Beyond the Praetors of Calth

[Dosjetka]

Or you could check out eBay/various bitz sites ;)

[Dragonlover]

Ah yes. I forget those exist, for some reason.

 

Dragonlover

[apologist]

Brother Ludovic's quite correct – it's from the Minotaurs special character pack. It's well worth getting – lots of lovely bits that can be used all over the shop. The first sergeant I made for the army used the Chapter Master's legs.

 

WIP
A small update today – just started putting a little more paint on the existing marines. I have a few more half-built on my workbench, but since I have more bits on the way, I thought I'd catch up on painting rather than be scratching around for bits (which always ends up looking like you're using up leftovers!).

 

 

[Rider-75]

Looking good Apologist - particularly the face on that sarge :)

 

There's a nasty mouldline on the bottom left guy's foot though :(

 

You've even insprired me to get going again on mine, although I've deviated away from the planned Ultras and onto Minotuars (see links in my sig if you want a look ;) )

 

Fear not though - the Ultras at Calth will still progress in regualr scale.

[Excessus]

I crave more alpha legionnaires... :)

[apologist]

Looking good Apologist - particularly the face on that sarge

There's a nasty mouldline on the bottom left guy's foot though

You've even insprired me to get going again on mine, although I've deviated away from the planned Ultras and onto Minotuars (see links in my sig if you want a look )

Fear not though - the Ultras at Calth will still progress in regualr scale.

Bugger! I think that mouldline is actually a brush hair (I basecoated these with a big watercolour brush that has a habit of shedding), but it certainly needs to be fixed.

If anyone hasn't seen Rider's excellent stuff, then I'd thoroughly recommend you do click through those links. The new Minotaurs are looking excellent, by the way

I crave more alpha legionnaires...

Can't promise any Alpha Legionnaires, but this blog has got a bit Ultramarine heavy, hasn't it?

To leaven it a bit, let's have a look at Lamb's World...

Leman Russ Eradicator

Ah, the Eradicator. The red-headed stepchild of the Imperial Guard tank corps, unbeloved for its low strength, poor range and low armour penetration.

I love it. Ignoring cover is such a huge advantage that it completely makes up for all its other shortcomings to me. Night fight? Doesn't matter. Terrain? Doesn't matter. Stealth fields? Cameleoline cloaks? I'm still going to drop nukes on you!

Perhaps more importantly, it looks cool. I love the stubby aesthetic of the muzzle (apologies if my terminology is incorrect), and it offered some nice painting opportunities. I used the Mars Alpha pattern hull kit for all of my tanks, as I like the slightly lengthened hull.

The other two:

Here's a couple of close-ups:

...and a few more 'in the field':

I had fun with weathering when painting these. Relatively quick, too, which is excellent as vehicles never really grab my attention in the same way infantry do.

[Excessus]

Well, even with only two Alpha Legionnaires, it's still an awesome thread... :)

[GrandMagnus]

Interesting, ehm, idea with the cow hanging from the tank... Cool vehicle though.

[apologist]

40k can definitely be a bit too po-faced at times, so a bit of in character-fun (my guardsmen wouldn't pass up a tasty treat like that!) fits right in, I think :)

[Natanael]

Darn it. I was gonna repaint my true scale guys as Raven Guard, and now you present even more awesome Ultras? I will have to rethink my plans, once again...

 

=)

[Tyrannicide]

(which always ends up looking like you're using up leftovers!).

 

I don't know why but that's true. Have always felt the same. 

 

 

The Guard armor is nice, but I think you should post more of your Lamb's World infantry. They're one of my favorite Guard armies.

[Dosjetka]

Yes, we need to see more of your infantry, despite the fact that I love tanks, especially yours with the modified cannons.

 

Looking forward to the next update!

[apologist]

More Guard on the way, then :)

 

In the meantime, here's what I got up to over the weekend:

 

WIP
Very, very dark pictures! Apologies for the darkness, but these chaps have had their basecoats applied now. Blue layered up then washed, and the metals and fabrics undercoated in black and Charadon Granite respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[apologist]

+inload: Breachers+

 

The new breacher shields have a great clunky sci-fi aesthetic that has some obvious parallels with Roman tower shields. Perfect! Here're three WIP marines:

 

I'm aiming to create a sense of a shield wall – probably not quite obvious with just two in the correct pose here! I think once the remaining seven are added, it should look great on the table. It's worth pointing out that I'm going to build them up with a view towards them working as a squad. This might mean that the individual poses are fairly conservative, but should work better as a whole.

 

Here are a few more 'glamour shots' of the standard marines:

 

...and the sergeant. Not convinced about the head at the moment, so that might change. On the other hand, sometimes its the things I'm unsure about that actually work best once they're painted, so I might stick with my gut instinct and resist the urge to tweak him. What do you think?

 

I was going to have these guys in Mark III plate, but I like the idea that all my marines are identically and flexibly equipped, and are issued the correct weaponry before each battle, rather than being dedicated specialists at anything in particular. I think that fits the Ultramarine's tactical flexibility concept best, particularly for this era. In addition, Doghouse's Iron Warriors are likely going to be almost exclusively equipped in fierce-looking Iron Armour, and it'll help the game's aesthetic to have differentiation.

 

More pics and further ramblings on my blog, if you'd like to see more.

[Dosjetka]

I really like that picture with all of your currently built Legionnaires standing together. They look great, despite the fact that most of them are only half painted :) As I mentioned on your blog, I love the Breachers and think that you should keep the Sergeant the way he is. His pose and head make him look like he's daring the enemy to take him on, which is terrific :tu:

[Brother Melice]

I really like the fact you restreching a heavily roman concept on these guys, which is working super in my opinion, except onethig. The vixillum (vixillum in 30k) although right direction, but a easy conversion of a tactial or terminator back banner will work wonders for the entire feeling of the miniatures... Just a suggestion, try it out brother.

 

Great job on everyone else.

 

PS. Do you cast the torsos legs and shoulders? Still can't figure out how you get the uniformity.

[apologist]

Thank for the thoughts. In terms of the vixillum, do you mean use a traditional cloth-style banner instead of the metal plate bits? I've got to create a banner for the next squad, so more ideas are very welcome.

 

Regarding the casting, only the torsos are cast, because they're self-sculpted. The legs are simply Tartaros legs from FW, from the Space Hulk set, or other plastic sets with greenstuff on. You can get the Space Hulk ones individually on eBay, which is useful.

[Anvilarium]

Thank for the thoughts. In terms of the vixillum, do you mean use a traditional cloth-style banner instead of the metal plate bits? I've got to create a banner for the next squad, so more ideas are very welcome.

 

Regarding the casting, only the torsos are cast, because they're self-sculpted. The legs are simply Tartaros legs from FW, from the Space Hulk set, or other plastic sets with greenstuff on. You can get the Space Hulk ones individually on eBay, which is useful.

 

Where do you get the Shoulder Pauldrons from Apologist?

[Brother Melice]

let me see.

[Brother Melice]

Thank for the thoughts. In terms of the vixillum, do you mean use a traditional cloth-style banner instead of the metal plate bits? I've got to create a banner for the next squad, so more ideas are very welcome.

 

Regarding the casting, only the torsos are cast, because they're self-sculpted. The legs are simply Tartaros legs from FW, from the Space Hulk set, or other plastic sets with greenstuff on. You can get the Space Hulk ones individually on eBay, which is useful.

 

No, you keep the metal plates, you keep the hand AND use the cloth banner to end up looking like this!

 

http://cs417318.vk.me/v417318120/62bc/FjHYs6jE38o.jpg

[Tyrannicide]

Dat shield wall.

 

Those Breachers mean business. Very cool effect. The Sergeant's head reminds me of Bane's mask, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[apologist]

+ inload: Brother Isathon of the Zelians +

 

+ Bearing a prototype Godwyn-Daez pattern boltgun and encased in mark IV plate, Isathon was a veteran of numerous campaigns across the Eastern Fringe during the Great Crusade; including the 15th chapters' famed Hypon campaign – as marked by his wreathed skull on yellow field kneepad.

 

+ A survivor of the dark events of the Horus Heresy, Isathon served with the Zelians during the Great Scouring, and proved a ruthless and unerring enemy for the traitor Legions. This image shows him during a typical search-and-destroy deployment, his boltgun raised preparedly and his wargear gleaming.

+ His red, white and black personal heraldry marks him as being drawn from Argos, a far-flung world near the edge of Ultramar, which was wracked by warpstorms and isolated for much of the Horus Heresy.

 

+ The skull-and-crossed bones symbol is a common decoration used on Argos, which came to symbolise the inhabitants' grim determination to ride out the infamous Ruinstorm and hold true to Imperial tenets throughout. Many, many variants became common after the reunification of the Imperium, including skulls marked with rubricisation, and the bones replaced with weapons from spears and lances to stylised boltguns and chainswords.+

 

+ Following the Siege of Terra, the Imperium extended outwards from the Segmentum Solar and began to reclaim its supply lines from rebel-held positions – which included many entrenched by the Iron Warriors Legion during the Great Crusade. Forcing the rebels out of these firmly-held and vigorously defended planets proved difficult, as the Imperial Army crashed against intractable rebel lines. There were numerous instances where Iron Warriors or other rebel legionaries themselves were present, and these battles nearly always required the presence of loyal Astartes' to match these intractable foes.

 

 

+ Once brought back to Compliance – thought the euphemistic phrase was largely abandoned by the furious Imperial forces by this point – these worlds proved the true value of the Departmento Munitorum, as the motivated and resurgent men and women of the Departmentum ensured that plentiful arms, materiel and other vital supplies began flowing from the newly-regained Mars and vassal Forge Worlds to the newly-formed Imperial Guard – and loyal Astartes.

 

+ Mark IV plate, previously siphoned away by the Warmaster to rebel legions, became more broadly available to loyal forces during the Great Scouring; and this supply base allowed the Imperials to begin to capitalise on their superiority in equipment and numbers. Coupled with the refined Godwyn-Daez boltgun, which had a number of subtle improvements over the myraid marks previously used by the Legions – not least of which was ease of repair and replacement – and the punishing power of newly-developed 'venegeance rounds' designed specifically to penetrate power armour, the loyalists were resurgent.+

 

+ Isathon's equipment is rounded out by a boltpistol sidearm and grenades, but it is the cleanness of the lines and lack of additional webbing and ephemera that marked out Maximus armour. The pure lines and noble curves made this style of armour a popular propaganda piece for the loyal Astartes as they prepared for their changeover from crusading Legions to watchful Chapters.+

[millest]

this last model has to be my favourite yet, the B&C origins are great and just make it even better. love it :)

[apologist]

The Poor Bloody Infantry

A platoon of 'Black Hands' Imperial Guardsmen, the Lamb's World 117th.

Platoon command – Lief (Myrffin dialect term for junior officer; roughly equivalent to Lieutenant) Ap Payne

 

Platoon Infantry

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anti-armour specialists

 

Anti-personnel specialists

 

[Unknown Chronicler]

You never stop amazing me I'm mean just wow! Your Boarding marines look great even if it is just 3 at the moment and Brother Isathon looks like a true Ultramarine just as the rest of your Praetors of Calth! The "Black Hands" platoon really reminds me of my platoon right now (at least colour scheme wise ), keep up the good work as your just an amazing painter and modeler