TheArtilleryman’s Raven Guard Army

[TheArtilleryman]

1 hour ago, MithrilForge said:

Nice work here  you gotta love Raven Guard and respect to anyone who tackles white on a Black Model... 

 

Cheers, Mithril

 

P.S. I loved your Shrike Conversion  

Thank you! The white helmets are a bit thick for my liking but I’ve switched to working with a wet palette recently so I’m hoping that will help with this in the future.

 

Lots of reactions on this thread today; woke up to more notifications than I’ve ever seen lol… thanks everyone!

[TheArtilleryman]

The whole army right now:

 

 

If we call the bolter guys intercessors, the praetor a captain and the contemptor just a dreadnought with assault cannon, this is 1335 points for 40K. Adding the assault sqauad as assault intercessors with jump packs will take it to 1495.

[W.A.Rorie]

Very nice @TheArtilleryman

[calgar101]

19 hours ago, TheArtilleryman said:

Thanks for the kind comments and for engaging with the thread.

 

So I’ll paint the assault squad up next, so the force is legal for HH.The Spartan is ready and undercoated, but I might hold off that one for a bit. Other models I have ready to build are:

 

5 more terminators (will build with claws)

20 more tacticals, which will probably have 10 plasmas and 10 meltas

… and a jetbike squadron, which I am really excited about because I find those models to be so cool.

 

In my other big box of Forge World joy there is a pair of lightning claws and a couple of jump packs, so I might also have a stab at kitbashing a jump praetor/centurion maybe.

 

Sounds like a good plan there. No problem on the support/engagement, that's what we are here for. Will you run those Terminators as Deliverers? 

I look forward to seeing that kitbash, your work is awesome.

 

[TheArtilleryman]

31 minutes ago, calgar101 said:

 

Sounds like a good plan there. No problem on the support/engagement, that's what we are here for. Will you run those Terminators as Deliverers? 

I look forward to seeing that kitbash, your work is awesome.

 

Cheers! Yeah that’s my plan for the second squad. 

Kit-bash-wise, only issue is I don’t have any spare MK VI legs/bodies, because I have plans for the remaining tacticals, so I’m not sure what I’ll use. There are some MK III and IV bodies but I feel like they’d look a bit out of place in this army as everything else on the heresy side is MK VI. Will have to have a good old think…

 

Edit: ooh some sanguinary guard legs in my general bits box - but they are obviously MK VII… A crazy plan is forming…

 

 

Edited May 16, 2024 by TheArtilleryman

[W.A.Rorie]

 Can't wait to see what happens

 

[calgar101]

I echo WAR on that.

[TheArtilleryman]

So legs got chopped up to try and make them look more MK VI ish:

 

 

Here’s a collection of bits:

 

 

And here’s what they have turned into:

 

 

Claws are from the Forge Workd MK IV close combat weapons set, jump pack is a MK III? I think. The torso came off a Spartan accessory sprue (tank sprues are so useful) The helmet is a spare from one of the AoD praetors and the head spike is off a Chaos Warriors Slanneshi star - shhh don’t tell anyone…

 

Edited May 16, 2024 by TheArtilleryman

[W.A.Rorie]

I was about to ask how you chopped up the mk vi torso....Maybe I need to stop making tank commanders in my tanks

 

[calgar101]

Looks good, I am not sure what mark that jump pack is but really like it, definitely a good fit.

The legs work, some nice conversion work there.

Edited May 16, 2024 by calgar101
Forgot something

[TheArtilleryman]

8 minutes ago, WAR said:

I was about to ask how you chopped up the mk vi torso....Maybe I need to stop making tank commanders in my tanks

 

I never use the tank commander bits on the tanks, because they are so handy for building extra marines. Especially those skull and star shoulder pads you get in the 40K rhino kits. I did a whole veteran squad using those pads at one time.

[TheArtilleryman]

Painted the kitbashed flying slashy dude.

 

I feel like this guy has just the right amount of (i.e. almost no) bling.

 

Edited May 26, 2024 by TheArtilleryman

[W.A.Rorie]

Very nice @TheArtilleryman I agree just the right amount of bling 

[TheArtilleryman]

Finished my custom assault squad with the third party bits:

 

 

And the best bit about this is my HH Raven Guard are now officially a game-legal force:

 

 

Now, what to add next? I haven’t done a Call to Arms vow yet and there are so many things I could paint. I have another tactical squad and squad of missile launcher guys already assembled and primed … but the jetbikes (only one built so far) really are calling to me … 

Edited July 29, 2024 by TheArtilleryman

[W.A.Rorie]

Very nice

 

[INKS]

how do you play these guys in 10th? have you had some success? I know that a lot of the falvour of the different chapters don't shine as much as they used to

[TheArtilleryman]

 

how do you play these guys in 10th? have you had some success? I know that a lot of the falvour of the different chapters don't shine as much as they used to

I’ve had games against Death Guard and T’au and had some success. The detachment rule is nice because it hamstrings your opponent’s shooting quite nicely, but it’s not the best on the smaller board sizes we play on these days because you have to keep your distance to make the most of it. Certainly helps you get through the first turn though.
 

Shrike with the Vanguard vets is a nice unit, because you can deep strike them down right in the open because of Shrike’s special rule that makes them untargetable, then charge in next turn. Being able to remove them from the field and redeploy is also very useful because you can totally overcommit them to one end of the board because you know you can drop them somewhere else whenever you need to. The mobility is very nice, particularly in my first few games where I had little in the way of firepower. I find myself having to think hard and use positioning very tactically because I can’t just wreck face.

 

I also make nice use of the eliminators to take out enemy characters. They managed to take out both a plague surgeon and a Lord of Contagion in a single game, because they can’t hide in their squads. Granted, you can do that in any army but it’s definitely very Raveny.

 

The one unit I find pretty underwhelming is the infiltrators. While they have a ton of character they are just a bit too weak in terms of firepower. I would get the most of them if I put the lieutenant with them in a block of 10, but I like to hold him in reserve and use his deep strike to clutch late-game objectives.

Edited September 21, 2024 by TheArtilleryman

[INKS]

Thanks I really appreciate the insight. I miss the days where all chapters got a little something extra to make them, "THEM" but I'll make due

[TheArtilleryman]

So I’m sitting at home and I’m feeling the urge to paint. “This is amazing!” I say. “Now, what shall I do?”

 

Here is where the overthinking starts. Thanks largely to the B and C, for the first time ever I have three completed armies done (homebrew marines, grey knights and t’au). I’ve got heresy to paint, I’ve got guardsmen to paint. Only two armies to choose from, so that’s a good start. I’ve been wanting to paint my jetbikes for ages because they’re some of my favourite models. But … I’ve so much else to paint…
 

So I turn to the guardsmen. I could paint a tank, because I have two primed. But the infantry are not primed, and I like to paint some infantry and tanks at the same time to motivate me to do the infantry.

 

I turn to the marines. I did tons of building and undercoating in the summer to take advantage of the weather and so I have, built and primed:

 

Tactical squad (10 bolters)

Tactical support squad (10 plasma guns)

Jump pack assault squad (10 guys)

Rocket launcher squad (10 guys)

Land Raider Spartan 

Kratos Heavy Tank

3 Jetbikes

 

My stash:

 

There’s also 5 cataphractii on sprues in there somewhere too.

 

I line them all up and stare at them for the best part of an hour. Then I start thinking “I should really paint some infantry” but I really don’t want to. Then I get really silly and go “but CtA isn’t on and it’s not March yet for the March for March and I’ve already done my model for 12MOH so if I paint something now it won’t count.”

Then I stop. I give my head a wobble. Because it’s a hobby and not a job and you don’t have to prioritise and you should just do whatever you feel like with it when you get the inspiration.

 

Work started on the jetbikes:

 

Usual 2 shades of grey drybrushing to start:

 

 

2 layers of ink armour wash (photo shows stage 1, 2 and 3:

 

 

I do love the depth of the black this method creates:

 

 

Won’t do any more on these today because that wash needs to be totally dry, but I’m glad I got started because I’m now really excited to get them finished and added to the army. 
 

Message to anyone suffering hobby paralysis: there are no rules. Nobody cares what hobbying you do, just do some!

Edited January 14 by TheArtilleryman

[TheArtilleryman]

Completed jetbikes. Surprisingly quick to paint up. Definitely one of my favourite units in the game and chuffed to have them done after wanting them for so long.

 

 

Question is, how many more squadrons do I need? 

[Galron]

I laugh at your "stash" and look over at my shelf of built and primed misfit toys which are collecting dust literally(no I have to dust them off before I paint them). Theres at least two 30k land raiders, a Redeemer, a spartan, a Cerebus, a Deredeo, a Scorpius, two Gorgons, a Macharius(which just needs details and weathering), a couple rhinos, some various WW2 German vehicles from Bolt Action, an SW Imperial AT-ST. That doesnt even dip into the many, many squads of my Angstrom marines who have had a base Baal red coat on them before I bumped them down in priority for other squads. It is a New Years resolution to actually finish the Angstrom vehicles and infantry currently in red. That doesnt even get into my Night Lords stuff, Guard stuff my Dark Eldar stuff, which I am painting as I am building it(yeah, I say that now, but so far so good.) And a multi-thousand dollar pile-o-shame from Bolt Action, 40k, Old World, and Star Wars Legion that I hope my wife never notices. But hey, I did complete one resolution and cleaned my workbench and organized my paint onto little shelves.

 

Those bikes look frikkin awesome BTW. I wish we could use them in 40k for their actual model, I have a couple boxes of them somewhere in my pile too for my Night Lords.  

[TheArtilleryman]

Thanks for the reply!

 

49 minutes ago, Galron said:

Theres at least two 30k land raiders, a Redeemer, a spartan, a Cerebus, a Deredeo, a Scorpius, two Gorgons, a Macharius(which just needs details and weathering), a couple rhinos, some various WW2 German vehicles from Bolt Action, an SW Imperial AT-ST. That doesnt even dip into the many, many squads of my Angstrom marines who have had a base Baal red coat on them before I bumped them down in priority for other squads. It is a New Years resolution to actually finish the Angstrom vehicles and infantry currently in red. That doesnt even get into my Night Lords stuff, Guard stuff my Dark Eldar stuff, which I am painting as I am building it(yeah, I say that now, but so far so good.) And a multi-thousand dollar pile-o-shame from Bolt Action, 40k, Old World, and Star Wars Legion that I hope my wife never notices.

 

That’s a lot of models! The picture is just my Raven Guard stash. I have a few more heresy guys to do in my Iron Warriors box, some guardsmen and tanks and also some LOTR Uruk Hai stuff that will almost certainly still be unfinished this time next year! But that doesn’t compare to your lot. I’ve done quite well at getting projects finished and selling stuff I don’t need/am never going to finish over the last couple of years so it’s much more streamlined than it was.
 

Hey, if you need someone to help you “launder” some of your stuff so your wife doesn’t find out, you know where I am ;)

 

49 minutes ago, Galron said:

Those bikes look frikkin awesome BTW. I wish we could use them in 40k for their actual model, I have a couple boxes of them somewhere in my pile too for my Night Lords.  

Thank you so much! But wait a minute, hold up… I was sure they had a Horus Heresy legends datasheet and could give you some good news, but no, you’re right, they don’t… literally everything else has one, even the javelin land speeder… why on earth isn’t there one for these? Well that makes no sense…

 

That’s a shame because I was hoping to get some Eldar jetbikes when the relevant Combat Patrol issues come around and set up a dogfight scenario.

Edited January 14 by TheArtilleryman

[Galron]

That stuff is tip of the idecberg lol. I have a pile of stuff to sell as well. Some 30k Dark Angels stuff on facebook market and a huge Necron army I am going to have to break into lots of like-units because no one is going to pay for the whole thing at once, plus a bunch of other smaller things. Gotta declutter.

 

I guess you could use the jet bikes as outriders and just ignore the heavy weapons in the nose or pull them out if they are magnetized.