EdT Posted August 11, 2014 Author Share Posted August 11, 2014 Your work really captures the gritty essence of astartes, i'm a huge fan, especially of your wolves! I can't wait to see your take on all 18 legions (if that is indeed what you are to accomplish) I look forward to seeing any new kill-team stuff by you, but specifically looking forward to your take on the alpha legion :) Thank you! I'm sure I'll get to 18 eventually (albeit _very_ slowly); I actually have a whole team of Word Bearers half-painted that I really need to get going on, plus a couple of Salamanders I might try and repurpose at some point into a team (although the aesthetic I chose predates the forgeworld add-ones and so doesn't quite match the aesthetic, frustratingly). That gets me to six, which is almost half way there, I guess... I've experimented with the XX too, as it happens; I've found some perfect mortal auxiliaries to go with them and have a backstory all written up. Unfortunately the legion symbol is a bugger to sculpt and when I made the Astartes up, the stripped down, spec ops look I tried to give them made them look really bland. I'm also not sure if the colour I went for- which matched the one in the original IA back in the day- really still applies post-Extermination. I will return to them, but I think I need to come up with a better look first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 6- The Kothar Delegation “I present you with four factual statements. 1) The eighth Universal Law of the Cult Mechanicum states that the Omnissiah knows all and comprehends all; 2) The Terran Emperor remains entirely unaware of the Warmaster’s planned rebellion, including the support proffered to him by the Fabricator General and the majority of the Magii within the Martian Synod; 3) The seventeenth Codicil to the Universal Law of the Cult Mechanicum states that information yearns to be free; and 4) The Terran Emperor places strict limitations on the information obtainable by those undertaking the holy Quest for Knowledge, denying access to the Vaults of Moravec and those technologies secured by the Keys of Hel, amongst others. Only one logical conclusion can be drawn from these statements, and that is that the Terran Emperor is neither omniscient nor willing to assist the Faithful in the Quest for Knowledge. If this is the case, than the Terran Emperor cannot be the true Omnissiah; and if he is not the Omnissiah, than the Treaty of Mars is null and void. When presented with these inarguable facts, along with detailed military analysis regarding the balance of forces that are currently massing against Terra, the Gorgon will comprehend that the only rational response will be alignment with the Warmaster and Mechanicum.” -Archmagos Kothar wa-Khasis, Intendant of Ganymede, the Cult Mechanicum [Pict Capture DR/351-19Z-001] Archmagos Kothar wa-Khasis. Fabricator-General Kelbor Hal’s decision to become an accomplice in the Warmaster’s treason led to a rapid, if clandestine, burst of activity at the upper echelons of the Machine Cult. In the immediate wake of the fateful decision, multiple diplomatic missions were despatched from Mars to all corners of the Imperium in order to secure the support of the Mechanicum’s vast network of Forge Worlds and tributary planets. Nor was this effort restricted to the Martian Priesthood; over the course of the Great Crusade Mars had amassed huge influence, and in the immediate lead-up to Horus’ betrayal, traitor Adepts brought many allies from other Imperial organisations to the Warmaster’s cause. Detailed stakeholder analysis by the Syrtis Major cogitation arrays noted that the X Legion appeared a particularly ripe target for conversion. Links between Mars and the ‘Iron Tenth’ were close and cordial; Ferrus Manus and the higher echelons of the Martian Priesthood held each other in extremely high esteem, and the Fabricator General believed that evidence of the Mechanicum’s complicity with Horus would prove to the Primarch the impossibility of the Emperor’s victory, thus making the path of treachery the logical course to take. Kelbor Hal’s allies within the Martian Parliament made another, more modest calculation; even if the entirety of the X could not be swayed to Horus’ cause, enough Clans within the Legion believed in the policy of ‘might makes right’ to neutralise those who chose to remain loyal. [Pict Capture DR/351-19Z-002] Iron Father Imit Basarab, X Legion. In these lines of thought, the Martian traitors were supported by the influential figure of Imit Basarab, an Iron Father seconded to the Phobos Quaestium who surviving records suggest acted as the Fabricator General’s informal advisor in these matters. Why the advice of Basarab, a Terran who had not served with his legion for almost a century prior to the Great Betrayal, was prioritised over that of the official X Legion Nuncio to Mars (Kal Jotun, who perished in the Utopia conflagration), remains a mystery. However, his contention that the Iron Tenth could be swayed away from the Emperor was compelling enough for Kelbor Hal to take action. It was clear that Iron Father Basarab should be a part of any mission to the X Legion. However, to lead the mission the Fabricator General chose one of his protégés; Archmagos Kothar wa-Khasis, whose rapid rise through the Martian Priesthood had recently been confirmed with his assignment to Ganymede in order to oversee the Mechanicum’s prestigious warp core experimentation programme. [Pict Capture DR/351-19Z-003] Factotum and Coetus units accompanying Archmagos Kothar. Kothar had previously earned the thanks of the X through his pioneering work salvaging archaeotech on the Telstarax that girdled the Legion’s homeworld Medusa, and it was here that he apparently recovered the technology that made possible his finest, controversial, achievement; the Coetus, a system whereby the Archmagos’ consciousness was distributed across a network of repositories, hugely enhancing his cogitative power and potentially rendering him effectively immortal. Archmagos Kothar’s presence on the mission underlined Kelbor Hal’s view that the Gorgon could be swayed; as a senior Adept and a close ally of the Fabricator General, he was not a figure to be wasted on a fool’s errand. It was judged that speed, subtlety and discretion were of the essence, so Kothar elected to dispense with his usual coterie of advisors and sycophants, and instead to travel only with a small party. [Pict Capture DR/351-19Z-004] Praetorian Satellitum units Epsilon/9876/Zeta-Phi and Epsilon/9876/Zeta-Chi Besides Basarab and a number of Kothar’s Coetus units, the Archmagos brought only his personal Praetorian Satellitum duumvirate, who accompanied him at all times. There was one final addition to the delegation, designed to impress his prospective hosts and further prove the seriousness of the Martian Priesthood’s commitment to Horus’ cause; the Trimatrika were despatched to join the group. [Pict Capture DR/351-19Z-005] Zamindar Kalaratri of the Trimatrika, Auxillia Myrmidon, Secutor sect The Trimatrika were senior figures within the Myrmidon sect, eschewing the long-range firepower of the Destructor brethren for the close-combat path of the Secutor. Their origin was unknown, little remained of their organic selves to provide evidence of their past, and they rarely communicated other than to request repair and replenishment. Some claimed they were biological sisters kidnapped from pre-Unity Terra as infants, others that they were embodiments of a tradition dating back to the earliest days of the Machine cult, and that when the previous occupant fell in battle, a new aspirant would take up their mantle. All that could be definitively established was that the Trimatrika defined themselves as feminine, emphasised grace and fluidity in combat over brute force, and were some of the best-known practitioners of the Myrmidon sect within the Martian Priesthood. The Trimatrika disdained the bulky, robed nature adopted by many of their fellow Secutors. Instead, they adopted a distinctive- and terrifying - physical form that was, depending on the analysis, based either on the ancient Hyndic deities of Terran prehistory, or the Phark of Martian myth. Their presence within Kothar’s delegation was calculated to appeal to the Primarch and his senior commanders, as the Trimatrika had fought alongside the X during the scouring of the Volframi Pentarchate, and Ferrus Manus had proved particularly taken with the artistry of their construction. [Pict Capture DR/351-19Z-006] Zamindar Kalaratri, Jemadar Chamunda and Jemadar Maheshvari of the Trimatrika, Auxillia Myrmidon, Secutor sect The Kothar Delegation departed Mars on one of the Priesthood’s fastest Void-Clippers around three months before the Warmaster commenced his initial atrocity at Isstvan III; what became of the mission remains a complete mystery. What is certain is that Ferrus Manus’ brother Fulgrim was the one who attempted to sway the Primarch of the X to the traitor cause, not Archmagos Kothar, and that this misjudged attempt failed dismally. There is no further record of any member of the delegation in Imperial archives; however, the attested presence of a small number of traitor elements within the heavily fragmented residual X Legion post Isstvan V suggest the possibility that Imit Basarab had some small success in convincing his brethren to share his treachery. [Pict Capture DR/351-19Z-007] The Kothar Delegation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montuhotep Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 As excellent as ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrautScientist Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 What a wonderful warband! Sinister and creepy, just like anything AdMech should be ;) The Trimatrika are especially impressive kitbashes! I do however have a couple of small nitpicks: I think the red cloth could use a bit more care, particularly on the Archmagos: It does seem a bit samey. A few more highlights would go a long way here! Then there's the fact that the Iron Father is the first of your truescale Marine where the optical illusion doesn't quite work -- the Tartaros legs are so far apart that they create a triangle shape for the model, when an inverted triangle is what you want in order to make the proportions look correct. Maybe it's just a problem from this particular angle, though. I do love the blunt and brooding look he has! Extra kudos for the flawless reasoning as to why the Emprah cannot possibly be the Omissiah, and why the whole Heresy business is totally legit ;) Keep up the amazing work! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malika666 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Love the background material, it's such a cool insights on the Mechanicum. The whole idea of Traitor Iron Hands is super interesting! Very curious how his story will continue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disease Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 YES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChromeZephyr Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Wow, someone found a way to make the Centurions not look completely stupid. They fit the Mechanicum's style, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Pleased people enjoyed these guys, they were a nice break from Astartes and great fun to put together and paint. I could reallly see myself doing an army of them, actually; just need to work out how to do some good-looking Skitarii. Next up will be one of two Kill Teams I'm in the process of assembling the parts for; they actually present quite a nice thematic dichotomy. Not saying who they are, but luckily the names don't give too much away while still leaving something to conjure with; the Masque of Paragons represent the finest that humanity has to offer, while on the other side of the coin there's the completely depraved Seraglio of Mother Sybaris... What a wonderful warband! Sinister and creepy, just like anything AdMech should be The Trimatrika are especially impressive kitbashes!I do however have a couple of small nitpicks: I think the red cloth could use a bit more care, particularly on the Archmagos: It does seem a bit samey. A few more highlights would go a long way here! Then there's the fact that the Iron Father is the first of your truescale Marine where the optical illusion doesn't quite work -- the Tartaros legs are so far apart that they create a triangle shape for the model, when an inverted triangle is what you want in order to make the proportions look correct. Maybe it's just a problem from this particular angle, though. I do love the blunt and brooding look he has! Extra kudos for the flawless reasoning as to why the Emprah cannot possibly be the Omissiah, and why the whole Heresy business is totally legit Keep up the amazing work! Thanks for the praise and also the constructive criticism! I have to admit, I really wasn't happy with the Iron Father and considered junking him; but I needed him to fit the background. The element I'd zeroed in on as the problem was the head- I felt in retrospect that I probably should have gone for a cyborgy one without a helm, but couldn't get the helmet off without damaging the torso- but you're completely right re the legs. In fairness he does look better from a lower angle- and I couldn't get a photo which showed off the power-axe, which is probably my favourite bit, but the stance is definitely the issue. It's strange as I've used exactly those legs before but it does strike a slightly false note. At some point I may do a revamp. Love the background material, it's such a cool insights on the Mechanicum. The whole idea of Traitor Iron Hands is super interesting! Very curious how his story will continue... Glad you enjoyed it! It seemed pretty plausible to me that Kelbor Hal would make a play for the Iron Tenth once he'd decided to go traitor, given the close ties between the two organisations. Not that, from the way he's been portrayed, the logical approach would neccesarily have gone over any better than Fulgrim's hamfisted effort... I'm sure at one point there was rumoured to be a BL book involving traitor Hands; I actually think the concept makes a lot of sense, even post Istvaan, given their fetishisation of the rule of the strong. Maybe only a few traitor clans- but that would still be fun. Wow, someone found a way to make the Centurions not look completely stupid. They fit the Mechanicum's style, really. Somebody certainly did, but sadly it wasn't me! I borrowed a good idea from Dave Taylor , although I didn't go with his (rather clever) idea for their heads, as it didn't quite fit the aesthetic I was going for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrautScientist Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Whatever you do, though: Don't change the head on the Iron Father: I thought its bluntness was pretty much perfect for the character! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Whatever you do, though: Don't change the head on the Iron Father: I thought its bluntness was pretty much perfect for the character! If you say so! While I'm here, I was inspired by this obscure part of the canon to come up with this. Not finished yet, but I'm amazed I've never seen people doing this with their lightning claws before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ephrael Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Those look fantastic, what did you use for the curved talons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quixus Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Probably because similar claws already exist: http://www.bitsandkits.co.uk/chaos-terminator-lord-lightning-claws-pair-p-401.html http://www.bitsandkits.co.uk/chaos-raptor-lightning-claws-c-p-8979.html http://www.bitsandkits.co.uk/chaos-raptor-lightning-claws-d-p-8980.html or are you talking about the curved blades specifically? Curved blades can be found on the old Chaos Raptor Aspiring Champion. BTW with which power fist did you start? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Those look fantastic, what did you use for the curved talons? It's actually a Dark Elf wand (http://www.bitsandkits.co.uk/dark-elf-black-dragon-rider-wands-x2-p-7857.html) but I'm sure other similarly curved spikes things would work. My first idea was the bit on the Amber Wizard's staff, but they event quite the right size. Probably because similar claws already exist: or are you talking about the curved blades specifically? BTW with which power fist did you start? Yeah, I meant having hooked talons on a lightning claw as opposed to the straighter blades that they generally have- think it gives a nice avian feel and something a little different from the usual Wolverine or Freddy Krueger styles. Would go particularly nicely with Night Raptors or Raven Guard, I think. The base part is the Forgeworld mk 2 lightning claw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 It's been a while since I've posted, but I have a WIP to show; the rest of his friends are also done and once the GS finishes curing on the last one the painting will begin. This chap is "Thale", of the Masque of Paragons... Edit: And now I've just noticed the massive mold line on his pauldron. Why didn't I see it in person? Grrr... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathspectersgt7 Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 WICKED!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemon2027 Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Not sure how I have missed this for so long. Amazing stuff, given me lots of ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kizzdougs Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Awesome! Loving the Emperor's Child. Great greenstuff work, can't wait to see him painted :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonidus Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Your stuff is awesome. I'm loving how gritty it all looks! Also, looking forward to Raven Guard! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 I'll get to the XIX eventually! I have a few ideas for them actually, but they're not on my immediate list; after the Masque of Paragons it's either a particular non-astartes faction or a second go at a bunch of people I think I could do justice to now I'm more confident with greenstuff. Also, really glad people like "Thale"; I think I'll post a series of WIPs for him and leave his friends to your imagination for the time being. I had the opportunity to do a bit of work so now he's a nice shade of tyrian purple... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Another little update; been working on the Paragons' bases... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kizzdougs Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Great looking base! The blood splatter is particularly impressive :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argent aquila Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 i just mowed my way through your thread like a ravenous mawloc. absolutely astounding work!!! the WE mace made of chainblade bayonets is absolutely brilliant, stolen. the Dark Mechanicus necron combo, amazing! and those bases here at the end are some of the best i've ever seen. stunning work, you've got yourself another follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 Great looking base! The blood splatter is particularly impressive Thank you! I was rather pleased with them; inspired by the marble in the toilets at work, of all places. Really enjoyed trying to paint a proper stone effect for the first time. i just mowed my way through your thread like a ravenous mawloc. absolutely astounding work!!! the WE mace made of chainblade bayonets is absolutely brilliant, stolen. the Dark Mechanicus necron combo, amazing! and those bases here at the end are some of the best i've ever seen. stunning work, you've got yourself another follow. Really glad you've enjoyed the thread; god knows I get inspired by the other things on here enough so if I'm able to to do the same that's fine by me. Plenty more to come too- after these Emperor's Children I have concepts for quite a few other fun kill-teams... Anyhow, I've made a bit of progress with "Thale"; he's still very WIP (as are his friends), but I'm gradually getting there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vile Siren Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 If I may ask, what kind of purple did you use for your EC marine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 If I may ask, what kind of purple did you use for your EC marine? I was trying to go for a warmer, more properly tyrian purple than the conventional Emperor's children look, so there's a fair bit of red in there. Base coat is the old leviathan purple mixed 2:1 with khorne red; then successive highlights of xereus purple 2:1 with khorne red, xereus purple and genestealer purple mixed 2:2:1:1 with khorne red and mephiston red, genestealer purple 2:1 with mephiston red, and a final highlight of genestealer purple 2:1:1 with mephiston red and skull white. By this point the model will look way too red and a bit weird, but no need to worry; a wash of 2:1 Druchii violet with Carroburg Crimson will tie everything together nicely. Edit: Made some progress; here's another WIP... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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