The 1st Legion - A Dark Angels log

[Hexagon Sun]

Hello all,

 

Me and a few friends decided earlier in the year to do join the heresy and collect a small 1000pt army each for some zone mortalis games we plan on playing in late September. In typical fashion we've all left it until the last 2 months to actually get anything done, but to try and spur me on and document my progress I thought I might as well make a thread for mine.

 

My list is something like this:

 

Praetor Tribune

Contemptor Cortus

5 man Terminator Squad (Catapractii for now although I have a squad of tartaros half built)

10 man Veteran Tactical Squad

10 man Tactical Squad

 

Obviously i'm running pride of the legion as it was the best way to get started and I intend to expand it to an ironwing list eventually. I haven't got any real thoughts on fluff as yet, but I think they might end up being loyalist terrans. The downside of building a Dark Angels army at the moment is the lack of decals and imagery from FW, so once i've got the colours down they'll stay quite bland for a while until the decals are released. Hopefully it'll then be a case of adding decals and some touchup and additional weathering.

 

Here's what i've got built so far...

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/praetor_tribune_wip_1_zpsvmyanr4c.jpg

 

Praetor Tribune with a couple of additions, the head will probably be helmeted as i'm not keen on bare heads. I'd love to sculpt a sword on the chest but not sure i'll have time, we'll see!

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/contemptor_wip_1_zpsencvj66m.jpg

 

BaC contemptor with some added resins bits to help the pose. Arms are magnetised and i'll be painting a multi melta and kheres too.

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/cata_squad_wip_1_zpscnplwimc.jpg

 

Cataphractii squad cobbled together from plastic and resin bits. guns are all magnetised for more combi weapons as is the power axe.

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/vet_squad_wip_1_zps1z2cdts7.jpg

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/vet_squad_wip_2_zpsbqnv8sdi.jpg

 

Vet squad with all the upgrades and heavy bolters with acid rounds. Decided to model them all with a chainsword to distinguish them from my tactical squad which will probably just have sheathed combat blades etc.

 

Thanks for reading, hopefully i'm less slack with this log since i've got a deadline! Expect some more updates in a week or two when I get the tactical squad built.

[Lord Blackwood]

like the way you put the models together  will  follow yer progress D: 

[RedwaKe]

Looking great so far. I really like what you did with the BaC contemptor !

[Memento Of Prospero]

Good stuff brother!

[Dosjetka]

Looking good! I really like the conversion you've done so far; impressive! :tu:

[Reyner]

Awesome Dark Angels, please stop I don't want to start another Legion! 

[Charlo]

Holy I knew I liked those DA upgrades but you just confirmed I LOVE them! Hot damn!

[Hexagon Sun]

Thanks all, appreciate the support and it was the Dark Angels upgrades that pushed me into it Charlo! I was all set up to do Night Lords (fancied a traitor legion, though some would say I still have one of sorts...) but glad I changed in the end.

 

Bit of a curveball to the gaming part of the plan, I went to book the ZM table for September at WHW only to find out that they're taking it out! Apparently any games already booked on it will be honoured but as soon as the last one is done in September then it's being removed for the foreseeable. So it looks like we're relocating to someones house which is a shame but should still be good and at least there's zero chance i'll end up buying a load of resin on the day.

[betrayer41]

following... MAKE DREADWING!!!

[Pearson73]

Nice posing on the Contemptor and vet with power fist.

[Hexagon Sun]

Cheers for the comments and i've love to do dreadwing but might hold off until we get legion units just in case!

 

A lot later an update than i'd hoped for, but I had a lot of work sapping my spare time the past month. I've now got just over a week to get this initial 1000pts all finished... I've made some decent progress though so I think I should be just about ok. I got the tactical squad built and decided to swap out the cataphractii squad for a tartaros one instead. It'll work better with the praetor since they can all run and sweeping advance now.

 

The tactical squad was a little rushed and I've left off the grenades/pouches and extra CC weapons for now. I'll go back and do these afterwards when I have more time. The praetors cape has suffered the same fate, but it'll be easy enough to attach later.

 

I did a couple of rough testers so here's the 2nd one pre-weathering. I think i'll go with a satin finish instead of gloss as it's a little too shiny for me. I thought it would distinguish them from my friends Raven Guard on the table. Especially since there are a lot of bare shoulder pads until we get a transfer sheet.

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/tester_1_zpsggpvcuos.jpg

 

Bases!

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/bases_1_zpsab7qbh71.jpg

 

Quick photo of the current progress, black basecoat and airbrush highlights done. The highlights look a little over the top but the wash will bring it back down again. Should have more updates over the weekend.

 

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/1000pts_wip_all_1_zpsqshyji2d.jpg

[Forward Assist]

Big fan of First Legion Tartaros Terminators!

[Soldier of Dorn]

I hate you. Your modeling and painting is so utterly horribly, disgustingly, perfect. That black! I hate you. (with tongue firmly in cheek of course.)

[Lord_Ikka]

Very cool. I like the modeling on the vets, giving me ideas :D

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

You had me until this last airbrushed pic. Transitions are way too sharp, highlights too bright, and it gives it that overly airbrushed look, especially on the dread.

[Kizzdougs]

Perfect, bro!! Awesome start on the project. Makes me really want to get an airbrush :tu:

[Chaplain Raeven]

I'll be keeping an eye on this. Curious to see your work with the black.

[Hexagon Sun]

Hi, thanks for the comments and apologies for the slow update but real life got in the way as usual. We played our first few games at 1000pts and managed 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 (narrow) loss so I was quite happy. I managed to table my opponents in both wins which I was quite surprised at considering one list had Gal Vorbak, a Scorpius and a Vindicator in it

 

I managed to get everything done to an acceptable standard for gaming, with the intention of going back to things as I get time. Lots of things still to do, highlights on most things and plasma coils etc. I also need to add the praetors cloak, it got left off due to the last minute rush. The wash darkened down the black considerably from the previous airbrushed photo, so it's black with a subtle green tint and some zenithal highlights. I need to go back in and smooth out some of the edge highlights as they're a bit stark, the deadline was looming so they were pretty rushed!

 

Here are some (very poor) photos of where everything is at for now, as I really struggled to get them to show the models as they look in the flesh. But hopefully they'll give you enough of an idea about how they're looking.

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/tartaros_wip_1_zpsawwcgv8w.jpg

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/contemptor_wip_2_zpsr30jtcoq.jpg

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/vet_squad_wip_3_zpsey2mn3ja.jpg

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/tac_wip_1_zpsk1oxb2pj.jpg

 

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o551/hexagonsun1/HH%20Dark%20Angels/da_all_1_zpsk5vc2uhd.jpg

 

 

[depthcharge12]

Looking good! Was about to start a DA group log so it's good to see another 1st legion aficionado.

 

Curious how you did the black...is it the corax black with grey highlight?

[Corswain]

These look really sharp mate. Great job on the edge highlighting. The Praetor looks much better with a helmet too.

[Hrolf the Cunning]

Looks excellent mate. I did think the zenith highlights looked a little intense but after the edge highlights and other colours being applied it looks really awesome. Can't wait to see more, what's next?

[WickedWeed]

Those are some good looking Angels!
Don't see a lot of angels in the heresy era, but yours look mean!

[Warhead01]

I really like what you've done! Thanks I needed some inspiration!

[Hexagon Sun]

Thanks all, appreciate the comments!

 

@depthcharge12 I based it on one of Lorenzens recipes for his deathwatch (http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/262046-lorenzens-abyss/?p=4466766) which uses the Scale75 Shades of Doom set. The set is good for DA as most have a greenish hue. I was aiming for something like Astelan in the visions artwork, which I didn't quite get but i'm happy with the result all the same!

 

@Hrolf I'm aiming to expand this into an Ironwing list at 2000pts so another tac squad and delegatus/praetor in artificer armour to start, then onto all the vehicles.

 

I was drawing up a 2000pt list that looked something like this:

 

HQ

Delegatus - AA, Refractor field, Terranic Greatsword

 

Elites

Contemptor Mortis - Lascannons

5 man Tartaros Terminator Squad in Land Raider Phobos with armoured ceramite - 3 Power fists, 2 Chain fists and 2 Combi plasma

9 man Veteran Squad in Rhino with pintle multi melta - Marksmen, Sergeant with AA and power fist, one heavy bolter with acid shells (Delegatus goes here)

 

Troops

2 x Tactical Squad in Rhino - Sergeant with AA and power axe

 

Heavy Support

Predator Squadron - 2 x Predator with lascannon sponsons

Vindicator Squadron - 2 x Vindicator Laser Destroyer, one with Machine Spirit

Scorpius

 

Wasn't sure whether to just go for a cortus with claws and grav instead of the mortis since I probably have enough anti-tank though.

[Captain Conrad]

Are we able to get a close up on the Vet sergeant with the power fist?

 

That looks like one seriously good pose, reminds me of one HH book covers.