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

[hd3]

Chosen are almost done, I'll add more photos once finish the last few touches. I also FINALLY based my sorcerer with accompanying grey knight basing trophy.

 

Incidentally, Fabius and his chosen brick led 'the last surprise' to a double header victory today. Including avenging the loss of Harmony in the legion wars by taking down Abaddon. Thank you Fabius enhanced Chosen and pactbound zealots undivided rerolls!

 

P.S

In the Roman empire, if a general killed the enemy warlord in single combat he was entitled to the '

spolia opima' the highest ranking war trophy. Fabius didn't 'quite' face Abaddon in single combat but he did get the killing blow after all the chosen had fought and won me the match. Now I kind of feel obligated to make a second mutant to follow him around waving a tattered black legion banner with the symbols crossed out.

 

I've also included a few photos of my entire Alpha Legion army I assembled today. Everything fully painted on one table.

Edited May 9 by hd3

[hd3]

Tidied up my chosen though the vexilla needs more work. I went with casian flesh to Kislev to ushabti bone and nuln oil for the banner. Then thinned goregrunts for the skull and runelord brass for the casing on the rods. The laurels are thinned warp lightning.

 

Just the vexilla, decals and varnishing and then I can finally start on my long awaited contemptor.

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

I really like the colour you're getting for the armour

[hd3]

I put the decals on my chosen and tidied up the black trim on the base.  Then I was finally able to make a start on my Contemptor dreadnought. I used my normal blue mix here with the same metallic paints for the servos and joints etc. as the Leviathan and Abaddon black for the shoulders and knee pads. Next I think rattling grime for the runelord brass parts of the servos and maybe sponging on some eshin grey along the black flat part of the chainblade to help try and hide the scuff marks.

 

 

P. S

 

I realized now actually I maybe should have put the chain links on the power fist instead according to the alpha legion squad markings guide.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 18 by hd3

[Firedrake Cordova]

Looks like good progress.  

 

A couple of them are out of focus, because the camera's Abominable Intellect decided to focus on the print, rather than the model.  Maybe it might be better to use a sheet of printer paper next time?  

[hd3]

1 hour ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

Looks like good progress.  

 

A couple of them are out of focus, because the camera's Abominable Intellect decided to focus on the print, rather than the model.  Maybe it might be better to use a sheet of printer paper next time?  

What? You don't want to know the local news of northern Japan????

 

But yes, I'm going to replace these as soon as I can. These were taken in a rush as I hurried out of the house. Honestly it makes me want to get a digital camera and spare myself the headache. Or makes it a rule that I only post photos monthly from the light box at my club.

Edited May 15 by hd3

[The Pounder]

Well, I think they’re great!

 

The metallic blue is sublime and is perfect for Alpha Legion.

[hd3]

5 hours ago, The Pounder said:

Well, I think they’re great!

 

The metallic blue is sublime and is perfect for Alpha Legion.

Thanks so much!

 

 

I stayed up all night and finished my Alpha Legion relic contemptor dreadnought. I just used the same colours as my Leviathan Dreadnought except for the hydras on the torso which are corax white, space wolf grey, corax white dry brush and Fenris grey spot highlights along the hydra underbellies.  I used a 60mm sector imperialis base to help keep the ruined industrial look. Its important to me to try and keep the basing scheme as consistent as possible so the marines all look like they're part of the same battle. (Cult marines being the exception since they're a different army.) The alpha legion resin upgrade was honestly horribly overpriced but it really does add so much detail compared to the blank plastic torso. Plus now I can use the plastic contemptor chassis as a basing trophy. I'm thinking I'll use the aquilla version and paint it as an EC dreadnought that's fallen.

 

I'm mostly really happy with this and I have REALLY wanted to paint this model for ages. One thing I realize looking at this model though is that I also REALLY need to improve at doing red eye lenses. I'm not satisfied with this red negative space look. I though maybe gold with blood angels red contrast might give me a look closer to an eye lenses but still be easy?

 

 

Now I just need to add the decals and I can varnish my Contemptor. Next it's time for the random character grab-bag of my last Lernaen terminator, chaos lord, chaos lord with jump pack and warpsmith.

[hd3]

I've started on my miscellaneous character pile. For various reasons, the terminator lord, dark apostle and (REDACTED) can't be started yet. So for now I'm doing my final Lernaen terminator whom I was finally able to get a second arm for over a year after the rest were finished. I'm also doing my chaos lord which is a legion praetor with sword from 30k. However I swapped in the Alpha Legion officer helmet because frankly it was more thematically correct and fancier than the praetor helmet. 

 

 

 

The chaos lord with jump pack is a kit bash. I used a raptor arm and plasma pistol with a primaris intercessor shoulder, a CSM skull emblem shoulder, 30k assault squad sergeant body and the left over fancy helmet from legion praetor with axe/master of Executions. I'm quite proud of the fit with the  tactical rock which I recycled from one of my possessed.

 

Finally, my warpsmith is from the dakkadakka STC (STL) store 'scylla legion' range which I thought looked much more alpha legion appropriate than the GW model. I did make some concessions though, I added a left over shoulder with the cog teeth trim from my havocs to make him look more like a standard marine. (He lost his right shoulder pad in a skirmish evidently. ) And a CSM plasma pistol I had left over. 

 

These have all followed my normal leadbelcher spray, Tamiya bright silver, gloss varnish, nuln oil pre - treatment and today I applied the first coat of my 2:1 talassar blue/aethernatic blue mix.

Edited May 19 by hd3

[hd3]

Finally attached the decals and varnished my contemptor. I  went with the command variant of the hydra for the left shoulder since the regular hydra and alpha/Omega are on the chest. I guess this guy was a senior office before he got interred. The right shoulder has the honoured ancient squad marker while the knee pads are the mysterious sigma honour mark? And a text which I think is an excerpt from a pre unity tragedian text about the folly of hubris in seeking immortal legacy. I also added the hazard stripe to the chain fist which I think I may just make standard protocol. 

 

I also tried something new, adding chain decals to the fist itself which is suspected in the legion markings guide to be a rank indicator with each link in the chain denoting a degree of seniority. 

 

 

[Kommisar_K]

Wow. Been a while since I checked this thread. Gorgeous work being done! The contemptor is awesome. Assembled army looks great too. The blue, the osl... just amazing.

 

Out of curiosity: any thoughts on the future Solomon Akurra mini? 

[hd3]

1 hour ago, Kommisar_K said:

Wow. Been a while since I checked this thread. Gorgeous work being done! The contemptor is awesome. Assembled army looks great too. The blue, the osl... just amazing.

 

Out of curiosity: any thoughts on the future Solomon Akurra mini? 

 

Thanks! I appreciate that.

 

My considered opinion has always been that each of the first founding legions should get a named epic hero and perhaps a specialist unit to bring them into parity with the loyalist first founding legions.

 

Akurra is probably going to be a black library character though I would bet. But hey, a quick head swap and I finally get a named character. I'm surprised they've taken this long to release him honestly given the author confirmed the mini in the forward to ghost legion. Hopefully he'll be out soon.

[Nagashsnee]

Great looking army, nice to see alpha legion, contemptor looks grand too. 

[Doghouse]

Really nice stuff, especially loving that army shot.