IAF100 Taranis Tracked Tanks Painted!

There is less than a week to go until the Early Supporter Offers on the IAF100 Taranis Tracked Tanks at The Ion Age. We are getting prepared for this and while we are I want to share with you five plain backdrop painted images, the first painted images, of the five variants that will feature in the offer and make up IAF100.  These are in the standard Prydian Army scheme of tan and brown.

This is the first of several articles that you will be able to see and read before the ESO's with the next one giving you scale comparison photos, then another on the running tank drones, another 'Information Burst' on the tanks in our setting and lastly the Early Supporters post itself. Here are the images! 

IAF100A Taranis Main Battle Tank

IAF100B Taranis Command Tank

IAF100C Taranis Energy Turret Tank

IAF100D Taranis Siege Gun Tank

IAF100E Taranis Tracked APC

Go HERE if you want to see the parts of the tank and dimensions of these resin kits. 

I hope you enjoyed these painted pictures and the next article will be online shortly giving you the comparisons with other codes in our range to give you an idea of just how impressive Bob Naismith's Taranis is on your gaming table. The Early Supporter Offers will feature a percentage saving off release price, a free pack with each tank and of course the monthly miniature free in every order. Its a series of superb offers. 

Thanks for Reading. 

GBS

IMP26 Female Nox Trooper free miniature for October 2015!

“What I remember were her eyes.  Not her height nor her blood red armour.  Not even the brilliant white of her hair tied up upon her head and the points of her ears.  I saw her for but a moment but it is burned into my mind just as the screams of my fellow knights are in the midst of that battle.  We had cleared the area and had in fact swept it twice but the glimmer suite of the Segmentum armour and the skill of our foes had kept them hidden from us until we through ourselves safe.  Beams and blasts shattered my lance and I fell wounded in both legs.  They must have thought me dead for I thought it myself when the Nox stood over me and removed her helm.  Her eyes violet and black and without compassion or pity.  Perhaps she honoured me, perhaps time was short, perhaps she just wanted to see the sky after days closed up.  I know not.  Beauty.  Beauty and Death are the Nox.”

Jupon Tarl Manelle, 68th Regiment, Ignut Refinery Complex, Camarthen Prime, 4331IC.

Welcome to the month that promises to be a total score for fans of the Ion Age and of damn fine 15mm armour in the form of main battle tanks as well.  October 2015 for us presents the next of our monthly free miniatures IMP26 Female Nox Trooper. For the whole of October this 15mm miniature is automatically put into every order at the rate of one per order regardless of order value.  It can also be bought in any amount on the monthly IMP page of the website for this month only too before being withdrawn on the first of next month.  

The Nox are the heavy hitters of the Shia Khan Empire's infantry and are more than a match for a Retained Knight on a one to one basis.  Given the job of smashing a hole in the formations of enemies across the galaxy the Nox carry weapons to use that are typically the support role of two Legionaries with one acting as the gunner and the other as the loader or energy pack carrier.  We have three packs of Nox two of troopers and a command pack too.  You can see them HERE.  This free miniature makes a perfect addition to them. Wearing Segmentum powered armour this female alien trooper has a Hydra Laser Shotgun and her helm under her arm.  The miniature is one piece in white metal and stands approx 19mm tall. A great leader for your force or character.

A scale comparison shot with a Planetary Militia Trooper

Of course you earn reward points on all orders too through your account.  We realise that some of you may wish to purchase the currently free miniature to get multiples of it without placing a lot of orders so you can do just that.  Visit this page on the website for the miniature at a fair price for a special miniature.  There is a growing page on the Ion Age website where the current and all former IMP series free miniatures are shown so that you can see what came before.  Enjoy and go HERE. 

We look back at what was going out free this time last year and now also in our first year too.  In October 2014 it was IMP14 Female Retained Veteran and in October 2014 it was IMP02 Retained Knight with Power Fist.  You can get them in the Year Collections of formally free on our website HERE but if you click on the links over the codes you can see the blog post from that month and year and see what else we were up to at that time.  Time flies and sometimes we forget and I always enjoy the new month update and to look back at last year and further...so much done and so much still to do!

September had two salient points which had IonFans talking.  The first was the release of a command pack (IAF075) and platoon pack for the mighty (IAFP03) Desteria Knights which saw these walking weapon platforms raised to a full force.  The second was of course the articles on the coming of Bob Naismith's awesome Taranis main battle tanks.  There are still a couple of these to come but October will see an Early Supporter Offer (ESO) on Taranis happening in the first week of the month!  

Full details to come of course but the Early Supporter Offers will feature a choice of levels along with savings and also free items too.  Excellent!  The ESO's will end before the end of the month with all orders placed for them shipped out worldwide at the end of the promotion period.  Watch this spot!

Thanks for reading.

GBS

IAF100 Taranis Tracked Main Battle Tanks built!

There is a detailed article concerning all of the pieces of each of the five variants of the forthcoming IAF100 Taranis Tracked Main Battle Tank, including many images and scale shots and you can view it HERE. This short post has but one goal and that is to show you the five variants assembled from their parts! Excellent and these are the first production mold castings which will feature in October 2015 in our Early Supporter Offers on this great tank designed by Bob Naismith. 

IAF100A Taranis Main Battle Tank

IAF100A Rear View

IAF100B Taranis Command Tank

IAF100B Rear View

IAF100C Taranis Tank Energy Weapon

IAF100C Rear View

IAF100D Taranis Siege Tank

IAF100D Rear View

IAF100E Taranis APC

IAF100E Rear View

Taranis is about 90mm long and about 60mm wide typically and most variants have only a half dozen pieces that are very simple to assemble. Heck, I assembled the ones in the pictures and I am well known for being all thumbs when it comes to modelling and converting miniatures. For full details of the variants go to our more detailed article HERE. 

Thanks for Reading. 

GBS

IAF100 Taranis Tracked Main Battle Tank variants and parts

Welcome to the variants and parts article for the IAF100 Taranis Tracked Main Battle Tank. While another article will tell you about the mighty Taranis in the universe of The Ion Age this time around we are all about the physical 15mm scale models themselves.  All of the pieces with scale and then all of the pieces together that show what you get with each variant when you receive a Taranis kit.  A super cool vehicle designed by Bob Naismith and now in the finest resin!

There are five different variants (A,B,C,D and E) of IAF100 Taranis Tracked Main Battle Tank so please read on for each of them:

IAF100A Taranis Tracked MBT Cannon Turret

This is the core type of tracked Taranis the main battle tank with projectile turret.  It is composed of seven resin and white metal pieces which are the upper hull, the lower hull, right and left tracks sections, projectile cannon turret as well as the main gun and the sponson gun.  You can see them here with a scale of 1cm squares under laying the pieces.  It is easy to assemble and is designed to be used for wargaming and thus it is durable.  Assembled this vehicle is just over 90mm long and 60mm wide.

IAF100B Taranis Tracked MBT Command Turret

This is the platoon command type of tracked Taranis with projectile turret with additional rotary weapon and comms suite.  It is composed of seven resin and white metal pieces which are the upper hull, the lower hull, right and left tracks sections, projectile cannon command turret as well as the main gun and the sponson gun.  You can see them here with a scale of 1cm squares under laying the pieces.  It is easy to assemble and is designed to be used for wargaming and thus it is durable.  Assembled this vehicle is just over 90mm long and 60mm wide.

IAF100C Taranis Tracked MBT Energy Turret

This is a Taranis main battle tank with an energy weapon turret featuring a small cabin for a crewman.  It is composed of six resin and white metal pieces which are the upper hull, the lower hull, right and left tracks sections, energy weapon turret as well as the sponson gun.  You can see them here with a scale of 1cm squares under laying the pieces.  It is easy to assemble and is designed to be used for wargaming and thus it is durable.  Assembled this vehicle is just over 90mm long and 60mm wide.

IAF100D Taranis Tracked MBT Siege Turret

This is a Taranis main battle tank with a double weapon turret for close in destruction.  It is composed of six resin and white metal pieces which are the upper hull, the lower hull, right and left tracks sections, siege double turret as well as the sponson gun.  You can see them here with a scale of 1cm squares under laying the pieces.  It is easy to assemble and is designed to be used for wargaming and thus it is durable.  Assembled this vehicle is just over 90mm long and 60mm wide.

IAF100E Taranis Tracked APC

This is a Taranis tank with a re-purposed function as a super heavy Armoured Personnel Carrier capable of carrying a squad or more into battle. It is composed of five resin and white metal pieces which are the lower hull, the APC upper hull, left and right track sections and the sponson gun. You can see them here with a scale of 1cm squares under laying the pieces.  It is easy to assemble and is designed to be used for wargaming and thus it is durable.  Assembled this vehicle is just over 90mm long and 60mm wide.

Here are pictures of all the IAF100 parts  as single items with under laying scale in 1cm squares for you to look at.  

Taranis lower hull

Taranis Upper Hull for Turrets

Taranis upper hull APC

Taranis track pieces left and right

Taranis Siege Turret and Sponson Gun

Taranis Projectile Turret and Sponson Gun

Taranis Energy Weapon Turret

Taranis Command Turret and Sponson Gun

In our next update on Taranis models we will show you not only the assembled variants of the tracked Taranis but then when ready the first photos of a painted tank and details of the forthcoming Early Supporter Offer. Getting near now!

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Taranis Running Drones by Bob Naismith

The Taranis main battle tank is the king of an Ion Age battlefield.  Its fire power and super dense armour make it a tough nut to crack however it is an expensive machine and when resources are tight no Knight Commander wants to lose a Taranis if he can avoid it.  Every Taranis carries four crew with one of them devoted to communications and drone control.  Drones are assigned to a Taranis tank typically in a small herd of five which are deployed ahead or to the enemy facing side of the tank.  The drones have different functions but all these functions are dedicated to enhancing the fighting ability of the Taranis and to protect it from enemy fire.

Bob Naismith designed the Taranis tank which is coming in October 2015 from The Ion Age and its a beauty (look out for a preview article soon on IAF100 Taranis Tracked Main Battle Tank and all its sub-variants) and while it was 3D printed with elements of traditional sculpting he also created the Taranis Running Drones. These are hand sculpted by this legendary designer and fit in excellently with the tank.

We have the greens on site and are molding them up right now in time for the coming release.  Above you can see two of the types, the Technical Drone and the Missile Drone.  Below you can see the concept pencil sketches drawn by Bob.  There are five different drone variants all mounted atop the runner legs.  The Technical Drone, the Missile Pod Drone, the Gun Drone, the Jammer Drone and the Interference Drone.  Some drones are offensive and attack the enemy while others are defensive to distract enemy attacks.  Ultimately a drone will place itself in harms way and sacrifice itself to protect its tank from damage.

The drones will be released as a pack code with sub-choices as normal within the pack.  Rumour has it that the drones might actually be free in the upcoming Early Supporter Offer (ESO) for IAF100....

There will be a full preview of IAF100 Taranis Tracked Main Battle tank soon.

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Patrol Angis: Desteria Knights take on the Nox!

Even though we are quiet this month...Taranis tanks take up a lot of space and time...I have been working away on a scenario for Patrol Angis for future free publication on this blog.  The scenario is for two players or solo and uses the Patrol Angis book and the free Khanate Empire stats booklet PDF as well.  A working title of 'Big Fist Blues' sees a full lance of Desteria Knights defending a small outpost against power armoured Nox troopers trying to hold on until a Bantam Repulsar Raft can arrive to bring in back up for the knights.

These three pictures are from the early testing of the scenario.  I have only penned a half dozen scenarios for this rule system so far and this one has by far the most 'points cost' as it features the super heavy warriors of the Prydian Precinct against the same for the Khanate.  Lots of support grade weapons and tough nuts to crack.  Desteria are worth about two and a half Retained or four to five Muster on average and to have fifteen of them in three demi's gives a lot of punch.

The added feature for the scenario is the shallow stream which moves at a fast pace.  I have scenario unique rules for this suggesting the chance of a miniature being tripped, fallen, washed away while wading across.  I also have scenario unique rules for determining when the Bantam will arrive as well.  Great fun as it makes the Nox player press in fast and lethal.

If you are keen on seeing the final scenario in October comment here or email me on info@theionage.com.  You can see the Desteria Lance here in this months release IAFP03 Desteria Lance (Platoon Pack) which has a unique extra free miniature in it.  Nox are on the Khanate Empire page.

Thanks for reading.

GBS

IAFP03 Desteria Lance with Unique extra free miniature released!

“MkII Noblesse Powered Armour. Stopping short of actually building armour that must be piloted rather than worn the awesome Noblesse pattern is worn by Desteria Knights into the thick of battle. Fully sealed titanium alloy with an average of 27mm thickness across the body Noblesse makes use of the Chameleon Circuit and also uses the Celo 9 ultra thin layer of insta-nate ablative shell designed to shatter when impacted by enemy fire. This additional layer of protection along with paldrons of re-enforced titanium makes Noblesse three times more protective than MkV Alwite. Some Desteria fit the large Delver X jump jets to their armour while others opt for the cabled generator cells for on board energy based weapons such as the Valerin laser. All Noblesse armour features the flexible manipulator Impact Fist which can perform delicate tasks as well as smashing up to one foot of rubbacrete. Noblesse carries a built in primary weapon on one arm with large sealed ammunition reserves.”

Academy Auto-Trainer Series 21, New Glastonbury, 4321IC

We have two new 15mm scale releases this month and both of them are released today.  What do we have? Well its a brand new command set for the super heavy Desteria Knights of The Ion Age and also a full platoon pack for the Desteria that includes an extra free unique miniature as well.  So this month we are all about the most mighty infantry of the Prydian Army and the Marcher Barons of the Precinct.  Desteria are included in Patrol Angis and short of a Duxis Battlesuit they are the toughest hombres on two legs.  Read on for details.

IAF075 Desteria Lance Command Alpha

Perfect to lead your Desteria Knights into the fray we present lance command for the super heavy knights of the Ion Age.  This code contains five different white metal 15mm scale poses all wearing MkII Noblesse powered armour.  From left to right these are an officer with Valerin Laser Rifle and Pelleas powered Mace, communications specialist, medic with equipment, banner bearer with staff and Valerin Laser Rifle and lastly a casualty of a Desteria Knight laying face up.  Each miniature is very detailed and features a crest upon its head. Desteria stand approx 24mm tall from sole of foot to top of crest.  Go HERE.  This code can be bought as a pack or as single miniatures or three packs saving 10% off list. Chose your option from the drop down menu on the page. Price per pack is 5.00GBP

IAFP03 Desteria Lance

This platoon pack gives you a full Lance (a platoon or force in Patrol Angis) of the heaviest power armoured knights the Desteria as well as a unique miniature only found in this code.  Fifteen different poses of miniature which are taken from these pack codes:  IAF009 Desteria Demi Alpha, IAF010 Desteria Demi Beta and IAF075 Desteria Lance Command Alpha.  On top of this you get the unique miniature which is a Desteria Knight Errant armed with an Octa Powered Sword and a Hermit Plasma Rifle.  This miniature is found only in this platoon pack and what is more its totally free as part of the pack.  Excellent!   As always this code can be bought as a pack or select the three packs and save 10% option on the page.  Go HERE.  Price 15.00GBP per pack.

Interested in the Desteria?  Space Opera Knights of our far future...course you are!

You can see all of the codes for them HERE.

Information Burst!

Salutations from our only week of releases this month.  The Desteria are some of my favourite models in the 15mm range.  Retained Knights get the glory but its the stomping heavies that get the tough tasks clearing out stubborn resistance and wading into the hail of lead.  If you have to hold the line at any cost then these are the lads for you.  On other fronts the reception to the approach of Taranis continues to be very positive (despite a couple of nasty emails but hey you cannot please everyone all the time and I am always polite in replies no matter what is said) and we will be releasing the Taranis Model 40 Tracked Main Battle Tank with all of its variants in October.  There will be an article showing all the pieces and giving information as well as scale shots later this month.  This month IMP25 Muster 'Cutter' Trooper is free in all orders. Additionally if you have not already signed up for our Mailchimp mailing list you should (its the top right box on our blog home page and its free) as loyal IonFans who are on the list now have access to a ruddy good monthly deal only seen there).  Thanks for your custom and for the kind words about our products we do appreciate it. Finally remember that by placing an order with us you will sign up for an account with the website and that means you get Reward Points in all purchases and the free monthly miniature too.  These points can be used any time to get free products and discounts on orders too.  

Thanks for Reading.

GBS