Red's Vlka Fenryka - Ragnar Lothbrok's Hird

[Dantay VI]

Thats a nice mix of models there and is able to cross-over to 40K quite easily.

 

If yo have the spare bits, make a 5 man tactical support squad with special weapons, like plasma or melta. You can use them as specials in 30K or you can split them into the packs as special weapons for 40K.

 

To free up a heavy slot for the future, check battlescribe, you may be able to move the Spartan to one of your squads as a dedicated transport.

 

Have a very Merry Christmas fella!

[codyrstuart]

^This. I believe your Termies can take the Spartan as a dedicated transport.

[Amarog]

Fooking marvelous idea for your models. I love the series Vikings. And very well executed so far. Can't wait to see more :)

[RedInventor]

I hope everyone had a happy holidays! I had a good time playing with my kids especially since my son, Loken, has gotten into star wars. Really trying hard to avoid buying a fancy model to paint and light up for him, he's only 4.

Anyways, back to the topic.

Dantay/cody- Thanks for the advice guys. After I finish with the BaC set I should have 35 tacticals and 5 Plasma support guys, 5 cataphractii, a contemptor, praetor, and chaplain. As for moving the spartan as a dedicated transport, the termies have one listed it is just snuck in there. So the list has 2 spartans, a typhon, 2 sicarans, and the Storm Eagle as far as vehicles go. I was thinking of running the praetor with the cataphractii in the spartan, the chaplain and one of the apothecaries with the large tac squad in the other one, and running the smaller tac squad in the storm eagle. The typhon and sicarans can keep everything pinned down, while everyone moves up the board to get into assault. Thoughts?

Amarog- Thanks for the compliment brother, everyone's comments and advice definitely help to keep me motvated so thank you.

[MagicMan]

Damn dude that Ragnar is beautifully done.

 

Ive had the same itch over the holiday period! 30k, Viking Wolves, with a real Viking feel to them.

 

Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

[KJB]

Ragnar looks incredible - is the fur all Green Stuff?

 

What colours did you use for the grey?

 

I've got the Betrayal at Calth set and am leaning towards the VIth...

[RedInventor]

MagicMan- Thanks man, I'm hoping to keep them more viking and less wolf feeling.  Hopefully I'll have more progess to post soon.

KJB- Yeah all the fur is greenstuff.  I used Vallejo Black Primer followed with a base of dawnstone, washed with black, then dawnstone, then blend in adminastratum grey highlights.  Overall pretty easy painting process.  You should definitely do the VIth!

 

I've had a pretty productive Sunday and I have mostly just been working on my Armoury Advance Vow! I'm knocking out all the easy stuff first.

Sorry for the terrible phone cam flash pic, but the lighting tonight in my house wasn't working for me.  I got the Imperial Bunker, 5 Fenrisian Wolves, and 1 Terminator built today.  I still need to green stuff the seems on the wolves and the bunker so that is on the to do list.  Also on the to do list is making my cataphractii look like they are in the Vlka Fenryka.  The hard part at the moment for me is trying to figure out a happy medium because I feel like 30k wolves would be less adorned than their modern counterparts.  So I am still contemplating how to do it properly.

 

As always thanks for looking and thanks to everyone who has commented thus far!

-Red

[Dosjetka]

KJB- Yeah all the fur is greenstuff.  I used Vallejo Black Primer followed with a base of dawnstone, washed with black, then dawnstone, then blend in adminastratum grey highlights.  Overall pretty easy painting process.  You should definitely do the VIth!

Perfect! I was just about to ask you the same question :) May I ask you how you painted the skin on Ragnar? It looks very good and I would like to try and replicate it.

[Dantay VI]

Looking good RI.

 

As for less adorned... Wolf at the door book 10 of the HH. I keep goin go about it, but gives a good reason for less adorned Space Wolves

 

Keep trucking!!

[RedInventor]

Update time!  I have slowly been grinding my soul away building my 30 tactical marines and now I almost done.  I totally forgot how brutal building up large squads could be.  Since I participated in the 2016 Armory Advance I haven't really wanted to post until I had some major progress, so here I am.  Almost all of my models are built, but pictures are often better than words so here they are.

This is the group shot, I had to drop the res to upload it so sorry for the poor quality.  Betrayal at Calth is a lot of stuff for the money, pretty happy with the purchase.

This will be Rollo's Grey Hunters, all 20 of them.  They all have an extra CCW and the squad has a vexila.  I also made a back up Pack Leader with powerfist and melta bomb.  This is the first time I have ever really gone full 100% WYSIWYG or whatever, I just have to get some bolters with grips for the Chainsword guys and I will be pretty close.  Gluing on the holsters and combat blades what a lot harder than I thought.

This is Torstein's squad, just 10 of them.  They all have +CCW and a vexila as well.  I once again made a back up Pack Leader with powerfist and melta bomb.  You may have noticed that none of these guys have heads or bolters, this is the first time I am trying to do a better assembly line set up.

I lost one of my Fenrisian Wolves to my daughter who to paint it but didn't want it on the base.  The Fenrisian Wolves were pretty cool to build but will definitely need some green stuff love to fill in the lines and fill some fur gaps.  The terminators were fun to build and I couldn't resist how good the lightning claws look.  I also bought 5 more so I will be adding them soon as well.

The Contemptor got chopped up, which was a pain in the butt.  I think I need a new Xacto blade now.  I also managed to lose my pin vise so the magnetization will have to wait... and all of the barrel drilling.

Awesome 3d printed shoulder pads from shapeways!

The Imperial Bunker was beyond easy to assemble and I mostly bought it to practice some of my weathering on.  Initially I thought the base with all the dead guardsman looked pretty cool then after closer inspection I began to realize that I didn't really like how the sculpt/mold works so I will probably bury it all in snow...

 

So that is where I am at as far as my oath goes I think I'll definitely hit the deadline as most of what is left is some greenstuffing.  

 

[Dantay VI]

Looking good.

 

If you are going for 30K, I would suggest making the 10 man pack a veteran tactical squad. 

 

That way you can give them special rules, such as sniper or tank hunter, that kind of thing. 10 men squad, with 2 Heavy Bolters and sniper to hunt from a distance or a 10 man pack with 2 meltas and a combi melta on the squad leader. Give them tank hunter and burn enemy armour. Melta bombs and/or power fist. with spare points you can maybe put in an extra power weapon or 2 for a bit more cc killiness.

 

How are you magnetising your dread? I did almost no drilling for mine

[RedInventor]

Alright now time to respond to some comments and throw some ideas around!

Dantay- thanks for the encouragement! You've been a huge help and inspiration with my wolves so far! I have been lurking while I worked away on building my stuff and I am happy to see you are start on you BaC stuff as well! As for the magnetizing, I was going to cut right above the elbow joint and throw some magnets there so that way if i buy any more arms on ebay it's super easy to throw different loadouts on.

Dos- Thanks for the compliment on good ol' Ragnar's skin. Skin for me is a very organic process so I may not be the very best at explaining at exactly how I did it but I will try. Basecoat is bugmans glow, then I throw a light wash in the darker spots of the face such as the eyes, cheek lines, ears, etc. I would usually use drakenhoff nightshade or whatever that purple was is called but I didn't have it this time so I used seraphim sepia mixed with a tiny dab of nuln oil. The next step i used thinned ungor flesh to cover most of the areas of the face but made sure to lead a tiny bit of the underlying color showing in darker areas. This usually takes a few layers but it is easier to start blending the darks to the lights that way. Then I washed again, then came back with the ungor flesh. The final set of super thin layers, like so thin I can hardly tell that I am doing anything was building the highlights up with kislev flesh. Wash and touch up again. I am pretty sure that was the process but I might of thrown in a wash made from mephiston red in there somewhere too. Sorry if that isn't terribly helpful. Thanks again!

Alright, now to throw some ideas around! So the biggest problem I have had is with my contemptor, which is kind of odd being that I don't really plan to use him all that often. When I went to start cutting him into pieces I couldn't get a vision of what I wanted to do to convert him. It was just a blank wall and this led me to sit there are lurk all over the place trying to find some sort of vision for my chopped amigo. As I looked and looked I started to realize that I didn't really have a complete vision for the whole entire army yet either. It was a terrible case of writers block or artists block or whatever you would call it in our hobby. Obviously I already have my vikings characters design concept but I was looking for something a little more. Like a backstory or environment that my space wolves were living, I need something to guide my armies entire design concept. So I have read/re-read quite a few of the Space Wolves books (Prospero Burns, Wolf King, Hunt for Magnus, Battle of the Fang, Stormcaller, and I just started Blood of Asaheim), walked all 3 seasons of vikings again, etc. All of the stuff is good entertainment and inspiration material but none of it really gave me a direction. So I continued my lurking and found myself drawn to the awesome death guard and iron warriors legion armies people have done. After thinking about what drew me to those armies I realized they both generally share one thing in common, bad weathering. Which is something I have done quite a bit of before but not a ton of. After quite a lot of contemplation after this discovery, I have an idea.

I was thinking about doing my wolves beat up and tattered stranded on a desolate ice world, somewhere people tried to settle but the elements pushed them off the planet. Very similar to Fenris I suppose but Fenris has a population. I like to think of my projects as a whole, how they can be displayed, what kind of terrain can I have at home that will look amazing with them, etc. I am thinking corroded, abandoned buildings with accumulated snow. Ragnar and company are trying to survive long enough for the Aett to send a recovery team because their strike cruiser was destroyed before they could send a distress signal. Their techmarine is doing his best to keep everything together, so I am thinking of vehicles with welded on armor plates for repairs. So plenty of corrosion and battle damage on everything. I also like the idea that the wolves are predominantly living out of their remaining armor on the planet (enter mastodon *so excited* and spartans). So I am thinking no fliers as they wouldn't last long in this scenario (at least in my head). Anywho, that's my idea. I will refine and extrapolate more as the idea comes together more, but I would also love some input as it is pretty freeform right now.

As always, thanks for looking!

[Dantay VI]

Thanks. The B@C contemptor isnt too hard to carve up, if you repose the legs, I suggest you have some 3-4mm tubing to go across where a knee joint should be. Mine was a bit of a hack job, but I took pics if you want to see how I went about doing it. You are magnetising exactly where I did. A word of caution, where you cut leaves almost perfect holes for 3x1mm magnets with no drilling, but I found I needed 5mm magnets for the claw/fist due to centre of gravity, so I widened the holes out a touch with a knife and if needed a bit of greenstuff att the back. My magnets are slightly exposed, but I do not mind that

Back to the dreadnaught. Contemptors are viewed with suspicion and sometimes fear.

Your contemptor could be Aethelstan. A spiritual beacon of hope and trusted advisor to Ragnar, shuinned by many of the packs, he stands alone as sentinel against the storm. Ambassador, councillor and warrior. Terran born he stands apart from his brothers. Not just in name, but in belief, howeveer the same warrior heart beats in his chest as does theirs and so he stands alongside, but apart from Ragnars company. Sometimes in the dead of night, Ragnar is seen leaving the compound and spends time with Aethelstan, learning from the old warrior.

Something which rankles with Wolf Priest Floki, who sometimes feels his position is being usurped.

The reason I suggest Tactical veterans, is that they can swap straight into 40K as grey hunters, a 10 man pack with 2 special weapons and a leader with wargear. You could the run pride of the legion.

Another fun idea would be to have Rollo lead the wulfen if you get any. O sometimes imagine him as a berserker, especially when you see him leap the shieldwall, and he carries no shield or armour, just a massive axe. Rollo, Ragnars brother left the company and went into the eye with another company, the 13th. A betrayal in Raganars eyes. Desertion by his brother to the side of another (Bulveye of the 13th). Now Rollo returns from the eye at the head of his pack, a band of men more animal than human. Can he regain Ragnars trust and become a member of the great company again?

Rollo as wolf priest or wulfen Alpha leading the shock elements of the army. Will need to see the FOC and rules when released. And also the FW ruiles when book 6 drops.

As for scenery, How about destroyed or disrepaired longhalls, inthe style of rohan from Lord of the Rings or a whaling settlement as seen in that dire movie Aliens vs predator? The occasional Imperial bastion or fortification, used to protect the inhabitants are the only signs left behind of who originally tried to settle the hostile land.

Lastly. for weathering, I suggest you check Spex out, oh and totem pole,

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/304259-30k-sons-of-horus-rukal-breacher/?p=4261592

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/285797-index-astartes/

[MosesGunn]

Great start! Like the colour scheme you've chosen for the techpriest as well, the jade, blue and gold really makes it pop and isn't something you see too often with mechanicus models.

[RedInventor]

Moses- Thanks brother! Hopefully I will have more of both my wolves and my mechanicum finished soon.  I am flying back to Virginia soon to pick up my 350z and airbrush which means I can finally really paint again.  Oh and I can paint my Atropos!  I think it will look good in those colors.

 

Dantay- Thanks for the tips on the contemptor, I managed to find my pin vice so I should be able to finish working on him soon.  The idea of making him Athelstan is awesome, never thought of it but I love the idea.  I was thinking about making the extra marines I have into some special weapons marines so that way I can do some veteran tac squads or grey hunters for 40k! The HB idea with sniper sounds like a lot of fun.  Rollo as the Wulfen pack leader is awesome, I am not sold on the models yet but the rules look too good to pass up.  As far as scenery goes I was definitely thinking the AvP whaling town in my head and now that you mentioned it, it fits in perfectly with what I had in mind.  I'm going to have to watch that movie again to take some closer looks.  

 

Here is a teaser pic of what I am working on to develop the background a little more!

 The Dread Ice World of Umbrexia III