By Titus Villanueva
I love anime. I’m not the biggest ‘watched every single one available’ fan, but when I get it, I relish in it. The over-the-top action scenes, the melodrama, the theatrics of it all. It’s no secret that I’ve used it as an inspiration for how I paint my miniatures. From Jojo’s Bizzarre adventure to Gurren Lagann, my army builds itself on those hyper-dramatic worlds.
The Tectonic Frag Drill is a terrain piece from the Sector Mechanicus line that also doubles as a Genestealer Cult unit, while not the most competitive piece (you can only use it once, and it wounds everything in a straight line with D3 damage) it sure looks impressive. The moment I saw this piece announced on the Games Workshop site, I knew I had to have one if not only to pay homage to Gurren Lagann. I even see some similarity with the cult’s revolutionary struggle and those of the characters of the show. Before anybody asks, yes I do scream “PIERCE THE HEAVENS” whenever I fire it.
The Goliath Rock Grinder is another model from the GSC line that I’ve turned into an anime reference. Inspired by the iconic ‘ROADROLLER DA!’ scene from Jojo’s Bizzarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders where the villain, Dio stops time and drops (or in this case Cult Ambushes) a steamroller on top of his opponent, this model often gets a good laugh or even a cheer from my opponents on the tabletop.
It’s all about taking what you enjoy and putting it into another thing you enjoy. After all, we’re all entitled to some merriment after long weeks working to support ourselves.
A lot of my fellow hobbyists in my community enjoy anime as well. Creating my army in such a way entertains not only myself but those I play with and I’m always excited to show them what I’ve got next for them.
