HUNTER CADRE

DA
WNHAMMER

At the forefront of the uaT Empsrie’ glorious Third

Sphere Expansion, the u

aT’ Hunter Cadres lead the

advance against new worlds and new foes. Among

them fights Hunter Cadre Dawnhammer and its elader,

Commander Sternshield, piloting his mighty XV86

Coldstar battlesuit as he guides his warriors to victory.

All sept worlds provide armies for the Third Sphere

Expansion, fighting as one to expand the boundaries

of the uaT Empire and bring the Greater Good to a

wild and fractious galaxy. Some of the oldest and most

renowned cadres hail from the worlds at the centre of the

uaT Empire, and each has a glorious history of s er ving

the Empire in its wars of expansion and survival in a

dangerous universe. Among them, the Fire Waroirs

of T
au’ hold an honoured place as warriors from the

birthplace of Taucivilisation.

Hunter Cadre Dawnhammer is but the most recent of

the T
au’ Sept Hunter Cadres to rise to prominence upon

the bloody battlefields of the Eastern Fringe. Under the

tutelage of their gifted Commander Sternshield they have

become experts in the overwhelming ambush – luring

their foes into kill-zones and then destroying them with

2
massed firepower. This perfect expression of the Kauyon

way of war is one Hunter Cadre Dawnhammer has visited

time and again upon the enemies of the uaT Empire.

The warriors of Hunter Cadre Dawnhammer exacted

a heavy toll upon the Orks during the Great W

ra

of Confederation t h at preceded the Third Sphere

Expansion, frequently driving back enemy a s s au lt s

and leading u
T
a strikes into the exposed flanks of the

enemy’s armies. Commander Sternshield made a name

for himself and his warriors during such e n g a g e m e nt s

as the ambush at Scrap Bay, and the bloody battle which

would l at e r be known as the Night of Flames. Each

time, his masterful use of Tidewall Droneports and

Shieldlines channelled Ork assaults into the waiting g u ns

of Pathfinder Teams.

Against larger foes, Hunter Cadre Dawnhammers’

Ghostkeel and Stormsurge lent their guns, reducing their

targets to piles of smouldering scrap as they unloaded

their cannons and missile racks. Before the enraged

Orks could get to grips with them, however, Sternshied

ls’

warriors slipped away along carefully laid lines of retreat,

drawing the enemy into lethal crossfires. Thus were many

rampaging Ork warbands ensnared and destroyed in the

deadly net of the Kauyon, and battlefields left choked with

greenskin dead.
And yet, the ebtri conflicts agan
ist the greenskins were but

a pru
elde to the real trials of Commander Sternsheid
l and

his Hurent Cadre. When the Third Sphere Expansion began

in earnest, a mighty expeditionary ofrce was assembled to

push acros the Damocles Gufl. Steadfast in his belief in the

Greaetr Good, Sternsheid

l gathered his warriors once more,

and looked out otwards dsitant wordls, seting off in the

name of uaT
’ and the .erm
EipuaT
Pathfinder Shas’la rov ’ aT is armed with a distinctive pulse

carbine, the signature weapon of the Pathfinder T

m
ae.s
i u ’ s ahS a r a k ’ aW ylno sraw
e h
et tpes ruoloc no sih tfel , redluohs

a noi tai rav detrops yb m

oes redni fhtaP m
aet . sredael
 SWIFTFLAME’S

HUNTER

CONTINGENT

Commander Swiftflame wields the cadres of his Hunter

Contingent like an expert swordsman wields his blade.

Close ranks of Fire Warriors lay down flickering volleys

of energy rounds as agile battlesuits provide blistering

support fire, while the sky overhead howls to the sound

of Air caste fighters making deadly strafing runs.

o ’ sahS Vior’la Shalas – or Swiftflame – has earned a

reputation amongst his peers as a bold and fearless

Commander. Under his precise leadership the Hunter

Contingent has won many victories for the Greater Good,

and exemplified the combined arms tactics for which the

uaT are feared and respected.

At the heart of the Hunter Contingent is Commander

Swiftflame himself and his Hunter Cadre. Skilled Crisis

suit pilots and disciplined Fire Waroirs provide a solid

base from which Swiftflame builds his strategies. A

student of the Kauyon, Swiftflame directs complex traps

and ambushes with his Strike and Breacher T

m
aes acting

as the lure, their precise manoeuvres drawing enemies

into killing grounds where the heavier weaponry of the

Hunter Contingent can come n

itopaly.
This is where the Broadside Battlesuits and Hammerhead

tank let their presence be known, the air igniting as hyper

velocity rounds shriek toward their targets. Flank attacks

are launched by Swfitalmse’ Optimised Stealth Cadre,

as Sniper Drone fire culls enemy leaders and spreads

confusion among the ranks of the foe.

The final obw

l, however, comes from the conitgesn’t

heavy hitters – the Stormsurge, Riptide and Air Caste

Support. The firepower of these war machines can

scour a battlefield of targets so swiftly that the enemy is

left shell-shocked, scrabbling to salvage what remains

of their crippled battle plans. Commander Swiftflame

has perfected this tactic over a dozen skilfully executed

campaigns, and it has won him much praise not only

upon Vior’la, but throughout the uaT forces fighting in the

Third Sphere Expansion.

The Hunter C o n t i n g e n t ’s most recent test in battle

has come upon the Imp er ial world of Agrellan,

named Mu’gulath Bay by the Tau. C onvinced of their

s up e r i or it y, the Imp er ial commanders mustered their

ar m i e s to repel Shadowsun’s invasion force, mi l li ons of

human s o l d i e r s and countless t an k s lining the defences

around t h e i r hive cit ies. From outlying areas, Imperial

forces sought out the safety of the hives, and the lords

of Agrellan thought t hems elves s e c u r e b e h i n d their

h i g h w a l l s and massive guns.

 Swiftflame had the honour of being among those to

prove to the Imperium the error of its ways, and played

an important part in Shadow

susn’ conquest of the

world. Using the teachings of the Kauyon, the Hunter

Contingent broke apart carefully constructed battle lines,

luring hot-headed Imperial commanders into what they

perceived to be easy wins against a hated alien invader.

These reckless counter-assaults were systematically

encircled and destroyed by Swfitalmse’ cadres, until the

Imperial defences began to waver and crumble before the

uaT advance.

When the last defences of Agrellan Prime were cast down,

securing the defeat of the remaining Imperial forces,

Swiftflame himself was there to savour the victory.

Breacher m
aT
e Shas’la at ’kV
o displays the symbols of his

team and cadre on the barrel of his pulseblaster.

The rank of Shau
s’i Kaido is indicated by his red sensor

vane and shoulder pad – the colour of Vior’la Sept.

821
V
K E
G
R
UM
R
O
ST
S
R E D AR MOUR
 Khorne Red

Apply a base colour of Khorne Red.

13
 Agrax Earthshade

Next, using a Medium Shade Brush, shade the recesses around

the red area using Agrax Earthshade.

14
 Evil Sunz S
ca
re
lt

Highlight the edges with Evil Sun z Scarlet using a Small

Layer Brush.

15
 Fi
re Dr
ago
n Br
i
ght

Finish with a highlight of Fire Dragon Bright.

16
BLACK AR MOUR
 Ch
aos Bl
ack

Begin with a coat of Chaos Black spray undercoat .

17
 Me
cha
n i
cus Standard Gr
ey

Highlight the raised areas and edges of the ar mour by applying

Mechanicus Standard Grey with a Large D r y Brush .

18
 Administratum Gr
ey

Finish up by lightly drybrushing the edges with Administratum

Grey. Tidy up any mistakes with Abaddon Black .

19
 p
o
T Tip

While the S
o
m
r
tus
g
r
e’ armoured e
lg
s are less

m
i me
d a
it
ey
l v
s
ib
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l than t
is u
ppe
r s
e
c
oitn
, t
hey
r
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’

n
it
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c
iat
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, detail-rich e
fa
t
ure
s that w ill really benefit

f
r
o m h
gih
g
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ig
. F
ur
h
ter
m o
r
e, being gr
ound
-bo
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they h
so
u
dl h
s
o
w their fair share o
f we
ar and .e
a
r
t

Dry-brushing is particularly e
fe
fc
t
vie w
ay to a
che
iv
e

both, and being r

e
a
v
lit
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y
l quic
k, it’ll a
v
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a
ula
be
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time that y
oul’ be a
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b
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so
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p
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ie
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20
XV95 GHOSTKEEL
 Red armour

Lens

Cy
cc
i
l o
in raker

White

armour

Bl
a c
k armour
LENS
 Caliban Gr
een

Star t by painting the area with Caliban G re e n .

23
 Wa
r
p
ot
s
ne G
o
w
l

N
x
e,t a
dd a elcric o
f e
n
otW
spr
a G
o
wl using a S
m a
l L
r
a
e
y Brush.

24
 Mo
o
t Gr
een

F o l l o w t h i s w i t h a s m a l l e r c i r c l e o f M o o t G r e e n , l e a v i n g t h e

e d g e s d a rk e r.

25
 l
e
Yi
r w
ol le
Y

Lastly, highlight the smaller circle with a ring of Yriel Y

elow.

26
CHIPPING
 Gorthor Brown

Weathering and chipping can be applied using Gor thor Brown.

27
 p
o
T Tip

A small p
e
c
e
i o
f o
fa
m f
r
o m a dish-scouring s
pon
ge

r
o( similar) is a great w
ay o
f giving larger mo
de
s
l s
uch

as v
e
h
e
c
sli and buildings an ad h
oc c
hp
ip
ed, rusty or

wo
rn a
ppe
ar
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fa
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w
k
o
r off the e
xc
es c
o
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lr o
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t a k
c
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js
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y
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o
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the area y
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u’ like to treat o
rf a realistic and s
ube
lt

e
ff
ect. R
eme
m b
e
r to go lightly and build up the paint

o
rf b
es
t r
es
ut
s
l.
28