The Observer's 30k Stuff - Holguin Conversion

[Luna707]

Killer stuff :) I'm very excited to see more

[Pearson73]

That was a pleasure to read, interesting to discuss the legionnaire's own questions of identity; we are so used to the Alpha Legion using misdirection and false identities to ensure no one knows who they are, but I for one, have never considered the effect it may have on them.

 

I'm certainly looking forward to seeing some colour photos.

[Gederas]

 

Ω

XX

 

Cold Void

 

Pythian Slumber

 

Rebirth

 

Kaya had been born on a castaway planet somewhere in the galactic west, a boulder of sand and rock that might as well have been nameless, were it not for its artisanal manufacture of weaponry. Like many of her bloodline, she had been taught the art of gunsmithing and had produced many a fine piece. Two of them weighed heavily inside her coat. Countless times she’d taken the magazine out, counted the rounds, put it back in and repeated the process. There wasn’t much else to do.

            About a month ago, she had been roused from her sleep by a sharp searing migraine in the middle of a starlit night. Thoughts and unknown memories had unfolded within her skull, memories of a place she had never been to, thoughts that had not been her own. The thoughts, chaotic as they might have been, had one constant: The Alpha and the Omega. Two ancient, Terran letters, one superimposed over the other. The First and the Last. The beginning and the end. The Alpha and the Omega.

            Kaya’s mind had led her to a place far from home, into dunes that few dared cross, on account of the beasts that roamed the land. Yet, the path had been cleared, littered with corpses of raiders and animals alike; an easy meal for any starving predator, but few beasts were stupid enough to willingly close in on a charnel house. Something had, after all, caused this massacre. Something bigger and stronger. Eventually, Kaya had reached a camouflaged tarp at the bottom of a sandpit. Pulling it back had revealed a space-capable vessel in deep black colour and a metallic emerald symbol gleaming on its side.

            The Alpha and the Omega. She remembered little else between then and now. The searing and the hissing in her mind must have guided her. Or perhaps it had been the internal cogitator of the ship. Kaya didn’t know. She had waited in the dark for two standard solar weeks. Two weeks of absolute silence, dead engines and warmth slowly seeping away into the void. She didn’t know what she was waiting for either. The gunsmith just knew that she was supposed to wait. Then, between the cold stars she saw something shift and cover some of the white specks. Something long, angular; another ship.

            The cogitator burst to life and illegible code rolled down the screen. Kaya’s eyes were glued to it; again her mind screamed with new thoughts. She blacked out.

 

 

Kaya awoke on the bridge of an unknown ship with her stiff fingers keying in a password into the main cogitator. Where was she? The ship was rather…unadorned. No huge gothic arches, no gargoyles. Barely any servitors either. No decorations in the Emperor’s honour.

            Her eyes turned towards the ceiling and there she saw banners upon banners hanging, most obscured by the deep dark of the still dead bridge. She squinted and with a bit of focus a symbol appeared within the dark. A three-headed hydra.

            Kaya was walking down the dark hallways, ignorant as to how or why she knew the path but following it nonetheless. It seemed like the only natural choice; like breathing or eating. What else was she to do except walk down to wherever this path led her? The temperature was dropping again, and her breath became thick, billowing vapour in the air. Light, cold and sterile, flooded the hallways and revealed myriads of pods on the walls. She halted to look into one of them. Kaya’s heart skipped a beat.

            The huge frame, the wide, layered shoulders, ancient gun in one hand and ornate axe in the other. This was a space marine. An angel of death. The eyes were a flickering, mostly dull-red, still slumbering, but with a faint stirring in the heavy, petrol-blue and emerald armour. 

            Kaya’s mind compelled her to continue on down the hallway. Where just a second ago the dark had occluded her sight, she now saw a dais rising above the chambers. Even from the bottom of the stairs, she could make out another angel of death. Yet, it seemed titanic compared to the others. As she ascended, Kaya’s awe only grew. The figure was easily twice her height, if not more. Scales, chains and snakes wound around and across the plates. It was seated on a throne, staring down the path she had come from and across its knees rested a two-headed spear. This angel of death seemed different though. Not just in size, but the plate seemed empty. She tapped her fingers against it, and sure enough, there was a distinct, if barely audible, hollow ring.

            The dark behind the throne beckoned.

 

 

The last pod stood alone, far away from the others. It was bigger, covered in more plates; as if it had been fortified in case somebody else would’ve breached the ship. Upon the plates, emblazoned in black and circled by a chain, was the Omega, but devoid of its counterpart, the Alpha.

            The machinery around the pod hissed to life and glowing cracks appeared along the seams of the plates. Dry-ice clouds billowed out of the container as Kaya closed in to see what rested inside. A dark-blue gauntlet snapped forward and lifted her up by the neck. In the white mist, a red dot and lens glowed with malicious intent.

            “Sihmairan-Neverae-Sigvult” The words meant nothing to her, though truth be told she did not even listen properly as a giant stepped from the pod “Report.”

            Kaya opened her mouth to plead for her life, to explain that she did not know where she was, when her mind was hit with another wall of information. The words in and on themselves meant nothing. Idioglossia. They were meant to trigger mental sub-routines within her, and only her.

            Her mind spun back the events of the past few years; a solid decade worth of events. The Thirteenth Crusade. The Fall of Cadia. The Return of Lord Guilliman. The Great Rift. The Plague Wars. Events she had never picked up consciously, but merely by listening to her surrounding, by occasionally conversing with the individuals that came from far and wide to purchase her goods. Her mouth moved on its own accord as she succinctly summarised all of it.

            “Code Zagrabit; threat level Calamity.” She gasped. The hand relaxed and he put her down; almost gingerly.

            “Much has changed in the last millennium” The giant uttered with a voice that made Kaya’s torso reverberate “There is much work to be done. This is…unforeseen. Plans need to be altered. Operative, at my side. We must raise the legion.”

           

 

 

“Who are you?” The gunsmith inquired as they passed by the rows and rows of stirring warriors.

            “I am Alpharius.” He answered solemnly. Her keen eyes took in the fine details and workmanship of his armour. The chain markings, the twisting hydras and even the Alpha and Omega. Most curiously though, there was a circled, sole Omega on his shoulder. The same symbol that was carved into his pod.

            “I do not recognize you, or your chapter from the Ecclesiarchy’s paintings.” She continued her inquiry.

            “No, of course you don’t” Alpharius said with a deep chuckle “We were never much for paintings. The Blood Angels and the Emperor’s Children, now those you’d see on murals and canvas alike. The Alpha Legion prefers to stay in the shadows; our hand should be unseen.”

            Kaya nodded, though she understood little. The Blood Angels she, of course, knew. Who didn’t? Who was not familiar with their great father Sanguinius; the Angel? But Alpha Legion? Emperor’s Children?

            The ship was coming to life around them and sensor-studded servitors emerged from hidden alcoves and chambers. Their flesh was still slick with preservative fluids. Cogitators buzzed up and the faint thrum of vast plasma-generators made the floor vibrate. Like a sleeping predator stretching after long hibernation, the ship felt the renewed pulse of energy in its veins.

            “You have done your work well, Operative” Alpharius finally spoke “Each great work begins with the first stone. This one was placed by you. Shame that you won’t see the completion of things.”

            “Lord Alpharius?” Kaya inquired as the space marine turned to face her; his burning red eyes like coals in the dark.

            “No, not Alpharius” He spoke as his fingers wrapped around her neck again “Omegon.”

            She was gone with a dry snap, left there for a servitor to get rid of before the legion fully awoke. No blood, no unnecessary mess. As it ought to be.

 

 

Omegon overlooked the armour on the dais that had remained unchanged by time. Was that really his name? Was he the primarch? He was bigger, stronger, faster than his sons. That he knew and remembered well. Still, the legion had experimented much with the genetic material stolen back on Kiavahr, during the age of Horus’ hubris. Was he just a simulacrum? A shell with memories, a gear in a bigger plan?

            Omegon did not know. It was not important to know. If he indeed was, who he believed to be, then he needed to consolidate his power and strike out against the gathering dark. He needed to be the blade in the enemies’ ranks. If he truly was just a copy, an experiment of some sort, then he would fulfil his ordained purpose; even if it ended in demise, for many were the ways of the legion.

            Perhaps he was Omegon. The Omegon. He certainly was not Alpharius. Yet, he had to become the Alpha, assume the aspect of leader and drive the legion’s spear into the dark heart of those that truly threatened the Emperor and his vision.

            Alpharius Omegon took the spear in his hand, like many a time before, and commanded the servitors to help him. There was war to be done.

            War was, after all, the galaxy’s hygiene.

 

 

Hey folks Today I have a little preview of my Omegon conversion for you all! As you can see, the miniature looks significantly different than last time I posted pictures up here; the reasons for this are manifold. I tried painting both him and Alpharius Omegon, but soon I realized that my usual scheme for Alpha Legion does not really work on that many scaly surfaces and the colours just looked flat. So eventually, I stripped both miniatures and greenstuffed the surfaces smooth to have more ways of applying rough gradients and transfers. I am very, very happy with Omegon, but Alpharius-Omegon still is not quite to my taste. I think I shall tackle him for the next ETL, or maybe even for Loyalty & Treachery if I find the time.

 

Also, those that frequent the blog Echoes of Imperium (Seriously, go check it out) have probably already seen these images and this particular bit of fluff. Thanks a bunch to the aforementioned blog for their offer to feature me; it was a tremendous honour and joy!

 

@Bjorn Firewalker: Thanks!

 

@Pearson73: Thanks a lot man! i was surprised to see how little cutting and filing was needed to swap the chest areas between primaris!

 

That's all for today folks! Colour images and fluff shall soon follow! Have a good day

 

 

So.... That Alpharius-Omegon is still the same model underneath all the conversions? ... Wow, that's.... Amazing.

[Dagoth Ur]

To Mend; To Heal

 

It is difficult to see the whites in their eyes

To hear them scream and thrash on the steel

As we try to mend their wounds

 

Their suffering; transient

 

It is difficult to see them slip away

To administer His last peace upon our brethren

As we fail to mend their wounds

 

Our suffering; eternal

 

---Solemn Creed of the Sanguinary Clade---

------------------

 

Hey guys, long time no see; I've been swamped in a particularly frustrating semester.

 

@Luna707: Cheers mate!

 

@Pearson73: Thanks man! Yeah, I've always been intrigued by this idea of the Alpha Legion being a legion without defining culture, without clear imprint by either Terra or a homeworld, but purely by the creed of misdirection and covert-ops.

 

@Gederas: Jup, still the same primarch-miniature, just with a lot of greenstuff and some new bitz!

 

That is all for today; I am currently looking for a new job so hobby time and funds have been extremely limited; plus I am working on my bachelor thesis in english literature currently, so got plenty to do, but there should be more stuff this summer

Edited May 28, 2019 by The Observer

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the Apothecary. Did he intentionally obscure the markings on his pauldrons, to conceal his identity? The thread title suggests the Alpha Legion's foul presence.

[Leviathus]

Real gritty! Love it.

[hushrong]

The apothecary is fantastic and I love the grit. The chipped paint, muddied robes, and the blood just take the mini to a whole other level.

 

And to rewind a bit. What shoulder pads did you use on maybe-Omegon?

[sockwithaticket]

The red oh his armour is very rich despite the weathering, I like it. A stained apaothecary is a rare and welcome sight.

[Dagoth Ur]

Woe Bringer

 

 

O Omnissiah,

Share thine wisdom with me

O Motive Force,

Give anima to my work

O Deus Machinarum,

Incline thyself to hear my prayers

 

O beast of steel and ire

A new lord approaches to saddle thee

O beast of fire and wrath

The gyre of service spins once more

O beast of brass and fury

Rise for the Sons of Ferrus call for war

 

O priest clad in red

Forged of thy god's hand I was

O warrior clad in oily black

Yours I once was, but now no more

O brethren of the blood-slick talon

To you, and only you I bow

 

---------------------------------

[hushrong]

The beast of fire and wrath looks awesome! The detailing on the hull looks fantastic and the chains hanging from its frame look awesome.

[Dagoth Ur]

Lernaean
 

There is a great number of scaled beasts to be found across pre-Imperial Terran cultures - the Azhdaya and the Naga, or common beasts such as snakes and cobras, just infused with pathos and myth. We conceive of them as beasts of water and dirt, thing that know only of deceit and poison which lose their potency once unmasked as the deceivers that they are. Eyes that kill, a breath that deadens the very air and skin that shimmers like jewels - yet we tend to forget that the reptile comes with very real weapons, too. Jaws, teeth, tails of considerable force and a speed that is hidden quite well by some unsightly gait. For each snake, there exists a crocodile.

For each Basilisk there is a Dragon.

 

-----------------------

 

Y'all thought I was dead, didnt'ya? I've been mostly busy with uni work and sporadically uploading over on Instagram, but i am slowly getting back into properly painting and will soon be starting a Horus Heresy Dark Angels army, as well as a Blood Angels Zone Mortalis Force, so expect a few things to come this way In the meantime, have this unit of Lernaean Terminators - real happy with them, save for the trim on some of the shoulders but I ain't too fussed about that. I'm completing Alpharius as we speak and sketching out ideas for Omegon.

 

@hushrong: Thanks man, the knight is almost done too, but I'll need to invest a bit into a proper lightbox before I can show him off!

Edited April 29, 2020 by The Observer

[hushrong]

Hope you get that sweet light box so you can get some pics up!

 

The terminators are awesome! Will be quite the sight with Alpharius and Omegon. Future plans also sound good. Dark Angels are always fun but Blood Angels has my heart racing. Fighting every urge to invest in sanguinary guard at the moment.

 

Keep it coming, bud!

[Pearson73]

The Lernaean look smashing, your worn metals are cracking, as per.

[Dagoth Ur]

Alpharius

 

For each snake that shimmers in the sunlight, a dozen more lie waiting in the dusk.

-------------------

 

Finally managed to finish my second/third Alpharius conversion, which I am currently trying to sell off - if you're interested just contact me :) Converting and painting him was a real joy and I can't wait to do one more as the final version.

 

@Hushrong: Thanks a bunch man! Yeah, HH Blood Angels have been a bit of a headscratcher for me visually speaking, as bar the Sanguinius and the dreadnoughts I am not really a fan of the sculpts. I am sorta on the fence on the Crimson Paladins and I am absolutely not a fan of the Angel's Tears, the Dawnbreakers and Raldoron - so expect a lot of homemade conversions for said units! First thing on the order will be a Raldoron conversion.

 

@Pearson73: Thanks mate!

 

Don't know what'll come next - I am currently doing a few testers and preparing a small list for the Adeptus Mechanicus/Mechanicum, so who knows!

[BadgersinHills]

Good stuff! Nice to see such nice takes on Alpharius. 

[hushrong]

Alpharius looks great and I love the use of their chain motif! The way it is used on the right leg is awesome. The pauldron look sweet too. Are those Russ’? I’d look up on FW but their site just has a link to GW’s at the moment. He looks awesome and good luck on the sell! Someone is going to be a lucky buyer.

 

As for the BA I just want a Golden host with deathmasks, something about that just keeps calling to me. An I do feel you on their latest aesthetics. I felt the same when FW came out with Iron Warriors legion stuff and just thought “that’s what we get?” The one thing I do dig are the Angel’s Tears. The helmet specifically. It is reminiscent of the old NM upgrade head minus a top know. I’ve been thinking about buying some of these guys to convert to noise marines for that reason.

 

Interested to see where you go next. When you do get to the BA I am keen on seeing you work some of that conversion magic on them.

[Dagoth Ur]

Upon Pinions Incandescent

 

Signus and Terra - twice we had thought the angels pinned and broken. Twice we had been fooled, blinded even by our arrogance. Yet, no matter how often they were cast from their good heavens, they would always ascend again - burning away the shame and the weakness that had seen them broken, only to descend again with a wrath that I can only describe as divine. The white of their eyes did not flash like ours, for it was not gripped by madness. It was a cold thing, not a beast unchained but a soul bent fully to the destruction of any and all that offended their ideals and encroached upon their domains. There was no fury, only the ire of punishment. I can see now why the Emperor regarded them so highly - the Angels of Blood were truly the weapons of a wrathful deity. Even the old catharrs knew that angels never descended with peace in mind and that it was right to fear their passage, for where they went they only did so with hands stained red.

 

Lorgar Thrice-Cursed, private writings

 

 

 

Shattered in flesh

Unbroken in mind

Bereft of limb

But not of will

 

Patience and Discipline

As within so without

As above so below

 

Once I bore blade and bolter

Now my talons spit death

And where they pass

Only ash and dread is left

 

Ire and wrath

As within so without

As above so below

 

Once I put the Other to the blade

Now it is Kin that I slay

What once was Cousin

Now is only Betrayer

 

Loyalty and Honour

As within so without

As above so below

 

Once I was Amar, the Fierce

Spawn of Terra, remade by the Angel

Now I am Amar, the Cairnbound

Made of nothing and given all

 

The depths to which I fell are profound

But my ascent shall always be greater

As within so without

As above so below

--------------------

 

Somebody wanted to see Blood Angels ;)

Finally managed to collect all the bits for my Contemptor Incandeus conversion. While I love the Forgeworld chassis - even more so than the regular Blood Angels contemptor - it just didn't look robust enough for something that would regularly descend from sub-atmospheric heights or crash sideways into tanks at mach 8 speeds. I also wasn't a fan of the butt-thrusters that come with the original model so I did some snibbedy-snab with some bits from Corax and fashioned something a bit more elegant. It doesn't look like much legion-wise but I want to use the empty surfaces for some transfer work as the Blood Angels Transfer sheet is to die for.

 

@BadgersinHills: Thanks! I'll have a new take on Omegon very, very soon :>

 

@hushrong: Cheers mate! Yeah the chain-motif is a big one for me when it comes to Alpha Legion, it genuinely feels like such a great symbolic representation of their "chain unbroken" mentality. The Pauldrons and arms are indeed from Russ! Luckily a buyer has already been found :) As for the BA - definitely, there needs to be some rules for the golden hosts, but luckily one can proxy the Dawnbringer rules pretty easily (honestly their armaments feel like they were made for that). See, the Angel's Tears are a funny one for me. Much like the Dawnbreakers, I don't like their torsos (There is just something weird proportion-wise about them), but everything else I could really see being useful. I'll certainly use the arms, guns and backpacks for a lot of my kitbashes. The heads I am very split on - on the one hand, I am stockpiling them for my Slaaneshi Warband because they look FABULOUS, on the other hand they just don't look like something I would envision on Blood Angels. Kinda like seeing deathwing terminators painted in Blood Angels livery?

[hushrong]

Sweet conversion on the jump dread. I swear that Death Guard dread is so versatile for any legion. Def excited to see you work on some more Blood Angels and give that dreads some paint.

 

And yes, I forgot about the chain motif for the AL. With all the more recent stuff I keep thinking it’s a world Eaters thing now. I’m going to have to copy you and put that symbol into work for my AL kill team! Also good to hear you have a buyer lined up for Alpharius. As for the dawn breakers I feel the same way. I keep looking at them wondering if I could use the bodies to for something like palatine blades but..no. Maybe for squad leaders? Ehh. But those heads would be sweet!

[BadgersinHills]

Good stuff. I like how it's more bare, suits a machine that faces a lot of battering. :)

[Pearson73]

Smashed Alpharius' paint job out of the park, he looks great. The Blood Angels Contemptor is looking good too, the pose and reasoning behind the aesthetic changes are solid, I reckon the transfers will change the appearance completely and lock him into the IXth.

[Dagoth Ur]

Hey folks! Today I've got a bit of a question for everyone - see, I am really not a fan of Forgeworld's Raldoron. From the weird head, the too tall collar, weird pose, squat-like proportions and mish-mash armour, I just don't feel like it is up to par for such a significant character. So I decided to convert my own. Shocker, right? Anyways. The base build is basically done, I am currently waiting on a couple of bits such as pouches, a sheathed swords and stuff like that, but I am slowly inching in on which head I want to pick.
 
Have a look:
 
Non-standard Mark IV Head

 
Huron's bare head

 
I am not quite sure which one to pick. Magnetization is not really an option as I do not have the tools to do so. I quite like the sleek, understated aesthetic of the armour that I have currently going on here - I think it fits with how Raldoron is otherwise depicted in the majority of novels. The helmet is a really cool non-standard variation of the old Mark IV kit that forgeworld used to do. I am also deliberating on using a bog-standard plastic mark IV head (I've got one on the way right now), so if I opt for helmet, I might just wait until I can try out both.
As for the bare head, I randomly discovered it in my bits box and it instantly reminded me of this classic artwork of Raldoron:

 

I've been trying to bridge the gap between the classic artwork and the more ostentatious look they gave him in the Siege of Terra series, and now I am a bit unsure...

 

So, what do you think?

 

@Hushrong: Cheers! Yeah, the Death Guard contemptor is easily one of my top 3 contemptor bodies - it's visually so versatile and brutal that I include it in every Space Marine army that I have.

 

@BadgersinHills: Thanks! I'm glad that my choice makes sense to people, 'cause I was real tempted to go for the more blinged out bodies but cooler senses prevailed :)

 

@Pearson73: Thanks mate! I just laid down the red on the contemptor earlier today and blocked in the black plates - can't wait to put on those transfers!

[Blindhamster]

Not a fan of either head.

 

I'd use the vanguard vet bare head. Or one of the FW BA heads, one with spikes matches recent art for him.

 

Where is his sword? Feels like a pretty key component!

[hushrong]

The helmet you have looks pretty good. Have you looked at the palatine blade Mkiv helmets? Nice dimensions but they do have some added filigree. I think that some of them would be a good contender.

 

I like Hurons head but something seems off on power armor. I’m thinking it’s quite a tall head it throws off the scale a bit for me.

[Dagoth Ur]

Master of the Deathwing

 

 

-----------------------

 

Hey everyone! As I am sure that most have seen/heard - Forgeworld gave us Dark Angels players rules for both Farith Redloss and Holguin. I have found Farith to be quite....uninspiring in terms of rules and not all that interactive with what sparse legion traits we have, but Holguin genuinely caught my eyes so I figured I might as well convert one from what bits I have at home. The mini is still pretty rough around the edges. I need to fix some things on his back, need to smooth out the legs, add some bits around his belt and sculpt him a midriff - but all in all, I think that this is one of the best conversions I have ever made. Really, Really happy with him!

 

@Blindhamster: Thanks man, yeah I've shelved both heads and have currently a few more on the way. I specifically avoided the one with the crest, because the crest just looks all sorts of weird to me. However, I did try it out with that very same head but with the crest removed - just keeping the filigree on the forehead - and that gave me more of an understated feeling that I was going for with old Ral'.

 

@Hushrong: Thanks for the suggestions! I actually did recently nab a palatine helmet and plan on testing that one out once I return to Raldoron. As you say, there is a decent amount of filigree on them but they don't feel gaudy to me. As for the scale - you are right, after looking at the mini, it was all over the place. I have basically scrapped this version and decided to fully rebuild him based on one of the Red Scorpions characters.

 

There will be more Dark Angels stuff for the foreseeable future - I have two units of legion terminators in the works, a contemptor, a boxnaught as well as a heavy support squad (them acid shells are just too juicy). Have a good'un!

 

@

[Pearson73]

Nice job, I particularly like the choice of head and how you've integrated the volkite into the wrist mounting. Are you thinking of adding any iconography, either personal or legion based, to the shin/knee plates?