Officia Monstrosa – Iron Warriors

[apologist]

Oh I'm way off, Finland to be precise. You were British, correct?

It was a random thought really, but potentially travelling for a game is only a matter of planning and arrangement.

Great additional astartes! The mk5 armoured warrior is an absolute hulk.

 

Yeah, I'm based in the Southern UK; if you're ever making a trip over, let me know

 

I already commented on your blog about the updates but I had a question for you. The MKV marine looks amazing, would you mind telling me a little about his studded shoulder pads? Did you convert them or are they printed?

Thanks Ephrael; I saw your note of Death of a Rubricist; very kind

The pauldrons – like most I use nowadays – are from Master-Crafted Miniatures. Say I sent you

 

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+ Kolossos Kalamatas +

A traditional Olympian term for standard bearer, Kolossos is mostly reserved with the IVth legion to describe the Legion's heralds, rather than the more commonplace Company standards.

 

 

As with other Legions, the Heralds of the Iron Warriors were highly-skilled warriors and diplomats both: exemplars of the Legion. By the later stages of the Siege of Terra, honour came to mean less than raw strength, and many of the later Kolossi, Kalamatas included, were elevated to their position for little more than their aggression and fearlessness than any of their less belligerent traits.

 

So it was in those later stages that as the surface of the Iron Warriors was abraded, a darker alloy was revealed beneath.

 

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The much-delayed banner bearer is ready for a spot of paint. Now to dig through the blog and find out what I said I'd paint on it!

Edited January 25, 2018 by Apologist

[Pearson73]

Kalamatas looks solid, he'll match very well with the rest of the Footsore.

Edited January 25, 2018 by Pearson73

[apologist]

Kalamatas looks solid, he'll match very well with the rest of the Footsore.

Thanks very much. He's joined by a couple of other personalities:

 

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+ Corpsemarker +

The grinding nature of Legion campaigns often left Apothecaries splitting their duties between battlefield first aid, geneseed retrieval and implantation. In many Legions, more onerous duties were often leavened by scheduled meditations or less draining combat training.

 

The typical efficiencies of the IVth, however, streamlined this, cycling apothecaries through punishing tours of monotasking; leaving an individual on extended front-line tour; before being cycled immediately back to sort the geneseed of his fallen brethren for weeks on end. Such an approach doubtless had a brutalising effect on the Iron Warriors' Apothekarion as a whole.

 

In addition, the Iron Warriors' unusual affinity for, and ready acceptance of, bionics meant that Iron Warriors casualties tended to be either quickly treated and pressed back into service, or dead. There was little post-injury care; with the pressure on the apothecaries resulting in their wards being viewed as tools to be repaired, or equations to resolve.

 

 

Perhaps surprisingly then, the haunted, drawn visage of Apothecary-ordinary Constantine was a regular attendant at Lodge meetings of the Dodekatheon. Was he attempting to grasp at what slivers of brotherhood he could find amidst the gore; or had he become so inured to pain and injury that he felt no compunction to remain beside his charges?

 

Constantine's honorific 'Corpsemaker' was equally cryptic – respect from the 242nd for his skill at arms and willingness to fight on the frontlines; or merely a veiled reference to the number of their dead he gathered?

 

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Edited January 25, 2018 by Apologist

[Pearson73]

Good pose, I'm liking the little asides that accompany each member; giving a little background but also leaving a few questions.

[ephrael]

Thank you for the information and inspiration Apologist. I’m going to order some shoulder pads from Master Crafted this weekend and I’ll definitely mention your referral to them. I’m assuming the pads are sized to fit over Terminator arms, correct?

 

I’d also like to mention that the parts and poses you are using on your IW are a perfect blend of bulky menace and utilitarian functionality. You always manage to make each marine an individual while maintaining uniformity across the army.

[Hungry Nostraman Lizard]

Loving that apothecary. Do you still take commissions? I saw your Night Lords from your blog and I just.. hnngh! :)

[apologist]

+ Palatarch Vsevolod +

Vox heavy with distortion, words mangled, my orders are necessarily simple. Our new Mustermate, Aftrokratori, gives vox-click assent – assiduous boy, I murmur to myself through blood-pinked teeth. The click is – predictably – all but lost in a haze of static. The others simply tap their pauldrons. I can sense their reactions: disapproval, amusement, mockery.

 

A moment later, supplementing our battle-sign with a hesitant, embarrassed nod, Aftrokratori taps his pauldron too. Hm. At least he learns. Turning away, I place my pistol on the ground for a moment, flex my heavy gauntlet; test the malfunctioning rotator cuff again. All of a sudden, I feel tired. I feel every one of my eighty-seven years.

 

 

My fingers feel thick and clumsy and numb as I retrieve my bolt pistol. My blood fizzes with sickness. Running my tongue over tinny-tasting teeth, I am aware of the gradual, insidious, siege my terrible atomic weaponry places on me. 

 

Aftrokratori will feel its bite soon. Heh. 

 

Perhaps he will regret his elevation to our coterie. Perhaps he will embrace the firesong. I care not.

 

I ignite my jump pack, feeling the harness tighten and press on my armour. Before the apex of the jump, I jink; already firing down at the defenders, already feeling the sense of weight fall away, already my blood singing.

 

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+ Psiloi Destroyers +

 

The brutal appearance of Heresy armour (a personal favourite) marks these Destroyers out visually, and fits perfectly with the background: rad-weaponry and tactical application makes Destroyers particularly vulnerable to damage and degradation, so it seemed fitting to give them the plates of the low-tech but functional Mark V, to replace the higher-tech and hard to repair Mark IV as it gradually fails. 

 

Having the newer members of the unit (such as Aftrokratori) in Mark IV, and their older, more battleworn comrades in mongrel suits of increasingly complete Mark V, is therefore a nice way to segue the visuals from the rest of the army (mostly in Mark IV) and give them a distinctive look.

 

 

You'll also notice that there's some battle damage on the armour – a detail made easier by Master Crafted Miniatures, who (after a little pleading!) have produced some awesome battle-damaged pauldrons. I've also included some exposed bionics. Generally, I prefer to keep bionics in this army relatively subtle and hidden, as it leaves 'design space' for my Iron Hands (see my signature for a link to the narrative project log May You Live Forever), who have a much stronger association with augmetics. However, given the Psiloi Destroyers' elite status, I thought it'd be fun to add some exposed bionic limbs. In addition to providing some visual flavour, it also hints more broadly at the Iron Warriors' genetic proclivity for accepting bionics, something that could be lost if I had none in the army.

 

 

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Good pose, I'm liking the little asides that accompany each member; giving a little background but also leaving a few questions.

My favourite bits of 40k are the little snippets that leave as many questions as they answer, so if you think I've managed to do something similar, thank you :)

 

Thank you for the information and inspiration Apologist. I’m going to order some shoulder pads from Master Crafted this weekend [...]I’m assuming the pads are sized to fit over Terminator arms, correct?

I’d also like to mention that the parts and poses you are using on your IW are a perfect blend of bulky menace and utilitarian functionality. You always manage to make each marine an individual while maintaining uniformity across the army.

Cool beans – the chap who runs MCM is a lovely chap. The ones you're after are the 'large' size – there's a variety in that size, all of which will fit Terminator arms. Thanks for the kind words on the Iron Warriors, too.

 

Loving that apothecary. Do you still take commissions? I saw your Night Lords from your blog and I just.. hnngh!

Thanks Hungry Nostroman Lizard. I do take commissions on a fairly hotch-potch basis – very happy to talk things through via PM.

 

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[apologist]

 

Dorn isn't captured yet; the Officio Monstrosa rolls on. As per the mods' request, I wanted to update this to say it remains an active blog.

Edited May 3, 2018 by Apologist

[okonomiyakimarine]

Marine checks wrist computer, uh oh, better rush now, time to update the blog!

 

really like your IWs. kinda banged up, gritty and standing tall :D

[The Nephilim]

This whole project is amazing. From the background to the models, I love it.

[Ryltar Thamior]

Good greif how did I manage to miss all those lovely Mk.Vs ?! Very nice work (goes without saying really) on everything, as per usual. I'm a particular fan of the Kolossos and the brutality inherent in what appears to be a chain-axe he's carrying. The annotations on the apothecary are also very well thought out!

[apologist]

*Blows dust off the blog*

 

I've started gathering up the colour text/background material for this project, with the loose aim of turning it into a short story. Thought you might like to read it :)

 

Officio Monstrosa – Part I

[Pearson73]

Really nice to read the separate sections of fluff integrated into a flowing narrative; some good quality writing there and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[apologist]

Cheers! I've got an event at the weekend (a fight on the deathworld of Akkar, being run by 30k Frontier), so I'm polishing off a few models that have been lurking:

 

 

The Destroyers are a bit further along than that image shows; I'm aiming to finish them this evening.

 

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As I look over the new intake, I keep my face a blank mask. It is not difficult. Not compared with Olympia. Akkar will test these hurriedly-trained neophytes. Some will live; others die. The thought fills me with as much emotion and concern as might the expenditure of ammunition. It is all part of the mathematics of warfare; their addition or subtraction is relevant only to the correct result: victory.

 

The jungle. however. That concerns me. It concerns Cjarn, too; though our increasingly mercurial leader grows less and less patient with every battle; every swing of that scavenged axe. It is fortunate that we have been assigned an Episcopi. As Cjarn's patience degenerates, we will have need of a cool hand; and a lifetime of uncompromising discipline has refined Artabas' thoughts to a hard, mirror-like sheen; much like those of his robotic companions. 

 

This Muster was drawn hurriedly from a nameless swamp of a planet. Its children lacks discipline. I lash out with my maul, striking one of the aspirant Phalangites on the hip. Unpowered, it causes no harm – but he adjusts his posture, straightening. If I catch a curse, it is wisely curtailed. 

 

I do not break stride. Nor does my mind pause. There is little enough time before deployment, and the jungle is an abstract and complicating factor. It alters the equation; changes the probabilities. Reaching the end of the hall, I nod curtly to the duty-Palatarch. He returns a crisp salute. As I duck beneath the exodus-bulkhead, I hear the sound of the recruits closing in on their errant Mustermate.

 

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Thick and cloying and aromatic. Akkar is alive. Alive in a way I had forgotten; abundant to the point of choking itself. Branches bend under the weight of wildlife. Fruits hang so heavy they strain the vines; insects form deafening clouds around gaudy, pulpy inflorescences. Such vitality feels sickly and corrupt; an over-ripe fruit bloated with syrupy, over-developed flesh. The hoot-swingers and cacklebirds are swivel-eyed; frantic. 

 

Even the new Iron Warriors are affected. I am pleased the Muster's Palatarch has instilled more discipline in them. Their observable reactions are subtle. Nevertheless, the signs are there, for those that know to look. A flushed look to the skin. Wide eyes. A microsecond delay in response. 

 

The glut of sensation Akkar presses upon you is hard to take in. Doubly so for the intake. Knowing only their homeworld's foetid brown wastes under slate-grey skies, and the spartan lines of our vessel, it is a wonder that they do not behave as though inebriated. Their new, post-human senses hinder as much as help here. 

 

Still. Discipline. Those momentary pauses will kill them as surely as a blade. They have scant hours to adapt. Imperial shipping is inbound. This will be Legion war.

 

 

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Edited November 5, 2018 by Apologist

[Pearson73]

Nice progress, interesting reflections on how marines would react to such an abundance of life, especially amidst the civil war, where I imagine most warzones would have been reduced to barren wastelands.

[apologist]

Nice progress, interesting reflections on how marines would react to such an abundance of life, especially amidst the civil war, where I imagine most warzones would have been reduced to barren wastelands.

Thanks. I've always been fascinated with the sheer scale of the Imperium; so it's fun to explore some of the previously-nameless worlds and events of the Heresy (and beyond, of course the Alien Wars shared project is completely based on terra incognita... or should that be caela incognita?

 

The Heresy was particularly special because it seemed to involve the whole human galaxy; war on a scale not seen before or since. However, it's humbling to think that even this represented only a tiny percentage of the galaxy proper. There remained great swathes of space; whole solar systems – hell, even sector-spanning species – that never saw a human, let alone were affected by the civil war.

 

Anyway, following a relatively minor force like the 242nd is a good way to give yourself the freedom to explore both the main events GW, BL and FW look at, while also being able to frame your own. 

 

Anyway, onwards from pontification to paint. The Destroyers didn't quite get finished, though they're well on the way:

 

...and the reason for that is I decided to paint another Basilikos and Apothecary Constantine alongside them. Again, nearly there: the metals are complete bar weathering, so it's down to black areas and details. I'm looking forward to the lenses in particular – there's an opportunity to have the Mark V helms have a different colour to the rest. I was toying with orange, but would be interested to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Edited November 6, 2018 by Apologist

[Pearson73]

I think a burning orange could look very good for the eyes, mirroring the fury of the Destroyers and their methods of war. Having said that, the cold ice blue of your other troops would also work very nicely.

 

I agree with those points you make regarding the setting, the fact that entire planets are, in the eyes of many Imperial commanders, of little real significance or just minor stepping stones to pass is almost unimaginable.

 

I must also add that fantastic blogs like yours are making it very difficult for me to resist true/art scaling my marines, I've recently started a force of the Tenth and seeing your IV legionnaires and Luna's scaled Tenth is making me want to scrap my lot.

[apologist]

 

Respiration laboured. Palliative oxy-haemotics: thirty – no, thirty-five units. Commence auto-leeching to balance the humou- [sMALL ARMS FIRE]  Hmph. [sMALL ARMS FIRE INCREASES] [sTATIC] To expedite withdrawal, Palatarch, I can give you three choices – you can detail two of your men to drag him back across the minefield; or I can extract and take back the gene-sperm. [ORDNANCE DETONATION] The third choice? Well, if we stay here much longer, I can take him and the rest of you back in a bucket.

 

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A very enjoyable figure to work on; just familiar enough to be relaxing, and just enough extra detail for fun. The variety of lenses and panels here was ripe for experimenting, so I decided to paint the lamp using greys and freehand lines to suggest something like a deactivated car headlamp. I had a bit of fun experimenting with object source lighting from the auspex, too. Fairly subtle, but very easy to do on metallics, as you can simply glaze the colour on once the underlying metals are highlighted properly.

 

The freehand apothecary symbol on the pauldron is just about visible here, along with the bloody handprint on his shin. This would have stood out more against white armour, but I decided against using an alternative white scheme for this apothecary, and kept things stripped back. The impact of the whole force relies on the anonymity of the figures – no-one's allowed to stand out in Perturabo's army!

 

 

Beyond the standard 'true-scaling', it was a simple conversion. I trimmed the hand from a Grey Knight Terminator apothecary arm (I think), replacing it with an auspex. The cool backpack details are from the Primaris apothecary; while the loincloth and helm are from the Mark IV plastic box. 

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by Apologist

[Pearson73]

The green glow on the legs and the blue screen on the wrist are well done.

[apologist]

I think a burning orange could look very good for the eyes, mirroring the fury of the Destroyers and their methods of war. Having said that, the cold ice blue of your other troops would also work very nicely.

 

I agree with those points you make regarding the setting, the fact that entire planets are, in the eyes of many Imperial commanders, of little real significance or just minor stepping stones to pass is almost unimaginable.

 

I must also add that fantastic blogs like yours are making it very difficult for me to resist true/art scaling my marines, I've recently started a force of the Tenth and seeing your IV legionnaires and Luna's scaled Tenth is making me want to scrap my lot.

I don't think you should scrap your minis – but if you fancy trying out truescaling, give it a go! The sheer variety of parts available these days makes it very achievable.

 

The green glow on the legs and the blue screen on the wrist are well done.

Thanks very much. 

[apologist]

As mentioned a bit up in the thread, I'm off to a 30k Frontier event in Southampton this weekend (anyone else happen to be going?). Unlike my usual last-minute painting, I found myself all done, with a day or two to spare – so I took some pictures of the army. Finished? Well, as much as any army is. Let's say it's 'at the end of a stage'. 

 

Would love to hear what you think, and of ideas for future developments. How would you like to see Officio Monstrosa develop? I'd love some way of marking this waypoint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More on + Death of a Rubricist +p, if you'd like some further piccies.

[Laughingman]

Ideas....

 

Maybe a small detachment of Selucid Thorakite? If I recall they were mortal soldiery from Olympia... I suspect most grand companies had several time their number in auxiliaries for activities deemed below the need of Astartes: Occupation, Counter insurgency, scouting, etc. 

[Pearson73]

 

I think a burning orange could look very good for the eyes, mirroring the fury of the Destroyers and their methods of war. Having said that, the cold ice blue of your other troops would also work very nicely.

 

I agree with those points you make regarding the setting, the fact that entire planets are, in the eyes of many Imperial commanders, of little real significance or just minor stepping stones to pass is almost unimaginable.

 

I must also add that fantastic blogs like yours are making it very difficult for me to resist true/art scaling my marines, I've recently started a force of the Tenth and seeing your IV legionnaires and Luna's scaled Tenth is making me want to scrap my lot.

I don't think you should scrap your minis – but if you fancy trying out truescaling, give it a go! The sheer variety of parts available these days makes it very achievable.

 

 

Indeed, the Primaris range and plastic terminators offer a wide scope to play around with, I'm trying to resist the call of a Word Bearer's rapid assault force, they'd scale great next to mortals and could do double duty in 30k and 40k...

 

Ideas....

 

Maybe a small detachment of Selucid Thorakite? If I recall they were mortal soldiery from Olympia... I suspect most grand companies had several time their number in auxiliaries for activities deemed below the need of Astartes: Occupation, Counter insurgency, scouting, etc. 

 

This is something I would also like to see, I can imagine you coming up with some very original designs.

[Laughingman]

Other ideas... 

 

Terran Turncoats: The Emperors conquest of Terra was somewhat tenuous, likely opposition to his rule was never truly eliminated and many probably saw Horus's arrival as their best shot at returning to power... 

 

Rogue Trader confederates: Many begrudgingly took warrants of trade under duress, but would have preferred to remain in power wherever they originated, perhaps Horus offered them "reinstatement" in exchange for support. 

[Thousand Eyes]

Maybe conver up your own Kyr Vhalen: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Kyr_Vhalen ?