flesh. It made the perect step up from Indian Red.

Dark Flesh layer.

Next, I drybrushed on Folk Art Buckskin Brown.

Buckskin Brown.

After a thinned Brown Ink glaze, I drybrushed on Calthan Brown.

Calthan Brown

The weird external guts was painted using Pink Hirror on top of Indian Red followed by a Baal Red ink wash before topping it off again with Pink Horror.

Weird gut bitz colored.

It was now done enough to assemble and take to war!

The original Clawed Fiend.

And it performed well in it's first outing.
It moved fast, in contrast to it's lumbering appearance. You can read about it here.

Cleaning up the trenches.

A week after that game and I am looking to touch it up. I chose a yellow color for the eyes by Folk Art called Lemonade as it is a very bright light yellow and contrasts perfectly against the dark recesses. I brighted up the gutty bitz as well using Rose Blush mixed with White. And finally, for much needed contrast, Blood for the Blood God was splatterd on to the claws and mandibles.

Finised in all it's gorey glory.

And after the addition of some grass tufts, it was now finished. I enjoyed working on this old  Ambull miniature, as I have wanted to paint it since that first White Dwarf article from way back in '88.  And it was fun having it chase around some of Da Masta Cheef's Orks in that last game. I look forward to fielding it again.

...and in this corner:

"Oy, take me to ya leada!"

Welcome to another tale of woe and carnage from the 40k warzone. This time we played another 4-way Kill Team game set upon the same table as our previous Kill Team game but with the scenery rearranged. However I opted this time to bring my Dark Eldar Kabalite Warriors for some poison elf fun.

Dark Eldar class photo.

I had less models than I typically deploy as I opted to try my newly assembled kit-bashed Beastmaster and her beast, a classic Ambull, both of which I painted/assembled earlier that day. (An impressive achievement for me actually).

Da Ork gatha.

In the corner to my rightside the Orks of Da Masta Cheef deployed. They were led by a cunning  brute that he sometimes uses as a Painboy, but today was just a nob, called Da-13th-Dokta.

Marines. 

To my left were Space Marines played by Chyanne and Jim. They used the Dark Angels list this time, but Jim used Blood Angel models to stand-in for Assault Marines and to help them keep their minis appart.

Craftworld Eldar

And in this corner, diagonally opposed from me was Bob's Craftworld Eldar. Swooping Hawks and Dire Avengers prepared to bring pain.

In this game we are fighting for three objectives  in the middle of the field, and it is dark the whole game. The darkness rule is a great benefit for me right off the bat as Dark Eldar have Nightvision and ignore the effects of it. After all the set up dice and been rolled, and initiatives stolen, etc. it would be Bob going first, then Space Marines, Orks and finally Dark Eldar.

The Eldar advance.

Bob's forced pranced forward, striking at the Orks and the Space Marines. Both the Orks and Marines struck back. Jim launched his Assault Marines right at the Eldar while Cheyanne took a more defensive posture. I think they were concerned that I was going to send the Ambull their way. They were right as I did indeed move them to the Macrocannon that seperated our teams.

Beastmaster and Ambull take the Macrocannon.

The Orks and Dark Eldar ran through the trenches towards each other while trading shots. I was astounded by Cheef's uncanny ability to make his 'ard Boyz armor saves, and would continue to be awed by them throughout the game.

Advancing thru the trenches.

Turn 2 and the battle between the Eldar and the marines raged on. With some shot from my distant Splinter Cannon peppering their members of their kill teams. But these teams were really tearing into each other.

Note the Dire Avenger in the crater.

When dice say "die!".

A turn highlight was Jim's flamer immolating a Dire Avenger in the crater. This allowed us the excuse to use one of Jim's new fireball markers to add some... um... flare to the moment!

On my turn I had the Beastmaster and Ambull redirect towards the middle objective as the Orks proved surprisingly resilient in the previous turn and the Eldar and Marines were killing each other just fine without my help. Meanwhile the the Dark Eldar Warriors moved in to target the orks.

Closing in on their prey...

The shooting phase cleared some of the orks from the trenchline while the Beastmaster slaughtered the ork that was on the objective with his whippy-agonizer while the Ambull crawed through his target. It was a good round for the Dark Eldar, but the Orks were not out of the fight yet.

...the Orks are cleared from the trenchline.

Turn 3.
The Craftworlders strike back hard, all but eliminating Jim's marines.

Jim's last guy was a duel-pistol wielding chap that was being stymied by the Swooping Hawk with a wrist shield who kept making every save the Marines forced him to take. It was amusing how much firepower that guy deflected!

An Ork came in from Reserves and got right up on my line. His failed attack justified my ignoring of him on my turn. The Beastmaster was shot off her skyboard and was out of her inaugural game. Meanwhile the axe weilding Nob charged at one of the Dark Eldar goons, chopping him to death.

"Oy, 'o wants to taste me axe?"

The Dark Eldar strike back, ripping into the Orks with their splinter weapons. The Nob fell, as did a few more Orks leaving only one 'ard Boy to hold the objectives in this section of trenchline.

Poisoning the Orks.

Turn 4, and the Astartes and Xenos continue their clash. The Craftworlders, now broken by the Orks that have attacked them from the trenchline, only have a few models left. The leader, the Dire Avenger Exarch, is pretty tough to kill. He takes the objective, taunting the Marines to come and get him.

Craftworlders take the objective.

And they do, killing the Exarch and effectively tabling the Craftworld Eldar once the final Xenos falls.

Astartes clease the Objective from xenos filth.

The Orks, having broken the Craftworlders, and are now themselves broken, but those that stick around are here to rumble. They break from the trenchline with a mighty "Waaaargh!" and start dashing, and shooting, towards the marines.

"Time ta go ov'ah da top boyz!"

The Dark Eldar think they got it made, but the last Ork left in the trenchline snuffs out the their Team Leader before he himself is turned into a poison porcupine! (Or maybe the Ambull ate him too? I forget...). The Kabalite Warriors move in to take the Objective.

Dark Eldar claim an Objective.

Turn 5
The Space Marines move in to secure the objective, bracing themselves for the rush of oncoming Orks being led by Schultz!

Space Marines hold an Objective! 

The Orks, the few of them left, push on towards the Space Marine line, setting themselves up to be able to challege the Objective next turn.

The Dark Eldar, pretty much holding their side of the table, secure both Objectives while sending the Ambull towards the final Objective being held by a gutsy Space Marine.

Objectives secured!

And at the bottom of Turn 5 the die was rolled and the game ended. This is how the Victory Points tallied up:

Space Marines: First Blood, Kill Leader (Craftworld Eldar), Objective (x1)
= 3 VPs.

Craftworld Eldar: Break Enemy (Space Marines) = 1 VP.

Orks: Break Enemy (Craftworld Eldar), Kill Leader (Dark Eldar & Space Marines)
= 3 VPs

Dark Eldar: Break Enemy (Orks), Kill Leader (Orks), Objective (x2)
= 4 VPs.

So through guile, cunning, and fairly average dice rolls, Dark Eldar pull off a win!

It was a crazy fun game, and it would have fun to have another rounds as the Ambull could have reached it and probably would have dined on some enriched Astartes meat, but it was just not to be. But, the Orks also might have made it there too.  And assuming that no one bottles out, it would have been a battle royale for that final Objective!

Imperial meat: denied.