Firstborn Templars

[Brother Christopher]

Thanks guys! Just to clarify - 85% of the green stuff bits are made using press-moulds; this isn't something I sculpted - I'm quite useless when it comes to this. The only things that I sculpt are the chest parts of tabards and the creases and folds on capes. So my work is very derivative and based on using details on existing models that I try to put together so that they look okay!

 

This progress is looking good brother...and I agree that I'm not sold on the term "firstborn", but I guess it is the hand that GW has dealt so we will soldier on.  I still prefer them (and the heresy marines), whatever they are called.  

Yeah, it's great to hear that people take issue with this term; however, I'm also quite fed up with using the generic "old marines", "classic marines", "normal marines", "squat marines" and what-not (not to mention the other, less formal names!). Oh, and  none of these would feel appropriate for the title of the thread :P I sometimes think that introduction of Primaris created more problems than it was worth it, pushing even further problems with rules, as well as "scale" of models on 40K tabletops...

 

I also made some progress and purchases for the Crusade!

 

The first batch of Terminators is undercoated:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am extremely happy with how this turned out. I mean, it's just an undercoat, but it hid the damage left from stripping paint of models and somehow improved (made crispier) the green stuff details.

 

I think that haven't mentioned this in this thread, but personally the introduction of Primaris marines helped me a lot with managing my Crusade. Paradoxically, I resisted the hype and basically stopped buying new stuff for my army, which is amazing - I used to be a hoarder and for every 5 models I assembled and painted, I probably bought 15-20 more. Needless to say, this wasn't healthy and productive - after all, what use there is of having >150 models in sprues or in other people's paintjobs when you can't use them?

 

While I remain true to my resolution not to support GW's business, at least until I find them to be more customer-friendly and sort out a couple of issues I have with their business model, on the odd occasion I buy models that I like or that I couldn't afford all those years ago on my student budget.

 

Recently, I got myself a Terminator with Storm Shield and Thunder Hammer (after assembling and reorganising my Terminators, I found that I'd need one more model to make a squad of 10 TH/SS Termies), a Finecast Marneus Calgar (I really like how angry he is!) for cheap and my old-time favourite OOP Techmarine!

 

 

 

[Brother Christopher]

After a month, I managed to paint five Terminators for my Crusade. I wanted to share with the community, but I'm a bit tired so I took some quick photos, but the quality isn't great. The lighting doesn't do the models justice; it's late now and the source of light was too strong - I'll need to retake the photos, but I'll probably go around doing that after I seal the models with spray-on varnish and add grass and other foliage to the bases.

 

Group photo:

Castellan in Terminator Armour with Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield






Sword Brother Terminator Armour with Power Mace and Storm Shield

 

 

 

Sword Brother with Pair of Lightning

 

 

 

 

Sword Brother with Cyclone Missile Launcher, Storm Bolter and Chainfist

 

 

 

Sword Brother Terminator Armour with Power Mace and Storm Shield

 

 

[Brother Carpenter]

Those termies turned out really nice.

[deathspectersgt7]

Sweet. The Mace should be standard for Black Templars.

[Brother Christopher]

Those termies turned out really nice.

 

Thanks, much appreciate it! To be honest, as I wrote earlier, I'm not a fan of how the photos turned out, but I also must say that the models look pretty cool from a distance. Any positive feedback only reassures me that this is the case.

 

I can't wait to get more painted up to my current game-ready standard.

 

Sweet. The Mace should be standard for Black Templars.

Oh, yes - definitely. They are a flavourful addition. Unfortunately, these will count-as Thunder Hammers. Also, as a word of explanation - after much deliberation I decided to leave some of DA iconography (especially the shields) on my planned 3 Termies with maces and shields who are going to be members of my TDA Chaplain's retinue - I think that the robed figures have a generic Imperial undertones to them (the broken swords, not so much, but well - I got a bit lazy ;))

[Brother Carpenter]

A bit of gs and you have an unbroken sword.

Otherwise the broken sword of dorn.

[Brother Christopher]

Welcome back! I am happy to report that I returned to my more or less regular life and am successful at finding the time to work on my collection of midget marines (and to having fun while at it!). I managed to finish 3 and 3/4 terminators, as well as two power armour Marines.

Close-ups hidden below:

 

An the newest, humble additions: a multi-melta Initiate and a model with no rules who is a Master of Ordnance for my crusade (initially, the model was supposed to be a member of 5-man proxy squad of Primaris Snipers or Intercessors with the Stalker Bolter Thingy; however, after the changes to snipers, I changed my mind about the squad and ended up with this conversion, that I felt was pretty cool (mixed and matched a couple of kits including the Heresy Chaplain guy, a pair of legs from a Devastator Squad, a custom heavy sniper rifle made out of a regular bolter, grav pistol and plasticard, a reclaimed SM Captain's helmet with the vox grille removed and a custom pose that I like, which is not something that I can often say about my conversions after a couple of months).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2021 by Brother Cristopher

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work painting and detailing the models.

[Brother Christopher]

Over the last couple of weeks, I managed to paint a squad of five botler marines. I will be using them as Intercessors in my potential games. I usually don't paint my miniatures on a per-squad basis, but I wanted to make these guys uniform, hence the white helmets, bone-and-black tabards, white helmets and silver backpack exhausts.

 

I'm particularly happy with this one; he seems... more neat than the others:

An old, updated model:

 

I must say that painting these took me more time than I'd feel comfortable to admit; still, I'm quite pleased with the results - especially the helmets; I still don't have too much experience with painting white.

 

On the downside, these Sternguard bolters look a bit clumsy on these squat marines. Or rather these marines look quite clumsy with these bolters; I think it's the extra bulk - there isn't much, but that's enough to tip the scales.

 

Well, this is something one has to live with if one bought the gross majority of his army in advance... I mean, I could sell parts of my collection but then collecting them in the first place would be kind of pointless, that's why I soldier on through my backlog of clearly inferior models, as Ishagu would put it ;)

 

Next up on my painting list are some metal Veterans and a metal Captain with a Thudner Hammer. Painting metal models is a pain in the neck, but I must say - there is something cool about the old pewter designs.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Your Templars are well-painted and detailed. How will you decorate their bases?

[Brother Christopher]

Thanks Bjorn! For the bases, for uniformity's sake, nothing fancy - just some sand, grass and turfs.

[Brother Christopher]

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been working on a couple of metal models, including a Games Day 2008 Captain. The process was fun since the models have a fair bit of interesting details; on the downside, the old sculpts aren't as crisp and technically advanced as the recent plastic kits, which required more effort on my part - I had to get back to the old way I approached painting minis - my usual shortcuts don't work well on metal sculpts.

 

Now, I only need to add some backpacks and add another layer of varnish to remove some of the gloss. Since these are metal models, I decided not to wait and applied a hefty layer of satin varnish to protect the paint.

 

I should get around to buying or making a light box to take proper photos of my models. The way I keep on taking photos now (which are basically just snapshots taken in a dark room with almost direct light from a lamp) doesn't do these models justice. Alas, one either has to remember to make a purchase or to take 20 minutes of one's time to make said light box...

 

Regardless, I simply wanted to share my progress with the community, largely probably due to selfish reasons - because I need a motivation boost. I find something very reassuring about being able to showcase my finished or half-finished models on the forum - it gives a nice sense of comradery and helps alleviate some of the opposite - a sense of loneliness inherent in the way I approach painting miniatures (this loneliness or solitude isn't necessary a bad thing, since I often listen to audiobooks, podcasts or video-essays while I paint).

 

I pledge to take proper photos once I get start taking "official" photos of completely finished* models that'll go to the showcase section.

 

*While "completely finished" is a tautology, I'd like to differentiate between the stages of finishedness that I use. I usually consider a model "finished" when it's painted; however, this often does not include a finished base (at least sand, though, I plan to also add some grass and bushes) or the final coat of varnish.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Brother Cristopher

[Brother Christopher]

For those of you who don't follow my thread in the Black Templars subforum, a couple of months ago I bought an Emperor of Mankind Celestial Knight model - apparently - by Kabuki models. This week, once I got a couople of spare moments after a truly hectict period in my life, I started painting him up. Here's my today's progress.

And below are photos of earlier stages; frankly, when looking at the photos, I prefer the flat Gehenna Gold look. I must note that this is my first attempt at painting gold armour; my earlier experiences were limited to details on miniatures. I hope that the difference is due to the pictures that were taken on auto settings at different times (with random white balance and overexposure):

Before painting:

Copper base coat:

Gehenna gold layer; not highlighting:

[Brother Carpenter]

WOW that's one heck of a mini.

You'll do it justice.

 

Looking nice on the gold.

[Brother Christopher]

You are definitely too kind, Brother Carpenter, for putting your faith into me and my skills! Still, the model is pretty fun to paint - I started doing his cape today and feel that I'm doing way better, having way more experience with red cloth.

[Smoke Frog]

Beautiful templars! You continue to have so much attention to detail for their heraldry! 

[Brother Christopher]

Smoke Frog, thank you for browsing this thread and leaving a comment! I really appreciate it :) I still have this childish sense that each and every Space Marine, especially a Black Templar, is a unique warrior and a veteran of many conflicts; that's why, I like to take my time and put some old-school scribbles and crusade badges, on top of your ordinary purity and/or crusader seals, to make them at least a bit special, even though they often are just rank-and-file troop/heavy support choices, so basically ~15-30 point dudes who easily die on the tabletop.

Over the weekend, I finally had some time to play video games. Over an online session of Civilization VI, I managed to do some work on the Emperor. I updated the armour by warming it by adding a thinned-down, almost wash-like layer of Gehenna Gold (that was a beer-induced idea, but it worked!), painted the burning blade and the cape.

The photos are still over-exposed, but at least I had some degree of manual control over the white balance; that's why the tint of the armour corresponds better to what it is in the "real life". The actual colour, when not exposed to a direct source of light from my desk lamp, is a bit warmer and deeper; however, I figured that since this is a WIP photo, I can't bother with using a tripod and prefer to show you a sharp photo whose colours a bit off to a blurry one, with better reproduction. I really need to get around  to doing or buying a light box for my photos.

The Burning Blade. This is my first warhammer-related effort when it comes to painting a flame effect (the first one was for a board game and it didn't turn out great) and I must say, I'm quite pleased with it! Since I don't have a proper orange paint, I used a mix of red, white, black and yellow for this. My idea was to have a bright-yellow, almost white, blade and a mix of reds and orange for the flame bits.

And finally, the cape. At least with reds, I have had some experience and felt quire comfortable painting these. I added more layers of shading than I normally do with my Firstborn marines, and I think it turned out and well. Also, after some deliberation, I figured I'll go with metallic details (I considered going for non-metallic yellow, but gold and silver worked out just fine).

Let me know what you think!

I must also admit, that painting this model - while playing Civ VI - was a blast. The quality of the sculpt, paired with my amateur, self-taught and - probably - outdated painting techniques makes me feel that the model virtually paints itself. It takes far less time, concentration and effort than painting my Black Templars and - I feel - that the results are very satisfying and adequate. Can't wait to finish the whole mini.

[Brother Christopher]

Update on the Emperor of Mankind!

 

This time I made sure not to over-expose the photos, to better show the work and details:

I wanted to say that the armour is done, but it isn't - after taking the photos, I realised that I didn't paint the exposed chain mail which shows right above the knee pads; I think I'll go with non-metallic black or nearly-black grey metallic colour for that bit.

Body / armour without the cape:

Some details: the inside of the lightning claw:

Filigree on the outside:

Yeah, a freehand chicken "eagle" bust:

Leather straps, front and back:

And the assembled model - work completed so far:

So, I still need to paint the chain mail bits, the head and the two-headed eagle (which makes a total of three heads, I suppose).

[Eberious]

The paint job so far is really good. Especially the free hand eagle head and cape.  

Edited September 20, 2021 by Eberious

[Smoke Frog]

Amazing work on that cape!

[Brother Christopher]

Thanks guys!

 

The Emperor is finished. I will take more photos when I'll get around to doing something about his base, along with other troopers.

[Brother Christopher]

TDA reinforcements incoming

 

Firstly, a very introspective part. I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you. I worked on these models for, I think, about two weeks and I had a real blast painting the little details. As always - I know that this isn't pro-level painting, but I found myself in the zone while working on these and I'm pretty happy with the overall aesthetic of this "squad". I finally developed a way of painting black that brings good table-top results, but is not as tedious as normal highlighting (albeit, it probably takes a similar amount of time). I must also finally admit that the reds I'm producing work very well, as well as my quick way of doing metallics. I also made some progress with whites - they are serviceable from a distance, but still don't look great in the close-up photos.

Secondly, since I finished these models on my birthday, I decided to leave a little reminder of that - every Terminator has a number "31" somewhere on their armour to show how old their Marshal was. I must admit, I could've planned this ahead and chosen better models. I'm not a fan of the LC Terminators sculpts - I feel it's difficult to assemble them so that they're not in repetitive or awkward poses. To combat the repetitiveness, I've blinged these guys up with custom-made stuff - I think that the lanterns turned out half-decently! Still, the guy on the right... well, suffice to say that I could have done better. He looks a bit like he wants to kill a moth or like he's startled. Luckily, these are some of the last 'standard' Terminators I have to paint. I still have a couple of models based on the old TDA kit (my TDA Marshal and Ancient, maybe something more), but they're going to be extensively customised so I hope that they won't haunt me as much as this current batch of Termies! Apart from that, I'll be working on the Space Hulk squad - which seems pretty fun, as well as other 'character' models: Lysander, Calgar (who doesn't like a Templar with two power fists, right?) and the BA Captain

 

On the matter of Primaris (if you're interested in what I intend to do):

 

Regarding the BT release and associated craze and commotion, I must report that I will not getting any BT Primaris reinforcements. In short, I don't feel like repeating my mistakes of the past and getting new models before going through my backlog. I know that this can quickly spiral out of control and result in me getting all the new kits and adding another 30-40 models to what I already need (and want!) to go through, i.e. around 100 models. In addition to this, luckily I'm not too crazy about the new models: they are definitely alright, but overall I'm not blown away by the design. I mean, sure: I'd love to work on some modern sculpts, but then again - stuff for other factions or some of the wacky AoS models seem way more fun than more black, mostly cookie cutter, marines. Also, I don't feel like endorsing GW - between the non-gaming controversies, the bloated state of the game and their mistreatment of non-Primaris (not to mention other factions), I think I'll waste my hobby money on something else.

[Brother Christopher]

My annual army overview:

 

[DaBoiKyknos]

Love it, especially the unofficial Emperor model!

[Brother Carpenter]

Hmm.

I might have tot do something similar with An annular overview.