3,000 point 30k Iron Hands list - Completed

[The Grim Badger]

Very nice Iron Hands that fella!

 

Gorgons looking grim and great, and that Plasma Support Squad, very nice with the red cowling. Breaks up the black!

 

Thanks very much! It was a real load off getting those Gorgons done I can tell you. And yes, Im a big fan of the red casings on the weapons. As you say, it really helps break up what is otherwise a very two tone colour scheme. That along with the light earth weathering powder provides a bit of warmth to the scheme that it is otherwise lacking :)

[The Grim Badger]

So Im away on a work trip for a few days, which somehow resulted in the day before it, painting an entire Land Raider for my Gorgon Terminators... Its not quite finished. I need to drill the heavy bolter barrels, add some black soot on the engine stacks, and weather the transfers a little... but here she is:

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/IMG_1769.jpg

 

I think I over did it a little on the OSL for the headlights this time, but when its next to the other tanks and such in my army it doesnt look so bad. The camera also massively blows the white out which makes it look far brighter than it is in real life. See below:

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/IMG_1779.jpg

 

There are two headlights there... so I guess that could be an excuse. Still, it adds a nice splash of colour to an otherwise quite dull scheme. It also fits what I had in my head at the start, this idea of these neon blue lights piercing the darkness of the battlefield as the Iron Tenth roll into position, guns blazing.

 

So, below is a 'family portrait' of my painted Iron Hands army to date. 2,300 points or there abouts. Next up on the painting block, a Rhino, followed by a Sicaran Venator.

 

All thats left after that is Ferrus, a Spartan, a Storm Eagle and a few extra dudes :)

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/IMG_1780.jpg

 

Until next time, faithful readers!

[The Grim Badger]

Greetings one and all! I return with yet more updates!!

 

Yes, thats right - despite being away for 3 nights last week, I have had a bit of time this weekend to work more on the Iron Hands army. Updates below!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Feb%201_1.jpg

 

So first up, I revisited my Gorgon Terminators - I had decided that I needed to sprinkle in some Chain Fist goodness to help them out with cracking high armour tanks open, or save them from a leviathan. So I ended up knocking these together from the bolter chain bayonets that Forge World like to put in their kits - really happy with the results! These feel far more brutal to me than the regular ones, and really fit the image of the Gorgons in my opinion.

 

I then cracked on with the Rhino for my Plasma squad!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Feb%205_1.jpg

 

I was amazed at how quickly I managed to crack this one out to be honest. I guess I'm getting to the point with this scheme where I know it so well that it just sort of happens without much thought - great stuff! The only sadness was having to use a silver Iron Hands logo on the top hatch, but I guess this Rhino came from a different motorpool in the force, as its carrying plasma support squad anyway... thats my excuse!

 

Whilst I had the airbrush out for OSL effects I turned my attention to my Sicaran Venator...

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Feb%204_1.jpg

 

I was sooooo happy with how this looked, and realised that that on top of this, there really wasn't an awful lot more to do detail wise on the model. So I cracked on with it!! The big challenge was working with mud effects, weathering powders and washes WITHOUT getting any on that brilliant white glow... not cool!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Feb%207_1.jpg

 

Ta-daaaa! again, happy with how this came out. Going to look at adding some transfers further down the line as I feel it could use some white decals to lift other areas of the tank, but another one that I'm really happy to get finished. Especially as the pilot is magnetised so I can get my 'Castremen Orth' model into the cupola. 

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Feb%208.jpg

 

I had a lot of fun getting the mud onto this model. I've developed a highly complex technique of 'flinging' the mud up from the ground level by twanging the texture tool fully loaded at the model...! That said, I was careful not to get any on that bright OSL part - my thought being that its probably so hot that any mud would immediately evaporate.  

 

I was so pleased with the work I got done this weekend, I treated myself to starting - and then completing - my three Cyber Familiars that I need for Orth, my Gorgon Hammer Bearer, and my Warlord in the 3,000 point list. So without further ado;

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Feb%206.jpg

 

These great models came courtesy of MaxMini EU - I had to wait quite a while last year for them to come as the mould had broken, but it was great to finally put a brush to these exciting looking miniatures!

 

So, rapidly closing in the goal now. I did a proper stock check on whats left to paint and the official list stands as such:

 

Needed for 3,000 point list:

 

• 1 Apothecary
• 1 Spartan
• Ferrus Manus

 

Additional models not currently in any list:

 

• 1 Apothecary
• 8 Power armour marines
• 1 Sergeant / Character
• 1 Storm Eagle

 

I really want to paint all of these things, but I'm going to focus on the things I need in the 3k list and then see how I feel after that. I might shelve the others for the time being if I feel I'm running out of steam for the Iron Hands again, but at the moment that doesn't seem to be the case... so who knows!

 

Until next time, good people! :)

[Thousand Eyes]

Great updates there, thanks for sharing.

 

One small thing the lights on your vehicles seem a little too bright. I would personally tone them back, but of course how it looks in person to you is the most important.

[The Grim Badger]

Great updates there, thanks for sharing.

 

One small thing the lights on your vehicles seem a little too bright. I would personally tone them back, but of course how it looks in person to you is the most important.

 

Always great to get some critical feedback! Thanks Thousand Eyes :)

 

In person, the glow doesn't actually look this bright - but my camera bloody LOVES blowing out the white. Friends of mine said the same thing from the photos, but then when seeing it in person realised it was totally in keeping with what I'd done previously with the Rhinos.

 

As I mentioned in one my early posts, this piercing blue headlight effect was one of the things that I was aiming for when I started a black army. I wanted to get this sense of power contained within the chassis, piercing the darkness of a battlefield with little regard for how obvious the oncoming force would be. That was the plan anyway :) They look like plasma powered headlights lol.

 

Thanks for dropping by, and thanks again for your comment :)

[brother tycho]

Lovely work dude, the black tone on those gorgons is great, subtly blue, more interesting than a flat black.  I see a resemblance in style to the 2nd edition cc terminators looking at those gorgons, great models and you've done them credit

[The Grim Badger]

Lovely work dude, the black tone on those gorgons is great, subtly blue, more interesting than a flat black.  I see a resemblance in style to the 2nd edition cc terminators looking at those gorgons, great models and you've done them credit

 

Thank you very much sir! I'm very pleased with how they've come out. 

 

I played a game this week against a good buddy of mine and his Sons of Horus. The Iron Tenth emerged victorious! Some photos below;

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/2000%20points.jpg

 

The Iron Tenth musters for war!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/17121601_10158540074750727_622351055_o.jpg

 

The theatre of war.

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/17122197_10158540074765727_2036949275_o.jpg

 

Sons of Horus assault squad try their luck against the Delegatus and his Plasma team.

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/17121748_10158540074485727_995428998_o.jpg

 

Gorgon terminators mopping up a tactical squad in the enemy deployment zone.

 

 

 

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be working on my Apothecary, the Spartan Assault Tank, and then finally, Ferrus Manus himself. Watch this space!

[The Grim Badger]

Greetings, travellers.

 

Another weekend goes by, and I've managed to squeeze in a bit of painting once again. Perhaps not quite as much as I had hoped, but never the less I am here to present the fruits of that labour!

 

Introducing, my Iron Hands Apothecary;

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Apothecary.jpg

 

Pictured here with some of his Iron Brethern. I decided to go with an all-white scheme for a bit of contrast. I recently painted an Apothecary for my Iron Warriors force and did him in the standard legion scheme with some embellishments and I find him hard to pick out! Also, the white gave me a chance to use the oil wash technique that I had recently been using on my Blood Bowl team - it really helps get that mucky, battlefield feel to a model. Also slathered on a bit of Blood for the Blood God to emphasis the... special... nature of this guys work, helping out the 'weak' parts of the Legion.

 

With him completed by end of play Saturday, I moved onto the big job - project Spartan!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Spartan%201.jpg

 

Because the tracks are now part of this model, rather than sold separately, I indulged in lots and lots of masking to get the tracks done quickly - bugger doing it with a brush!! I was pleasantly surprised by how 'complete' the model feels even after just this addition. Still, plenty more to do...!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Spartan%202.jpg

 

As it stands, I've now painted all of the metal parts, and washed them. I even found time to add some of the red parts to the weapons on here. Not sure if it needs 'more' red bits, or if this works as the splash colour but we shall see. Next up, highlighting the black, dry brushing runefang silver over some edges and then perhaps some transfers before I crack on with the weathering.

 

I am hoping to have this model completed this week, time allowing. Which means that I'll be able to start The Gorgon himself this month... EXCITING TIMES!!

 

Stay tuned, brothers!

[The Grim Badger]

A little more work on the Spartan last night. Managed to get highlights done on the black, metal and red parts as well as base colour for the lenses, the lamp, and adding the mud effect.

 

All thats left now is to do transfers, weathering, and finish the lenses. I still need to go back over all of the tanks and do black weathering powder on the smoke stacks, but that shouldn't take too long. Photo update below:

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Spartan%203.jpg

 

March 2017 will be the month of the Gorgon for sure...

[The Grim Badger]

This week the Spartan was completed, which means Im now at 2500 points with only Ferrus himself left to paint until I reach my 3000 point goal. To celebrate this fact, I had a bit of a photo shoot with the army as it currently stands, so without further ado;

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-1.jpg

The fully army as it stands now, which includes some Castellax and a Terminator armoured Praetor painted by my painting guru :)

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-4.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-9.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-10.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-11.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-12.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-13.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-16.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-17.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-18.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Iron%20Hands%20Complete/Iron%20Hands-20.jpg

 

 

As I press the 'post' button here, my next move will be to walk over to my hobby table, pick up my black box and start washing the remaining resin parts for Ferrus. Its Gorgon time.

[lionofjudah]

That's a fantastic looking army man!! Congrats

[Luna707]

Really top notch stuff! I think I've said it before but that color scheme is just beautiful and it looks amazing on your Gorgons. Great work!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work.

[The Grim Badger]

That's a fantastic looking army man!! Congrats

 

Thanks! So glad to have gotten this far with it. This is now officially the largest army I've painted for the hobby since my Imperial Guard, which was extremely basic (Like, base coat only.)

 

 

Really top notch stuff! I think I've said it before but that color scheme is just beautiful and it looks amazing on your Gorgons. Great work!

 

Cheers! Yeah I recall you giving complements before, but happy to take some more ;) haha. I was really pleased the Gorgons worked out well, my other half is glad to see them painted up finally lol.

 

 

Excellent work.

 

Thank you!

 

 

So, last night I started on Ferrus Manus himself. Not gotten far yet, but felt I should document the process regardless!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%201.jpg

 

So here he is, unboxed and in the same state he's been for almost a year - just to represent him in the few games I've played him in. A pretty decent cast from Forge World, with minor slippage - but nothing Im too worried about!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%202.jpg

 

The first thing I've decided to do, is pin the hammer BIG TIME. This rod runs right the way through the hands, into the bottom of the shaft, and then as you can see will run right up into the shaft of the head piece. The last thing I want is this snapping at some point, and although pinning it wont prevent it breaking full stop, it will make it more resilient and less likely to snap in a bad way.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%203.jpg

 

Holding the parts together like this for a dry fit - it really is exciting to see just a lovely model come together. The sculpts for the Primarchs are out of this world, and its going to be so great to work with. Keeping him in lots of parts for the painting process though. 

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%204.jpg

 

Got him undercoated as well, so these are the components as they will be for the painting process. Onwards, and indeed upwards!! I've got a week off coming up next week, so he will probably be completed sometime then :)

[The Grim Badger]

Well, it happened! Ferrus is complete - took me many hours, as this beautiful model has many many details that deserve to be looked after. Photos ahoy!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%205.jpg

 

 

Cunningly stole this idea from other painters, a bent paperclip allowing washes and paints to dry without the part itself sitting on a surface... very handy!!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%206.jpg

 

Airbrushing the base colours on Ferrus - also managed to get some additional marines done so that if/when I get around to completing the additional squad (probably veterans now) then at least they are up to full strength! Ferrus' head there, in the early stages!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%207.jpg

 

I was happy with how the head came out! It looks better on the model before any traitors start making comments...!! And no I didn't magnetise it..!! 

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%208.jpg

 

This was the biggest disaster I had with the model - due to how I had pinned the hammer (from the bottom) when I inevitably applied too much pressure to the head of the hammer, it split that section of the haft and ruined it. I ended up making a new haft out of a cotton bud / q-tip stick and then priming it and magnetising it...! It worked out pretty well as you'll see in the final pics, but this is it under construction.

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%209.jpg

 

This was the first time I put the model together and things started to look how I wanted. Got really excited at this stage!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%2010.jpg

 

And here is he, in all his glory! The Primarch of the Xth Legion, The Gorgon, Old 'Hands of Iron' himself, Ferrus Manus. Likely one of the finest models I will ever work on in my hobby career. Very pleased with the end result.

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%2011.jpg

 

I magnetised his servo harness arms so that I can take them off for transport / storage. No way are they not going to get broken! That said, it will likely happen anyway as he has all these little cables and wires and such. Definitely an advantage to having an official Forge World one, as these have enough spring in them to not snap immediately. Managed to make the basing match my army despite the lack of space for any cracked earth so that was nice! Also nice to tie him into the theme by having a little OSL on his plasma blaster.

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/mankindben/Ferrus%2012.jpg

 

The finishing touch was to add a Sons of Horus helmet to the base. The vast majority of my games are against my very good friend Brett, who plays that army. It seemed only fitting that this be the base decoration. I painted it up in the style and colours he uses for these particular helmets as well. Same with the bolter. 

 

At this stage, I am now at 3,000 points of Iron Hands exactly how I want them. The list has deviated from my original intention due to play testing, but I still plan on getting the remaining units (The Iron Crow, the extra marines) painted up at some point in the future so that I can call the project done and dusted! Alas, for now I have other painting projects to focus on.

 

Thank you all for your comments and likes over the last 1.5 years of this project - they mean more to me than you might know, and each and every one has helped spur me on to this moment of completion.

 

For now, dear readers, I bid you adieu, until next time.

 

Grim Badger, out.

[Bob Hunk]

Excellent work on Ferrus, well done.

[Charlo]

Top notch Primarch. As brutal as the post-hyper-man himself.

[Luna707]

Man I am a huge fan of that Ferrus

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work.

[The Grim Badger]

Excellent work on Ferrus, well done.

Thanks! I am so glad I waited till last to get him done, I feel like I had really nailed the techniques for this army scheme by then... and it still felt daunting!

Top notch Primarch. As brutal as the post-hyper-man himself.

Haha, hopefully I have done him justice! Thanks Charlo :)

Man I am a huge fan of that Ferrus

Thanks Luna! Too kind :)

Excellent work.

Cheers Bjorn! I feel a real sense of accomplishment from this.