Panda's Chaos Marines - First squad with new colours done!

[AstralPanda]

Hello there all,

 

I am something of a long time lurker here on the forum, and I am trying to shift myself into gear to actually 1) build, and 2) paint, and 3) FINISH some projects. Unfortunately I am one of those people who gets distracted all the time, so to date most projects just quietly disintegrate as I loose concentration.

 

I am hoping to ask the community for some help in getting started on a project, and actually finish something 

 

So, I have cobbled together some Chaos Space Marines, since the dark very much owns my soul, and I want to get painting. I do enjoy converting more than painting, I admit, so encouragement and reminders are welcome.

 

I am hoping to make them renegades, rather than a legion, and have the chance to really stamp my mark on them. I am hoping to build a thousand points of Chaos to make a small patrol army, so that I could actually (gasp) learn to play - I haven't played in years.

 

I have some images of the three main wip's so far. I hope this works! (Haven't posted images on forums in forever...)

First off, a sorcerer. Made from a Sanguinary Priest (who of course has tasty ornate armour as standard), bits from the Chaos marines box set, a space wolf backpack with the hanging runestones (which you probably wont see in the pictures I took), and the mutated head from a Raptor box. I am quite pleased with him. The force axe was a tough one until I remembered a genestealer skull I had, which could with some clipping fit on the back of the axe. I am unsure if adding extra spikes to the back side of the axe is a good idea, or if a decent paint job would work.

 

 

 

 

And two five man squads of marines. They are both outfitted the same way, very bare bones, with the champion only having the power beatstick, and the marines having no mark. I had to use the gloriously chunky new heavy bolters though. I know they may not be the most competitive heavy weapon, but I had been able to get a second one, and they are so nicely done - they just scream "Suppressing Fire!".

 

So the first squad, with bareheads, I have dubbed "Turnskins". They basically are so arrogant and self assured they don't bother with helmets!

 

 

And the second crew has more sense, and has helmets. I am not a fan of the new chaos marines horned helms though, so I have tried to avoid using them where I can. These are the "Scornwings"

 

 

As for a war band name, that is up for grabs. I have a vague idea that this crew are cold, efficient, and monstrously greedy - all forms of war spoils are their aim. If it can be stolen, ripped out, chopped off and dragged away, and is either shiny or useful? It's theirs. Dragons spring instantly to mind when I think about greed, but I don't know if that would be a good theme to use.

 

As for colours, I played around with the rather useful painter programme, and the army painter function from Dawn of War Solustorm, and was rather taken with a mixture of cold slate blue and a secondary colour of warmer orange. A rough mock up is below

I was thinking using "The Fang" as the main slate blue colour, and "Jokaero Orange" for the orange, with basic tarnished steel colour for the majority of the metallics.

 

I have not really got any ideas for a symbol, but I did come across a piece of art from the DeviantART gallery that was rather inspiring; here we are https://www.deviantart.com/fonteart/art/Chaos-space-marine-Devastator-373948516

That one has a small skull pinned under three arrows, which struck me as rather intriguing, as well as reinforcing my love of chaos heavy bolters!

 

Thanks to anyone that takes a look and has any suggestions for anything from motivation, to painting, to modelling suggestions or anything really. Take care everyone - I will try to decide on colours and things and find where I put my brushes!

Edited December 10, 2019 by AstralPanda

[Torbenos]

I really like your sorcerer conversion. Will make for a unique HQ and shows some creativity! The colour palette looks fine to me and for the symbol all I can say is pratice painting it a few times before deciding as it's important to be able to freehand it comfortably if you want it on all of them.

[Cadius]

as torbenos said the sorcerer is fantastic.

 

For the emblem how good are you with green stuff?

[Frostbit3]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scavenger paint scheme where everything is looted but shows status. Like this pauldron is from a loyalist captain I shot in the face, and this greave is from a blood angel I killed in close combat. Might be fun and not boring to model and interesting to paint. Kinda where my head went when you talked about them being vain, greedy, and being driven by war spoils but probably not what you were asking for.

[Cadius]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scavenger paint scheme where everything is looted but shows status. Like this pauldron is from a loyalist captain I shot in the face, and this greave is from a blood angel I killed in close combat. Might be fun and not boring to model and interesting to paint. Kinda where my head went when you talked about them being vain, greedy, and being driven by war spoils but probably not what you were asking for.

great idea, are you thinking maybe making it look like the chapter colours are painted over top of the old armour colours? like having chips in the paint showing original colour.

[AstralPanda]

Thanks so much everyone, the comments and suggestions help :) Torbenos, thank you for the comments on the colours as that's something that worried me.I am glad people like the sorcerer, I am hoping that when I get some paint on these guys that I can do the model justice. Frostbit3 and Cadius, unfortunately I am not great with greenstuff - I can use it, but I haven't developed a lot of skill with it. I think some of it is a lack of patience!

 

I do like the idea of a total scavenger/vulture/ghoul paint scheme Frost, it would be great. I don't know I would want to do a whole army like that, but I might do the following; i) the occasional stolen item in overpainted colours (I am thinking the way the old Chaos 3.5 codex did the red corsairs - basically big red crosses over painted on other livery). And ii) maybe really play that up for a Master of Executions conversion - basically everything he has is stolen, and just as the majority of the executioners steal heads, he is driven to take everything -

'Always Greedy, All The Time'

 

I am wondering whether to try to build some counts as cultists - "Vultur3-1 Pattern Servitors" - basically armed scavenger droids who do all the ghoulish battlefield dismantling for this crew. Any ideas of what mini's to use as a base body would help. I am wondering if the old blood bowl human team if I can get it and some ork sluggas and random knives and wires might work. 

 

As per my usual MO however, I have started another new project.... I was at my local GW yesterday to buy a new brush. They mentioned they have their painting contest coming up. One really large base, a box of easy to build banshees, a box of easy to build dreadblade harrows, and my bits box later and I am half way through building a banshee chariot. I may need an intervention... luckily I have a week off from work coming up and that will help me paint both the marines and this entry. I would take a picture or two of the banshee chariot and post, but I am not sure whether fantasy mini's are frowned on - after all this is a 40k forum!

 

SO - the marines are drying from the undercoat, and I am plotting more conversions, and I am grateful for all the ideas! Thanks guys - I will keep updating as and when I can.

[Frostbit3]

In my mind they wouldn’t paint over it, they would boldly display who they were better than. Taking your pint scheme, but this dude has an ultramarines shoulder pad and a blood angel vambrace. This other dude has a black Templar leg and a imperial fist arm. Total scavenged but proud of it. But I’m happy any part of my idea struck you as something you’d play around with. Edited November 3, 2019 by Frostbit3

[AstralPanda]

Well, I managed to do a small tester model this evening with one of the old chaos marines that I had lurking around. Two shots below. I would appreciate any thoughts here - I am going to sleep on this one and see how I feel about it in the morning.

 

In some ways I think the scheme vaguely echoes the Scythes of the Emperor-type paint schemes, so I know that the dark/bright mixture can work. I am not sure if this one does! 

 

The plan would be either to have black casings on the weapons, or maybe do the opposite - bright silver weapons to contrast with their normally very dark iron trim. I still have not got a plan for a warband symbol but I will see what I can come up with. 

 

Thanks in advance all!

 

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

Looking good so far, looking forward to seeing them finished!

[Frostbit3]

It might just be the photo but the way the face is highlighted almost looks like a dark teal.  I like how that contrasts off the orange more than the dark gray.   Alternatively a lighter grey might also feel a bit better.  Take a look at yme-loc eldar for inspiration.  Feels like you are close to a unique and interesting scheme.

as I sit looking at it; leaving the dark grey how it is but popping the orange one more highlight brighter might also help.

 

hopefully this is all constructive.  I’d be happy to play against an army that looks like that, I’m only nitpicking because you asked.

[AstralPanda]

Thank you both, I appreciate the feedback. I have been looking at this tester model all day, and patched out a version with the orange in other places in the model. Sadly something isn't quite there yet. I think it does need some adjustments to make it work.

 

Like you suggested Frost a lighter grey would work, meaning the orange can actually contrast. The other thought that crossed my mind was to darken the grey - there is a reason why black and orange get used together sometimes, although I am not sure I want to use black itself.

 

The third option is that the bleu/grey needs a lighter colour to contrast it, a yellow maybe, and a lighter silver trim. I am not a fan of yellow, but a really pale bright yellow might do the trick. 

 

I am planning to dig out some more tester models and do some more dry runs. I am eyeing a pot of Slaanesh Grey that's been on my side cabinet for a while, instead of the blue-grey Fang base colour which is currently too dark. The deceptively coloured purple-grey, which can be highlighted and drybrushed up to a lighter colour, maybe even up to a bone edge highlight, might go well with a brighter orange. More experiments are needed!

 

Thanks again guys. Any more suggestions or ideas are very welcome - I am keen to do something a bit unique, but making colours work for me has always been a struggle. Still, it's fun to do. When I get worn out with the brush I can go back to sticking ghosts together for the painting competition!

[AstralPanda]

Hello again everyone,

 

Long time no postings... sorry about that. I got distracted by painting an entry for the local GW's Runefang competition, so I have only recently put time back into my spiky traitors.

 

So - long story short, no matter how hard I tried, I could not get the original colour scheme to work. I suspect it was because marines are quite small, and both colours I was planing to use were powerful, they clashed rather than worked together. I put them to one side and decided to have a go at the local GW's Runefang painting competition. That led me to a paint scheme that I liked, and so the first squad of marines are basically finished - a little more work on the bases, some flock and static grass, and they are done.

 

Except for the warband name and a symbol! Help will be needed with those things if any kind souls are out there. I am partial to undead and gothic motif's, and am playing around with using the word "Giants" in their name - it's only used for very few marine chapters, so the odds of using an already taken name drop a lot.

 

Lets see if I remember how to post pictures!

 

So - first a group shot. They have burgundy armour (I LOVE the Barak Nar Burgundy colour) highlighted with some screamer pink and wazdakka red, the arms are bone drybrushed up to Ulthuan Grey, and the main trim is straight Grey Knights Steel - a lovely light blued steel that one. Sorry about the lighting - I live in the UK, and it's past sunset and raining - photography is not an easy business!

 

 

And a couple of smaller close ups

Squad Leader

Heavy Bolter Marine - I still cant get over how beautifully chunky the new heavy bolters are. They look punishingly good!

And finally a standard trooper, but as he was the first one I finished he will need some sort of special honour. I will consider adding something to his base or something to mark him out for future notice!

 

And, hopefully this is allowed, the next picture is of the Runefang entry I did which switched me on to this colour scheme. If this isn't allowed, since it's a fantasy model, please let me know and I can remove it.

 

I was given a large base, and decided to do a banshee powered undead chariot. I think this will work to give you a link to the conversion? I was rather proud of how it came out. Given that there are some old undead chariot wheels on this thing returned from my bits box (they were in three pieces each and missing the blades...) I am definitely proud I managed to put them back together. I was also pleased with the signpost on the other side, which you can't see in the photo sadly, labelled "Hell" and pointing behind them...

 

The important bit for this thread was that when I started painting the banshee's, I experimented with the Barak Nar Burgundy, and really loved the rich wine colour it creates. Having used it I couldn't wait to use it again, so the marines went Burgundy and Bone and I am rather pleased with the result.

 

 

So there we are - a first squad finally all but finished. Now I need names and symbols for the shoulder pads! I plan to use some transfers for some of the more intricate bits on characters, as my freehand is iffy at best, but the symbol for the warband needs to be bespoke. I will put my thinking cap on. Any critique or ideas or feedback is always welcome - cheers folks! TTFN (Ta Ta For Now)