Shadow Force Dragomir - A Raven Guard Army

[SCC]

An updated version of the axe-man:

I'm pretty happy with the 'I'm coming to get you...' pose he's got going on. Switched to a Mk.VI helm too, it's got a little more of a 'I'm hunting Wabbits (Xenos)' vibe to it compared to the IV I think.

I'm particularly happy with the 1st Company insignia on his left leg - plasticard tubing sliced thin and filed thinner ensure a lovely perfect circle of grey stuff for the 'I' to sit on :) The construction method should also lend itself to painting in a variety of ways - I could paint the plasticard and number white leaving the GS black or the plasticard and GS white with a black 'I' for example. The inner circle of GS could even be company colour or squad designation colour.

I'm going to use that idea a few times more I think, should help add some variety to the Tactical legs that are remaining, and with 'IV" should help identify the Sternguard squad as the elite of 4th Company rather than 1st Company veterans. Would also work nicely on shoulder pads, have to file the middle of the plasticard a bit more than the outer elements to ensure a good bend to fit though...

Oh, and the Roman numeral is from the Secret Weapon etch brass reviewed at the top of p.13 for anyone interested.

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

So he's not a member of the command squad?

[SCC]

Oh, he is indeed a member of the command squad :)

 

Numbers 3 (pointing w/LC or trying to anyway) and 4 (pwer sword raised in air) from the original squad have been sacked and will be replaced with the fella above and the converted metal Sternguard w/PF shown a few posts ago.

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

So then why is he first company?

[SCC]

Long story short - Shadow Force Dragomir is Codicier Dragomir's first major independent command. As a result Veteran Sergeant Arcolin, one of the most senior and experienced members of the RG First Company has been sent, along with a combat squad of his fellow veterans, to, ahem, 'advise' Dragomir should the need arise.

 

In game terms I've translated this as a Captain and Command Squad, mostly so I can have an Apothecary - no Marine force should be without one and it's the only way to actually field one in the game. They really should be independent characters or an upgrade for more than just the Command squad so you can field them more easily...

 

The rest of SFD is Fourth Company including my 'Sternguard' squad - they're not First Company vets, rather they're the elite of Fourth Co - awaiting promotion to Sergeant or even the First Company they have been tooled up from Fourth's own limited armoury to serve as Dragomir's body guard. You'll see them soon...

[SCC]

Over on my blog version of this thread Povar stated

Also baroque axes. One is more than enough.

I like the axe design personally but I can see two in the same squad much be a bit much given the axe isn't really a Raven Guard weapon of choice. The new axe bearer will stay, too much work went into that to change it now, but a head swap on the pointing axe bearer wouldn't be hard. I could go for a GK halberd blade or even re-use Korvydae's Thunder Hammer head (or a different TH head). Any comments?

I'm also looking at switching the 'captain' over to a set of arms with a left arm aiming a BP and a sword in the right. It's also been suggested that I could consider a bolter in two hands with a sheathed sword at one hip...

Current arms:

Alternate 1:

Pistol arm would be raised a tad and the back of the helm shaved a little so he can look up more (so he's looking along the line of the barrel), the helmet is bigger than the bare head he comes with, makes a surprising difference in head poses.

It really is one of those minis that definitely has a 'good side' for photography isn't it? :blush:

[lothlorienmoon]

Looking at the two handed axe bearer, there is something off about the pose. The angle of the shoulders/direction of the axe just feels a little ungainly. Perhaps if the axe was tilted a little more forward or the right hand was raised a bit, it would work better with the gait the rest of the model gives with "moving forward". Right now the axe being parallel with the body has something off on it.

 

That said, top notch work as always SCC.

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

I like them both, sadly/happily. Are you going for a more action pose or a hunting the battlefield for an enemy pose? Or can you do both poses?

[Olis]

Personally, I like the alternative arm set up better. That gets my vote. :P

[commander alexander]

The model at the top of this page is looking thoroughly cool. Edited July 8, 2011 by commander alexander

[Brother Nihm]

An updated version of the axe-man:

Personally I would tilt the blade more upwards ('bout 15 degrees) so that it looks more natural and menacing.

Having the axe-blade hang below the knuckles feels odd to me, unless you are just lifting it off the ground/rack/table/bench/etc. (I am an axe-man myself) :D

[KJB]

Cracking work as usual, quick question, what would you say is the GW equivalent of VMC German Grey? Codex?

[Blindhamster]

after looking at him, im in agreement on the axe head, i'd keep the pose as is, and keep him with an axe, but angle the blade so it makes sense with the hand. Looking forward to seeing these guys painted!

[SCC]

To get the two handed pose right I've had to replace the Korvydae right arm with a choppe dup plastic one:

Or with TH:

The axe is the more menacing of the two, so it's in the lead right now.

Possible new squad composition:

Povar's comments on my blog pointed out there was no squad story, so I've been looking at correcting that error. The theme for the squad is to have them hunting through a ruined city for Orks, the 'captain' leading the way, backed by his two CC specialists with the combi-flamer and apothecary in support. I have to add another mini to round out the squad too, probably a combi-melta, maybe even just a melta.

As you can see the 'captain' has had yet another arm swap as a result, I've aimed to 'slow down' the Korvydae legs without having the rip them apart (I'm already reaching the limits of my skills here folks! :P ) and I think the new pose is a little less aggressive. He's still moving swiftly, but's it's more 'cover to cover' or perhaps re-positioning for an ambush on an Ork he's detected rather than charging right at a Xenos.

[tagsta]

relic axe looks 10 times better than thunderhammer! very nice squad!

[SCC]

Thanks tagsta, the axe has indeed won!

Povar's comments on the previous blog post have caused me to rethink the squad a little. I'm actually trying to stick with the 'hunting' theme I originally planned, the speed of the Korvydae legs make it a little tough, but I think I'm getting there.

Combi-Flamer:

No changes here, he's still moving forward watchfully, bolter ready.

Axe-Man:

I'm pretty happy with the pose now, the blade has a more natural angle and I think the pose is suitably threatening now. If you're thinking the angle is still a little shallow then add a couple of degrees for my wonky photography. Anyway, there's glue and GS all over the place now so he's getting undercoated and painted as is.

*New* Company Champion:

Etched brass on the shield, I think it looks pretty spiffy. I'm considering partially or fully filling the firing port in the side of the shield though, the brass doesn't quite fit without going over it. There's another etched brass, plasticard and GS 'I' on his non-bionic leg, very hard to see from these angles though.

'Captain':

Yet another arm swap for this poor so-and-so. The arms are a little more relaxed and the overall pose is a little slower, a little more moving to ambush than charging to battle. A little etched brass on the BP jazzes that up and I'm trying to figure a way to pretty up the sword blade. I'd really like to get 'Victorus aut Mortis' on there somehow, maybe my mini etched brass letters will work, I'd need to use both sides for that. Maybe decals?

I'm also wondering if a big chunk o' building under his raised foot (to give it a reason to be that high) might not slow it down a little further.

I'm also re-jigging the Apothecary a little to give him some motion, you can see the 'draft' version second from right here:

I'll need one more Marine to round out the squad, I'm thinking to keep costs down that bolter and blade are his likely armament. Has anyone got links to images of Marines 'stalking' or waiting to strike? I'm wondering if I can do something like kneeling legs, one hand gripping a combat blade and the other resting on a wall or something while he waits for some poor unsuspecting Ork to wander past.

Tactical Squad Sergeant:

A little more etched brass, brass rod and a very hard to see raven skull on the BP for added coolness.

[Tyrannicide]

I say fill the firing "port" on the shield. Looks a bit funky, currently.

 

The Command squad is starting to change for the better, SCC. I can't wait to see it all painted. :P Definitely the most gorgeous Raven Guard of all time.

[Ferrus Manus]

One of the best logs on the forum. Some really cool conversion here. My favourite being the Axe-man. Keep it up SCC

[SCC]

So, this thread has been quiet (read: dead) for a while now due to real life factors. Thankfully my wife and I are finally settled in our new home and I've had the time to unpack the modelling gear and I can now, once I've had a little breather and played some Arkham City and Dark Souls, restart my Raven Guard army.

The new modelling/PS3/TV desk:

The Raven Guard in their new home:

My old hobby room was a fair whack larger, so much of the rest of my hobby gear now resides in cupboards and under the desk. A little more awkward to work with, but more than many of my compatriots have, so no complaints!

On to the progress I've made in the last few days. I apologise for the poor photos mind, all my camera gear is still packed and I'm too lazy to sort it out right now.

Finecast Sternguard (who had an awful helmet cast) with the Mk VII helm chopped out and replaced with a MkIV helm, FW RG icon added to shoulder and (though you can't see it) his combi-bolter has been converted from -melta to -flamer (in the style of the FW combi-flamer):

As with the (faint) squad theme this veteran is searching for targets.

The re-jigged Apothecary - he's paused in the midst of the ruined city to check some indication of the vile presence of greenskins nearby or perhaps he's noted a brother in distress. The Narthecium/Reductor arm I built really doesn't work with the cross body sword - so I'm trying a more relaxed bolt pistol arm. In place of the reductor etc. he now has a helpful medi-servo-skull (which will point the same way as his helm when finished).

Two photos of the most WIP member of the squad:

His head is tilted down as he tracks xenos scum across the cityscape. Also, this does use the same body/legs as the next model, though it does have a new helmet, studs are removed and some other details have been modified. I think the changes minimise the similarities quite nicely. I am considering alterations to the Aquila though, that similarity may be too much, perhaps more purity seals will suffice..

The 'new' Captain model:

Again, a slow purposeful stalk through the ruined city in search of Orks is the idea behind the mini, this is actually one of the old models with a set of arms from another former member.

The last member is kneeling while he checks out suspicious noises/motion. I took Povar's comment from my blog on board for the kneeling Marine - the back is too straight and he should be leaning forward a little - but then I decided that Marines have a ) better posture than me and b ) armour to hold them up nice and straight, so it's not so much of an issue as it might otherwise be :lol:

Also of note, this squad will make a nice Sternguard squad (with the Apothecary being the Sergeant) if I ever need to field a smaller force or switch the Captain for a Chaplain or similar.

At any rate, I'm much happier with the cohesiveness of the squad and I'll be looking to put paint to plastic in the next few days (pending any brilliant comments/suggestions from my readers), bearing in mind my mantra of 'play, not display', it's nice to be back :angry:

[KJB]

I've been waiting for you to update this for months, the new stuff is looking good as always, can't wait to see more!

[jimmimellows]

Somehow ive not seen this thread before! Some really nice stuff in here, im loving pretty much all of it. I think i'll subsrcibe to this. I wish i could give you some constructive criticism but i dont see how you could improve. Black is really hard to do and i was never really truely happy with my old black legion, you however, have hammered it big time. Well done old chap.

[sockwithaticket]

Wow! These RG are amazing. I like your dark highlights on the black armour. It's something I'm looking to achieve on my largely black and white marines, it's quite an inspiration.

 

The posing of your veteran marines is great, it really looks like they're stalking their prey.

[Grizzly_bear]

Nice to see this thread back up, your black is extremely nice, how do you do it may I ask so I can use the method (if you don't mind) on my chaplain.

 

Rob

[batu]

Very happy to see you working agian !

 

Your Sternguard squad is realy characterfull. Im longing for more updates :lol:

[Ravendove]

Welcome back! Just finished up my own Sternguard after a few months out of the hobby - glad to have you back. Can't wait to see how these ones turn out.