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

[Leonaides]

Thanks, off to look thru my paints as im pretty sure i have those.

[Majkhel]

Updating here as well - I've completed Eliminators and Phobos Librarian from the Shadowspear box.

What can I say about them? Monopose is annoying, but models are really nice-looking. Definitely lots of detail and I heartily recommend basecoating and painting some crucial details (legs and those pieces of rock they're standing on mostly) before final assembly.

I've decided to paint Eliminators more like (and in honor of) scouts. So only some parts of the armor are red. The idea was also that red armor (although glorious and obviously faster) does not sit well with the idea of successful camouflage. So the red armor parts can easily be covered with cloaks.

I really like the hooded heads and would like to give them to them all, but unfortunately only 4 are available in the box. To keep the camo-theme stronger, I opted for camouflage on the skin for the remaining 2 heads (one is from the Intercessors kit with the mohawk filed down).

Librarian retains traditional colors for Blood Angels Librarius. Blue blends well enough with the urban camouflage and that single red pauldron... well, I believe that any Vanguard Librarian worth his salt is able to psychically mask his presence well enough for it to be of no consequence.

Eliminators squad Pi:

They still need Chapter badges of course, but the pauldrons are too small for transfers, so I'm in for a free-hand job. The Sergeant does have black pauldrons, but as the most senior and experienced one of the squad, he hid them under the cloak from potential enemy spotters

The OSL from the magnocular on the scarred face was a fun way of showing the details of the face while keeping it camouflaged B)

Squad Sigma:

And Librarian:

Edited July 6, 2019 by Majkhel

[Bjorn Firewalker]

You're a skilled painter. The camouflage pattern on the Scouts' cloaks and the Librarian's tabard is well done.

[Majkhel]

Ugggh, it terrifies me how long this vow is taking!
However I'm finally nearing the end of it. My "Men in Black" are ready:

Chaplain Lemartes:

Man, this model has some details! At least 3 times I considered the model finished only to find another purity seal or blood drop stuffed somewhere... But I love him all the same. I decided to leave his eye lenses black to accentuate the Death-aspect of Lemartes.


Death Company Dreadnought:

This a guy I've built for Blood&Zeal in 2018. It has both Talons and Fists so I can have some tactical flexibility if necessary. The idea is that Talons slide out when needed like Wolverine does Now he has magnetized all shooty options with the ability to use a Storm Bolter or swap Magna Grapple for a Smoke Grenade launcher.
I had my first ever attempt at painting rust on this model and I'm pretty satisfied with the results This piece of junk is half of the Libby Dread's halberd arm.

Chaplain Dreadnought:

Fantastic model! A pity he's a bit smaller than the current line of Blood Angel's dreads, but he still oozes a chilly presence. I had long deliberations on how to paint his wings, but finally I went for a simple Black-Angel-of-Death look. The Lascanon arm is from the Venerable Dreadnought kit. Gothic windows panel seemd very appropriate for the Chaplain. At the last moment I have decided that I will make those windows a true windows into the heart of the Lascanon.
I have also modelled a Storm Bolter into his CCW for complete WYSIWYG look.

Now back to red! I hope to complete the Captain and Rhino asap and make another vow Edited August 23, 2019 by Majkhel

[SnorriSnorrison]

Looking good! Some nice progress there. I agree, Lemartes is a beautiful sculpt. I stripped him ages ago and I’ll probably get him a new coat of paint soon after the ETL so he can lead the Forlorn again in renewed glory.

Looking forward to see more of your stuff!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent works.

[Majkhel]

Thank you very much guys! :)

I'm really happy to present final two pieces of my 2nd Vow:

10th Company Vanguard Captain, Master of Reconnaissance

And Deimos-pattern Rhino APC:

And a group shot of the completed vow:

Cheers! :)

[Are Verlo]

I tip my hat to you.

 

Great work and if I was to pick one favourite I guess it would be the DC-dread

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The 10th CAPT is well done.

[SnorriSnorrison]

Nice work on the Phobos captain! Also like the red on your rhino!

[Majkhel]

Some updates are required here
First of all, I have pledged my 3rd vow

I Majkhel rise to the challenge of E TENEBRAE LUX on the side of the Blood Angels and vow to complete 18 models (listed below) of total value of 1189pts, on or before September 1st, 2019. Success will bring me eternal glory and failure will doom me to wear the Badge of the Oathbreaker until the year-end.

- 1x Captain (JP, Relic Blade, MC Bolter)
- 1x Captain in Gravis Armor (Bolt-storm gauntlet, MC Power sword)

- 1x the Sanguinor

- 1x 6-man Assault Terminator squad (1x dual LC, 5xTH/SS)

- 1x 6-man Terminator squad (1xCyclone ML)
- 1x 3-man Inceptor squad (dual plasma exterminators)
- 1x Baal Predator tank (twin AC, 2xHB sponsons, SB, HK missile)

Total value: 1189pts

As the ETL is drawing to an end, I have some progress to report while I struggle to finish the remaining models.

First off - my 2 captains

Captain with JP, Relic blade and MC Bolter:

This was a fun unit to build, but a real pain to paint once assembled - I should have painted the cherub before gluing him to the base

Next - Primaris Captain in Gravis armor:

And finally - Baal Predator "Fury" and Plasma Inceptors:

With these 3 flyboys, my Daemonbanes are officially above half (pre-DoB) strength - 53 marines (excluding the Captain)

What remains now are 2 squads of Terminators and the Sanguinor.

Terminators are a real grind - lots of different embellishments, lots of edges to highlight. One is finished (Yay! ) All others are now based, shaded, highlighted with base color and weapons are prepped. 2 more have 2nd layer of highlight done. All the Crux'es are also done as is most of the gold. Also texture has been applied to all of the bases.

The Sanguinor SHOULD go faster. Base coat of gold is applied. I imagine him to be more an apparition then flesh and bones, so the plan is to keep him in light tones. Minimum shading, light highlight, mostly whites and greys. I will probably skip the red pauldrons completely. Maybe some reddish tint here and there. Also the scrolls are to be treated more like ghostly vapors then the usual scrolls. Definitely nothing like what I did with Astorath

Cheers!

Edited August 28, 2019 by Majkhel

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent works. I especially like your jump pack-equipped Captain. He looks so regal, as befitting one of the Angel's sons.

[Majkhel]

Thank you Bjorn :)
The Emperor's Champion model is so very charismatic! Barely any embellishments, but the combination of plain plates, archaic design of the slightly tipped helmet, laurel of a hero and the huge sword makes for an iconic figure. As you say - regal 

[Majkhel]

The ETL VII painting madness has stilled and Captain Semper is busy going through all the work that has been done, crunching numbers, writing reviews,...

I have managed (just) to complete my 3rd vow:

Previously not shown here:

Sanguinor

Baal Predator

Assault Terminators

Terminators

I'm still gathering my thoughts after the effort and will definitely write some little summary later. However even though I'm really exhausted, my mind keeps showing paths to yet more plans for the future modelling and painting of my collection... This is actually quite comforting :)

[SnorriSnorrison]

Great looking force, Majkhel!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent works.

[Majkhel]

Thanks guys!

The ETL VII is over It was a blast - a great event with great people. Lots of effort but also lots of motivation and some really cool models involved. I've managed to contribute 2944pts across 44 models.

Was it much? In the previous ETL I did 2960pts. This year I wanted to do even more. I got a plan, I made my preparations. And then RL struck and I barely managed what I did So overall I'm really pleased. My paintjob could definitely have been better at some points and I really had to cut some edges during final hours. But at the same time I have to say my work seems adequate. A good blend of quality with quantity.

Highlights? Definitely the dreadnoughts.

-Librarian Dreadnought was my big project that I've been working on since December and I'm really glad and proud of the way he turned out.

-Venerable Chaplain dreadnought is such a cool and characterful model! I got the model a few years back. This year saw it removed from the production list of FW sculpts. At the same time it became available for easy use in 40k. A really perfect opportunity to paint it and I'm really glad I did.

-DC Dreadnought... we all love them, so that's that

Lowlights - Terminators. Jeez... The assault squad is the Blood Angels variant with a never-ending amount of detail. Not a perfect unit for speed-painting The dakka squad on the other hand is a second-hand purchase and they were already covered in paint pretty thickly. I didn't have time to strip them, so despite much smaller amount of detail, extra care was required during painting. I admit I did a mistake of working on both squads simultaneously. 12 models at a time is a bit much for me

Mandatory family photo of all my completed models:

With some section close-ups for anyone interested

Armored support & transport section:

Gravis section

Vanguard section

Reclusiam & DC section

Psychic section

Armored Dakka section

Close combat section

Mobile plasma section

More plasma section

Now to the future:)

I've cleaned up my desk and brushes, hid most of the models in the boxes and will soon be ready to paint again.

During the ETL, I have achieved a milestone of sorts - my 5th Company now consists of 54 marines, so it is officially above half it's pre-DoB strength

In my own little post-Devastation-of-Baal timeline, this marks a point where 5th becomes usable as an independent fighting force again. As such, I believe this is a good opportunity to take stock of how the company looks as a cohesive force.

To that end, I will be revisiting my existing 5th Company units, awarding permanent promotions and squad markings. Oaths of moment and devotional texts will be written down on purity seals and parchments already affixed to suits of armor. Any defections in armor and weapon will be meticulously corrected. No detail will to small to escape the scrutiny of Armorers and Chaplains!

After this is done, I expect the men of the 5th to present themselves flawlessly on the field of battle with every barrel drilled, every purity seal sporting appropriate scripture, every sergeant denoted and every marine assigned proper squad markings.

Secondly, I want to to work on the armored might of the 5th. I have long since owned a Predator battle tank re-sanctified after it's acquisition from one of the Fallen sons of the Lion. It is painted in new livery, but lacks shading and highlights to match the standard of other vehicles I have since completed for the 5th. I have acquired a Storm Bolter to be attached to it's hull.

Thirdly, I have recently became the owner of one of the FW behemoths

This big boy came to me a few days back already painted as you see him. Spray-coated in mephiston red, it has a pink-ish hue. My cellphone camera does not show it, but it differs significantly from the rest of my army. For me this is basically a primed stage from which I plan to build up a more rich color. As for the model itself, it's missing a hatch cover but is otherwise complete. It has lascanon sponsons with the option of HBs as well. I'm super-excited with this purchase:)

What else? My Pile of Shame still has more grey plastic to provide. Infiltrators are definitely there. As are some Knights. We'll see how it goes.

These are my plans for the nearest future. Congratulations if you managed to reach up up to this point

Cheers!

Edited September 4, 2019 by Majkhel

[Majkhel]

It's good to have a plan, so that it can be changed

I've decided to take a little comission - a Deathwatch Primaris Kill Team. Figured it would be a good thing to practice painting black a bit more.

So far, I've corected the posing of the Inceptors, drilled the barrels and cleaned mould lines. We'll see how it goes.

Edited September 4, 2019 by Majkhel

[Majkhel]

Update on the Deathwatch - they are almost done (forgive the grainy mixed light picture - it completely hides the fact that armor is highlighted 3 times and washed 2 times to a pretty nice if soft effect...)

The eyes are a mess obviously atm. Weapons need finishing touches (highlights, plasma coils).

I've decided that the bases would have some red paint as well as hazard stripes just because I love both

I'll take some better pictures tomorrow...

Another thing I've made was applying base colors for the shoulder pads with chapter symbols. So far I have reserved: Blood Angel (obviously), Dark Angel, Space Wolf and Ultramarine - for all of those I have decals.

Now I need ideas for the remaining 5. Something easy to free-hand, so Fists are out of the question . White Scar and Black Templar are definitely doable, so that would leave me with 3 to decide. Any other ideas?

Getting back to my Blood Angels, I've taken my Predator as a first one to undergo the paint-job [hopefully] improvement.

Here are the "before" shots:

It already has a good base coat as well as basic shading and highlight. I want to deepen the shading and improve highlights of the hull and turret. Tracks need some touch-ups as well. Then the new Storm Bolter needs paint badly and the commander will require some love as well. Then company markings and... well, we'll se how it goes

Sponsons are OK as is the winged chalice on the front.

Cheers!

Edited September 10, 2019 by Majkhel

[Majkhel]

It has been hard hard to find time and motivation for the hobby in the past several weeks. However I did some job on the Predator:

As you can see, I've deepened the shading and applied more pronounced highlights to the hull and turret. Also first coat of steel has been given to the storm bolter.

Just noticed that the frames of the windows cover still needs some paintjob.

Next up is the driver, visors/sensoria, company markings.

As a side project, I'm assembling a new turret for my Sicaran frame in order to change the Relic Sicaran Omega Tank Destroyer into Relic Sicaran Battle Tank.

[Majkhel]

I've been recently playing with the idea of flags and pennants to be used on tanks. These are rough projects.

Also: Sicaran WIP

Edited October 20, 2019 by Majkhel

[Majkhel]

Putting aside my tanks project for a moment as I bought the new Infiltrators/Incursors box.

I already have the Shadowspear Infiltrators and so have decided to do a 10-man squad of each. Simple enough one might say, but additionally I wished to be able to field them as MSUs when needed and keep the specialist options.

Another thing is that the Shadowpear set is plagued with the repeating monoposes (the multi-part set also, but to a much lesser degree). To mitigate this, I wanted to mix both kits.

With quite extensive planning, I've decide to start with the Shadowspear box.

I'm presenting the repeating poses together to better show what I've done with them.

The "pistol guys":

The first guy lost his pistol altogether (I will be adding a spare handle to fill-in his pistol holster) and got the "shooting pose" hands from the multi-part box.
The other guy got to keep his pistol. A simple addition of the silencer to the pistol is supposed to add some "sneakiness" to the Infiltrator holding it.

The "shooting guys":

Well I always like to have a properly shooting guys in my squads, so I was sure to keep at least one unmodified.

The other one got a "specialist" set with the Haywire mine from the Incursors and will be leaving Infiltrators for good.

I haven't decided yet what to do with the head. I do not like the fact that Incursors do not wear helmets. I'm thinking on keeping the Infiltrators' helmets (multi-part box has enough to spare) with a possible addition of the sensoria lenses from the Incursors' heads.

The "walkers":

Again, one got to keep his pose.

The other will be my first comms guy. He got hands from the multi-part box. Still haven't decided if I should give him the comms helmet from the multi-part box, or should I keep it for some Librarian maybe... (?)

The other non-repeating guys:

As their poses are not repeated, I decided to generally keep them, as they are.
Guy with the grenede has his gun-arm slightly raised as if shooting one-handed from the hip. He is marked as my second sergeant if I decide to deploy 2 MSUs.

Sergeant (middle) will remain Sergeant while the last one will be my other comms guy. I plan to place a damaged half-helm at his feet.

There's also the Helix adept to be built and possibly an EtB Reiver to be Infiltratorised

Edited January 23, 2020 by Majkhel

[Xenith]

I have the shadow spear infiltrators and a box of incursors and was looking at mixing and matching too, great to see your ideas!

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

Excellent painting and conversions! My favorites were the scouts on the bike that was a neat touch! Looking forward to seeing more from you.

[Majkhel]

I have the shadow spear infiltrators and a box of incursors and was looking at mixing and matching too, great to see your ideas!

Hey Xenith! Thanks and I'm really glad my ideas are of use

Excellent painting and conversions! My favorites were the scouts on the bike that was a neat touch! Looking forward to seeing more from you.

Thank you kindly, Kolgrim

Slow progress, but progress nevertheless. I've built final members of the Infiltrator squad:

From left:

- one of the regular "shooters" from the multi-part box,

- Helix Adept - got his bolter arm rotated to shoot from the hip. His pose came out as tribute the the old metal Apothecary

http://www.frontlinegaming.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SM_Apothecary_Ultramarines.jpg

- and lastly, a shooter adapted from the EtB Reiver - one grenade on the chest filed to make space for the shooting arm (from the monopose shooter that ended up as an Incursor with the haywire mine). Two more grenades added. He also got a handle to fit inside his previoulsy empty pistol holser.

Some splashing of red and occasional shading later and I've decided on the assignements to the MSUs:

Sergeant here got the Reiver helmet. Most of the arms are only temporarily attached to allow for easier painting.

Dividing them into MSUs is supposed to help me focus my actions better during the very brief periods of free time I'm finding recently

Edited December 3, 2019 by Majkhel