Officia Monstrosa – Iron Warriors

[Droz_64]

Do you have any tips on how to copy your hazard stripes/shoulder markings in general? Right now, my IWs just have blank shoulders, but I want to throw in some variety.

[apologist]

Thanks for all the ideas – much appreciated; and have got a few wheels turning.

 

Do you have any tips on how to copy your hazard stripes/shoulder markings in general? Right now, my IWs just have blank shoulders, but I want to throw in some variety.

 

There's a step-by-step on page 1 here, if that helps? That covers a vertical stripe, but the principle applies equally for other shapes/devices. Let me know if I can help with any specifics.

 

+++

 

As mentioned, I took Officio Monstrosa to an event the weekend before last. Had an absolute blast, and was very pleased to receive these:

:)

 

There's a rundown of the event here, if you're interested.

[Pearson73]

Nice write up, the other forces look great and the idea of adding campaign themed extras to your own force is a good one.

 

Well done on the awards too, 'favourite player' is always one of the most important  in my eyes.

[apologist]

+ inload: Scions of the 242nd +

'Footsore no more.' Ostrod murmured, half to himself. It was a peculiar half-honour. He wouldn't be making landfall with the rest of the 242nd Grand Company. Instead, he was being made a Palatarch of his own Chain. Sergeant, he thought for a moment, before considering that there was no reason – none at all – to use the old Terran term now.

+ Ostrod +

Promotion and transfer. He, along with two others, were on a shuttle to liaise with a new Grand Company. The other two sat opposite him in the mostly-empty bay. Masked behind his helm, he sat rigid as his eyes scanned them.

One was unfamiliar. Ubricz he knew in passing. In their plate, he could be the twin of Ostrod. Identical armour; only details differentiated them. Ubricz had a rigid approach to armouring; as coldly efficient and unsentimental as the Iron Circle that he so admired. Besides the temporary transfer marking that had been stamped above each of the new officers' primary hearts, Ubricz's armour was unmarked by any personal honorifics or personalisation. Ostrod felt a peculiar sense of shame at the spiked pauldron and pseudleather apron he bore; the skull-shaped finials at the end of each strap seemed somehow opulent; needlessly boastful.

Ubricz sat as rigidly as his observer, hands resting on his knees. Besides the occasional rocking of the shuttle, he might easily have been an empty suit of armour.

Admirable, for an Iron Warrior.

 

+ Ubricz +

Spitefully, Ostrod looked for faults. It came easily to him. He noted the non-standard backpack – doubtless some recent replacement. Even Ubricz, it seemed, was not infallible.

Frustratingly, that seemed to be it. Even the combat blade at his belt was perfectly placed for cross-draw.

Dismayed, he looked for criticisms in Ubricz's armament. Newly-issued bolt pistol – that matched his own – and a chainaxe. Peculiar. An unusual, though not frowned-upon, choice. The axe swapped speed and finesse for power and reach. Ostrod smiled thinly.

Variance. Weakness.

Satisfied, in some strange, unplaceable way, Ostrod turned his attention to the third warrior. Ident-runes flagged him as 'Ixod Konstantz'. The Space Marine bristled and turned to Ostrod with a clanking of heavy plate and grind of pistons. Ostrod barely stopped himself – shamefully – from flinching. Active reports. Konstantz had clearly tweaked his armour to alert him when being scanned.

 

 

 

+ Konstantz +

Ostrod looked away, feigning disdain, and the other Legionary turned back to the combat-ready slump he had been in before. He had, in any case, seen all he needed. Konstantz's armour was older than Ubricz's, or his own. Mark III plate, battered and war-worn. Ostrod wondered if it was a 'pure' set, issued as Mark III; or a mongrel suit, adapted and refined from a suit of Crusade armour like that worn by the other two on the shuttle.

There was something of the fanatic in Konstantz, Ostrod considered. Bristling, reactive, angry. He even wore trophies: an old ork tooth – judging from the discoloration, from some ancient battle – and a human skull. Ostrod couldn't help turning back for a second.

No, not a human skull.

That had belonged to an Astartes.

+++

Edited July 1, 2022 by apologist
Adding images

[Gorgoff]

I love your stories. Great writing.

[apologist]

Ta! Annoying that pictures that I've previously been able to embed now have to be linked. I'll have to try and figure out how to resolve that.

[Imren]

upload them to your gallery and them link them to your post them they show up in the post as a picture instead of a link

[apologist]

...and with the forum having gone through an upgrade, I can put pictures up again – hooray! 

Here are a couple of pict-captures of the commission pieces above. This was a really enjoyable project – small, self-contained, and a welcome return to a favourite army of mine. I always judge the success of a commission by whether I want to keep it afterwards. I'm pleased (if slightly regretful!) to say that these three pass the test.

One of the things that I wanted to do here was make use of bits that had appeared since I last worked on the Officio Monstrosa project – in the example below, a Space Marine Heroes series 2 Terminator. These figures are push fit and include integrated bases, which I think is one of the best things GW does in helping to create evocative poses. There are obvious drawbacks (for multiples, matching existing basing schemes), but where they work, there's no substitute for how integrated bases help with the posing of figures.

 

[Viridia]

You're back! And those Iron Warriors look amazing!

[apologist]

 

‘They had failed. They’d lost. It was the bitterest of all the bitter pills they’d been compelled to swallow.’

‘With little left now but spite, that was the crown they had taken to bearing.’ 
 

 

‘For each world they had taken, they would exact a toll. For each brick they had laid for the Imperium, they would fight. For each step they had taken, they would demand ten in its return.’

[Brother Dallo]

Nice to see you returning to this classic.

Dallo

[apologist]

+War on a new scale+


 

In a moment of pure surrealism, on searching for more 15mm figures (see my ‘+Where the Stone Oxen and Lions Stand+ project), I stumbled upon miniatures versions a designer had made inspired by my Officio Monstrosa project(!)

Well, as you can imagine, I couldn’t pass them up, so @Lucifer216 very kindly printed them out for me. You can see them above, based on pennies and primed black and brown, ready for paint.