Calth: An Apologist and Doghouse True Scale Project Log

[Hyaenidae]

Have you thought about doing any scratch-built Ashen Circle, Doghouse? To hell with the FW models, the unit and it's fluff are too cool to ignore.  

[Armond]

I concur, their mission to abolish any remnants of a civilizations past atrocities are too good a bit of fluff not to create models for!

[malika666]

Malika: I have done possessed truescale in the past and it was really fun. I'm not sure if I will be adding facial tattoos though as the brush I have at the mo is a bit crap and not great for detail work. I may do some possessed MkVI guys if I get the chance.

 

I know that one! But since this is a tribute to the olden days, I thought it might be cool to model the Gal Vorbak more along the lines of the Rogue Trader era Chaos Space Marines, which seemed to be more slender and Giger like.

 

Here some pics to get you inspired:

http://37.media.tumblr.com/9e80c3f7f1f08c289615e96cfac2b330/tumblr_moi8he06br1rndemuo1_1280.jpg

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2009/1/12/15657_sm-Artwork%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Copyright%20Games%20Workshop%2C%20Daemons%2C%20Lord%2C%20Retro%20Review%2C%20Rogue%20Trader.JPGhttp://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2009/1/12/15674_sm-Artwork%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Copyright%20Games%20Workshop%2C%20Retro%20Review.JPGhttp://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/sqddamien4f1.jpghttp://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_matilsgvni1qmsrmwo1_500.jpg

[apologist]

Coo, thanks all. It's a real pleasure to be doing a joint project with DH, as he comes up with such cool ideas, and we have such similar ideas on what we like! :)

 

Having some humans get a big thumbs-up from me. I'm really keen to get some civilians built; even if they don't take part in the game, they'll be fantastic for this History channel-style feel for the blog. On that note, I'd really like to go back to my old blurbs about different armour marks and things. I thought a nice way of doing that would be to look at different Ultramarines Chapters and Companies, and individuals (because I like writing that sort of colour text!) – it would be cool to have the 190th be the core of the city's defence, with retreating Ultramarines elements appearing from different Chapters... perhaps the lone surviving squad of an attack elsewhere etc. 

 

Doghouse, love the idea of the Warhound. While the Mars pattern is cool, the Lucius is more unusual, and will fit in nicely with the blocky buildings. Either'd look great! Perhaps you could have a squad or two of Traitor Mechanicum, and a squad or two of Traitor army? No reason why the different elements wouldn't have linked up in as confusing a mess as a cityfight, and it'll be a great way to keep your interest up.

 

+++

Pics! had a game against Bob Hunk's orks over the weekend; thought I'd pop a pic up so this isn't a giant wall o'text...

[Darth Mustard]

Love what you guyz have going on there.

I recently modelled humans based on Dark eldars and human bitz which ended being taller that my CSM ... so all your work makes a very unique sense to me.

I can't even look at marine now.

I suggest you rename your plog "true scale project" into "true marines".

Really cool sculpting going on.

so just brilliant !!

[malika666]

Combining the plastic Chaos cultists with Cadians might make interesting Traitor Army units, or otherwise get the Renegades from Forge World?

[Bob Hunk]

I'd promised to show how I paint faces on my earlier blog, and thought it'd fit in nicely here. It's a long tutorial, so it's

on my blog, Death of a Rubricist.

Wow, I knew you had a great technique for faces, but I didn't realise it was so involved!

I know that one! But since this is a tribute to the olden days, I thought it might be cool to model the Gal Vorbak more along the lines of the Rogue Trader era Chaos Space Marines, which seemed to be more slender and Giger like.

That's a cool idea.

[Yodhrin]

Ermahgerd, more Apologist preheresy Ultras AND Doghouse Word Bearers? Awesome, can't wait to see what you come up with.

[The_son_of_Dorn]

Nice to see marines that just look 'proportionate' awesome level off detail, this size really does a space marines chest/torso area justice when put in contrast with their limb and especially their heads.

[Doghouse]

Cheers for the feed back guys it really does help spur us on with this project.

 

1000heathens: Not a bad idea mate, once I get these guys out of the way I'll look into it. :)

 

Malika666: For the time being mate I'm sticking purely with tactical marines as I have some serious catch up to do. I'm not sure the possessed idea will fit with the over all feel of what I have planned for now but you never know that might change. I'm aiming for more of a rebel Astartes feel than full blown corrupted servants of chaos.

 

Made quite a bit of progress today, got most of five tactical marines built and I'm hoping to base coat them this evening with any luck so pictures to follow soon. Biggest pain are the shoulder pads but I am pushing on. I'm probably going to go with the name Lucien Thrace for the Captain to show that his origins lie on Terra, I want a late unification/sol campaign origins story for him really and try to work in some of the Imperial Heralds influence.

[Yodhrin]

Oh actually Doghouse, could you give us a rundown on your process for doing the arms on your guys? I feel like my sculpting is finally "there" and the bodies/legs are progressing well on my artscale blokes, but it's proving a right pain in the arse to get arms that account for the expanded chest size without ending up looking like they're holding bolters with broken wrists, heh.

[Doghouse]

Sure no problem mate.

 

I use the regular plastic marine arms then set them so that the elbow is roughly in line between the bottom of the rib cage and the waist. This will look a bit odd as the arms will initially be set lower down than normal. I then fill the arm with GS between the raised cuff of the wrist and the elbow pad, I then do the same with the upper arm, sculpt a larger elbow pad over the old one and cover the top of the arm with the shoulder pad.

[Yodhrin]

Sure no problem mate.

I use the regular plastic marine arms then set them so that the elbow is roughly in line between the bottom of the rib cage and the waist. This will look a bit odd as the arms will initially be set lower down than normal. I then fill the arm with GS between the raised cuff of the wrist and the elbow pad, I then do the same with the upper arm, sculpt a larger elbow pad over the old one and cover the top of the arm with the shoulder pad.

Herp derp. You know that idea didn't even occur to me? I've been fannying about for weeks with measuring out wire for armatures or sawing apart and gluing together various combinations of PA arms, TDA arms, and plasticard spacers, and not once did I think "move the arms down a bit and resculpt the detail to hide it" *headdesk*

Cheers man, I'll give it a bash.

[sheep]

Tried to send you a pm DH, but you inbox is full.

 

I've been doing an engineering degree, and it's not leaving much time for the hobby.

 

I'd like to see your take on a war hound, didn't you have a reaver at some stage?

[Moonstalker]

Wow, I'm really glad that I haven't missed this thread.  Doghouse, your tutorials and models have been making me want to start my own truescale army for years now.  Apologist, that army (!) looks great, I seeing so many truescale marines in a single force, painted, and so individualized is amazing.

 

Can't wait till you guys finally get to put these down on the same table.

[RazakelXIII]

Both of you do some of the best truescale work out there, and everything looks great so far. I have no doubt that this is gonna be a hell of a thread.

[malika666]

 

 

Made quite a bit of progress today, got most of five tactical marines built and I'm hoping to base coat them this evening with any luck so pictures to follow soon. Biggest pain are the shoulder pads but I am pushing on. I'm probably going to go with the name Lucien Thrace for the Captain to show that his origins lie on Terra, I want a late unification/sol campaign origins story for him really and try to work in some of the Imperial Heralds influence.

I'm really digging the Terra/Sol links here. It would also be cool to see some more on the Sol system in general, I would imagine that the Emperor wouldn't only recruit from Terra in the early days. What about the Jovian settlements, Saturn, Neptune, Saturn, the asteroid belts.

 

In the audiodrama Templar there is a asteroid-tomb which contains the skulls of all those fallen during the Unification Wars. The Word Bearers were assigned to guard it. However, them being traitors and all, I would imagine that (a) they maintained contact with the rest of the Legion and (b) might also have been replaced by other Word Bearers every now and then (change of the guard).

 

These aspects alone would be very interesting to explore when digging into the Terran characters.

 

Another aspect is their corruption, like you said they are more rebels rather then full fledged Chaos Space Marines embracing the daemonic side. But correct me if I'm wrong here (ADB?), didn't Lorgar view the 'fusion' between man and daemon (such as the Gal Vorbak) to be the new ideal for man to aspire to? If the war on Calth is indeed a purge of those Word Bearers not fully worthy, could it be said that your company of the Tri-Fold Crown are seen as less worthy because they haven't fully embraced Chaos like the others?

 

Looking further into their corruption, you might question whether they've already been corrupted whilst on Terra, or if this happened later on (influence of Lorgar and Erebus/Kor Phaeron). Weren't there all sorts of corrupted Terrans on Caliban in the Fallen Angels book? What about Calas Typhon, the First Captain of the Death Guard? He was already corrupted by Erebus long before his Primarch joined the cause. However, if we have to go The Lion, Typhon was a Terran and already hiding all sorts of stuff from his Primarch, such as his psychic powers. Now the idea that Lucien Thrace was already corrupt (perhaps even subconsciously) is rather insidious, and also shows that the Emperor's ideal/vision was already very flawed from the start.

[apologist]

Hmm... musing on the subject, it's a traditional sci-fi trope for the 'goodies' to be from Earth, with all our cultural trappings and baggage, and relationship to our solar system and the sun. They're the tribal icons, so to speak, of humanity. With that in mind, it's cool to flip that on its head, with the distant alien worlds of Ultramar being the 'goodies', and the Earthlings the terrible invaders.

 

If Doghouse wants the Solar/Colchisian infantry, it'd be great to have an Ultramar counterpart, with the human forces being drawn from the worlds of Ultramar. They and the XIII Legion would have their history, association and cultural background all being drawn from this (to them) ancient culture, with far more ties to Macragge than Terra. I imagine that's what the BL team was getting at with Know No Fear and having Imperium Secundus' capital world sited there – well, in addition to practical matters, that is!

 

I built and painted some members of auxiliary regiments to add some background to my gaming group's 2014 project (The Scallop Star Purges) to add some colour and interest. 

 

Some more like this – soldiers drawn from loyal and traitor regiments, civilians, Mechanicum bureacrats, Imperial officials, Word Bearer fleet personnel and other dramatis personae – really tie in with the idea of building a 'History Channel' feel and add some breadth to the project. 

[malika666]

By the way, this might be interesting for both of you. Sor Talgron's approach in this conflict is rather interesting, reminding me of Doghouse's Terran Word Bearers.

[apologist]

Thanks for all the great comments and suggestions, all! I've been in photography this week, so not much chance to update, but hope to get quite a bit done over the weekend so I have some new stuff to show you.

 

That said, work continues apace when I get some spare time in the evenings. Finished this Ultramarine last night:

 

+++Edit+++

Oh, Doghouse, I meant to ask – where's Captain Thrace's head from? It it the new Sternguard set, with the hair shaved down? It works really well for him; gives him a really grizzled snarl. 

[Darth Mustard]

Where is the IG head ?

I´m into the market for gas mask ;)

[disease]

subscribed!

[malika666]

Where is the IG head ?

I´m into the market for gas mask

If I'm not mistaken that model is from Victoria Miniatures.

[apologist]

Yes, that's right; the head, along with the rest of the model, is from Victoria Miniatures. I can thoroughly recommend Vic's stuff – it's fantastic

I was thinking through how to get the historical reportage feel across with the project and ended up getting carried away with a bit of writing last night. I think it'd be cool to have stuff reported by non-Astartes forces – a resident Remembrancer for me, and Doghouse's Astorpath, perhaps?

Anyway, here's what I wrote; from the point of view of the (as-yet-unnamed) Rubricist-Historioagrapher. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the armour of the Legions at Calth; I hope to accompany some of the models I make with commentary on the particular patterns they wear, as I really enjoy this part of my hobby. Doghouse, I've added in some thoughts on the Word Bearers that I hope you like; they're intended to help tie in your marines. Let me know if you want anything altered

+++

+ inload: Space Marine Armour Marks at Calth +

As the Great Crusade wore on and the bounds of the Imperium increased, supply lines for the whole of humanity's fighting force became attenuated. Simultaneously, novel STC discoveries were routed back to node worlds such as Cypria Mundi, Hydraphur, and – of course – Mars; where the Astartes' armour and weapons were refined and improved.

These circumstances meant that the uniformity of Mark II Crusade armour, used by all Astartes at the commencement of the Great Crusade, was diluted further and further. As more Forgeworlds and STCs were brought to light, they were set to work producing materiel for the Legions at various staging posts throughout the Imperium. The inherent difficulty and delays of communication created by the size and speed of the Imperium's expansion, coupled with most forgeworld's jealous hoarding of their secrets, meant that from an early stage in the Great Crusade Space Marines wore subtly different armour.

While all information was fed back to Mars and then sent back out to the Mechanicum across the galaxy, some refinements made by individual forgeworlds were lost in interstellar communication, or were superceded at node worlds by more effective measures received from elsewhere. As a result, local variants of armour emerged which were termed patterns, based upon the forgeworld of manufacture. The original Mark II plate issued to all the legions was retroactively named Mars-pattern. The phrase 'Crusade Armour' became a common term, used interchangeably with Mark II, to describe all compatible power armour suits, regardless of their planet of manufacture.

+RETRIEVAL FAILED+

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +

+ Mars-pattern mark II, Legio VII designate, detail +

Despite its flexibility and versatility, Crusade Armour eventually reached a point that further refinements were largely cosmetic and counter-productive as the number of patterns soared. Mars-pattern Mark III and Mark IV – Iron Armour and Maximus Plate respectively – were issued in relatively quick succession; the first a culmination of existing technology into a definitive final point, and the latter a genuine evolution of Astartes armour made possible by the Martian Mechanicum's discoveries during the Great Crusade.

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +
+ 'Psithene-pattern mark IV, Legio XX designate, detail +

By the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, no Legion remaining could be categorically stated to have all their forces in the same patterns of power armour, and most of them used a variety of marks. The Primarchs' and Legions' preferences also influenced and complicated this issue. Some favoured newer armour for veterans, while others issued the latest armour to recruits. Individuals often added, or were issued, updated or artificer-crafted elements as replacements to their existing armour; creating mongrel suits – retroactively grouped into the loosely-defined Mark V 'Heresy suit' – that demonstrate the STC system's inherent compatibility to great effect.

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +
+ 'Composite Mars/Accatran pattern mark V, incorporating Mark IV Mars helm, Legio XIII designate, detail' +

+++

+ Armour of the XIII Legion +

It might be expected that the Ultramarines' organisational nous would mean the Legion could assemble in identical gleaming ranks, each line warrior a mirror of the next; but in truth the sheer size and widely-scattered disposition of the legion made uniformity a vain hope. In any case, the culture of the 31st Millennium placed more emphasis on battlefield efficacy and reliability than on an obsessive and fruitless need to 'count rivets'. Nevertheless, the Ultramarines attempted to maintain internal consistency within individual Expeditionary Fleets, for ease of maintenance if little else. However, ongoing field replacement, resupply delays and, most of all, the yawning gulfs of isolation inherent to warp travel meant that Ultramarines Legionaries in different Expeditionary Fleets wore a huge variety of armour variants and marks drawn from all over the galaxy.

Prior to the Calth Atrocity, Ultramarines were most commonly armoured with Mars-pattern Mark II plate, because Konor – a forgeworld protectorate of the legion situated in the Macragge system – was a relative backwater. Situated on the Imperium's frontier, Konor was isolated by sheer distance from communiques from Mars, and as a result was still manufacturing relatively unsophisticated suits of power armour even as Mark III and IV were being distributed to other Legions. Even so, Mars-pattern was issued across little more than circa sixty per cent of the Ultramarines. The remainder of the XIII Legion – 100,000 or more warriors, a number that rivalled other entire Legions in in number – wore a disparate collection of Mark II variants. Notable amongst those used by the Ultramarines were Port Caros-pattern; Calth-pattern (the famed 'Praetor Armour'); Incaladion-pattern and Phaeton-pattern, all of which differed in subtle ways from Mars-pattern, but were broadly built on similiar tolerances and the parts of which were inter-compatible.

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +
+ Phaeton-pattern Mark II (incomplete), Legio XIII designate, detail +

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +

+ Calth-pattern Mark II, congnomen: Praetor, Legio XIII designate +

+RETRIEVAL FAILED+

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +

+ Port Caros-pattern Mark II, Legio XIII designate +

+RETRIEVAL FAILED+

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +
+ Incaladion-pattern Mark II, Legio XIII designate +

The precise choice of pattern an Expeditionary Fleet's complement of Ultramarines Astartes wore was mainly dependent on the individual fleet's galactic placement, with the Legion officers requisitioning sufficient armour to resupply his whole force in one fell swoop. As a result, a significant minority of the Ultramarines Legion – mainly those operating in the core of the Imperium – were lucky enough to be issued with the newer Iron and Maximus armour suits; by the time they were recalled to Calth. A small proportion were even operating with the experimental Mark VI 'Corvus' suits, though difficulty of repair meant that these were rarely complete, with individual components being replaced with inferior earlier parts following damage.

+ Armour of the XVII Legion +

Given the Ultramarines' disparate appearance, those with a low opinion of the Word Bearers – the only extant Legion to be reproved personally by the Emperor of mankind – might conversely expect their wargear to be more rag-tag and non-uniform. Indeed, this prejudice might be strengthened by the XVII's isolated nature on the edge of the galaxy, far from resupply; and their apparent desperate zeal in expanding the Imperium that meant their speed of redeployment outstripped supply lines.

However, quite the opposite was the case. While the Word Bearers were indeed fighting hard on the fringes and enjoying huge success in their crusade of fire and blood, the Warmaster had ordered huge quantities of Mark IV armour to be sent to the XVII as a mark of his favour. These advanced suits meant the Word Bearers suffered fewer casualties and damage even as they expanded massively. In addition, the Warmaster's patronage of Lorgar's legion was supported by the nascent Munitorum. Naively believing the Word Bearers' sincerity in their drive to demonstrate their worth to the Emperor, Munitorum officials were keen to further encourage the Word Bearer's apparent change of heart and prioritised the XVII's resupply over other Legions – sending both more and better, more advanced, armour marks.

As a result, prior to the Battle of Calth, the Word Bearer saw extended life expectancy and battle experience for their veteran forces, even as they saw a huge influx of recruits. The Legion blossomed, growing in size to be second only to the Ultramarines themselves; and with virtually every legionary resplendent in gleaming Maximus or Corvus plate.

It is rumoured that the Word Bearer forces sent to Calth were secretly selected by Lorgar from those he considered most consumed by hatred of the Ultramarines; those whose zeal to bring down the XIII eclipsed almost all other considerations. This included a disparate array of troops: those who saw their chastisement on Monarchia as an unbearable humiliation; those who saw Guilliman's legion as exemplars of the despised Imperium's values; and petty bitter brethren who could not see beyond the jealousy of the Ultramarine's reputation. These warriors ranged from new recruits raised in hatred, to veterans battle-hardened by the whole of the Great Crusade.

While the Word Bearers had already largely purged their ranks of Terrans, Lorgar also saw Calth as a chance to dispose of those unwitting few from the throneworld who had escaped both the secret massacres and survived the fires of Isstvan. These legionaries and officers included some of the oldest and most obedient Word Bearers of all. Tragically, some of these surviving Terrans were amongst the group taken into the inner lodges, who had earlier helped to plan and execute the destruction of the other Word Bearers who shared their world of birth. Some were amongst the most experienced and highly-connected Chapters, almost completely comprised of legionaries honoured with cutting-edge Mark VI plate.

Despite proving their loyalty to Lorgar beyond all reasonable doubt; following him in preference to the Emperor who had personally led them during the early battles of the Unification Wars, the Primarch of the XVII consigned these unhappy, unwitting few to Calth. Perhaps he was gripped by remorse, secretly hoping they would triumph and survive; perhaps he wanted to excise any surviving connection to the throneworld; perhaps he was already gripped by the madness of Chaos. The truth will likely never be known.

+ Assembly at Calth +

Owing to the treachery of Lorgar and the Warmaster Horus, the majority of the Ultramarines legion was gathered on the surface of Calth immediately prior to the Atrocity. While the bulk of the Legion had been stationed relatively nearby – prosecuting the Great Crusade on the expanding Eastern Fringe from staging points on the Five Hundred Worlds – this huge undertaking involved recalling Chapters, Companies, and even individual squads from as far afield as the Adrantis system in the distant galactic west, and the newly conquered territories rimwards of Cypra Mundi.

As explained above, while the gleaming cobalt blue and gold of the Legion's heraldry tied together all of the XIII, it was a common sight for two Companies to be bedecked in perfect uniformity internally, but to be wearing completely different armour patterns.

+RETRIEVAL FAILED+

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +
+ Legio XIII 190th Company Assembly: 'Lions o(...) +SCRPASHUNTERRORABORT+ designate +

+ The Calth Atrocity +

Immediately following the initial attack, the reeling Ultramarines were forced into undignified retreat. Whole Chapters were slaughtered without firing a shot; and few Companies survived completely unscathed. So widespread and well co-ordinated was the attack, and so tightly-packed were the Ultramarines' forces, that the hours following the Campanile's destructive crash-landing saw the XIII legionaries rallying uncertainly into makeshift and hotch-potch battlegroups. Some were made up of Companies or battlegroups that had largely escaped the initial slaughter, and so their armour remained uniform; while others were battle forged groups made up of individual survivors who had managed to band together.

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +
+ Legio XIII Temporary grouping, Unknown designate +

In the latter instance, the groups could look hugely disparate, with temporary squads marshalled from remnants. In these cases, each Ultramarine in a squad might be wearing different armour and clutching different weaponry – an impression reinforced by the need to scavenge weaponry as the Word Bearers and their allies methodically targeted and destroyed armouries, warehouses and stockpiles. However, it was more common for survivors to be found by, or attracted to, Companies that had been ravaged. In these instances, the core of the force might be wearing largely uniform armour, with a few individuals in a different pattern or mark bulking up understrength squads.

In contrast, the Word Bearers ground forces remained relatively uniform, at least in the overground theatre. With little to no effective response from the Ultramarines, the Word Bearers advanced largely unchallenged, conquering and despoiling Calth's townships, cities and barracks. Until the Calth Orbital Defence Array came back into loyalist hands, Word Bearer casualties were scattered and light, and as a result, their armour remained for the most part inviolate and uniform.

However, once the Ultramarine's automated and manned defences were restored, the triumphant Word Bearers found themselves embroiled in bitter counterstrikes, where forces loyal to Ultramar came surging forward in hastily-applied ambushes. Despite the lack of a reliable central command and control, the Ultramarines and Army units were on home ground, and were justifiably enraged. In turn, their excellent and well-prepared counter-assaults were met head-on by the bloodied edge of legionaries who had already fought that unthinkable fight: that of inter-legion warfare. The Word Bearers' experiences on Isstvan more than matched the Ultramarines' prepared practical drills, and the two forces were evenly matched.

+ The Underworld War +

Even as the Ultramarines rallied and began to fight back, the next step of the XVII Legion's plan came to fruition. Veridias, the system's star, was poisoned, driving the combatants – Ultramarines and Word Bearers alike – to seek shelter. During this period, surviving elements were often isolated, and forced to scavenge weapons and armour. The period following the Calth Atrocity saw many interesting jury-rigged armour changes and inventive temporary solutions; not to mention the peculiar patchwork appearance of red and blue marines forced to use elements of their dead enemies' armour in the desperate tunnel-fighting of the Underworld War; but that is beyond the scope of today's missive.

+ pict-capture noospheric inload tag: +
+ Legio XIII Temporary grouping, Unknown designate +

+++

[apologist]

Double-post alert!

Just put the finishing touches to the first absolute complete - weathering, basing, markings - Legion Tactical squad. Off to the pub for lunch and a celebratory synth-ale! :)