Shadow Force Dragomir - A Raven Guard Army

[Lorenzen]

Good to hear!

 

how close to "playable" would you say you are at now? im sure a few group shots wouldnt go a miss :P

[SCC]

@Lorenzen: Technically I guess it's playable now, I've two full Tac squads and two choices of HQ so I could play as is. When I say playable though I'm really talking a 'full size' army of 1500 points and ideally having 1750 and 1850 armies ready too.

Best group shot I can offer is this one from a month or so ago - since then I've really only complete Arcolin and two of his command squad so no major changes:

There are squad group shots for the two Tac squads earlier in the thread too if you just want to see bigger images.

Now, as for progress, I've really been struggling with my next RG Command Squad member. As most of you know I don't do batch painting very well so this guy has been sitting on the table, boring holes in the back of my head with his ceaseless stare while I play Skyrim and try not to think about him.

This is a very bad photo, even for a snapshot, but it does illustrate some issues I'm having:

First, I'm not convinced by the parchment loin-cloth, it's too much of a colour (bone) that isn't associated with my army, I love the mini/pose, but the logical scheme just isn't working for me. Then there's the fact that this mini, a Finecast job, just isn't that smooth, there are 'waves' on some of the armour sections whilst others, such as the parchment, are more rough than smooth. All up, not an ideal finish, I had hoped the undercoat would sort that out but it doesn't seem to be the case.

The mini also had some bubbling issues that only revealed themselves properly with an undercoat on - notably the right shoulder pad had two sections crumble/break off and whilst you can't see them, the resulting narrowness is really beginning to bug me. Still, now I'm 'talking' about it I think I shall persevere with this gentleman despite these issues, if only because I do like the pose...

As a hedge however I've also been working on a replacement for him:

I've cleaned up a metal Legion of the Damned figure - removed some skulls, filled in the etched flames with liquid GS (brilliant for the task as it turns out) and switched the head to one of my home-made Corax pattern Mk VI helms. I quite like the result, I think he fits in well with the 'hunting' theme, especially if I angle the bolter down a little so it's at the ready but not being aimed.

I'm letting the (L)GS dry overnight and I'll see if it needs extra filling tomorrow.

I've also dragged out my Predator kit and begun assembly - if I struggle with the Command squad I'll have something else to turn to to try and make some progress over the next few weeks. If only Skyrim will let me go...and BF3 Karkand will get a delayed release so I can get something done...

[Olis]

Nice job on the LotD legionnaire. :tu:

 

Shame about that finecast sternguard though.

[Lorenzen]

lighten the parchment up.. as long as you dont go all the way to pure white, you can make it match up with the rest of the army easier..

 

the other option would be to cheat, destroy the loincloth and make him some new crotch accessory to fit with the army more..

 

the problems you are having with the material.. i dont think are gonna change any time soon finecast is imho a failure that gw need to cut loose.

 

oh and the army shot is looking nice, roll on 1750!

[cathar the great]

Now, as for progress, I've really been struggling with my next RG Command Squad member. As most of you know I don't do batch painting very well so this guy has been sitting on the table, boring holes in the back of my head with his ceaseless stare while I play Skyrim and try not to think about him.

 

I love how these past few days, Skyrim seems to pop up everywhere. Feels good to know that I'm not the only one who has been turned into its bitch by that game ^^

 

As for the mini your struggling with, have you thought simply stripping the paint off and starting over? Maybe include the changes Lorenzen mentioned and turn the cloth into armor plates or something?

Since it's Finecast, you could also exchange his arms for plastic ones to change the pose a little bit.

 

I find it helps me a lot to just restart if I'm not happy with a miniature.

 

Anyway, back to Whiterun, I have trophies to arrange in my house XD

[SCC]

I'm still considering options for my command squad, in the meantime progress on Corvus Ferox...

Right, having magnetised the turret and sponsons (so I can both change weapons and remove them entirely to convert Corvus Ferox into a Rhino or Razorback if needs be as well as swivel the turret and HBs when it's set up as a Pred) I've done what all good modellers do and dry fitted everything to check the fit & finish:

Looks like I've managed to avoid having the magnets ruin anything, although the right hand (left of picture) sponson has an alarming tendency to droop. I'll have to work out a counterweight for it somehow. Other than that - and some tiny gap filling on the FW RG front plate it's all looking good for the weekend :lol:

[Brother Argos]

Good to see you working on your Raven Guard Chris :lol:

[SCC]

Good to be working on them David :P

Now, whilst I was working on Corvus Ferox I also spent some time revamping the 3 remaining Command Squad members (yet again) trying to hone the the hunting theme. I've been able to slap some paint on the Apothecary (who now has a much more predatory edge I think):

Now I think he's pulling off both SCC style Raven Guard (i.e. black, Black, BLACK), Apothecary (white pads + apoth gear on the right arm that gives the impression the arm is white when it isn't ;) ) and Arcolin's Command Squad (white and red details) but the question is, what to do with the helm and backpack?

I'm leaning towards white 'beak' like the rest of the squad but white helm is also viable as he's an Apothecary. For the backpack, I'm leaning towards a regular Mk.VI or VII backpack maybe with a white panel on the back. I'm not sure if I have an Apothecary backpack but I've never been a huge fan of them and I think he feels medic-y enough as is.

Still, I'm open to suggestions...

[plasman]

I vote for a white helmet and Mk.VI backpack with a white panel on the back.

[Vulkan454]

I would get a regular backpack, with the flat space on it like this

 

Then paint that panel white and maybe do a freehand apothecary symbol on it.

Just a suggestion, but he is looking great,

 

Vulkan

[sockwithaticket]

Nice! He looks like he's just harvested the gene-seed of a fallen brother and now really needs to hurt something.

[Olis]

I really like him. He's made from one of the veteran models, yes?

[Reyner]

He looks really cool, I would stick with that helm - maybe paint the face grill white and use a regular mk7 pack with the flat panel and paint that white, as others said.

 

 

I really like him. He's made from one of the veteran models, yes?

He's one of the Legion of the Damned - the one who holds the flamer I think.

[SCC]

Cookie for Rayner - Legionnaire conversion for the win. That said the LotD model itself appears heavily based on the Sternguard model I used as the base for Sergeant Arcoling, so you're half right Olisredan.

Now, the completed Command Squad Apothecary:

OK, so some commentary on the model:

First, I'm much happier with this 'hunting themed' pose than the previous Apothecary pose and I'm generally pretty happy with the paint job even if it did take way longer than the allowed 7.5 hours.

Second, the freehand helix on the backpack is the best I could do, it's OK from a distance but little more.

Third, the reds are much duller than I'd intended, I may have over Dull Cote'd a little.

Fourth, I appear to have forgotten how to paint parchment and bone. Again.

The model is one of my heavier conversions (as opposed to kit bashes) - originally a Legion of the Damned figure I Dremel'd off his head, neck and tops of his shoulders and used some liquid GS to fill in the many, large and irregular gaps I'd managed to create in doing so. I then replaced the neck guard, shoulders and the cabling at the back of the next with plastic cut off a plain old torso.

The head is from the Red Scorpions Honour Guard accompanying Sevrin Loth, the chainsword arm is BA plastic and the right arm belongs to Shadow Captain Korvydae. Like his left hip I've cut up plastic Apothecary bitz and added them to the arm, unlike the hip, it took a fair whack of effort to cut everything into pieces, file grooves to marry it to the arm neatly and glue it all in place. The BP features FW etched brass half ravens, I love the way they look and the chainsword features etched brass lettering. Whilst you can see the 'Raven' you can't see the other side which says, no surprises here, 'Guard' :D. For that matter the chest also has etched brass 'bolts' to cover up my dodgy GS work. I love etched brass!

I think, overall, I'm pretty darn happy with Leandro here. He feels good and predatory, he fits in with the army and the rest of the squad whilst still looking like an Apothecary for my money. And all it took was 5 major revisions to pose and composition and twice the allotted painting time :P

Next cab off the rank is the old Apoth model who's been turned into a regular Sternguard/Command squad guy:

So far, I've only tackled the bionic leg and some basic highlights. You'll not I've shamelessly stolen Brother Argos' idea of mixing brass bitz in with the silver to avoid the trap of dull looking bionics. Unlike Argos, I had no real plan for what was brass, I just kinda slapped it on there, still, I quite like it so far. Bit too much brass perhaps.

Still, painting the leg made me appreciate just how cool and Dreadnought-y it really is, I know folks have been a bit down on the FW SM character kit at times, but personally, I love these bionics.

Now, because I had to revisit Argos' blog to check the awesome bionic details I came across his words on squad progress shots and how much he enjoys them as a means of showing an army grow. So, as a thanks for the bionic inspiration I present for Argos' viewing pleasure a squad progress shot:

Just two more members to go... although I really need to fix the angle on the base of the left-most Marine so he lines up properly :D

That shot also makes me consider whether the right-most Marine needs to be switched to the planned Sternguard squad, although I haven't settled on a theme for it yet so he may end up a Tactical Marine even...

[Olis]

Aha, glad to know I was on the right track. :)

 

Good stuff, brother. I enjoy run-downs of what a model is made from and what it took to create the individual - it helps the creative juices flow. Looking forward to seeing more. :P

[RightyTighty]

Wow... Ive just read every page from start to finish. Amazing work, and great insight into each model. :angry:

 

Im new to this and will be following this closely. Gonna get my hands on some models soon and get cracking myself. I find your stuff very inspirational.

 

You have my many thanks! :blink:

Edited December 1, 2011 by RightyTighty

[SCC]

@RightyTighty: Thanks man, always nice to know your work makes a difference :devil:

Now, before I post some options for my Whirlwind build I've got a quick shot of the fourth Command Squad member:

Unfortunately the pose looked more dynamic before I had to pin and glue the arms/bolter in place - to ensure a good fit they ended up much higher than I'd intended and the pose looks much more passive as a result. I'm almost certain he's going to end up in the third Tactical squad, in fact, the more I look at him, the more I think he's better suited there...

Now, the Whirlwind. There are three possible options:

Standard FW Whirlwind layout:

Partial 'counter battery' setup - FW WW launcher, Damocles radar:

Full 'counter battery' setup - FW WW launcher & sensor, Damocles radar

It'll be built with the Damocles consoles etc. inside mostly 'cos they look great. I could also magnetise everything I suppose, that way I can move things around to represent a Rhino, Damocles or WW I guess but I'm interested to hear what folks think of the three layouts...

[ephrael]

I really like the third layout but I would definitely add magnets to everything. That would give you the best range of options and make transporting it easier. I also agree that the last marine doesn't fit the aesthetic of the command squad. He probably does belong in a tactical squad. The model itself looks very good but certainly different from the rest of the squad,

[SCC]

I like the third one too Mikhail, I'm leaning towards that as the standard build for now (with magnets so it can be changed), but I need to see it on a full Rhino chassis I think to check if it's too busy or the 'balance' is off.

Another update:

Battle Brother Elson, originally planned as an Apothecary and then a Command Squad member is now finished, complete with Tactical squad markings:

As I've said earlier, the angle the arms ended up at to secure a firm fit altered the balance of the pose so it was no longer in line with the 'hunting' theme of the Command Squad. Still, he'll fit in nicely as a battle-hardened member of my third Tactical squad.

FW bionic legs and Mk.III torso, plastic helmet & backpack all combined with fancy bolter and arms from the current Sternguard box. As a piece of trivia the right arm is metal, the left Finecast. I used the metal left somewhere else I think, couldn't find it at any rate...

The photo also has an inset of the bionic leg from the front (bottom right corner) for those interested in the detailing.

[SCC]

One of my photo lights died so the shots of Veteran Brother Balfour below are underlit, in particular you can't make out the eyes (yellow) or the red/white kneedpad properly, but the pics will serve to document the progress of the squad - foru (plus the Cap) down, one to go!

Another Legion of the Damned figure re-purposed for my 'hunting' Command squad, no major conversions just some GS filling of flame etchings and sanding of embossed flames, easy really. I used a FW RG veteran helmet instead of the one that came with the kit, helped to make him look more RG and more predatory and less like he's actually shooting I think. I also added a small FW knife in scabbard to his left leg, no real reason, I just like that scabbard a lot :huh:

Sadly, the decal on the right pad didn't weather the Dull Cote well, I was in a bit of a rush to get him done and either the protective varnish over the decal (applied before Dull Cote spraying) wasn't dry or the decal wrinkled at some point and I didn't notice. When I've the time it'll be redone, but for now it doesn't look totally horrible - so play, not display!

[khakisuperbunny]

I think Brother Balfour fits in great with your hunting themed HQ, almost as if hes advancing, selecting his next target.

 

Been following this thread for a while now, and its definetly one of the best RG forces i've seen to date. Keep it up! :tu:

 

Khaki

[Father Of Incendia]

Amazing job mate, keep it up!

[Pulse]

Fantastic on Elson and Balfour, both have a good characterful feel to them. :unsure:

 

Only crit i have, although its more of a personal one, is that i dislike bolters having slings!

Edited December 5, 2011 by Pulse

[Lord Bearer]

I am extremely impressed as to how the models are looking...

 

I am currently in the planning stages for a Raven Guard army... Santa will hopefully be bringing me the materials I need. ;-)

 

Keep up the great work!!

[Tyrannicide]

As with the others, I really, really like how "Balfour" turned out. :tu:

 

I'm probably going to have to pick up some LotD figures sooner rather than later. These conversions are sexy, keep 'em coming SCC!

 

Also, what exactly is left for SFD?