A Lesser Son of Greater Fathers: Dabbling in Epic

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

 

Could be a great jumping off point for the rise of the Mortifactors there...

 

 

Yes. Yes it would...

 

That blue is fantastic! Loving your heresy stuff

 

Cheers, KBA! High praise from yourself :) Actually I vacillate on the blue - I sometimes love it and sometimes find it lacklustre. Think the photos tend to flatten it a bit, but still.

 

I've been trying to comment on this thread for weeks but each time I wrote anything I felt it wasn't worthy of the effort and quality displayed here. I don't think this comment qualifies either, but I've been postponing this long enough.

 

I can't say I care for Ultramarines. I don't mind them, even after the gushing of the fifth edition codex, sometimes I like them... but these? These, I love. So grim and gritty with fluff that actually makes me care for Ultramarines (even if by the Legion's own defintion, they fail as Ultramarines). And I loved that part where the World Eaters leave the standard undeflied out of respect for worthy warriors... Okay, you never said that but that's what I infered from the text blurb.

 

I like that you went through the effort of making the rhino's doors openable too. From seeing the 'rhinocators' of Augustus b'Raass and Brother Heinrich, though, I can tell you the top plate isn't that of the vindicator.

 

I'll take that as a huge compliment, Raven, thanks wholeheartedly :) Means a lot to get that sort of praise, especially when (like me) your starting point with the Ultramarines was one of ambivalence at the best of times. And yes, you got the right idea from the battle standard's blurb, although I'm not sure the World Eaters would have phrased it so eloquently themselves ;)

 

I actually just left the Rhino doors unglued, although it is for the reason you mention, I'd love to find a way to make them openable (though I'm honestly not sure how without a minutely sized drill and a lot of patience).

[Knight of the Raven]

You're welcome, and after a lightning search on google, I found this tutorial from this very site (and from the grim darkness of the far past):

 

Modelling: Rhino Door Tutorial

 

Looks like a lot of work though.

[CaptainStabby]

You're welcome, and after a lightning search on google, I found this tutorial from this very site (and from the grim darkness of the far past):

 

Modelling: Rhino Door Tutorial

 

Looks like a lot of work though.

 

I feel like you could achieve something similar with magnets nowadays. Maybe not. I'll leave it to others to explore, I hate painting vehicle interiors so mine are all sealed tight!

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

It does seem like a lot of work for a feature I'm not sure will see that much use. I'll have to think it over - I've got the last members of Scythica at probably 50% completion, and once they're done then I'm tackling the Rhino.

 

In the meantime, I switched out the power fist on Brother-Sergeant Nestor of I Squad Pankrator for a XIII Legion gladius. The power fist was taking up points and Pankrator will not be actively seeking close assault in the list I'm building, so those points could be better spent elsewhere. I also added a Legion numeral to one of his bracers, and added an Ultima honour to the new weapon arm, to represent his status within the censuria company as one of the company's command cadre.

 

Also played around with some new backgrounds - this was just a little experiment, let's see what you guys make of it:

____________________________

 

Brother-Sergeant Actius Nestor, Censuria Company, VII Chapter 'The Black One Hundred'

I Squad 'Pankrator'

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030008_zpsoa6swzg7.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030011_zpstz5emzze.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030013_zpsjfbyguid.jpg

 

 

+++Veteran Honours awarded following Gorro Scouring; Ultima badge awarded during Khrave Clearances (cf. VII Chapter roll of honour); promoted to Consul following Artakh Xenohold Cleansing; DISCIPLINARY OFFENCE [classified, cf. Siege of Valdenhold]; summary punishment Gradus Deiectio in effect; permanently reassigned to I Squad, [deleted] Company, VII Chapter+++

[Pearson73]

The Gladius fits well but it's perhaps a little too clean in comparison to its wielder; perhaps some more grime or bloodstains could even the balance somewhat?

[jimbo13]

I like it!!! Possible to flip the handle? Blade downward? Make it look more like he's ramming it into gorgets. Not cleanly slicing and cutting.

 

The consul looks much more balanced now without the fist. An axe/hatchet would look good to

[Brother Pheidias]

Good call, that short blade is perfect for this one.

[sockwithaticket]

Absolute BAMF, gotta say I love your take on the XIIIth more with every post.

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

The Gladius fits well but it's perhaps a little too clean in comparison to its wielder; perhaps some more grime or bloodstains could even the balance somewhat?

 

Now I look at it again, that's painfully evident and I should have thought of it earlier. Light blood spatter will do, I think.

 

I like it!!! Possible to flip the handle? Blade downward? Make it look more like he's ramming it into gorgets. Not cleanly slicing and cutting.

 

The consul looks much more balanced now without the fist. An axe/hatchet would look good to

 

Would be a great idea. Next time I use this blade maybe, I'm going to pick up some more Ultras upgrade kits I reckon.

 

Good call, that short blade is perfect for this one.

 

 

Absolute BAMF, gotta say I love your take on the XIIIth more with every post.

 

Cheers, Sock :) Big praise from yourself, dude.

[Knight of the Raven]

This guy looks like he came out Ancient Greece or Rome.

 

If any of these two cultures had rocket machine guns, anyway.

 

I love the crest!

[Dantay VI]

I always figured the blades would be clean, maybe notched here and there but generally clean. Mainly due to the energy field cooking off the blood and dirt. I had toyed with the idea of doing a tiny amount of dirty brown steam before to represent evaporating blood, but never pulled it off.

 

Exquisite as per usual... Keep setting the standard brother..

Edited April 3, 2016 by dantay_xv

[STC Logisengine]

Well, what can I say.

 

To begin with you have truly managed to compose great visual impact both with colour and modelling.

I particularly enjoy the way you manage to keep the composition suitably dark even with the inclusion of white and gold, my big issue with the way the XIII^th  usually gets handled is that it always end up to bright, to vibrant a shade of blue or to much high-polish gold, usually not enough white to balance things out.. But you have managed brilliantly.

 

Posing and use of components are also good, even if on and then you do manage to make some poses a bit unbalanced (observe that I am nitpicking at a high level here), leaning backwards at too steep an angle for example (wich is my one point of critique with your last model ), but those are few and far in between.

 

Overall I must say you have made the best iteration of the XIII^th Legion I have seen so far, keep it up.  

[Monstra Sumus]

Stellar stuff BCA. 

 

What light/photo set up do you use, out of curiosity? 

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

This guy looks like he came out Ancient Greece or Rome.

 

If any of these two cultures had rocket machine guns, anyway.

 

I love the crest!

 

Thanks! I normally hate crests but decided to give it a go with the Ultramarines. I'm glad you think it worked :)

 

 

I always figured the blades would be clean, maybe notched here and there but generally clean. Mainly due to the energy field cooking off the blood and dirt. I had toyed with the idea of doing a tiny amount of dirty brown steam before to represent evaporating blood, but never pulled it off.

 

Exquisite as per usual... Keep setting the standard brother..

 

I added a tiny bit of blood, but only a tiny bit, just because something about the monotony of the blade really bugged me otherwise. Really appreciate the kind words dantay, cheers bud.

 

Well, what can I say.

 

To begin with you have truly managed to compose great visual impact both with colour and modelling.

I particularly enjoy the way you manage to keep the composition suitably dark even with the inclusion of white and gold, my big issue with the way the XIII^th  usually gets handled is that it always end up to bright, to vibrant a shade of blue or to much high-polish gold, usually not enough white to balance things out.. But you have managed brilliantly.

 

Posing and use of components are also good, even if on and then you do manage to make some poses a bit unbalanced (observe that I am nitpicking at a high level here), leaning backwards at too steep an angle for example (wich is my one point of critique with your last model ), but those are few and far in between.

 

Overall I must say you have made the best iteration of the XIII^th Legion I have seen so far, keep it up.  

 

Cheers STC, that's hugely flattering praise, really appreciate it! I understand what you mean about the posing; I actually don't think it's too noticeable in real life but definitely understand where you're coming from. Hope you continue to like what you see :)

 

Stellar stuff BCA. 

 

What light/photo set up do you use, out of curiosity? 

 

Cheers mate. My light set up is a flat white LED bulb against a printed background shot with a Panasonic DMC TZ10. But sometimes I just use my phone camera, for WIP shots at least. Actually I think keeping a nice flat white light (but not too bright) against the models with a dark background is the most important bit. Finding a non-reflective black (or dark) surface against which to photograph minis seems harder than it should be. There's a few websites that specialise in images you can print out as backgrounds, can PM you a few if you like.

 

________________________

 

Time for a mini-milestone celebration - the Black One Hundred is officially at its halfway point with the completion of tactical support squad Scythica, bringing the number of line marines I've painted up to a round 50(!) How did that happen so fast?

 

VII

 

Scythica

 

 

'Brother-Sergeant Juba of Scythica Tactical Support was the backbone of morale in our band of malcontents during the days following our arrival on Armatura and the shock of the revelation that followed. Even Nestor, of Pankrator, had been moved to silence by the sights we beheld upon the fortress-world's surface. I was fortunate to have a handful of men amongst the Hundred, officers mostly, who I could rely upon to hold the brotherhood of the Hundred together, who had been with me since Valdenhold and the death of that bastard Lepidus. Nestor was one, the most reliable of all, my right-hand and loyal second; Trajan another. Even Coriolan of the Destroyers,  a killer through and through, honoured the brotherhood of our parade of malcontents and damned souls and would have led his men to die for the rest of us in an instant.

 

But Juba was something else. And the men who followed him, in time, became something else too. I've never seen an Ultramarine display such faith or such investment in his battle-brothers. Not only in his own unit; he lost his eye leading a forlorn hope into Kaerlak Citadel to recover a lost unit from 134^th Company, and weeks later gained his cybernetic arm saving six men from Pankrator who faced certain death, cut off and alone in Orkoid territory, by mounting a barrage of volkite fire that left burned, liquified greenskin corpses in mounds as much as a score deep, fighting for four hours until Apothecarion support could arrive to withdraw the wounded.

 

His loss, like those of Scythica who fell in the days after Armatura, is one we feel still. May their memory be held in honour by those who had the chance to fight alongside them in life; may their name stand forever more as an exemplar to the warriors who walk in their wake.'

 

-Brother-Captain Augustus

 

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030023_zpswfoieljf.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030026_zpsellat0fg.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030024_zpsnvhjgyig.jpg

[deathspectersgt7]

Always look forward to the new stuff.

[Kobrakei]

It's great when you look back and think 'I've painted HOW many models???' I know I did it with mine recently :) These are great as always, and loving that doomed forgotten heroes feeling you're bringing across in your fluff. Keep at it!

[jimbo13]

I'm loving it man!!! Great fluff piece. It's nice to see that the proverbial rejected sons come together.

[Dantay VI]

You sir, just broke my like button...

[Robzilla]

As always truly stunning work.

My favourite depiction of the ultramarines yet!

[Olis]

Well hello there, Scythica. :D

[sockwithaticket]

The melancholy fluff is great.

[Pearson73]

Looking spot on. I must say, I really like your basing, the textures and rusting on the metal are great.

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

Cheers, fellas. I haven't had the inspiration to paint for some time but recently have thought about picking up a brush again. I admit Scythica was a bit challenging to finish - by your fourth 'rank and file' squad, painting Marines gets slightly stale. Now, however, I've got a choice of my first vehicle for the Black One Hundred, a Master of Signal, or objective counters. Should be much more fun

 

In the meantime, allow me to present the results of a lazy Sunday morning; army shots celebrating halfway to the full Black One Hundred!

 

__________________________

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030035_zpsz4ne15ie.jpg

 

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030038_zpsqtatdneh.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030042_zpsvhjrl8fa.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030039_zpsqb6gjym4.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030032_zpssjcrnuvy.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030045_zpszqtkypxh.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj598/Mjolnir771/P1030043_zpshdr1pgz0.jpg

 

Not yet sure how the Iron Hands unit on secondment will be developed; so far potentials are a Seeker squad (very fluffy for vengeful IH being used as assassination cadres by the XIII) or simply as line Marines to be inserted here and there in XIII units as replacements, as casualties take their toll. The leader will likely be a Praevian stand-in, however.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Brother-Captain Arkhan

[Rangaman]

Beautiful!

[KrautScientist]

The army so far is simply looking wonderful together! Full of character -- which is no mean feat for an Ultramarines army ;) Congratulations on a great achievement, now get back to work, so we can learn more about this most intriguing part of the XIII legion! ;)