Toxic's LPC 2013 - UM 3rd Company Standard Bearer

[Toxichobbit]

Time for more updates.

At this stage I could call it finished and it would be a done to a nice standard. However, i'm way ahead of schedule (due to the fact that I thought the LPC ended 13 days earlier than it actually did). Regardless of whether I decide to expand the original idea, I need to shade and highlight the back of the banner, gloss varnish some areas (eye lenses, back screen on the bolt pistol) due to dulcoat making it very matt and finally give one more highlight to the metal areas, again to counter the effects of dulcoat.

However, i'm considering doing more than that. The back of the banner is a large blank space, which is an opportunity to add some more detail. It won't be anything as intricate as the front, instead probably something like an Imperial Aquila, maybe painted as if it's made of stone. Secondly, I had an idea to help deal with the bunched up skull and sunburst at the top of the banner. It's dependent on a delivery arriving in time, but what i'd like to do is add a Tyranid skull hanging at the top of the banner, partially concealing the top of the skull (and therefore disguising my spacing cock up) with some fine jewelry chain. I have both Genestealer & Warrior skulls spare, so it's just a case of the chain arriving in time and me deciding which type of Tyranid I want as a trophy. A Warrior skull looks more impressive, but a Genestealer skull matches the decapitated head depicted on the banner. Either way it'll be painted in the scheme of Hive Fleet Behemoth, as it was on Macragge against that fleet that the 3rd earned this banner. Any thoughts from you guys?

Anyway, here's some more photos. I've also fiddled about in GIMP a bit to adjust the colour balance in these photos. The colours are closer to how they are in reality, but it shows even more that I need a second light source and some kind of diffuser to get better photos.

Front shot

Better shot of the banner, which is finished, aside from the addition of a Tyranid skull if I decide to go down that route.

A shot showing the finished sword scabard and Ultima.

Back of the banner, showing the plain area that I would spruce up a bit with a stone aquila. Bonus points to anyone that recognises the symbol obscured behind the purity seal on his greave.

That's it for now. Hopefully there will be another update soon with more added to the banner, maybe even a Tyranid skull.

[Vazzy]

holy Christ, That's bloody amazing.

[Dorns Templar]

Err...what Vazzy said. Amazing.

[Adeptus-Alaska]

HOLY HELL, that's mad cool!

[Toxichobbit]

Thanks for the kind words :).

So the chain arrived today. I still have a week to go so i'm going to go ahead and add a Tyranid skull trophy to the top of the banner. It'll help hide my screw up with the sword pommel and it's very thematic given that the banner image is an honour earned during the first Tyranic war. I have both a Warrior skull and a Genestealer skull spare, but i'm not sure which one to use. I'm leaning towards the Genestealer skull, as although the Warrior skull is undoubtedly more impressive, the crest is the only thing that is really visible from the front of the model. On the other hand, the Genestealer skull is more recognisable from the front and fits the image on the banner itself. Whichever one I use i'll clean up the skull and in the case of the Warrior skull, repaint it. Both will be done in Hive Fleet Behemoth colours.

So, a question for everyone - which skull do you prefer?

[Saul Invictus]

I'd say Warrior skull, like you said, it's more impressive and gives the banner more gravitas. Plus it's a Warrior head on the Tyrannic War Veteran's logo, so we know Ultramarines use Warrior heads in heraldry. 

And what is it behind the Purity Seal? Some sort of campaign badge?

[Toxichobbit]

It's the army badge of the studio 2nd ed Ultramarine army. Similar to the current one (black skull in a white circle), but with a white skull in a blue circle with a yellow border. It's my homage to the edition I started playing in .

So, final update of the LPC. The model is finished now, although i'm still thinking I might go back and add something to the back of the banner. I've had time to do it and I have ideas of what I want to do, but that's the problem. Too many ideas. So rather than rush it and do something that wouldn't look right or would be better on the front of a different banner, i'm going to leave it for now and maybe add some detail at a later date. The back of the banner is shaded and highlighted though (highlighting is minimal as the back is mostly in shadow), so it's not like i've totally ignored it.

I decided to go with the Genestealer skull in the end, because the Warrior skull, although cool looking, obscured too much of both the sword pommel on the banner and the skull/Ultima on the banner pole top. I painted the Genestealer skull up in standard bone colours, but decided it was too pedestrian looking. The bone colour simply wasn't alien enough. So I glazed straight over the bone colour with multiple layers of a very thin red/maroon glaze. The look I was going for was both to bring the skull closer to the image on the banner and make it look like the skull of a Genestealer from Hive Fleet Behemoth (Behemoth Tyranids have red skin) that had faded over time. The nose ridges are painted in the standard Behemoth colour of black fading to turquoise. Finally I added a small bit of parchment to the chains holding the skull on the back of the banner. I imagine it's some kind of honour parchment detailing how the skull came to be a trophy.

So, here's the final pictures for the time being. When (if) I do more on the banner back i'll resurrect this thread, but for now it's all done. Enjoy .

I'm not sure what's next. Something else for my 3rd Company. I've been wanting to do a specific conversion for the Company Champion for a while, but i'm not sure on all of the pieces yet. Or there's a Chaplain kit bash competition running through April that I might have a go at. And of course, E Tenebrae Lux will be coming up again in a month, so i'll be painting up a squad of 3rd Company for that. I'm not sure exactly which squad yet, but I have some ideas. Whatever I get up to i'll make sure I post a WIP thread.