Bedouin2's Raven Guard Company Journey

[Bedouin2]

Hello everyone!

 

So I've made my decision on which chapter I want to collect, and I wanted to start this thread as a source of motivation, a place to display the models and a place I can ask small and little questions concerning the Raven Guard. Also I want to thank everyone of the Raven Guard thread page for motivating and inspiring me to start the goal I've been wanting to do since i got into the model aspect of 40k.

 

As of now I have no pics to offer, but know I have 1 Drop Pod and 20 Tactical Marines on the table in various stages of completion. I feel I should also add that patience is going to be the key here because... well... real life likes to get in the way. But I haven't been this motivated to model and paint as I am now in a while, so expect some content real soon (potentially by this weekend).

 

As to what to expect from this thread, my plan is to collect a whole Battle Company of Raven Guard, with elements of the 1st Company and 10th Company. As to which Company I haven't decided yet, but I have it narrowed down to 2. Right now all I want to do is collect. As to actually playing the game, it's not on my radar now but i expect that to change, which explains why I want forces from the 1st and 10th. I want be as lore friendly as I can be with how I model it all, with some small freedoms here and there, and Heresy Era influence as well. So expect to see some kit-bashing, "count as" models, conversions galore and some custom stuff i want to experiment with (I have a pretty cool plan with the Chaplain). As much as I love the models of GW/FW, the "heroic" poses that a lot of them are makes me cringe a bit (I'm former military so a lot of Hollywood/pop culture depictions of military/combat make me cringe), and as to the Raven Guard being stealthy, i feel a lot of the models don't fit their image. Also I'm saddened to the lack of love GW gives the Raven Guard...

 

Now for some small questions i hope some of you can answer for me, and I know some won't have answers as well. Forgive me because I've only read one Raven Guard novella, Ravenlord, but that will be fixed shortly. I'm sure my questions would be answered through the novels, and I usually try to find the answers myself before asking, but for the sake of time in planning out the company I wanted to go ahead and ask.

 

1. Other than power claws, do the RG tend to use any other specialty weapon, i.e. flamers, grav, rockets, melta, etc that they favor more over the others? I ask this as to how i should model the 6 Tactical squads and Devastator squads.

 

2. As for the Command Squad, the Company Champion and Standard Bearer to be direct, do the RG honor these positions like any other codex-compliant chapter, or do the have different names or roles for them? It's hard for me to imagine a stealth oriented unit carrying around the banner.

 

3. Bike units. Now I know they use Land Speeders pretty heavily, but what about bikes?

 

4. Anyone know of a source to get Raven Guard icons, like the one's FW sells for a few legions? I've tracked down numerous sites to access shoulder pads, decals and weapons... but can't seem to find anything for icons, or even raven skulls. So any help there would be greatly appreciated cause as of now I don't have much confidence in myself to make some from scratch.

 

5. Servitors. Are the Raven Guard reliant on servitors or do they handle their own work? 

 

Once again a big thanks to all of you!

Edited June 28, 2017 by Bedouin2

[Race Bannon]

Heck.  Yes.  A starter thread!  Again, welcome to the Ravenspire :tu:

 

Allow me to start some answers ^_^

 

Overall, the Raven Guard are still a Codex Chapter.  So several answers below can easily be answered with that in mind.  Yet, your own mileage may vary by your own desires and understanding.

 

1.  Lightning Claws are favored they are not the rule, per se.  This can be seen from certain sources: in the Shadow Force box, the Vanguard Veteran squad Sergeant is using a Thunder Hammer and Storm shield while his four squad mates use dual Lightning Claws.  The Sternguard squad from the same boxed set has a miscellany of weapons from a Power Sword to a Heavy Flamer.  These are likely just modeling options by the studio but, I think, illustrates the variety of weapons the Raven Guard will use to achieve victory.

 

2.  As a Codex Chapter, the Raven Guard would honor the positions of the Company (and Chapter) Champion with Standard Bearers.  What form these take is open to interpretation in my opinion.  At the very least the name and role stays the same as would be seen in the Ultramarines Chapter.

 

3.  Sure, Raven Guard use bikes, why not?  There is even art somewhere showing bikes attacking alongside a Centurion suit!

 

4.  I've never seen Heresy-era Icons for the Raven Guard Legion, not even kit-bashed.  Skulls are also rare that I've seen so far.  Having said that, I do not look for Heresy-era stuff myself, so it's possible they exist in some way.  There are two "bird skulls" in the Hero Base box from games Workshop.  It's a lot of money for TWO bird skulls.  But I've seen a close-up pic and they might be able to be used as a helmet.  It would look funky, but I think it's doable.  If I ebay them, I'll have more direct knowledge.

[Damo1701]

Welcome.  I'm going to be a pain, and answer in reverse order.

 

4) Forgeworld do a Raven Guard Legion transfer sheet.  It's pretty good, but the numbering of icons is a little.  To attempt to solve that (with the last round of transfers I did) I used the gold ones for Sergeants and the white for basic troops.  The transfers are pricey, but I do ilke them, and am working my through my collection.  The only difficulty I am having is getting the vehicles to work correctly.

 

3) I have some Scout Bikers, and am thinking of repurposing my Imperial Fists Bike Squad for RG duty.  I also have a Techmarine with Servo-Harness on a bike.  Haven't had much use yet, but playtesting as often as possible currently.

 

2) I don't see why they wouldn't use command squads, I have been considering getting a bike-mounted command squad.  Complete with Apothecary, Champion, and Standard.  How I'll do that, I'm not sure yet.

 

1)  I love the rules for Lightning Claws.  That's why I take so many of them in my RG army.  I have started building/running 5-man squads with Combi-Weapon on the Sergeant, and the same special weapon in the squad.  Works out quite well.  Popped a Chimera yesterday with 4 plasma shots.  Not a single over-heat LOL.

 

I'm doing as close to heresy era/Codex Astartes era as possible.  can't afford the Forgeworld vehicles, so I have to make do with 40K ones, same with the SM codex.  but the army really seems to work.

When building Sternguard, I would suggest looking at what you want them to do, add a complimentary special/heavy weapon to the squad.  For example, I have a 10-man Sternguard squad.  4 Combi-Flamers, Heavy Flamer, 4 Combi-Meltas, Meltagun.  Pops armour no problem, and roasts entrenched infantry like nothing.  I never found grav to be useful on PA troops, as they aren't relentless.  Mind you, the flamer half of the squad is great for discouraging charging the squad.

[duz_]

The others have answered most questions.

 

As for weapon load outs I haven't really seen any fluff in this ed other than Salamanders for any faction preferring a certain type of special weapon.

For special weapons I prefer flamers or meltas on my tacs. My devs usually rock lascannons or plasma cannons.

RG are smart and stealthy they'd choose the right load out for the job. ;)

 

As for hobby. That definitely is daunting. Since we've had our painting challenge I've tried to do at least one hour of hobby a night. Its actually helped me a lot. I don't necessarily achieve it every night because of life. However its better than just trying to cram on weekends.

 

Good luck! Look forward to seeing your army grow!

[WAR]

Welcome to the Raven Spire.

[NiceGuyAdi]

Looking forward to seeing this, Bedouin. One of the things I like about the Raven Guard, as I see them, is that aside from being stealthy one of their defining characteristics is pragmatism. With a history of being on the edge of disappearing since the Heresy, they can't afford to skin every cat the same way and must be adaptable. So I figure building a tactically flexible force is more important than which weapons you specifically take.

 

As long as everyone has Lightning Claws.

[Claws and Effect]

Welcome to the XIXth.

 

1) As you have already deduced, lightning claws are the Raven Guard's signature weapon. In fact, a few editions ago, the first regular power armored marine depicted with claws was Raven Guard. At the time lightning claws were Terminator only weapons.

 

As far as heavy weapons go, the only modern fluff Devastator loadouts I've seen were heavy on plasma cannons and heavy bolters.

 

2) Company Champion is as any other codex chapter. The banner would likely only be flown on the rare occasions they make a frontal assault in force. They prefer not to do that, but are just as capable at it as anyone else.

 

3) As a chapter they prefer jump packs over bikes. That said, there is no reason they would not field a few in appropriate terrain. They're not as skilled as the White Scars on them, but they can use them just fine.

 

4) I use the FW pads with the Chapter symbol on them. Expensive, but I like them better rhan transfers.

 

5) The only servitors you really see are accompanying Techmarines or in Stormraven turrets. They use them, but not extensively.

 

As far as the 1st and 10th companies go, they are usually spread out between the battle companies most of the time anyway. So it's perfectly fluffy to have vets and scouts with your company.

[MithrilForge]

Welcome !!! 

 

everyone else has already said everything...   

i will say this though, get some molded ravenguard pads from "plokoone's" or "pop goes the monkey's" sites on shapeways your models will look 10 times better,it will be easier to paint them and no fuss with trying to put decals on your troops shoulder pads ever again!!!  

 

cheers, Mithril

[duz_]

^ seconded!

[Bedouin2]

Appreciate all the answers and excitement guys! I spend probably a good 3 hours yesterday painting, and the one thing I learned is how to NOT paint my next drop pod  I hate that I'm such a perfectionist and want to do every little detail... even though I don't consider myself a great painter. But I'm pushing through to get some pics on this thread by the weekend.

 

@Race Bannon - Thanks for pointing out the raven skulls in the Hero base pack, never noticed them before. And you guessed right, I plan on making the helmet for the Chaplain a raven skull... I think those would be too small, but will have use to put on my Sgts and other characters. Been looking around sites like Etsy for some skulls and I got a few I believe would be a good fit.

 

@Realityburn - thanks for the insight on the servitors. I have a lot of knowledge with the Salamanders and know that they dislike servitors and do much of their own work... except for having a branding priest. Didn't know if the RG dislike the idea of them as well. Helps with another project i'll be starting that goes hand in hand with this one.

 

@NiceGuAdi - There will be plenty of Lightning Claws

 

@mithrilforge and duz_ - Already had my eyes on Plokoone's and Pop Goes the Monkey, also another shapeways seller that has some stuff for the RG, including bolters with the RG icon on it, and bolters in the bullpup configuration which I love and will be getting. IDK if i'll supply all of my Marines with custom pads, but the Sgts and characters will defiantly get them.

[Race Bannon]

Etsy?  Hmm.  I hadn't thought of that ... Post your results because having a Chaplain with a bird skull for a helmet, besides being NEAT, is also fluffy.  George Mann's RG stories from Black Library has a Chaplain with a Kiavahrian Raven skull for a helmet :tu:

[Claws and Effect]

Check out the Legion of the Damned. One of them had a MkVI helmet that looks a bit like a bitd skull. Might be able to modify it.

[Bedouin2]

First Update with pics. The very first model for my Raven Guard collection, oddly being a Drop Pod. Next will hopefully Be the Captain and some Tactical Marines. Ordered up some random bits to add depth to them and also some custom pads have been ordered. My main focus now will be to complete the Captain, Chaplain, Librarian (still brainstorming ways to model him), the Techmarine and all 10 Sgts. Can't wait to get more models finished up... just at the mercy of the US postal service...

 

 

 

I attempted to add some wear and tear to it, along with minor scorching. Don't know how I feel about it right now... we'll see if i decide to redo it later. And as you can see, the subtle green on the stabilizing fins indicates that i decided to model the company after the 4th Company. Bought the Sons of Corax ebook and ran through it in two days. Gave me lots of ideas and descriptions as to how to model them. Now to see if i got the skill to properly give the characters in the book some justice. 

[Bedouin2]

Not really an update here but more of a post seeking advice from better and more experienced painters out there than me.

 

First off the model i'm using to be for Shadow Captain Koryn. Got the RG marine from the Deathwatch, felt his armour was the best to represent ancient artifice MKVI armour. Shaved off most of the Deathwatch emblems off of the left shoulder pad the best i could with the tools i have, luckily the jump pack covers most of it up. But anyways as you can see i'm having some issues with the paint. Noticed how it's "grainy" (best way i can describe it) on the lightning claws, which i used Leadbelcher, and on the helm, the outer coat being Ulthuan Grey.

 

Also on my Apothecary i'm having some issues with the same paint but not as noticeable like of the Captain.

 

I've tried doing as thin of coats as I can, each model with 3 coats with the Ulthuan Grey (i primed it all in black and at the moment don't have a "white" base paint to prime those areas with). With the Leadelcher on the lightning claws, that's the first coat. 

 

Now the white areas are my biggest concern, don't want my Veterans all looking of poor quality. Any one out there have a good way of applying a smooth white? Am i thinning too much, or not enough? Should i use different paints? (primarily only Citadel besides basic colors) Or look at investing in getting an airbrush? 

 

Any and all tips and advice are appreciated. 

Edited April 6, 2017 by Bedouin2

[duz_]

Leadbelcher is a metallic so it can be a little grainy? Make sure you've shaken your pot well and youre thinning it with water.

 

As for the white. What is your concern exactly? Ulthuan grey is fairly forgiving provide again youre watering it down. Not too much though. It gets hard to apply evenly then. Duncan on warhammerTV on YouTube has lots of good videos on doing white these days.

 

Maybe practice on some other models first?

[SanguinaryGuardsman]

1. Power claws are the only mandatory choice but I think you should consider picking weapons that reflect precision.  Metla/plasma/snipers/lascannons and not spam such as heavy bolters/templates/grav.  Also weapons that make tons of noise probably wouldnt feature strongly in a Raven Guard force.  Chain swords thunder hammers and vindicators dont fit RG that well imo.  

 

As to what to expect from this thread, my plan is to collect a whole Battle Company of Raven Guard, with elements of the 1st Company and 10th Company. As to which Company I haven't decided yet, but I have it narrowed down to 2. Right now all I want to do is collect. As to actually playing the game, it's not on my radar now but i expect that to change, which explains why I want forces from the 1st and 10th. I want be as lore friendly as I can be with how I model it all, with some small freedoms here and there, and Heresy Era influence as well. So expect to see some kit-bashing, "count as" models, conversions galore and some custom stuff i want to experiment with (I have a pretty cool plan with the Chaplain). As much as I love the models of GW/FW, the "heroic" poses that a lot of them are makes me cringe a bit (I'm former military so a lot of Hollywood/pop culture depictions of military/combat make me cringe), and as to the Raven Guard being stealthy, i feel a lot of the models don't fit their image. Also I'm saddened to the lack of love GW gives the Raven Guard...

 

 

2.  You gotta have the banner...  Raven Guard are still Space Marines that proudly deliver the Emperor's justice.  Every army at some point has to fight a set piece battle.  Raven Guard bust out the banner when their enemy is cornered and defeated after stumbling into a disadvantageous situation.  It is really bad form to let the enemy take your banner so just dont bring it until victory is certain.   

 

3.  My feeling is that bikes are a not quite an RG thing.  Keep in mind that Raven Guard are rivals with the White Scars so I dont think they would be too excited to emulate their rivals.  I made an exception for my army and use scout bikers.  An RG take on bikes.

 

4.  FW sells Raven Guard etched brass.  Maybe you could try to make icons with that? :X

 

"I'm former military so a lot of Hollywood/pop culture depictions of military/combat make me cringe"

 

I bet if they gave you some power armor and a bolter you would be inclined to strike a heroic pose or two!

[Bedouin2]

@duz_ Yea I should of practiced a little first before starting on the main models, but I got carried away as soon as I got the pieces  My problem with the Ulthuan Grey I believe is that I thinned it too much... and should of resorted to the tips Duncan, beloved by all, which totally slipped my mind cause I now remember that he has one for painting white over black...

 

@SanguinyGuardsman I'm modeling most of my force to reflect off of the Sons of Corax book, which inspired me to model the 4th Company. I have ideas, just gotta see how well the ideas in my mind translate onto the models. And I cannot for the life of me see the RG bringing out their banner for most occasions... but I will have one, and also my own interpretation of a Standard Bearer for the RG. Surprising bikes are used in one of the stories in the book, but it was against Tyranids so stealth wasn't the concern and wanted to bring them into the open. And yea you're right with the heroic poses thing... but only boots and people fishing for likes on their social media do that  

[Valaas]

Welcome to the Ravenspire and to the 4th Company!

 

With your white are you going straight to Ulthan Grey and then White?

[Bedouin2]

As of now I plan on using the Ulthuan Grey as the primary and maybe attempt to edge highlight with the basic white I got. But that might all change. I like the color that the grey gives, kind of a chalk white in my opinion. I'm just having issues with that paint getting all "grainy" looking, especially on the helms.

[Damo1701]

Try some Winsor and Newton acrylic flow improver.

 

You get the consistency of thinned paint, but the pigment coverage of unthinned.

[Valaas]

It might be worth adding a few steps....

 

My method is a base of Celestra Grey (over the black undercoat), then either a Nuln oil wash, for bog standard troops, or a recess wash of watered down 'the Fang' for veteran arms etc. then layer Ulthan grey and finish with and sharp white scar edge highlight.

[duz_]

GW medium is fine to use too.

Although water should be more than enough for the Ulthuan.

You shouldnt need excess water to thin it down. Another handy tip with using that colour. I find it can destroy brushes quickly if you don't rinse your brush thoroughly in-between each application of paint.

 

I reserve the medium for White Scar white and oranges.

[Bedouin2]

@Damo1701 That sounds exactly what I need.

 

@Valaas I'll be sure to give that a try. These are my first attempts at painting white so I've been just learning as I go, so I greatly appreciate the outline you gave me.

 

@duz_ I've found it to be hell on my brushes as well. Instead of painting the other night I found myself doing extensive brush cleaning... which I'm guilty to admit was well over due.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Bedouin2

[Claws and Effect]

Raven Guard aren't stealthy 100% of the time. They understand very well the value of shock assaults coming from undetected enemies.

 

There is a scene in Hunt for Voldorius where Shrike kills an officer in full view of the troops he was in the middle of briefing. They were so stunned by the sudden attack they were cut down by the assault squads without ever getting a shot off.

 

To that end, Raven Guard might indeed use bikes. But not the same way the White Scars do. The White Scars charge across open plains by preference. I see the Raven Guard using them in sudden assaults from cover or for mobility in areas their jump packs would have difficulty with.

 

Remember, just because a rival Chapter uses something doesn't mean you can't. If White Scars assault squads can use jump packs, then Raven Guard can use bikes.

[Bedouin2]

Not much more to update but wanted to show off something that comes from one of our own B&C members. Didn't get even one minute to work on my models this weekend, instead instructed by the wife to go to a wedding and i've drove over 500 miles today while slightly hungover, yet even feeling like death by the time I got home i was excited to see the package waiting for me, and even more so when I opened it and saw the quality. Cannot wait to start getting these on my models to get them that more near total completion. These come from our member Plokoone, and if you haven't got anything from him yet then you are missing out. 

 

 

Sorry for the poor quality picture and lighting... it's late and I have some recovery to ... I'll probably post better images of them tomorrow, just wanted to show them off due to how awesome they are 

Edited April 10, 2017 by Bedouin2