Jump to content

Gitsplitta's Mantis Warriors


Gitsplitta

Recommended Posts

I agree Ravenfeld, the original legions should have all gotten full treatment by GW from the very beginning. And you're right, one of the attractions to these old chapters is the fact that they're an open book. I was scared to death that IA-10 would make my version of the Mantis Warriors obsolete... luckily it did nothing of the kind. Not that I'd really change anything if it did mind you, but I was pleasantly surprised at the treatment FW game them.

 

The original marines were small (as were all the figures back then) when compared to their counterparts today. I've actually gone to extraordinary lengths to unsquish them by dissecting them at the joints and repositioning them into more open and upright stances. Though it appears I still have work to do on that front.

 

Thanks for your observations though, they are quite good ones.

 

Gits

I still pick them up now and again. I had a bunch of my own to start and got some from friends... now I just keep my eyes open and pick them up when I can. 'Thanks though, I think the old models had a lot of character, even if they can't really stand up technically to the new stuff.
I will begin working on a "modern" Mantis Warrior army soon. This will represent the chapter after it has returned from it's 100-year crusade, totally depleted, near collapse. Most of the units will have brand new equipment including some custom sculpted things (helmets, jump packs, perhaps some other things). Even it's make-up will be different than my Badab War list, through there will be some overlap in certain figures (sternguard, dreads and pods to name a few). So when I'm done, I'll have two Mantis Warrior armies separated by 100 years in time, but that look and play completely different from one another. Should be fun!

So, I'm still tying up a few loose ands from the Adepticon army. Buddy make me a couple of power sword armed sergeants for the razorback squads that didn't make the final army cut, so my first order of business is to finish painting them. Here's the first, Brother Sergeant Paulus.

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/4/16/210609_sm-Mantis%20Warriors,%20Sergeant,%20Space%20Marines,%20Tactical,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

 

I think the sword was made by MaxMini, as is the bionic leg... the head is from Chapterhouse.

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/4/16/210610_sm-Mantis%20Warriors,%20Sergeant,%20Space%20Marines,%20Tactical,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

The good Sergeant there is giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling, I like him a lot. The only thing that's bugging me about him is the mould line on his left foot, and the gigantic crux above it. It's a cool idea, it just needs to be thinner to become more flush with the armour. Other than that, beautiful man. I'm a huge fan of your work, brother, looking forward to your next update. Take care.

 

Edit: My spelling sucks, sorry...

Very nice, the head goes well with the model. I do notice however that a bit of glue seems to have spilled over the edge of the base, under the yellow fluffy thing.

 

Might seem a little odd, but is that stone anything special or 'just' a rock? And how did you paint it?

@Dark Sipio: Thank you very much! Still lots to do, but it's been loads of fun so far!

 

@1000heathens: The mold line on his foot has been dealt with (neither I or my friend who built this model for me noticed it until it was painted & up on the web.) Yeah, the crux is a bit odd... I'll re-assess that. Thanks for the excellent comments. Now looking at it... I forgot to finish painting the crux anyway. *sigh*

 

@Redimer: Thank you sir!

 

@Zincite: Good catch, I'll fix that. The rock is from Gale Force 9, I think it's called "Urban Rubble" & comes in a little clear plastic box like the rest of their grit. I've seen it offered this year at Adepticon but the pieces were huge! Maybe I was just lucky but the bits in the box I got were a nice range of sizes but most pretty usable as-is, though I do occasionally break them up or chip them with a pliers to get the effect I need.

 

My "rock formula" is stupid simple.

 

Basecoat battlegrey, dry brush highlight codex grey, edge highlight codex grey mixed with white. Badab black wash. Re-edge highlight if necessary.

 

 

Great comments guys, really... I'll get those odds & ends fixed! Thanks!

Couple of new additions:

 

First, the other sergeant for my Razorback squads in my Badab War era army. I've been experimenting with my airbrush for painting the sword and refining my OSL technique a bit... still needs work but we're getting there.

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/4/29/215980_sm-Mantis%20Warriors,%20Sergeant,%20Space%20Marines,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

 

And next up, a plasma cannoneer for my post-crusade Mantis Warriors Penitent. This is actually going to a friend in trade. More OSL experiments... still needs work but practice makes perfect. Have a bit of over-spray on the gun barrel I need to deal with (stupid camera).

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/4/30/216154_sm-Gms,%20Mantis%20Warriors,%20Plasma%20Cannon,%20Space%20Marines,%20Warhammer%2040,000.jpg

Yes, thought I'd try it. I usually use the GF-9 "urban rubble" but I'm running out and my FLGS is having trouble getting more, so I bought some cork sheet and thought I'd experiment with it. Not very creative, but I'm sure I'll get better the more I practice with it.

Just dawned on the that I never put up a pic of my MoTF. He's still pretty WIP... I ran out of time getting ready for Adepticon so I was painting until 10 am the day we left just trying to get him "fully painted" (but not finished). I will eventually get back to him and finish him up, but right now other projects has gotten in the way... so I'll show him as-is with the caveat that he is no where near complete.

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/4/4/205880_sm-Mantis%20Warriors,%20Motf,%20Space%20Marines,%20Warhammer%2040,000,%20Work%20In%20Progress.jpg

Sword on the sarge looks great, and the osl is adding another depth to your minis - are all of your 'naughty' Mantis Warriors going to have that helmet and pad? If so can't wait to see more. The posing on the MoTF is amazing, reminds me of Dr. Octopus from Spiderman. I will add that I'm still not a fan of the purple on the models for some reason, just makes them seem a bit busy, but that's a tiny crit. Loving your work as always ;)

Well, I could go back to a golden yellow... that would certainly be more traditional for the chapter. I just wanted to do something visual to separate the post-crusade chapter from the pre-crusade Badab era. My "research" suggested that this reddish purple was often associate with repentance in Judeo-Christian religions... so it seemed like a good fit. It certainly seems to be a polarizing color. Some people comment that they really like it, others like yourself... do not. Guess in the end it all comes down to personal preference. It's an easy thing to change though, so once a get a decent number of marines done so I can really see how it looks en-masse', I'll make a final decision about it.

 

Thanks for your comments and support guys, I very much appreciate it!

 

Next up: Badab era devastator squad!

 

 

OH, Tyro...didn't answer your other question. Yes, all of my post crusade mantis warriors will have a similar helmet (think I've got a dozen variations on the theme) and those pads. I even have terminator pads for when I finally get around to putting my termies together. I also have special jump packs, which should get their debut in another trade mini very soon.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.