Indomitus Crusade- It Remembers the Flesh - Daemon Sculpt

[Doghouse]

Thanks, it's quite a simple conversion from the Shadowspear from the Infiltrator dropping smoke. I just removed the smoke on it after carefully seperating the grenade from the thumb then shaved the shoulder pad down and stuck the grendade in so it looks like he's pulled the pin and is just opening his hand a little so the safety clip can fly off as he throws it.

[Wraithwing]

Awesome stuff as usual Doghouse. 

 

What head have you used for the Indomitus Captain?

[Doghouse]

Thanks :)

 

The head is the Dark Angels Master Lazerus, probably my favourite bare head. It's quite a nice kit in general actually with some great bits, the optional head you get is the same but bald and with a bionic eye

[Doghouse]

Just another quick update.

 

Been playing around with the Gravis armoured Eradicators and I have to say I love these models. They've removed the the beer belly stomach armour and made it so that it is much more in line with regualr Mk X armour.

 

I've never really liked the original Gravis Captain so am making my own using a spare guy. I'm going to make a squad of five because they should be able to pump out ten shots a turn when in range and keeping it to five gets around the blast weapon thing (not a fan of pushing us to MSU...). I'll probably go for a drum fed ammo on the arm rather than the pack.

 

[Doghouse]

I have to say I love the Eradicators, I think the design fixes a lot of the issues I have with the Aggressors and look really nice now. At the moment I'm still putting together the two Impulsors and applying more of the base coat to the Red Wolves and the Templar Bladeguard. I'm not rushing it as my goal is to get a patrol together for gaming so no real rush.

 

Having seen the Eradictors built kind of got my brain racing a bit though. Taking a look at the Spearhead rules I can have six squads of these guys and a Gravis Captain. So I started to think about how this would work in terms of lore, I could go the easy route and have them the ninth company of a chapter or do something a bit more interesting with a Chapter that only wears Gravis armour. 

 

The idea I have is basically we all know the Imperium is in a bad way. Given that there are going to be individuals whose abilities, influence or knowledge gives them great importance that could quite well outweight the population of a planet. I like this idea because it could well just be seen as corrupt Imperial dignitaries having a get out of jail free card or an attempt to extract valuable assets. So the idea would be that these guys are smoke jumpers dropping into the fiercest part of the fire not to engage in war but to perform an objective other Imperial forces would not consider.  

 

So say you have a planetary Governor, not especially good for anything but being born into the role through heredritary tradition. Tithes and order have been maintained but overall the ruling family has done it's job. Then one day the skies grow dark as Mycetic spores rain down on the planet signaling it's doom. The Imperium has no intention of coming to it's aid as it is unable or unwilling to divert forces to aid them. During the centuries though deals have been made in secret, loyalties and bonds formed and maybe the odd bit of dirt collected on higher up members of the regional Administratum. With all hope lost the Governor calls in his marker to ensure he and his family are extracted and maybe place some Exterminatus charges while on the surface.

Another scenario could see an ad mech dignitary being forced to flee his vessel after it is attacked by Eldar Corsairs in an escape pod only to crash on  a rather nasty Death World or an Explorator team accidently triggering a slumbering Necron Tombworld.

 

The idea being the cause is not always just, it's not a case of a noble gesture, all that matters is the objective. It also ties back into the idea of the Imperium being far from squeaky clean and why the Inquistion is warranted. These are not special forces or secretive super marines, it's just a case of the Imperium is so vast who is going to notice the actions of one chapter while the galaxy burns?  

I quite like the idea of the Chapter being lead by a human, one of the failed Aspirants who survived the trials. The logic being with such high casualties they'd want all the Primaris in the fight and the Chapter Master could act as a intermediate between various nobles.

 

I'm thinking using the Rapid Assault tactic so they always move and shoot between 6-12 inches with no penalty and maybe Stealthy to give them cover saves at over 12 inches.I'd also have to combat squad them to avoid the blast rules so Stoic might work as an alternative. It clocks in at 1545pts whch means I could get some Aggressors or a Repulsor or one of those new drop turrets maybe.

 

I'll see how it goes.

 

I've given the Captain a drum fed Boltstorm Gauntlet and added spare drums to his belt. For those that may not know it's basically a powerfist with bolt pistol built in that fires three shots. Not quite Onslaught material so I feel the drums will suffice.

 

 

 

 

[Bryan Blaire]

They are looking great!

 

The idea of an all Gravis Chapter is interesting, but I don't know that we have enough different unit types quite yet (here's hoping GW rectifies that in the next couple of years).

 

So where did all the drum clips come from? Really like how the idea turned out!

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate :)

 

The drum clips came from the storm bolters on the Cataphracti terminators, I have a stack left over from truescaling projects and it works quite well as the pistol drum.

 

Yeah the Gravis thing could well be more common if the Heavy Intercessor thing pans out. I think to be honest these guys should be ok with just Eradicators, although I'll probably get wiped. :D

I think given that the tech is still well known, unlike Terninator armour, it's entirely plausible to see Chapter equipped solely in Gravis. If you want to justify it further in terms of lore it was the intention of the Emperor to have his troops in heavy armour when he came up with Terminator suits. It just didn't go as planned at the time.

 

My plan is combat squading to give twelve units of 9 wounds each wth t5 that can pump out 6 strength 8 -4 ap shots once in range. To get them closer I'll be using Rapid Assault which guarantees me a move of atleast 6 inches per turn. Given that I doubt we'll see many squads larger than 10 for a while with the new blast rules so they should be quite effective against both infantry and vehicles. On top of that with Stealthy they will be getting a +1 cover save at over 12 inches for a bit more durability.

 

Downside is it costs 3CP as it's a Spearhead detachment but it still leaves me about 500pts for either Aggressors to cover close combat or the Turret. I could also go with some Inceptors.

[Majkhel]

Very nice conversions! I like reading through your notes and pictures - it helps with the thinking-tinkering process over my own Indomitus box.
Please continue 

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate

 

Yeah I enjoy brainstormng when making conversions and things as you never know who it'll inspire or what you'll learn from feed back from others.

 

Settled on a colour scheme for the Gravis guys. I've got a lot of Silver Templar decals so I'm going to use that as the icon because the sheet has them in everything from Reiver shoulder pad up to vehicles.

I still need to clean it up but it's getting there as a test model, I will work the shoulder inserts up to more of a cleaner white at some point.

The grey is a custom grey i made up from a mix of mechanicus and administratum grey in a seperate pot. The chest eagle will be gold and probably red for the eye lenses. I may leave the weapon casing black.

 

 

The way these are shaping up is they're going to be a forlorn hope chapter, so when it's not possible to conduct an Exterminatus from orbit or a target needs to be extracted before launch these guys go in and place the charges manually extracting valuable personnel as they go. I'm toying around with calling them either the Extricators or Supplicators for now. the latter is a chapter with no details mentioned in the second Chapter Approved book back in around 2003.

 

I expect their modus operandi would give them some ties to the Inquistion if Exterminatus is involved.

[jaxom]

I think black casing would work well with the grey and the white (at least for this mini's colour silhouette). 

[Doghouse]

I think you could be right there.

 

Just a quick update, I've ordered 2 each of the Exterminatus, Coms Relay and Escape Pods which I want to make into objective markers which you can see in this picture.

 

 

I am tempted to go all Exterminatus bombs (the egg shaped objects) and have each numbered with maybe one or two with spare Eradicators on the bases arming them.

 

Base coated the rest of the first six guys and am about to start cleaning up the weapons and other areas then starting the washes of watered down abaddon black into the recesses.

Got another thirty of these guys on the way in the post because they are really cheap compared to what the multipart kits will be and I'm probably saving about £150 doing it like this and I don't need any weapon options.

 

 

[deathspectersgt7]

Another great project Doghouse.

[Doghouse]

Not seen you in ages, great to see you again mate. :tu:

[deathspectersgt7]

Thanks Mate

[Doghouse]

Well glad to hear you're ok mate.

 

Quick update, things are not going well...

 

I like the colour of the guys I am painting but I'm having problems with the consistancy of the grey on most of the guys and it's proving to be a bit of a headache. I'm sold on the white insert on the shoulders but the grey I am doing is a mess, so I think I'll strip the guys I am working on and redo them with a more straight forward grey.

 

On the plus side the first 15 recruits arrived and I'm currently putting them together while hunting through my bits box for spare aggressor helmets. I bought a load of the easy to build ones a while back when they came out on the Warhammer Conquest magazine.

 

As an army though I am a bit concerned they are going to be seriously over powered. I've got 36 guys running around effectively with strength 8 -4ap storm bolters putting out potentially 72 shots a turn. I'm toying around with using the two Impuslors I have as transports for the Exterminatus devices, maybe add a crane or something to the backs.

[Doghouse]

Here's the first 15 of the new guys with a few awaiting heads.

 

 

I'm not sure about this guy though but prefer to show warts and all. I am attempting to clean him up but I'm not feeling it as it just feels messy rather than gritty.

 

 

 

 

 

[jaxom]

My personal experience with painting greys is that they need a cohesive over-layer (like an all over wash) to bring the various shades/highlights/etc into cohesion. Mind you, I have a tendency to drybrush.

[Doghouse]

Yeah I know what you mean, the undercoat is important as well. The issue I have is that the layers of grey seem to absorb differently or react to undercoats, it's very easy to end up going done the wrong path with tones and shades where you end up models of different shades.

I do like painting grey a lot but I think I need something I can consistantly churn out uniformly. I might play around with green and see what sticks.

[Grim Dog Studios]

Captain looks fantastic in my opinion, loving that shade of grey that you've achieved. I get to that stage quite often and think the paint job doesn't look like my best work, but then once I've based him it changes my entire outlook on the miniature. I'm loving the lore too, and I don't think the army list you're thinking of will be massively overpowered, and if it is I don't see it as a problem. Paint and play what you think looks cool!

[lionofjudah]

Your dudes are looking amazing!!! I've been thinking along similar lines with the boltgun switch outs for the assault squad.

My Fists are crying out for some aggressive poses:)

I'm going to take a closer look at your chaplain/lt/CPT works when I get to a bigger screen as my phone won't open images any bigger than tiny size

[Doghouse]

Centurion Jay: Thanks mate, I do enjoy painting grey. It's a case of nit picking on my part I guess, I just feel I can do a better job on him.

 

But yeah it's definately a narrative army. Many different Chapters specialise in different areas of warfare and I like the idea of these guys being world killers, so when the situation is so dire and there is no way for Cyclonic torpedoes or Virus bombs to make it to the surface that is where these guys come in.

I can see them being a dour and devoted Chapter in outlook as a result. I was thinking that they are maybe on the extremely religious side side of the Imperial faith as well given the horrors they face and that they are there when worlds end.

Maybe some Ecclesiarchal and Inquisitional loose ties may be in place given the nature of their role in Exterminatus missions but I quite like the idea that these guys are so focused on their role that they have a human figure head for mediating between the other organisations of the Administratium so the entirety of the Primaris of the Chapter can be focused on war. This Chapter Regent is more of a figure head chosen from those Aspirants that failed the trails but survived with ultimate power residing with the First Company Captain.

I don't see them as secretive or some ultra special branch of the Inquistion or anything, they are regular Astartes but just not well known. Chances are if you are regular Imperial forces such as Guard or Skitari and you are operating in the same warzone as these guys you're not going ot survive to tell the tale.

 

I'm thinking of calling the Execraters or Exsecrari which means to declare to be evil or detestable or to donounce.

 

To Latinists, there's nothing cryptic about the origins of execrate-the word derives from exsecratus, the past participle of the Latin verb exsecrari, meaning "to put under a curse." Exsecrari was itself created by combining the prefix ex- ("not") and the word sacer ("sacred"). Sacer is also an ancestor of such English words as sacerdotal ("relating to priests"), sacral ("holy or sacred"), sacrifice, sacrilege, and of course sacred itself. There's also execration, which, true to its exsecrari roots, means "the act of cursing" or "the curse so uttered."

 

 

lionofjudah: Thanks mate. Yeah the Assault guys are great if you want to make regular Intercessors look like they are running. One good way to do it is get ten of the Assault guys when they are cheap from say on Ebay or from the new starter sets then also pick up a regular box of Intercessors and mix and match the arms. The kits from the sets though are very nice and easily converted.

 

Well it's been a productive week in terms of aquisitions for the army. I've got all the Eradicators I need now and I am currently assembling all 36 when you include the captain. I do have a couple of spare bodies left over so may make one into a Techmarine. I have also managed to snag two complete Repulsors for £65 using the Hachette magazines and two of the easy build Dreadnought but I am not sure if I'd use them on the army because it seems like if these guys fail there isn't going to be a lot left to put in dreadnought.

 

 

I've also got the Exterminatus devices now, these are effectively 40k nukes and the idea of six on fhem on the table as objective markers makes me laugh because in true 40k tradition it's complete overkill. I may make some more using the coms uplinks I got as well and maybe some Imperial nobles to extract.

 

 

And just to break up the monotony of just making stuff I have been reworking this guy I started ages ago. The idea is that he is a survivor from the Brazen Drakes who were deemed traitors by association in the recent story on the GW Community page. The idea is that he was a Reiver that ended up getting blown out into space during the battle with the Custodes and SIsters of Silence when his ship was blown up. Heavily injured and his Sus-an Membrane keeping him barely alive he is later picked up by Tau Watercaste vessel. At the order of the Etheral on board the Earth caste scientists did their best to restore him but did so to an incredibly sub-par standard meaning that he is far weaker. The original idea was that he'd lead a small experimental Auxilaries counts as force and now Patrols are a viable thing now I may make a small 25 power level force at some point in the future. He's a counts as Cadre Fireblade with the lower strength and toughness representing the severity of his prior injuries and the Tau's botched attempts to put him back together.

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Doghouse

[Grim Dog Studios]

That's a lot of Eradicators, I pity your enemies!  Love the idea behind the Tau Marine as well, and it's executed beautifully!

[Doghouse]

Thanks

 

Yeah there are a lot of them but I figured if I am going to do this now is the time when you can still get Eradicators fairly cheap.

 

I'm a bit all over the place at the moment as I like to have the parts in hand but I've been doing bits here and there on both forces. I know one of the most common comments of the Judicair model is the lack of a shoulder pad so I decided to flex my GS muscles and see if I can make it look like it would with one added. I also wanted to do something about that sleeve as well as I'm not a fan of the off the shoulder look on my Astartes.

 

So first off I used clippers and dremel to remove the existing sleeve and cut back the area where the belt would continue around the waist. I then built it back up with GS scupting in the lowest detail first which was the belt and then building up over this to the jacket.

The sword hand was removed carefully (I left the cut visable on this shot) then I glued the pad onto the shoulder and glued the hand back on, I was carefully not to damage the quillon (the cross bar where the blade meets the hand) and simpley put the hand back on. It was a pretty simple conversion to be honest as long as you are careful not to damage the sword. Originally I was looking at the arm and thinking I may need to replace this with another then sculpt the glove on but it worked fine with the original, you just have to do a few dry fits to make sure you get the pad on right so the arm can still be re-attached.

Next up I'll sculpt the rivets on the lapel and then do some clean up. I'm really not a fan of the hour glass though so will replace that, I've not got anything against it but it's just too Age of Sigmar for me and would look more at home on a Storm Cast Eternal. So what I might do is take the little hour glass of the old Empire Flagellent kit and use that as it's far smaller, failing that something like the head trophy from the White Scars upgrade might work.  

 

 

[jaxom]

Very nice! I think the lapel would have button holes, matching what's at the leg portion of the robe on the same side.

[Majkhel]

Very nice job on the Judiciar! GS work is very well executed.

There are several weird decisions made on the original Judiciar sculpt: the hourglass, this partially removed robe, the strange head/helmet, the ribs on the armour. 
Good to see how you're addressing those.