The Tyrant Rises - Update 5/18/15 - Tac Marines Done

[nurgling6688]

Thanks everyone! I plan on sending some pictures into them once I get better quality photos of them. I've been on their site a few times now so I hope that gives me an advantage with getting these guys on there, all though I think I may have to wait for the Necron wave to die out first.

 

Next up for these guys are the Assault Terminators, or maybe a Predator. I haven't decided whether I want to get the FW shoulder pads for the Terminators or not. I'm thinking I am going to get the transfer sheet for the vehicles. I like doing my freehand, but on a larger surface like a tank I think a little more uniformity might be good.

 

I also have one Strike Cruiser painted up in their colors for Gothic with the rest of my old marine fleet waiting in dry dock to get a new coat of paint as well. May be awhile though, I have some commissions to work on and I work retail, which means I am about to get very busy.

[Pfreck]

Just found out about this project log yesterday, better late than never right?

 

Love what you've done so far. I'm really impressed by the freehands especially, if I didn't know any better I would think they're decals. Any plans on doing some Maelstrom Warder symbols on them as well? I think the symbol is a bit too complicated to do as a freehand (I tried it on my Mantis Warriors, and failed). So I think that's where the Astral Claws transfer sheet might come in handy!

 

 

I'll keep an eye on this log, inspirational stuff!

[nurgling6688]

So I don't know if its ok to post this guy, but hes kind of part of my Astral Claws. This is a test model for possible Tyrant's Legion additions to my force. I'm having trouble getting good lighting on this guy where the white isn't overblown, so sorry if these are slightly dark.

 

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/tylerrox6688/legion1.jpg

 

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/tylerrox6688/legion2.jpg

 

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/tylerrox6688/legion3.jpg

 

I painted the cloth the same as my scouts to tie them in but gave them some winter camo since they are guard and the bases are tundra-ish. I wanted it to look like their armor was just hastily spray painted white to adjust for the snow fall. I figure this sin't an ice planet, just a normal planet that is having winter, or they are in the north/south at the moment. I figure the astartes don't care enough about the guard to give them actual new fatigues since they are just cannon fodder. Just give them a can of white spray paint and tell them to cross their fingers. Let me know what you think.

[Lorenzen]

if you can change the background to grey (or a colour that isnt on the mini AT ALL and then remove it in photoshop afterwards) you should be able to improve the picture without overexposing the white..

 

the other option is to drop the iso on the camera lower if you have the option available and then alter the lighting to accomodate the change if need be..

 

but on a less camera related note... im liking the look of him so far.. its not what i had envisioned for the tyrans legion but the logic behind it works for me..

one thing i would change, would be the colour of the guns, i feel that they should mimic the astral claws themselves as closesly as possible.. it will help tie them visually together without being too drastic a change.

[batu]

I think you achieved the exact look of the white armour wich you wanted, just perfect.

 

I really really like your army.

 

What product or technic do you use for the snow on the bases ?

[ephrael]

I think you have sucessfully achieved the look that you were going for with this guy. He looks like his gear has hastily been painted over before being deployed. I also like the addition of the Astral Claws icon on the shoulder.

[Studio Silvernale]

This has a look like the Russian tanks in WWII, which is what you wanted so it is win.

[nurgling6688]

Thanks everyone! The snow is woodland scenics. I just mix it in with elmers glue and some white paint and glop it on, then dip it in the snow to give it a final layer.

 

As for the guns, I don't want there to be too many visual ties to the marines. The guard are below them and also a separate fighting force. I feel like the marines wouldn't let mere humans wear their colors, after all they are just living meat shields for them.

 

My other idea was the same color scheme with black armor instead of white.

[nurgling6688]

Time for some fluff.

 

I went through and re photographed each member of tactical squad Numas and decided I am going to give each guy his own fluff.

 

Sin-Nasir

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/tylerrox6688/Tac5.jpg

Sin-Nasir, known as Nasir to his squad mates, is one of the oldest member of Tactical Squad Numas. He has served the Astral Claws for over 200 years and has known two chapter masters including Huron. Nasir hails from Badab Primas, having been recruited before Huron's drive to expand the chapter to legion size, and his appearance is characteristic of those from that planet. His stoic nature is often reflected by his lack of facial expression. Even in the midst of battle he keeps a calm, cool exterior. When the Chapter started to switch their symbol from the traditional lion's head to the Tyrant's Claw Nasir did not hesitate for a moment. To him he has no place to question his superiors, this also partially explains why he is still a mere Tactical marine after his years of service. He is the perfect soldier but has no room to think for himself or question the morality of his actions.

 

Throughout the course of the Badab War he gained the title of "the Butcher" from the mortals in service to the legion. When a Centurion ordered him to bring the guardsmen back into line he would take the most direct and efficient approach. Some claim his kill ratio of mortal allies is higher than enemy combatants felled by him. This never sat well with Numas who was skeptical of Huron's plans the whole time and would often reprimand Nasir for his violent nature. During 2nd squad's last moments in the tunnels beneath the Palace of Thorns, Nasir calmly watched as Balathu crept up behind Sargent Numas and slit his throat. It is said that the only time Nasir allowed himself to truly smile was as he watched the shock and life drain from his former Sargent's eyes.

 

Post-Badab War: A warrior matching Sin-Nasir's description has been seen fighting with the Red Corsairs on several accounts. He is said to never show emotion as he wades through his enemies, his armor adorned with the freshly taken heads of his victims. One guardsmen who happened to escape his attention described Nasir's eyes as brutal and empty as he methodically disemboweled his victims. After the Badab War Imperial investigators would later decide that he had shown signs of being a sociopath early on and should have been weeded out during initiation.

 

Arshaka

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/tylerrox6688/Tac1.jpg

Arshaka was recruited right at the start of Huron's drive to expand the Chapter. He hails from one of the Astral Claw's feudal worlds and shares little with those from Badab Primas. His skin tone is distinctly paler than others as well as having coal black hair. Arshaka was known as a trouble maker be some of his former commanders as he would go out of his way to avoid casualties to the legion's mortal allies, but these same actions led to him being sought out by Numas. By this point the Badab War was just starting to expand into the full fledged conflict that would be recorded by history and the Sargent of 2nd squad was looking for men who thought more like him. He felt most of his squad followed the Tyrant's orders with too much enthusiasm and was increasingly worried that he was amongst a chapter of sociopaths. As the conflict deepened Arshaka found himself in more and more situations that would test his morality and stretch his loyalty to the limits. Certain members of his squad troubled him such as Sin-Nasir and Rihat but inexplicably he developed a friendship with Balathu. As the conflict began to draw towards it's inevitable conclusion Numas began to share his doubts with him and make sure he would support him with any decisions he made. Unfortunately Arshaka never survived long enough to see the battle at the Palace of Thorns and the breaking of the squad. He was lost during a boarding action against a Red Scorpions strike cruiser mere weeks before.

 

Post-Badab War: Arshaka's body was later identified by investigators amongst the other casualties on the Red Scorpions vessel. Curiously there were no puncture wounds by bolt guns or other typical weapons used in a boarding action, instead there was only a single puncture wound through one of his eye lenses consistent with a mono-molecular combat knife. How he suffered this wound eluded investigators as they concluded there would had to have been little to no struggle for an enemy to kill him with such a precise stroke. Confounding them further no Red Scorpions or crewmen took credit for the kill even when questioned.

 

More next time, including expanded bios on Balathu, Kuri and Numas.

[Lord Ragnarok]

Another couple of excellent minis. Love the fluff.

[nurgling6688]

Squad Numas continued...

 

Hunzuu

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/tylerrox6688/Tac7.jpg

While others in the Astral Claws lean more towards the extremes of being a paragon or a sociopath Hunzuu represents the middle path. He is more typical of the average marine and would not be out of place amongst other chapters of legend. When Huron began expanding the chapter and its domain Hunzuu had no reason to doubt him. They are the Adeptus Astartes, charged with protecting humanity, and if the High Lords did not see fit to send more chapters to the wardens then why shouldn't the Astral Claws take charge of protecting the Maelstrom. In his mind and the minds of the majority of the rest of the chapter the only logical thing to do was to expand their numbers. When the Tiger Claws were rediscovered and brought into the fold of the chapter it was seen as a momentous day by Hunzuu and he welcomed his brothers openly. As the Inquisition and the band of "loyalist" chapters began to persecute their war against the Maelstrom Wardens it only further justified their cause in his eyes. He was not entirely blind to the turmoil around him however, you would have to be blind to not notice that some of the more unhinged members of the chapter such as Balathu were prospering a bit too much under the new regime. On the other end of the spectrum though he found Numas and Arshaka to sometimes come across as weak and to sympathetic to the mortal allies. They were merely there to serve the Astartes, and should be thankful for their protection. If a few hundred of them had to die to save the life of one marine then it was a sacrifice well made. Throughout the entire Badab War Hunzuu merely saw the Astral Claws as being wrongly persecuted and always thought he was the one fighting for the best interests of the Imperium and the Emperor. During the battle for the Palace of Thorns he painted over his symbols of loyalty to the Imperium like all the others but still carried a cry of "For the Emperor!" on his lips. Sadly his tale is typical of those who fought under Huron's banner. He was not an evil man, just misguided and loyal to his chapter master to the end. While fighting off the Carcharodons in the palace's courtyard he was grievously wounded while protecting the rest of the squad as they made their retreat into the tunnels below. As the loyalist forces were retreating off the planet Hunzuu was found clinging to life and was taken for further interrogation by the Inquisition.

 

Post-Badab War: Hunzuu was held by the Inquisition for questioning like many of his brethren until his formal execution many years later. Most of the more relieable knowledge of Squad Numas comes from him. While never pardoned he was deemed pure by Inquisitorial authorities but never allowed to leave. His crimes were to heinous, however misguided they were, however, to his credit he went into the arms of the Emperor willingly.

 

Balathu

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/tylerrox6688/Tac3.jpg

Balathu was recruited from Badab Primis itself. In his youth he had joined a local hive gang to survive and became a ruthless murderer. When the Astral Claws went throughout the hives to recruit, one of their number was attacked by Balathu, who saw it as a chance to prove his worth and either join the astartes or elevate his position within the gang. He was defeated, but not without nearly slitting the marine's throat. Normally this type of attitude would not be tolerated within the astartes, but with Huron's drive to expand his chapter to the strength of a full legion Balathu was given a shot, he clearly had the martial talent. Once within the ranks of the Astral Claws his brutal attitude made him a perfect fit for the Retaliator squads that were being formed. He served amongst their number for a decade before a lucky greenskin managed to take his left leg. The bionic replacement slowed him down to much to keep up with his brother retaliators and he was re designated as a Tactical marine. While he was a more then competent warrior he did not get along well with others and mostly kept to himself. He connected most with Sin-Nasir and Rihat and to everyone's surprise Arshaka. His friendship with Arshaka was merely a means to an end however. He knew that Numas was wary of him and did not fully believe in Huron's plans so he used Arshaka to keep tabs on the Sargent. Before a boarding action against the Red Scorpions Arshaka confided in him how Numas planned on switching over to the "loyalist" side if things became to dire, unfortunately Arshaka, Numas' only true ally, never made it off the enemy ship. Underneath the Palace of Thorns is was Balathu who slit Numas' throat and led the remnants of 2nd squad back to safety. The one item that Balathu always kept with him since his youth as a ganger was his combat knife, which was refitted with a mono-molecular edge after becoming an Astartes.

 

Post-Badab War: Since the end of the war a marine fitting Balathu's description, known as "the Flayer" has been seen leading groups of warriors in the ranks of the Red Corsairs. His bionic leg has since been replaced with a mutation granting him all the stealth and speed he could need after receiving the blessing of the dark gods and he adorns his armor with the flayed skin of his enemies. His rank is unknown, some say he is a Sargent while other claim he has formed his own warband within the ranks of the Corsairs. What is known is that even other members of the renegade chapter keep their distance from him; his friends have a tendency of turning up with their throat slit and their face missing, only for it to reappear stretched across Balthu's armor.

[The_son_of_Dorn]

loving the personal touch to your squadies, gives a chapter so much more depth and flvour, also i love the blue stripes on the bolters, makes em look so normal yet different all at the same time :)

[Rob_Loken]

Loving the fluff very much. Are you planning on making some of these guys post-Badab? They would be sweet.

[nurgling6688]

I've toyed with the idea, I do have some spare chaos marine parts.

[Noctus Cornix]

Oooo I know what happened to the Meltagunner! ;)

 

He has become a great addition to the Night Lord's 16th Company ;)

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/HPIM1294.jpg

[punkfish]

This is a very nice looking force. The Techmarine conversion is really nicely done and the myriad of smaller conversions on the marines really set your force apart from the crowd. The paint scheme is lovely and the weathering makes the models really pop.

 

I'm looking forwards to seeing what you do next ;)

[nurgling6688]

Oooo I know what happened to the Meltagunner! ;)

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/HPIM1294.jpg

 

 

ooo good, I was just trying to remember who inducted my guy into their chaos warband cause i am going to write it into his fluff. Whats your warband? His name is Rihat by the way, and hes going to have quite the obsession with fire.

[Noctus Cornix]

It's the Night Lords 16th Company, under the command of the Daemon Prince Dhar Aq'shyash.

 

As you can see, in the original model, he doesn't have a meltagun but I changed it back to the meltagun anyway because it just seemed right. ;)

[Vulkan454]

You really have a talent for back stories, I found them very enjoyable.

Keep up the great work :lol:

 

Vulkan

[Olis]

Indeed, these back-stories are quality - the attention to the squad dynamic is interesting and the psycological profiles make each marine their own man. I'm taking notes. :lol:

[nurgling6688]

Rihat

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/tylerrox6688/Tac2.jpg

Rihat, like many of his brethren, was recruited from Badab Primaris itself. When he was first recruited he showed great promise and many within the chapter expected him to quickly rise through the ranks. He excelled as a tactical marine and showed great skill with melta and flamer weapons, in fact this quickly saw him promoted to the ranks of the Retaliator squads. Even though his duty within those units was to strike fear into both the enemy and the mortals of the Tyrant's legion in equal measure he never showed any particular hatred towards his allies or joy in their punishment. His meteoric rise through the ranks continued and saw him given a trial position as a legion Centurion where he excelled, inspiring the just the right amounts of fear and loyalty.

 

During a battle against the scum of the Maelstrom his melta-gun malfunctioned and horribly disfigured him. The heat from the gun partially incinerated his armor along the left side and fused parts of it to his skin. As his loyal mortal allies rushed to help and defend him he lashed out in a violent rage and slaughtered many of them before fellow astartes could restrain him. After months of isolation, skin grafts and therapy he was seen fit to return to duty, although not to the command he once held. His psyche had been horribly shattered by the event, and although he was fit to fight the enemies of the Astral Claws he had a tendency to lapse into periods of intense brooding or extreme violence. This was usually taken out on any mortals who had the misfortune to be fighting with him. His face remained maimed and disfigured, although the apothecaries said they could repair the damage. He wanted to keep the scars to help inspire fear in his enemies and remind him of his failure. Once under Numas' command he began to show promise again before an incident where he turned on their own allies almost losing control of the objective they were tasked with holding. As the Badab War escalated Rihat found himself drawn to individuals like Balathu and Sin-Nasir. Nasir and him would often have a competition of how many of the Tyrant's legion would meet with "accidents" at their hands, many of them horribly burned. He always managed to escape death in any battle at the cost of several of their allies, his life being infinitely more valuable then mere mortals.

 

Post-Badab War: At the end of the war an individual matching Rihat's description was seen fighting with the Corsairs. It was noted that him and the man known as "the Butcher" had a close, if not sadistic bond. During one noted incident where the Corsairs and Night Lords fought together against the Imperium, he turned on his own allies and deflected over to the Night Lords. This was the second time that Nasir was said to have shown emotion as he screamed in rage and frustration at his former ally. Rihat could not bring himself to kill his battle-brother and instead crippled him before fleeing with the Night Lords. Since that day Nasir has sworn that if he were to come across Rihat he would leave with his head adorning his armor.

[Noctus Cornix]

What a wonderful new addition to the family we have, brothers. :tu:

 

He will be very useful and I'm sure he will satisfy the Dark Gods with sonnets of Terror and Blood.

[Vulkan454]

I just wanted to say congratulations linky

 

Vulkan

[jimmimellows]

I was just going to say the exact same thing as Vulkan. I was reading this topic earlier on in the day. Ive just been on GW by weird chance and "swore i'd seen those models somewhere before". Now, due to my ever failing short term memory its taken me a while to find the post (or indeed the correct forum) but sure enough, they appear to be yours.

 

So, congratulations and well done. Im starting to collect a couple of pre heresy forgeworld bits as a side project and i cant decide between astral claws or Emperors children, this topic is beginning to sway my favour somewhat towards astral claws.

[Lord Ragnarok]

I just wanted to say congratulations linky

 

Vulkan

 

Ditto, just saw them up there. :)