Honda Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Yeah, I know...it really looks like I'm just another "favorite flavor codex turned GK fanboy" jumping on the wagon. Doesn't matter. I'm not, but really...it doesn't. By now some of you are wondering, like, "Honda, dude. Chill, what's with the attitude?" Actually, it's part of the project, the attitude that is. See this is really about the Grey Knights, but I don't want to do Grey Knights per se, not that I have anything against them, I just know that inside of around 60 days there's going to be a ton of silver on the tables and all the long suffering Grey Knight players are going to have to feel like they have to justify to everyone why they're playing the new codex, "No, really, I've been playing GK's forevah. Look, my guys are metal, not like all those other poseurs, I'm a REAL GK player. Really." So, see, I'm not going there. If nothing else, my guys are going to be gold, which will immediately distinguish me from all the other GK groupies because that's really important to me (NOT!!! ;) ), then they'll look at my army, ask what in the world it is, then sound like those three eyed aliens from Toy Story, "ooh Custodes". http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Kick-off/toy_story_aliens.jpg So, to kick this thing off I'm going to do the obligatory "supplies" shots, sort of lay out how the project will go and then have you guys keep me accountable. This project will be different. I'm going to do some hopefully interesting things as I've been thinking about wanting to do Grey Knights/Custodes for quite awhile, getting tons of inspiration from Capt. Nuss and some of the other Custodes projects on BnC. Those projects have kept me salivating for quite awhile. If the truth be told (and that's what we're here for), I've wanted to do GK's for a long time, but just didn't want to do the metal figs. A good friend of mine has a metal GK army and I just love it to death, but I never wanted to follow in those footsteps. I've even gone as far as using my Apocalypse Lords as proxies for GKs because I just love GKs. The Ordo Malleus are my homeboys. Except, I'm not going to do them, I'm going to do Custodes. At the end of the day, I really don't care how it behaves on the table. I want the top of the food chain army. See, attitude. I also want the figs to embody this attitude. Even in the HH novels when the Custodes are described, it's always with this, "Um really, don't do anything to tick them off. It's not worth it." So, I am going to strive to impart a little attitude to the poses, the color palette, the figs, anything I can to sort of give the impression, "Ok, we'll roll some dice, but you're going to wish you stayed in your figure case we're that awesome." It's setting the bar pretty high, but I think I'm ready to be stretched (famous last words). I guess we'll see. So, here's a bulk of the color palette that I'm going to be working from. Rather than a really shiny gold that one might infer from some of the images, I'm going to start off thinking that I want a darker gold. That will help me contrast with a lot of the red that these figures are going to have on them. Also, I'm still working out what color I'm going to use for the power weapons. I'm leaning towards a turqoise/teal sort of flavor, but it could end up blue. So the paints: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Kick-off/DSCN9054.jpg These are just the new colors I've gotten recently. Not sure I'll use all of them, but I think I will. Other supplies: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Kick-off/DSCN9053.jpg The sculpting putty is something I'm going to experiment with. Have you seen those resin temple bases that look really awesome? I love those things. Not too crazy about the prices, but I love how they look. So, I'm going to see if I can make some of my own. You may have noticed the doll face soft mold. I'm going to try to make some of those faces as well, but we'll see how that works out. It may end up making sense to just get the things that other people have already made. Some of the bits: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Kick-off/DSCN9059.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Kick-off/DSCN9055.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Kick-off/DSCN9056.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Kick-off/DSCN9057.jpg There's something like 34 termie legs in that picture. My current plan is to do three five man terminator squads and two to three ten man knight squads. Some of those knight squads could end up being purifiers, but we'll see. I am primarily building what I want to play with, given that these guys will most likely never make it to a tournament, but become part of my growing Apocalypse force. Anyway, the plan is to put a lion head pad on one side and the Spartan pad on the other. I'm not sure what the power weapons are going to be, whether I build them from scratch or what. Given that the GKs plus Sanguinary Guard have some nice looking blade weapons, I should have lots of options. I really wanted to show you guys a little of what the figures are going to look like, but some of my orders haven't arrived yet. :P So think of the previous sentence as a teaser to help you come back. It's going to be different. I can not tell you how jazzed I am to actually start this project off. I tend to think of projects several years in advance, purchasing along the way until I have 90-100% of what I need on hand, then just go for it. In this case, I'm only around 70% or so, but I will have most of the infantry or bits in hand before too long. So the first phase of the project will focus on getting the infantry done, figuring out what works, then opening up the spigot. I won't know what kind of vehicles I'm going to get as I need to play some games with the new codex. It's difficult imagining this army without some Dreadknights in it, but we'll see. Anyway, I'll start fiddling with what I have (i.e. bases) and welcome those that tag along. I expect a fairly wild ride. As soon as the figs get in, I'll start posting some mock ups. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombo Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Looking forward to it! I'm liking the pre-project banter too :L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatGrinder Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Ah! Honda! Good to see you working on something again, it has been too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natanael Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Gonna keep a close eye on this thread! The new GK dex made me think again on my own old plan of making a Custodes army using GK-rules, and this will serve as plenty of inspiration for me. - Natanael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorns Padawan Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Wowzers thats a lot of supplies!!! Looking forward to more of this! Where did you get your Spartan stuff from, that looks awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminatorinhell Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Curses you're making Custodes GK too? Darn I thought I was being unique but knowing your mad skills this should be EPIC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hfran Morkai Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Curses you're making Custodes GK too? Darn I thought I was being unique but knowing your mad skills this should be EPIC! Seems like lots of us have been waiting for this moment XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honda Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 "...ask and ye shall receive..." So I was all :) yesterday because I hadn't received any figs yet. After posting, I walked out to the mailbox and guess what? Two packages. Yep, epic attitude fail. Humility, thy name is not Honda. <giggles like a silly little girl> Ok, this is what showed up: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9060.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9061.jpg When I first saw these figs, I'm not sure whether I had the epiphany and then fainted or the other way around. Which ever way it was, THESE were the figs I had been longing for. I just love 'em. They seem to just ooze "Really, don't mess with me". So I have 15 of these guys that will become my Custodes terminators. Maybe I'm deprived of oxygen, but I just love how they look. Just giddy. What I'm not sure of yet is what type of arms I am going to have to use, regular PA vs. Termie. I'm just going to have to fiddle with them. This guy will be my Grand Master http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9065.jpg He has a pretty epic pose, even though the helmet front is open like a Spartan helm. Still, he's going to be so awesome, I figure he can stop breathing for days if he needs to. :D Here's a comparison of an existing terminator and a similarly heighted (pardon the non-English word) knight http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9062.jpg You can see that the Custodes have a very broad base, giving the impression of great physical strength. If you can imagine the larger shoulder pads on them, I think they will look very broad across the chest as well and match up well with regular termies. Now for the regular knights, I am going to put these on top... http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9064.jpg ...followed by a torso, which I haven't decided on yet, then the termie legs. So even the knights are going to be larger than a standard PA trooper, which is consistent with the fluff, but still these guys are going to stand out even if they were painted grey. Let see, other project stuff: Statuary faces http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9068.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9078.jpg This actually turned out rather decently. The temple base attempt seems Ok, but I'm going to need to get some paint and weathering on it before I can be sure. However, if so, I should shave off quite a bit on the basing cost, though I'm pretty sure that at the end of the day it will be clear that these are not commercial grade products. If this part doesn't pan out, I'll go back to some sort of urban rubble basing, close to my Apocalypse Lords approach. Commenting on comments: I'm not surprised that a lot of other people end up doing Custodes. It is a very unique and little addressed modeling subject up till now except for those who are super sculptors or are willing to go to superhuman conversion efforts. What made this army more accessible to me is that old article in WD 300 that featured Dave Taylors Custodes. There's a ton of very cool conceptual stuff in there and I still go back and read that article from time to time. However, when I saw the Scibor stuff, I just new it was what I've been waiting for. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing others efforts because I think we all win when our creative juices start flowing. Where did you get your Spartan stuff from, that looks awesome! The figs/shoulder pads come from Scibor. You can get them from Coolminiornot or ebay. Good to see you working on something again, it has been too long. Yes it has. The BnC is still what I call home and where I feel the most comfortable. The community here stands head and shoulders above any other I've found. Unfortunately, I developed Elysian-itis and I've been working on building that army as I truly do love the Elysians. This is a battle report that I posted in the not too distant past and we should be gearing up for another before too long. http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...t&p=2561062 Anyway, thanx for all the well wishes and I look forward to getting past the discovery part of this project and onto the meat and potatoes of the modeling...and then getting them on the table. :lol: Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honda Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Ok, some more project "foundation" work, while all the figures are soaking in water and dish soap. Here's the air dried clay base sample http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9086.jpg I've included the tools I used to apply texture and get that "sandstoney" temple look I'm after. The colors are: 1. Basecoat Krylon Camouflage Khaki 2. Devlan Mud 3. Light drybrush with a Light Sand 4. Light drybrush on edges with Astronomicon Grey (GW Foundation) Given that this came together fairly well, I'm going to proceed with the rest of the bases and do them all in bulk. Some close ups http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9089.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9090.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9091.jpg Now on to the "arm" dilemma. I suspect that I'm going to have to use termie arms and that's going to be more troublesome for conversions and increasing the overall cost. Oh well. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Apostle Thirst Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 This requires watching... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natanael Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Indeed. - Nat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekLee688 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Look up chapterhousestudios.com they just recently released powered armor spartan heads. I've been saving the funds to combine them with scibor stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekLee688 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Edit: Internet hickup double post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konskrypt Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I've been looking at the Scibor stuff for a while, but have been unsure. Can you comment on the quality of the sculpt etc? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honda Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Look up chapterhousestudios.com they just recently released powered armor spartan heads. I've been saving the funds to combine them with scibor stuff. Ooh, thanx for the tip. I have some of their Iron Snakes shoulder pads and really like their stuff. I will definitely check them out. Can you comment on the quality of the sculpt etc? Everything that I've gotten so far has been very crisp, no bubbles, next to none or no flash...in other words very high quality stuff. Now having said that, I've only sampled a small percentage of their range, but I would certainly feel pretty confident about ordering anything they've done recently. Since I'm not familiar with their molds, I don't know if they run into issues like FW, but based on what I know now, I'd give them four thumbs up. The other models they've done that I like are their "Celtic" SF warriors which look extremely cool looking. Also they've done some pretty cool stuff for Templar shoulder pads as well as Thousand Sons. Anyway, I'm very happy with what I have received so far. Hope that helps. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honda Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Finally, a chance to do an update... Things are progressing along fairly well considering that I'm still getting bitz and bobz together. However, while the acquisition phase continues, the basing piece has made decent progress. To date: Close ups of Grey Knight bases http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9104.jpg Close ups of Paladin/Terminator bases http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9102.jpg All the bases so far http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9106.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9107.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9108.jpg So basically, we're just a bunch of... http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9094.jpg ...(that's right, I went there) happy eggs. Note: Those of you with English as a second language will wonder what I'm talking about. Don't worry, everyone else is too. Now that I'm mostly done on that bit, I'm starting on the construction of the figs. Now that the GK boxes have hit the black market (eBay) and people are selling body parts for money, I can start fiddling with how everyone is going to look. I did have to make a couple of decisions regarding that and since my intent is to supplement Apocalypse forces, I'm going all "iconic" vs. tournament effective. That translates to lots of halberds (which is still effective mind you) vs. doing all the tournament, "well he's got a toaster, and that one has the 'counts as' pasta collander, this one's holding a bar of soap, and those two have water wings, so you can only put one hit on each guy" hit allocation gimmick. There's nothing wrong with doing that, I'm just not going there. Also, I think I'm going to be able to get away with using knight arms on everything. I was test looking (technical term) and I it looks like it's a better proportion/ratio to the legs. I guess we'll see. Acquisition efforts have been successful with the halberds and they should come in sometime this week. Evidently, somebody else thought the Scibor stuff was a good idea so CMON got cleaned out of bodies and heads. Oh well. Grey Knights http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/Terminators/DSCN9110.jpg Now you're going to have to work with me on this next bit, but the basic idea is to use termie legs, Scibor torsos, and the Scibor heads. This effort will eventually turn into two squads of 10 Grey Knights. Purifiers...I love the idea of them...however, I think I'm going to take a different route with that unit. Instead of just kicking out some more knights with white shoulder pads, I want to leverage *cough steal cough* Capt. Englehart's Sisters of Silence work. I really like the look of what he's done, along with the picture with the "silver" chicks in it. What I am envisioning for them will be Purifiers + Falchions + Attack bonus = 4 power weapon attacks per fig, or 40 power weapon attacks. Assuming that they drop out of a Storm Pidgeon or a Landraider Crusader, that could be an interesting phenomena to manifest on the table. I don't know if it would really work out or not, but it seems like it might. Also some of the HQ's might be able to supplement or enhance the attack to make it even more devastating. I think the Libby can get one squad to attack at I10, which would dice up just about anything, including Storm shield bearing bullies. At least I think so. So that work is on the Event horizon as well. After that, it's hard to say. After seeing the Dreadknight in person, I don't know how you could not bring a couple of those to the table. If that's how it would work out, my Custodes force would look something like: 1 x Draigo 1 x Librarian <need to figure out how I am going to do him> 2 x 7 man Paladin squads 2 x 10 man Grey Knight squads 2 x Purifier squads 2 x Dreadknight squads Not including vehicles. At some point, I'd like to get some Dreads in there, but instead of going with the basic SM body build, I'm thinking about how to build something that looks more Pre-Heresy-ish, but I really don't know how to go about getting something that is like some of those rounded bodies you see in the Sabertooth images or like others have made. I'm open to suggestions on that. Anyway, that is the state of the union. Movin' on and gettin' strong. B) C&C greatly appreciated. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honda Posted October 2, 2011 Author Share Posted October 2, 2011 "Lazarus...come forth!" Wow, it has been quite awhile. There's been a lot going on, not the least was finishing up my Elysians which performed quite well at War Games Con 2011 as well as catching the eye of their photographers. Still, the Custodes were on my mind all the time. Part of the challenge has been that since the GK codex came out it took me a bit to get a general sense of how I wanted to play them, which determined how I wanted to build them initially. All that being said, I am starting off with a three terminator squad list, transported in Storm Ravens, with one dread, and maybe a landraider for giggles. That's roughly 2000 pts. I'm then going to build out the next 1000 pts to get me to Apocalypse levels, which is the first game where they will be played. That game takes place in the latter parts of December, so I need to get this show on the road. Along the way, I finally got a compressor and so I will be airbrushing as much of this army as I can. At least that is the plan because after it's all said and done, that's a lot of gold. I'm just finishing up the builds of the three termie squads. Since I don't do tournaments much, I've built the figures to be representative of the general weapon load out. I know I'm pretty much giving up the ability to do the whole wound allocation thing because of this, but I'm more interested in trying to have as much variety as I can in the figs. Theme: After pondering on this for a bit, I decided to set the timeline for the army as Pre-Heresy/Heresy timeline, primarily inspired by the description of the assault on Prospero as described by Mr. McNeill. That meant that I wouldn't have any storm bolters in the army and that for the most part I'd need to remove all the skulls and such...which has been a pain in the neck. Also with the Custodes/Space Wolves/Sisters of Silence operating as a unified force, I will get some interesting modeling options to add to the force which I will elaborate on later. Basically, I'll be modeling up my Purifiers as Space Wolves and maybe some other stuff as well. Anyway, I am now actively working on this project and it is my primary focus. Plus there's been a lot of Real Life going on which keeps every project interesting. Now on to the pics... http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9235.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9237.jpg I have opted to run with Incinerators in my squad, as I think they'll work better for my units since they'll all be un-trucking from Storm Ravens. I've also decided that the powerfists on the squads will represent the GK demonhammer. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9240.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9241.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9242.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9237.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9244.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9247.jpg This guy will be my Justicar Thawn...I figure that anyone that can get back up after an asteroid lands on them should look pretty freaking awesome http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9248.jpg This is sort of a Bruce Lee pose. Imagine his hand doing the "beckoning" hand gesture. Not sure it works, but I'll give it a shot http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9251.jpg Another demonhammer http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9253.jpg This close up of the gun is a bit of an experiment. What I discovered by fiddling around (technical term), is that if you cut away the bottom of the skull (teeth part), and the outside bit of the skull, it makes a sort of "eagle" or bird head. Since at this time, the Emperor's symbol is a single headed eagle, I think I can paint this bit up to resemble an eagle's head with the wing. We'll just have to see. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/hkowabunga/Custodes/DSCN9254.jpg I think that's about it for now. It's certainly good to be back for real. As always, C&C greatly appreciated. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megapope Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Mate. Amazing. I've been checking out those models every now and then so it's awesome to see someone making use combined with GW parts. Looking forward to seeing some paint on those bad boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natanael Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Looks great so far. I am very interested in seeing the TDA-legs with Scribor torsos. - Nat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimdarkness Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Nice start there looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innus Bade 9 Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 AWESOME!!!!!! I dont know when but I will be using your idea for the custodes, brilliant and easier to do than a total sculpt. Im eager to see the progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eerie Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 These models blow my mind! The Scibor stand-in Custodes look really mind blowing, and you did a great job converting them with GW bits! That Justicar Thawn looks like someone you should definitely not mess with. Just one point: Bruce Lee pose reminded me more of the Spiderman shooting his webs pose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio Silvernale Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 The "Bruce Lee" one doesn't really do it for me, but the rest are sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honda Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Yeah, I know about the Bruce Lee pose, it's sort of bugging me to. The effect I am going after is that one pose in "Enter the Dragon" where he's down in the secret drug factory tunnel beating the stuffing out of the minions. At one point, he has a bo against the small of his back, sticking out almost perpendicular. Maybe I need to drop the halberd down and not go parallel to the ground. So that's where I'm trying to get to...but it's not quite there yet. Anyway, I'll keep looking at it and you guys keep looking at it and hopefully we'll get there. In the meantime, thanx for the C&C. I've finished building one of the Brotherhood banner bearers and I'm waiting on the shoulderpads for the other two. I'm really in a "building" sort of mood, so I'm running in that direction for the time being. Currently in construction is a Contemptor with a "counts as" heavy flamer and a DCCW with heavy flamer, all featuring psyflame ammo so he can bring that toasty, toasty love from the Big E. Not sure the enemies of mankind will see it that way, but that is our intent. Lots of toasty love for everyone. :) Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxmarine Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Love it! Nice Job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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