Lies and Deceit a XXth Legion Project

[Xenaur]

Hello everyone and thanks for viewing my project!

 

I've been a long time lurker here on Bolter and Chainsword, especially in Heresy forums and to be totally honest some of the projects are truly amazing and full of inspirational stuff! Further to this the community on here seems to be really active so for a while now I've wanted to share my Alpha Legion with you guys so without further ado.

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2432.jpg

I've managed to make a start painting 15 marines in a metallic scheme using the FW clear colours and Iwata Neo (first project ever using an airbrush so it's been a bit of a learning curve). Overall I'm pleased with how they've come out but I notice they're a bit darker than some other people's which I quite like, the one thing I do think I need to work on is the consistency of the colour, I think I need to be applying more thin coats and I'm not sure how I'm going to tackle the non standard units (more on this later). The above model is the sergeant for my assault squad, I've given him AL torsos and helmet and he's got a converted power dagger.

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2433.jpg

And the rest of his squad.

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2430.jpg

And finally the first five tacticals that served as my test models.

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2030.jpg

They're all just waiting for transfers and they'll be done.

 

I'm currently away at uni so progress might be a bit slow at times (especially when I'm not the fastest painter to begin with) but I have a further five tacticals and five veterans with me to paint over the next few weeks. For the veterans they have full AL upgrade parts and Im planning on painting some of the detailing bronze to help them stand out a bit. Waiting for me at home I have a seeker squad (which might get black shoulder pads ala effrit stealth squad, got the idea from betrayers project on here great work by the way!) a recon squad and a betrayal at calth kit so plenty to be getting on with! The goal is to get 1000 points painted asap to play zone mortallis (which I might do battle reports for if people are interested), my gaming club is quite active in the heresy department so there is plenty opportunity for games and hopefully some of my fellow members will join this log in the future.

 

Apologies for the shoddy photo quality but thanks for reading anyway and let me know what you think!

 

Alpharius

Edited July 8, 2016 by Phosis T'kar

[Athrawes]

Nice metallic. Some Alpha Legion metallics I've seen are too purple or too blue, yours has just the right amount of green imo. Lovely looking force you have there and I'm excited to see more. 

 

I just started my Thousand Sons using the FW scheme and paints with an Iwata HP-CH. First time I've ever painted miniatures with an Airbrush, so I definitely understand that there is a steep learning curve. I think your doing great with it so far.

 

BTW, your photos look just fine friend.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Athrawes

[Enigami]

Wow! You nailed that color scheme! Well done! Might I request your recipe? It may very well determine what my next legion will be. Haha

[Greyedout]

Those look like a great start to me! I'm liking the slightly more greenish tone you've got going, and even if the airbrush is a bit of a learning curve(finding that out myself!), you're doing well so far.  

[Hesh Kadesh]

That teal is incredible. I might need to steal that for mine.

 

Edit, and yes please, love me some battle reports, especially ZM, it is an incredible game.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Hesh Kadesh

[Xenaur]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I will try to keep the log as active as possible but I'm not expecting to have another update for a couple of weeks depending on work load.

 

@Athrawes I'd seen you Thousand Sons log and I just assumed you were experienced with the airbrush your results are great! Hopefully following the release of some rules I'm planning on making a Thousand Sons army probably in running in parallel to this one so I will be paying close attention.

 

Wow! You nailed that color scheme! Well done! Might I request your recipe? It may very well determine what my next legion will be. Haha

 

Thanks, I've sort of stumbled upon it but I'm rather pleased with the outcome. All of the paints I use are FW airbrush range.

 

Recipe:

• Prime Black (I use Upol matte black because it gives a nice thin coat).
• Base coat Iron Hands Steel.
• Quick zenithal highlight with Grey Knights Steel (I might change this step with Runefang Steel when I run out of Grey Knight since it isn't too noticeable after the clear coats.
• Mix Calth Blue (Clear Blue) with Mortarion Green (Clear Green) in a 3:1 ratio and apply in thin coats all over the model until quite a strong colour is achieved.
• Apply Calth Blue thinly to the bottom (I use a kind of reverse zenithal highlighting technique) I like the very bottom surfaces to have a strong blue colour (maybe the arms and powerpack depending on the pose).
• Zenithal highlight the model with Mortarion Green paying attention to the tops of the shoulder pads, helmets and power pack.
• The model should have a kind of glossy finish but dont worry the finish changes when you give it a coat of Guilliman Blue Glaze over the whole model, I keep the coat thin trying to stop it pooling too much but I dont actually thin the paint. (I think this is the part that is leading to me getting slight inconsistencies in my guys)
• Paint details how you like, nothing special here just basic highlighting etc.

And there you have it, if people are interested enough I could possibly do a tutorial with pictures in the future.

[ddarz]

Definitely would be interested in that:)
Amazing Job!

[Xenaur]

Hi Guys, just a quick update incoming.

 

Firstly thanks for the nice comments, further to your encouraging words I've decided to take part in loyalty and treachery in the forge subforum to further motivate me to get 1000 points.

 

My pledge included:

Autilon Skorr Consul Delgatus of the Alpha Legion

Legion Veteran Squad x5 with plasma gun and sergeant with powerfist

Legion Seeker Squad x5

 

I'll be documenting my progress both on that thread here, I do hope to surpass that pledge but that was all I needed to finish this stage of my army. So here are some WIP (taken on a phone camera so not great quality).

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/12417712_1086200334734488_863954093655434202_n.jpg

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/5442_1086200338067821_6076518188115992767_n.jpg

 

This immediately post airbrushing and you can see how glossy they are before I apply the glaze.

 

I think that's it for now but the final five tacticals are nearing completion so hopefully I'll be able to give you a proper update soon.

 

Alpharius 

[Kizzdougs]

Awesome work, bro! I really like the darker tone that you've given your Alpha Legion, they look great. The photos look great too, but I would suggest cropping them just a bit to remove some of the blank space around the minis :)

 

Keep up the excellent work :tu:

[Xenaur]

Hi Everyone,

 

Sorry it's been a while since my last post but I got really bogged down in Uni work in the last few weeks. I did manage to finish a tactical squad though.

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2586.jpg

 

Pretty standard stuff just wish I could paint a little faster... Final thing I have to show is a WIP veteran.

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2589.jpg

 

This is my first squad with the B@C kit and I'm a big fan, I went for a slightly different scheme but can't decide if there's too much bronze on them it should end up lighter after highlighting though.

 

Would love to know what people think! I'm on holiday now so expect more frequent updates for the next few weeks.

 

Also I'm looking for help because I've been sealing my models with GWs purity seal because I thought the satin finish looked good and when I was experimenting with some transfer solution it took a load of paint off   So I was wondering what people doing other metallic schemes use?

 

Alpharius

[Xenaur]

Hi Guys,

 

Been a while but I've finished those veterans.

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2699.jpg

 

Lighting wasn't great so I only took the one photo, I can take more if anyone is interested. Really pleased how these guys turned out, the AL upgrade parts look really good on the B@C kits but I cant help feel that the plastic marines look a bit static compared to their resin cousins I cant have everything I suppose. These guys definitely have the best green highlight out of any of the guys I've done and the bronze helps them to stand out just enough from the rank and file soldiers, not quite sure what symbols they'll get on the bare shoulder pad but there's plenty of options on the transfer sheet.

 

I've used Testors Dullcoat on all my models and I'm pleased with the results, although it's a matte varnish it still leaves them with enough shine and should seal the models sufficiently to allow me to apply transfers.

 

Skorr is currently on my painting table and should be done by the end of the week so hopefully there should be another update sooner rather than later.

 

All comments and criticisms welcome,

 

Alpharius

[Brother Pheidias]

Very nice Alphas. The green is just how I like it!

[Xenaur]

Thanks brother, I'm pleased with the end result just need to pick up the pace with painting them.

 

Skorr is done I'm just getting his base done, I've used resin bases on everyone else so I just need to make sure his looks enough like the others so he doesn't stand out.

[Xenaur]

Hi everyone,

 

This'll probably be my last update before I go back to uni and I hope it's going to be a good one.

 

I give to you Autilon Skorr Consul Delgatus of the Alpha Legion.

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2706.jpg

 

Really pleased with this guy I debated for ages on how to paint his cloth but I think the dark red really adds something to the model, however I'm still open to suggestions.

 

I made his base with a RG mkVI helmet on because a mate of recently did a RG army but chose to use mkIV instead of mkVI which was a bit of a shame in my opinion.

 

Anywhoo here's some more shots.

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2707.jpg

 

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2708.jpg

 

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2709.jpg

 

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2710.jpg

 

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_2705.jpg

 

 

Right well that'll probably be it from me for a while, I plan on painting some seekers when I'm away which will give me 1000pts to start playing games with.

 

All comments welcome.

 

Alpharius

[Firenze]

I must be the only person to do non-metallic Alphas and I might be regretting it XD Everyone's force looks so good!

[betrayer41]

very nice alphas. They remind me alot of my first batch! and thanks for the dullcote suggestion. I will try it out. I just haven't found a varnish for alphas that has worked yet.

[Xenaur]

Thanks guys! Means a lot especially coming from you betrayer, I've taken a lot of inspiration from your project.

 

I've been debating on whether to give my seekers black shoulder pads for sometime, what do people think?

[betrayer41]

Thanks guys! Means a lot especially coming from you betrayer, I've taken a lot of inspiration from your project.

 

I've been debating on whether to give my seekers black shoulder pads for sometime, what do people think?

I love black on Alpha's like this. I am slowly adding black to  mine. My Skorr will have black pads and a helmet. I saw go for it,it will loo great!

[Xenaur]

Hmm I think I will, I'll get a test mini done sometime this week hopefully. I haven't been able to do any work on them since getting to uni so I'm eager to get some painting done.

 

A black mask on Skorr will look very striking, I'm intrigued to see the results.

[Raktra]

That is EXACTLY how power daggers should look. Good stuff, man.

[Soric]

These Alphas look amazing. Well done brother.

[Xenaur]

Thanks guys, I'd always had that image for my power daggers and I knew that Dark Eldar Knives would be just perfect for them. However they aren't done I have yet to motivate myself to paint them properly, I've got some lighter greens to highlight them but I haven't decided whether to highlight the top and bottom of the blade (lengthways) or just the tip of it. I feel like the latter will make them just look like poison blades but I'm undecided on whether the former will just look silly. Thoughts? (If I've explained that well enough).

 

Anyway slight update, I've been making some progress with my seekers and I'm pretty happy with how the black shoulder pads looks.

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/13164469_1155976311090223_7297253564094906570_n.jpg

 

(Taken on my phone so not great quality) Still got another two to do then highlighting etc but I think they'll turn out pretty cool and will be sufficiently marked out from the standard tactical marines.

 

Anyway finding painting to be a brilliant revision break because it distracts me from all the stress of exams, so expect more small updates like this!

 

Alpharius

[betrayer41]

Good stuff! Love the black shoulder pads. And love the daggers can't wait to to see these finished!

[Xenith]

Great looking army, looking forward to seeing more.

[Xenaur]

Hi Everyone,

 

I know it's been a while because I've had exams and stuff but they're over now for another so without further ado what will hopefully be the first of many summer updates!

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac173/Warlord-Nazgred/IMG_3117.jpg

 

The first five seekers are done, no sergeant or combi weapons yet (poor planning on my part) but I am very pleased with how these guys have turned out. The black shoulder pads make them look quite menacing and the AL helmets distinguishes them from the standard tactical marines, let me know what you think!

 

Next on the to do list is to make a spray booth and get my veteran and seeker squads up to full strength.

 

Yet more exciting news I finally have enough points to play games so on Sunday my sneaky little marines had their first outing in a couple of games of Zone Mortallis. My list was as follows:

 

Autilon Skorr

5 Veterans with plasma gun and sergeant with power fist and power dagger

5 Seekers

10 Tactical Marines and sergeant with power fist and power dagger

10 Assault Marines with plasma pistol and sergeant with thunder hammer and power dagger

 

My first game was against Iron Hands where the list was ideal for ZM, Immortals, Breacher Marines, Tacticals and Cataphract Terminators. It was just the standard mission of getting into the enemies deployment zone but it didn't really matter because I got my arse handed to me and I was tabled in turn four because I spread myself too thin.

 

Second game was against Night Lords, loads of volkite and terror squads. It was a wrecker mission where I was attacking, I took counter strike on mutable tactics and for my warlord trait (Skorr lets you choose) I picked the infiltration one. I won the deployment and chose to deploy my veterans and assault squad in a room with two of the objectives which I subsequently destroyed in turn 1. Coils of the hydra stopped any night lord reserves arriving turn two but all of mine arrived with my tacticals, skorr and the seekers outflanking and eliminating a ten man terror squad leaving only a praetor defending one objective. Meanwhile the assault squad destroyed another objective. Turn three my seekers and tacticals got counter flanked and I lost most of the seekers but my tacticals did fury of the legion to avenge their brothers but were hit hard by another terror squad in turn four. The assault squad and veterans took on the final terror squad and a support squad to destroy another objective by turn six whilst Skorr managed to rally my tacticals before the end of the game.

 

All in all a really fun game and a win for the Alpha Legion! Four objectives destroyed and first blood, taking counter strike was a good choice as it let me wait for the charge, overwatch and fight back just as hard. Also the seekers did really well destroying most of the first terror squad even at a strength of five guys.

 

Can't wait for another game, if people are interested I can take photos and do a more detailed report.

 

Alpharius