73rd Helion Mechanized Regiment. UPDATE: Knight Titan

[Thunderhawk3015]

Something I've had in the works for a little bit, I figured I'd get the input of you guys on what started as a Necromunda kill team and has become a full on army project. 

 

The force as it stands is mechanized infantry with a full infantry platoon in the works for some general self propelled sandbag action to go with my Wall of Martyrs project.

 

The two group shots, Armored and Infantry. 

 

And the link to the rest in the gallery. 

 

Thoughts? Ideas for additions? Comments on what could be done to improve the army?

 

 

[WarriorFish]

Fantastic army! They always start small but good to see the end result :D Once you go Guard there's no going back ;)

 

I love the colour scheme you've got, the camouflage pattern looks really good. I did spot a few barrels that needed drilling though, and I'm sure you can add a few more artillery pieces to your collection... :P

[+DAN+]

Awesome group shot. That medic from the command squad is ace!

[Thunderhawk3015]

Fantastic army! They always start small but good to see the end result Once you go Guard there's no going back

I love the colour scheme you've got, the camouflage pattern looks really good. I did spot a few barrels that needed drilling though, and I'm sure you can add a few more artillery pieces to your collection...

Yea... once I started it kinda snowballed to where it is, but the same thing happened with one of my marine armies, started as a painting challenge where I was told to paint a marine based in Charcaradon Granite 10k+ points later I have 2 companies of Raptors and the start of a 3rd.

As far as barrels go... I have a confession to make, I haven't drilled out a barrel on TT level mini since 1998. I understand the "it makes it look better factor" but when your looking at stuff on the tabletop in a game, no one notices. As far as arty goes, I have one more Basilisk with a scratch built armored compartment to paint but i'm thinking i'll just scratch that and add in a couple armored ones from FW when I order my Conquerors and Vulture.

@+DAN+

thanks, there are better/closer images of individual squads in the galley if you want to dissect them

[chaplainmikey]

Fantastic work and very inspiring too!

It's a small detail but I love the camo on the Commissar's trousers, the pattern itself looks really sharp and crisp. Very impressive.

[WarriorFish]

It's more of a completeness thing, once you start doing it you have to continue :P I hope you can post up more soon :)

[Thunderhawk3015]

It will probably be a few weeks before I post up more stuff.  I start training for a new job soon and that is going to eat up all the time(and I ran out of guardsmen to build for the platoon). 

The plan as it stands is to order up the FW goodies and then get those and the platoon hammered out.  Two squads are painted but I'm not sure if I like them.  They are standard grey fatigues w/shadow grey flak armor and I'm not sure if I want to keep that or try and do a whole platoon in camo.  The plan was camo for the veterans/stormtroopers but i'm having second thoughts and may come up with a different(simpler) scheme for the bulk troopers.  I also have a Xenos project in metallic green to finish, 20 or so marines for my raptors, and a couple non 40k armies to paint up so they may be my break from urban camo.

[Kierdale]

Fantastic work!

The CCS medic...the commissar lord and his camo pants...CCS 2's Primaris (I have a couple of WHFB battle wizards to do too. I had t thought of using the crystal ball. Nice!)...and I love your repurposing of that Ork flyer: something I've wanted to do too, to make a dedicated IG fighter that looked a bit F-86 Saber-like.

[Thunderhawk3015]

forgot that image was in there. That's what happens when you just upload the image folder from your HDD. Mod's I'll complete the penance as need be for allowing Xenos infiltration and have already purged it.

[WarriorFish]

Hehe, I'll forgive you if you paint more tanks :)

 

Good luck with your new job Thunder, hopefully you settle in quickly so you can get back to painting ;)

[Kierdale]

I wasn't complaining about it. I loved it! :)

But - mod hat on - perhaps it's best purged, unless you could say it counted as some kind of Imperial flyer.

 

And yes: good luck with the new job, and build more armour! ;)

[Thunderhawk3015]

It functions as my Thunderbolt stand in but i'm pretty sure its still not allowed. Tanks will come. Just not soon.

[hendrik]

i'm sure no moderator will mind a lovely imperial fighter conversion that happens to be based upon an ork kit. heck, orks loot so that means the original fighter was likely an imperial one,  just orkified!

[walter h]

That is my assertion as well. That fighter looks great ,I thought about doing the same thing,and it looks as great as I thought it would.

[Kierdale]

I checked with the other staff and, as your flyer was clearly an Imperial vehicle (though based on a xenos model), it was A-OK.

...so, when you have time...if you don't mind...please post more images of it

[Thunderhawk3015]

Closer view of the Thunderbolt

 

Group shot of the 3 flyers.

 

That's all I have currently.  Maybe once I get time to hobby I'll get more images. 

 

[Sviar]

Thats a nice looking army you got there. I like the camo, especially the snipers, did you use a airbrush for it? How about waiting two days and vow the rest for the Imperial cause in the ETL.

By the way I saw that you where playing Raven Guard decendants, and it got me thinking, do the name Helion derive from the awesome BL book Helion Rain, or is it just one of those coincidences

[WarriorFish]

That is a nice conversion, always good to see what a little bit of effort can do. Plus there's something satisfying about looting Ork vehicles :P

[Thunderhawk3015]

I honestly don't remember where I got the name from. And this army currently has no airbrush work on it. It was all brush work with a boatload of stippling on the infantry.

[Thunderhawk3015]

In the quest for forgiveness from WarriorFish,

WIP on the next Basilisk, Basecoated with Mechanicus Standard/Boltgun Metal followed with a wash of Agrax Earthshade and coincidentally now an hour plus into ensuring it dry(its not).

 

A couple more infantry, plus the start of some Spec Opps themed Stormtroopers

 

And the next item of "armor" I'm going to be adding to the collection.

 

Hopefully the Basilisk will be done later today, its going to have a more fresh off the assembly line/camoed up fast feel I think that the other one just to show the slightly more veteran idea of this force. 

 

[WarriorFish]

They're looking good, I'm eager to see them all painted :D Especially the Knight...

[Thunderhawk3015]

Dry brushed Mechanicus Standard armor, Chainmail tracks and barrel. Rakarth Flesh Basecoat on the ammo tin, and stowage

Finished out the barrels with a dry brush of Mithril Silver, Rakarth Flesh/Catacan Green mix with an Althonian Camoshade on the stowage/ammo tin. Enchanted Blue/'ard Coat on the lenses.

Total time so far 4 hours(1.5 of that being dry time on the previous shade).

Camo is TBD. Not sure if I want it stock factory as it is or if I'm going to add an "oh " camo coat on it. I know camo looks cool but breaking it up with some "new" tanks helps with painting them and adds to the veteran feel I'm going for with the force. That and there are going to be approximately 5-6 new Leman Russ tanks and a squadron of Hellhounds added at some point to give some more firepower that are going to be camoed . Maybe time to invest in a spray gun for basecoats.

[WarriorFish]

You can always leave it for later, you'll get a better feel for it once you have more models done too. It's what I'm doing with my tanks, though after a dozen or so of them I'm still no nearer to deciding :P

[Thunderhawk3015]

Progress has been made.  Knight Reinforcement inbound. 

 

Army Painter Alien Purple and Platemail basecoats.  First time using their sprays and I am impressed.  I may have found a faster way to basecoat some of my armies.

Mockup after the spray dried.

Finished for today. 

 

 

I am thinking I may redo the shoulder pauldrons and faceplate in white.  Suggestions on that please, I can't make up my mind.  Otherwise I'm happy with how this is coming out.  Goal is to finish before the 21st of June so I can field this bad boy with the rest of my Imperium in an Apoc event. 

 

 

[captain sox]

oooooooooh very nice!