A new Space Wolf

[red_starrise]

To be politically correct, every space wolf are a close-combat specialist, but Blood Claws (Swift and Sky) are the assault oriented packs. Personally, I'd stick to Grey Hunters! why? well read through this link and hopefully you'll understand the benefits of Hunters over Claws. http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...howtopic=224618

 

I like Blood Claws personally, not in a vacuum mind you, but in addition to other elements I think Blood Claws are an excellent complement to a Space Wolves army in general & Grey Hunters in particular but not as a replacement for Grey Hunters. But I'd say the first 2 troops choices should be Grey Hunters.

[-Volsung-]

Ow!

 

*runs away*

 

 

*comes back with a photo album*

 

 

Hey hey hey! Check it out, just finished my first ever Space Wolf! :D

 

 

What do you guys think? Apologies for the blur!

 

 

 

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/dunegame/VolsungsFirstSpaceWolf.jpg

[-Volsung-]

So let me get this right.

 

Blood Claws, I presume, are new members, right? So as soon as they get turned into a marine genetically and all, they just get handed power armor and rock n roll?

 

AndGrey Hunters are the veterans? Or at least, the regulars, then, correct?

[Hfran Morkai]

Newbie, the grey and yellow on that Marine are beautiful. Just a great piece in general!

 

Blood Claws are the new recruits, equivalent to other Chapter Scouts but they have the full set of organs implanted. They're a bit berzerker like really, getting up in the enemies face because its the only thing they understand. Grey Hunters are all rounders, guys who have been serving a while and appreciate ranged firepower as much as close combat.

[MaveriK]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/dunegame/VolsungsFirstSpaceWolf.jpg

Beautiful work Toad, I'll give you an ale for that! post more and keep up the good work. Oh and *ahem* welcome to the Fang!

[Grimtooth]

Greetings, Space Wolves!

 

I'm new to this board, to this game, and very interested in starting a Space Wolves Chapter army, which I find to be by far the most captivating in terms of background fiction. Always been a fan of the Nordic, Viking-esque themes, so this definitely caught my interest.

 

So, I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello to everyone, was wondering if anyone could give me any tips or pointers for someone starting out! :cuss

 

Wellcome Volsung.

 

As has been mentioned, stop by here and give it a read.. it is the updated forum FAQ with a nice amount of information.

 

Since you are brand spanking new to Warhammer 40k, getting the core rulebook is paramount. The Assault on Black Reach starter set is optimal for getting your core rulebook, templates, and a starter army to get some playtesting done while you familiarize yourself with the rules. However, the models are lacking in Wolves flavor completely and do require a bit of conversion work if you want to really have them look like Wolves. You did mention enjoying the background of Warhammer 40k which is going to lead me to a different suggestion then the Assault on Black Reach starter set.

 

The starter set only contains a small rulebook which contains the core rules only. To get full content you could probably pick up the main big book from Ebay or for retail at your local game shop.

 

Moving onto an army; if you are ready for Wollves there is no reason to bother with the Blackreach set. Like I said the models need some extensive work to get to a wolfy feel and they are all vanilla SM armed so no close combat weapons at all. So one of the best rules is for every Space Wolves pack you buy, you also buy a Space Marine Tactical squad. This allows a mix and match of wolf bits and SM bits so you are not overwhelmed with wolfiness on your basic Troops. This also allows you to start gathering missile launchers and extra special ranged weapons for your packs.

 

So an initial buy, if you are convinced on Wolves would be;

 

Core Rulebook (big one full of fluff)

Space Wolves codex

Space Wolves Pack x2

Space Marine Tactical Squad x1

 

You will notice I break the best rule I mention above, but it is only in this initial purchase and I will explain why. The SW pack and SM squad give you two basic GH packs that are not crazy wolfed out. The last SW pack allows you to make your HQ and some Wolf Guard, which you wont mind being too wolfed out. What you end up with is a nice basic beginners footslogging force.

 

From here you can either borrow or proxy in droppods and/or rhinos to see what fits for you better. Also because of the additional bits the tactical box, you are able to play with a mix of special weapons.

 

Good luck.

[-Volsung-]

Hey thanks all! I really appreciate the tips and the warm (or heated) welcomes. haha

 

Moving onto an army; if you are ready for Wollves there is no reason to bother with the Blackreach set. Like I said the models need some extensive work to get to a wolfy feel and they are all vanilla SM armed so no close combat weapons at all. So one of the best rules is for every Space Wolves pack you buy, you also buy a Space Marine Tactical squad. This allows a mix and match of wolf bits and SM bits so you are not overwhelmed with wolfiness on your basic Troops. This also allows you to start gathering missile launchers and extra special ranged weapons for your packs.

 

Yeah, I noticed that the parts all fit together. That's pretty nice that the parts are so interchangeable. I can imagine the variety I can create would be quite astounding. Definitely digging that oppertunity!

 

I'm assuming this is the same for the Chaos Marines and Berzerker sets, huh? They have some pretty nice looking weapons and helmets, form what I can tell from the pictures.

 

EDIT-

 

These wolf-tails are epic. Put on them on anything, and it looks pretty wolf-ed up! ;)

[Forté]

That's some seriously good painting skills you have there. Really nice work.

 

Kits wise, the chaos stuff fits and works really well if your doing the 13th company. Otherwise, just take a knife to the arrows and the work well. Oh, and the Khorne Berserker models have huge hands too for some reason.

[Grimtooth]

Mind sharing that grey armor painting formula? I am really liking it.

[Wulfebane]

Mind sharing that grey armor painting formula? I am really liking it.

 

While we're at it, what's your yellow formula? Also, what was your primer/base color?

[-Volsung-]

Yeah, for sure! :D

 

It was very simple, actually.

 

Gray-

 

The gray is Codex Gray on top of standard Krylon Gray primer I washed it with black, and it looked like crap, so I had to re-paint the gray on top, but I left the black in the crevices. I guess its like black lining or precision washing, but I fail at it, haha.

 

Then, I highlighted with thick highlight bands of 50/50 Codex Gray and Fortress Gray on the edge of all of the plates, then gave a smaller band of pure Fortress Gray at the far edge of the previous highlights. It gave it a bit of a transition effect.

 

As of then, it looked alright as it is, but I tried out an oil wash, which I always give to my Battle Mechs to simulate dirt and crap that piles up on the armor in the field. It's basically Windsor Newton Burnt Umber Oil paint diluted in mineral spirit to the transparency of a darker glaze but not a wash. I think the same could be achieved with a sepia or burnt umber ink glaze, no doubt. I find the resulting effect blurs out the transition between highlight layers and pools in the recesses so it looks like subtle mud and grime stains. Also saves you the trouble of wet-blending. I fear wet-blending. Overall though, not really noticeable on the first glance, so you might not have to do this.

 

Yellow-

 

The yellow I used was Golden Yellow, with the same technique as the gray, a 65/35 Golden Yellow and Sunburst Yellow mix highlight, then a final thin line of Sunburst yellow. Then, I gave it a stronger sepia glaze (Chestnut Ink, I think the bottle says, looks like typical flesh ink and it seems like a games workshop bottle, I dunno, my friend gave it to me). One or two coats of this glaze made the yellow warmer and got rid of any greenish patches where the gray still bled through (!).

 

This one was a pain in the ass , but can be rectified easily. I got lazy and didn't give the pads a white basecoat before putting the yellow on, so it took at least six or seven layers of pure, undiluted yellow paint just to get the basecoat solid and not have greenish patches where my gray basecoat showed through.

 

Primer-

 

I use Rustoleum Gray automotive primer because it's durable. Can't even seem to strip it after weeks of leaving it soaked in Simple Green. The gray color sucks though, and makes your basecoat look weak, so I prefer to take Krylon Gray Primer and spray it on top of the rustoleum coat. The Krylon gray primer is darker and looks smooth and clean, but its weak and chips off easily. I get the best of both worlds using both primers. Just take care not to overspray, as primers tends to cover details.

 

The whole process took me about a day. At most, two, with time for primer and varnish to cure properly. Wait at least 3 hours with the oil glaze, tho, and avoid making mistakes after its been applied. Its really annoying to touch up with the basecoat color when the wash already tinted the original layer. You could give it a gloss coat to preserve your work, and continue painting on top of it. Mistakes you make won't stain your basecoat and can be wiped away with a Q-tip dipped in Windex (that stuff attacks the acrylic paint remorselessly but not as much the varnish, use it sparingly).

 

Hope that helps! Let me know if you need anything else. :)

 

Oh, one thing I learned from Battle Tech: ALWAYS thin washes and glazes with 50 to 70% Future Acrylic Floor Finish (the stuff smells like Kool-Aid and makes your miniature smell fruity), and the rest water or extender (extender being best). Does miracle for those annoying bubbles of ink that always seem to stain your basecoat.

 

-EDIT-

 

Oh I saw some pictures of 13th company Space Wolves that games workshop painted, and decided to splatter some Vermin Brown on the feet and leg pieces right before I sealed it. If it gets in the recesses, re-darken the black lining with black paint and the final effect looks adequate.

[Wulfebane]

Thanks for all the info. You've made me reconsider using some of my oil paints for models. The dry times (and dealing with getting a whole new set of brushes just for models) always left me hesitant.

 

The yellow I used was Golden Yellow, with the same technique as the gray, a 65/35 Golden Yellow and Sunburst Yellow mix highlight, then a final thin line of Sunburst yellow. Then, I gave it a stronger sepia glaze (Chestnut Ink, I think the bottle says, looks like typical flesh ink and it seems like a games workshop bottle, I dunno, my friend gave it to me). One or two coats of this glaze made the yellow warmer and got rid of any greenish patches where the gray still bled through (!).

 

Yeah, 'chestnut ink' was a GW product that has since been discontinued along with 'flesh wash'. The closest you can get now (pre-mixing) is 'gryphonne sepia' for the chestnut and 'ogryn flesh wash' for the, well, flesh. I actually prefer the new ogryn flesh wash though. The former had too much yellow in it. This one has a more magenta direction heading almost to a subtle purple which work wonders for facial shadows, esp. around the eyes.

[-Volsung-]

Well pure oil paint I've tried and found limited use. The dry time is definitely astounding, so be wary of that. I just use it for the wash, since its lying around. I wouldn't know about getting a whole set of separate brush, but if you are using oil for the oil wash which is basically the only use I have for it, a cheap filbert will do.

 

oh also be mindful that different brands of oil paint has different types of grains. The grains apparently allows the wash to create a grainy shading effect (capable of simulating mud, if used on a lighter shade), versus an ink wash's solid gunk of condensed pigment (which also has its uses). the Windsor Newton tube is pricey but boasts, from what I can observe, the tiniest pigments which is perfect for wash and miniature painting and, if you are using for oil wash, will last you probably forever. We've been using this tube of burnt umber for countless battlemechs and it still looks like it hasn't even been opened.

 

Yeah, 'chestnut ink' was a GW product that has since been discontinued along with 'flesh wash'.

 

awww, that sucks! That ink is really versatile. Great for glazing and washing golds, bronzes, even flesh. I guess this must be some precious rare ink my friend has given me, so definitely must conserve it

[hendrik]

in addition all i can say is welcome to the fang whelp! have some ale and some elk and by russ, you'd better sign up for the next brawl to show what you're worth!

[-Volsung-]

in addition all i can say is welcome to the fang whelp! have some ale and some elk and by russ, you'd better sign up for the next brawl to show what you're worth!

 

Aye sir! Should I bring my bolter, then? :P

[hendrik]

in addition all i can say is welcome to the fang whelp! have some ale and some elk and by russ, you'd better sign up for the next brawl to show what you're worth!

 

Aye sir! Should I bring my bolter, then? :P

bolter? BOLTER?

what nonsense are you talking about! it will take years before you'll earn the right to use the sacred bolter. bah, whelp you almost had me there! boltpistol and chainsword it is for you! aye!

[-Volsung-]

in addition all i can say is welcome to the fang whelp! have some ale and some elk and by russ, you'd better sign up for the next brawl to show what you're worth!

 

Aye sir! Should I bring my bolter, then? :P

bolter? BOLTER?

what nonsense are you talking about! it will take years before you'll earn the right to use the sacred bolter. bah, whelp you almost had me there! boltpistol and chainsword it is for you! aye!

 

Fair enough! Which way to the brawl?

 

 

PS- I'm churning out a Wolf-Guard model next, hopefully I can post it up soon. A homeboy of mine has some Iron Hand parts for sale for a pretty good price. I bet I can make them look Wolfie. How big are space wolves on bionic prosthetics and the likes?

[hendrik]

given our nature for close combat i'd say big! i've got an admantium skull for my part and egil ironwolf has more cogtooths then he has teeth!

[Wulfebane]

Historically (fluff- and sculpt-wise) prosthetics are both functional and ornamental. By ornamental, I mean a bionic leg would still be a leg, but it might be fitted to have the texture of stylized wolf fur molded out of the metal plating, etc.

[Grimtooth]

There is an old oop Space Wolf that has a bionic leg iirc.

[Wulfebane]

There is an old oop Space Wolf that has a bionic leg iirc.

 

Yup! An old Wolf Guard with a raised power fist. He has a bio leg starting at the knee. It's shaped like a stylized wolf leg with 3 clawed and 1 non-clawed toes spread out to four compass points (ala dreadnought foot style). The calf is covered in geometric-layered "fur". If I had a pic ready, I'd post it. I know there's one around somewhere.

[Grimtooth]

There is an old oop Space Wolf that has a bionic leg iirc.

 

Yup! An old Wolf Guard with a raised power fist. He has a bio leg starting at the knee. It's shaped like a stylized wolf leg with 3 clawed and 1 non-clawed toes spread out to four compass points (ala dreadnought foot style). The calf is covered in geometric-layered "fur". If I had a pic ready, I'd post it. I know there's one around somewhere.

 

I just recently saw one on Ebay, but didn't buy it.

[Grimtooth]

Just bid on another one.

[-Volsung-]

Hey all, quick question.!

 

So me and a friend, we are thinking of checking out the gameplay of 40k with a full leap.

 

I was wondering, how many points would be a good game to play for a full immersive experience? We're thinking a solid session that's not just a simplistic tease (as is often the case for many starter rules for many games I tried). In that case, what would be a good number of points for a typical Warhammer game?

 

Thanks! :D

[Marshal Wilhelm]

Hey all, quick question.!

 

So me and a friend, we are thinking of checking out the gameplay of 40k with a full leap.

 

I was wondering, how many points would be a good game to play for a full immersive experience? We're thinking a solid session that's not just a simplistic tease (as is often the case for many starter rules for many games I tried). In that case, what would be a good number of points for a typical Warhammer game?

 

Thanks! :D

 

1500 pts is my preferred points level. You are not having games dominated by luck or one mistake, which can happen in the smaller games. 2500 pts is over the top, and old Dexes run out of puff, meaning the 5th ed. Dexes win just because of the points level you are playing at.

 

1500-2000 is the right size for a "proper" game, although I prefer 1750 to 2000.