The Kriegening Begins! - A tale of getting your dream army

[Dark Legionnare]

!!! IT BEGINS !!!

So my dream army since originally laying eyes on the models when they first came out all those years back, has been Krieg.  I started with Blood angels way back in 3rd, but ever since FW came out with the Kriegers, I knew what my "main army" was going to be some day when I had the time and swathes of money.  And now, it's finally coming to fruition. 

I'll update this thread/first post with pictures and such as the units finish up & the giant moneysink that is a full Krieg army slowly grows to fruition.  

 

The design was to have them as "dark and dirty" as possible, crawling across the board with hordes of bodies in at least every game possible, really taking on their regiment name of "The Dark Legion".  I'll make up some regiment number to assign to them down the road to be super fancy...


Opted for the full Krieg experience, IE, all the arty crews possible, none of that "on a chimera chassis" nonsense of those hoity-toity other guardsman!


Popular opinion incoming: full resin is an absolute pain in the ass in terms of structural integrity/working with it, but damn do the Krieg Models look so damn awesome.

It's been many years since I played against any guard army, many many more since I last borrowed and played with a guard army. I'd forgotten just how tiny guardsmen models are.  It's pretty awesome how "to scale with the fluff" stuff is with the new line of models. 

 

This comparison image with one of my Death Guard, one of my Star Phantoms, and one of my old Blood Angles really shows that off:

----------------------!!! BUT NOW THE ARMY ITSELF !!!----------------------
(You can find front and backs in each units update post, only fronts will be here in this first thread post)
 

Medusa Carriage & Crew #1:

Medusa Carriage & Crew #2:

Infantry Squad #1:

Infantry Squad #2:

Bullgryns & Bone'ead:

Infantry Squad #3:

Infantry Squad #4:

Command Squad 1:

Command Squad 2:

Heavy Mortars:

Commissars:

Marshal:

Combat Engis & Hades Drill:

Infantry Squad #5:

Infantry Squad #6:

 

 

[WarriorFish]

Welcome to the Guard :D This is a great start, nice and gritty as is fitting for Krigers :) If you want more grit some weathering might be worth considering; Krieg works great with lots of mud as you'd expect but that's not the only option :P

 

Keep the updates coming, what's next on your list? Presumably you'll need some troopers sooner or later ;)

[The Pounder]

First of all, welcome to the Korps!

 

You’re clearly off to a good start. Medusa Cannons are beautiful and yours are looking good.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing how your army progresses.

 

What’s next on the painting table?

[Dark Legionnare]

Thanks Gents, I'm super excited about it!

 

First of all, welcome to the Korps!

You’re clearly off to a good start. Medusa Cannons are beautiful and yours are looking good.

I’m looking forward to seeing how your army progresses.

What’s next on the painting table?

Yeah man, I really loved the medusas!  I also figured that I could always just field them as the earthshaker carriages too, if I ever wanted too.  The HUGE barrels on the shaker carriages, mixed with being resin, kind of scared me away from those kits.  Seems like an accident  (and my wallet starting to cry) waiting to happen.

 

Welcome to the Guard This is a great start, nice and gritty as is fitting for Krigers If you want more grit some weathering might be worth considering; Krieg works great with lots of mud as you'd expect but that's not the only option

 

Keep the updates coming, what's next on your list? Presumably you'll need some troopers sooner or later

I tried a bit with the mud over the weekend, and ultimately, every attempt I made looked too "detached" from the paintjob. Like, it stood out too much. Settled on just the bleakness of the bases. Sparse grass, a few skulls or bones here or there.


Still coming up: 

• 3x heavy mortars and their crews
• 6x ten man infantry squads (4 firing, 2 advancing, because I didn't like the "at rest" ones too much.  They looked TOO relaxed for krieg motif of bleakness). All 6 will have 1 plasma gunner
• command squads for the banners and sword lads to act as infantry officers, and the extra weapons guys for rules changes down the road, and to have some melta guardsmen to swap in
• 6x weapon teams, lascannons
• A hades drill and accompanying 10 grenadiers (the subterranean assault force kit)
• 3x mars leman russes (all with vanquisher barrels because they're the coolest looking, and can be used as battle cannons without complaint, since the default battle cannons look a bit stubby for my tastes!
• 6x bullgryns  (Bought some cool krieg conversion kits from ebay)
• 3x devil dogs (that barrel is the easiest to "field" as any of the flavors by clarifying before a match, so I'm going with that. I'm militantly anti-magnet for some internal reasons even I don't know why)
• A few krieg commissars to act as marshals or commissars
• the big high marshal himself
  
  Feel like it's a very kriegy force. Tons of bodies, with some "hard punch" units like the drill, tanks, etc...
  
  SOME DAY. Down the road, I maaaaaaaaaaaay do a baneblade.  I'm already going for a fellblade for my Star Phantoms, so that's more than likely my only super heavy for a while.  Also still have one of the OG knights from 2014 unpainted that I have to finish...

[WarriorFish]

I struggle with weathering type things, it requires a degree of randomness that I'm not very good at :P Fortunately it's something you add at the end of the model, so you can always return to them again if you want - I'll get there one day...

 

Looks like there's a lot to keep you busy! Don't pretend you're not getting that Baneblade though, nobody is fooled :lol:;)

[duz_]

Baneblade is next right? :D

 

Can't wait to see the progress on this thread especially custom bullgryns!

 

Looks great so far :tu:

[Colonel Bindoff]

These are really good. Those Medusae are making me shed little tears of hobby joy

[Son of Sacrifice]

I'm tuning in for sure. I've been slowly amassing Death Korps for a couple of years, but still another year or two away from building and painting them. That's a beautiful collection you've got listed, and I really like your paint work.

[Dark Legionnare]

Looks like there's a lot to keep you busy! Don't pretend you're not getting that Baneblade though, nobody is fooled

 

Baneblade is next right?

You're both encourageable! I was really hashing the idea out when making the big mass purchase, but ultimately, with the Fellblade already underway at the time, and soon to be done, I said "Nah", at least for now.  Logically, if I'm in a game big enough for super heavies, an excuse to bring the Fellblade in a super heavy auxiliary is more what I want, since as much as I love the baneblade, I love the Fellblade's visuals more.  C&C Mammoth tank nostalgia.

 

That and an excuse to actually engage in some fluffy combined arms of huge IG force, being assisted by small Astartes response force of a couple squads and a big tank or such.  I'm pretty "mono-faction" old school in terms of what I prefer to face and bring in a game, but I make exceptions for big games!

 

These are really good. Those Medusae are making me shed little tears of hobby joy

I'm in complete agreement, man.  The static arty kits are so much more appealing to me, especially for Krieg motif, than the medusa or earthshaker vehicle variants.  Really selling that WW1 flavor that Krieg are the best at. Plus, all the crew standing around?  Far cooler table presence in my opinion, even if likely a bit less "good" due to the squishyness compared to vehicle variants.

 

I'm tuning in for sure. I've been slowly amassing Death Korps for a couple of years, but still another year or two away from building and painting them. That's a beautiful collection you've got listed, and I really like your paint work.

Thanks a bunch, mang! As for your own growing horde, keep it up man!  Just don't end up with the grey blob parking lots I used to be so prone to, myself!  Make sure you're storing the unassembled ones in cool places, I've heard horror stories about FW stuff stored in closets near windows for a while ending up warped by summer heat in confined spaces and whatnot.  I look forward to seeing you roll out the lads as well!  Make sure to PM me when you do.

[WarriorFish]

Can you magnetise a Fellblade completely and easily though?

[Dark Legionnare]

Can you magnetise a Fellblade completely and easily though?

Heh, no, not that resin beast that is the bellblade, that it is not. Luckily it only has three variants, and I hate the looks of two of the three.  Easy decision making.  

 

But also goes against my weird "anti-magnet" vendetta!  I'm not sure why I'm like this, I just hate magnetizing stuff.  Probably some pettyness in me coming back to 40k in 5th Ed. and realizing half my BA stuff was no longer usable, like the honor guard with the banner, techmarine, and apothecary. XD

 

I completely forgot about the "macharius" line of tanks. So I might opt for one or two of them instead of a baneblade, if I get to the baneblade point. Infinitely more "kriegy".

[Colonel Bindoff]

I get the magnets thing brother; i completely accept all the logical arguments in favour of magnetising and completely reject them as being contrary to my (utterly misplaced) faith in my ability to battle effectively with what I think looks good.

 

Then I buy more tanks....

[Silas7]

Personally: Macharius > Baneblades

 

I'm with Son of Sacrifice, the irresistible pull to collect has lead me down a dark and expensive path

[robofish7591]

If you really want to get that interwar vibe, the malcador chassis tanks are perfect.

[Dark Legionnare]

I get the magnets thing brother; i completely accept all the logical arguments in favour of magnetising and completely reject them as being contrary to my (utterly misplaced) faith in my ability to battle effectively with what I think looks good.

 

Then I buy more tanks....

Finally!  Someone as illogical as me!  It's good to know I'm not alone in my weirdness, haha! 

What you mention seems true though, come to think of it.  My major (when I'm tableside, playing) defense for my staunch antimagnetism is "I like being forced to use unoptimized stuff!"

We're equally stubborn birds of a feather!

 

Personally: Macharius > Baneblades

 

I'm with Son of Sacrifice, the irresistible pull to collect has lead me down a dark and expensive path

Right on, brother!  The macharius are amazing. I REALLY, REALLY love the looks of the vulcan mega bolter one, even though the twin-cannon ones are cool as hell too.  The mega-bolter takes the gold in the case of the macharius chassis.

 

I still have a Stormraven, 10 purifiers, 20 strikers, 5 pallys, a termie librarian to do for my "assembled years ago, never touched with paint yet" force from the 5th Ed Grey Knights release that was what pulled me back into 40k after 3rd edition.  Those poor, poor grey blobs....  I feel like, it's a requisite, for any 40k player, to have at least one full army in a state of assembly or painting, in perpetuity.  One particular army that's always that "sea of grey" in their collection, hehe.

 

(also have two betrayal at calth boxes, dark imperium, dark vengeance, space hulk, defense lines, imperial bastion, devastator squad, two tac squads, vindicator, OG knight from 2014, and a drop pod to paint, on top of those GK. I fear they'll be grey for many months [years] to come!)

 

If you really want to get that interwar vibe, the malcador chassis tanks are perfect.

Oh man. I both LOVE and HATE the malcadors.  part of me loves that stupid-ass casemate main gun design, while simultaneously a part of me hates it.  If I can find cheap ones on ebay, I might go for it. But pound for pound, dollar for dollar, still getting that "Kriegy WW1 look, while looking awesome" the macharius edge out over the malcadors in terms of money and looks.

 

It's on the list though!

[duz_]

Let's not fawn too much over the Angels of Death

It's unbecoming of a Guard officer :tu:

 

Time for more painting!

[Dark Legionnare]

Let's not fawn too much over the Angels of Death

It's unbecoming of a Guard officer

 

Time for more painting!

Many guardsmen and bullgryns are underway!

[Dark Legionnare]

I'm back again, this update comes with two infantry squads with plasma, and bullgryns.

Infantry Squads

• Watchmaster is always the center-most guy aggressively wielding a grenade. Thought about using combat engi models but then decided not to as they're expensive enough already to buy one squad for use as its actual unit.
• Plasma glow via airbrush effect's mileage will vary in all the plasma-having units.  Quality improved over time/attempts!

The bullgryn conversion kits were good buys.

• I read somewhere that Krieg lads have pale-as-hell/greyed skin from Krieg's environment, so I decided apparently even their abhumans (though I don't know if they have any in true fluff)do too. Tone actually works well with these lads' exposed, jacked bodies to make sure they don't stand out TOO much from their bleak, rank and file comrades.

 

Infantry Squad 1's Front:

Infantry Squad 1's Back:

 

 

Infantry Squad 2's Front:

Infantry Squad 2's Back:

 

 

Bullgryns' and Bone'ead's Front:

Bullgryns' and Bone'ead's Back:

The assembly line of final touches for lads continues, so either tomorrow or Thursday two more squads and two command squads can be expected!

(I'll retroactively add these pics to the OG/starting post soon, as promised)

[WarriorFish]

Nice and gritty, always good to see more of your work. I particularly like the Bullgryns, they fit in really nicely - top work! :tu:

[The Pounder]

Really like your colour scheme.

The red lining on the greatcoats is nicely done.

[Dark Legionnare]

Nice and gritty, always good to see more of your work. I particularly like the Bullgryns, they fit in really nicely - top work!

Thanks, man, I really love how they turned out across the board, too!

 

As for the Bullgryns, yeah, the conversion kits were great buys.  I've never been too good at greenstuff work; nowhere near enough to even remotely save (or even just lengthen a few hours) my life, so they were great investments.

 

Really like your colour scheme.

The red lining on the greatcoats is nicely done.

Thanks a ton, man!  I've always had a thing for either white & black or black/grey & dark-red contrast across so many spectrums. (The former being readily found in my star phantoms force) So the red lining for the insides of the coats, and by extension the folded over cuffs was pretty much a shoe in for the Kriegers since they're too bleak to have any bright whites anywhere!

 

Again, thanks a ton, both of you! More lads incoming tonight for sure once I get some finishing touches on them and then get 'em in front of a camera.

[Dark Legionnare]

I'm back again-again, this update comes with two infantry squads with plasma, two command squads, and the final arty for the army, heavy mortars.

Infantry Squads

• Watchmaster is always the center-most guy aggressively wielding a grenade. Thought about using combat engi models but then decided not to as they're expensive enough already to buy one squad for use as its actual unit.
• Plasma glow via airbrush effect's mileage will vary in all the plasma-having units.  Quality improved over time/attempts!

Command Squads

• Those flags are an absolute menace.  Next to the krieg weapon teams whose kits are NOTORIOUSLY WARPED, the flags in this kit take a close second place.  They were like fruit roll ups and needed many, many hairdryer sessions to get to the state they're now.
• Command lads are designated by green goggles, and no inner, lower coat lining. (So in the first one, that's actually a rogue from an infantry squad, whoops!)

Heavy Mortars

• Probably one of my absolute favorite Krieg kits, tied for first place with the Deathriders and combat engis, for sure.
• Probably going to be in literally every one of my games with them, the  medusa/counts-as-earthshaker carriages too. Arty, arty, arty, and bodies to guard them. <3

 

Infantry Squad 3's Front:

Infantry Squad 3's Back:

 

 

Infantry Squad 4's Front:

Infantry Squad 4's Back:

 

 

Command Squad 1:

 

 

Command Squad 2:

 

 

Heavy Mortars - Side:

Heavy Mortars - Above:

The assembly line of final touches for lads continues, so either tomorrow or Friday two more squads and some heavy weapons teams (the warped nightmare those kits were) are likely.

(I'll retroactively add these pics to the OG/starting post soon, as promised)

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent works.

[Dark Legionnare]

Ended up super busy today, tomorrow looks the same, so no time for 40k funtimes. No finished units for a few days, just some final work on some characters done.

Had a third commissar (The third pose, aka the one of the three poses missing) I bought that came out of the shipping box from FW looking like an absolute mutant. No idea how it got past and signed off on by QA. Requested a refund, FW obliged. Used said "pile of melted flesh" commi for practice. Should've turned it into a Death Guard objective marker rather than trash it once done.

I tend to like to spend time to make standalone HQ's pop, go into minutia of detail on them, etc... But damn, I am far too used to decades of space marine scale, let alone the HUGE primaris and Death guard infantry models that have spoiled me in 8th edition in terms of detail level & canvas to work on.  My shakey hands won't let me get as fine-tuned with guardsman-scale tiny, normal humans as I do the big transhuman lads. I see some folks doing the BUTTONS on the commi underlayer vests. That's some inhuman level of steady hands/detail!  Or maybe mine are just super-trash, and everyone else is normal!

Commissars

• Going to use the command squad sword lads as field officers on tabletop, and these commis as marshals, since I'll have banners in squads for LD buffs on each side of a table..

Marshal

• Going to be used exclusively as the big-daddy named-character for DKoK
   

Commissars' Front:

Commissars' Back:

 

 

Marshal's Front:

Marshal's Back:

 

 

(I'll retroactively add these pics to the OG/starting post soon, as promised)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the Commissars and the Marshal.