Shadow Force Dragomir - A Raven Guard Army

[SCC]

Having banged my head on the wall of missile launcher conversion and sergeant posing I went back to something a little simpler - painting. And here is the result, Battle Brother Beniamin:

Forgive the photography, it's washed everything out, but it's enough to give you an idea of what Ben here is about. FW Mk.V legs, bionic arm (which is very nice as an aside) and bolter, the rest is standard plastics. As with the rest of this demi-squad he's in motion, heading for cover whilst Atanas and Co. provide cover.

@Chaplain Mortis: Too late my friend, I already did my head in :)

[Brother Argos]

Well done Chris ... its important to keep moving on :)

[SCC]

And here is Codicier Dragomir himself, in the resin and metal:

Obviously Dragomir is essentially Sevrin Loth, it's just too nice a mini to mess with much. I've swapped the puny force axe for a force staff from the =][= range (I think). I'm still unsure whether it's oversized or not, I quite like it though.

I'm thinking the staff could be an RG relic passed down since just after Corax's dissappearance. Rumours abound within the Chapter that the skull ensconced in the halo is that of the last of the Weregeld and the weapon is gifted only to those destined for great, though often dark, fates.

[SCC]

As usual Argos has been at me over the little things, or in this case, the big thing - the top of the staff. As usual he's also right (which is irritating, but handy I must admit) and as usual I've taken his suggestions for some improvements and had a dash at making them real:

A solid beginning I think...I kept the basic staff element as it's runed to match his armour, then added the UM+skull symbol from the commander boxed set (minus the reversed Omega bits) and an Iron Halo from the same box. I need to rig up some power cables etc. at the back and I'm still thinking about whether or not to add the lower half of the halo a la the original, I quite like the half version though.

The join is just tacked at the moment so I can adjust the height easily enough (and even it up). I might also see about adding some 'banding' to cover the joins. That might give me space and purchase enough to add an etched brass Raven Guard symbol to the ensemble, perhaps attached to a chain or cord to give it a little motion.

_______________________________________________

I think, philosophically speaking, that there are three major types of 40K modeller (and indeed, the types probably hold true for other branches of the modelling/painting hobby family tree), they are the 'out of the box or as per the instructions/pictures' modeller, the 'kit-basher' and the 'converter'.

By inclination I'm a kit-basher, but there's a limit to what you can do with kit-bashing when you have a specific vision in mind. And this is the problem I've had with the Raven Guard in some ways, even with all the old-style armour, RG bitz, decals and etched brass from FW plus the plethora of metal and plastic Marine kits out there there are still times when I can't quite make my vision of the RG come to life. And at those times, when I have a vision beyond the reach of kit-bashing I tend to do my best and move on.

And that's usually where Argos and others on the board, most often 'converters' in the types listed above, catch me and push me to do better. Which is why you so often see me presenting something in this blog with a big smile only to turn around and post a picture in which I've attempted a conversion rather than a kit-bash. Now sadly, my kit-bashing and painting skills far outstrip my ability as a converter but I'm trying and with the help and guidance of this board I'm getting closer to putting my vision of the RG on the board.

I don't think I'll ever be a converter by nature, when someone points out a conversion might work better than a kit-bash I can usually see a way to perform the conversion, the ML launcher arm is a perfect example. I kit-bashed the arm carrying the launcher and tried dozens of poses before concluding something just wasn't right. In all honesty that's something of a step (can't decide if it's forward or backwards though :ermm: as I'd usually just accept the kitbash and move on, for the arm it took a long conversation with Argos for me to figure out the elbow was wrong and that it needed converting to fix it up. I suspect Argos knew long before I did that the problem was the elbow :D but I got there in the end and I've now cut and repositioned the arm and am waiting for some GS to harden before I can make the indentations for the ribbing at the elbow.

But conversion still doesn't seem to be at the forefront of my mind, it doesn't work that way it seems. It's an interesting aside at any rate, I'm sure folks will come up with other 'types' of modeller, I can certainly come up with sub-types such as the 'sculptor', a converter obviously and similarly there are probably some broad types of painter out there too...

[SCC]

OK, some close ups of the converted 'Staff of the Weregeld', I'd've liked a bigger skull but I think this one works well enough, I can also spot an etched brass rivet that's off centre on the power cable that I really ought to reposition:

Overall though I'm pretty happy with the end result :lol:

And the assembled (with tac) miniature:

Without the tack the staff tucks in nicely next to Dragomir's foot so don't worry about that gap too much for now.

I think the little brass rivets, and the ones on the halo, help tie the staff to the figure which is studded with them at the feet, wrists and elsewhere, quite pleased with how they turned out. I do worry the staff is a touch Chaos-y tough, I mean, it's not 8 pointed so it's not too bad I guess but it's still a little less Imperial than I'd like. I'll consider adding a brass aquila to the skull, although it'd have to be the tiny, not as detailed variety, as well as finding somewhere for that RG symbol, might have to look for some fine gauge wire in the bitz box to act as cord.

There's also some gaps in the halo that need filling/fixing, I'm waiting for the joins to harden before I tackle those properly, but that and the Imperial-isation aside, this is pretty close to finished (unless you've another bright idea David ;) ).

[MagicMan]

That does look a lot better.

 

 

Its cool how you got the same feel, just on a more realistic scale.

[xscottfergox]

Ahh the Eisonhorn force staff. Love it

[Brother Argos]

Thats very good Chris ... Sorry for being on your case, I just know you want to get it all right ^_^

 

You do realise the base for this figure needs to be top notch to make him "Kick" right?

 

Not the grey rubble looking base ..

[SCC]

As usual Argos is right, a fancier base would help him be a focal point and distance him from the original Loth model. So, here's Dragomir's fancy new base:

Made from chopping up bitz from the Sanctorum Imperialis terrain set. The rest of the set will be used for an Army on Parade base for the army - they'll be protecting the Sanctorum and the Pilgrim's Path leading to it...

Dragomir perching on his new base:

Overall I'm pretty happy with my version of the lovely Sevrin Loth model, I think my changes will make Dragomir unique enough that he won't look like a black version of Loth which was the point really.

The final version of the running ML trooper:

It's by no means perfect, but once I've sanded and tidied my grey stuff work on the left arm I'm going to declare him ready for painting. He no longer looks inhumanly posed, just a little awkward and I can live with that this time 'round. I will be most happy to paint this guy and get him off the table...

Now to figure out how to paint Dragomir's runes...I'm thinking of in-filling them white and then glazing them to an electric 'psyker' blue. It'd look cool and, as he'll be black with a blue shoulder pad, the blue will help tie him to the Librarium a little more closely.

[Brother Nihm]

He no longer looks inhumanly posed, just a little awkward and I can live with that this time 'round. I will be most happy to paint this guy and get him off the table...

Not awkward at all, slap some pads and a backpack on 'im and he's sorted. :(

 

If you still want to fiddle with him maybe cut his hand off at the wrist and tilt it so that the launcher is trailing behind him (thus turning the barrel mouth more towards the 'right side' of the picture).

Would that help or make it worse you think?

[Dark Scipio]

Very, very nice. Funny that I had similar ideas (BA-Weapons,Corvushelmets), even using Loth as Psyker and dont messing around, because he is already to fine.

[SCC]

A very brief update:

I've been experimenting to try and find a simple, repeatable way to paint a white, alabaster type stone. Brother Argos pointed out St. Paul's Cathedral as a possible source of inspiration and lovely building though it is, it didn't quite fit with 'repeatable' for me. But I did manage to knock together an off-white colour that dirties up nicely but still provides contrast with the black of the Raven Guard.

I'll have to go back and cleaned up that mold line at the front of the base too, I swear it wasn't there before the weathering powder was applied :cuss

With my back slowly on the mend I'm going to put Dragomir aside and try to finish Tactical Squad Rhuarc over the next week or so, that will also let me complete my LPC Vow, so hopefully you'll see some more stuff from me over the coming weeks :P

[Dosjetka]

Looking very cool SCC. You really amaze me with your paitning skills, and I think that you pulled off the stone colour quite well :cuss

 

Looking forward to the rest of the Tacticals too.

 

Ludovic

[SCC]

Thanks Ludovic :)

I'm still slowly refining my vision of SFD. The text below is much the same as the early draft posted to my blog, I'm posting it here as much for my benefit as for that of my imaginary readers. I find it helps me to have the theme of the army firmly in mind if I've got it all written down and in front of me.

+++

Led by Codicier Dragomir Artan, Shadow Force Dragomir is charged with the recapture of the Imperial Dictator class cruiser Shield of Forsarr from the Ork Freebooter Kaptin Blackgob and the destruction of the rest of his pirate fleet. Blackgob's fleet has been a thorn in the side of the Imperium for several years now, making hit and run attacks against lightly guarded outposts and harassing merchant shipping across a wide area. Blackgob's capture of the Shield of Forsarr, and the destruction of several vessels escorting the cruiser on its shakedown cruise, has increased the power and threat of his fleet several times over.

Recently elevated from the rank of Lexicanium the pursuit of Blackgob is Dragomir's first independent command. Unlike many Astartes psykers Dragomir's strength lies not in battlefield pyrotechnics but in divinations and predictions. Time and time again he has predicted the disposition of enemy forces or their actions in battle. His most recent predictions have concerned Blackgob's capture of the Shield and the Freebooter's plans to raid the Imperial mining world of Travan IV. The site of fierce battles against the Ork Warlord Zumgraal more than a millennia ago, Travan IV now serves as a major source of promethium and other vital fuels, propellants and lubricants for Imperial forces in the Tempestus sector, including those forces engaged in the defense of the sector against the building forces of the Ork Warlord Garaghak.

The dual threat of Blackgob's growing fleet and possible disruption to vital Imperial supply lines prompted the Raven Guard to assign a small force to hunt down and destroy the Ork pirate. Senior figures within the Raven Guard Librarium believed that Dragomir's talents in predicting the actions of enemy forces would help ensure the Raven Guard were in the right place at the right time to catch the elusive Blackgob and lobbied for the young psyker to be given overall command of the task force. Others claimed that Dragomir's youth and relative inexperience made such a proposition risky at best and foolish at worst. After much wrangling a compromise was reached and several senior Raven Guard warriors from the First Company were assigned to Dragomir's force to act both as his vanguard and his advisers.

+++

I've also been practicing my image manipulation skills so I can add some illustrations to my planned Shadow Force Dragomir booklet. I'm aiming to run the booklet to about 16-24 A5 pages and to have it split between the fluff for the army (which will itself be modelled on a mix of Osprey titles and Index Astartes/Imperial Armour Badab War articles) and images of the miniatures. I'd also like to develop a scenario or two based around SFD, but I haven't played in years so that might be ambitious. I will however try and get tutorial images for painting SFD Black and maybe some better images for the raven skull and Corvus Corax helm tutorials so I can add them to the booklet.

My PS skills are mediocre at best but I learned a lot from this exercise, particularly the order in which I should attack tasks to avoid things like the shading around some of the icons. I've also just realised the bike icon is facing the wrong way and I've mis-spelled 'Corvus Ferox' for the Predator :huh:

Creating this image also means I've got all my squad/vehicle names down too which is nice. I like to have a back story for each unit or character in an army and names are a great starting point for that.

[Dosjetka]

Ooooh. Very nice. And don't worry about the PS skills, very few can really say that they truely master it :huh:

 

Ludovic

 

Edit: Small nitpick: How do they get down onto a planet's surface (if they need to) and how is their Strike Cruiser defended from other ships (i.e. Does it have an escort, etc...)?

Edited February 14, 2011 by Battle-Brother Ludovic

[SCC]

I figure they get to the surface via drop pod or TH Transporter. Despite the many adages about logistics and combat I've only included 'combat forces' in the list above so I've left out other elements that could be included.

 

As to the question of escorts, I have no issues with the Pride of Deliverance operating solo, they're powerful ships and the RG undoubtedly know their capabilities and the threat they'll be facing, if they'd needed more ships, they'd have sent 'em, right? Besides, RG can be sly and sneaky even in space, just you wait and see :woot:

[Dosjetka]

I figure they get to the surface via drop pod or TH Transporter. Despite the many adages about logistics and combat I've only included 'combat forces' in the list above so I've left out other elements that could be included.

 

As to the question of escorts, I have no issues with the Pride of Deliverance operating solo, they're powerful ships and the RG undoubtedly know their capabilities and the threat they'll be facing, if they'd needed more ships, they'd have sent 'em, right? Besides, RG can be sly and sneaky even in space, just you wait and see -_-

Fair enough ;)

 

Oh, and thanks for all the inspiration, you and Brother Argos have got me going again (after pretty much painting nothing for the last... three years?) and some project is forming in the dark parts of my mind... I'm looking forward to it.... and to the next update, of course :D

 

Ludovic

[Brother-Captain Sharp]

Wow, there is some great stuff in here, SCC! I really like your staff for Dragomir. Very nice swap, and makes me want to go back and replace the axe on Elias. Oh well. :)

 

The running missile launcher marine is a nice conversion. I think your final version is very natural looking.

 

Finally, I love the fluff work you've done. I find that adding that extra element to a force really makes it a joy to watch grow, and you've certainly been ambitious about it. I look forward to seeing further work done.

 

Cheers!

Edited February 15, 2011 by Brother-Captain Sharp

[SCC]

@Ludovic: Thanks mate, that's the best compliment a hobbyist can hear I think. Helping others re-discover their love for the hobby is a pretty cool feeling :D

@BC Sharp: Thanks, I'm pretty happy with Dragomir, I'm just glad I didn't ruin him to be honest :)

OK, some actual progress on a Marine:

Still WIP as you can see, the left shoulder pad is vexing me. I had intended the cloth to be black with the remains of a white raven on the ragged cloth, but as you can see that's not working too well so far. Maybe with the raven? Otherwise, I guess I'll be switching the colour around to white cloth and black raven -_-

I magnetised him mostly so I can remove whichever special weapon he's carrying and see the chest detail, it's a lovely FW piece and it's a shame to hide it behind a weapon. I couldn't make this guy work as the Sergeant earlier in the year but I'm quite happy with him as a SW trooper. Of course this means that Atanas is likely to be the new squad Sergeant, his pose is suited to it and it's one of my favourite RG paint jobs if I'm honest.

I need to finish the backpack and shoulders and add some markings to finish him up, with any luck he'll be done tomorrow or Saturday. That will leave 2 marines to complete the squad and one to complete my LPC vow.

And then I get to paint Dragomir :teehee:

Brother Argos also pointed out these. They're DE Razorwings but they'll also suit RG players out of the blister from the looks of them. I'm looking forward to grabbing some when they're available, they'd make a nice representation of 'The Avenger' psychic power or even as Digital Weapons - they dash in while the character makes his attack exploiting any damage he causes.

Of course they also make a nice, simple familiar for an RG Librarian or other HQ character, you could make them cyber ravens with a few simple additions too, or they could even make a neat series of objective markers.

[Race Bannon]

So ... the magnet is in the right hand?

[Korvydae]

These are absolutely lovely RG mate, they put mine to shame with ease. The black is so smooth and I love it how its so matt as well, suits them well. The individualism is really well done as well, without being OTT.

 

Is Dragomir going to be painted in Librarian blue or will he be black with blue parts?

[SCC]

So ... the magnet is in the right hand?

Indeed, one at the top of the fist and one in the bottom of each weapon, nice and simple.

@Korvydae: Thanks, as I've said before, I'm pretty happy with the progress so far too.

As for Dragomir, well, he'll be black with some blue. Definitely the left shoulder pad and tabard, maybe the left arm and maybe, maybe the helmet too. Maybe. I'll have to trial some variants with the SM Painter I think.

_________________________________________________________________

And now for something completely different, a finished mini:

Apologies for the very poor photography:

As you can see I went with a white, umm, cloth thingy hanging off the right shoulder pad with a black Chapter insignia. What the hell would you call that? It's not really a tabard is it? Some sort of pauldron-something-or-other? Shout out if you've got a better name here folks...at any rate for the curious the pad itself is from the Sevrin Loth Honour Guard, I left the circle and just scraped off the Red Scorpion insignia with a hobby knife to clear the way for the decal. That kit is great, there's loads of cool bitz and very little that can't be de-Scorpified :tu:

I went with the flamer for the first magnetised weapon, it's what is in my draft army list and I always did like the codex approved holy trinity of bolter, flamer and missile launcher :) I'll add plasma at a later date and maybe a melta too.

Right, that leaves one Marine to complete to knock off my LPC vow and two Marines to finish the squad :blush:

[Meatman]

Looking very nice. Congrats on almost finishing your vow!

[SCC]

Some quick WIP snap shots of my final LPC Marine - the dastardly ML Marine:

As you can see still some tidying up needed and the back pack of course, but he's about 80% done. The pose has worked out reasonably well in the end, awful lot of trouble but he'll certainly be unique. I've painted him as a veteran Marine - the white beak and the reversed Chapter symbol have been used to indicate that seniority along with the awards he's won - Imperial laurel and RG insignia on chest, RG symbol on right knee, honour cord and skull on left leg.

Actually I'm pretty happy with the result so far, as I said, he's one of a kind which is kind of the point of the whole army - each Marine is an individual, one of Mankind's finest defenders and a hero unto himself.

One more Marine after this to finish off the squad too, slower than I'd hoped but I've not stalled completely, instead I've worked slowly through the last few weeks without actually stopping B)

[tiny sam]

I am totally in love with that marine carrying his missle launcher :D !!! I hope you consider as flattery to be copied!

 

 

For the staff of the weregeld have you consider tubing to connect the staff to the "Psychic powers" of the librarian (like some force sword have)

 

Good Job!