About

Hi, I'm Carl. A Warhammer collector, hobbyist, painter and gamer. For the past thirty years I have been sharing my work, both online and in print, of a hobby that has never failed to absorb and delight me when the world is at its darkest. Welcome to my corner of the hobby-verse and miniature painting exploits.

Although predominantly focussed on Games Workshop's Horus Heresy and Specialist Games systems, posts are frequently inspired by all-corners of a vast and immersive hobby. In this blog I discuss collecting, building, painting and even on occasions narrative gaming based on my own experiences over the past four decades.

Whether you are new to miniature painting or a veteran of many campaigns, I hope you find something that interests or inspires you in your own journey.

In the beginning

There was 'Dropship'. It was technically 'a' Dropship, and it served as the inspiration behind my blogging name for over twenty years. The origin of the name stemmed from a fabulous piece of artwork by Kev Walker (I think) from the 'Codex Titanicus.'

I had the opportunity to help playtest the drop pod and dropship rules one weekend in the basement of the Nottingham store. Being a huge fan of the original game, I often participated in gaming sessions where creator Jervis Johnson would test out new rules. Coincidentally, those were the rules he was experimenting with, and the name just stuck.

However, why did I decide to change the pseudonym I've been using for so long?

The answer lies in the growing popularity of a retail fulfillment method known as 'drop-shipping.' This began causing confusion, and I realized it was time for a change.

What happened to Epic?

The short answer is nothing, it will return as a big part of my regular featured content in the future.

Longer answer, while Epic as a game is on something of a hiatus, I have been focussing on other Horus Heresy and Specialist Games content. Those readers that know me from my 'Dropship' days will know the original Adeptus Titanicus and Epic scale gaming was what hooked me into the hobby in the first place. Second edition Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis are, in my hobby mind merely aspects of the same scale wargaming. So fear not if you are here for the Epic, a glance at the gallery on the right should hopefully reassure my activities in the small scale are merely 'paused' while I plan new projects.

Also, Titans. Lots and lots of Titans. Because I love Titans.

And Warhammer 40K?

While my hobby interests primarily revolve around Games Workshop's Specialist games, particularly anything related to the events surrounding Necromunda or The Horus Heresy, I still hold a deep appreciation for Warhammer 40,000. I continue to create and paint new content for my Necrons and Blood Angels, both of which are passion projects that will always have a place on the blog. Even if I am no longer actively gaming with them, they remain close to my heart. 

The next chapter

Retiring 'Dropship' and commencing 'Omnissiah's Skunkworks' marks the continuation of a Warhammer journey I began over thirty years ago. While the name may have changed, my goal remains the same: to share my hobby thoughts, discoveries, successes, and failures with anyone interested in following them. My hope is that they will inspire you, just as other Warhammer hobbyists have inspired me over the years.

I am looking forward to sharing more of my exploits in the future. There are countless exciting projects to come, and I hope you will join me on this journey. Thank you for your continued support, and I can't wait to embark on this new chapter with you!



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Replicating Reavers

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I have a small confession to make. Although the Warmaster I showed last update was a passion project rather than part of a specific event army, it does belong to a project in a sense. Let me elaborate. This picture from Titanicus and Space Marine era White Dwarf features some of those iconic Metallica engines I mentioned in the last post, as well as a Knight banner of House Krast and the studio's Blood Angels. So, I'm thinking wouldn't it be cool to re-imagine this force using the amazing plastic kits now available in Legions Imperialis?  Feels like a project I could really get behind. Some of the detachments I've already painted now I think about it, much of the Blood Angels for example. There are a few units I would still need to add, such as the Proteus pattern Speeders and whatever the heck is behind them (still trying to figure out what infantry unit that is from the photo). There is no Imperator unfortunately, but I think the Heavy Warmaster 'Interfector Trium...
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War engine twenty

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 It's been a while since I painted a war engine, the last being a (yet to be named) Fureans Reaver, which I really need to pull my finger out and get weathered and added to the blog. Bad princeps! As this is going to be my twentieth Titan for Titanicus/Legions Imperialis, I want this to be a particularly special one.  I've selected number twenty to be a Warmaster Heavy Battle Titan for Legio Metallica. It's the biggest engine I can include, at time of writing, and a kit I haven't painted before believe it or not. Just not gotten around to doing a Warmaster yet. So, with that in mind, last weekend I retrieved one I built a few weeks back, primed it up and started work on the metal skeleton. I will not be rushing through this one. I mean, it's not like I do anyway as they always involve a significant time investment to paint purely down to size, amount of detail and all that trim! But this one I think I'm going to take my time on and just enjoy the process. There...
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Priscus Interfector Trium

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I present the Warmaster heavy Titan 'Priscus Interfector Trium' of legio Metallica (cognomen Silver Skulls). I felt this engine needed a venerable name, not just because it's a Warmaster class, and frankly that should be reason enough! But also because it was painted to honour a legend of the game; "old three skulls". Wait, you've never heard of it? I don't blame you. Until quite recently, when I was thinking how best to paint the Warmaster, I had entirely forgotten the studio Warlord that inspired the palette actually had a name. You see, back when I was really into Epic during second edition Space Marine, there was an iconic battle report between Jervis Johnson and Andy Chambers. Legends of the game. The battle was a fight between Craftworld Eldar (Alaitoc) and the Imperium (Blood Angels). Featured in White Dwarf, it was re-printed in 1993 as part of the compilation book 'Space Marine Battles'. It was one of my favourite articles. The studio armi...
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