It's Raining Cuts And Dogmata

 Month 5 of the Hobbypocalypse - the end is in sight!

I've yet to bag a win with my exceptionally-choppy Sisters of Battle army, so the only logical solution was to add more chop!

The Celestian Sacresants are about as elite as it gets for the Sororitas - good weapons and good armour (unfortunately housed around a T3 body with 1W).

Still, their big shields and halberds look very cool (wasn't I just playing Warhammer Fantasy?) - I think to get the most value from them, you'd need to field them in larger numbers (although not at these prices!)

One nice feature about Celestians (as I learned from a fellow hobbyist) is that some of them reverse their robes (the Ophelia-based orders: Martyred Lady, Bloody Rose, Valorous Heart). As my order is sort-of Bloody Rose, and I think the idea is a cool one, these Celestians get purple robes on the outside, with a green lining.

I gave the all the proper Celestian helmets too - although that does rob them of the orange hair colour and make them look a bit grimmer than the rest of the army.

The other discovery I found was running some Nazdreg Yellow contrast over the drybrushed shields gave a simple bronzed look.

To keep everyone in line (and to give me access at last to Prayers), I added a Dogmata.

Not the actual model, which is quite pricey and not to my taste. Luckily, the Retributor Superior is perfectly posed to be preaching and waving about a big mace, so she gets the promotion (with a Cawdor head from Necromunda).

The final unit this month were the jump troops. I've liked the idea of these since I saw one duelling with a Heretic Astartes on the trailer for some 40k video game (can't find which one it was - there's hundreds of them).

These were supposed to be the Seraphim from the Combat patrol box, but when I learned that you can give them power swords and call them Zephyrim, it was out with the clippers!

I didn't have enough power swords to go around, so these are all armed with spares from my Fantasy bits box - mostly High Elves. They're a bit shorter, but I imagine that would be an advantage when you're flying through the air.

These also had helmets (safety first!), but I was able to add the orange colour on the wings, making this squad a good deal brighter and in-keeping with the army.

• Armour: Black undercoat, Leadbelcher drybrush, Militarum Green contrast
• Robes: Caliban Green base, Loren Forest layer, Straken Green highlights
• Reverse-robes: Naggaroth Night base, Genestealer Purple layer
• Bolter casing: Baneblade Brown, Agrax Earthshade wash
• Wings: Jokareo Orange layer, Gryph-hound Orange contrast, Fire Dragon Crimson highlights
• Shields: Black undercoat, Leadbelcher drybrush, Nazdreg Yellow contrast
• Purity Seals (wax): Naggaroth Night base, Genestealer Purple layer
• Purity Seals (paper): Zandri Dust base, Screaming Skill layer
• Wooden icons: Steel legion Drab base, Agrax Earthshade wash

The Superior of the Zephyim can also carry a banner (this apparently makes it easier to fight) which helps shorten their charge - so I definitely wanted one of them! This was achieved with an old Wood Elf banner pole and an empty tube of tomato puree.

Last, but not least, my points tally was completed by a brace of Cherubs.

The first one was painted by Monkey, as part of his Month 3 tithe. It's very well done, so I'm now obliged to keep up the standard.

Not much to these, other than being creepy cyborg babies, but they can dole out bonus shots or acts of faith, so I won't complain!

And that's my fifth shift complete! I've got something special cooking up for the final month.