The Burden of Duty: The End of the Beginning

[Brother Pheidias]

Yeah, that head works very well too, though maybe (if it's not too late), A great-axe would've been more apt to tie the menacing style more together?

[Soldier of Dorn]

I like him. The simple head swap makes the model more appealing on the eyes. 

 

Thanks mate! Glad you're a fan. Yeah, the weird thing about the Praetor Tribune is that while it is a really nice model in its own right, it's got one or two elements (the head and, well, the head really) that utterly ruin everything nice about the model. Completely ruin it. Thank God for the Sternguard kit, though! That box is a wonderful resource for any Space Marine player just for the sake of the heads alone, and then it has so much more awesome stuff on top of it.

 

Yeah, that head works very well too, though maybe (if it's not too late), A great-axe would've been more apt to tie the menacing style more together?

 

Thanks Phedias! Yeah, it would look more intimidating, wouldn't it (not to mention that I've tried straightening that blade on there two or three times and it just refuses to stay in position.) I did plan on scrounging up a Halberd of Caliban from the Deathwing box, but never quite got around to it. Still not too late, though.

 

Anyways, I'm off on a weekend camping trip in... an hour or so, actually, and though I will have my mobile, I won't have the opportunity to update this thread with any new pictures, or whatnot. I'll try to push out an update on Sunday night when I get back, but no promises. And then I should probably work a bit on my ETL vow, 'cause I've been putting that off waaay too long. See ya guys.

[Monstra Sumus]

I just straight up don't like that model for those very reasons. You've done a great job in making the model attractive! 

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Soldier of Dorn]

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:::source - ENCRYPTED <vermillion-Θ-3>:::

:::SUBJ - VII-284BTN <Skyfall Squadron>:::

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:::inload begins:::

[pict-capture ZX/8561-39-81: Skyfall-Two and Skyfall-Three, Legion Vindicator Siege Tanks, Skyfall Squadron, 284th Storm Battalion. Noticeably missing is Skyfall-One, Squadron Command Tank.]

:::prime inload ends:::

@Tyrax: I'm very glad we both feel the same way then, man. Like I said, I hope to get my hands on a Halberd of Caliban or something similar and swap the blade. Hopefully it'll turn out nicely, but we'll see.

And thanks! I did. A bit of time away from everything is nice once in a while. :)

[Soldier of Dorn]

Sooo... this is a thing that's happening. This is an official vow, just with a bit of Psycho flair!!! A cookie to anyone who gets the reference to one of my greatest inspirations in the hobby.

BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED

Terra: The Trenches, during the Siege

Trooper Aaran ran through the trenches, boltgun clenched in his fist, golden yellow armor splattered with mud. Ducking as an explosion sounded somewhere nearby, throwing up many tons of earth, he took cover next to a wall as the bombardment continued. A chain of detonations sounded as close by a munitions depot was hit. Scrambling, Aaran hurried through the trenches, searching for surviving 284-BTN troops. Before he could, he was found by the enemy. A unit of Seekers, gunmetal armor marked by the chevrons of their Legion, came upon him, armed with vicious-looking combi-plasmas. Circling around him like a pack of hyenas, they laughed as they conversed in the guttural Olympian crypto-cant dialect adopted by members of the IV, discussing what to do with their newfound prey. Aaran didn't understand the words, but he understood their meaning well enough: he was going to die. Fitting, he supposed. He was born here, on hallowed Terra, recruited by the VII Legion to crusade among the stars, and though he had expected to die out there, it was grimly appropriate that he would die here, in the place of his birth, alongside the rest of his unit. His bones would join those of the first Imperial Fists, interred within the foundations of the Imperium's first fortresses and citadels.

As the Iron Warriors closed in on him, vicious combat blades drawn so to draw out his death painfully and hatefully, Trooper Aaran closed his eyes and subtly moved his hand to the pin of a grenade at his belt. He was a son of Dorn to the end, and he would end his days with the stubbornness and stoicism so noted among his line. He would not bend so low as to let them see his agony. He would deny them this final victory. Because of this, he did not notice the blue glow coalescing behind the IV Legion soldiers. The Iron Warriors were too blinded by their hatred of the VII Legionnaire to let anything distract them from their kill.

As Aaran awaited his end, he heard the heavy thump of an Illiastus-pattern assault cannon and Olympian voices screaming out orders in response. A heavy whine filled the air: that of a multi-melta cycling up to charge, and then a low explosion. Aaran's armor was hit by shards of bone and silvered power armor, flesh and gore making a softer sound as impacted against his wargear and the ground around. Opening his eyes, he watched as a group of Fists in massive Cataphractii armor tore through the Seekers, chainfists rending flesh and flamer weapons burning everything, all the while a towering Contemptor-pattern Dreadnought supported them, whirring siege drill pulverizing as the enemy was atomized by its multi-melta. He stood frozen: this must be what mortals spoke of when they talked of transhuman dread: he'd seen Terminators before, both in parade form and in battle, but never up close. The Wallbreaker Elite of the Storm Battalion were only deployed to particular sections of the battlefield, where the situation was dire enough to warrant their attention, and Aaran had only ever seen them from a distance. Here, up close, the Terminators fought with a fearful viciousness and brutality unrivaled by any other save perhaps for the most zealous of the Legion: the Templar Brethren of the First Captain, Warden Rahn's command, and perhaps a few others.

It was over in seconds: the Iron Warriors lay dead, slain to a man. Chainfists whirring down, the Terminators strode towards Aaran, the Contemptor standing watch over them all, a sentinel protecting his charges. Many of them wore no helmet, including the leader apparent. Though he wore no markings noting him as a sergeant, the way he signaled the men of the unit to fan out and patrol left little doubt that he acted in that capacity. When he spoke, he spoke with a voice low even for one of the Legiones Astartes.

Identification.

Though there were few tonal identifiers to indicate it, there was little doubt that this was not a question, but an order.

"Trooper Aaran, LA-7299317, 3 Tactical, Company A 284 Storm Battalion. Captain Huss' command."

And where is your unit, soldier?

"Dead or lost, sir. The Fourth fell upon us, and those few of us who survived the initial ambush were scattered. The Iron Warriors sent out hunting parties, like the ones here, so I have no doubt that they took out many of us. The Warriors may not always be the most efficient in war, but they are always effective in their task. I am certain many of my section died as a result. Thus, as far as I know, I am the last of 3 Tactical."

I see. That is... unfortunate.

Turning away, the Terminator addressed his squad.

Moran, Fischbach, double check the bodies. We can't afford to let our enemy to come back and bite us in the back. Rawles, you take point. We're moving out. The venerable Justici can cover us.

"Sir?"

Aaran had never questioned a superior officer before. There was a first time for everything.

Trooper.

"Where are you going, sergeant?"

Firstly, never call me Sergeant. I am Wallbreaker Lysander, and I am squad second of Wallbreaker-1. Sergeant Marvex is required... elsewhere. As for where we are going, we are going to do what every man of the battalion is trained to do. We are going to go perform our duty. In this case, this means acting as the living bastion of the 284^th, rallying the surviving troops in this sector. That is why you will be coming with us. We're the reinforcements, soldier. We're the reinforcements.

As the nine Terminator armored figures strode over the muddy battlefield, accompanied by the monolithic form of the Contemptor amidst the smoke and flame, Aaran followed them. A single Marine of the Line, armored in battered Mk IV Maximus plate, lonely among these godly masters of War, armed with nothing but a bolter. He shouldn't have mattered, not by himself, he was alone, the last survivor of his squad, a single Angel of Death.

But every army starts with a single soldier.

+++

I, The Psycho, Shield-Commandant of the 284^th, Soldier of the VII Legion, vow by the name of my Primarch Dorn to fully paint a nine-man Legion Terminator Squad with combi-weapons, chainfists, teleport transponders, and an assault cannon; and a Contemptor Dreadnought with chainfist, heavy flamer, and multi-melta worth 666 points from the Legion Astartes: Age of Darkness Army List by Saturday 3rd December 2016. I promise to provide at least one "start" picture and a final "vow completed" picture in that time. I vow to bear the burden of this duty to my Legion, and reinforce their ranks against our enemies the Iron Warriors. I will not fail.

Also, I got this in a bits drop today. Wasn't expecting most of this any of this except for a single Contemptor head, so I was completely floored when I opened up the box. A huge thank you to the frater who sent me this.

That's two sets of Jump Pack Destroyers, a Contemptor Heavy Conversion Beamer, and a bunch of other random bits, including, of course the one I was expecting. I don't actually have any plans to do Destroyers any time soon, so I'm half thinking I'll use a few of them for converted Breachers... but this should be exciting. It's got my creative pistons firing on all cylinders again, which is good.

I've also decided to start over on my Tacticals. Previously I just had them all as out of the box Mk IVs, but they have no character what so ever. I'll probably keep the 15 I've already built, but I'll definitely split them up throughout my squads.

Thanks for looking.

Edited August 21, 2016 by The Psycho

[Runefyre]

You lucky bastard! I've been wanting destroyers for quite some time now.

 

Awesome fluff, it was quite enjoyable. Good luck with your vow!

[Dosjetka]

Hot damn. Lucky bastard indeed. Can't wait to see what you do with those Destroyers. :tu:

[Soldier of Dorn]

I've been painting!!! Very slowly, mind, as ever, but painting nonetheless. In the past couple weeks I've basecoated and washed the yellow on I Wallbreaker. Not much, but it's progress, and it should go faster from this point forward.

One of the reasons I've not made much progress on these guys is I've been busy organizing the B&C's Tale of 20 Hobbyists, which I'll also be participating in from October until April., building up a 1500+ point army. I've never organized anything like this before, obviously, so I was spending a lot of my free time on it. Now that the initial flurry of starting it has died out, I can take more time on my own project. Anyways, this is my tentative list for the project.

VII-284BTN

"Ours is the burden of duty."

- Traditional oath of moment particular to the VII Legion, 284 Storm Battalion.

HQ

Legion Chaplain: 145 points

Legion Chaplain with Cataphractii Terminator armor, pair of lightning claws, teleportation transponder.

Elites

Contemptor Dreadnought: 225 points

Contemptor Dreadnought with Kheres-pattern assault cannon, chainfist with inbuilt twin-linked meltagun,extra armor.

Legion Terminator Squad: 521 points

Cataphractii Terminator armor, teleportation transponder. 7 Terminators with chainfist, combi-weapon. Terminator with chainfist, heavy flamer. Terminator with chainfist, Iliastus pattern assault cannon. Terminator Sergeant with chainfist, combi-weapon.

Troops

Legion Tactical Squad: 175 points

8 Space Marines with boltgun, combat blade. Space Marine with boltgun, combat blade, Legion vexilla. Sergeant with artificer armor, power maul.

Legion Tactical Squad: 175 points

9 Space Marines with boltgun, combat blades. Space Marine with boltgun, combat blade, Legion vexilla. Sergeant with artificer armor, power fist.

Legion Reconnaissance Squad: 160 points

Recon armor, cameleoline. Space Marine. Space Marine with nuncio-vox. Space Marine with sniper rifle. Space Marine with Space Marine shotgun. Sergeant with artificer armor, power weapon.

Fast Attack

Legion Seeker Squad: 390 points

8 Seekers with combi-plasma. Seeker with combi-plasma, nuncio-vox. Strike Leader with artificer armor, power fist, plasma pistol.

Heavy Support

Legion Vindicator: 120 points

Legion Vindicator: 120 points

Total: 2036 points

Unfortunately, I can't decide what to paint/build first for the list first next month when we start. I've got it narrowed down to three choices: either I Reconnaissance, which will be a Recon/Scout squad built from a combination of Tempestus Scions and standard Scouts, plus various other bits; I Seeker, which will be a fairly standard power armor build, but obviously with my normal twist on it; or if all else fails I can just paint up one of my Vindicators, which I know I'll have to do at some point, but I don't really like painting tanks much, so might as well get it over with now. Since I can't decide, I've made a poll to see what other people would like me to do first (though they'll all be done at some point:)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W3762KV

Runefyre and Dosjetka, I don't disagree with your statements. I am a very lucky (and happy) bastard (well, the first part's true anyway ) Still haven't quite decided what to do with the models, but they will be used sometime soon. Thanks for commenting!

Thanks for looking (and hopefully voting! )

Edited September 8, 2016 by The Psycho

[Runefyre]

I would say (and I voted as such) go for the the vindicator(s) first. I've always had better luck doing the worst first (and vehicles are definitely the worst considering I don't have an airbrush )

 

Then once that's out of the way you can reward yourself with something that's actually fun to paint!

[jimbo13]

Do the tank. Get those nasties out of the way.

[Dosjetka]

Also voted for the Vindi. Haven't seen you do any vehicles other than the Contemptor WIP you showed a while back.

[KBA]

I've always thought Destroyers would make excellent MK IV Breachers. Great minds! Love that vindicator by the way.

 

Edit:

 

Vindicators! Plural. My eye saw one, mirrored. Complete that trilogy!

Edited September 9, 2016 by KBA

[Soldier of Dorn]

Runefyre, jimbo, and Dos, I'm starting to lean the same way, so I might depart from the results so far of the poll and paint up the Vindicator(s) up first while I build the other two.

KBA: Thanks man, it's (sorta) all because of you (also, you've gotten me to fall in love with Mk V legs. I sorta hate you for that.) ;) JackDaw's Ophanim Life-wards were the thing that sorta got me thinking about Breachers built from the Destroyers, and my thought process just sorta went downhill from there. Just waiting to see if the rumored new plastic Heresy box will have Breachers in it: if not, I'll be ordering some Boarding Shield Upgrades from FW. And I do find that I prefer the Mars-pattern Vindicators without the big honking dozer blade, it just looks more attractive to my eye.

So, current poll standings:

As you can see, the Seekers are pretty clearly in the lead at this point. I'm going to leave the poll open 'til Saturday, but I think I know what path I'm taking now, with the Vindicators, and spend that same time building up the Seekers (possibly the Recons if they manage to make enough of a comeback.)

Thanks for looking, and thanks to everyone who voted too! :)

[Soldier of Dorn]

Small bit of progress:

Just needs a coat of Lamenters Yellow, Nuln Oil on the black bits, another highlight on the weapons and tassels, and heat discoloration on the barrels (which is maybe 15 mins work total, if that.) Unfortunately I'm out of Drakenhof Nightshade, which I need for said heat discoloration so that'll have to wait until my hobby run tomorrow.

Just 8 more dudes after this and a Dreadnought.

[Dosjetka]

What technique did you use for the muck? It looks a bit splotchy. What is it supposed to be? Mud? Ash? Damage to the paint/armour/both?

[Soldier of Dorn]

What technique did you use for the muck? It looks a bit splotchy. What is it supposed to be? Mud? Ash? Damage to the paint/armour/both?

 

It's... sonuvagun, what is it? It's... Eshin Grey, I think is the name of the paint, half stippled/half drybrushed on the armor. Supposed to be damage to the paint, it's on all of my models. I'm not sure how much sense it makes honestly, but I've done it on everything so far, I don't really want to change now...

[Runefyre]

It looks good to me, and I'm sure it looks even better in real life!

 

Looks like he just wrecked his way into a ferrocrete hablock!

Edited September 9, 2016 by Runefyre

[lionofjudah]

Dang it psycho I'd forgotten about jack draws awe inspiring postings!! His angels are outta this world good!! Now I've got to Reread the whole thread;)

Also- loving the assault cannon and wonder when the heresy shall see the mki of that

[Brother Pheidias]

Looking real good, looks properly scuffed up :D

[Soldier of Dorn]

Thanks guys for the encouraging words. Means a lot to me. :) Still, I should probably try and step it up a bit like Dos says. You'll never get better if you don't try, right?

 

lion: Yeah, his stuff is pretty damn inspiring (I started working on, and then promptly abandoned, 'cause I'm a hobby butterfly who can't stick to anything except the Fists apparently, a BA army because of him.) Jack's one of my biggest hobby inspirations regarding my particular way of going about things, right up there with Hyena, M2C, Tyrannicide, Observer, John French and Thistle himself (note: this is not a complete list. I could go on for literally days about everyone who's inspired me, but I won't, because not everyone has that luxury of time. A more complete list would include pretty much everyone who's ever posted on this entire forum, especially on this thread, and a bunch of other people. I just picked a few that sprang to mind who've inspired my style specifically.)

 

I'm looking forward to seeing the Fist Cataphractii upgrade kit that FW presented at the Open Day (I think?) with the storm shields and the assault cannon. That being said, I have a feeling I'll prefer mine to theirs, based on the few pictures I've seen. It's just an aesthetic preference.

[Dosjetka]

I'd suggest using a sponge for your weathering if you aren't already. If you are, reduce the amount of paint on it and you'll be able to produce better results.

I'm not saying that it currently looks bad, far from it in fact, but I wouldn't have thought it to be actual damage to the armour.

Still, you're doing a better job than I am at painting your Fists so I'll just shut up now and get my own models built and painted. ;)

[Soldier of Dorn]

I'll have to track down some suitable sponge, then. Been meaning to for a while, just haven't gotten round to it. :)

 

And as far as getting stuff painted goes, I'm not doing that great either (besides, you paint to a far higher quality than myself.) I mean, in the past... seven months that I've been working on this, I've only fully painted, what, about 10 models?

 

...

 

Yeah, I need to step it up a bit. :D

[jimbo13]

I'll have to track down some suitable sponge, then. Been meaning to for a while, just haven't gotten round to it. :)

 

And as far as getting stuff painted goes, I'm not doing that great either (besides, you paint to a far higher quality than myself.) I mean, in the past... seven months that I've been working on this, I've only fully painted, what, about 10 models?

 

...

 

Yeah, I need to step it up a bit. :D

I got you!!!

[marine7312000]

I haven't tried it but I would imagine the pluck foam pieces would work. People have mentioned in the past using the foam from the old metal model packaging and it seems the pluck is about the same. Specifically something like these trays: http://www.saboldesigns.net/figurefoam.html.

The best part being, then you have something to put your models in.

Edited September 10, 2016 by marine7312000

[Dosjetka]

Don't you have any blister sponge, Psycho?