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Alpha Legion: Operational Group Tiamat


Ammonius

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This WIP log will be for my Alpha Legion Army that I am calling "Operational Group Tiamat".

A couple of my 40K buddies and I sat down about a month ago and started to hash out what we wanted to build and play in 2015. After really looking at the kind of army I wanted to play, I found that I couldn't do what I wanted with the CSM codex. Therefore, this army will be built from the Codex: Space Marines book with Forge World's Raptors chapter tactics, and is intended for use in the 40K environment. To kick things off, here are some pictures:

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As you can see, this will be a mechanized Infantry army, with scouting (and possibly infiltrating) Razorbacks and Rhinos, some carrying Sternguard with all the combi-weapons. Add to this some heavy support kits that have been sitting on the shelf for too long, and the result is an army that I am really excited to build and run. More to come as I get things assembled and phtographed!

Thanks for looking!

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Wow, an auspicious start, my hat's off to you, you audacious alpha legionnaire!

 

Seriously though, they look great-- the combination of forgeworld extra armor with the assault cannon razorback turrets makes for a very intimidating transport!

 

Raptors rules? Hmm, does that mean we can look forward to an Alpha legion version of Lias Issodon?  

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It looks like a great start

Seconded. smile.png

Thanks guys!

Wow, an auspicious start, my hat's off to you, you audacious alpha legionnaire!

Seriously though, they look great-- the combination of forgeworld extra armor with the assault cannon razorback turrets makes for a very intimidating transport!

Raptors rules? Hmm, does that mean we can look forward to an Alpha legion version of Lias Issodon?

Yes indeed! Within the next couple of weeks, I hope to have all of the parts on hand to do assembly.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Update! With the winter storms came shipping delays, and so getting the things I needed to finish up this first phase of assembly took a bit longer than I anticipated. However, I think it was worth the wait! Check it out:

First we'll start with an assembled Tactical squad. The mix of Mk III armor and Anvilus power packs shows the age and varied origins of the Operational Group's supplies:

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Here we have a squad of Sternguard. Their cocksure arrogance is reflected in their "ready to rock and roll" weapon handling:

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Of course these guys do not walk when they can ride! In order to make my Razorbacks and Rhinos look a little different, I added a bumper (as opposed to a spiked plow) and some Taurox headlights. I imagine that each vehicle has lights in several spectrums, to better facilitate those stealth moves:

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And when I added some Zinge Industries rivets and primer we get:

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And a simple overhead shot of all 4 squads and transports, assembled and primed:

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So now I'm only short the parts for my Alpha Legion version of Lias Issodon, and I'll have all of the core of this army complete. Next up, a Storm Talon.

Thanks for looking!

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I consider Zinge Industries a trusted source of parts. I used their flexible resin and coiled wire hoses on the Obliterators I built in 2012, and I have used some resin parts on some of my Traitor Guard vehicles in 2014. In addition, I think the owner is a Frater here.

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  • 3 weeks later...

UPDATE: Base colors!!

So, I have been working with blue and turquoise paints to try and find a color I like that isn't the indigo of Pre-Heresy Alpha Legion, and isn't the blue-with-green highlights of the more chaosified 40K Alpha Legion. And so, following the lead of B+C Frater Ripper.McGuirl, and Marc Raley at his blog, I think I have a recipe that I like:

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And there you have the base colors! After everything has had time to dry and cure, I'll do some sponge chipping, and then start on details in earnest. I think I want to do decal insignia, which means I need to decide on what those would be.

Thanks for looking!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Storm Talon WIP!

So, since I am making extensive use of my Airbrush, I saw that I needed to keep some of the parts of the Storm Talon separate for much of the painting. This snowballed until I found myself painting the most separate parts of a model than ever before! Here is a WIP shot:

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So now, with my Alpha Legion vehicles and troops basecoated, I need to stop procrastinating and make and apply decals before proceeding. The thing is, I know I don't want to do the "traditional" hydras, because these Alphas have been out beyond the edge of the Imperium and back instead of going into the Great Eye, and they will have changed according to their own history. So, I've been looking for ways to reference the Pre- and Post heresy Alpha Legion feel. I think I found a potential winner among some educational clip art. I turned an "A" into a Delta, and left the instructional arrows to make it a little more cryptic. Do these symbols represent a tactical axiom, brazenly on display? Do they refer to a specific event? Or, are these Astartes just trying to make sure Observers draw their symbol correctly when they report back to enemy leaders? What do you guys think?

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Thanks for looking!

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  • 2 months later...

Well I've been plugging away on these guys, and I have a picture or two to share!

A clean tank is a sign of an idle warrior:

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I'm pretty happy with these, but I still want to go back with some exhaust black and a small brush and add some discoloration to vents, etc. I just hope that my matte sealer is actually matte! Anyway, until next time!

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Guest Royal Cactus

Hey, cool idea with the count-as thing, AL isn't into the Dark Gods, so it's fine, no lost here^^

i like weathering. what is the thought behind the base? i somehow allways picture an "space-ship-inside" theme with the AL :)

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Hey, cool idea with the count-as thing, AL isn't into the Dark Gods, so it's fine, no lost here^^

i like weathering. what is the thought behind the base? i somehow allways picture an "space-ship-inside" theme with the AL smile.png

The bases are just a generic wreckage-strewn wasteland/ battlefield look. At the point in time depicted by their bases and weathering these Alpha Legion are much more "outdoorsy" than a cell operating inside a target ship. Also, the intended army they fit into includes a Knight, that will have a matching base. Thanks for looking!

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Weeeeellll....

I think I need to learn a little more about weathering powders. This morning, I attempted to seal my vehicles with a matte sealer, and it changed the appearance of my models:

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gallery_60727_10504_276074.jpgI mean, they look cool, but the interplay between the orange powder and blue paint is gone. Here is what I think may have gone wrong.

  1. Maybe I didn't let the powder cure long enough?
  2. Maybe the powder couldn't cling to the gloss varnish coat I put on to protect the decals?
  3. Maybe I applied too much matte sealer?
  4. Maybe the pigments and my matte sealer are incompatible?

Suggestions/ advice welcome!

++Edit/ Addendum++

Ok, after a little more research, it looks like I didn't use a fixative to keep the powder in place, and using varnish like I did consistently changes the look of weathering powders anyway. I think what I'll do is go back and use a little isoprpyl alchohol to fix some more powders in the deepest recesses to get back some of the orange to set off the bluish-turquoise and call it good. The varnish will protect the model, and I'll get some of the powdery look that was in post #15. I'll get pics of the rework up, and then apply all of these lessons learned to the Marines.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Royal Cactus

Hey :)

 

I usally use vallejo pigment binder that does the job for me, but to be honest, i think the last pic. looks the best :)

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Just to add to what Cactus said, you can also use white spirit to 'bind' powder onto surfaces before sealing it. I believe you could still go over it now with weathering powder again and cover it with white spirit and it should be fine.

 

And really, really awesome work so far. I love the gritty look of this force and the no-nonsense approach to decoration. Truly a fan.

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Thanks everyone!

GrandMagus: It's a 40k army that uses a mix of Forge World and GW parts to represent an Alpha Legion cell that was sent to the edge of the Imperium during the Great Crusade, and never went into the Eye after the Heresy. They have had to be self-sufficient for a long long time, and so their gear reflects that. I plan on building an Imperial Knight next, which is why what you see here doesn't add up to even a 1500 point force.

And so, let's see how things turned out!

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Thanks again for looking!

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