Jump to content

Scythes of the Emperor website : 14yrs old today


Recommended Posts

http://the-scythes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/launch_art1-640x250.jpg

 

Hi All,

 

Despite being a member for over half a decade, I found myself searching for a place to post this rather unique day. Not many websites out there can claim they've been going for nigh on 14 years, of pure Space Marine hobby goodness. Particularly a long thought dead Chapter; The Scythes of the Emperor space marines (874 to be exact).

 

The site is 14 years old if you haven't gathered by this point. Quite a lengthy Work in Progress of Marines, battles, tutorials and so on.

 

Whilst some might think this is a site promo, I'd ask you to pause a moment. I didn't continue the Scythe for solitary enjoyment, it was all about promoting the cool factor of this underdog band of Marines.. who now have fought the Tau, wrestled the Tyranid, advised the Ultramarines and even starred in a Black Library omnibus. Not to bad for a dead at their posts Chapter, consigned to a near forgotten boardgame (Adv.Space Crusade).

 

You're invited to read the birthday post here : http://the-scythes.com/the-scythes-website-14yrs-old-today/ : and check out all the folks it took to keep my interest and their own up toward the Scythes since 1998.

 

I'd like to mention the following contributors and collaborators over time :

 

My partner in crime for the last two years; Andrew Taylor, UK.

Old pal and fellow Scythes nutter (has a company of marines) Jon Hart, GWSpain HQ.

Way back chum and purveyor of the original Scythes logo decals; Nick Itsou, Canada.

 

Miniature submissions by the above including; Steve Ruis, Scott, Colourblind Painter, Mike Seymour, Sean Curtis, Raymond Spitter and Nixwaster.

 

 

For others in their part playing the Hacun V internet campaign in 2000, and other campaign pack battles I posted over the years.

 

DARK CATS Chapter via Inquisition Liason, Haekron and Lord Shadow Daemonslayer, The Great Shadow, Chapter Master of The DarkCats

Space Fleet OSIRIS - Battlebarge'CENTURIAN'<BR>

Emperor's Crusaders Chapter (Black Templar Successor), Captain Argonius.

 

Lochiel Guard, Col. Floyd & Cmdr Thomas commanding.

 

Sky Marines; Brother-Captain Matthi Baldonimi, commander of the Sky Marines' 3rd-company.

 

Chapter Amabutho led by Lord Duchek of Hydra.

 

Raehan Regulars, Raehaniv Tri-system near the Eastern Fringe.

 

Draco Legion, leader is Lord Sherman Bishop.

 

The Dark Brotherhood (Veteran Colours) led by Lord Brother John McGuire.

 

Nemesis Marines contingent perished to a man helping the Lochiel Heavy Armour Escape during the Hacun V campaign.

 

Killer Bees Chapter led by Lord Matt Eagle

 

16th Cadian Rifles Regiment led by General Matthew Aurand.

Scions of the Emperor Chapter (Formerly known as the Emperor's Word Chapter) led by Superscion Gunnirson Radax fighting alongside the Cadian 15th Rifles.

 

Blood Angels Chapter led by Brother Matthius.

Dark Angels Chapter contingent led by Lord Jomas of the first Dark Angel force

Dark Angels Ravewing contingent led by Brother-Shadow-Dancer.

Dark Angels Deathwing Contingen addition of Brother Captain Demetrius and his two squads.

Ultramarines Chapter contingent led by Captain Ardias

Ultramarines Chapter contingent, The Eighth company Commander Philius.

 

Space Wolves Chapter contingent led by Wolf Lord Aengle himself.

Ravenguard Space Marines Chapter contingent, Commander Sorvax leads to the field the Ravenguard Second company.

 

 

So, where to from here?

Finish my Truescale Deathwatch Scythes' Marine of course!

 

http://the-scythes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/inq_scythe.jpg

 

best for the weekend,

Sebastian.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The black you achieved on that Deathwatch Marine is stunning, and congrats on the 'birthday' achievement for your site-o-scythes. Visited a fair few times myself in the past, and much of the work there has inspired my own for my Marines Malevolent. Looking forward to seeing some more, man!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just had a look at your website and it is fantastic. Would you mind telling us how you painted the black armor on the Deathwatch marine? I've been trying to nail down an amazing looking black formula for my marines. I would be eternally grateful.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone, I've enjoyed the journey so far and had some great folks contribute over the years. It has been particularly cool in recent years to see GW picking up on the Scythes story and inserting them into more history recently (sounds like a paradoxical statement).

 

DeathKnight2000 has a good point, and for me I feel it has been the lack of information, the What if? and the Where are they? Surely someone had to have survived? All classic questions of intrigue. For many years I must admit, I enjoyed the reaction : Scythes who? Are they your DIY chapter? :cuss

 

Nowadays it is "Oh yeah the lads who fought the Tau" or "That dude who chatted with the Ultramarines yeah, cool"

 

One thing I am aiming to remake is Tyranid Attack, it will be a long project like my Warhammer Quest project should be interesting texturing a hiveship. I think Doghouse made a start on a similar project about a year back.

 

Right, plenty of PMs : The Black Recipe

 

Forward into the next year of Scythes online hobby fun; Deathwatch marines!

 

I've long wanted to do a 'truescale' Deathwatch Marine, with my initial effort of Stavus in the Tenax project being a primer (currently redoing him and adding three more). This marine has to tower over the Inquisition retinue, look imposing and also prepared, alert. I didn't want to have him in an action pose, it's too clichéd for marine characters and I'd rather a form of subdued power.

 

For my first foray into grimy armor, folks used to my crisp, smooth finishes liked it, which is always encouraging. The following is how I went about it and what inspired me. Firstly, I don't recommend this technique for an army, but several characters in a small Deathwatch squad would be a great show piece.

 

The Inspiration :

 

http://the-scythes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/dw_inspiration-263x300.jpg

 

I discovered this large scale marine project by accident a good year ago. I would love to know who did it, so please feel free to contact me! Either way, I liked the finish on the armor. It's clearly stippled and sponged on, with a fair few chalks, dusts and washes going on in there. Unfortunately he's huge.. so the artist can get away with doing a huge amount to really pack the detail.

 

To meet what I wanted, the challenge was to paint in greys, layered stippling on a 38mm model. Yeah, I like jumping in the deep end. Admittedly he has a third more surface area than the average 30mm marine, thank heavens.

 

The best source image was the close up of the Ultramarines shoulder pad. I could see the under layers and how the original artist worked up the blue from original to dried flakes.

 

http://the-scythes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/leftshoulderfinal1aq8-copy-300x300.jpg

 

The metals on my Deathwatch marine are done similarly. Successive layers washed, with less stippled on top and so on until my satisfaction. Here is my effort, broken down into close ups with palette used. (RIGHT CLICK to 1200pxl image download)

 

http://the-scythes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/inq_marine_black_sml.jpg

 

The inset on the leg image shows the base grey I layered, then washed over with watered Chaos black. You can see layer upon layer of grime, wear and the classic scratch damage we all know and love these days. I think the most successful part was the power fist 'knuckles' and the beaten and worn metal shoulder, at scale it really comes together and ultimately I am most proud of that result.

 

Ultimately this is a very intuitive style of painting, you cannot approach it in steps, more results. A couple of places a light drybrush then a few scuff marks.. looked great, so it was done and I moved on. The key thing is to create a depth to the paint on the armor, some areas more worn, others almost factorum new.

 

I created a base grey, washed this with Chaos Black to the shade I liked, then attacked with stippling and weathering 'damage', using Badab to tone down the shading where necessary. Once done I hit it with Devlan nearer the lower edges, where washed grime would build up. It's all to eye and really, by limiting your palette it makes you become creative and really use shading and shadow for a piece like this.

 

There are still the reds to redo, I found a great guide or two on the web recently so I will repost an update then. Additionally he will be receiving purity seals and other details. I may even replace the grenades into single parts to better flow around his thigh. He also needs more than just a Scythes emblem on his right shoulder, I'll figure out some Sothan accessories.

 

I hope you gained some insight and see the layers and effects I used. There are no fancy powders, just paint, ink and some patience.

 

- Seb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone, I've enjoyed the journey so far and had some great folks contribute over the years. It has been particularly cool in recent years to see GW picking up on the Scythes story and inserting them into more history recently (sounds like a paradoxical statement).

 

DeathKnight2000 has a good point, and for me I feel it has been the lack of information, the What if? and the Where are they? Surely someone had to have survived? All classic questions of intrigue. For many years I must admit, I enjoyed the reaction : Scythes who? Are they your DIY chapter? ;)

 

Nowadays it is "Oh yeah the lads who fought the Tau" or "That dude who chatted with the Ultramarines yeah, cool"

 

One thing I am aiming to remake is Tyranid Attack, it will be a long project like my Warhammer Quest project should be interesting texturing a hiveship. I think Doghouse made a start on a similar project about a year back.

 

Right, plenty of PMs : The Black Recipe

 

Forward into the next year of Scythes online hobby fun; Deathwatch marines!

 

I've long wanted to do a 'truescale' Deathwatch Marine, with my initial effort of Stavus in the Tenax project being a primer (currently redoing him and adding three more). This marine has to tower over the Inquisition retinue, look imposing and also prepared, alert. I didn't want to have him in an action pose, it's too clichéd for marine characters and I'd rather a form of subdued power.

 

For my first foray into grimy armor, folks used to my crisp, smooth finishes liked it, which is always encouraging. The following is how I went about it and what inspired me. Firstly, I don't recommend this technique for an army, but several characters in a small Deathwatch squad would be a great show piece.

 

The Inspiration :

 

http://the-scythes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/dw_inspiration-263x300.jpg

 

I discovered this large scale marine project by accident a good year ago. I would love to know who did it, so please feel free to contact me! Either way, I liked the finish on the armor. It's clearly stippled and sponged on, with a fair few chalks, dusts and washes going on in there. Unfortunately he's huge.. so the artist can get away with doing a huge amount to really pack the detail.

 

To meet what I wanted, the challenge was to paint in greys, layered stippling on a 38mm model. Yeah, I like jumping in the deep end. Admittedly he has a third more surface area than the average 30mm marine, thank heavens.

 

The best source image was the close up of the Ultramarines shoulder pad. I could see the under layers and how the original artist worked up the blue from original to dried flakes.

 

http://the-scythes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/leftshoulderfinal1aq8-copy-300x300.jpg

 

The metals on my Deathwatch marine are done similarly. Successive layers washed, with less stippled on top and so on until my satisfaction. Here is my effort, broken down into close ups with palette used. (RIGHT CLICK to 1200pxl image download)

 

http://the-scythes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/inq_marine_black_sml.jpg

 

The inset on the leg image shows the base grey I layered, then washed over with watered Chaos black. You can see layer upon layer of grime, wear and the classic scratch damage we all know and love these days. I think the most successful part was the power fist 'knuckles' and the beaten and worn metal shoulder, at scale it really comes together and ultimately I am most proud of that result.

 

Ultimately this is a very intuitive style of painting, you cannot approach it in steps, more results. A couple of places a light drybrush then a few scuff marks.. looked great, so it was done and I moved on. The key thing is to create a depth to the paint on the armor, some areas more worn, others almost factorum new.

 

I created a base grey, washed this with Chaos Black to the shade I liked, then attacked with stippling and weathering 'damage', using Badab to tone down the shading where necessary. Once done I hit it with Devlan nearer the lower edges, where washed grime would build up. It's all to eye and really, by limiting your palette it makes you become creative and really use shading and shadow for a piece like this.

 

There are still the reds to redo, I found a great guide or two on the web recently so I will repost an update then. Additionally he will be receiving purity seals and other details. I may even replace the grenades into single parts to better flow around his thigh. He also needs more than just a Scythes emblem on his right shoulder, I'll figure out some Sothan accessories.

 

I hope you gained some insight and see the layers and effects I used. There are no fancy powders, just paint, ink and some patience.

 

- Seb.

 

 

I'll just leave this here.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showth...rine-WIP-Part-1.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showth...ht=giganticdark

 

Have fun reading it! I know I did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Marshall, as we say in Oz, you legend. Off to bookmark that and have a read. Let alone put some credits up where it's due :)

 

I gathered some WIP shots of the Inq Marine. He original began as parts of Stavus, a marine character part of my Tenax truescale project (which recently got a shot of GoGo in the arm).

 

http://www.the-scythes.com/PROJECTS/inq_marine_green.jpghttp://www.the-scythes.com/PROJECTS/inq_marine_green2.jpg

http://www.the-scythes.com/PROJECTS/inq_marine_green3.jpghttp://www.the-scythes.com/PROJECTS/inq_marine_green4.jpg

 

Big changes between modifications was the removal of the foot boost plates, the torso belt and a shin insert I put in originally. All of these whilst making a marine look bigger, did little else aesthetically. I like subtly and that, wasn't it.

The shoulder pads use 1mm styrene strips, one set to provide support across the gaps of the Terminator shoulders, the second to become the lip of the shoulders.

 

The stripped model was then adjusted, dry fitted and tweaked until the version you see today. Including the Chaos Knight right arm for the bolter, Chaos Knights are actually bigger than Space Marines, so this more "Gothic" element was a perfect fit.

 

Moody Black and White shot on purpose.. I was building some digital art and he was on hand to look bad ass. :D

 

I'll post up progress on the other three marines soon :)

Seb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting to see the changes he went through as he evolved from one stage to the next. And you say there's three more? I'll be keeping an eye out. :)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been a fan of your site for years and years, ever since I found it in late '99. The Scythes have always been one of my favourite Chapters, and if I ever moved away from my Blood Angels, I would do a small Scythes taskforce.

 

Your true scale work is nothing short of amazing, the weathered battered look you've achieved with your armour is gorgeous.

 

Here's to a another 14 years!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.