[40K] Crimson Templars (2016-12-11: Darkshroud finished!)

[Flintfish]

Hi all

This is the first post in what will hopefully be an at least semi-active worklog. Work and family don't leave me much hobby time left, but after a recent move I actually managed to setup a small permanent hobby area and gained some measure of hobby momentum. Hopefully a bit of feedback/encouragement and interaction can keep that up...

This army started contruction back in 5th edition and I had this idea of a fast moving bike mounted templar force (think it's even mentioned in the 4th edition codex BT often use bike/speeder units to mount fast initial attacks before the main force arrives). I'm a big fan of the BT astetic (knightly helmets, skulls and chains etc), but I find black a rather boring color to paint and templar bikers were not really a viable army concept in the forth edition codex either, so in the end I decided on a dark red and offwhite color scheme (taking plenty of influence from Avelorns Manus Sanguinus on cmon) and using the regular marine dex of the time.

After the realease of 6th edition Dark Angels I felt I had actually found a pretty viable codex to use, mostly due to the ravenwing black kights being a unit type a felt I really missed compared to my original concept so this will be a "counts as" DA army. I'm sure I will add some vanilla SM units in the end so I can spice up the playing a bit if I want to, but this is what I had in mind for the first construction round:

• Sammael on Jetbike
• Chaplain on bike
• Command squad on bike w. magnetized options

• 4 x 6 man biker units with attack bike and magnetized options. Will be 2 melta and 2 grav units. (One melta squad is compleatly built and the other 3 are around 90%. Bases are also required for 3 of the units)

• 6 RW Black knigts w. magnetized options. (Fully built but missing paint and bases)

• 4 speeders w. magnetized options. Cockpits painted and units built. Require some extra magnetic options
• Darkshroud/Vengeance. Currently being built/converted. Crew/cockpit have been painted but plenty of glue and putty remains.

As a side order I will also build my self a 200pt kill team in the templar spirit (i.e initiate/novice mix):

• Vet sarge with power sword and storm bolter (probably a bit wasteful of points but will be fun to build )
• Heavy Bolter marine
• 3 marines

• Scout sarge
• 1 ML scout
• 2 Sniper scouts
• 2 Scouts

Since the plans for the major remaining parts (darkshroud, command squad, sammael and chappy) will require conversion work I'll build on the kill team while the glue/putty dries elsewhere.

To end this wall of text properly I'll post a member of the very first test bike squad I painted.

In the end I had mixed feelings about this squad. Although I was happy with the overall outcome (the gritty feel) I have improved some aspects for the future. The transfers turned more pinkish then I wanted, the red lacks contrast and definition and the metal trim turned more brown then I wanted. I also sprayed i bit much with clear coat which messed up and pooled in some details (this is mini is pretty OK in that regard - some squad mates suffered much more... )

[Flintfish]

Continuing the trip down memory lane - Here's the only figure in the army that's really finished. Ancient brother Mordecai:

Autocannon dreads were a pretty decent support choice back in 5th edition and I painted him while the wild rumours for 6th edition was flying around thinking he'll always be useful. The arms are magnetized though so I'll probably add to the possible armaments later on (so maybe not completly finished... )

[Kisada]

Nice!  The crimson red came out awesome as did the white.  Great weathering also

[Flintfish]

Posting tempo will defintly slow down once I reach "today" in this trip down memory lane, but I have time for at least one more post this morning. Mordecai has a yet unnamed brother in arms

 

 

 

Less elaborate base work here, but since forge world don't make left autocannon arms for the mk4 dreads it took a bit of converting using a right arm and a missile launcher to get matching arms for this one.

[Magos Kasen]

That dreadnought is superb!

[Noctem Cultor]

Good colour scheme and very nice conversion work it was so clean until seeing the unpainted Dreadnought I hadn't noticed it wasn't bought that way. Keep up the great work.

 

-Noctem

[CovertToaster]

Forgeworld tried telling me that when I ordered auto/las cannons for two dreads. However, when I complained, they coughed up two left arms in resin that fit perfectly.

 

After all they do advertise left and right arms for MkV mortis dreads which look exactly like MkIV GW dreads to me.

[Flintfish]

@ Noctem Cultor: That would be the plan :-)

 

Fifth edition was a rather productive period (at least compared to the last few years) for me and I also managed to make my self a worthy warlord. This is my Captain/Khan on bike. Too bad a regular Company Master on bike is not a valid DA choice.

 

 

 

 

 

He uses more parts then I can remember, but in addition to the regular bike parts the engine, drive chains and parts of the fairing is from an Ork nob biker, Exhaust and upper legs from Sammael, lower legs from one of the older vanguard veterans, upper body from a sword brethren and sword from Helbrecht. Magnetized option for melta bombs, storm shield and a combi melta instead of the helmet on the back. He comes apart for painting so I'm sure some of the pieces are a bit off in the photo.

 

I have a duplicate set of most of the parts and I will try to align Sammael on jetbike with this conversion for my new warlord. Should be a bit easier then this one since I dont have to kitbash the bike part so much.

[Hrolf the Cunning]

Awesome work. Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff. 

[Dosjetka]

Very impressive conversions, especially on your Captain. Terrific stuff. :tu:

[GrandMagnus]

Really cool conversion, I'll be looking forward to seeing more.

[Pearson73]

Really nice work on the mounted Captain and also the paintwork on the biker, the weathering looks great.

[MagicMan]

Great Blood Ravens! (Cough cough )

The paintjob on that Dread is superb, as is the conversion work thats gone into the other stuff on display. I'll be watching this!

[Doctor Perils]

Wow, these are positively great! some very ambitious conversions and very ambitious basing, and the colour scheme ties well into the chapter's concept.

 

I have to ask, what did you use for your banner?

[Flintfish]

Thanks for the kind words all. If you keep on watching this thread just remember to blink every now and then. Posting pace will probably slow down plenty once the original "catch up" posts have been made.

 

As for the banners they are made from cut up metal food tubes. In Sweden we have them for tomato paste, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard etc. I have also seen similiar tubes for toothpaste when abroad.

 

Basically just cut up and clean the tube. The metal is rather thin, but keeps it shape well enough as a banner. Can also be bent back and forth plenty without breaking to create the creases etc. I sanded down the paint and interior coverings on the metal to make sure that new paint will adhere but I'm not sure it's fully necessary. I attach them to the banner poles by just rolling the metal around the tube and a drop or two of superglue to seal the deal.

[Doctor Perils]

As for the banners they are made from cut up metal food tubes. In Sweden we have them for tomato paste, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard etc. I have also seen similiar tubes for toothpaste when abroad.

 

Basically just cut up and clean the tube. The metal is rather thin, but keeps it shape well enough as a banner. Can also be bent back and forth plenty without breaking to create the creases etc. I sanded down the paint and interior coverings on the metal to make sure that new paint will adhere but I'm not sure it's fully necessary. I attach them to the banner poles by just rolling the metal around the tube and a drop or two of superglue to seal the deal.

AAAAaah, I'd never thought of that :lol: that's a great idea, I'll have to try and make sure my flat mates don't chuck the mustard tube when it's finished :lol:

 

I imagine that primer would be enough to make new paint adhere to the surface, but sanding it down might make the surface a bit less "plastic-y"

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

My recent Sorceror has a 'skirt' made from a mustard tube. I didn't sand it and the paint has adhered properly.

 

I did cut my fingers several times on sharp edges, though. 

[Flintfish]

2012 was an interesting year. 6th Edition and my son was born. Awesome in every way except from a pure hobby perspective. The last four years up until recently have been kind of hobby slow but at least there was some progress. Instead of uploading pics of all 30 of my biker marines I'll settle for the best troopers so far - the Black Crimson Knights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Far less ambitious conversion work then with the captain (for a single figure he sure is my best effort so far). These fellows rides on the BK bikes with added normal bike fairings. Removing all the DA iconography sure was a time consuming pain in the soft parts you sit on (long live the Dremel!), but in the end the squad turned out pretty well. I see these as basically mounted vanguard veterans and that is also how I intend to paint them. Currently they are all held together with poster tack so a few parts are off here and there.

 

The top of the two granade launchers can be swapped for regular plasma talons with magnets. The banner bearer turns into a curve so the bike isn't stable without a base (hence the weird topple over effect) and the huntmaster sergeant has magnetic options for a power sword and melta bombs. The bionic leg is from the FW character upgrade kit but with a new knee to fit the bike position.

[Flintfish]

My recent Sorceror has a 'skirt' made from a mustard tube. I didn't sand it and the paint has adhered properly.

 

I did cut my fingers several times on sharp edges, though. 

 

That's good to know and will sure save me some time in the future. I was afraid of especially the insides since I assume they're treated with something to keep the food from sticking.

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Ah, see I 'wrapped' the Sorceror's waist so none of the inside of the tube was exposed to anything but primer.

[Flintfish]

Wasn't sure I would make it this far today, but this will be my final catch up post. From now on I will actually have to do some work to get new material to show :-)

 

I have started working on the Darkshroud and in general I will convert two things

 

• Replace the front with an extended version of the regular land speeder front to get rid of the gunner cupola (never liked that part) but still keep the model the same size (a smaller model would in theory be easier to hide behind cover and we don't want that).

• The magic statues seems very DA so I will try to replace them with some kind of high tec weapon instead. Cover and fear within a certain small area sound a bit like a grenade launcher with poisonous smoke grenades... If I could work from the vengeance battery it should be easy to magnetize the two options.

For now I have started to cut up an old land speeder (I have som many ravenwing boxes lying around...), but I quickly realised I need to paint the cockpit before i hide all the small details. Here's the crew and cockpit at least - fresh off the painting table. The bodies are not glued in place so they look in different directions.

 

 

Looks a bit cramped without the rest of the speeder... Did the rear gunner as well to make sure he got the same exact shade of red as the rest of the crew.

 

 

As a bonus I also did the cockpit of a Dark Talon/Nephilim I had lying around.

 

 

[Olis]

Crikey. Impressive modelling, brother (and the painting ain't too shabby either!). I must confess, when I first looked at your dreadnought, I thought to myself "Hang on, shouldn't the Chapter symbol be different? Isn't it supposed to be a fleur-de-lys?" before I realised that your boys are Crimson Templars, not Red Templars. Oops. :rolleyes:

[Doctor Perils]

 

My recent Sorceror has a 'skirt' made from a mustard tube. I didn't sand it and the paint has adhered properly.

 

I did cut my fingers several times on sharp edges, though. 

 

That's good to know and will sure save me some time in the future. I was afraid of especially the insides since I assume they're treated with something to keep the food from sticking.

 

The point about cutting fingers is also a very good warning; would wrapping the edge over itself a bit work do you think?

[The Mad Hermit]

Fantastic stuff.

 

Thumbs up.

[Draakur]

Very cool, great modelling and you've really nailed some of the elements I identify strongly with the Subjugators. Keep it up man!