Forge Firmamentum - Lucius-pattern Warlord Titan (p.5)

[CommodusXIII]

I've wanted to build an Adeptus Titanicus army for quite some time, but was hampered by the fact that it would be limited to Apocalypse only.  The new Codex: Imperial Knights gave new life to that project.  I just had to tweak it a bit.

 

Legio Fidelis, "The Inculcators", was founded on the forge world of Firmamentum shortly after the Horus Heresy.  A nearby Knight Household formally merged with the Titan Legion to serve as skirmishers and bush-beaters in advance of the larger engines.  They became the Fraterri Fidelis - Fraterrus being a bastardization of Frater and Ferrus, or Brotherhood of Iron.  They adopted a similar structure, with individual Knight pilots becoming Hastatus/Hastati (historically, the soldiers that operated in front of the Princepes in the Roman Legion order of battle).  Being significantly lower importance than the true Titans, each Knight does not have an individual name but a designation.

 

A quick note on the paint scheme - I paint to yield a playable model.  I don't really have the time or skill to yield Golden Daemon quality, so I only do a couple quick coats and bathe everything in Nuln Oil.  It yields a dirty, greasy look that suits something fighting on a planet that rains oil.  Also, the bases are painted black.  When I play, nothing throws me off like having something based in grass but playing on a desert board, or based in snow but playing in a city.  Basing in black allows me to maintain a semblance of illusion for myself, even if it looks unprofessional.

 

Fraterrus Tertius, a Paladin, was the first of the lot that I assembled.  The stock battlecannon was too wimpy for my taste, so I spliced the muzzle brake of a Hellhammer cannon to the end (inspired by this conversion on Reddit).  A High Elf Chariot banner became a kill pennant, again inspired by someone else's work.  I also replaced the shield with a numbered gear from Last Stand Convertibles.

 

http://i.imgur.com/eRe5fddl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/KFwXYOLl.jpg

 

Fraterrus Secundus, an Errant, was second.  The only real conversion work was to extend the piston in its sword arm, allowing it to flex farther than usually allowed.  It's not much to write home about, because I wanted one somewhat-stock model of each variant before getting crazy.  And crazy ideas are definitely in the works...

 

http://i.imgur.com/oKWPLhOl.jpg

 

Three to go!  I'll continue to post as I complete them.

 

I'm also slowly expanding the army to include Adeptus Mechanicus support.  These will be count-as Inquisitor henchmen to bulk out my list when needed.  My Magos, an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor with Conversion Beamer, is still on the drawing board but some of his flunkies are finished.

 

This combat servitor began life as a plastic Space Hulk Genestealer Hybrid.  The bionic left arm and leg are from MaxMini, the head is from Victoria and the right arm is from a Catachan Sentinel.  The armored cowl is a Heresy-era Terminator shoulder pad, also from MaxMini (I believe...).

 

http://i.imgur.com/6dbvHyUl.jpg

 

This servitor (count-as Acolyte with flamer) is another kitbash, using the torso, head and left arm from the Storm Talon sprue.  The flamer is again from the Catachan Sentinel and the legs from a Catachan Command sprue.

 

http://i.imgur.com/oVlvNjUl.jpg

 

This tech-priest (count-as Ministorum Priest with Eviscerator) started life as a Vampire Counts Necromancer.  The head and axe are from MaxMini and everything else was random bits from the box.

 

http://i.imgur.com/zXvNJhcl.jpg

 

This Hastatus, or Knight Pilot, is a Games Day Reaver Titan Princeps from Forge World that suffered from a broken baton.  I grafted a clockwork power sword from - you guessed it - MaxMini.  I tend to hit one bits manufacturer at a time, buying anything that strike my eye, and find uses for them later.

 

http://i.imgur.com/6J0ogKml.jpg

 

I made this Titan Princeps in amniotic casket (count-as Mystic or objective marker) from a plastic bead container from a craft store.  The camera pod is from the Vindicator sprue while the antennas and vox speaker are from the Cadian Command sprue.  The Princeps himself is a plastic skeleton, bulked slightly with greenstuff, and suspended by guitar wire.  The top is removable so I can place the Princeps in the cockpit of a 40K-scale Titan, if I ever get around to building one.

 

http://i.imgur.com/ChhWvfol.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/5f8Q30sl.jpg

 

That's about it for now!  I'll probably be updating as I continue work.

[reckoning]

Some really cool conversions. Lovin the Princeps.

[CommodusXIII]

Thanks!  That was the one that got me started and everything snowballed from there.  I took a ten-year hiatus from the hobby due to college and beginning my career, but this project is dragging me back kicking and screaming.

 

I've been an ardent fan of Sean Patten's work at Necromundicon, especially his inate ability to build terrain from scrap.  I've been working on a Forge World board with a similar philosophy and his Tech Priest models were a great source of inspiration for this project.

[Olgerth Istaarn]

Ooooh, that battle cannon. Awesome. Must make.

[CommodusXIII]

Work continues.  I try to take a break between each Knight so that I don't get hobby fatigue.  I took this weekend to further flesh out my allied Adeptus Mechanicus/Inquisitor detachment.

 

http://i.imgur.com/K3A317al.jpg

 

This Hastatus/Knight Pilot is a stock Imperial Pilot from the Battle for Macragge box set.  He's carrying a reload for his Knight's Heavy Stubber and isn't too happy about it - this is what Sacristans are for!  The goal is to have one Hastatus for each Knight chassis for some themed Kill Team or INQ28 matches.

 

http://i.imgur.com/lzMdelhl.jpg

 

This Tech Thrall will count as an Acolyte with carapace armor and hot-shot lasgun.  I don't know what the rules for these really are, but it looks close enough for government work.  My growing Henchmen group looks rather haphazard because I'm not designing it competitively - I have it more in mind for Kill Team or INQ28.  Fluff is fun, in my book.

 

http://i.imgur.com/EMRaK4Sl.jpg

 

I finally finished my Magos, a Myrmidon Destructor with some added bits and a servo arm from Zealot Miniatures.  In particular, I found that the tiny plugs for laptop wireless antennas make great cable ends - I'd torn up a few broken laptop screens to use as terrain bases for my industrial table.  This will count as an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor with power armor, a conversion beamer, a power sword (claw/clamp), rad grenades (plasma reactor venting) and digital weapons (servo arm and mechadendrites).

 

I'm waiting for a box from Forge World to start the next Knight on the production line, but in the meantime I've started some work on my Knight Warlord.  Stay tuned!

[Sanguine_Knight]

I like the hodgepodge look of your retinue. I wish I still had that pilot model but it was lost in a move. Nice work! Keep it up!\

Also... That Princeps conversion is awesome!!

[CommodusXIII]

I just signed up for the ETL III challenge for the Adeptus Mechanicus sub-forum, so I have added motivation to continue the project!  Maddeningly, I'm still waiting for bits...

[SCOTT_FRANCIS]

That magos is awesome, I love him, the princeps is really cool, great use of ordinary stuff to make an outstandingly unique piece.

[CommodusXIII]

Fraterrus Quartus is finally finished. I had a brush with some poison ivy while landscaping my yard, so my freehand is extra potato this time around.

I'm gaining confidence with the Imperial Knight kit, so I'm beginning to branch out into more and more complicated kitbashes. The powerlifter claw was taken from a Forge World Support Sentinel kit.  Quartus gets a claw, and my growing Mechanicus warband gets a Scout Sentinel - a win-win situation!

Again, I was inspired by the work of others. This time, credit goes to this Mechanicus-themed Knight.

 

http://i.imgur.com/DTJVNr0l.jpg

 

The conversion was relatively straightforward.

First, I cut the chainblade off at the hilt with a Dremel, being sure not to damage the connection points for any of the hoses and trying to leave the trim relatively intact.

I shortened the "width" pistons on the claw to shrink its horizontal profile a bit. The powerlifter was lopped off at the "elbow", which yielded a mounting point perfectly sized to be pinned into place.  The skull bit in the center of the claw assembly was cut from the original chainblade, and covers a rather bad -up with my pin vice.

The counterweight was similarly pinned into place at the elbow of the Knight's arm. Again, it was perfectly sized and fit with no difficulty.  If I can do it, anyone can do it.

 

http://i.imgur.com/WEIqLm6l.jpg

 

So there you have it, my first vow for E Tenebrae Lux III is complete.  Three Knights down, two to go.  I'm going to take a short break to work on some other miscellaneous projects that are piling up - some Skitarii troopers, another gun servitor and the Scout Sentinel.  The next Knight will be my Paladin Warlord, which will hopefully live up to the title!

[RolandTHTG]

Looks Awesome. That power-lifter conversion is Genius. 

[TDF]

This sounds like a pretty cool idea for an army, and I like the models you've posted so far. I bet it'll all look fantastic on the tabletop when the army's all finished. 

[CommodusXIII]

Thanks for all the encouragement!  Work continues, but I try to take a break between Knights for some miscellaneous small models to stave off fatigue with the larger kits.  I tend to hit manufacturers one at a time.  The next group of models are all from Blight Wheel Miniatures.

 

http://i.imgur.com/WpU8ywhl.jpg

This is a set of Sino Russian Brotherhood, which is perfect for Tech Guard. They'll count as Acolytes, Guardsmen or Veteran Guardsmen. Four have las-gattlers (lasguns), one has a flamer and there's a variety of drills, saws, claws and other Mechanicus-style close combat weapons throughout. The kit is very detailed and I especially love the heads.  However, with great detail comes great fragility - I warn anyone working with it to pay extra attention during assembly and transport.

 

http://i.imgur.com/SuMY55Sl.jpg

 

This combat servitor is one of my favorite models in this project to date. The chassis and left targetter arm are from a Goliath Mk3. I assembled it backwards to match the profile of the Land Raider, Krios, Sicaran and other "high-tech" vehicles in the Imperial armory, rather than the more "modern" Imperial Guard ones.  The plasma cannon, torso and head are from the Stormtalon kit - quickly becoming my go-to source for servitor and vehicle bits, as you'll see at a later date. The bit connecting the torso to the chassis is from the Dreamforge Leviathan kit. Everything fit perfectly, with only a minimal amount of pinning to keep everything aligned and secured.  I plan to eventually make a matching pair using the Forge World Cyclops as the base.

 

http://i.imgur.com/9ENMAjHl.jpg

 

This Hastatus is a Mecha Pilot, which originally drew me to Blight Wheel. It's too well-proportioned to match the GW miniatures in 28mm Heroic scale, but I can't fault a manufacturer for making a model too well. I removed the left arm and duffel bag, as this Hastatus is supposed to be an amputee.

 

I have a busy month coming up, but I'm hoping to get started on my penultimate Knight for my second ETL III vow.  This one will be my Paladin Warlord and I have a few extra touches planned to set it apart from the rest of the lot.

[deathspectersgt7]

                                                    COOL !!!

[CommodusXIII]

I promise, just one more model before I dive back into my Knights.  It's been a very hectic few weeks and I just wanted this afterthought off my plate.

 

http://i.imgur.com/VLTI24Zl.jpg

 

This Cataphractii Sentinel was built from the leftovers from the Forge World kit I butchered for Fraterrus Quartus. Besides the resin pieces, the kit comes with the older Sentinel sprues - no armored cockpit or additional weapons for me.  Never having built one of these before, it was interesting to have a retrospective look on the design of Imperial walkers. There are a lot of design cues present in this kit that evolved and matured into the design of the Knight.

 

http://i.imgur.com/3QalPixl.jpg

 

I gave the pilot a Mechanicus spin by grafting a "Hooded Bionic" head from Ramshackle Games. I absolutely love the look of this bit, but unfortunately it's smaller in scale than GW's take on 28mm Heroic. In this case, this works well to exaggerate the size of the Sentinel. It would look very out of place on an infantry model.

 

http://i.imgur.com/JW5SpIll.jpg

 

One of the things that I'm enjoying with this Mechanicus project is the freedom to needlessly "tech-up" my models. This Sentinel gained a winch and claw as a replacement for the power lifter I stole, taken from the Vindicator sprue. The winch mount lines up very well with the rear of the Sentinel chassis. So far, I've been lucky with my kitbashes.  Hopefully this streak will continue as I move back into my next Knight.

[CommodusXIII]

After being waylaid by life events and obligations for over a month, I've finally completed my final Paladin and the Warlord of my Knight Household - Fraterrus Primus. Beyond the obvious conversions, which I'll cover later, there are several little cues to mark this Knight apart from the others to show his added standing.  A huge 'thank you' to koran for the back banner!
 
http://i.imgur.com/tOTSkfVl.jpg
 
http://i.imgur.com/Aq7w7IHl.jpg
 
I'm not a huge fan of the medieval-style face masks included in this kit, as I'm trending more towards a Titan Legion-style aesthetic than Camelot in Space. However, I still wanted to set this particular Knight apart from the others. To do so, I tracked down a badly-mauled Adeptus Mechanicus Cruiser from the now-defunct Battlefleet Gothic range and cut off the armored prow. Eye lenses were grafted on from the stock face bit and random parts in my spares bin. A modified Space Marine Terminator Honor badge on its chest mimics an old Epic seniority badge, and marks this Knight's pilot as the Hastatus Seniorus of the Fraterri Fidelis.
 
http://i.imgur.com/ibCVmMxl.jpg
 
Continuing my weapon modification trend started with Fraterrus Quartus, I've replaced the standard Reaper Chainsword with a power sword from the DreamForge Leviathan kit. Again, it mated to the left arm with very little modification and putty. While I'm trying to avoid that stereotypical Arthurian look, I can't deny that this particular Knight should definitely have an equally-imposing sword.  The other Knights in the Household all have very brutish melee weapons.  I wanted my Warlord to have a more refined approach so I tried to paint the sword as if it were heated white-hot - something that melts more than crushes. As I said before I'm not the best painter in the world so the end result is what it is.
 
I'll be taking another break to catch up on other models before launching into the last Knight of the current docket.  This one will feature a conversion that I've been eying since I first began this project - saving the best (or, at least, favorite) for last, as it were.  In the meantime, there are plenty of minions of the Forge Firmamentum to flesh out.

[CommodusXIII]

The best part about finishing another Knight is being able to tackle ideas that I'd put on the back burner.

 

http://i.imgur.com/vA9qtFhl.jpg

 

These Tarantula sentry guns were inspired by jeremy1391's custom Thunderfire Cannon.  In my case, the weapons are taken from the Space Marine Razorback.  GW is now using standard turret/weapon mount sizes between all Imperial kits, meaning that these could equally be mated to quadgun turrets for anti-aircraft firepower.

[CommodusXIII]

Someone asked for a WIP picture of Fraterrus Primus' sword arm.  I usually don't take, much less post, in-progress shots but I just happened to have had one laying around.  This is before cleaning up the joint between the stock arm and the DreamForge Leviathan sword and shows just how well these two parts line up.

 

http://i.imgur.com/lrQxK5Kl.jpg

[CommodusXIII]

I've come to realize, and grudgingly to accept, that my Adeptus Mechanicus INQ28 warband is quickly spiraling out of control.

 

http://i.imgur.com/hBM2bJ7l.jpg

 

I continue to explore non-GW sources of Adeptus Mechanicus miniatures. These three all are products of Zealot Miniatures. The two Artisans on the left are both Cultists of Entropy. The far left model is a Krakolyth with a servo saw and an arm from Forge World's Mago Dominus. The middle model is an Octolyte with a servo claw and an arm from a Space Marine Devastator. Both are metal models of good quality with excellent detail. The menial on the right is an Obsequious Mecha Servant. The quality of this resin piece isn't as good as the other two, but it has already served just fine as an objective marker.

 

http://i.imgur.com/pbEXjGvl.jpg

 

This Skitarus (possibly a Tribune) is my experiment with 3d printing through Shapeways, and serves as a vehicle for the servo arm and power wrench that caught my eye months ago. The rest of the model is cobbled together from my bits bin - a Forge World Iron Hands torso, Space Legionaries Bionic Legs from Kromlech, another hooded bionic head from Ramshackle and a MaxMini bionic leg converted into a left arm. The detail of the Shapeways bits are superb, but they're extremely fragile to the point that I don't think it would survive travel.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Kan4Goxl.jpg

 

I've done my best to avoid stock GW models and instead have tried to focus on 3rd party studios and kitbashes. Alas, I finally succumbed to temptation. These are both stock Forge World models and serve as the combat medics for my warband. The Genetor is from the Death Korps of Krieg Quatermaster set. His assistant is Autosavant Wassily from the Inquisitor Lok set. Wassily's hand was unfortunately missing when he arrived, so I replaced it with one from the Magos Dominus.

 

http://i.imgur.com/pz5Z7vWl.jpg

 

I'm fascinated with the Adeptus Mechanicus' many fields of study beyond warfare. The Lexmechanic on the left is a stock model from the OOP Daemonhunters line, while the one on the right was re-purposed from the same DKoK Quartermaster set as the Genetor above.

 

Continue to stay tuned, if you'd like, as I have a tremendous backlog of Mechanicus-related projects that I'm still chewing through.  Until next time!

EDIT:  Apparently, the DKoK Quartermaster set is not OOP.  It was simply pulled from the shelves temporarily while Forge World repaired the molds.

[CommodusXIII]

Progress has slowed significantly on my Adeptus Mechanicus warband.  in the meantime, here are some pictures from the first battle of the Fraterri Fidelis!  The photos are coutesy of my opponents, friends of mine who got me into 40K back in 3rd Edition.  They were extremely good sports in letting me field-test my Imperial Knights for the first time.  They'd never seen one before, let alone four!

 

http://i.imgur.com/ETIsZjyl.jpg

 

I played a 1,500-point match against an allied force of Ultramarines, Dark Angels and Eldar. Here you see Fraterrus Secundus and Fraterrus Quartus stalking towards a group of Rangers, holed up underneath a communications tower. The Astartes move to take a nearby building, while one calmly lines up a shot with his missile launcher.

 

http://i.imgur.com/1lAX5j8l.jpg

 

On the other side of the complex, Fraterrus Primus and Fraterrus Tertius engage a Wraithlord and a Dark Angels Dreadnought. The Ultramarines Terminator squad would later end Fraterrus Primus' rampage, cutting him down with a chainfist in the final turn of the game.

 

Initial thoughts on the Imperial Knights as an army:

 

There's no middle ground.  If your opponents are prepared for them, you'll be in serious danger of being out-maneuvered or pecked to death.  If your opponents are not, it will be a bloodbath.  Several members of this group have Necron armies, and I'm very interested to see how badly Gauss weapons will maul the Knights.  While the odd penetrating hit connected with an Explodes! result, the majority of damage was done simply by whittling down hull points under massed missile launcher/lascannon fire.  Close combat can be a very dangerous place to be - although, now that the Knight Warlord is a Character, the Challenge mechanic can lead to some very interesting situations.

 

Anyway, I'm working on a rather large batch of models for my Adeptus Mechanicus support force.  Look forward to more kitbashed Servitors, some Skitarii and a few vehicles in the next post!  I'm also cranking out a few dedicated Objective markers so I have something a bit more characterful to use than random dice laying around the table.  Stay tuned!

[incinerator950]

I call bull:cuss. Your painting is simple, but very good.

[CommodusXIII]

Thank you very much!  I had to find a middle-ground between invested time and quality on the table.  Unfinished models bug the hell out of me, so I have a lot of motivation to move through my projects quickly but not sloppily.  I'm pretty happy with the results and I find that I'm still improving significantly with each attempt.  Can't ask for more than that! 

[incinerator950]

Well I wish they made an online Adeptus Titanicus. I would lve to play with Titans, even just old school Warlords only.

[CommodusXIII]

Things have slown down dramatically due to real-life responsibilities taking hold.  However, I'm still grinding my way through various projects.  Here's what I managed to capture before my camera ran out of juice:

http://i.imgur.com/86maPz3l.jpg

 

I swore to myself a long time ago that I would not get back into Space Marines. Well, here I am with three Techmarines. So much for that.

 

I took all three models currently offered - standalone, with servitors and with Thunderfire Cannon. I really don't like the new Doctor Octopus-style servo-harnesses so I went back to my roots in 3rd Edition. I also converted the plasma cutters to serve as arms for two of the Tribunes - representing either plasma pistols or plasma rifles, depending on how I'm feeling.

 

http://i.imgur.com/iKuvTwRl.jpg

 

I had to use the leftover bits from the above project for something. The four Servitors became mind(less)ers for my warband's artillery platforms, differentiated by the equipment left over from the respective kits. The Thunderfire Cannon fit right in with the aesthetics of the Tarantulas shown earlier. Its Servitors were fitted with ammunition-hauling servo arms.

 

I also ordered a Rapier Laser Destroyer from Forge World. I'm a sucker for these, as back when I started playing the Rapier and Tarantulas were one-off units found in the Citadel Journal, and not many people knew what they were. Its servitors are fitted with periscope cameras cut from the original Legionnaire crew.

 

Stay tuned for more Mechanicus technomadness, before I tackle the final Knight of my current inventory!

[Fifty]

Hey, looks awesome. I love the minor kit bashes as much as some major conversions myself, as it maintains the integrity of the original piece whilst making it original. Also, your painting looks pretty good to me. There is a difference between GD and tabletop, sure, but yours looks near the top end of "tabletop" to me, and I reckon you could start pushing into "display" even if you can't manage GD.

 

Finally, I see where you are coming from with the bases issue, but how about going for clear perspex bases? There are options available out here, and I think it would seriously improve the overall look, whilst matching any tabletop you care to put them on.

[deathspectersgt7]

Some more cool models.