Blood and Thunder - Update - XII Raptor-Praetor WIP

[Monstra Sumus]

What are the Deimos like to put together? 

 

G&H

[StruManChu]

It's really easy, actually... Maybe even more so than the normal Predator. You build it up to almost a complete Rhino, but without sides or the top hatch, then stick the resin bits on. There's one piece for each of the sides, the front section and the top plate, then the turret is about three bits. I've done a dry fit of the sponsons and they go together easily too.

 

As I say, generally really easy.

[StruManChu]

More updates!

I've just about finished work on Jarusz, with a little bit more work to do on the sword, some tidying up of his armour and a couple of other detail bits. However, I'm pretty happy with him up to this point, which makes a change, as I usually end up getting about halfway through my characters and not liking them enough to finish them.

A picture of the sword detail... The blending looks a lot better up close (in that it actually looks blended), but I'm still figuring out exactly how to take a picture of it.

And a quick blu-tac picture of what's coming next... Apologies for the focus!

That's all for now. More updates later this week, all going well!

[StruManChu]

GIGANTIC UPDATE OF DOOM!

Work is stupidly busy at the moment, so I come home exhausted and haven't been able to update this plog as much as I'd hoped to. However, I haven't stopped painting, because I'm a glutton for punishment, it would seem!

Jarusz is now finished, with his sword complete and some gloriously splattered blood. I'm really happy with the way this turned out. It looks to me like he's literally just sawed a particularly unlucky opponent in half. Possibly my favourite miniature that I've ever painted.

Anyway, here he is...

So that's an Assault Squad and an HQ signed off and done, which is nice. I now have enough miniatures painted and based for a completely legal army (if I split the Assault Squad up), which again is something of a first!

But I've got some more bits and pieces for you!

Part 1 of CONTEMPTOR MADNESS!

I'm pretty happy with this guy so far. I worked on a Contemptor for my Marines Malevolent last year and they're really nice to put together and paint, so my World Eaters are going to have three, of which this is the first.

He's still a little way off done, but there's not too much left to do, just finishing off the claw, a bit of tidying up in some places and figuring out what to do with the plants on the base, which I didn't see until I'd started painting the thing (oops!). Still quite clearly needs a head too, but I want to get the surrounding detailing done before I stick that in. I also wanted to paint the head separately anyway, because it's fiddly.

Now... I've promised Imperial Fists, and I didn't want to make those who are more interested in the VII Legion wait any longer. So...

Still very much a WIP at this point... I think I got a little excited about not having to paint white and went a little further than I meant to on this by doing the weathering and so on before I was happy with the yellow, which to me seems a little bright and canary-ish. Not entirely sure how to fix that, but I'll figure something out.

For some reason which I'm not 100% sure of, I decided to do the sponsons separately, so they'll be stuck on in due course. They won't be magnetised or anything fancy (though the main gun is). I'm not sure about the blue on the turret viewports either, so that will probably change to red.

Anyway, that's that for today! I may post another update tomorrow depending on what I end up working on, but if not, I'll be back on Sunday.

Thanks for looking, and as ever, comments and critiques are most welcome!

[Monstra Sumus]

That's a sexy Deimos. 

[StruManChu]

And whoops, I have completely forgotten to update this log for nearly three weeks, despite routinely doing updates for the Loyalty and Treachery thread.

Thus, a gigantic update follows.

In the last month or so, I've managed to finish off the three (!) Contemptor Dreadnoughts and my Deimos Predator which, for me, is particularly good output. I've almost finished off the World Eater contingent of this force for now, so from this point will be starting to focus more on my VII Legion marines, which I'm really looking forward to.

Anyway... On to the minis. The Predator was pretty easy to finish off, just a little bit of tidying up and detailing and sticking the sponsons on.

I wanted to model the three Contemptors as fallen heroes of the World Eaters, each with their own character and individuality, but tied together as a group. The first one that I finished was Ultias, the Banner Bearer, which I've shown previously, and the second was Bruhajj, the twin Kheres Assault Cannon-bearing 'Thunderer' Dreadnought.

PART 2 OF CONTEMPTOR MADNESS!

I've sponged on some grey and black scorch and gunfire marks because I figure he won't have much cause to get covered in blood like the other two. The World Eater symbol on the shoulder is from the FW World Eaters Etched Brass thing, as are the bits on the knee and lower leg.

Finally, Galian the Butcher. I'm really proud of this guy. It's the one on the left in the WIP pic below.

Here's a more detailed (but still fairly rubbish) pic of the axe.

And now, he's done.

And another pic of the axe.

The completed Contemptor Talon.

And a group shot of everything so far.

Thanks guys! Comment and criticism are always appreciated.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[Scribe]

Awesome. :D

[Schnabel]

Love 'em! Now those are some proper Eaters of Worlds, all right.

[Pyromancer]

Very nice! I love the blood effects. Are they done using the new 'Blood for the Blood God'?

[deathspectersgt7]

Great job on the Pred !!!!

[StruManChu]

Awesome.

Love 'em! Now those are some proper Eaters of Worlds, all right.

Very nice! I love the blood effects. Are they done using the new 'Blood for the Blood God'?

Great job on the Pred !!!!

Thanks all for your kind words! Means a lot!

Pyromancer - It's actually Tamiya Clear Red, with a little Nuln Oil mixed in on the claws and the axe. I haven't used the new Citadel stuff yet, but it does look good and I'd be keen to try it out.

I'm going to be focussing more on my Imperial Fists going forwards (for the next month or two at least), until FW release the Red Butchers and Khârn, at which point I'll switch back and do Angron and my Praetor.

I've got another Deimos Predator to finish off for my Fists, then will carry on with some bits and pieces that I still need to take pictures of, including an Achilles!

I'll keep you posted with progress.

[StruManChu]

Not an update per se, but as I'm now back at work, I've got access to the fluff I've been working on during my downtime! Should have the second Predator finished before the weekend.

 

 

Blood & Thunder - III

 

He awoke to the sound of a low hum and the smells of disinfectant and formaldehyde, unable to see and with his arms and legs restrained. Compression dressings were wound tightly around his face. His instinct was to fight against his captivity, but the distinct odours of a Legion Apothecium told him exactly where he was. He was aboard the Retaliator, the World Eaters’ capital ship, which, last he knew, was in low orbit above Baupunt, preparing for the commencement of a drop strike onto an enemy position deep in the northern continent’s desert peaks. The Apothecium was thriving with commotion, with the heavy footfalls of armoured Legionnaires trudging around the room, and a number of footsteps, too light to be Astartes, rushing about between them. 
 
A piercing, shrieking pain thundered through his skull, and despite himself, he cried out. Attendants, interrupted from their activities by his shouting,suddenly began to buzz around him, most likely checking readings and statistics and from his prone position, he was able to discern the presence of three chapter serfs and a Legion Apothecary tending to him. Slowly, the pain faded.

 
“Well?” Another voice, further into the room, concussion still ringing in Jarusz’s ears.

“Stable. Grafted tissue is healing well, and implants are functioning correctly.”
 
“Ready him.”

As this was said, Jarusz’s bed was raised and someone, the Apothecary by the feel and weight of it, placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Champion Jarusz, I am Hector, and you must listen to me carefully. When we received you, the injuries you’d sustained meant that we were unable to salvage your left eye. The damage to your skull and facial tissue was also extensive. However, we have reconstructed the majority of damaged cranial area, and we were able to fit a bionic replacement for your eye. At the moment the implant is powered, but inactive. We will need to test it before we can release you to return to your command. This testing period is about to commence. Please ensure that both of your eyes are closed while we remove the bandages”

None of this was comforting. He dimly remembered his eye socket being ruptured, but the loss of consciousness had clearly robbed him of some memory. He had not considered that he would need a bionic eye. As the bandages unwound and blood flow was able to return fully to his face, the Apothecary spoke again.

“Testing of subject Ismar Jarusz commencing at 20:08 standardised. Champion, please ensure you left eye is closed and open your right eye.”

He did so.

“Your vision is normal, correct?”
 
Aside from the haze of waking from a sedation coma, he agreed. The room was dark; dimly lit, he assumed, in case the calibration of his new implant was over-sensitive and allowed more light in than his modified mind could process. For a moment he struggled to focus, but then his vision became clear. Jarusz nodded.

“Excellent. And now the left. It should appear similar to viewing the room through the eye lens of your helmet.”

Again, the Apothecary was correct. Jarusz understood the theory behind the way the bionic eye was implemented was that, despite the size of the augmetic preventing him from making use of a full helmet, a Legionnaire would be provided with all the functionality and advantages that his helmet would have otherwise given. If this was the case, the eye was working well. Runes signifying allies and threats flashed over the Apothecium staff and surgical blades respectively, covered by a red glaze, likely from the eye’s lens.

“Aye, it’s functioning.”
 
“Superb. Please open both eyes simultaneously.”

A moment of disorientation, but then his eyesight adjusted and the information transmitted by his bionic eye overlaid his natural vision. The red glaze was gone, and he saw the Apothecium as with his normal eyesight, but the targeting, range and threat indicators all remained.
 
“Is everything operating correctly?”

“As far as I can tell, Apothecary.”
 
“Superb. Marshall?”

Lorr emerged from the darkness, his face a scowl of hate.
 
“Reactivate the nails.”
 
The pain in his head returned, and gripped Jarusz’s head like a vice. He thrashed against his restraints and gritted his remaining teeth as he realised that the bionic eye was not the only reparation the Apothecaries had made while he was anaesthetised. The Butcher’s Nails were slowly being introduced across the Legion at the behest of the Primarch. Scant few of the 52nd had received the Nails, yet all those who had were one of Lorr’s inner circle. Despite himself,
Jarusz raged at the implication. As a senior member of the company, he knew the concept behind the Butcher’s Nails as a combat stimulator that directly interfaced with an Astartes' brain chemistry, but the full extent of the device’s
function was a mystery to him. If Lorr was somehow able to influence or affect those under the Nail’s control…

The Apothecary, Hector, grew visibly tense as he watched Jarusz battle against his unseen assailant. Jarusz’s vital signs peaked on numerous instruments, and Hector moved to disengage the device.

"No. Let him fight it.”

It seemed an eternity to Jarusz before the throbbing pain in his head dissipated. His vision glowed blood red even with his eyes screwed tightly shut. He drew in short, sharp breaths as his focus returned and sensation gradually returned to the rest of his body. Evidently the Nails had functioned according to plan, as Hector nodded to his attendants, and with a guilty silence they began to loosen Jarusz’s restraints.

“Wait.”

The attendants ceased at Lorr’s command, and the Marshall approached his prone subordinate.
 
“You must question my methods. This must all seem so unnecessary. I assure you that it is absolutely not. You’ve been a thorn in my side for a decade, you snide little worm, and your damn self-interest has held you back. Those in the Legion who know your name also know exactly how highly you think of yourself. So I had to know. I had to be absolutely sure that you believed in the Legion and our Primarch that above everything else. So I had to make you believe I hated what we’d become after Desh’ea and all that our Father had taught us in order to see who you were when your passion overcame your pride. It will take some getting used to, but the gift you’ve been given will provide you with what you need to take that last step to greatness, Ismar Jarusz. What I have given you today, what this implant will give you every day until your demise, is the ability to surpass your arrogance and simply kill.”
 
Lorr turned to leave.

“Oh, of course. One more thing.”

Lorr drew something small and silver from a pouch at his waist and flicked it, end over end, to Jarusz, who caught it with his free hand.
 
A silver coin.

“What is this, Lorr? What am I supposed to do with it?”
 
Lorr smirked.

“I can’t say.”

[StruManChu]

Update time!

Second Predator is done!

I've decided the first Predator with the black hull will be the squad's Command Tank, as the Marines Malevolent scheme is for the company's elite, which you'll see a couple more of in a minute.

As I mentioned previously, I'm pretty much done with the World Eaters for now (until FW release the dang Red Butchers) and will be focussing on my VII Legion stuff for the time being, so here's a taste of things to come!

WIP Seeker Squad under Sergeant Tobiyas Rooke -

WIP Legate Travian Caradez (Praetor) and Command Squad

That's it for now.

Any comments or critisism would be more than welcome!

[geordie]

Great work. Really like that shade of yellow and the weathering is well done too. Some great kitbashing on those two newest squads too, I'm counting bits from about 15 different kits on the Seekers and 12 different kits on the Command squad? Looking forward to seeing them painted.

[Monstra Sumus]

Oh hell yeah! Your Legate looks seriously mean. I'm loving them Deimos too. 

[Pyromancer]

These guys are looking awesome brother! The only criticism that I have is that the guy's head on the bottom left of the seeker squad appears to be turn to an uncomfortable angle. Perhaps its just the angle, but its worth a look. 

[deathspectersgt7]

The Command Sqd looks Great the dual Swordsman got my attention.

[StruManChu]

And once again, like a terrible parent, I neglect my child-like thread and it falls to page 7 of the WIP forum...

Great work. Really like that shade of yellow and the weathering is well done too. Some great kitbashing on those two newest squads too, I'm counting bits from about 15 different kits on the Seekers and 12 different kits on the Command squad? Looking forward to seeing them painted.

Thanks chief! The yellow's really easy. I am not a patient painter, so I've been really lucky to find a yellow that's easy to do and get the same result from. I can give you the recipe if you'd like?

Oh hell yeah! Your Legate looks seriously mean. I'm loving them Deimos too.

You've got a thing for those tanks, don't you my friend?

Thanks though... I really like them. They've got a lot more character than the standard Predator, and I reckon look heaps better as well.

These guys are looking awesome brother! The only criticism that I have is that the guy's head on the bottom left of the seeker squad appears to be turn to an uncomfortable angle. Perhaps its just the angle, but its worth a look.

I can see how you'd think that, looking at that particular photo. He looks a lot more less awkward up close, so I'll be sure to post a few more pictures when he's done.

The Command Sqd looks Great the dual Swordsman got my attention.

Thanks mate! When they put out the third book I'll be painting him and maybe the mace/shield guy up in the fashion of one of Sigismund's followers/acolytes.

Anyway... Now that the Loyalty and Treachery thread has finished, I've had a chance to take stock of my little army and try to figure out how I can possibly finish everything I want to do. I feel like I've got over a major hurdle having completed quite a bit of stuff (for me anyway) over the past few months, and I don't want that momentum to drop, despite how loudly or seductively my unfinished Fallout 3 and Dragon Age games call to me!

I want to carry on with the Imperial Fists, as I've been working on the Seeker Squad a little bit and they're looking good so far, but I kind of also want to wait until FW release their shoulder pads so I can do everything at once, which hopefully won't be too long as they've already put out the Iron Warriors ones, and a decent chunk of their new releases have been painted up in the VII Legion's colours.

As such, I think the easiest way to move forward is to work on some tanks, which obviously don't need shoulder pads.

I've got another (!) Deimos, this time an executioner, as well as the Seeker Squad's Rhino and the LR Achilles (slightly miffed that FW put out a Heresy Achilles TWO WEEKS after I got my normal one, but ho hum...), and I'll also try and get the Seekers done.

So that, my friends, is what you've got to look forward to over the next little bit!

I took a group shot for the L&T thread, but I took another one to show off everything that's been done so far.

Still 3 Medusas, 3 Deathclaw Drop Pods, seven more Breacher Marines, a Tactical Squad, Red Butchers and both Primarchs to add to this pile my wife is getting increasingly annoyed at. May need to add a display cabinet to that list too!

Anyway, thanks for looking and any comments or criticisms too. You guys are great!

[Monstra Sumus]

Mate those are looking very smart. 

 

Would you mind giving me a breakdown on the weathering, I can't do it to save my life, always comes out looking like mega dross. 

[infyrana]

Great job on your contemptors ... your chain axe wielding blood splattered melee version is just awesomesauce.  Do I dare to ask how the huge chain axe was made please?

[GodEmperorOfMankind]

Looking great bud

[zxyogi]

Verrrrrrry Nice!!

[StruManChu]

Back! After a hell of a long time not doing anything Astartes-related for no real reason other than general hobby fatigue.

Mate those are looking very smart.

Would you mind giving me a breakdown on the weathering, I can't do it to save my life, always comes out looking like mega dross.

Hey mate, sorry for falling off the face of the world there! My weathering method is dead easy. All you'll need is a sponge (the kind they used to put in the back of blister packs) and some dark grey paint (I use Adeptus Battlegrey because I've got half a pot of it and it's getting a bit gross).

Tear off a fairly tiny piece of sponge and dab it into the paint. You don't want a lot of paint, and you're going to want to get rid of most of what you do have on a piece of paper towel, like drybrushing, but so you end up with even less paint.

Once you've done this, go over the raised edges of your tank/tiny man and just dab at it until you're happy with the result. This is time consuming, as it doesn't go on quickly, but you do want a lot of control over how much paint you're putting on, especially over something harder to repaint like yellow.

The only issue this can create is where two surfaces don't line up, as with the door and chassis below. In this case all I did was paint the yellow gap in with a detail brush.

A single Space Marine will take about five minutes, but I'd probably spend between 20-30 minutes on just the side of one of the Deimos Predators.

Hope that helps! Though I'm sure you've probably found your own way of doing it by now.

Great job on your contemptors ... your chain axe wielding blood splattered melee version is just awesomesauce. Do I dare to ask how the huge chain axe was made please?

Thanks infyrana! The Chainaxe was a bit of an undertaking. It started life as a Lord of Skulls Axe, which I chopped the hand and handle off of and spent about a week filing all the skulls off and then greenstuffing gaps that removing the skulls left. In hindsight it would've been quicker to cut the whole skull section out and plasticarded over the top of it. I also trimmed off some of the more 'Chaos-y' spikes just to give it a more Imperial look where possible.

Once this was done, I put a 3mm brass rod through the length of axe head as a joining piece between the head and the pommel (I cannot remember for the life of me where I got the pommel from). Over the top of this I put a 5mm brass rod for the handle, as the 3mm one looked too small for the Contemptor's hands. I then glued it all together, filled in some more gaps, and voila! Giant Doom Axe.

Now... I've not been idle (except for the last seven months), and have been painting a little this last week. I picked up some Red Butchers back in January which I've started work on. Crappy phone photos for now, but I'll set up my proper gear once they're a little further along.

It's good to be back!

[deathspectersgt7]

Welcome Back !!!

[StruManChu]

Thanks dss7! It's great to be back.

Unfortunately, my photography still sucks. But here's my WIP of Angron, taken in my kitchen at 11pm last night.

Still a long way to go, but I'm pretty pleased so far.