MBA++Blood Angels 5th Company - into the Leviathan's maw

[Majkhel]

I've been building another 2 squads of Incursors for the last 2 weeks. Deliberate, slow work, additinally slowed down by lack of parts. For example I somehow lost 5 Phobos shoulder pads and needed to make a casting form from blue stuff. I also did not have enough targeters for bolters (and I used some reuglar ones too).

I'm now reaching the final stages though.

Here are some more interesting poses I'm most proud of

I imagine this guy blocking a swing from the enemy while at the same time delivering a burst of bolter rounds to it's abdomen. Brutal. The bolter was originally held with two hands but has the second hand filed down. The knife is from the Reivers' kit. Large scabbard is based on the Scout Bikers' knives.

Also note the mag-locked classic bolt pistol A very recent idea I got after watching the finale of the Astartes series. I've long since been rumbling about the regular Infiltrators/Incursors pistols being cross-drawn. I'm surprised that such an easy and classy solution has been eluding me till now.

This one is a variation on the pistol-drawing-pose. Didn't really liked it from the beginning as in my book drawing a pistol is a kind of last-resort action. Here I cut-off the pistol (and a bit of fingers but I hope it will not be that visible ) and put a SG knife in it's place. The other knife rests in it's usual place along with another classic bolt pistol. This setup is directly derived from the Astartes finale

This one is classic heroic pose. Bolter is a classic tactical one with added cast targeting module.

And last, but not least a sergeant with a visored helmet and magnoculars from the Shadowspear Eliminators.

His bolter is also a regular one with added cast targeting module. Not sure yet if he is better looking right or left. Head is attached only for the photo purpose.

Cast targeters look awful now, but I think they should be better after painting.

Edited April 5, 2020 by Majkhel

[SnorriSnorrison]

That’s a lot of Incursors! The poses look pretty cool and unique. Looking forward to seeing them painted :)

[Majkhel]

Thanks Snorri! :)

Yeah, quite a lot - 15 so far, with 5 more incoming. Plan is to have 6 battleline squads in my 5th Comapany comprising of 3x10-man Intercessors, 1x10-man Infiltrators and 2x10-man Incursors. Although I might move some of the Phobos guys back to 10th company at one point to maintain one Tactical squad. Not sure yet, but it looks like I will need to make the decision sooner rather than later as I'm only 30 marines away from the full codex-size company :)

 

As for painting - I may be saving them for the ETL. Not 100% sure on this, as multiple Infantry units are draining and I already have multiple of those prepared. Also I'm now revisiting my half-finished projects, like the JP Librarian from earlier - these are usually 1-3 models demanding usually a more individual approach and allowing for some experiments that will hopefully give fruit later during the ETL grind.

[SnorriSnorrison]

Great plan! But yes, infantry units can be very draining indeed. Gotta shake it up and paint a character or vehicle/dreadnought inbetween ;)

I'm still down 2 tactical squads waiting to be finished :D

[Xenith]

 

As for painting - I may be saving them for the ETL. Not 100% sure on this, as multiple Infantry units are draining and I already have multiple of those prepared. 

 

Can confirm lots of infantry will kill you. I'm going to focus on characters and vehicles, maybe a 5 man squad or so, maybe vanvets or similar high point density models. 

[Majkhel]

A little update on my recent hobby activities.

2 more scouts from my half-painted backlog:

Then a 6th member of my 5th squad Incursors:

Then there was some base upgrades for the DC and few VanVets:

These will be totally covered with Astrogranite/sand so I only need a basic shape from the PVA glue.

And lastly, I've finished building the Primaris Librarian:

A small tweak of the sword arm, an ornate Alatus Cadere from the BA Assault Terminators kit, a BA pauldron and some scrolls on the backpack instead of the purity seals that come with the sprue. Then some bits onto the base for a bit more presence. I will leave him for the ETL as I have still plenty of less point-heavy single models to paint :)

Cheers!

[Xenith]

Great looking libby!

[Majkhel]

Great looking libby!

Thanks!

I have to say that I put some effort into him. Mostly not to overdo it

It's a lovely figure that already has lots of details and I really liked it from the start and wanted to keep it's looks. Also because it is pretty rigid in terms of assembly as are all the current Primaris characters. For example, not much can be done with the arms if you want to keep them due to overlapping armour plates and many cables. Pauldron switch or adding a halo are the easiest things.

 

I also thought for a moment of swapping a breastplate section for some naked torso style one the way Anamnesis did with his Primaris Chaplain, but I decided against it.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Majkhel

[OriginPainting]

Nice work with the infiltrator posing, I really like the one thats going for his knife. 

[Majkhel]

Thanks brother, glad you like him

The conversion, while delicate is pretty straightforward - just cut off the pistol handle while minding the fingers. The position of the knife is difficult as it all but prevents the standard placing of the pistol, because of the knife's width. That is why I chose to put the pistol on the right hip instead.

 

I admit that this particular marine still doesn't have the head attached. I haven't decided if he should look where his gun is pointing or more to the right as if in response to a new closing threat.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Majkhel

[Majkhel]

Small updates in terms of new models, but heavy in pictures

I have completed another Incursor, bringing my 5th squad to 7 strong:

For this one I have tested a new painting approach. Instead of 2 coats of shade on a Mephiston Red base layer, I went with a dark brown base coat, from which I've been building brightness up through Mephiston Red to Evil Sunz Scarlet and then edge highlights. He turned out noticeably more grimdark although it;s not that visible among the whole squad

he is the second one from the left

Not sure if I'm convinced ton this method, but it was definitely a nice thing to experiment a bit. I definitely managed some nice glazes in places.
And yes, that one does has a helmet with a visor being a cross between the Incursor's mask and a regular helmet.

Then there was this lone fella:

Nothing special, except it reduces my backlog of half-painted models

Then I've taken some family photos of my scouts because I did the last 2 heavy wepons sepcialists I had for them:

I still would like to get some CCW scouts to bring my choppy squad to 10. Currently I have 7.

Said heavy wepons specialists are the ones on the right and on the left. The middle one with HB was painted some time ago.

Cheers

Edited June 2, 2020 by Majkhel

[ranulf the revenant]

So much 90s-Boyband-hair on those scouts ^^. But seriously, good stuff :)

[Majkhel]

@ranulf - hey bud! Thanks for dropping by and commenting Glad you like them. The 90's BB reference.... jezzz, I can't unsee that now, lol

The hobby lately has been slow for me in terms of final products, but pretty intense all around as me and my wife has been refurnishing one of the rooms (because covid....) which happens to house my painting station. Now I will have my own hobby desk, yay! This meant a lot of moving and repacking stuff around. Not everything is ready yet, but it's starting to get a shape.
One of the things that landed on the desk was a Tartaros Terminators sprue which I have decided to repack into a string bag. My initial plan was to have them ready for ETL VIII. Once I started cutting off the pieces, I couldn't help but start to assemble them and soon decided that I want them magnetised. Here is the progress so far:

For the moment, I don't think I will be magnetising everything (like lighning claws and chain-saws to the fists - they would be too wobbly). The most immediate goal would be to make the most point-heavy setup with the ETL in mind, so: Heavy Flamer, Plasma Blaster, and some chainfists. Also I need them pre-assembled like this with weapon options before I start adding any BA embellishments (if any).
I did make one additional thing with them, namely: I increased their height a bit with PVA glue layer on the leg piece. Should give them more presence

I will now need to speed up with my latest 12-months-hobby-challenge actions and complete another half-finished CCW Scout and a lone VanVet. Next up in line is a Sanguinary Ancient.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Majkhel

[Xenith]

@ranulf - hey bud! Thanks for dropping by and commenting Glad you like them. The 90's BB reference.... jezzz, I can't unsee that now, lol

The hobby lately has been slow for me in terms of final products, but pretty intense all around as me and my wife has been refurnishing one of the rooms (because covid....) which happens to house my painting station. Now I will have my own hobby desk, yay! This meant a lot of moving and repacking stuff around. Not everything is ready yet, but it's starting to get a shape.

One of the things that landed on the desk was a Tartaros Terminators sprue which I have decided to repack into a string bag. My initial plan was to have them ready for ETL VIII. Once I started cutting off the pieces, I couldn't help but start to assemble them and soon decided that I want them magnetised. Here is the progress so far:

For the moment, I don't think I will be magnetising everything (like lighning claws and chain-saws to the fists - they would be too wobbly). The most immediate goal would be to make the most point-heavy setup with the ETL in mind, so: Heavy Flamer, Plasma Blaster, and some chainfists. Also I need them pre-assembled like this with weapon options before I start adding any BA embellishments (if any).

I did make one additional thing with them, namely: I increased their height a bit with PVA glue layer on the leg piece. Should give them more presence

Mmm, Tartaresauce. I have a set of these and 2x Cataphracts that I'm itching to paint up, I'm just not sure what colours yet...nice tip with the PVA, might try it also.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Xenith

[Majkhel]

Update after some time. Hobby time has been scarce, so not much progress. But I have one more Incursor done for the 5th Squad, bringing me that one little step closer to a full Company ;)

Now for a little change, my LPC vow, which will be in the colours of the Angel Sanguine

I, Majkhel, vow to complete 1 dead Terminator marker for the Glory of the Blood Angels Forum on or by the 15th of August 2020, or bare the Badge of Shame until year's end:

For Sanguinius!

I'm really looking forward to this! With this piece, I'm aiming to achieve a feeling of old while at the same time keeping the overall look vibrant enough to draw attention. We'll see how it goes :)

[Majkhel]

A hobby update.

I have finished my LPC vow for the Blood Angels (obviously :P ) - a Dead Terminator marker in Angels Sanguine colours :)

I tried to create a sense of faded glory and I think it came out pretty well. Despite a striking colour scheme and lots of gold, he came out muted and dark.

Now on my desk are the remaining two members of the 5th squad Incursors:

I also have a mine marker for them.

With the upcoming release of the 9th edition box, I think I will not be making another Incursor squad in the colours of the 5th Company. I still have 5 built and 5 more in the sprues, but would rather move them to the 10th and use the freed-up space for Assault Intercessors. I have high hopes for them especially as I fully expect them to be able to use JP at some point in the future.

Cheers! :)

[Xenith]

A hobby update.

I have finished my LPC vow for the Blood Angels (obviously ) - a Dead Terminator marker in Angels Sanguine colours

I tried to create a sense of faded glory and I think it came out pretty well. Despite a striking colour scheme and lots of gold, he came out muted and dark.

Beautiful, love the gold and the black there. Is the black eshin grey then fenrisian?

[Majkhel]

Beautiful, love the gold and the black there. Is the black eshin grey then fenrisian?

 

Thank you kindly!

No. Unfortunately I mix paints a lot and for this, it's Vallejo Black mixed in with Vallejo Dark Blue at first. Just enough blue to give a notion of something else in black. Then I gradually add up white with a touch of blue to the mix. I made like 3 very thin layers/glazes with increased white in the mix, mostly around the edges and then washed it all with Nuln Oil and then made a final highlight. Final grey is very close to Fenrisian, but more white I think.

 

Gold is Scale 75 ScaleColour Elven Gold (I love it!) with added black and washed with Nuln Oil.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Majkhel

[Majkhel]

There - last 2 members of the 5th Squad and the second mine if I field them as 2 squads on the table:

Not visible here, but they got the Chapter icon decals as well. Pretty straightforward these guys. The mine-bearer's body is a 'pistol guy' from the Shadowspear. Hence the missing pistol handle in his holster. I need to dig deeper into my bits box to find a proper fill-in. The small blood-drop icon on his right shoulder is from a DC chainsword hilt. (obviously filed from one side in order to sit flat). I like the impression he is giving of the mine's considerable weight due to the tilt of his body. Painting the 5th squad icon on his knee was a nightmare...

The other guy is a plain and simple build from the multi-part with added pouches and grenade at the back.

This begs for a quick family photo of the whole squad

It feels good to have a full 10-man squad available, especially since I got the opportunity to play a few games recently because of lifting of some of the anti-Covid Nurgle restrictions in my area. I really hated fielding 3 painted guys and 2 sprayed half-built thingies. I still have one spare regular guy I might paint as a replacement for one of the mine-bearers in case I ever field a full 10-man squad with just one mine.

Now I'm a bit at the crossroads on what to paint next - a classic case of too much choice I'm most inclined to continuing with some started-not-finished stuff from my pile as I'm determined to save most of the really unpainted things for the ETL. Not sure if I can manage to hold-up on Mephiston though - I've been using him recently in games and I imagine that with my meticulous nature, he will will take his fair share of time to paint. Time will tell

Also, thinking on incorporating the Assault Intercessors into the Company...

Cheers!

Edited June 2, 2020 by Majkhel

[OriginPainting]

Those boys look ready to rumble. It would be a shame to get that beautiful armor all covered in blood.

[Xenith]

Love how the company is progressing! Youre up to 60 or so marines right?

[Majkhel]

Thanks Xenith and OP!
Actually, right now I'm at 74 marines excluding the Captain. With some of the Primaris units being maxed at 6, I might need to do some juggling and transferring when I'm nearing the nominal 100 cap.

 

At this moment I have:

- 2x 5-man Intercessors squads (planned to be 1st and 2nd squads) 

- 10-man Infiltrator squad (designated 4th squad) +Helix Adept

- 10-man Incursor suqad (designated 5th squad)

- 5-man Assault squad 

- 6-man Inceptor squad (dakka) 

- 6-man Inceptor squad (plasma)

- 10-man Devastator squad

- 10-man Hellblasters squad 

- 6-man Aggressors squad (designated 11th squad)

 

I plan to flesh out the Intercessors to 2 full 10-man squads with at least one additional spare Sergeant in case I want to field multiple MSUs, which would bring me to 84 marines. At that point (for now at least) it looks like I would add a 10-man Assault Intercessors (I soooo want them to have JP option!), bringing me to 94. Remaining 6 would most likely be filled by 6 new bikers, cause I like the models. This will give me a hundred marines in 11 squads (12, if the bikes' squads will cap at 3 for some reason), excluding command.
If by any chance the new Judiciar will need to be part of the Company, I would formally reassign the Helix Adept into the Sanguinary Priesthood as I believe that is his actual place in the Chapter.
Still I'm not certain on the fate of the odd 5-man Assault squad. I haven't played them in the 8th ed so far and frankly I don't expect to. I might swap them for an under-strength Intercessors of any flavour I feel needed at that moment.

 

I'm also missing the Lieutenants and the Company Ancient at the moment. 

EDIT: adding a note for myself, to put Suppressors into the 10th Company as I will not have place for them in the 5th.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Majkhel

[Majkhel]

Did a first proper test paint-scheme for the Suppressors:

What do you think of the red forehead plate?

I think I need to enhance the frags with a bit more yellow in the green mix for the highlight.

Also I've realised that having already lots of Fire Support units, I have no place for them in the ranks of the 5th Company if I want to keep at least some semblance of a Codex company So they will be part of the 10th Coy Vanguard detachment.

Cheers!

[Xenith]

I'm not a big fan of that - I think it's the strange shape of that plate. 

[Majkhel]

Yeah, it is strange. It obviously is a separate plate, but what would it's purpose be? Personally I also do not like their rebreathers as well. Might try changing their helmets altogether for the next unit. I still have lots of basic Primaris Mk X helmets.

Edited June 8, 2020 by Majkhel