Constructing and priming the Carnosaur

I have always liked the Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur model for the  Seraphone army for Age of Sigmar. I thought it had potential for a mount for either my Feral Ork army, or for my Old World Orcs and Goblins force. Another idea was for a mount for my Warhammer 40k Tallarn forces.

The list price of the Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur model is £58, so I did consider that this was a little on the high side for a conversion. However as one of the releases of Hachett’s part works, you could get the two sprues of the model across two weeks for £9.99 per issue. What I did check out though was that you can get away with buying only one spruce, the one with issue #20. That sprue allows you to build the Carnosaur model. The second sprue provides the parts for the different riders and the parts needed for the Troglodon version of the kit. So, I picked up two issues of #20 as I only wanted the Carnosaur model.

The model has quite a few parts, and I was pleased that my initial assumption that I could build the model from just the one sprue was correct.

Having constructed the carnosaur model I fixed it temporarily to a base I had for painting.

I gave the model a white undercoat.

The next stage is decided what colour to paint the carnosaur.

High Elf Lord on a Fire Dragon

This High Elf Lord on a Fire Dragon was at Warhammer World.

A soaring symbol of Ulthuan’s ancient martial glory, a High Elf Lord astride a Fire Dragon is a magnificent yet terrifying sight upon the battlefield. Clad in Ithilmar armour and wielding masterwork weapons, the noble prince commands the skies with unmatched tactical skill. Beneath him, the Fire Dragon, a creature of immense size and terrifying temper, acts as a living furnace. Channeling the scorching heat of its fiery blood, the beast looses a blazing stream of incinerating breath that melts armour into liquid metal, while its rider strikes down enemy champions from atop his scaled perch.

High Elf Mage on a Fire Dragon also at Warhammer World.

As with many models in the Old World range for Warhammer, this kit can be built as a High Elf Archmage on a Moon Dragon, or as here, as both a High Elf Lord and a High Elf Mage on a Fire Dragon.

Priming the Cathayan Grand Cannons

When I made a trip to Warhammer World in June 2025 I was pleased to see the then new models for the Army of Grand Cathay for Warhammer Old World on display. I really liked the Cathayan Sentinel especially the paint job which made it look like it was terracotta. I also saw a posting on the Warhammer Community site about where Lewis from the Warhammer Studio had painted some Jade Warriors as terracotta warriors. I started thinking about creating and painting a whole army in this style, so I bought a Cathayan Sentinel and the Grand Cathay Battalion.

I started constructing the Jade Warriors. After finishing some of those models I started on the Grand Cannon and the crew.

Cast in the likeness of roaring dragons, the Grand Cannons of Cathay unleash torrents of flame and iron upon the foe.  Whether saturating a wide front or concentrating their explosive power into a single, devastating projectile for sieges, they remain a cornerstone of Cathayan might.

I constructed the cannon and the crew, including the mercenary ogre.

I have been thinking about how I will paint the Grand Cannon. The human crew will be terracotta like the Jade Warriors. I think I will also need to reflect on how to paint the Ogre Loaders, who are mercenaries. First thoughts are to paint them as terracotta too. As for the cannon itself, that I think will be more brass than clay. I think a cannon made out of terracotta would explode upon firing.

I landscaped the bases of the models with some Citadel Sand and slate pieces.

I did not fix the cannon to the base, so that both the base will be easier to paint as well as the underside of the cannon.

I then primed the crew models with Wraithbone spray.

For the cannon I used Leadbelcher and for the base Wraithbone.

Next stage will be the base coat for the crew, whilst the cannon will be painted with some brass.

Sherman M4A3E2 “Jumbo”

Europe’s only running Sherman M4A3E2 “Jumbo” made its debut at Tankfest from June 26-28. Shipped from the Bastogne Barracks in Belgium, the rare World War Two assault tank ran in the arena.

The standard Sherman armour was too thin against German anti-tank guns. The US Army modified it. They welded heavy steel plates onto the tank hull. The frontal armour of 4” was twice that of the standard Sherman tank. Troops called it the “Jumbo” because of its heavy, bulky frame. You can clearly see the extra frontal armour on the tank.

Only 254 Jumbos were built to lead heavy attacks.

Undercoating the Jade Lancers

When I made a trip to Warhammer World in June 2025 I was pleased to see the then new models for the Army of Grand Cathay for Warhammer Old World on display. I really liked the Cathayan Sentinel especially the paint job which made it look like it was terracotta. I also saw a posting on the Warhammer Community site about where Lewis from the Warhammer Studio had painted some Jade Warriors as terracotta warriors.

I started thinking about creating and painting a whole army in this style, so I bought a Cathayan Sentinel and the Grand Cathay Battalion. I started constructing the Jade Warriors. After finishing some of those models I started on the Grand Cannon and the Jade Lancers.

I do think the construction of the Jade Lancers is quite complicated, the horses are made up of quite a few components. Most of the horses have only one hoof on the ground, something that you couldn’t do with metal models, but can with plastic.

I landscaped the base of the Jade Lancer with some Citadel Sand.

I then primed the model with Wraithbone spray.

Next stage will be the base coat.

The Siege of Volganoff at Warhammer World

The Siege of Volganoff pitted the disciplined defenders of the Empire against a massive, besieging Orc and Goblin army. At first, the defense held strong; Imperial wizards rained down destructive spells from high positions while artillery batteries systematically shattered the greenskin ranks. However, the Orcs retaliated with devastating assets of their own, deploying crude, ramshackle siege engines alongside flying monstrous beasts that swooped down to tear apart the garrison on the walls. As the deafening thunder of black-powder firearms clashed with the bloodthirsty war cries of the horde, the city’s gates began to splinter, leaving the ultimate fate of Volganoff hanging in the balance.

The Siege of Volganoff was originally displayed as the Siege of Altdorf at Games Day 2010 and was then put into place at Warhammer World in 2015. A few years later it was reduced in size. The Chaos forces were replaced with Orcs and the the “new” diorama was entitled the Siege of Volganoff.

I have always liked this diorama, which utilised the plastic Warhammer Mighty Fortress kit. The original Siege of Altdorf diorama was much bigger, but the castles in both are of a similar size. Volganoff loses the breached walls and a few towers, but gains a circular tower, which is a taller extended version of the now retired Witchfate Tor Tower of Sorcery.

Whereas the Siege of Altdorf had Chaos as the main protagonist, the forces attacking Volganoff are orcs. There is a wonderful scratch-built Orc siege engine. Defending are numerous Empire Steam Tanks. In the skies, Orc Wyverns attack from above. So much to see in this one diorama.

More photographs of the Siege of Volganoff.

Nashorn Tank Destroyer

This Nashorn Tank Destroyer was taking part in Tankfest 26 at The Tank Museum.

The Nashorn (German for “Rhinoceros”) was a formidable German tank destroyer developed in 1942 as an interim solution to counter heavily armoured Soviet T-34 and KV tanks.

Built on the specialised Geschützwagen III/IV hybrid chassis, which combined elements of both the Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks, it mated a highly mobile tracked platform with the devastating 8.8 cm Pak 43/1 anti-tank gun.

This weapon was one of the most lethal anti-tank guns of World War II, capable of penetrating the armour of almost any Allied or Soviet vehicle at extreme ranges, often well before the enemy could close the distance to fire back.

However, to offset the immense weight of the 8.8 cm gun and maintain mobility, the Nashorn was designed with a tall, open-topped, and lightly armoured superstructure.

With only 10 mm of armour protection on its gun shield and sides, the crew was highly vulnerable to artillery fragments, small arms fire, and air bursts. Consequently, the Nashorn had to be operated strictly as a long-range sniper from concealed positions, utilising its exceptional gun optics and ballistics to strike from afar rather than engaging in close-quarters armoured brawls.

This is a privately owned Nashorn with the hull serial number 310163 and was restored to running condition in the Netherlands.

Sons of Horus Javelin Attack Speeder

Sons of Horus Javelin Attack Speeder
Sons of Horus Javelin Attack Speeder

Reserved for the most critical lightning-strike missions of the Age of Darkness, the Javelin Attack Speeder is a sleek, highly coveted fire-support craft whose mastery of antigrav technology borders on tech-heresy. Built around esoteric impellor systems so complex and poorly understood that elements of the Mechanicum view their manufacture with deep suspicion, the Javelin effortlessly balances raw speed with extended operational endurance. Unlike lighter land speeders, its heavily reinforced chassis allows it to hover gracefully over hostile terrain while bearing an astonishingly heavy payload; ranging from tank-busting laser destroyers and heavy missile launchers to infantry-shredding heavy bolters. Highly manoeuvrable and capable of delivering devastating precision bombardments to any corner of the battlefield, the Javelin remains one of the most prized mobile assets in the arsenal of the Legiones Astartes.

Frostheart Phoenix

This Frostheart Phoenix model was in the displays at Warhammer World.

frostheart phoenix

The Frostheart Phoenix is a creature of pure ice and cold. Its presence on the battlefield chills the air and saps the will of nearby enemies, reducing their combat prowess and turning the momentum of a battle in the High Elves’ favour. Its icy attacks can freeze foes solid, and it offers a powerful counterpoint to the more destructive nature of the Flamespyre Phoenix.

As with many Warhammer models, you have a choice you can either make the kit as a Frostheart Phoenix or Flamespyre Phoenix. They can be made with a High Elf Lord rider.