Siege of Terra; IX Legion, 83rd Company "Crimson Thorns"

[marine7312000]

Check out Anvil Industry for arms. While they're not exact, they have some options. If I ever complete my first vow for the ETL, I may end up pledging some breachers the use arms from Anvil.

[OakRiver]

While I like some of what Anvil Industries produces I want to stick with GW/FW parts for this project, and a lot of the kits I buy for parts have enough extra Blood Angel specific parts to add more flavor to the 83rd.

[OakRiver]

With this having been peak season for my primary job, and working a second job over summer, progress has been slow - but I do have progress to share. Three more members of The Martyrs; Legionnaires Jacopo, Tonni, and Fulvio.

 

 

 

 

 

[Yes, the one with a helm resembling Iron Man is Tonni]

 

 

 

 

These minis are about 90% done, with some touch ups needed pre-assembly, and their right arms finished up. For Jacopo I tried a new technique for weathering his black armor; sponge on Leadbelcher and then sponge on Rhinox Hide over it. I have to say that I am pleased with the results and I may go back and add it to some previously completed minis. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent paint jobs.

[OakRiver]

So here are the next three members of The Martyrs

 

Brother Tonni, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs

 

 

 

 

 

"Brother Tonni was one of a trio of Legionnaires among The Martyrs who were known as The Artists. Each one of them, even above the others of our Company, were truly gifted in their own art. Tonni's craft was in the repair and maintenance of his armor. He learned his warplate and weapons inside and our, tuning them the same way that a musician would tune their instrument. Our Techmarines had considered him as a candidate for further training on Mars, however some of the Mechanicus delegation were not as kindly disposed to his modifications, as subtle as they were.

 

I had the honor of handing Tonni the specialist magazine that he would use to hold the line against the Traitors. I have no doubt that he spent his last night making sure that magazine would sing a song of death for our foes" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

 

Brother Fulvio, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Fulvio was another soul who, in simpler times, would have created art and wonder to entertain and enthrall. He spent endless hours among our Remembrancers, especially those who were to immortalize our Great Crusade in song, stanza, and epic plays. He told me that he wanted to explore the soul that our Father had given him when he joined our Legion, and also that he wanted to honor his clan on Baal. He not only wanted to bridge the distance between his old life and his new life as an Astartes, but as the last surviving member of his clan he wanted to bridge the distance between life and death itself by properly honoring their customs.

 

As the wall came tumbling down and our enemies poured in his voice carried aloud from his helmet grill, singing the lament of his clan as he prepared to meet them for eternity" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

 

Brother Jacopo, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Brother Jacopo was the third member of The Artists. His gift lay in ornamentation, and many of the decorations and honorifics that the Legionnaires of the 83rd bore in celebration of their feats were crafted by him. To many it was surprising that his was amongst the least decorated warplate of our Company, he preferred to keep his own armor clean so he could spend his time in service to recognizing the mighty deeds of others. His left shoulder pad had been retrieved from a fallen Brother and brought back into service against those whose perfidious nature had destroyed so much, his left greave painted black as a sign of mourning on the eve of our last stand. 

 

I miss his witty barbs and jests with those who would disturb him as he worked on his latest piece" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

[OakRiver]

After travelling for a little while with work I came home to my modest FW order, and I have started to work on The Warden's retinue.

 

 

The parts in the middle will become Anellius, a Terran born member of the 103rd Company, and the second of the Oathsworn. Where The Warden is described as being calm and well considered Anellius is the opposite of his mentor and closer to a full blooded fanatic. To help reinforce this I see his pose as being close to Vespucci, but mirrored (power axe in right hand, pistol in left hand) to reinforce their contrasting temperaments. The other torsos will be for the two Legionnaires not bearing shields, with the Imperial Fists iconography replaced with Blood Angel specific iconography. 

 

Looking at the parts i have to hand I am short on arms not cradling bolters, so to rectify that I have a Death Company box set ordered and the spare parts from those will form the first half of an Assault Squad, with the other half coming later with the pending purchase of a Blood Angels Assault Squad box set.

 

So with a lack of painting here is some fluff instead.

 

"So be clear with me Brother, what is it that you are asking of me?"

Warden Vespucci stood before Captain Eco in the Captain's audience room. The vast chamber filled with frescoes depicting the glories of the IX Legion, and filled with trophies and battle honors that the 83rd Company had earned since setting off on the Great Crusade. Eco was clad in a simple white robe with silver filigree. His ever faithful second  in command, Ennius, was clad, as ever, in his heavy Cataphractii warplate and stood arms folded off to the side, observing proceedings. Vespucci could not have imagined an image which would provide a better contrast between the temperament of the two storied warriors who stood before him. Eco poured wine into two ornate crystal goblets before offering one to Vespucci. Taking the offered vessel with a respectful nod of his head The Warden spoke the words he had rehearsed since before he had requested this audience.

 

"My Lord, I ask your permission to form a specialized unit within our Company. A small unit of veteran warriors selected for elevation into the ranks of The Wardens, whom I would train to prepare them for this sacred task."

 

Eco paused and considered The Warden's words,

"This is not a controversial request, however the timing of it is intriguing, coming as it does after The Emperor's most recent edict."

 

The glimmer in the Eco's eyes let Vespucci know that the purpose of his request was already known to the Captain.

"You are correct. Following The Emperor's Edict on the use of psychic powers among the Legions I believe that we must be proactive in how we respond to it, and not to be seen wanting in His eyes or our Father's. Those under my tutelage would be responsible for helping me enforce The Emperor's will upon those who would transgress."

 

It was Ennius's turn to speak.

"So you would ask our Company's master for his indulgence in creating a squad of executioners among their Brothers?"

As cold and as efficient as ever Ennius had cut straight to the core of the argument. The mild smirk that Eco attempted to conceal with his goblet gave The Warden pause that the Captain may have more than pre-empted his request. 

 

"My Brother I would balk at such a crude description. As you are no doubt aware The Wardens have sworn oaths to oversee the morale and discipline of our brother Legionnaires, up to and including the ultimate sanction against those displaying egregious behaviors. This proposed force would be sworn to me so that I may prepare them for the burden of this responsibility should they rise to join The Wardens."

 

The stony faced warrior continued,

"And what of our Cousins among the other seventeen Legions? Will your apprentices be responsible for their conduct also?"

 

Vespucci offered no hesitation in his response,

"Absolutely not. My oath is to our Father. How those among the other Legions choose to conduct themselves is their own responsibility"

 

Setting down his glass Eco spoke once more,

"Do you have sufficient candidates for this venture of yours Vespucci?"

 

"My Lord from among our Company Legionnaire Edigio has already been nominated as a candidate to don the sable of The Wardens. I have also had a request from the 103rd Company to take a brother of theirs under my wing, Sergeant Anellius. From amongst the breadth of our Legion we will have more than ample qualified candidates for this task."

 

"You are aware of what you are asking my old friend. That these warriors will be sworn to you, and that their failings and transgressions will fall to you to answer."

 

"Lord Captain Eco, to that which much is given much is asked. I would expect no less an arrangement given my unprecedented petition."

 

The Captain rose from where he sat, crossing to the great window of his quarters, looking out into the vast inky darkness between the stars as they moved onto the worlds they were tasked to bring into compliance the master of the 83rd Company of the IX Legion reached his verdict.

"Warden Vespucci, I will grant your request. In service to The Emperor, Sanguinius, IX Legion, and your oath as a Warden you are hereby permitted to take no more than five Brothers of our Legion as your apprentices. For this sable brotherhood you are to select such candidates and equipment as you see fit to meet your obligations." 

 

Nodding his gratitude Vespucci left the Captain's chambers and began his work.

[hushrong]

Looking forward to seeing the Warden's retinue grow! Their background fluff has me hooked!

[OakRiver]

Thank you so much. Even why I was not actively involved in the hobby the fluff kept drawing me back in, and unlike painting thinking about your force, its background, and all the stories that make up it's legacy can be done almost anywhere. I am very lucky in that the fluff and background for my Blood Angels has continued to grow organically, and has yet to feel forced. When that happens I may have to shift gears into some other, as yet undetermined project. 

 

Along the way I have had great help from the community, with the suggestion of typing the Oath Sworn into the Guardian of the Lost and as chance would have it one of my descriptions of these warriors shares a name with a BA successor Chapter with little known about them (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Sable_Brotherhood). Their description as "dour" matches the role in which my squad find themselves well, tasked as they are with the power of life and death over certain Brothers of their Legion.

 

For now my Death Company box has arrived and while I want to start assembling my Warden's retinue I know I have to finish The Martyrs first, so the final 4 have their basecoat and Agrax Earthshade wash has been completed. I just (!) have to build up the red again, apply battle damage, and finish painting them.

[OakRiver]

So while I haven't managed to do anything substantial in the way of converting or painting I have been doing some prep work for the Warden's retinue, and the assault squad which will be following. As I audit my bits I have a few B@C pieces left, a lot of legs, arms and torsos from 40K kits, 40K jump packs, and a lot of 40K bolt pistols and close combat weapons. Not wanting to have these newer additions took too modern in comparison to the rest of the force I have also started to remove some detail from duplicate sets of legs to try to make them unique. 

 

Then the Good Idea Fairy struck.

 

Looking at my parts and browsing the FW I realized that I have no MkV Heresy Pattern armor. So after reading a lot of guides online and getting advice from Brother Chaplain Kage I will be looking at converting up some of this pattern.

 

 

I have already started sculpting a MkV helmet based off of a Mk VII from the BA Tactical Squad box, and have converted (and made press molds of) a bolt pistol using a bolter from the B@C set. Some HO scale rivets should let me add the iconic details without having to drill holes for glass beads. I also plan on chopping off the blades of the assault squad's chainswords and replacing them with the blades from the BoP veteran's chainswords.

 

I'll probably get a set of these at some stage;

That'll bring me up to 15 members of my Assault Squad, and I'll disperse the parts through the squad to make them look more ramshackle as supply lines are stretched to breaking point.

[OakRiver]

This weekend I have been chipping away at the last members of The Martyrs, and against my expectations I managed to complete the 7th and 8th Legionnaires; Educci and Vermili

 

Brother Educci, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Brother Educci was like many of our Father's sons; resolute in the face of the enemy, and always eager to meet our enemies face to face. Defending our section of the wall was a struggle for our Brother and he could often be seen pacing like a caged animal in a fighting arena, waiting his opportunity to spill blood. When Veteran Sergeant Ortiz informed his squad that they would be first to face the enemy I could see the relief in Educci's face.

 

Like all the aptly named Martyrs he fell so others could live. As we gathered our fallen I was the first to encounter his remains. His armor was rent apart by bolt and blade. The he clearly earned the Traitors's ire given the unspeakable defilement visited upon his flesh. Such was the scale of the horrors we endured at the time we added it to the long list that the enemy would have to answer for. And answer for it they did." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

Brother Vermili, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Vermili was one given to much introspection all the time that I knew him. His opinions were never offered freely, but always very carefully considered and deliberated. The amount of caveats he would give when speaking rivaled the tally of rounds Arturo would expend in any given engagement. Like his nature his actions were always deliberate. Outside of our marksmen Vermili would expend the fewest rounds, but he was no less an effective warrior than the rest of the Company. 

 

I can recall but one act of spontaneity from him, and that was after Ortiz was assigned to lead the squad. As a mark of kinship with his new commander he painted the crimson for his helm's face black.

 

I know that he would have given good account of himself before he fell" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

 

No progress to report yet on The Warden's retinue, mainly because I want to keep disciplined and finish The Martyrs before I start a new squad. I remember the long lost days of 2nd Edition when I would paint my characters and cool stuff like vehicles, while the troop choices were lucky to see an undercoat. Honestly this has also been one of the hardest squads for me to paint. The Martyrs started out as I found I had more parts than I thought and that was their genesis. Unlike every squad before their fluff came after, and as I decided early on that this entire squad perished I have had to be careful not to fall into the trap of more and more elaborate tales of individual heroics. In terms of painting I did have to cut this batch from four to two, simply because batch painting four felt more like work than a hobby, and I am in no hurry to complete this project. My overthinking aside I've always wanted a Horus Heresy force of Blood Angels since the early 90's so, in a way, this is my dream army and some days I can't believe that I have the opportunity to make this a reality.

Edited August 13, 2018 by OakRiver

[Astartes Consul]

Great work! I love the drum mags on the bolters. 

[OakRiver]

Thank you. With my Terminators only using one combi-bolter from the B@C set I had plenty spare, and I felt it was fitting for their role.

[OakRiver]

The final two members of The Martyrs have been completed, and I present to you Legionnaires Dalibor and Aldalberto.

 

Brother Dalibor, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Dalibor was one of the youngest members of our Company, and that he never had a chance to reach his potential in forging a new age of Humanity grieves me. He and The Boy were inducted into our ranks at the same time, but that was about all that they had in common. While Andino was headstrong, brash, and always at the forefront of the action Dalibor was quiet and excelled in the second line supporting his Brothers.

 

I must confess that during our time in Imperium Secondus he began spending more time with Santo, and I suspected them both of being involved in the Lectito Divintatus. As with Santo I kept my thoughts my own. Whatever the scroll was that he bore into battle during his last days clearly enraged the Traitors." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

 

Brother Aldalberto, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Aldalberto had been the loyal right hand to Sergeant Angolo throughout their service together. As we made our way to rally with other loyal forces in the Macragge system Captain Eco recognized this squad for their valor in facing the Neverborn and apologized for the delay in granting them the right to bear a vexilla. In turn Angolo recognized Aldalberto, and gave him the honor of bearing the squad's standard. In hindsight it is ironic that the squad who would ultimately volunteer to sacrifice themselves had chosen funeral colors for their banner, but in those days we had much to mourn and little to celebrate.

 

Angolo's decision to place his trust in Aldalberto was not misplaced. In both life and death he refused to let the banner of his squad touch the dirt beneath their feet." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

The Martyrs, IX Legion, 83rd Company, The Siege of Terra

 

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Well done.

[Dosjetka]

The models look great and the individual fluff you've given them is fantastic. Where do you get your ideas/inspiration from?

[OakRiver]

Thank you both :D

 

The models look great and the individual fluff you've given them is fantastic. Where do you get your ideas/inspiration from?

I wish I could tell you that I have some really well thought out masterplan for the 83rd, and a complete list of dramatis personae, but the truth is I've been very lucky in that for the most part as I assemble and paint the minis the parts and pose inform the backstory of each Legionnaire. With the first set of names at the start of the thread I found names and then used those to inform the minis, so for those I had a concept before I put glue to plastic.

 

The inspiration for this force started in the early 90's when I got into the hobby and saw Mike McVey's diorama of The Emperor and Horus. Since then I always wanted a Heresy force, but at the time you were limited to one metal figure of each early pattern of armor. 

 

I still have the Oathsworn/Sable Brotherhood and a choom Support Squad to assemble and paint. My superglue just died so I need to replace that before work can truly begin. I have started on the remaining bases, so yesterday they got the tiles laid out, and later I'll add the fallen masonry and other debris. Once these units and the Assault Squad are complete I might switch gears a little. I've been kicking around the idea of using a Cawdor gang to represent loyalist fanatics showing up to join the fight at the wall, and maybe some armor representing the more logistically challenging elements of the 83rd which could got easily navigate the broken street as easily as the infantry, and acted as a second line to cover the fall back to The Palace.

 

I've also been eyeing a second B@C set to add more to the army, but I'm also looking at Forgeworld for a a figure to represent Enigma before he joined the 83rd on Terra. 

[hushrong]

Looking good as always! The paint jobs and effects like the chipping are ace!

[OakRiver]

Thanks. After playing around with my cellphone camera I finally feel like I can do some justice to the minis

[Pearson73]

Really liking the drum magazines on the bolters, they make the squad very distinctive.

[OakRiver]

Really liking the drum magazines on the bolters, they make the squad very distinctive.

In the event that they ever reach the table I will have one squad that I can easily identify

 

So after finding some unexpected hobby time today I started work on The Sable Brotherhood;

 

 

Anellius of the 103rd

 

 

Callisto of the 29th

 

 

Fidelio of the 73rd

 

 

Ehno of the 118th

 

 

Valente of the 9th

 

 

For each of these Legionnaires I wanted them to look like the veterans that they are. Not only would Vespucci have provided them with high quality weapons to enforce The Edict, but as champions of other Companies within the IX Legion I imagine that they were well provisioned to represent their kin well. I still have some more work and additional details to add to these five noble sons of Sanguinius.

 

As you can tell from the group picture I have moved away from Oathsworn, as that sounds more like a Space Wolf unit. Their new moniker, Sable Brotherhood, not only feels more in character for the Blood Angels Legion, but it is also a lesser known successor Chapter of the Legion.

[hushrong]

The marines look great! The bits you used and the posing works well with each looking like an honored vet.

 

I don't think Oathsworn sounds too wolf but I like the adding of the Sable Brotherhood name and that it is part of the BA's future.

[OakRiver]

The marines look great! The bits you used and the posing works well with each looking like an honored vet.

 

I don't think Oathsworn sounds too wolf but I like the adding of the Sable Brotherhood name and that it is part of the BA's future.

Thank you. When I found The Sable Brotherhood as a successor Chapter I couldn't resist using that name for this squad. 

 

I hope at this early stage that you can see the contrast between Vespucci and Anellius's poses as a visual for their contrasting personalities. I wanted to use the Death Company shoulder pad with the scroll for him, but with my self imposed rule that the right shoulder pad must be the crossed axes then the scroll would have been working against gravity. I have tweaked the pose of Ehno, so now his axe is turned in towards his body so that he has a more distinct silhouette against Fidelio. I might try to make a press mold of a tabbard for Ehno too to further distinguish him from Fidelio.

 

While Anellius was the most planned out of the squad I am most pleased with Callisto and Valente, as the parts just seemed to come together for them. The set of legs used for Callisto were ones that I had tried to work unsuccessfully on a number of prior minis so I am very happy they work for him. 

 

To help make this squad look different from the Phalanx kit my only rule was that whoever had a FW torso could not have a FW helm, and I think that has worked pretty well.

[OakRiver]

So, the more I looked at Ehno and Fidelio the more unhappy I was with how I had posed them. Ehno suffered from Bow Legged Astartes Syndrome, and the lack of a tabbard on them set them at odds with their brethren. So I fixed that;

 

 

 

 

Like the rest of the squad I will add more finishing touches to them before I put paint to plastic, but I am much happier with how they look now.

[hushrong]

Great insight into the posing! The newer legs also look a lot better! Looking forward to seeing all the finishing touches.

 

With a lot of the new plastics I just cannot go back to using those bow legged marine legs. I had really like the mk3 kits as they are beefier, the TS as they are much more upright, and the Deathwatch legs for the same reason. With some conversion work I think those could come in handy in the future.

[OakRiver]

The more and more I looked at them the less happy I was, and once paint is applied the conversion is sorta permanent. For the bow legged legs I may try to work those more into the choom Support Squad as it makes sense that they would be braced as they carry and operate those heavy weapons.