Volgon's Homebrew Kill Team - Painting my First Mini

[Volgon]

+++ File log Omega, vermillion level access code input required +++
+++ Access granted. Welcome, [REDACTED] +++
+++ Initiating data scan +++
+++ Data scan complete, transferring selected file 2020 +++
+++ File transferred. Subject header "[REDACTED]" +++
+++ dated 0804999.M41 +++
+++ Beginning vox transcript +++

          VR: New orders. With the previous Master's treachery and termination, you've been reassigned. Transmitting the target.
          BW: ......
          BW: Received. Solution?
          VR: Annihilation. Absolute. The Avenging Son is vulnerable. For him to see an entire Chapter in the mimicry of his Father's false life? I hesitate to postulate the possibilities, but none can benefit the Imperium.
          BW: ...
          BW: Eludicate.
          VR: Everything you need is in the file.
          BW: Elucidate.
          VR: ...
          VR: ...
          VR: They straddle the realm between the living and the dead. Truly. They are slain, yet they return. They live but do not breathe, do not eat. They exist only to make war. Empowered by their own purpose. Strength in death, their own or their enemies'.
          VR: My agents of the XXth have provided much of our intelligence regarding these necromancers. They assure me the nature of this power is sorcery, though they cannot confirm the presence of traditional corruption when dealing with the Pantheon. For now we proceed on their word.
          BW: ...
          BW: Understood. Witnesses?
          VR: None. Complete blackout. Take out the entire sub-sector if required. Word of these walking corpses cannot spread, especially to the Son. Any other questions? I have business.
          BW: ...
          BW: None.
          VR: Good. A final point. The leader (re:FILE.m41.ARCHLICH) MUST be dealt with. The XXth believe him to be the lynchpin of their unholy existence. No half measures.
          BW: ...
          BW: Mobilizing the Daedelos.

+++ Vox transcript ends +++
+++ File deletion initiated +++
+++ Logging out +++
+++ Thought for the Day: Hydra Dominatus +++

 

Edited Tuesday at 07:15 PM by Volgon

[Volgon]

Howdy, y'all! I love seeing people post their creative work so I decided to make a place for me to share my own. I was really into the hobby/lore back in 3rd/4th edition, then fell out for a long time. I got back in hard with the video game Space Marine's anniversary; they gave away a bunch of DLC for free and I was hooked on the multiplayer (it's still got people!) for a while. Swore I wouldn't buy any new kits and here I am. I've been around the B&C for a while, mostly a lurker, though. @Doghouse's incredible Gothic Marine conversions with the old school Chaos Warriors kits from WHFB were a big inspiration for my conversions. These days, I get a lot of inspiration from folks like our own @KrautScientist and @SecretlyShiva on twitter. I am a hobbyist more than anything, and prefer to make individual Marines (even your basic gunners) characterful, flavorful models. I am also a builder more than a painter, so most of my content will likely be of the Grey variety, though I have recently acquired the materials to begin my painting journey so at some point I will probably put paint to plastic and jump in!

 

With that out of the way, more about the warband! I hope the transcript above was intriguing! I have some lore done up, not super in depth, and will try to post more later. For now, they are a Cursed Founding chapter, very much a death cult, and have unlocked the power of necromancy via sorcery (involving some long forgotten lore on Barbarus). I've got heraldry mostly chosen. Here is their Chapter badge, courtesy of Popgoesthemonkey:

 

 

And a few schemes (made in the Space Marine video game) utilizing the 3 Bs: Black, blue, bone! Not sure if the trim will be metallic or blue (mostly depends on the models themselves, I want the blue to be a major accent color):

[Volgon]

+++ File log Omega, vermillion level access code input required +++
+++ Access granted. Welcome, [REDACTED] +++
+++ Initiating data scan +++
+++ Data scan complete, transferring selected file 2020.FILE.m41.BUTCHER +++
+++ File transferred. Subject header "[REDACTED]" +++
+++ dated 0804999.M41 +++

 

          Operative: Kragan

          Classification: Master of Executions (40k), Butcher (Kill Team)

 

          Pict Recordings:

 

+++ File ends +++
+++ File deletion initiated +++
+++ Logging out +++
+++ Thought for the Day: Hydra Dominatus +++

 

This guy was one of my original handful of Marines I started kitbashing once I decided to work on a Legionary Kill Team. With its bespoke characters, Legionaries makes it really easy to go wild with your imagination, with each operative being on his own path to death, glory, power, whatever you want! While all of my other operatives have undergone various iterations, I think Kragan is the only one I stayed completely true to the path on. I always wanted to use the Judiciar body, and I always wanted to have that "Who's next on the chopping block?", very blasé, strolling through the battlefield kind of look, and I think it just works excellently. Shout out to @KrautScientistfor the helmet idea, I absolutely fell in love with it when I saw it in their thread!

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Volgon

[Firedrake Cordova]

That's a nice conversion.  

 

Are there plans to "powerise" the axe, or is it going to stay as a regular axe?

[Raziel-TX]

Neat. Looking forward to more post on this homegrown chapter. 

[Volgon]

3 hours ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

That's a nice conversion.  

 

Are there plans to "powerise" the axe, or is it going to stay as a regular axe?

 

Thanks! I actually hadn't considered making it an outright power axe, and thinking about it now, I definitely could have put a power generator and cabling to connect the metal part of the axe head with the wooden haft. It's pinned and glued together, but I might be able to add cut off a power pack or cable and add it on top of the existing frame. I'll have to think about it.

[Volgon]

7 minutes ago, Raziel-TX said:

Neat. Looking forward to more post on this homegrown chapter. 

 

Cheers! I will definitely be posting more in the coming days :)

[KrautScientist]

First of all, many thanks for the unexpected shout out -- very glad to be of service!

 

The helmet conversion works extremely well on that model! Excellent choice! It seems the upper part sits on the Skitarii rebreather at a bit of an angle, though -- seems a bit as though the Marine is gnashing his teeth, so to speak -- which could be a pretty cool effect in and of itself.

 

As for the rest of the model, I do have two gripes with it, if you'll allow me the criticism:

• I think the back pack really doesn't work well -- it seems a bit too clunky and openly mutated for the overall look of the character. If you wanted a similar bit with a slightly more balanced appearance, the backpack of Kranon the Relentless might be perfect for the task (but could, admittedly, be difficult to get hold of). As an aside: Man, did GW actually go and put a freaking Bloodthirster face on that backpack -- it's slightly scaled down, but those look like the exact same features...
• I am also not *quite* sold on the axe, mainly because the haft just seems a bit unwieldy, even for a Primaris-sized Marine. Maybe just cutting out a part of the bit below the hand would already solve the problem -- but then this is very much a matter of personal preference, so if you are happy with it, definitely keep it that way!

[Montuhotep]

2 hours ago, Volgon said:

 

Thanks! I actually hadn't considered making it an outright power axe, and thinking about it now, I definitely could have put a power generator and cabling to connect the metal part of the axe head with the wooden haft. It's pinned and glued together, but I might be able to add cut off a power pack or cable and add it on top of the existing frame. I'll have to think about it.

If that fails, just do what I do; point out that even if it's a normal axe it's got muscle cables, actuators and a transhuman behind it, so it's not going to be gentle...

[Volgon]

3 hours ago, KrautScientist said:

First of all, many thanks for the unexpected shout out -- very glad to be of service!

 

The helmet conversion works extremely well on that model! Excellent choice! It seems the upper part sits on the Skitarii rebreather at a bit of an angle, though -- seems a bit as though the Marine is gnashing his teeth, so to speak -- which could be a pretty cool effect in and of itself.

 

As for the rest of the model, I do have two gripes with it, if you'll allow me the criticism:

• I think the back pack really doesn't work well -- it seems a bit too clunky and openly mutated for the overall look of the character. If you wanted a similar bit with a slightly more balanced appearance, the backpack of Kranon the Relentless might be perfect for the task (but could, admittedly, be difficult to get hold of). As an aside: Man, did GW actually go and put a freaking Bloodthirster face on that backpack -- it's slightly scaled down, but those look like the exact same features...
• I am also not *quite* sold on the axe, mainly because the haft just seems a bit unwieldy, even for a Primaris-sized Marine. Maybe just cutting out a part of the bit below the hand would already solve the problem -- but then this is very much a matter of personal preference, so if you are happy with it, definitely keep it that way!

 

Cheers!

1. The helmet - you are completely right, it does sit at an angle. There is some banded armor on the rear of the rebreather head, similar to the banded armor on the legs of MK2 Marine armor for example. I wanted to keep those bands intact, though to be fair it's mostly for me since it would be difficult to see them anyway. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it and really glad you showed off your own example that I could work from! EDIT: on further viewing, I think I mistook what you were talking about, and I think I see it now. You mean angled as in one "cheek" sits on the top of the rebreather while the other cheek floats? Definitely not intentional, just a small mistake while gluing. Those two pieces being small were very fiddly to hold together, hard to keep their orientation completely correct. I could try to separate the pieces and reglue, though the issue is pretty small and could be covered up during painting. I'll think about it.
2. I actually have Kranon's backpack! It's one of the options I've been mulling about with since I'd like to use one of them for this guy and another (though I have a third option in mind) for the warband's leader. I like that Kranon's backpack is a bit smaller scale; on the other hand, I like that the axe rests pretty nicely on the current backpack to really emphasize this kind of casual "come at me" pose I'm going for. I'll play around with alternate power packs.
3. I can certainly see where you are coming from regarding the axe. For a comparison, it's actually just about the same size (ever so slightly longer because of the blade tip at the end of the haft) as the axe the stock GW Master of Executions model has. Perhaps it looks a big wonky because of the location of his grip, like maybe if it was held higher up towards the blade it might look more "balanced"? Here is a comparison shot of the two:

But yeah I would say my taste in fictional arms and armor does gravitate towards the oversized (I've played World of Warcraft for ages now where that is common design aesthetic).

 

  

2 hours ago, Montuhotep said:

If that fails, just do what I do; point out that even if it's a normal axe it's got muscle cables, actuators and a transhuman behind it, so it's not going to be gentle...

For sure! Nothing wrong with a bit of artistic license. Doubt many people would be a stickler over whether a power weapon has cables or not :)

Edited May 2, 2023 by Volgon

[KrautScientist]

Hm, you know what: The longer I keep looking at that axe, the more it seems to me that it's less of a size problem and more an issue of how weirdly the different parts of the axe (don't) line up. Like, there's at least three different composition lines at work there...

[Volgon]

2 minutes ago, KrautScientist said:

Hm, you know what: The longer I keep looking at that axe, the more it seems to me that it's less of a size problem and more an issue of how weirdly the different parts of the axe (don't) line up. Like, there's at least three different composition lines at work there...

 

Could be for sure. IIRC, the original axe had a two handed grip, so I had to do a lot of cutting to remove the hands, leaving some pretty glaring cut marks where I did the work. I am not too sure on how to go about covering them up, maybe some green stuff in the seams. Or try to find some bits that fit the aesthetic and attach them over the seam locations (I've thought about stuff like chains or wrappings for another project with similar issues).

[KrautScientist]

Hm, I don't think the cut marks are THAT much of an issue -- if anything, I'd probably shave down the area around the hand a bit, making it look as though that grip area were a bit narrower than the rest of the haft (right now, it looks a bit as if the Marine were clutching a balloon animal). But the bigger problem are the different "directions", for lack of a better word, that are at work here: I've marked them out for you:

 

 

The entire weapon seems to "zig-zag", so to speak. I think the easiest solution would be to cut off the head, shave off a bit of the haft and then reattach the blade at a slightly different angle:

 

[Volgon]

Ah yeah, I definitely see where you are coming from now! Your modification certainly looks better. I pinned + glued a lot of the axe together (including that specific joint) so I am not sure if I will be able to make many or any modifications to it. But I am definitely going to take a look into it during my next hobby session. I have some extra axes of the same type so I might be able to make one work. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Volgon]

+++ File log Omega, vermillion level access code input required +++
+++ Access granted. Welcome, [REDACTED] +++
+++ Initiating data scan +++
+++ Data scan complete, transferring selected file 2020.FILE.m41.ICONBEARER+++
+++ File transferred. Subject header "[REDACTED]" +++
+++ dated 0804999.M41 +++

 

          Operative: Thros

          Classification: Chosen Icon Bearer (40k), Icon Bearer with Bolter or Bolt Pistol and Chainsword (Kill Team)

 

          Pict Recordings:

 

+++ File ends +++
+++ File deletion initiated +++
+++ Logging out +++
+++ Thought for the Day: Hydra Dominatus +++

 

This guy. I swear I've gone through like 4 iterations trying to decide on my perfect Icon Bearer. So far I think this is my favorite one, though I did have to cannibalize a different operative (my Shrivetalon) to get him this way. I think they are both better off in their current iterations though, and will be posting that guy later. Basically nothing is glued together besides the Bolter to the hand and the hand to the wrist because I'm not sure if this is the final form yet.

 

Also that Commissar bit is such a cool piece, have had it forever, but boy is it janky, not sure that will be the final attachment location. It's currently in the little space behind the neck guard but in front of the backpack so the back of the coat can use the backpack horns as support. Not exactly sure how I would be able to go about attaching the banner pole to the top of the backpack securely (like a more standard Icon), probably have to involve drilling a hole into the top of the backpack large enough to fit the banner pole in. The pole itself is too skinny to pin so I think how it is currently or plugging it into a hole are likely my only two options.

[Volgon]

+++ File log Omega, vermillion level access code input required +++
+++ Access granted. Welcome, [REDACTED] +++
+++ Initiating data scan +++
+++ Data scan complete, transferring selected file 2020.FILE.m41.MOP+++
+++ File transferred. Subject header "[REDACTED]" +++
+++ dated 0804999.M41 +++

 

          Operative: Hakkon

          Classification: Master of Possession (40k), Balefire Acolyte (Kill Team)

 

          Pict Recordings:

 

+++ File ends +++
+++ File deletion initiated +++
+++ Logging out +++
+++ Thought for the Day: Hydra Dominatus +++

 

Howdy again, folks! This time I've got my warband's head hancho when it comes to the esoteric. SUPER happy with the way he turned out, I absolutely adore the pose and I am very happy with the way the staff came out. The Possessed backpack having its own "flames" on the skull vents was such a stroke of luck, didn't even know that backpack existed until I was looking through the sprues.

 

Only qualms overall are the tentacles things on the backpack (I just noticed them on the photos), I might clip those off, and I don't care for the belt buckle. Doesn't really fit and I'm not too sure what to do with it. Maybe clip it off and put a skull or something over it. Or maybe shift the skull/tassel accessory from the side of his belt to connected to the buckle. Or something else entirely! Not sure.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Volgon

[Volgon]

+++ File log Omega, vermillion level access code input required +++
+++ Access granted. Welcome, [REDACTED] +++
+++ Initiating data scan +++
+++ Data scan complete, transferring selected file 2020.FILE.m41.PGunner+++
+++ File transferred. Subject header "[REDACTED]" +++
+++ dated 0804999.M41 +++

 

          Operative: Thrunn

          Classification: Chosen with Combi-Plasma (40k), Gunner with Plasma Gun (Kill Team)

 

          Pict Recordings:

 

+++ File ends +++
+++ File deletion initiated +++
+++ Logging out +++
+++ Thought for the Day: Hydra Dominatus +++

 

Here again with a less bespoke operative, the Plasma Gunner! So, while I am not a player myself, I do really enjoy keeping up with the competitive scene. Army lists, loadouts, statlines etc, all that stuff is pretty fun for me to think about even if I don't have the intention of putting it into practice. With 10th's reveal of Leaders being able to join units, I started thinking about how to incorporate my Kill Team projects into a small 10th edition army list, and while we are still months out from having datasheets for units, it's probably safe to make some assumptions. In my case, assumptions regarding the Chosen unit in CSM. Loadouts for revealed units so far don't seem to have changed, so a 5 man of Chosen in 10th are likely to be able have: 1 Power Fist, 1 plasma pistol, 2x combi weapons (likely all combi weapons combined into one profile as previewed), 1 dual Accursed Weapon, 1 icon. This actually lines up really well for my Kill Team!

1. Chosen Champion with Power Fist + Plasma Gun (same loadout as my Aspiring Champ for KT)
2. 2x Chosen with Accursed Weapons + Combi Weapons
3. Chosen with Dual Accursed Weapons (perfect Shrivetalon analogue)
4. Chosen with Icon (Icon Bearer for KT)

So, while this guy isn't really WYSIWYG re: Kill Team, he does still have a Plasma Gun, albeit in mini form. I do think he (well, all 3 of them really) suffers a bit from "gorilla arms", but I suppose that's just the nature of using Terminator parts on non-terminator bodies (I have spare Terminator arms which can attach combi weapons, but no power armor sized combi weapons like the Sternguard ones). I think he is my favorite of the 3 combi users, which I'll be posting in the next few days.

 

For reference, this the last iteration I had constructed him in full WYSIWYG

[Volgon]

Second update today, not really thrilled with either option in the above post. Doing some more experimenting. Still trying to get the loadouts to work for both KT and 40k, considering magnetization (haven't ever done it but may try it for these guys).

[Volgon]

+++ File log Omega, vermillion level access code input required +++
+++ Access granted. Welcome, [REDACTED] +++
+++ Initiating data scan +++
+++ Data scan complete, transferring selected file 2020.FILE.m41.SHRIVE+++
+++ File transferred. Subject header "[REDACTED]" +++
+++ dated 0804999.M41 +++

 

          Operative: Mortiik

          Classification: Chosen with dual Accursed Weapons (40k), Shrivetalon (Kill Team)

 

          Pict Recordings:

 

+++ File ends +++
+++ File deletion initiated +++
+++ Logging out +++
+++ Thought for the Day: Hydra Dominatus +++

 

A few weeks ago I saw some phenomenal Primaris Night Lords conversions on reddit using Sword Brethren bodies, with the tabards painted as flayed skin. As a massive fan of the Sword Brother/Brethren sculpts (I just love armor with bevors/gorgets) I decided to try my hand at it and this is the result! Getting the Havoc shin plates to fit in place of the standard Primaris ones was a challenge but I don't think any mistakes are very noticable, and it adds some needed baroque Chaosification.

 

As for other projects, still plugging along on the Gunners, but some inspiration struck and I think I finally have a decent idea of where I'm going with them.

[Volgon]

Little update here, finally hit some inspiration and knocked out two of the three special weapons guys. Not final, still need to decide on accessories/backpacks.

 

Melta Gunner:

 

Plasma Gunner:

 

Don't think I will keep the knife arm on the Plasma Gunner. It doesn't look too bad but it's what I had on hand. Always having to convert right handed melee weapons these days cause GW hates ambidextrous Marines!

[Volgon]

Couple of new WIPs. Decided to repurpose the previous iteration of the plasma gunner as an Aspiring Champion. I tried (and failed) to splice together the body/back of a CSM Chosen with the chestplate of a Havoc so had to pivot since the Chosen's body was now ruined. Luckily the new Khorne Berzerkers kit had at least one back + legs combo that worked well for what I was going for.  Need to remember to scrape that Khorne symbol off his kneepad. 

 

Also did some work on my Chaincannon Heavy Gunner. I pretty much always had the intention of using the Havoc Champion body for this guy, as I really like the scale of that specific sculpt and wanted my Chaingunner to be extra beefy, but lately I had been kind of down on his iteration as uninspired. You can see that version here:

 

Personally, I am just not really a fan of the "brace and fire" pose you see on almost all Infantry Heavy/Special weapons. It makes sense, and also if you are trying to build and paint an army or something it's fine, but I'm trying to personalize every member of this Kill Team so it didn't really work for me. I did some bashing with a Chaos Terminator autocannon and came up with this which I am very happy with:

 

I might trim down the Terminator shoulder to fit a regular CSM or a Havoc pad instead, not sure yet. I do like how big and imposing they look, and my custom shoulderpads are about the same size. Also the non gun arm might be temporary. I ordered the Reiver arm unsheathing a knife and might use that, but I think that the side of his body that the knife sheath would go on is already dominated space wise by the gun so it probably won't fit or look good. Will just see when it comes in!

[Volgon]

Another update with my trio of Special Weapon Gunners. Actually really happy with the poses and loadouts of all three.

 

[Pearson73]

Some really cool poses and use of parts!

[Volgon]

4 hours ago, Pearson73 said:

Some really cool poses and use of parts!

 

Thank you! I've been trying for a while now to use the Havoc bodies (I really like how armored they are compared to normal Marines) but it's been tough finding something I like due to how monopose they are. Difficult to make somewhat dynamic looking poses without completely chopping them apart. I'm very happy with these guys though even if they didn't involve much kitbashing.

[KrautScientist]

What I love about this project is how those models really read as individuals with a distinct personal history: It would be interesting to hear their stories, which I think is a great quality in a model. The legionary with the twin knives really stands out to me as a particularly cool character, although the tweaked gunners and Aspiring Champion are also really cool. The one thing I don't get is your affection for that somewhat outdated CSM helmet with the slightly skull-like faceplate: I think there are tons of more interesting options around these days

 

In any case, though, very cool work so far!