Chapter 888 (Ultramarines...kinda)

[Kierdale]

Thanks for the comments.

I've actually never tried modelling or painting the normal scout heads which have hair, but I know a lot of people don't like them and I figured that having them shaven would look better and be quite sensible. All you really need to do is cut and sand of the hair at the front of the head and on the sides, the back you can leave as it is.

 

WarriorFish, I did the stubble on them last night and will get started on the leather tonight. Hopefully I can finish them this week, aside from basing.

I put at least 10 more scouts (ex-1kSons from my old army) in my vat of simple green so I have a lot more to work on as well as the snipers.

I planned this army as a '1st and 10th' and intend to continue with that theme. I imagine the scouts deploying to recon the enemy and assist and train local forces, calling in squads from the 1st company when they need a major target cracked. It also means I can use them alongside my IG ;)

 

In the day or so since the announcement of Primarus Marines I've somewhat mellowed with regard to their existence. With this being a new army I'm not against adding some of these vat-boys somewhere down the line (if I need someone to hold the line), and if I do expand beyond the 1st-&-10th theme.

Primarus marines aren't going away no matter how much people complain...and I can't ignore that they would look fantastic in Mentors colours.

[Kierdale]

The scouts are finished...but for their bases.

Hopefully I can finish them tomorrow and post photos then.

 

I'm going with Mars-esque bases, keeping these initial ones simple. Some other squads will be on red-dusted concrete/metal, etc.

[Kierdale]

But for weathering their boots (I need to get some Tamiya rust weathering powder), they're done:

And the sergeant

Next up....

Sniper scouts?

Bolter scouts?

CC scouts?

Tactical terminators?

Tactical squad?

Sternguard squad?

[WarriorFish]

Great work, the have nice variety so along with the weathering and colours they really work :) I wouldn't mind seeing some Terminators next :tu:

[Race Bannon]

Or a (dun  dun dun) Land Raider ^_^

 

Great work on these guys :tu:  I dig the top scout's pose.

[Kierdale]

Thanks, gents.

A Land Raider??
Let me get through the models I have first!

I did forget I have a rhino/razorback with the FW (Raptor) doors/front plate.

I might try painting (or at least basecoating) the terminators while they're still in parts, so I can spray the green bits and the white bits separately...in which case I could do the tank at the same time.

 

EDIT: and perhaps magnetise so I can swap between the TDA assault cannon and heavy flamer.

lascannons for the razorback, I think.

[Kierdale]

I dusted their boots heavily (and other armour lightly) with Tamiya Rust and Burnt Sienna artist's pastel ground down.

Hidden Content

And got to work cleaning up the TDA bits :)

[Nomus Sardauk]

In the day or so since the announcement of Primarus Marines I've somewhat mellowed with regard to their existence. With this being a new army I'm not against adding some of these vat-boys somewhere down the line (if I need someone to hold the line), and if I do expand beyond the 1st-&-10th theme.

Primarus marines aren't going away no matter how much people complain...and I can't ignore that they would look fantastic in Mentors colours.

Well some of the old fluff does describe the Mentor Legion as bein the go-to guys for field-testing experimental new gear, weapons and tactics, the same thing could apply here with the Primaris Marines.

[Brother Casman]

Very nice Scouts! I'm looking forward to seeing the TDA.

[Kierdale]

In the day or so since the announcement of Primarus Marines I've somewhat mellowed with regard to their existence. With this being a new army I'm not against adding some of these vat-boys somewhere down the line (if I need someone to hold the line), and if I do expand beyond the 1st-&-10th theme.

Primarus marines aren't going away no matter how much people complain...and I can't ignore that they would look fantastic in Mentors colours.

Well some of the old fluff does describe the Mentor Legion as bein the go-to guys for field-testing experimental new gear, weapons and tactics, the same thing could apply here with the Primaris Marines.

That's a good excuse ;)

We'll see once I've done a fair bit of 1st and 10th models.

As for that TDA...

Not particularly original poses I'm sure, but they're just the first squad :)

I do look forward to doing some 1st/2nd edition-style checks on those powerfists!

[Race Bannon]

:wub: man I can't wait to see these dudes done.

 

Chop chop!

[Kierdale]

I'm looking forward to it too as the last terminator I did was rather different and before that the last TDA I did was over two decades ago: 1st edition Space Hulk one-piece terminators! :D

The five are ready for spraying, with one magnetised for assault cannon (all barrels drilled :tu: ) and heavy flamer options. I'm just going to partially build the razorback too so I can spray them at the same time. Weather permitting, that'll be this weekend.

And talking of TDA, I'm keen to get one of these:

...and de-wolf it. The early-style of librarian I've always loved.

[Kierdale]

With the razorback/rhino, do you think I should do a techmarine crewman manning the stormbolter, or have the weapon on the automatic-mounting (manned from within)?

Modelling it with the techie adds some colour and detail, though when used as a razorback it's questionable to have your upper half out when there's a pair of lascannons just behind you :D

[Brother Casman]

Yeah, I tend towards having the storm bolter manned from within when I'm using Razorbacks. No sense in blocking a lascannon!

[Race Bannon]

Good luck de-wolfing that dude. He's a great model though and worth the effort.

 

I would also not use the gunner for a Razorback. Build one anyway, if you can for when you use the Rhino, but that would require spare bitz.

[Kierdale]

I have a plan for the rhino/razor which will allow me to do various interchangeable hatches, including a techie one :tu:

I started typing out the plan but just doing it and showing you would be simpler :)

 

I'm working on the white on the TDA now, and the interior of the rhino.

 

For the exterior so you think I should do it predominantly green, with white doors and inset panels (as most people do if you Google 'Mentor Legion Rhino'), or do it with a green central block (white upper hatch still, of course) and white side blocks (perhaps with the inset panels the opposite colour)?

The latter means more white, which means more visible weathering/red dust.

The former is easier and faster.

 

 

I haven't hit 'post' yet and I'm already leaning toward the former :D

[Kierdale]

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the FW Raptor rhino doors were no longer available :( but the Land Raider ones were :) So I promised myself to get some soon.

Not soon enough. They're now gone and FW tells me they simply didn't sell well enough. :(

I'll have to take Oyumaru press moulds of the set I do have and use those to make more icons. I guess I'll be saving money :)

Browsing the FW site my eyes did settle on the Breacher Squad. They'd look sooooooo nice in Mentor Legion colours...

EDIT:

And a quick TDA WIP

White weathering and decals are done. Needs some more matt varnish on one.

I might add some more red microscript as I think there is room.

Next: onto the green.

[Kierdale]

TDA WIP

And I bought the TDA runepriest. Once it arrives I'll clean it up. As he's a codex librarian I guess I'll do him blue...what blue do people use for librarians?

[WarriorFish]

Looking good already, the colours of green and white are such a good combination. Any chance of Tartaros Terminators one day? It'd look great in Mentor colours!

[Kierdale]

Tartaros is cool and would look great, but I want more Indomi-whatsit TDA first. Perhaps one squad of Tart' in the future though :)

My scouts had their first taste of combat!

Not 8th edition but Lost Patrol (fitting as that's what they came from) and not against Genestealers as I haven't finished them yet, but against Daemonettes all to glad to stand in for the Xenos.

We played a couple of games. In the first the Scouts all died within two or three turns so for the second game we tried a house rule: no Daemonettes could be deployed at the end of a path if the scouts were in an adjacent hex. That let the game run on more and added a bit more of a chase-feeling.

Afterwards I read online some alternative rules (modifying the scout rules and adding some for marines and terminators, limiting 'stealer deploys to one-on-hexes-without-infestations, etc. Looks good) that I'm keen to try. I also have the White Dwarf with the TDA rules to try once the Mentor ones are finished.

Anyway, the game was fun and here's a summary. Note that we were still learning the rules so weren't playing particularly ruthlessly. This time.

The tale of sarge, CQC-guy (bolt pistol and knife), bolter-guy, shotgun-guy and heavy bolter-guy.

Squad finds themselves in the clearing, one long path headed south. The sarge takes the squad north, with bolter-guy and heavy-bolter guy covering that long path...at the end of which Daemonettes duly appeared.

Open fire!

The Daemonettes were duly mown down in a hail of lucky rolls, slicking the jungle floor with violet blood.

The squad continues north, sarge finding a dead end so the squad has push on through tangleweed.

From which bursts another pair of Daemonettes, whipping the head from CQC-guys shoulders!

If I remember correctly one daemonette fell in assault and the other was gunned down, so my opponent tried placing three separate ones coming from south...which got removed when the scouts moved such that the hexes the daemonettes were on had to be removed. Something for both sides to bear in mind.

Shottie and bolter pushed on while heavy bolter muttered that sarge had best get a move on as the jungle closed in and more ululating screams could be heard...

Which proved prophetic as sarge was torn asunder.

Bolter-dude grins and screams "Get to da choppah!" at shottie before turning back to help Heavy form a rearguard sell their lives as dearly as possible.

IIRC between shooting and stabbing, Bolter-guy and Heavy put down a couple of daemonettes before Bolter-guy bought the farm.

And Shottie finds the drop pod!

And the sound of gunfire behind him ceases as Heavy, a surprising number of Daemonette bodies at his feet (well, at least two, which is pretty bloody impressive for Lost Patrol by all accounts) bites it.

[Kierdale]

The TDA is coming along nicely at work.

At home, while GS dries on my Baledrake, I got to work on the TDA basing...

Beneath the grating on the right one is an actual hole and the bottom of the base has been sealed. I haven't glued the grate in place yet as I'll be painting gunk into the hole beforehand.

Once I've got the basic panels, pipes and grating done on all five I'll then add rivets, damage and other details.

[Kierdale]

The TDA are coming along well. White is done, green is done.

Badges and decoration are next. Eye lenses will be blue.

I might add a campaign badge to the right knee (perhaps something simple like a black skull on a yellow background. Something to add colour).

And what colour do you think I should do the power sword? I want to keep purple for Force weapons so I'm thinking about red or blue...

[deathspectersgt7]

Blue .

[Teetengee]

Blue or orange.

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

Just to say, am really enjoying the revamp of the Mentors and your gritty take on them. I loved the Lost Patrol battle report, I've never seen one before and you've made me want to play it.