Star Knights

[Hasoroth]

I am stuck in an infinite cycle of "Hey that's a cool idea for a Chapter", writing about it, getting bored, and moving onto the next idea. 

A few weeks ago while walking by a scattered pool of autumn leaves I was struck by another idea: "Damn, that's a sexy looking color scheme."

Hence the Star Knights (working name) were born.

 

This was my first test scheme model, I wanted to try out contrast paints and a halved scheme (as well as an attempt at a green stuff fur mantle that ended up looking like leaves).

 

 

This was my second attempt, nixing the halved scheme and focusing on the gold.

 

 

The problem with the gold was that I didn't like how it looked across an an entire model, something about the color didn't look right to me. Also I felt that drowning a model in gold made regular grunts look too special. So I went back to the drawing board and came out with a scheme that felt right to me.

 

Jackpot. I did away entirely with the contrast over a metallic base and went with a US Army drab green, utilizing the golden effects from earlier for details. This makes the paint scheme 'scaleable' for officers and the like. At this point I'm mostly happy with the model, although I did a terrible job drilling the barrel. To my mind this is what a normal Sergeant's color scheme would look like, and I envision a line trooper's helmet would be the same green as the rest of the armor.

 

The warm colors of fall are still present in the final draft, and I intend to use heraldry and tilting plates to more obviously play those colors up (reds, oranges, yellows, browns). The helmet's white came out looking too chalky (previously it had been a smooth light grey but I wanted to see what a pure white would look like) but I actually ended up liking the final product, it ended up accidentally looking like battle damage (and if I was to describe my painting style, a [losing] battle would be a pretty close analogy).

With all that being said stay tuned. I'm going to figure out a basing scheme (probably something lilac and purple-y), more detailed fluff (a summary of what I've got so far is available in a spoiler tag below), and also how to reliably sculpt fur.

 

Fluff:

 

Hidden Content

Star Knights.

Ultima Founding.

Ultramarine's Successors.

During the late phase of the Indomitus Crusade, Fleet Tertius' crusade took it through the Segmentum Tempestus.

Numerous Chapter's were founded from the ranks of the Grey Shields to safeguard a variety of strategically important locations.

 

The Star Knights were founded to protect the Rosethorn Cluster, a stretch of space noted for harboring an abundance of human habitable worlds as well as inhuman predators, warp phenomena, and interstellar hazards.

 

Abandoned during the Great Rift, the Imperial worlds of the Rosethorn Cluster have devolved. Few civilized let alone Hiveworlds still exist, the entire territory is frontier space now.

 

The Star Knights set their fortress monastery on Ancien, a feudal world with (relatively stable) warp currents to the rest of the cluster. They have begun to adopt local customs with their first influxes of local recruits.

 

The Star Knights are "King Arthur's Round Table in SPACEEEE". They speak a local dialect of Gothic (basically me mashing google translations of French and Latin), they recruit from the son's of the local nobility, and they embark on quests across the cluster slaying monsters, rescuing civilians, and pursuing chivalrous ideals. 
 

Next Update:

Whenever I get more marines. The Assault Intercessors came as a sprue of five from eBay, three models survived to be painted while two were lost to the horrors of green stuff experimentation.  Edited October 6, 2020 by Hasoroth

[War of the Eagle]

Likeing the look of the 3rd and final scheme. Feels very raptor or mentors.

 

What will their chapter icon look like?

[Hasoroth]

Likeing the look of the 3rd and final scheme. Feels very raptor or mentors.

 

What will their chapter icon look like?

 

Like this!

 

 

I wanted something simple and easily reproducible, as well as a knightly heraldic motif for every model that doesn't have a tilting plate. Sergeants and up will have their own heraldry (where I'll use more complex symbols and colors).

 

This was today's finished trooper:

 

With the exception of moldline cleanup on the magazine, and a tightening up of the highlight's on the boltguns casing I'm pleased with the quality for a regular line trooper. 

[War of the Eagle]

Really liken them. Also the chapter badge is simple but really looks good on the white.

 

Feels like they could be brothers to my army haha

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/4099/h14A2J.jpg

 

The olive drab is such a good look on primaris.

 

Lookin forward to more

[Hasoroth]

Really liken them. Also the chapter badge is simple but really looks good on the white.

 

Feels like they could be brothers to my army haha

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/4099/h14A2J.jpg

 

The olive drab is such a good look on primaris.

 

Lookin forward to more

 

They absolutely could be brothers, I was wondering how to designate an assistant squad leader for combat squads and I copied your helmet stripe. Also the olive drab is great, it looks so smooth but it's not so bold that it requires an inordinate amount of work to tie the entire scheme together. I'm just trying to figure out what color to highlight the drab with, right now I'm mixing my olive with yellow until it's bright enough to highlight with.

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by Hasoroth

[War of the Eagle]

 

 

Really liken them. Also the chapter badge is simple but really looks good on the white.

 

Feels like they could be brothers to my army haha

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/4099/h14A2J.jpg

 

The olive drab is such a good look on primaris.

 

Lookin forward to more

They absolutely could be brothers, I was wondering how to designate an assistant squad leader for combat squads and I copied your helmet stripe. Also the olive drab is great, it looks so smooth but it's not so bold that it requires an inordinate amount of work to tie the entire scheme together. I'm just trying to figure out what color to highlight the drab with, right now I'm mixing my olive with yellow until it's bright enough to highlight with.

 

 

If your using GW paints I would try highlighting with Ogryn green.

 

The stripe looks great. Tho with white I would try a white helm with a green stripe.

 

Heres my full 5 man squad if it gives you any more ideas.

Edited October 9, 2020 by War of the Eagle

[Hasoroth]

I love your marines they look great. I've got a small squad pic with terrible lighting.

 

 

And a close up picture of the new member of the squad. His right arm is black to showcase he's started along the path of joining the Star Knight's Chaplains.

 

 

The plan is to do this for some members of the various tactical squads (oops, Intercessors I guess) - blue for Librarian initiates, red for Techmarine initiates, white for Apothecary initiates. 

[Guest Triszin]

awesome color scheme

[War of the Eagle]

I like the idea of individuals being apprentice caplains and apothocarys. Squads looken good all together.

 

My army denotes rank by knee pad markings and how much is colord yellow. The helms are also an indicator but usualy more of role than rank.

[Hasoroth]

I like the idea of individuals being apprentice caplains and apothocarys. Squads looken good all together.

 

My army denotes rank by knee pad markings and how much is colord yellow. The helms are also an indicator but usualy more of role than rank.

I've been thinking about squad and company differentiations as well. Part of me wants to do heraldry on their right knee but I also don't want to get into a situation where a squad sergeant has left shoulder pad chapter heraldry, his own personal heraldry, then his squad and/or company heraldries - would look messy.

 

Other option is just simple decals which Ill need to practice with having never used them before.

 

awesome color scheme

Thanks Triszin I appreciate it!

[Hasoroth]

I'm back with an update. I finished a couple more members of the first tactical squad, and have started working on Bladeguard and an Apothecary. Right now I'm looking for bits to use to represent storm shields, preferably something buckler shaped. Any ideas?

 

I've been having a blast using intercessor bodies as the base for various characters. It's a creative challenge and it saves money, win win!

Edited November 12, 2020 by Hasoroth