Nope! IC 2014 HPC!

Yet again my wondrous plans are cast down into ruin.

The rules for the Independent Characters 2014 Hobby Progress Challenge have been announced this month! So, in light of this and how much I've been looking forward to it, new plans are required.

The format this year is a bit different than last; there are two parts, the first goal will be to complete a 1000 point Zone Mortalis army and the second will be to expand that army into a 2000 points standard 40k army.

I've decided on a simple target for the Zone Mortalis portion: paint ALL the infantry!

My list will be as follows:

Stage 1: 1000pts Zone Mortalis

Inquisitor Hera, Ordo Xenos @ 78 pts (Digital Weapons; Power Armour; Force Sword; Plasma Pistol; Psyker)

Company Command Squad @ 120 pts (Plasma gun x3)
. . Captain Ulysses, Commander B Company (Plasma Pistol; Power Fist;)

Primaris Psyker @ 70 pts (Force Stave)

Veteran Squad @ 135 pts (Plasma gun x3)
. . Veteran Sergeant (Plasma Pistol; Power Sword)

Veteran Squad @ 117 pts (Meltagun x3)
. . Veteran Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Power Fist)

Infantry Platoon @ 477 pts
. . Platoon Command Squad (Meltagun x3)
. . . . Lieutenant Apollo, 7th Platoon Lead (Boltgun)

. . Infantry Squad (Grenade Launcher x1)
. . . . Heavy Weapons Team (Missile Launcher)

. . Infantry Squad (Grenade Launcher x1)
. . . . Heavy Weapons Team (Missile Launcher)

. . Heavy Weapons Squad (Autocannon x3)
. . Heavy Weapons Squad (Autocannon x3)
. . Heavy Weapons Squad (Heavy Bolter x3)
. . Special Weapons Squad (Sniper Rifle x3)

Total Cost: 997

It's not a super-effective list but it includes almost all of my unpainted infantry models plus a few other cool things that I want to build but don't own yet.

The challenge starts in February so I will be mapping out the monthly commitments like so:

February:
Psyker
Vet Squad 1

March:
Inquisitor
Vet Squad 2
Sniper Squad

April:
Platoon Command Squad
Infantry Squad 1

May:
Infantry Squad 2
Company Command Squad

June:
Heavy Bolter Squad
Autocannon Squad 1
Autocannon Squad 2

There are some tall orders in there but I'm excited about the prospect of having a fully painted army so by the gods I'm going to make a serious effort to do this! It may also help keep my motivation levels up if I start actually playing some games... so I'll be doing that too; it's my new years resolution! 

I realist it's the 18th of the month now and I haven't been totally idle - I decided that I needed to build something (it's my favourite part of the hobby after all) so I dug out a couple of tank chassis that had been lying idle (and on sprues). Behold, two more tanks!

Turrets painted separately...

Now I have 8... why do I have 8? Some day I will use them all in an Apocalypse game, some glorious day!

There are still two more planned... I have a problem.

The Arcadian 300th Armored Company en route to the nearest Munitorum painting facility...

For the remainder of this month, I'll be taking a break until about the 27th because we'll have guests over Christmas. After that, I'll be either painting that goddamn Wall of Martyrs (even if it kills me) or potentially building all the new shiny things... it could go either way...