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

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Well done.

[Mostwanted]

Thanks for the info. The veteran sergeant looks great, keep up the good work!

[OakRiver]

Merry Chriastmas B&C!!

I'm happy to share some progress with my Legion Assault Squad, the first two completed members; Kaspar and Melchior

 

Legionnarie Kaspar, Veteran Sergeant Mikhail's Assault Squad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Archivist's note; subject carries a carbine version of the standard bolter, but one that is distinct from the Chalice pattern. More investigation may be necessary]

 

 

 

[Note the device on Kaspar's right shoulder pad. This is the companion piece to Nikus's, commissioned by Champion Laertes for his service in the same campaign]

 

"Brother Kaspar was, like most of Mikhail's unit, a survivor from an under manned squad who volunteered to join The Retributors to enact revenge upon the Traitors. Borne aloft by their jump packs Mikhail's Retributors would descend on their foes to ambush the unwary, intervene to cover the displacement of friendly forces, or punish those out of position. As we fell back these Brothers would swoop down to distract pursuing enemies or pounce upon those who had over extended.

 

Kaspar, a Terran Veteran, had served with distinction as a Breacher and had been honored alongside Nikus by Laertes for their service as runners during a long campaign to direct artillery. The shield devices were honorifics he had earned with his original squad and he wore those with pride as he served in his new role." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

 

Legionnarie Melchior, Veteran Sergeant Mikhail's Assault Squad

 

[Archivist's Note; subject is wielding a blade apparently of XIII Legion origins]

 

 

[Archivist's Note; subject has a number of Legion specific braided rope honorifics, indicating that this was a warrior held in high esteem by his peers.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Archivist's Note; subject bears decoration with XIII Legion insignia. Purpose unknown.]

 

"Brother Melchior was inducted into our Legion shortly after Our Father was reunited with his Legion. He was known as a capable swordsman, and earned his reputation serving with Veteran Sergeant Mikhail. Melchoir was well respected by many of our Company, and I had the honor of presenting him with the length of braided rope that he wore on his left greave.

 

During our time in the Macragge System, and Imperium Secundus, The Retributors served alongside our cousins in the XIII Legion working to purge the Traitors of the World Eaters, Word Bearers, and the Night Lords. During this time Melchoir and Antollios, a Sergeant in the Ultramarines Legion, became oathsworn brothers. This pair had saved each others lives on more than one occasion, and had accounted for a considerable tally of the enemy. It was during an assault on an enemy position that Antollis was separated from his squad, and laid low by the Night Lords. It was Melchoir who was first to our fallen cousin and, taking up Antollis's blade, he smote every Traitor he encountered. When the battle was won Melchoir who bore the body of his oathsworn brother to his Legion. The Ultramarine Captain refused to accept Antollis's blade, telling Melchoir that while his brother was unable to fulfill his oaths to strike down the enemy that the same could not be said of his blade. Melchior accepted the Captain's judgement, and affixed Antollis's oaths of moment to his armor, vowing to fulfill his brother's mission." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

[OakRiver]

Happy New Year B&C!! I did finish up some Assault Marines this morning, but they were mostly completed in 2018. The next two members of the Assault Squad are here, Legionnaires Edoardo and Samuele, survivors of Land Speeder recon Squad 'Viper 7'.

 

Brother Edoardo, Veteran Sergeant Mikhail's Assault Squad

 

[Archivist's Note; Subject has newer MK VII that he has customized with a gold cross. This Assault Squad has one of the higher concentrations of newer marks of armor among those of the 83rd Company. It has been speculated that this is due to the high rate of members coming in from decimated units.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Archivist's Note; Although Edoardo, like many of The Retributors, 'inherited' their equipment this jump pack shows evidence of customization - the gold crosses of Viper 7]

 

 

 

 

"Edoardo was not a long serving member of The Retributors, rather he had served the Legion as a Land Speeder pilot in one of our reconnaissance squads, Viper 7. Our Land Speeders had served us well through the Great Crusade, providing us valuable intelligence and close fire support, but once Horus forced us to turn on one another the rate of attrition was severe. Those Brothers who survived engagements reformed to replace missing Brothers, or manning the vehicles of deceased crews until we had only a handful of warriors left with no steeds.

 

While fulfilling a different role in the 83rd he understood the similarities between his previous role and his new role. While some of our Brothers focused on strength or guile to best their foes our Land Speeders's greatest asset was their speed. Able to quickly out maneuver an opponent and strike where they were most vulnerable Edoardo used his jump pack to drop on an unsuspecting quarry, turning the predator into the prey.

 

The braided rope on his leg and decorations that he bore on his left pauldron were gifts from my squad. After our ill fated drop in the opening of the Amaranthine Campaign left us isolated and out of position in hostile territory it was Viper 7, and Edoardo's Speeder in particular, that provided fire support and prevented us being overrun in the initial engagements." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio.

 

 

Brother Samuele, Veteran Sergeant Mikhail's Assault Squad

 

 

 

[Archivist's Note; Subject is shown with MKVII leg armor. The decoration on the left greave matches with 87.333% certainty ornamentation on a Land Speeder that was part of Viper 7.]

 

 

 

 

 

[Archivist's Note; Subject's jump pack has similar gold crosses to Subject TXR874 - Brother Edoardo]

 

"Like Edoardo Samuele was a survivor from Viper 7. He had been reassigned to Mikhail's Squad after his Speeder was shot down by the Night Lords in Imperium Secundus. The pilot was killed on impact and Samuele was forced to escape and evade alone until reinforcements could be mustered. Thinking their prey weak the Night Lords tasked with hunting down Samuele were victims of their own doctrine and arrogance. By playing with their prey and trying to use their terror tactics to unnerve him Samuele was able to stretch out the enemy and ambush them, weakening them but more crucially buying time for support to arrive. Of the two Traitors who survived we gave Samuele the honor of ending their miserable existence. 

 

When the wreckage and the remains of Brother Gioele were recovered Samuele was presented with the winged blood drop that they had earned on Murder. 

 

Lacking any open positions among what remained of our Land Speeder squads Samuele was folded into Mikhail's squad before it had become known a place for survivors of annihilated units to volunteer to enact their revenge on the enemy. When Edoardo joined The Retributors the pair were inseparable and used their experience and doctrines from Viper 7 to deadly affect." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

 

Over the Christmas break I got a small supply order, the Overkill mini for Antor Delassio. A small conversion later and he is now Veteran Sergeant Mikhail, leader of Assault Squad known as The Retributors.

 

 

 

It is a very simple conversion, but the pose and name are designed to invoke similarities to images of St. Michael.

 

After starting to paint the next two members of the Assault Squad, and while waiting for the wash to dry, I cobbled together Melchior's Oathsworn Brother from the XIIIth Legion;

Edited January 1, 2019 by OakRiver

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the new models.

[OakRiver]

So in between taking a Master level college course and working full time I managed to make some progress on two more members of The Retributors; Legionnaires Kovash and Hestaphon

 

Brother Kovash, Veteran Sergeant Mikhail's Assault Squad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Brother Kovash was, by the time we reached Terra, an anachronism amongst the Brothers of The Retributors having served alongside Mikhail since joining our Legion. His gift to any fray he was in was his cold, calculating fury. Unlike some of our more passionate Brothers whose righteous anger would break down the defenses of their adversaries with a hail of strikes Kovash would strike with an almost surgical precision. He was no different with his camaraderie - it was as if each word he spoke was carefully rationed." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

 

Brother Hestaphon, Veteran Sergeant Mikhail's Assault Squad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hestaphon was more typical of those who were among Mikhail's squad as we reached The Palace. Before Imperium Secundus he had served as a Xiphon pilot, providing escort and fire support to our Thunderhawk and Stormbird transports. The blood drops that would grace his jump pack were kill markings of other aircraft he had brought down in service of The Great Crusade, and later against The Traitors. While chasing quarry from the Word Bearers bastards his craft was brought low.

 

On the ground he fought as he had in the air, skillfully evading the attacks of his foe before getting in under their guard and felling them." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the Assault Marines.

[War Angel]

Great weathering! Looks classy.

[firestorm40k]

Lovely work as always, the weathering is especially effective :tu:

[OakRiver]

Thank you all for the kind comments. After two years of practice I finally got good enough with my camera to post pictures that did these minis (some) justice. The weathering is just simple sponge weathering, with some highlights and metal painted into the recesses for depth. Additional scratches of thinned Rhinox Hide were added after. The exhausts of the jump packs were drybrushed black and grey to show usage.

 

I haven't been brave enough to spend time on adding weathering powder to the minis.

 

So what are everyone's thoughts on the Sanguinius mini?

[OakRiver]

Thanks to the extreme weather here work has closed for the next two days, so I managed to get in some hobby time. Rather than do the sensible thing and being disciplined enough to finish off the rank and file Retributors I worked on their leader, Veteran Sergeant Mikhail

 

Veteran Sergeant Mikhail, The Unadorned Saint, The Righteous Blade, Legion Assault Squad - 'The Retributors'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Of my Brother Mikhail I cannot say words that would do justice to his legend. In all aspects of his life he was the truest son of our Father. Where Vizioso was wrath personified Mikhail was the embodiment of our gene sire's most noble aspect. In truth these two warriors were natural foils for one another.

 

Mikhail too had been offered the honor of joining the Terminator elite by being invited to join The Saints. With a heavy heart he asked that he be permitted to continue to fight in the same manner as The Angel and Captain Eco. It was a request that our former Captain was happy to grant, along with the honorific 'The Unadorned Saint' and the golden halo which would adorn his jump pack. Even though he would not don the mantle he was still considered a member of that esteemed brotherhood.

 

I had heard tales of Eco and Mikhail serving in the same Assault Squad together before our Father was joined with our Legion. Other than Ennius there was no one that the Captain was closer to, or who he relied upon for counsel. While Ennius was cold and calculating Mikhail was more human. He spent a great deal of time debating ethics and philosophy with our Remembrancer contingent. I even read some of the works that he had penned about duty and what it meant to serve mankind. When Eco fell there was no challenge to his appointed successor by the noble Mikhail.   

 

Descending from the heavens in righteous judgement he brought his sword, Justicar, on the heads of those who stood opposing The Emperor's Will. When Horus turned on us all it was with sorrow and spite that Mikhail unleashed his blade on those who had betrayed us." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on Veteran SGT Mikhail.

[OakRiver]

Thank you. I was a little worried about the face, as some of the details were not the sharpest and I much prefer to paint the faces separate from the body itself. He honestly turned out better than I expected, and I am happy that my camera work does him more justice than my previous efforts.

[OakRiver]

Between working full time and going back to school my hobby time has been a little sparse of late, but I did manage to paint a completely a mini, completely unrelated to the 83rd. The mini who donate his head to Vespucci

 

Unknown Astartes; Ultima Founding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OakRiver]

My apologies that updates have been few and far between. I have started my Master degree program, and with working full time, that has limited my hobby time. Also.... I ran out of Mephiston Red, and rather than go buy more, I decided that I wanted to take a break and paint something other than red. 

 

With that in mind I present an ally to the 83rd Company, IX Legion; Veteran Sergeant Antollios, XIII Legion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Veteran Sergeant Antollios was a noble, and true, son of our Father's Brother, Guilliman. We came to know him after we fought our way to Macragge, and Imperium Secundus. He was amongst the delegation who's picket line greeted us as we transitioned to real space. Initially suspicious, as, in hindsight, he had more than ample reason to be, he warmed to our Brothers. As our Legions spent more time together we learned that Antollios was a native of Calth. In spite of the righteous grief and anger at the loss of the planet that sired him, he was typical of what one might expect of a member of the XIIIth Legion.

 

Between the sparring cages and the conflict with our former cousins he and Melchior developed a bond strong enough for the Assault Squad Legionnaire to be named as an envoy between our Legions. After one particular encounter, where we purged the Word Bearers and their vile ethereal allies, these two mighty champions confronted the corrupted Librarian summoning the creatures, and ended his miserable existence. These oathsworn Brothers were triumphant against the sorceries and slave chattel of Lorgar's bastards, and against the fury and unthinking of Angron's berzerkers. It was against the pernicious Night Lords, the cause of so much of our woes, that the mortal bonds would be broken. 

 

As we assaulted their positions the Night Lords kept falling back, deeper into their subterranean lair. As we expected from these dishonorable curs, we suffered many losses through mis-directions, traps and ambushes. It was from this that we lost Veteran Sergeant Antollios. Separated from his squad and Melchior, he feared for the lives of his Brothers. A spoofed distress call lured him into a Night Lords ambush. He was set upon by a craven pack, and finally laid low. In their triumph the murderous Night Lords did not notice the presence of Melchior until the roar of his grief and his chainsword assailed them.

 

I came upon Melchior as he was bearing Antollios's remains back to the surface. I say this as a veteran of the Great Crusade, and of this civil war; I cannot describe the violence that was done by my Brother. The Night Lords in that room were butchered. In any conflict involving the Legions you expect to see the damage of bolt and chain blade. You do not expect to see ceramite armor ripped open by hand, or power armored helms slammed into the rock walls with force enough to destroy them, and the skull inside. Whatever transpired in that room Melchior was wrath incarnate. 

 

In the wake of the battle Melchior brought Antollios to his Captain, Octavius, and presented to him the fallen warrior's blade. While the body was received with great solemnity and reverence the blade was refused. Octavius instead took the oaths of moment that Antollios had sworn and the blade, and explained that while Antollios was no longer the strike down the enemies of The Imperium, that the same could not be said of his blade. Melchior took up the sword and oaths of his fallen Brother, and honored his memory for the rest of his service to The Angel and The Emperor."

 

 

This has also allowed me an opportunity to use up some of the bits I'm unlikely to use for the remainder of the 83rd. Antollios has parts from;

- Betrayal at Calth legs

- Imperial Fists Phalax head

- Blood Angels torso, with blood drop shaved off

- Power pack from Chaplain Cassius

- Shoulder pad from Sergeant Chronus 

 

I am only planning on a small number of non-Blood Angels Legionnaires, but the next one has been based coated and washed. A Sergeant from the IIIrd Legion, who fought beside the 83rd on Murder.

Edited May 11, 2019 by OakRiver

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Veteran SGT Antollios' model and backstory are well done. Will you model Melchior next, maybe as a Dreadnought?

[OakRiver]

Veteran SGT Antollios' model and backstory are well done. Will you model Melchior next, maybe as a Dreadnought?

 

Melchior appears a little earlier in this plog;

 

 

But that is an interesting question about him, or perhaps another member of the 83rd, being re-imagined as a Dreadnought. Once the 83rd is wrapped up, and/or GW release Scouring miniatures, I might have some new models based on those who survived The Siege.

 

I do want to step back a little in time once I have completed by guest from the IIIrd, the Legion Assault Squad, and the Legion Support Squad. I would like to have a mini of Captain Eco before his Ironform. I'm thinking of using the Praetor on foot as a base, using either the stock head or the bearded head from the Sternguard squad, the same sword as Ennius, a Sanguinary Guard jump pack (undecided on the wings), and an inferno pistol.

 

Part of me also wants to paint up some of the Traitors that the 83rd encountered during The Heresy. They have a particular animus towards the Night Lords. 

Edited May 11, 2019 by OakRiver

[Naryn]

I adore the combination of bits and colors on the Sergeant, he’s super distinctive

[OakRiver]

Thank you. I had enough Ultramarine bits on hand that once I started to collect them together the other pieces just fell into place. For the chest piece I wanted something that was more typically Greco-Roman to show his lineage, and it worked better than intended.

[OakRiver]

In a shocking turn of events I have more progress to share! Not on any members of the 83rd though. This time it is a member of the IIIrd Legion; Sergeant Adonis Philosir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We came to the world of Murder to assist our Brothers who had come into contact with a highly aggressive xenos species. Their call for help was heeded by those of the Luna Wolves and the Emperor's Children. I spent little time with Horus's sons, instead we fought alongside Captain Esteban Levi's Millennial of Emperor's Children. From my own observations, Captain Levi did not seem to be in favor with those closest to his Primarch, but if that rankled him I cannot say.

 

Philosir was hospitable to our Company as we awaited the result of the council of war being convened by our Gene Fathers, but he had the arrogance that was known as archetypal of the IIIrd. To his credit, he had much to be boastful about. The support elements he lead provided support in the perfect nature that only children of the Phoenix could. As the foul xenos adapted to our tactics, and our battle lines became stretched thin he and a number of his Brothers appeared to fight alongside my squad to prevent the enemy breaching our lines, and making their way to one of our vulnerable drop zones. 

 

At the height of the battle he and I fought back to back, fending off the Megaranchnids. Eschewing the bladed weapons more common in his Legion, each swing of his massive gauntlet was perfectly timed and placed to crush the xenos foe. 

 

To honor him and his Brothers I had the honor of presenting Philosir with the shield device that he wore on his left pauldron.

 

Our Company had little contact with the IIIrd after Murder. I often wonder what happened to those that we fought beside as brothers; whether they betrayed the Imperium and followed Fulgrim, defied their sire and were struck down for their loyalty, or whether some other fate befell them." 

 

 

This was a quick paint job, but one that I enjoyed more than I anticipated I would. If the events of the Heresy had gone differently I always wondered what Slaaneshi Blood Angels would have been like, instead of the typical Khornate Blood Angels. With their love of artistry and being described as looking for perfection I thought that this would have made them a good fit. It might have also been interesting if, in an alternate time line, the IXth Legion had turned traitor and suffered a schism akin to the World Eaters at Skalathrax; the Slaanesh corrupted Angel and his followers pitted against Amit the Fleshtearer of Khorne and his adherents. 

[OakRiver]

**blows dust off thread**

 

So, after seven months of no updates I did some work on the 83rd, until a knife slip stopped play. The first one is an update to a member of Mikhail's Assault Squad:

 

 

Just a very simple update, with extra purity seals added, parchment added to the left shoulder pad, and the biggest change is to the head. I took a Sanguinary Guard head, removed the halo, and shaved it down so it better matches the backstory of this member of the 83rd. 

 

The other mini I worked on today just came together as I was looking through my bitz box:

I took an existing banner, and added some press molded details to change it from the original piece. One of the biggest changes was to remove the "1" from the upper right of the banner, and to change the top of the banner to more closely match the device on the top of Eco's ironform.

 

And the mini to accompany it:

A conversion based on the legs from Blood Angels Tactical Squad, and the torso and arm from the Ultramarines Sergeant Chronus - with Ultramarine symbols removed from the chest and left shoulder. While Finecast has its challenges, it is significantly easier to work with than metal. I used press molded purity seals to help tie the two parts of the mini together. I haven't settled on a loadout for this figure, as I'm looking at this as more thematic than competitive (probably a good thing as I have no Heresy rule books)

 

I am having second thoughts with this mini. With a bare head, and mocking up his pose with a sword rather than the banner, I'm thinking he might end up as a Librarian or Esoterist. I'm going to have to give a lot of thought to this before I settle on how this mini will develop.

[Dosjetka]

Good to see you back here! I hope your knife cut heals swiftly so that we can see some more of your conversions, kitbashes, and painting soon. :)

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

Excellent painting and conversions, nice work!!

[Father Mapple]

You're a good sculptor and the details are impressive. 

[OakRiver]

I finally ordered more Mephiston Red, and after a suitable period in quarantine in the garage after delivery, paint was put to plastic

 

 

 

While waiting on the paint to arrive, and for an additional 3 days after delivery, I tried my work area and got rid of a lot of the clutter that just happened to be laying around, and after taking stock of my Vallejo paints I'm going to try to use them more. I also kitbashed a power pack for a potential future Inquisitor retinue and assembled two Marines from spare bitz that might get painted as Minotaurs just for a change of pace. Then again, I have some older, metal Space Marines from 3rd Edition (Sergeant with power axe, Marine with melta gun, and 6 scouts) that need paint stripped, and I'm leaning towards painting them as a rag tag force of Crimson Fists from when their home world was invaded, so they might join them.

 

The next two members of Mikhail's Assault Squad have been basecoated, and washed.