[WIP] 1905th Solar Auxilia: Rust Scorpions

[Flint13]

Hi Audemus!

 

I just went though all five pages of your plog when I discovered it today. Awesome work throughout!

 

I'm just getting my own Solar Aux started and I was amused to discover my test paint scheme is super similar to yours. If you don't mind me asking (and I don't think I missed it previously) do you mind elaborating on how you paint your vehicles? They have this sweet winter urban look that  I really dig. I'd love to have an idea of how to go about it. 

 

Keep up the great work!

[Audemus]

Audemus...fastest brush in the West...

 

Gunslinger style!  Haha thanks!

 

Hi Audemus!

 

I just went though all five pages of your plog when I discovered it today. Awesome work throughout!

 

I'm just getting my own Solar Aux started and I was amused to discover my test paint scheme is super similar to yours. If you don't mind me asking (and I don't think I missed it previously) do you mind elaborating on how you paint your vehicles? They have this sweet winter urban look that  I really dig. I'd love to have an idea of how to go about it. 

 

Keep up the great work!

 

Nice to see someone else diving into the Solar Auxilia, as we appear to be very few and far between as far as representation on tables go.

 

My scheme was picked primarily to get away from the brown reliant scheme that I used previously and, as I prefer working with muted colors and bright accents, I thought grey was the next best bet.  My camo scheme on vehicles has been a bit of an ongoing struggle, as I have written instructions on how to do it multiple times but no one ever comments back on whether they were successful or not...which always leaves me worried that they messed up a model trying to follow my steps.

 

The most recent write up I did was for someone on Reddit and I'm going to put that below so you can read over it.

 

====

 

It breaks down into a fairly simple process that I discovered by accident on the first Valkyrie that I painted, color choice takes some work though and is not always obvious. You base the model in a dark but muted version of the underlying color then you use either Agrax Earthshade for brown/earth tones or Nuln Oil for darker shades.

 

The next step is determining the color for the brighter splotches and shading, which sounds easier (at least to me) than it actually is. Luckily the camo scheme is relatively forgiving in that they blend into close to the same color and it's almost impossible to visually tell the difference. My tanks in the army shot actually have 3 attempts at finding the right colors but they manage to look just about the same.

 

My final choice was a base of Skavenblight Dinge, Nuln Oil liberally over all Skavenblight panels, then dry brushing Celestra Grey in heavier splotches followed by a light dry brush that pulls the grey over the intervening Skavenblight Dinge. That's how I create the weathered look, using the wash to darken the underlying color so that the splotches can create more contrast but still maintaining the darker color even with the light Celestra Grey dry brush in between.

 

For my 40k Army, I used Dryad Bark as a base, Agrax Earthshade as the wash, and Gorthor Brown as the splotch/shading color. I think I'm going to have to make a video of the technique eventually because it's really a bizarre/cool effect, since the wash causes the surface to grab the light dry brush and prevents it from becoming close to the shade of the splotches.

 

I will say this though, prepare to murder small dry brushes in the process. It won't matter how clean you keep them either, you're going to kill 1-2 per large model or 2-3 smaller vehicles because the splotches require pressure that pushes paint into the ferrule due to the way you have to use the brush. I think I'm on brush number 18 at this point and I really need to go buy some more from the store. Hope that helps!

 

====

 

That last little note about the small dry brushes is no joke.  I killed a brand new one this week doing the Malcador, Incinerator, and Annihilator tanks...that's using brush soap and liberal use of water.

 

Speaking of water, while you didn't ask about this I'm going to throw it in here anyways, I found the most ridiculously effective tool for active miniature painting on Amazon back in May and if you didn't know about it your eyes would probably gloss right over it.

 

Masterson Rinse Well

 

This thing is like a small water well with a manual push drain button that has a gravity feed water bottle attached to it.  It's clearly made for kids to use for water paints etc. but it has single handedly removed the issue of "dirty water" when I'm painting as I can continually get clean water the moment it gets cloudy and the container holds a fair amount.  To put it in perspective, I was able to paint the entire Malcador on one fill of the water bottle.  It's stupid cheap too and it's how I keep my colors clean, I can avoid any run off from dirty water with it.

 

As to my actual color palettes for the Solar Auxilia, they are as follows:

 

=====

 

Universal Color Schemes

 

Steel/Metal

 

Base: Warlock Bronze

Wash: Agrax Earthshade

Dry Brush: Leadbelcher

 

Brass/Bronze

 

Base: Warlock Bronze

Wash: Agrax Earthshade

Dry Brush: Balthasar Gold

Dry Brush: Runelord Brass

Wash: Nuln Oil (Variable, depends on the wear and tear you're aiming for)

 

1905^th Rust Scorpions - Solar Auxilia Colors

 

Character/Troop Armor Void Armor

 

Base: Skavenblight Dinge

Wash: Nuln Oil

Dry Brush: Stormvermin Fur

Dry Brush: Dawnstone

 

Character/Trooper Visor:

 

Wild Rider Red

 

Volkite Weapon Coil:

 

Base: Khorne Red

Dry Brush: Mephiston Red

Glaze: Bloodletter

Dry Brush: Wild Rider Red

 

Volkite Weapon Stock/Wood:

 

Base: Dryad Bark

Dry Brush (lightly): Baneblade Brown

Wash: Agrax Earthshade

 

Leather/Coats

 

Base: Rhinox Hide

Wash: Nuln Oil

Dry brush: Doombull Brown

Glaze (Lightly, can apply more layers if needed): Bloodletter

Wash (Only on Capes or Banners with visible ripples): Watered down Nuln Oil dragged directly in the creases.

 

Vehicle Weapon Housing & Base Components

Base:  Skavenblight Dinge

Wash: Nuln Oil

Dry Brush: Stormvermin Fur

Dry Brush (Light): Dawnstone

Lights: I prefer Mephiston Red for the lights, it keeps them from being to bright while they are distinct.

 

=====

 

Hopefully that gives you an idea of the colors I am working with to go along with the steps about the camo scheme.  If you run into problems, I recommend finding an unused flight base (Large flat textured surface) and test it on that and then try it on the back of the base as well, primed black, so you can see how it behaves on a smooth surface too.

 

Let me know if you need any more info and thanks for the compliment!

Edited January 6, 2016 by Audemus

[Arac]

Assembled my first SA today. As soon as I figured out my scheme I'm gonna put some pictures up.

[Caillum]

Hope you weren't disheartened by this game man. List-tailoring isn't fun or fair. 30k often doesn't mesh with 40k, especially with the latest Codices and their 'decurion' formations. Do you have any 30k opponents in your area? Makes much more sense playing them or at least making 40k armies use 30k list-building rules.

 

With regards to the targeting of your Leman Russ tanks behind the Malcador - it's all 'True Line of Sight' these days. If the model is visible to the shooting model, it's fair game. Tau have a lot of 'Ignores Cover' too, so that wouldn't have helped - markerlights are something that one really needs to be prepared for.

 

I know you said you have Book IV, but if you check eBay, you can find small paperback copies of the 40k Rulebook quite cheap (I got mine from Deathstorm). Will help simply reading through it front to back. Or if you have a tablet, eBook versions are fairly good value too.

 

Board looked spectacular though! Very nice stuff! Your army is so damn impressive. :)

[Audemus]

Assembled my first SA today. As soon as I figured out my scheme I'm gonna put some pictures up.

 

Awesome!  More men for the meat grinder. 

 

Hope you weren't disheartened by this game man. List-tailoring isn't fun or fair. 30k often doesn't mesh with 40k, especially with the latest Codices and their 'decurion' formations. Do you have any 30k opponents in your area? Makes much more sense playing them or at least making 40k armies use 30k list-building rules.

 

With regards to the targeting of your Leman Russ tanks behind the Malcador - it's all 'True Line of Sight' these days. If the model is visible to the shooting model, it's fair game. Tau have a lot of 'Ignores Cover' too, so that wouldn't have helped - markerlights are something that one really needs to be prepared for.

 

I know you said you have Book IV, but if you check eBay, you can find small paperback copies of the 40k Rulebook quite cheap (I got mine from Deathstorm). Will help simply reading through it front to back. Or if you have a tablet, eBook versions are fairly good value too.

 

Board looked spectacular though! Very nice stuff! Your army is so damn impressive.

 

As far as I know, despite multiple people buying the Betrayal at Calth box, none of them have bought the red books or full books for 30k.  I have all of the 40k 7th edition books, including things like Aeronautica and Apocalypse, from when I was fielding my Air Cavalry.  I just can't stand how they've organized the books now.  I think I'm going to have to sit down with Excel and create a one page customizable form for all the silly little rules that no one ever knows so that I can just look at it and move on...rather than flipping through the book in a vain attempt to locate it due to their woefully inadequate table of contents.

 

Yet I digress...

 

I'm basically locked into fighting 40k ridiculous formations with my guys and it's really amusing to watch people flip through the HH4 book and say "wow this is overpowered" then field some formation blob that has insane special rules that are stacked upon existing special rules.  The Flare Shield seemed to really generate disbelief, as I kept my tanks positioned in such a way that the bulk of incoming fire was forced into their front section, yet for all it's prowess it did not appear to save my tanks.  The Malcador had 75 points of extras (340 points total), beyond it's main guns being setup due to it being an Annihilator, but his 4 man commander squad literally killed it without batting an eye. 

 

I quote, "How many hullpoints does it have?  I know it's a super heavy, I'm just going to strip all of those hull points off of it."  Couple of dice rolls later and it was gone, disheartening but my primary issue was just not understanding any of the terminology being tossed around.  I almost feel like I need to go buy a Tau Codex just so I can sit down and read their rules to avoid being blindsided again.

 

As for True Line of Sight, it was explained to me but it just served to make me roll my eyes as it basically implies if you can see a fraction of the vehicle across the field through multiple structures you can take a shot at them.  I was always told that the structures/terrain are all just representations of things that are vastly more complex/dense in the actual battle, the same way a Stormlord model couldn't possibly hold 40 guys inside of it comfortably...it's just a representation of the tank that *can* do that.  I've never played by building an army list designed solely to win though, I mean if I wanted to do that I would have stacked Artillery Squadrons with Medusa's along the back field behind the buildings and then aegis defense lines with lasrifle sections & quad guns out front, with a totally kitted out Stormhammer with Auxilia Rapier Laser Destroyer teams for direct fire support.  9 Medusas going off at once would clear the room fast, that's for sure.

 

I guess I am just used to playing against armies that are thematically built as opposed to CRUSH MY OPPONENT style that I've seen with some 40k players.  Honestly the game is just a fun talking point for me, I enjoy seeing well painted models arrayed along the battlefield and then coming up with insane explanations for how the rules could apply in real life and laughing about it. 

[Slips]

If you ever come to know you'll be playing against Necrons with your SA, Ask Flint for some pointers since she, as far as she told me, ROFLSTOMPED a Wraith-Spam Decurion at 2.5k using SA/Cult mix.

 

As for Tau, their shooting is all they have going for them. It is strongly boosted by the pure BS that is Markerlights so killing those is Priority #1. Other than that, Bumrushing them and getting into CC Asap is Crucial.

 

Also, if you're ever up against a Cover Camping army (like tau), having a Malcador Chem-Infernus to "LOLNOPEDEAD" entire swathes of their FEEBLEXENOSBODIES will be worth it.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Slipstreams

[Dantay VI]

Try using battlescribe, it'll build the armies plus list the rules, which will help with the armies.

 

Your SA is looking sweet-as. I am considering diversifying my Wolves at some point to include Auxilia units. This is helping me to work out what I would like to use.

 

Waiting for Prospero to drop though. In the book Prospero burns, Space Wolves are not liked at all by the Imperial Army, so I am worried there will be limitations.

[Audemus]

If you ever come to know you'll be playing against Necrons with your SA, Ask Flint for some pointers since she, as far as she told me, ROFLSTOMPED a Wraith-Spam Decurion at 2.5k using SA/Cult mix.

 

As for Tau, their shooting is all they have going for them. It is strongly boosted by the pure BS that is Markerlights so killing those is Priority #1. Other than that, Bumrushing them and getting into CC Asap is Crucial.

 

Also, if you're ever up against a Cover Camping army (like tau), having a Malcador Chem-Infernus to "LOLNOPEDEAD" entire swathes of their FEEBLEXENOSBODIES will be worth it.

 

I thought about the Infernus while in the fight but I never even got into range for my Demolisher Cannon, let alone the flame template for the Infernus.  My entire army was pretty much haulted and tangled from the moment he blew up the Dracosan since it sent my main troops tumbling out in front of the other troop transport.  My intent had been for the Malcador to screen the Dracosans but I think next around I'll avoid outflanking my Annihilators and let them roll with the Malcador.  Not having their firepower until the end of the second turn could not have helped my cause when I was dealing with multiple long range heavily armored targets.

 

 

Try using battlescribe, it'll build the armies plus list the rules, which will help with the armies.

 

Your SA is looking sweet-as. I am considering diversifying my Wolves at some point to include Auxilia units. This is helping me to work out what I would like to use.

 

Waiting for Prospero to drop though. In the book Prospero burns, Space Wolves are not liked at all by the Imperial Army, so I am worried there will be limitations.

 

I would agree with that statement for every army except for the Solar Auxilia.  I don't know if the programmer is concerned about cease and desist orders but the Solar Auxilia rules, equipment, relics etc are almost all blank entries beyond their name in Battlescribe Pro.  It's a pain in the ass.

 

I actually really like how FW shows force disposition in the books so that you know the likelihood of an alliance between two forces occurring, it was a pleasant surprise that's for sure.  Right now I'm just deciding whether I want to really try saving up for the Stormhammer or if I should just grab another Stormlord, paint it up in Rust Scorpion colors, and then gear out a second squad of Veletaris with Power Axes so that 20 of them can open top dismount from the Stormlord and bumrush the enemy.  My other thought was to adventure into a Questoris Knight allied force and use a Cerastus Atrapos and Styrix (CHOOM!) to fill in their force requirements but I need to read over it more to determine if that's a real possibility.

 

=====

 

So 2500 Points feels like a good time to assess things before moving forward but for me it helps to visually look at the force when doing so and as such, I figured it was picture time as well!

 

 

1905^th Solar Auxilia Cohort, the 'Rust Scorpions' - 2,500 Point Expeditionary Force

 

http://i.imgur.com/EoohRIj.jpg

[Slips]

The infernus has a Hellstorm Template with an 18" Torrent. Goes MUCH further than a Demolisher ;)

[Arac]

As promised...

 

[Audemus]

So, with the Holidays coming to a close, I had a decision to make and after a long discussion with Flint I've solidified my expansion path for the 1905^th.  It all hinged on something I found in HH4: Conquest that I had somehow missed up until now.

 

In regards to the Solar Auxilia and Lords of War:

 

===

Pg. 242

 

"...or Knights Chosen from the Questoris Knight Crusade Army List (the Household ranks in this case are not used).  These may comprise a War Machine Detachment (1-2 Super-heavy vehicles with the same unit type, with 8 or less Hull Points) or a single Engine of Destruction (a Super-heavy vechile of any type with 9 Hull Points or less)."

===

 

Flint and I had been discussing the pros/cons of the Stormsword vs. the Stormhammer and I agree, the Stormsword has its place and will be getting one for opponents like the Tau, yet I think I would be doing a Solar Auxilia army a disservice if I did not get a Stormhammer as well.  The above quote also made my expansion into Questoris Knights all the easier, as it made it possible for me to use 2 Questoris Styrix Knights as a War Machine Detachment or a singular Knight should I choose for lower point games.  For my singular Knight, I will be going for the Atrapos.  The Knights in this layout can also be used as an Allied Detachment to my primary force, allowing all of these large machines to be deployed in support of what is effectively my current force.

 

I believe this will give me the force flexibility to adapt to my opponent without projecting my adaption by simply coming in the door with my models.  If I walk in with 3 Knights and 2 Super Heavies, regardless of my primary force, they will not know which way to jump in an attempt to counter me with an Army List.  The Knights will also give added flexibility in having a lower total force point count while still bringing a Lord of War on to the table, due to the 25% point rule.

 

So here are the combinations adding these 5 models will allow for:

 

1905th w/ Lord of War: Stormhammer/Stormsword | Allied Detachment: Mechancium Cerastus Knight Atrapos & 1-2 Questoris Knight Styrix

1905th w/ Lord of War: Stormhammer/Stormsword | Allied Detachment: Mechancium Cerastus Knight Atrapos & 1 Questoris Knight Styrix

1905th w/ Lord of War: Stormhammer/Stormsword | Allied Detachment: 2 Questoris Knight Styrix

1905th w/ Lord of War | Allied Detachment: 2-3 Knight Combinations of my the above, allowing for Household ranks to specialize the third and a Seneschal boosted lead Knight.

1905th w/ Lord of War: Stormhammer/Stormsword

1905th w/ Lord of War: 2 Questoris Knight Styrix (War Machine Detachment)

1905th w/ Lord of War: Mechanicum Cerastus Knight Atrapos

1905th w/ Lord of War: Questoris Knight Styrix

 

 

...and to backup this mission statement, I have express shipped the first cog in this monstrous plan as of this evening. 

 

http://i.imgur.com/ywpVecn.png

 

 

The next move will be 2 Knights, one at a time, or a plastic Stormsword.  As much as I love the FW Stormsword I'm not going to drop double the cost to get it from them.  I'll be fully magnetizing the Stormhammer as well, so I'll need to order some magnets, but I avoided the Knights first as I really prefer Dragon Forges Knight resin bases and it can take some time to get them.  I didn't want to use a plastic base on a fully resin Knight like the Atrapos. 

 

[exsanguis]

Yeh it's a shame DF takes so long, especially if you're in Oz. But it's worth it, his bases are amazing!

 

Back on topic though, your army is beautiful man. I am so close to pulling the trigger on SA (or Mech) and every time I check your thread I inch that little bit closer. If anything you have set the bar to high. I could never paint to your standard and would most likely be disheartened by the results

 

Have you played in any lower points games yet? Say 1500-2k? I think the Dracosan would be a beast at that points level, especially with some out flanking Leman Russ' or a Malcador.

Edited December 26, 2015 by exsanguis

[Audemus]

Yeh it's a shame DF takes so long, especially if you're in Oz. But it's worth it, his bases are amazing!

 

Back on topic though, your army is beautiful man. I am so close to pulling the trigger on SA (or Mech) and every time I check your thread I inch that little bit closer. If anything you have set the bar to high. I could never paint to your standard and would most likely be disheartened by the results

 

Have you played in any lower points games yet? Say 1500-2k? I think the Dracosan would be a beast at that points level, especially with some out flanking Leman Russ' or a Malcador.

 

Man, I haven't painted a single thing since 99/2000 until April of this year.  Nothing is stopping you from painting like me, I've found the most important thing was the order in which I paint the model.  For the Veletaris for instance, I do the khaki uniform and dark brown/red pads, then I do the armor plates (as dry brushing them keeps the brush above the lower section), and finally the metal hoses and detail work on the belt tools etc.

 

I was putting it off but as I don't have anything to paint, I've started cleaning my last Veletaris Storm Section tonight and will hopefully have it done before the weekend is out.  That will give me three Storm Sections and with another Dracosan, I can go 20/20/Household.  It's frustrating not being able to use the Demolisher Cannon without buying 2 more Dracosans though.

 

I've only played them in that one game as of now, though I would like to play against some varied opponents to see if that changes things.  I'd also like to play on a table that I had some say in setting up, as there simply was not enough cover in that no-mans land in the center of the board.  It seemed tailored for the Tau to sit back and plink at me as I came out of the tiny bit of building cover I had, there literally was no where on my side of the board to obscure cover or anything...I just got torn up from the moment the game started.

 

I would probably drop the Auxilia Tactical Command/Annihilators, keep the Malcador to handle potential Landraiders, and then hope I had the firepower to handle whatever they sent my way.  I'm still trying to figure out the best way to use the Household Retinue due to the fact the Dracosan isn't open topped for assaults, meaning they dismount and sit in the open for an entire turn before they can get moving.  That makes me highly uncomfortable to say the least.

 

Jeff makes amazing resin bases and he messaged me the other day to tell me my order from way back was enroute.  To be honest, I can't even remember what I ordered, so it should be interesting to see what shows up. lol

[Flint13]

Sweet!

 

Can't wait to see some of those Super Heavies hit the table. They should be a blast.

 

Have you decided on a color scheme or House for your Knights yet? 

[Audemus]

Sweet!

 

Can't wait to see some of those Super Heavies hit the table. They should be a blast.

 

Have you decided on a color scheme or House for your Knights yet? 

 

The Knights will most likely follow the Rust Scorpion scheme, as I did with the Crusader for my Lions of Leander VI, just because I'm way to OCD to have things not look uniform together.  The plating will be the mottled grey that I do on the vehicles with a brass trim and a dark metal frame.

 

Also, I realized that while I don't have a super heavy box set just lying about...I did have all the upper chassis pieces for the Stormsword due to the Hellhammer using a different one.  So I got my clippers, hobby knife, and glue...then I got to work earlier this evening/last night.

 

http://i.imgur.com/eBhGawU.png

 

Quite a bit is not glued but that is intentional, as I like to paint the gun separately to get all the back parts before I seat it into the tank so that there aren't any blank spots upon close inspection.  The lower part of the hull is also not glued as I like to connect the tracks to the lower hull with that part included before I seat the main gun portion of the upper hull.  Yet it's all cleaned and ready to go.  I figured I could save time by doing this portion now and then knock out the tracks real quick to get it paint-ready when I get the full box set!

 

Yay for putting those saved sprues to good use!

[Audemus]

The following should be taking with a grain of thought and I am posting it because it amused me in my sleep-deprived state and also because it's now wedged in my head so I wanted to soundboard it before jumping off the veritable cliff it presents.

 

===============

 

Once again dealing with insomnia my mind began to wander at around 9 AM this morning and this time it perched on the 1905th's fluff/background.  I am happy with it, my models are surely happy with it, but there was one almost subconsciously intentional plot hole left that I could not account for.  I'm usually relatively thorough about things like that so I began examining this and immediately found myself uncomfortable with it.

 

Why, might you ask, did I find myself uncomfortable with a plot hole in my own writing? 

 

Well, lets take a look at it:

 

The wounded Ash Scorpions escaped on a restock/transport ship that was docked with the station and carrying supplies specifically for their cohort.

 

Okay, got it.  Now...

 

1.  The resupply/transport docked moments before the Rebel/Dark Mechanicum began jamming all navigational systems.

 

2.  It just happened to have an over abundance of goods for the, at the time, Ash Scorpions.  Almost a complete cohort worth of gear.

 

3.  Upon departing the space station in, what was for all intents and purposes, a completely defenseless ship they were not engaged...at all.

 

4.  They immediately tried to dock with the flag ship of the Imperial Fleet but were waved off, shortly before the arrival of Horus' flag ship.

 

5.  The navigator of the ship put them in a location, unbeknownst to the Ash (Rust) Scorpions on board, in what is effectively the furthest inhabitable system from where the fighting was occurring.  So far out that there was barely an Imperial presence in system but refugees trying to avoid the conflict and necessary to the cohort rebuilding itself were in abundance.

 

6.  The Rust Scorpions Lord Marshal Marcalius Audacter did not even attempt contact with friendly Imperial Forces until he had built a fortified position on an uninhabited former Hive World, drafted refugees, and then put them through rushed training killing a large number of trainees in the process.  He only reached out once his Cohort was replenished, restocked, and trained for battle.

 

7.  Marcalius Audacter received what is, from all tests performed by the Rust Scorpions, the very sword that was plunged into the heart of the navigation jamming computer by the last living Ash Scorpion in the heart of a space station which subsequently was torn to pieces.  With no real explanation as to how the Rogue Trader knew of the Ash Scorpion remnants whereabouts, despite no one in the Imperium even being notified they were still alive, or how the hell the ship went into a Rebel Controlled hub and staging points only to pluck the exact sword out the vacuum of space

 

As I looked over the above points and pondered them, I realized that it almost looked as if someone was masterfully playing puppeteer to my 1905th Cohort.  Ensuring the survival of a small number of men, providing them with all the necessary equipment to rebuild, isolating them in a system away from Imperial presence, and then handing them what was for all intents and purposes a "relic" of an almost sacred level of reverence...the same kind of reverence that runs counter to the Emperor's decree of Science being the only true religion...

 

It was at this point that I realized that I could only explain this one way...

 

http://i.imgur.com/sbVGFuc.png

 

 

...the Alpha Legion have broken the Fourth Wall and not even our self-made fluff armies are safe from their influence!  Now if only we had some idea exactly what they are trying to achieve as, after making the realization, my hour long plunge into their fluff only left me with more questions and almost no answers.

 

So in an attempt to sate this new found idea, I dug up an old beaky marine that I had primed and arm still disconnected awaiting (at the time) a Raven Guard shoulder pad.  I then attempted to tackle the blue/green shifting armor...using my non-standard muted  techniques.  The blue is actually darker than the picture would imply but hitting a model with 3 5500K lights tends to brighten things up a bit.

 

Test Run - Alpha Legion

 

http://i.imgur.com/2pkoSKk.png

 

 

So yeah...the moral of the story is umm...insomnia is bad, Alpha Legion are influencing our thoughts (sleep with Tin Foil hats on), and I'm pondering tying the Rust Scorpions into the Alpha Legion but necessarily in a rebellious way, more along the lines of Alpharius appears to like to stack the deck and keep cards up his sleeve.  The Rust Scorpions might just be a card that he wanted to have available but never got to play, so to speak.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Audemus

[Audemus]

http://i.imgur.com/EtuKaTO.png

 

 

So what's that all about?  I'll explain further regarding House Ardeo's history when I get a chance, from a more narrative voice than one of my Rust Scorpions, but for now what you need to know is that House Ardeo was part of the original group that made planet fall on Grail and as they were traditionalists they kept their stronghold exactly where they initially built it...all the while the hive cities grew up around it.  I took some artistic license with the extinction level event on Grail, as FW has not stated what exactly caused it and I've adopted the little planet at this point with the Rust Scorpions.  Basically a Xenos race, not one of the usual suspects, tried to subjugate Grail and the human inhabitants and Knights fought back pushing them off world.  Infuriated by their inability to subjugate this planet, they used mass driver technology to hurl passing asteroids and other rocks in orbit down on the Hive Cities smashing them like toothpicks.

 

In the case of House Ardeo, due to their location at the very base of one of the Hive Cities, the initial chunks of space debris set the world ablaze and melted their communication arrays before they even had a chance to react.  Immediately after, they brought up the long unused void shields and found that they were malfunctioning.  Instead of keeping the bubble tight around the stronghold in a sustainable defense, the void shields snapped out just as two of the spires fell down toward the stronghold.  The void shield created a pivot point for the spires and as they almost immediately burnt out, the void shields had held long enough for the two spires to collapse diagonally; effectively creating a shunt for the larger debris coming down and also the spine of a roof that created a cavity beneath the rubble.  This was a blessing and a curse as, with their communication arrays melted and ruined, the House could only use the Vox communicators built into their Knights.  These were unable to pierce the half mile thick concrete and plasteel debris field that was above them and no attempts were made to disturb the ceiling as it could result in the entire house of cards falling down on them. 

 

As such, House Ardeo has literally been fighting giant rock eating worms, insectoid creatures, and other denizens of the dark while just trying to keep their population level from collapsing since the catastrophic events that left the planet lifeless...until Trainee Relan and the live fire exercise cause a huge tear in the ceiling to occur by creating a weak point in the delicately balanced structure.  They have most assuredly tinkered with their genetics and also sacrificed some of the original population to modify their genes and create multiple lines from a single individual who was used for experimentation.  It's not pretty to say the least.

 

At this point, they are insistent that their only contract be with the Rust Scorpions and that is going to raise some serious hackles when I bring the storyline back to "present" where the 1905th are moving to support loyalist forces.  It's just one more quirk of independence that the Imperial brass is going to find questionable, given what has occurred with the Horus aligned legions.

 

So why did I sit down and put that together last night and then write out that communique etc.?

 

Well it just seemed a shame for this Ceratus Knight Atrapos to not have a House of my own design to go along with the 1905th. 

 

http://i.imgur.com/JkhxDFw.png

[Rangaman]

Love all the choom, love all the fluff and even more, I love where you are going with 1905th.

 

Ps. I was expecting you to do a Styrix for added choom...

[Audemus]

Love all the choom, love all the fluff and even more, I love where you are going with 1905th.

 

Ps. I was expecting you to do a Styrix for added choom...

Oh don't worry, I intend on having 2 Styrix to use for the 2 LOW rule or to put under the Atrapos in an allied detachment. ;)

[Audemus]

So this won't look like much and I'm guessing some people won't be thrilled with the color but it's a red tinged brown plating and I'm no longer using a straight color for the metal.  It's actually a mixture I came up with that I'm hoping will dull some of the shine and give the metallic portions of the Knight a colder/realistic look, without being extremely dark like Forge World did.  I'll be making the rank markings using a bone color and the frame is going to be this same dark metal (it's practically a gunmetal in person but the lights of my photo tent make that a bit difficult to see).

 

Anyways, I spent most the night mixing metal colors before I got to this one and was really happy with it.  I figured the leg armor was the safest testing ground for it.

 

http://i.imgur.com/B2gw7I1.png

 

---

 

Edit:

 

Alright, so I decided to add the secondary color to the leg as well but I intentionally left out the crescent on the bottom as I like the contrast of having the primary color entering into the secondary color.  Maybe I'm weird, I don't know!

 

http://i.imgur.com/wsOVflT.png

 

After finishing this, I went on to tackle all of the external armor except for the chest armor as I'm pondering how I want to approach it due to the unique center piece on it.  I only have the the metallic left on the shoulders and the center/hull armor left.  If you're wondering why I'm approaching it this way, I'm currently waiting on on the 168x106 mm version of the base below (which is the 200 mm version but it's painted so you can see the details better)  from Jeff at Dragon Forge to show up, it's going in the mail tomorrow  so this is my way of making progress on the Knight in the mean time...because my Stormhammer will be here on Wednesday?!  Super Heavy Madness coming this week!

 

Also, I know this is my first Cerastus Knight, but damn if I'm not a bit intimidated by the instructions telling me I have to cut pieces to size.  It's clear that this is to give you more room customizing the stance but cutting is so...final!  Which, when you lack the base and know it has clear depth like the one I chose (so maybe I want to perch the Atrapos on a rocky crag like some mountain lion stalking its prey...underground...umm...in the dark...damn you fluff!), is down right crazy to do ahead of time.  Forge World prices these Knights and the Stormhammer in the "Hello, I would like to break your wallet!" range and I'm not diving into the abyss without a clear grasp of how things will line up. 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/9U87I2s.jpg

 

Edited January 4, 2016 by Audemus

[Frostmourne]

I love all of this.

 

Like all parts of it.

 

Your SA list and army are insane

[Hesh Kadesh]

The big grav makes me happy. PS, running an Atrapos counts as recently, I'm a major fan of it as an Uhlan. A Scouting Hit and Run Knight is rather fun, and the loss of 12" of range isn't necessarily a big one. 

 

As for the Troop, I like taking the Castigator - it's cheap, and despite losing -1 WS and BS, it has an autohit Sweep Attack and Twin Linked Bolt Cannons. 345pts for that Knight. Sure, it only has a 5+ Invulnerable, but if it's shooting that, then it's not shooting your 2 other knights or your dudes in tanks.

 

And the Stormhammer is an incredible model that I've yet to play with.

[God-Potato of Mankind]

Glorious, take those ace painting skills to some Imperial Knights! 

 

Faster you prude :D

[Audemus]

I love all of this.

 

Like all parts of it.

 

Your SA list and army are insane

 

Thank you very much!

 

The big grav makes me happy. PS, running an Atrapos counts as recently, I'm a major fan of it as an Uhlan. A Scouting Hit and Run Knight is rather fun, and the loss of 12" of range isn't necessarily a big one. 

 

As for the Troop, I like taking the Castigator - it's cheap, and despite losing -1 WS and BS, it has an autohit Sweep Attack and Twin Linked Bolt Cannons. 345pts for that Knight. Sure, it only has a 5+ Invulnerable, but if it's shooting that, then it's not shooting your 2 other knights or your dudes in tanks.

 

And the Stormhammer is an incredible model that I've yet to play with.

 

I'm probably going to end up making the Atrapos my Seneschal when it is running as Allied Detachment if only to stack Sanctuary in for 2 Void Shields (1 with Flare Shields) or IWND with it's own self repair unit.  Solar Auxilia can actually take Questoris Knights as Lords of War without the Household ranks though and can take up to two Knights or 1 of the big 9 HP tanks.  It gives a lot of flexibility to my force and points knowing I can put them in Allied Detachment or shift them to Lords of War as needed.

 

Glorious, take those ace painting skills to some Imperial Knights! 

 

Faster you prude

 

Haha thank you!  The base should be here tomorrow which will let me finally get it placed properly so I can start looking at magnetizing the arms.  I had planned on magnetizing the torso as well but I'm concerned even with a rare earth magnet it might come loose and fall on to the hard tables at my store.  Also I'm liable to grab the upper torso and pull it loose when moving the damn thing because I'm forgetful at times. 

 

Here's all of the armor plates completed below and I waited (after my example piece) until they were all prepped for the gunmetal mix before I dry brushed it over the warlock bronze/agrax earthshade base so I could keep the color as close to same as possible.  In a perfect world where I had unlimited paints I'd pre-mix it into a bottle but with two FW super heavies my model budget has taken a substantial hit so I'm rationing my paint as much as I can.  I realized I didn't list the the gun metal mixture and it really isn't complicated but did take me working through my greys to find it (2 parts Eshin Grey, 1.5 parts Leadbelcher).  I find that the blues in Eshin Grey really give it that dark gun metal look.

 

Also, if you want to see how far from the initial color I am glazing the brown, take a look at the two rows of plates to the right of the central plate on the hull.  I've only applied one layer of Bloodletter to it and you can see how, in contrast, the other plates have a very cherry wood warm red look.  I wanted to break away from just using red and really contrast against the ivory coloring of the other panels.  That ivory color is a bit weird and the top layer is actually Karak Stone if you can believe it!  (Rakarth Flesh > Seraphim Sepia > Ushbanti Bone > Pallid Wytch Flesh > Karak Stone)  I found the Karak smoothed out the pallid wytch flesh and also was brightened by having it as the layer beneath it.

 

Enough yammering from me, here's the external armor plates:

 

http://i.imgur.com/fluU6QZ.png

[Frostmourne]

Re reading this blog makes me make a SA shopping list every time.