Gitsplitta's Mantis Warriors

[Gitsplitta]

Hi everyone.

Been working on re-vamping my 20+ year old Mantis Warrior army and I thought some of you might be interested in the results. Like most Mantis Warrior players, I have always been captivated and intrigued by the "Tranquility Sniper" portrayed in full armor in the original RT rule book. Of course ALL marines were in full armor at that point and the whole scout concept had yet to be developed... but still, it was an interesting idea that up to 5th edition could not be decently represented on the table top in a legal fashion.

With the appearance of the sternguard in 5th... I decided it was time to try and finally do the tranquility veterans justice.


Here is the original artwork with my first attempt. The modifications to the bolt gun and the tall grass are to help the "snipey" feel of the model.

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2010/5/5/102807_sm-Mantis%20Warrior,%20Space%20Marines,%20Tranquility%20Sniper,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

And the rest of the squad to date...

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2010/6/2/109646_sm-Mantis%20Warriors,%20Snipers,%20Space%20Marines,%20Sternguard,%20Tranquility,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2010/6/5/110585_sm-Mantis%20Warriors,%20Snipers,%20Space%20Marines,%20Sternguard,%20Tranquility,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2010/7/6/118298_sm-Mantis%20Warriors,%20Snipers,%20Space%20Marines,%20Sternguard,%20Tranquility,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2010/7/8/118778_sm-Mantis%20Warriors,%20Snipers,%20Space%20Marines,%20Sternguard,%20Tranquility,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

And lastly my Venerable Dread, who seemed like a natural fit as a former T-sniper now encased in Dreadnought armor.

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2010/11/8/153515_sm-Dreadnought,%20Mantis%20Warriors,%20Space%20Marines,%20Tranquility,%20Venerable,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

Thanks for looking!

[Hyaenidae]

God, I love it when people re-do something from the RT era, and update it to 2010. Absolutley wonderful, man. Hope you got some more you're gonna post.

 

Edit: crappy spelling, sorry...

[Bad-Sam]

Very nice i must say.

[Myxx]

Excellent work! I really like the addition of the tall grass and the modified bolters. The silencer on the pistol is also really cool. As for the ven-dread... totally awesome!

[Firepower]

Pffft...what kinda sissy Astartes wanna-bes wear camo and hide in the bushes? ;)

 

 

....apparently the kind with paintjobs and conversions of equal awesomeness :) Who knew?

[Brother Nezulius]

Just brilliant! I love the whole sniper themed marines. Makes me wanna make silencers for my sternguards. :)

[Captain Mick]

Looks great, well done :) .

[Octavulg]

Awesome.

[Gitsplitta]

Thanks all! There will indeed be more, this is just the start. It's slow going (I'm a very slow painter) though so updates may be rare.

 

Immediate project is to make a small squad of sternguard very true to my roots in RT, with the added complication of combi-meltas made from Umbra pattern bolters. One build is near completion and the second is in process. When I get those finished I'll post them. I think I have a good design for the umbra pattern combi-melta/sniper rifle with a couple of variations possible. Right now it's at the very rough build stage... so I'll wait to debut it until it's painted & if people like it I can show how it was made.

 

Again, thank you for all your kind comments. I have always been the only Mantis Warrior player I've ever known (though I know there are a few others out there). It is my hope that combined with the (unfortunately not well written) Black Library stories and the advent of IA-9 & 10, my attempt to do justice to my original 40k army might encourage someone else to take up the challenge as well.

[Sergeant Cohen]

OK First great stuff the poses are very dynamic and the paint job looks sick. I like it. Second I don't remember that original pic from the RT rule book. Was it in there somewhere or is it from another source. Not hating or anything just curious to find out.

[Gitsplitta]

All I have left of my original RT book (because of course, the binding failed like it did on all of them... crappy glue), is a scan of the page with the Mantis Warrior pictures on it. The page is clearly marked as 72, with the "Index Astartes" title on top. The page has pictures in 3 rows of 12 marines, all identical in form, only their color patterns are changed. There are: fire hawk, 2 mantis warriors, executioner, 2 red scorpion variants, minotaurs, novamarines, exorcists, two fire angle variants and a salamander.

 

As I recall there were several pages with these color drawings of a variety of marine chapters including some variations... but interesting in the fact that all the pictures were essentially alike, just different colors and/or patterns. I sure wish I had a copy of that book now... I could sure use it as primary resource material for staying true to the era. It also had eldar tanks made from glue bottles and deodorant sticks... hard to believe now, eh?

[styygens]

I know the modern fluff isn't big on Marines using camo schemes, but that just makes your minis more creative. I think the camo looks great, especially becuae the long grass you modeled on the bases gives the camo reason to exist.

 

The Dread is fantastic.

 

Nice work.

[tyrannosaurus]

The concept is inspired and the painting is fantastic, absolutely loving these vintage models. Plus the poses make them look born again hard.

 

Only critique I could offer is that they don't really blend in with the grass that you've used [although I like the bases]. In fact, they stick out like a sore thumb ;) Anyway, who cares about how realistic the camo is, they're sick.

[verpine]

That's some fantastic yellow, mind if i ask how you did it?

[Aqatone]

Tranquillity pattern? More like ownage pattern. Love seeing the old stuff revamped.

[Natanael]

Awesome. You made me want to go and grab some sniper-scouts and do some snipey-hiding poses :P

 

- Natanael

[Gitsplitta]

I get a lot of compliments on the yellow. It's not all that complicated actually, just takes a bit of patience and a light touch.

 

I prime with Army Painter yellow primer.

 

Wash with sepia.

 

Then starting with thinned (2% milk) golden yellow, I work my way up through sunburst yellow. Each translucent layer just slopped on really, 2 or 3 passes per shade, each application in a slightly smaller area than the last. Due to the translucent nature of the paint, they pretty much blend themselves. It's easy and fast too. I blend lighter on the plates in full sun, and on the plates way out in the sun I will blend up to an old GW color called Bad Moon Yellow. You could make your own lighter shade though easily enough. The only thing that's really different about what I do is to shade to the center of the plate rather than just in the direction of the sun... kind of makes all the plates pop a bit more.

 

Lastly I'll reinforce the original wash with a bit of sepia applied to the edges of the plates with a small brush.

 

 

The blending thing is tough to get used to at first... but once that light goes on in your head as to how it works... it's so fast and easy that putting 7-10 layers on a figure is just a complete no-brainer. Far easier than trying to actually blend thicker paints where you have to mix every shade independently.

 

Hope that helps...

 

Author's Note: I don't mean that I thinned the paint WITH 2% milk... I mean that it should have the consistency and opacity of 2% milk. (sorry for any confusion)

[Gitsplitta]

Only critique I could offer is that they don't really blend in with the grass that you've used [although I like the bases]. In fact, they stick out like a sore thumb :P

 

Very true tyrannosaurus, I can't disagree with you. Here are my thoughts on the camo.

 

There are no official descriptions of the Tranquility Campaign, only the one reference under the picture in the RT rule book. The way I've come to look at it is that whatever happened at Tranquility, whatever the Mantis Warriors who were there did... it was a defining moment in chapter history. Tranquility veterans are known and respected throughout the chapter and indeed the Astartes as a whole for the service they gave on that campaign. So while at the time (hundreds of years ago) that pattern was indeed camouflage, it is now a badge of honor... a service medal of sorts associating that marine with the greatest moment in chapter history.

 

This also brings them into alignment with the current view that a marine has no need to hide as you so ably pointed out... they stick out like a sore thumb.

 

 

The tall grass, as with the sniper rifle conversions of their bolt guns are simply to add to the illusion of being a specialized "sniper marine", though I do think the color of the tall grass compliments the color of the figures and helps to pull the whole thing together. (and I just can't get around my mental image of snipers in the tall grass)

 

Hope that suits...

[Firepower]

There are no official descriptions of the Tranquility Campaign, only the one reference under the picture in the RT rule book. The way I've come to look at it is that whatever happened at Tranquility, what ever the Mantis Warriors who were there did... it was a defining moment in chapter history. Tranquility veterans are know and respected throughout the chapter and indeed the Astartes as a whole for the service they gave on that campaign. So while at the time (hundreds of years ago) that pattern was indeed camouflage, it is now a badge of honor... a service medal of sorts associating that marine with the greatest moment in chapter history.

 

This also brings them into alignment with the current view that a marine has no need to hide as you so ably pointed out... they stick out like a sore thumb.

 

Clever...very clever. More than I'd expect from a greenskin in Astartes clothing :)

[Gitsplitta]

I'm allowed my moments... it's in my contract. :D

[Sergeant Cohen]

All I have left of my original RT book (because of course, the binding failed like it did on all of them... crappy glue), is a scan of the page with the Mantis Warrior pictures on it. The page is clearly marked as 72, with the "Index Astartes" title on top.

 

 

Thanks for letting me know I guess my memory is fading over time. Once again nice work.

[Gitsplitta]

No problem SC... I hope I'm right... at least I think I am. Have foggy recollections of a black, hard-bound book with my first memories of 40k where the only eldar were pirates w/ household appliance tanks, a D&D style bestiary which included gene stealers, a picture of an early sororitas and page after page of very creatively painted beakies. And the book would get smaller and smaller each year as the pages slowly fell out as the glue failed.

 

@Firepower: My love of greenskins is a new development... but the Mantis Warriors and I go wayyyy back. They fought squats! (hated the little b-stards)

[Tyrannicide]

Though the Dreadnought would seem a little senseless, it looks awesome. And the colors look great man, extraordinary painting!

[Nacho Wolf]

Damn these are cool.... yep, thats all I have to say

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

I love them. I couldn't figure out what you meant about bolter modifications until I looked really closely. The parts blend in that well.