Ulf's Crimson Fists Army

[Stoic Raptor]

Greetings Brothers,

 

I've recently been working on painting up my Crimson Fists army and thought I'd share some photos with you.  I apologize that the shots are not the best, they're taken with my phone and I can't seem to get good lighting.  I have a good camera and a light box but I can't find the backdrops or the cable for the camera.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to provide better images, these shots don't do justice.

 

I've chosen to model them according to the force structure immediately prior to the Invasion of Rynn's World, so that I might feature some of the more interesting characters.

 

For starters, here is a Scout Squad.  Three of these form my Kill Team for 200-point games.

 

And here is Captain Ishmael Icario, Commander of the 10th Company and Master of Shadows.  Counts as Telion for game play rules:

 

What Crimson Fists army would be complete without the Chapter Master, Pedro Kantor?

 

Here is Captain Drigo Alvez, Commander of the 2nd Company and Master of the Shield, counts as Lysander in-game:

 

(I know he has a storm bolter and power sword in the book but what "Master of the Shield" wouldn't use a shield some times?)

 

And my most recent work, the 30th Anniversary Space Marine.  Crimson Fists were my first army and 30 years later I'm playing them again!

 

I've also finished a model that is intended to represent Alessio Cortez, I'll get some photos up soon.

 

Now I can embark upon painting up my Demi Company.  It's 72 models, including two Dreadnoughts and a Razorback.  I'll be painting it as the 3rd Company - primarily because the red trim on the shoulder pads works nicely with the color scheme, and partly because I think Ashor Drakken got a raw deal.

When combined with the 10th Company Task Force I use as my Kill Team, it adds up to a nice 1850 points.  

 

I'll add pictures as the work continues, but with my work schedule and tired eyes I'm sure it'll take a while.  I hope you enjoyed this peek at my army!

 

[Vel'Cona]

Off to a great start! I love the clean details on everything and the colour scheme is striking but still very codex-adherent. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the various vehicles and watching your Demi-Company take shape.

[Major_Gilbear]

I have always had a huge soft spot in my heart for Crimson Fists - and yours are looking very nice! :D

 

One thing though: I'm not sure that CF actually denote company colours or markings (at least, not obviously).

 

Whilst the red trim of 3rd Company might suit the colour scheme of the CF, it might also make them look less like CF.

 

If you wanted to stick to the more traditional depictions of them, but still want to put a company marking on them, you could try putting the geometric Company designation in a roundel on the side of their right greave (where campaign badges used to go in 2nd Edition), or on a kneepad perhaps. For reference, these are the Codex Company designations:

 

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m307/Vash113/gallery_43449_4253_3399.jpg

 

The important bit is the shape, not the colour. So you could swap the white above for red or maroon if you like. Of course, it's common to see both the shape and the colour - especially on Company standards.

 

Another option is to put the shape on the right shoulderpad, then overlay the squad designation, then put the squad numeral over the designation. So the 3rd Tactical squad of 2nd Company might be a red stripe, overlaid with a white arrow, overlaid with the numeral "3" for example. Variations on this are also possible to give the marines a bit more individuality. This old image is pretty good at showing what kinds of variation you might like to incorporate.

[WAR]

Nice Start

[Stoic Raptor]

 

I'm not sure that CF actually denote company colours or markings (at least, not obviously).

 

Whilst the red trim of 3rd Company might suit the colour scheme of the CF, it might also make them look less like CF.

 

If you wanted to stick to the more traditional depictions of them, but still want to put a company marking on them, you could try putting the geometric Company designation in a roundel on the right kneepad perhaps. 

 

Another option is to put the shape on the right shoulderpad, then overlay the squad designation, then put the squad numeral over the designation.

 

Thanks for the advice, I'll take it into consideration.  The shoulder pad trim is mentioned in the fiction, with Cortez' 4th Company having the dark green trim - but that definitely doesn't look like what I want to do.  I'll probably keep the red trim (it looks nice on my test model) but might add the company designation to the knee (looked good on my Dark Angels)

 

I want to try and keep the right shoulder simple. I might just include the marking for the type of squad (I may even get embossed shoulders for this) and then just a decal or freehand for the squad number (might actually put those stupid Ultramarine sheets to use after all).

 

I'll see how it looks, and if I'm not happy with the result I can always try something else.

[Major_Gilbear]

Well, the green trim is only mentioned in a BL novel IIRC, which are very often not very accurate with these sorts of details (unfortunately).

 

With respect to the right shoulder, in my description above I assumed that you'd paint the Company diagonal bar across the pad in red, and then use decals to put the arrow and numerals over. Or just do the Company marking on a knee as you said (which would also look very good).

 

In terms of colours, a red trim does look nice on deep blue, but it may also detract a little from the impact the otherwise limited red colours would usually have (i.e., the fists, Chapter badge, and other small sundry details). Obviously, this is entirely a personal preference thing, and I'm simply expressing my own opinion here! :P

 

Anyway, I look forward to seeing your results! :)

[Dosjetka]

Looking good, Ulfgrim! You mentioned you'll be painting a full Demi-Company but what unit can we expect from you next? :)

[deathspectersgt7]

Good Start . Now let us see some of the meat and bones of the CFs TACTICALS .

[Verger]

Very sold start! Looking forwards to tracking the progress of this army. :)

[Stoic Raptor]

Looking good, Ulfgrim! You mentioned you'll be painting a full Demi-Company but what unit can we expect from you next?

Good Start . Now let us see some of the meat and bones of the CFs TACTICALS .

That's probably my next project. I wanted to get the Scout detachment done first, then I was spending time on characters to get a break from painting up three Scout squads. But now I need to focus on the core selections of the army. I need to do a new Captain (Cortez with powerfist and bolt pistol doesn't fit in my army list) but without Tactical squads, an army isn't much.

I got some extra heavy bolters as bits - so in a Sternhammer list, each Tac squad will get 14 bolter shots on Rapid Fire and 12 heavy bolter shots. With Superior Boilter Drill, about 90% of these shots should hit. That's a lot of bolty goodness!

[Stoic Raptor]

I was giving my list some thought, and realized that I can make a smaller detachment that will let me field an army sooner, and then I can build on it until I have the entire force completed. So I wrote up a 750-point Demi-Company - Basically a Cataphractii Captain (to join my Devastators), a 5-man Dev Squad, a 5-man Assault Squad, and three 5-man Tactical Squads. Seven heavy bolters in all!

I'm generally going to do the Sergeants in Mk VI armor for the classic look, and even though it may not be the most competitive choice, all Sergeants will be equipped with Power Fists (I've always kind of regarded them as a badge of office in the Chapter).

I wanted to see how the red trim would look on the first Tactical Squad I've begun working on. The armor color itself is Kantor Blue (of course), shaded by Nuln Oil, drybrushed with Imrik Blue and then washed with Drakenhof Nightshade. This enabled me to get some vibrant highlights while still retaining the dark blue armor that is the hallmark of the Chapter. Rather than layering and glazing as I do with characters, this technique will allow me to get squads painted quicker.

So here's a WIP of a few troopers from the Tac Squad. I am really quite pleased with the red trim on the shoulder pads (and right knees but that's harder to see in the photo). It definitely makes them look more like Crimson Fists, which was my hope - and it adds some visual appeal as well. I hope you enjoy it too.

[Helias_Tancred]

Very good Ulfgrim, especially love your Pedro Kantor. 

 

I've only played two armies ever! Blood Angels and Crimson Fists. As I near the completion of my Blood Angels, I'm more than likely going to build a small army of Crimson Fists and use them as an allied force, and the foundation for a possible second army.

[Stoic Raptor]

Okay, now that I finally got a new lightbox, I can start taking better pictures of my work.

 

Here's a nicer shot of Pedro Kantor:

 

And Drigo Alvez (I know he didn't usually fight with Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield but he's an obvious counts-as-Lysander):

 

My 30th Anniversary Crimson Fists Imperial Space Marine, probably one of my best works so far:

 

When I get the time, I'll get some clearer pictures of all the Scouts, a Cortez kitbash, and  the five-man Tactical Squad I've finished so far.

I'm probably not going to build any more right now until I see what 8th Edition brings.