Progress Log: Alpha Legion Warband: "The Last Surprise"

[hd3]

I managed to finish the Plague Marine Icon Bearer. I ended up using zandri dust on the maggots followed by reikland fleshshade with a highlight of flayed one flesh (per the link I was gifted above) with a little squid pink for the  mouth gums for the large worm/maggots coiled around the base of the staff. For the staff itself I used pallid such flesh and nuln oil for the little daemon thing clutched on the left side and ogryn camo, nuln oil, flayed one flesh highlights for the nurglings. Then kroxigor scale for the cycloptic eye and blood angel for the nurgling. 

 

I had real trouble getting the power pack to sit right because I attached it so late in the process but a piece of armour half melting off seems rather appropriate for a son of Mortarion do it doesn't bother me too much. I also sent back over this guy and all the others to add the dripping rust effects on the back of the power armour.  

 

Now it's just the plaguecaster and the bases. The plaguecaster's flies and gnats have so much tiny detail though, I'm not sure how I will paint it.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

He's looking great!  I particularly like the colouring on the tentacles, and the grime on the armour.

[Kommisar_K]

   Just skimmed through the blog, you're doing some awesome work here! I especially like how the paint schemes have evolved and improved over time while still looking really good together. Good ... cohesion is it? 

   Also about the "ugly commissar" (you posted about this guy last May I think) can't help but comment. I got the impression you weren't 100% satisfied (tho he does look awesome) so... His demonic face half might look good as some kind of scarring. I couldn't quite make out all the details but figure that could make a very grimdark storytelling bit for a dude in the ranks. A little prometheum burn, shrapnel wound...

   Or maybe that's just me making much ado about nothing 

   Again, awesome work here! Looking great. 

 

[hd3]

5 hours ago, Kommisar_K said:

   Just skimmed through the blog, you're doing some awesome work here! I especially like how the paint schemes have evolved and improved over time while still looking really good together. Good ... cohesion is it? 

   Also about the "ugly commissar" (you posted about this guy last May I think) can't help but comment. I got the impression you weren't 100% satisfied (tho he does look awesome) so... His demonic face half might look good as some kind of scarring. I couldn't quite make out all the details but figure that could make a very grimdark storytelling bit for a dude in the ranks. A little prometheum burn, shrapnel wound...

   Or maybe that's just me making much ado about nothing 

   Again, awesome work here! Looking great. 

 

 

Thanks so much for reading! Yeah, I've worked hard to keep all the models looking like they belong to the same faction, place, etc.

 

Yeah, it occurred to me afterwards that some good honest scarring or deformation might've been better. 

[hd3]

So I finished up my plaguecaster. This took a while because there's just so much detail to pick out. I ended up using gorthor brown with agrax for the wooden part of staff while the fig around the bloatflies is incubi darkness with dark reaper and fenris grey highlights.

The flies themselves are pallid witch flesh for the wings with nuln oil, Abaddon black bodies and white scar then blood angels red for the eyes. I also used ushabti bone and agrax for the fly legs. 

 

For the bases, I wanted a slimy contrast with heavy nuln oil gloss to create a hopefully grossish slimey base that none the less still contrasts with the plague marine.  Then it was just a matter of picking out all detritis on the base. I mostly used the same metallics as on the marines for this. Except the large dead maggot I painted an off grey to show that it's dead too and now the smaller maggots are feeding off the corpse.  I feel like the grey slurry base is missing something but I can't figure out what and I'm scared to make it worse honestly.

 

Lastly I started the decals. I used a battle line decal which I scratched up for the plague marine heavy gunner and for the plaguecaster I used a skull in halo that looked as similar to the proper DG badge as I have. I was gonna buy a 30k DG decal but they're incredibly expensive for a single. More than I paid for the whole kill team.  So instead I'm going to carve up the decal until it looks hopefully enough like a DG decal that has been worn away. 

I plan to make a streaking grime wash that will dull down both the decals to make tonally consistent with the rest of the model.  I also added some tiny runes in the tattered vestments of the plaguecaster.

 

Edited October 11 by hd3

[Valkia the Bloody]

I like the painting style on these Death Guard. Works very well.

I also like the bases!

As for something missing on the bases- I always add gore. Nice shiny fresh blood. But I tend to go overboard with that, so take this with a grain of salt. 

[hd3]

 

So I finally started on my Terminator sorcerer. After the usual pre-painting set up, leadbelcher, bright silver zenith, gloss varnish then nuln gloss, I put on the base coat of 3:1 talassar blue/kroxigor scale. I feel like this is the first time I've been able to get the paint on the whole model consistently perfect the first time. I also blacked out the future leather straps in abaddon black to reduce the shine and vallejo gunmetal for the volkite charger. 

 

I've also started a unit of Rubric marines. I'm not sure how im going to base these guys yet so right now I'm just doing one. This is for the renegades and raiders detachment specifically which grants the Rubrics assault as well as an additional -1 AP if the target is on an objective. Combined with the terminator sorcerer, this can go up to mass spam warpflamers with -ap3 and -4ap on any wound roll of a 6 thanks to icon of flame. A strategem also grants the rubrics re rolls if they got out of a rhino on the same turn they shoot.

 

For paint I used the Tamiya Ts - 21  Gold to get close to retributor armor, then did pot retributor armor over the trim with reikland fleshshade before a dry brush of stormhost silver for a little more highlighting. Then I started thousand sons blue (appropriately) over the panels.

Edited October 18 by hd3

[hd3]

Thanks to Grot for helping with the faces. That done, I now have finally finished and assembled Fabius Bile. I now at last have an epic hero character finished! I also started on the Dark Angel casualty to get my last possessed onto the tabletop at last. I went with Caliban green over tamiya ts-6 matt black spray for the armour then warpstone glow for edge highlighting. For the aquilla/caputmori on the chest I used zandri dust then agrax wash then a highlight of ushabti bone and finally Rhinox hide with agrax and gorthor for edge highlights on the belt.

 

Lastly on my first Rubric to give the armour a bit more depth, I used a druchii violet wash mixed with lahmian medium. I think I used too much medium though and the purple wash is barely visible even in the recesses. I think I next time I'll use 2:1 violet to medium instead of 1:1. Lastly averland sunset over the alternating stripes on the rubric power armour helmet. 

 

P.S

Getting those stripes on the power pack is ridiculously hard. So tiny.

Edited October 25 by hd3

[Firedrake Cordova]

It's a solid effort. I like how the "whatever it is in that syringe" came out with the meniscus effect 

[hd3]

I attached the dark angels casualty to the base. In a moment of hubris, I didn't check how far forward the corpse needs to be so my possessed is now standing very slightly off the base. I also totally forgot I need to paint the helmet he has ripped from his victim too so that's next. Then decals! 

[hd3]

I tidied up the skin around the ankle join and covered up the spots on the dark angel where the cement spilled. I also painted the helmet with mechanics grey for one loose cable and runelord brass for the other. I then did a layer of stirland battlemire over the base. I'm gonna dry brush it with some mournfang brown for a bit more tonal variation though I think. I'm also going to need to make an incision on the dark angel decals where there is a gash in the shoulder plate. But for the most part my last possessed is complete! Which means my Word Bearer possessed is now being retired to my display case.

[Firedrake Cordova]

I like the colour-shift from blue to green on the armour  

[hd3]

18 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

I like the colour-shift from blue to green on the armour  

 

That means chaos. I noticed green didn't really start creeping into the alpha legion colour scheme until well after the heresy.  So in my warband any models with colour shifting from blue to green have genuinely succumbed to chaos. Anyone with just blue, is untainted.

 

Of course with possessed, warp talons, obliterators etc. it's pretty obvious regardless.

[hd3]

So I've almost finished my first rubric  marine. I used Ahriman blue for edge highlights on the armour. The gens are flesh tearers red over the Tamiya gold spray which I discovered making really good looking gems. I used iron hands steel for the silver details and liberator gold to break up the gold details. 

 

For the warpflamer, I used Ahriman blue over white to try and do the runes but honestly it was so hard I might change it. Finally volupus pink and druchii violet over the fuel canister and a little kroxigor scale for the eye. 

 

I slightly screwed up the build so the flamer doesn't quite fit into his right hand. So this rubric marine will just have to be drawing his gun to the ready. I also didn't realize the older Warhammer decals had way bigger transparent backing paper so the tzeentch decal on the tabard has some overspill. Hopefully some of that will melt off with the micro-sol.  Next time I'm going to cut it much closer. I didn't do the base because I discovered some amazing Egyptian ruins 32mm bases from txarli factory which are going to serve as the ruins of prospero for the unit and I'm waiting for them. 

 

This was a fun change but there's so many gems and runes to pick out. I think just a single unit is good for me.

 

I also returned to the terminator sorcerer. I tidied up the trim with ironbreaker and added castellan green along the scales of the staff. I also added Abaddon black to the volkite charger and the first coat of xv88 for the leather straps.

[hd3]

So I made some progress on my terminator sorcerer. I finished the staff with iron Warriors for the shaft, Balthazar gold for the banding and gire grunts fur mixed with loads of contrast medium for a different brass tine in the librarius icons. 

 

For the runic glyphs in the power armour, I thinned down corax white with water until it basically became a wash and then used my extra extra extra small brush to fill the recesses. I'm going to do two more coats with white scar to add a bit more brightness. Then it's time for imperial fist yellow.

[hd3]

I finally finished! My Terminator Sorcerer is battle ready!  I have to touch up the paint around the cape clasps a little due to frosting from the super glue but otherwise, I am really happy with how this came out. Thanks again to Grot for the cape and the head.

 

With this guy done, we're moving onto a new unit: my custom build Alpha Legion chosen. 

[Vairocanum]

The terminator librarian looks great, love the glowing eyes! 

[Grotsmasha]

Looks great all together

 

Just saw a vid where someone cleaned off Super (CA) glue frosting with a que-tip soaked in WD40

Edited Monday at 09:46 AM by Grotsmasha

[Valkia the Bloody]

I love the glowing eyes! 

 

Grotsmasha, thanks for the heads up, must keep that in mind, I have some old metal models where this is an issue. 

 

[hd3]

Just added the tabard!