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

[hd3]

I applied my blue mix of 2:1 talasaar blue and aethernatic blue to the dreadnought today though I think the legs might need a second coat. I'm also thinking I may paint the kneepads in black to match the shoulders actually.

 

I feel weird about the scales. When I look at them from the front, I'm happy with them. When I look at them from the top I'm not. I think it's because the scales run over the panels at the back top of the chassis. I'm seriously debating just painting over the entire top back section with stormhost silver and doing it back to clear with blue. Maybe some feathering around the edges to add shadow.

 

I also started on this spare possessed I have because....because.

Edited April 6 by hd3

[Lay]

8 hours ago, hd3 said:

I feel weird about the scales. When I look at them from the front, I'm happy with them. When I look at them from the top I'm not. I think it's because the scales run over the panels at the back top of the chassis. I'm seriously debating just painting over the entire top back section with stormhost silver and doing it back to clear with blue. Maybe some feathering around the edges to add shadow.

 

Ah, tell me about it. Scales on larger surfaces can be a real headache. You should check out nail art stencils or stamps that have fish or "mermaid" patterns.

 

 

[hd3]

1 hour ago, Lay said:

 

Ah, tell me about it. Scales on larger surfaces can be a real headache. You should check out nail art stencils or stamps that have fish or "mermaid" patterns.

 

 

 

Hey thanks! I'll use this next time I'm doing large scales. Maybe I could work it onto the rhino somehow 

[hd3]

More mystery pieces! What do they mean?????

 

I also primed my casualty commission. This was my first time masking for spraying. The Tamiya masking tape was really good for getting around weird angles. But the client also said he doesn't care about the base so I didn't get overly thorough. I did accidentally chip off the primer a little on the cape too.

 

P.S the book it's sitting on is Paul stratherns' "death in Florence" which is one of the best and concise reads about Italian history ever and you should all read it.

 

 

Edited April 7 by hd3

[hd3]

Added another coat of blue. I also put stormhost silver over the panels. I'm going to go over them with nuln gloss and then reapply the blue mix. I decided to go with Abaddon black over the bright silver for the shoulders and kneepads for a lot more visual variety.

Edited April 8 by hd3
Added leg photo I forgot. Don't skip leg day!

[The Pounder]

Looking good so far!

 

I like the scale effect, very Alpha Legion.

[W.A.Rorie]

Looking good! 

[hd3]

Blocked in black over the non metallic parts of the flesh on the possessed.

 

Did a second cost over parts of the melta casing and shoulders with Abaddon black too. I've used runelord brass to do the grav flux bombards although picking out all the tiny details is gonna take me a while. I think an agrax wash next then tidy up with gunmetal before the glowing effects. Then I want a bright brass highlight over the brass parts of the gun casing but I don't really have a paint that fits.

 

I also redid the removable panels on the torso with nuln gloss and my blue mix. I'm much happier now the scales stop at the right point. I forgot to dry brush necron compound again though over the underside mechanical parts.

[W.A.Rorie]

Nice progress

[hd3]

 

So I stayed up all night to get it painted to battle ready for the tournament final today.  Highlights are in runefang steel for the blue sections and I used eshin grey and administratum grey for the highlights in the black sections. The grav flux bombard is in runelord brass and Vallejo gunmetal with the purple highlights in daemonette hide and druchii violet.  Now I just need decals, change the colour of the crotch skull, do the muzzle burn in the meltas and flamers, do the cables,  do the text on the banner and to add a bit more variation to the gravflux bombard. I thought maybe guilliman flesh thinned and out over the runelord brass.

 

P.S

I won the tourney !

Edited April 11 by hd3

[Firedrake Cordova]

Congrats on the win

[hd3]

On 4/11/2026 at 9:43 PM, Firedrake Cordova said:

Congrats on the win

Thank you! I don't want to oversell it but it was one of the greatest days of my life. I even went on to win my first match of the 1000 point league afterwards. Although Calgar did solo my entire terminator squad in one attack. 

Edited April 13 by hd3

[Firedrake Cordova]

Sounds like you had a good time with the follow-on.  It does sound a bit annoying Calgar taking out any entire Terminator squad in one go, but there again special characters and all that.

 

Your Terminators do look great in that last picture - such a nice colour (I'm looking at the leg armour of the left one in particular)

[hd3]

Just a small one today. I started on the muzzle burn for the flamers and meltas but the seraphim sepia is much harder to see on balthazar gold than on runelord brass. Next time I'm going to do the last step of druchii violet mixed with talassar blue for the tips. I also washed the grav flux bombards with guilliman flesh/contrast medium and highlighted with canoptek alloy.

 

I also added the decals. I went with the classic hydra for the left shoulder, fire support for the right since it has two guns and gamma for as yet unclear squad/honour marking on the right kneepad.

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

If you're finding Seraphim Sepia hard to see, the other option would be to mix it with Agrax Earthshade to give you a darker tone, although I don't know if that's the effect/tone you're after.  

[W.A.Rorie]

Looking good. 

[hd3]

I finished the muzzle burn for the flamers and meltas with talassar blue and druchii violet and then black legion over the very tips. Then the cables were done in corvus black, nuln oil and Vallejo neutral grey for highlights. I might also dry brush some soot on the exhausts on the back. Next time I'll get some glamour photos in the light box with a legionary for scale.

 

I also finished more or less my commissioned casualty. It's basically just my normal formula here except that I used flesh tearers red and a duller whiter for the eye lenses so it looks the light has gone out. I still need to scratch up the knee pad decals bit though. I'm not completely happy with the battle damage. The client says he wants to do the blood for the torn limbs himself though so it can pool. 

 

 

 

Edited April 19 by hd3

[Firedrake Cordova]

Nice work on the muzzle burn

[W.A.Rorie]

Great work on dreadnought and casuality

[hd3]

I dry brushed Abaddon black over the exhausts for a bit of a soot stained look. I also finally got around to doing the bases for my chosen. I screwed up the plastic glue though so I might need to touch up the bases a bit now. This is also my first time using the necromunda bases which are hopefully finally consistent with my earlier sector imperialis bases.

 

I've been putting off finishing the chosen because I wanted to base them so I could finish painting without touching the model. )I forgot to leave a bit of sprue on the foot for my clips to hold onto.

 

 

Edited April 23 by hd3

[W.A.Rorie]

Looking good!

 

[hd3]

Fixed up the chosen bases and added the black banding. I made a start on the other chosen with black legion for the armour seals and black templar for the bandolier. I also added the runelord brass for the chest grip and the heat sinks on the power pack.  I'm using the special mkvi alpha legion heads here again.

 

I made a partial start on my contemptor dreadnought, adding nuln gloss and the preceding gloss varnish.

 

Finally, I'm making a dead night lord who will serve as my focus of hatred/vendetta/oath of moment marker. I started with pro acryll fine grit concrete texture paint underneath, the mechacincus grey,nuln oil, dry brush of dawn stone and then administratum grey for the rubble. For the marine himself, it's kantor blue over Tamiya fine grey primer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 29 by hd3

[hd3]

Small update today. Just added retributor armor for the trim and runelord brass for the spent bolt shells and then washed everything with nuln oil. Next it's time to build the blue back up a little and tidy up, then flayed skin and bone time. I also did iron warriors for the lightning claws.

Edited May 1 by hd3

[hd3]

Mostly finished 3 of my chosen. Same formula as before except this time I skipped eshin grey and went straight to administratum grey for the gun highlights.

 

The squad leader is a first in that he is actually a 30k alpha legionary, hence the carefully correct markings on his veteran sergeants helm. But he will be doing double duty as one of my chosen. This is also why he has the two smooth shoulder pads of the alpha-corax pattern variant of mkvi armour. (I know this is not entirely accurate it's more of a visual stand in because I really wanted two regular shoulders.) I used mephiston red and thinned black templar for the helmet crest.

 

 

I also mostly finished my night lord casualty replicating my crusader Host recipe. Except I used t sons blue, Ahriman blue and white scar for his sole remaining lightning bolt projector. 

I'm undecided if he needs more chipping. Maybe heavier slinging of grey around the chest? Flesh is just Kislev flesh with reikland fleshshade over white. Bone details are zandri, agrax then ushabti highlights . I decided to give his base a neutral grey banding in the side since my alpha legion (bad?) guys have black on the sides of the base while the blood ravens (good) guys have light brown.

Edited Sunday at 03:29 AM by hd3

[The Pounder]

Fantastic work here!