Heresy Era Imperial Fists

[Capt. Lysander]

Thanx for the praise, Mongol and Trajan :P Personally, I don't think I'm THAT good, especially when comparing my work to that of my brother (Linky) But generally, I'm quite happy qith my Fists. I regret having to tell Brother Trajan that I'm scraping the Devastator with the Autocannon, since I'm looking for an older style Autocannon (Anyone want the marine, lemme know).

 

@Brother Trajan:

Yes, it cost time and money, but not more money than any standard marine would. As for the MkII Crusade armour tutorial, I'll try to do one tomorrow or so :)

 

WIll be looking forward to the tut ;)

[Ufthak]

Hey guys!

Now, I promised a tutorial for the hideously-difficult-to-do MkII "Crusade" pattern power armour. I'm not really good at doing tutorials, and this one I just quickly quickly cooked up. Hope it's any good:

Part A: What you need

A1: Helmet -

I used the helmets from Maxmini (for those of you who don't know them: Linky). They're great, good quality and not too expensive. In my opinion, the ones on the far right on the picture in the store (upper and lower right) resemble MkII helmets.

A2: Torso -

From the standard Space Marine Box, use the torso with the single little skull on it (no Aquilas/Imperialis, no cables), as well as a standard back part.

A3: Arms -

From the Chaos Space Marine Box, use any arm with a gauntlet. These resemlbe MkII army most. Use any shoulder pad that has no Chaos iconography and no studs.

A4: Legs -

Use the standard Space Marine legs with kneepads.

A5: Power pack -

I used the power packs form the Chaos Space Marine box, but trimmed the "wings" back so it looks like a loyalist pack.

A6: Bolter -

I used the standard Goodwyn pattern Bolter, but using one from 2nd Edition could look good too.

A7: Sculpting tools and Green Stuff -

My sculpting tools were a Swiss Army knife, the needle of a compass (for drawing circles), and a nail clipper. I recommend proper sculpting tools though.

A8: Time and, above all, Patience, coupled with a steady hand

Part B: How to do it

Now, the head, the arms, the bolter and the power pack don't need much work, so I won't discuss them. The hard parts are the legs and the front torso. In the following steps I'll only describe how to do the torso, since the principle is the same for both.

Step 1:

Remove the little skull with a knife (on the photos, it'll still be there, just imagine it's cut off):

Step 2:

Using the knife, cut a straight line/indentation about 0,5 mm deep into the torso along the line shown on the pic.

Step 3:

Using the knife or a file/grinder, or possibly sandpaper, cut out/remove all details and features between the cut and the torso belt (Red/Green area). You don't need to cut away much, just enough to fit in a 1mm-thick layer of Green Stuff later.

Step 4:

Fill the area with Green Stuff, smoothing the surface by rubbing with your finger, applying pressure with a flat object (like the flat side of a knife), or (only after the last step, when it's dry!!!) by using sandpaper. While the GS is still soft, use the knife or a similar object to carefully make to long indentations down the center as shown on the pic.

Step 5:

With the GS still soft, apply the details. The MkII armour appears to have some sort of cabling down the center, so create this by adding a set of paralell horizontal indentations between the two vertical ones.

Step 6:

Last step. With the GS still soft, add the last 4 indentations, thereby creating the armour segments.

The result SHOULD look something like this:

Now, the legs use the same principle.

- Using a knife, cut away a ~0,5-1mm-thick layer of the shin and thigh armour.

- Replace it with a layer of Green Stuff. While it's still soft, make the same sort of indentations/lines as described in the torso tutorial above. There should be 2 such lines on the shins and 2 on the thighs, thereby creating the different armour segments.

- The MkII armour has, strictly speaking, two more details many people tend to forget: a cod piece (I call it "dick armour"), and cabling along the thighs. I made the former by cutting out an oblong piece of thin cardboard (such as from a cereal box), put a layer of green Stuff over it, then made 2 indentations/lines as described above. The cabling I made by adding thin strips of Green Stuff to the thighs, then used the same technique as described in Step 5 above.

The result should look something like this:

As a last finishing touch, you can add a spike to the helmet (I think that looks cool). I used an arrowhead from the Warhammer Fantasy Goblins and stuck it into a drilled hole in the helmet. Also, you can add a few studs/rivets to the corners of the armour segments and/or in a line along the side of the leg, one per segment. I didn't do this, though I guess it would look great if the studs/rivets are done nicely.

As an alternative to the above, simply buy the MkII in the "armour through the ages" set. I used some bits and pieces from that set.

Finished MkIIs:

There, that's a tutorial of sorts, I hope. If anyone uses it to create his own MkII armour then I'd love to see some pics :huh: Hope that it was easy to understand and that it helps you with your MkII modelling! If anyone has questions or (constructive) criticism, just let me know ;)

[Brother Trajan]

Thanx for the praise, Mongol and Trajan Personally, I don't think I'm THAT good, especially when comparing my work to that of my brother (Linky) But generally, I'm quite happy qith my Fists. I regret having to tell Brother Trajan that I'm scraping the Devastator with the Autocannon, since I'm looking for an older style Autocannon (Anyone want the marine, lemme know).

 

@Brother Trajan:

Yes, it cost time and money, but not more money than any standard marine would. As for the MkII Crusade armour tutorial, I'll try to do one tomorrow or so

 

Thanks for the tutorial. I'm going to put it to good use on most of my marines. Also for the Autocannon marine I couldn't find an emoticon that raises both hands and waves wildly so we'll have to make due with :thanks: seriously though, do you have paypal?

[Ufthak]

@Brother Trajan:

Yep, I have PayPal :D If you're really that interested, send me a PM and we'll discuss it! Also, you're welcome to post a few pics of MkIIs when you've done them, would be interested to see whether my tutorial works for other people too ;)

[Tomevans]

Those are absolutely brilliant mate, fantastic stuff. You could put some company markings on the right shin. Shins are often used to paint army badges on e.g. when loads of different chapters and IG regiments are fighting they scrawl a simple motif on their armour and tanks to tie them all together. You could do the same sort of thing on your marines' legs

[An Angry Marine]

I think I'll "borrow" your idea mate. Thanks...

 

-Mac

[Ufthak]

@An Angry Marine:

:P Angry Marines in Pre-Heresy armour...I'd like to see that!

 

@Tomevans:

Thanx for the compliments. Yeah, I'm still toying with the idea of putting something on the shins and/or kneepads, possibly a tactical marking or something. Thanks for the advice anyway :D

[Capt. Lysander]

Thanks for the great tutorial. I like the flamer.

[Ufthak]

My pleasure :lol: Hoping to see some of you guys making MkIIs, please post pics if you do! Anyone got suggestions how to improve the tutorial?

[Ufthak]

Ok, small update!

While I'm STILL (!!!) working on how to get the damned assault marines up in the air (I now wish I'd never chosen to do that), at least I finally finished painting them today. Pain in the arse, really glad they're done. I also finished up a further tactical marine.

Additionally, I am slowly starting to collect together the bitz I need for my Termies, in particular my Termie Chaplain, looking forward to doing those. As I stated earlier, I'm planning on adding a few dead traitors to the termie bases. Considering the different traitor Legions, I ruled out the Iron Warriors (I know, as the archenemies of the Fists they'd fit pretty well, but I hate them and their colour scheme), the Emperor's Children (they ran off during the Siege of Terra to torture, murder and beat the civilian population, probably were too busy to fight the Imperial Fists at the Palace), the Night Lords & Alpha Legion (not present at the Siege), the Death Guard (though I really love them, I'm no good at doing Plague Marines, that's my brother's domain), the World Eaters (just normal Khorne Zerks are boring to do), and the Thousand Sons (not sure whether they were red or blue, plus I like them too much). Which leaves the Sons of Horus and the ( :down: :yuck: :cuss :angry: ^_^ :sick: ) Word Bearers (really really hate the buggers). Which would you guys choose? And, if you chose the Sons of Horus, how would you do the armour and the colour scheme? (Really need help here :P )

Would really appreciate help here!

Anyways, here's the pics:

Tactical Marine in full MkVI armour:

Detail of shoulder pad:

Finished assault squad:

Shoulder Pad detail 1:

Shoulder Pad detail 2:

Very proud of my rock-hard sergeant :)

MkIV Marine:

MkII Marine:

MkIV Marine (2):

MkVI Marine:

What do you think? Crits & Comms?

[Retrograde]

Awesome work Ufthak :P

[Ufthak]

Thanks RStoner! :) Will hopefully have them in the air by the end of the week...

 

Any advice on the Sons of Horus/Word Bearers?

[WAR]

very nice

[Ufthak]

Thanx @war009 :)

 

 

No Seriously, I need some advice...should I do dead Word Bearers or Sons of Horus? Or both? And how would you do rhe colour schemes?

 

Would really appreciate some help B)

[Ufthak]

Hey guys.

I need some advice. While I'm putting the finishing touches on the damned assault marines, I'm slowly starting work on my termies. I want them in the style of the ancient "Cataphractii" design:

Thing is, I'm not entirely sure as to what weapons the termies would have had Pre-Heresy. I know they did not have Storm Bolters or Assault Cannons (which licks balls coz they rock) :teehee: and that they had the Reaper Autocannon, the Heavy Flamer, Lightning Claws (Chaos-style, with a blade for every finger), Close Combat Weapons (usually axes), twin-linked bolters, power fists and (probably experimental) Cyclone rocket launchers. Can anyone confirm that as correct? Am I forgetting something?

And has anyone got any advice on how to do the leather straps for the armour?

And, as I have already asked a few times, has anyone any advice on the Sons of Horus colour scheme?

[Skirax]

Assualt Cannons weren't supplied to the Astartes in the Crusade, and Storm Bolters were still being developed, so they used Reaper Autocannons and Twin Linked Bolters as their usual weapons. As for the rest, Thunder Hammers were available, but you're obviously using a normal Termie squad. Cyclone Rocket Launchers are a grey area... it's hard too tell when they were developed.

 

Assault Cannons were around by the way, only the Adeptus Mechanicus (Or Mechanicum in the Crusade) had them, so you could use them, but they'd have to be Mechanicum Preatorian Terminators.

[Ufthak]

I'm not even sure whether there was any distinction between assault termies and standard termies, I always thought they were organized as the later Chaos termies were.

 

Concerning assault cannons:

There are a couple of pics depicting Mechanicum machines and Protectors wielding them, as well as Devastator Space Marines. But I guess these weapons were experimental and only issued in very limited numbers (though it beats me what's so complicated about a simple battery-powered gatling-type machine gun for them to take so long to develop it, every army has them nowadays and they're not even a new invention...)

 

But what are Mechanicum Praetorian Terminators? I've never heard of those...

[Retrograde]

I'm not even sure whether there was any distinction between assault termies and standard termies, I always thought they were organized as the later Chaos termies were.

I'd say you were right there ufthak, although I haven't read anything to confirm this.

 

As for the assault cannons, I personally wouldn't give them to cataphracts. However I did see a luna wolf using the wolf guard belt fed assault cannon recently and it did look quite epic.

 

As with all black library pics and background it's really down to you what you take from it. It might be the case that heresy era termies did have access to assault cannons but maintaining them after the heresy became a problem for the traitors so they reverted back to using the less complicated auto-cannons.. just maybe :rolleyes:

[Ufthak]

Hello everyone.

It's been a while, almost half a year in fact, but I'm still here and working on my Imperial Fists :cuss

In any case, after 8 months I can FINALLY (!!!) present you the (almost) finished Imperial Fists assault squad!

Only thing still missing is the basing and maybe a slight bending of the wire :cuss

Anyways, here goes. What do you think?

Group shot:

The sarge:

The squadmates:

Hope they turned out well :cuss Whatcha think?

The Termie Squad is up next. As stated I would like to add a few dead Word Bearers and Sons of Horus, but am still undecided about the SoH colour scheme. Anyone help me with that? Mix ratios? What paints?

Would really appreciate C&C :)

[Ufthak]

Absolutely no Crits & Comments? <_<

[Octavulg]

Perhaps it's because they're excellent?

[Rogan]

Why, if you want some crits: you might want to sand off the chaos insignia. The gauntlets of one of the tactical marines still has chaos arrows.

I take it you're not playing dornian-heresy-era-fists, right? ^^

[Skirax]

I think they're beatuiful, but two of the squad mates have Plasma Pistols... isn't that Illegal in the new 'dex?

[CaptainForge]

These Fists are truly inspiring. Makes me sick to look at them...lol. Wish mine had turned out like that. Where did you get the helmets you used? I'm thinking of doing a Pre Heresy Luna Wolves was looking at the Chaos Berzerker helms.

 

Great Job!!!

[Ufthak]

Thanx guys!!!

 

@Octavulg:

Thanx :)

 

@Rogan:

No, I'm not going Dornian-heresy-wise, but I thought a few small arrows here and there wouldn't harm - after all, the Emperor's symbol at the beginning of the Great Crusade was arrow-tipped lightning, so the arrows could represent that.

Apart from the odd arrow or barb here and there I made sure everything chaos-y is filed off.

 

@Skirax:

Thanx mate :) Yes, Codex-wise my Imperial Fists wouldn't work at all. I have a marine bearing an autocannon, I have a (WIP) Termie Squad with Reaper Autocannon, close combat power weapons and twin-linked bolters - coz that's what it was (apparently) like during the Horus Heresy. My army wouldn't work 'dex-wise, it's more of a modelling project ;)

 

@CaptainForge:

Thank you too :) The helmets were taken from a number of sources:

 

MkII helms: from Maxmini (Linky) and the "Armour through the Ages" set.

MkIII helms: from the "Armour through the Ages" set.

MkIV helms: from the Black Templar sprue and the "Armour through the Ages" set.

MkV helms: from the "Armour through the Ages" set.

MkVI helms: from the standard Space Marine Tactical Squad Box.

 

Other sources would be:

Forge World Red Scorpion Veteran Upgrade Pack (MkIV helms)

Forge World (upcoming) Raven Guard (MkVI helms)

Various MkII/MkIII/MkV helms throughout the standard GW range, especially in the Iron Warriors upgrade kit.

 

Anyone got advice on the Sons of Horus?

Please? :P