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Night Lords 33rd Company - The Mongrels of the Eight


MrBear

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Well I've managed to (finally) finish the bikers. Considering that I started to put them together back in January (!) I think it's fair to say that it's taken longer than I expected... :whistling:

Since I'm a nutter for giving every model a 'fluff scene' I wouldn't normally post the finished result before having finished that aswell, but given that these guys have taken 9 months from start to finish I reckon I can post one group picture in advance:

 

kPBipH8.png

 

 

Story scene, and more detailed pictures in an update sometime by... Sunday I'd guess.

 

 

I like the skull trophies. It's not logical to weigh down your own sword arm like that, but we all know Chaos Space Marines obey the Rule of Cool before all others.

 

One of the reasons I chose that arm for him was just because it looks cool with all those skulls :biggrin.:. Not very practical, but 40K 'jumped the shark' in that regard ages ago, the 'Rule of Cool' is almost always a good rule to follow in that regard. 

 

Looking good.

 

Thanks Pearson! Hope you'll enjoy the finished result aswell.

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Hi, it's me! The guy that can never hold up to the estimates I give whenever I'm trying to finish something. Easy to explain this time though, helping a friend moving house on Saturday, with plenty of bbq + beer as thanks led to me not being in a perfect mode for writing things up yesterday. Still, being just a day late is better than average for me so without further ado:

 

 

 

 

 

The Ereduan Plains had probably been described as beautiful once, but with it's strategic location between two of Vicard III's major cities the 'back and forth'-nature of the warfare following the cultists' uprising had left large parts of it scorched, and littered with bodies and burnt-out wrecks. Most would have found it a depressing sight, and those mortals still fighting over it would have agreed, but Hesprec barely registered the destruction as he raced his bike forward. Only when they turned into obstacles did he acknowledge the existence of the corpses and destroyed veichles, and then only for as long as it took him to steer past them. There were still living prey to hunt after all, so why focus any thought on those already dead? That sweet anticipation for fresh kills was an old, familiar feeling, riding through the landscape 'in Midnight clad' on the other hand wasn't. At least it hadn't been for a long, long time.

 

As a mercenary he hadn't strictly joined the Black Legion, and even though he had worn their colours that was a mere practicality to minimize confusion upon the battlefield. At least that was he had kept telling himself, the fact that he had done so for decades until now almost made him admit to himself that he had on the whole been 'From shame and shadow recast. In black and gold reborn' by now. Never swore no oaths though, he thought with the ghost of a smile upon his lips as he kept scanning for fresh prey. Not my fault if no one never asked me to. It was the kind of technicality that some people would curse him for, but that made him cautiously optimistic about his life expectancy should he ever find himself before his former employers again. At the very least any accusations of 'oathbreaking' would be false. If anyone even bothers about looking for us that is... he thought. Calling The Ashen Wind a 'illustrious' band of mercenaries would have been a laughable lie after all, and there were hundreds of ways for them to disappear without a trace to follow.

 

With Athalan killed by the Mongrels' Raptors, and Tekuman captured at the parley there wasn't really anyone with a leading position left in the warband anyway, so who would tell anyone in the Black Legion about Hesprec shifting sides? No one could, not after the coming couple of nights anyway as the Night Lords did their best to hunt down any rebels, and Black Legionnaires that they could find. Switching sides had been a gamble from Hesprec's side, but when he'd felt the winds of fate shifting he'd sent a coded message to his 'brothers' of his former Legion, searching for a way out. Something that had worked out better than he'd hoped, given the fact that his former employers had set up this whole rebellion, and the Mongrels' participation in it, as a ruse to hide their own nefarious plans. The fact that he, and most of his men, were of VIIIth Legion stock had made the switch of allegiance into a rather smooth affair in the end.

 

As a Nostraman born and bred he would never had dreamed that he would end up a 'Mongrel' though. Once he would have winced at the mere thought, but after all his years among the Black Legion such feelings had mellowed. Nothing like living among other 'outcasts' when it comes to gaining new perspectives, he thought. The fact that the 'Terran relic' commanding the old 33rd was better than he'd expected had eased the transition, any 'Captain' that gave him the freedom to interpet his orders in whatever ways he saw fit was someone that Hesprec could at least respect.

Another bonus was the fact that he wouldn't have to wonder about when Galeth would try to ursurp his place any longer. The former Ravenwing might be a master biker, but there was little risk that even the 'Mongrels' would allow someone not of the Legion to command a Claw. They might be a bunch of dregs recruited from all over the galaxy, mixed with just enough Nostramans to bring a faint echo of the days of the proper Legion, but even for them blood was thicker than water. Probably...

 

It would certainly encourage Amelak to try something though, but that was easily manageble. He was about as subtle in his scheemings as someone trying to skin a Ratling with a chainaxe afterall, and it should be obvious to the rest of The Ashen Wind that he would be a disaster as a leader as he had no head for tactics either. Not that it would keep the fool from trying to convince the others about his 'abilities', and how he should lead them to 'riches, and glories, but Hesprec wasn't overly worried over Amelak's plans.

 

Nor should Antchak be any trouble, the youngblood was way too eager to earn a reputation for him even having time to think about challenging Hesprecs for decades yet. Though if there was any Night Lords warband where his lack of Nostraman roots could give him an advantage this one would probably top the list so that had to be taken into calculation. If he even had VIIIth Legion gene-seed to begin with though. The Flesh-Smiths had said that that they'd used Tensho's progenoid gland on the youngster, but Hesprec had his doubts...

 

Orathin was proper Nostraman on the other hand, but he was probably the 'bluntest instrument' in the whole Claw. Just give him something to kill, and he would be happy. It could have been a ruse in order to lull Hesprec into a sense of false security, but in such a case Orathin would have to be one of the best actors the galaxy had ever seen so he should be fairly dependable. Not that I'm going to lower my guard when he's around though, Hesprec thought. Those that prepare for the worst gets fewer nasty surprises in the end. All those days that one had lived mattered little in the end if one's stupidity led to an 'assisted death'.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by Venat's triumphant cry, two groups of cultists and PDF had apparently stumbled across each other in the darkness, and fierce fighting had ensued. The apperance of an Astartes biker with a meltagun only adding to the chaos as his meltagun reduced fighters from both sides into charred scraps. Hesprec couldn't calim any warm feelings for his Venat, but his pure, almost childlike, joy when he'd found their prey forced Hesprec's lips into a genuine grin as he sped towards the battle. The greedy bastard better leave some kills for the rest of us though, or I'll have the skin of his back.

 

 

 

VzkWTkd.png

 

kBLALaQ.png

 

 

4Xq90hn.png

 

3 different angles of Hesprec

 

 

 

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Galeth

 

 

 

GvvUOil.png

 

Amelak

 

 

 

fneluAu.png

 

Antchak

 

 

 

FktdwEe.jpg

 

Orathin

 

 

 

P3gLTb2.jpg

 

And finally Venat

 

 

 

 

Good job on the bikers.

 

Thanks Bjorn! Glad you liked them.

 

 

I definitely do like the finished result, really good job.

 

Thanks Pearson, pretty pleased with them myself aswell. :biggrin.:

 

 

Nice work, the bikers are great, I like the tone youve achieved throughout, the red is just the right shade to contrast but not be over the top.

 

Thanks BH, tried to keep things fairly... 'balanced', in a lack of better words, so glad to hear that it worked. 

 

 

 

Cheers! 

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I really like that little section of fluff, looking into the mindset of the biker chieftan.

 

Amelak's pale skin is a nice touch, the sudden contrast creates a strong point of visual interest to draw the eye.

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So with the bikers done, what's next for the Mongrels? Well, I'm not sure yet... But I'm certain that I'll figure something out, even though these guys have never seen a gaming table they are my personal favourites of the armies I've painted through the years. I've decided to keep alternating between them and my Sons of Horus though in order to keep both projects going at some kind of steady pace, so it's time for the 33rd to take a hiatus again. Hopefully just a short one ('short' in my terms that is).

 

In other words, what's next will be in green, and go 'BOOM'.

 

 

Over the weekend I played around a bit  just for fun though...

 

 

b6q6pau.png

 

Not the best of pictures I'm afraid... No matter how many locations, and light sources I've tried he ends up looking rather flat. Who would have guessed that Incubi Darkness with 'ghostly' highlights would be so hard to photograph? *mutters* :wallbash:

 

Oh well... Time to start searching the hobby cabinet for my SoH-paints, and bits.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking good mate. 

 

Thanks mate! Glad you liked them

 

 

Again, good job on the Bikers. The tire shredders are great additions to Chaos Space Marine bikes.

 

Thanks Bjorn. I agree about the shredders, but one got to wonder how many times a CSM biker shreds a comrade's tires 'by mistake' when they are movin in formation though. :tongue.:

 

 

I really like that little section of fluff, looking into the mindset of the biker chieftan.

 

Amelak's pale skin is a nice touch, the sudden contrast creates a strong point of visual interest to draw the eye.

 

Thanks, Pearson. I've had that guy in my head for a while as I painted the bikers so glad to hear that his 'thoughts' turned out good.

 

Can't take much credit for the contrast Amelak's skin creates though as I didn't think about it while I painted him. It was just a case of 'a Nostraman should have a really pale skin' going through my mind instead. :laugh.:

 

 

Cheers! 

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Again, good job on the Bikers. The tire shredders are great additions to Chaos Space Marine bikes.

Thanks Bjorn. I agree about the shredders, but one got to wonder how many times a CSM biker shreds a comrade's tires 'by mistake' when they are movin in formation though.
Chaos Biker 1 (shredding his battle-brother's tire so the latter won't beat him to the Objective, winning the Chaos Gods' favor in the process): "If your tires get shredded, then they deserve to get shredded, and you to suffer the consequences! There's no place for the weak, the inattentive, or the unskilled in the war band!"

 

Chaos Biker 2 (drawing his pistol and shooting Chaos Biker 1 in the back): "Well said!"

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So, just in case anyone was wondering what will go 'BOOM' over in the 31st Millennium...

 

bWV9hRR.jpg

 

It will probably take forever to finish but that's par for the course when it comes to my hobby projects so... *shrugs* 

 

 

 

Again, good job on the Bikers. The tire shredders are great additions to Chaos Space Marine bikes.

Thanks Bjorn. I agree about the shredders, but one got to wonder how many times a CSM biker shreds a comrade's tires 'by mistake' when they are movin in formation though.
Chaos Biker 1 (shredding his battle-brother's tire so the latter won't beat him to the Objective, winning the Chaos Gods' favor in the process): "If your tires get shredded, then they deserve to get shredded, and you to suffer the consequences! There's no place for the weak, the inattentive, or the unskilled in the war band!"

Chaos Biker 2 (drawing his pistol and shooting Chaos Biker 1 in the back): "Well said!"

 

 

All while Chaos Biker 3 laughs so much that he falls of his bike, and the confused Imperials defending the Objective don't know what to think about it all. :laugh.:

 

Cheers!

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  • 4 months later...

4 months since there was any activity in this log, might be time to correct that...

 

 

IOmRAL6.jpg

 

Been thinking about giving the 33rd some human 'operatives' like the Night Lords in 'Red Tithe', and with some IG and GSC sprues just gathering dust, doing something with them might be a nice little break from painting Sons of Horus these last months. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mortal slaves/auxiliaries are a good addition to a Chaos Space Marine force. Don't forget to deface any and all Imperial icons on those auxiliaries, e.g., the wings on the lasgun's winged skull.

 

Winged skulls could be made to look like a Night Lord symbol, but that is a bit more work than I have in mind so they are going to be cut away for sure.

 

GeoVDCL.jpg

 

 

A (very) slow start but things at work has been hectic as *expletive* lately, and probably will be for a while yet so progress will take it's sweet time... Oh well, plenty of time to figure out how I'll paint them at least. 

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GeoVDCL.jpg

I presume the guy on the right has served the Night Lords longer- he may even have a rank, e.g., a "senior corporal" (making up a new term to distinguish him from a Night Lords SGT). I doubt his masters would otherwise tolerate him (i.e., let him live) bearing a skull on a chain, in imitation of the trophies a Night Lord would bear.

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I presume the guy on the right has served the Night Lords longer- he may even have a rank, e.g., a "senior corporal" (making up a new term to distinguish him from a Night Lords SGT). I doubt his masters would otherwise tolerate him (i.e., let him live) bearing a skull on a chain, in imitation of the trophies a Night Lord would bear.

 

That's pretty much how I imagined things, he's chosen by the Company's Captain to lead this more special, but still VERY much expendable, squad of regular humans due to him having proved over time that he can be of use in this position. I see him as having developed something of a 'Stockholm syndrome' in order to survive, and thus imitates the Night Lords to a certain extent.

 

Some of the Night Lords of the warband are most likely irritated about it while other probably finds it somewhat humorous. The Captain is the kind of boss that values 'results over process' though, and doesn't give a damn over such a minor matter as long as his slave does what he's supposed to do in a satisfactory way. He might even see the skull as a positve thing if it makes the other slaves fear their designated leader, and follows his orders better. So if the guy keeps doing a good job, and doesn't go too far with his imitation he's probably as safe as a normal 'mortal' can be onboard the ship as few would want to make their Captain 'irritated' with them.

 

 

 

dtmAawc.jpg

 

Slowly moving forward with a third guy, it will probably be a couple of weeks until I can devote much time to these guys though.

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A reorganization at work has turned my schedule 100% upside down, and I think I'm coming down with the flu. Happy days... :pinch:

 

 

H9tdETq.jpg

 

Two more guys temporarily tacced together though so things move (slightly) forward. Getting IG arms to fit decently on GSC torsos takes some work though.

 

 

 

A suggestion for the moment you paint the model: Add a silver patch to the lasgun, to show where the Night Lords' slaves sandpapered that part of the weapon to bare metal, during their effort to remove Imperial icons from their spoils-of-war.

 

 

I hadn't thought about that, sounds like a good idea. I'll certainly try it and see how it works. :thumbsup:

 

Really liking the mortal cannon fodder; the Cults really have been a Godsend for renegade players.

 

Yeah, they really have the perfect visuals if one wants cultists with a more organized look than the old starter set ones. The new releases have given me some more ideas as well, that could possibly be put to use either here, or with my Sons of Horus project.

 

 

I've just smashed this log out in the last few hours and it has been awesome seeing how your style has changed as the army has grown.

 

The cultists are a great addition.

 

Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it so much that you looked through it all. Made me realise that time really does fly... Almost five years since I started this thing! Crazy! :laugh.: With that time span though, and my tendencies to paint what I feel like instead of having a 'proper plan', it's no wonder things slowly changes over time. 

 

 

 

Time for some medicinal whisky though, and hope that Grandfather Nurgle doesn't bless me with his gifts despite what my gut feeling tells me.

 

Cheers!

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It seems like it was more a case of a nasty cold than the proper flue so I was relatively 'lucky' in that regard. My throat sure has taken quite a beating this week though, this morning I could probably have auditioned as a vocalist for a death metal band... Things are starting to move in the right direction on the other hand as I've managed to work some more on the 'meat shields'

 

 

x2wfPrZ.jpg

 

Still only tacced together, and there are some mould lines to fix as well, but now I know how they'll fit.

 

 

 

Liking the Cultists. Despite being built from two fairly recognisable kits, they come out with their own distinct look and feel.

Well done.

Keep up the good work.

Dallo

 

Thanks Dallo! Small things seems to have a big impact. Those different arms with their slightly bigger shoulders, and scraping the ridges of their foreheads changes them just enough.

 

 

Meat shields cool where's the back ground story mate .:wink:

 

Thanks buddy! The story is still taking chape in my head, the rough outlines of it at least. Won't start to actually write it until they are finished as painted models usually provides better writing inspiration. :biggrin.:

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