Doghouse's WIPs

[Doghouse]

I've been getting the itch to make stuff of late but lacked motivation so I decided what would be best would be to just lump it all in one project log and just jump about as I feel the need to do so. This will be lots of random stuff beginning with my Heresy stuff and drifting off into more contemporary 40k stuff.

 

This guy is me just playing around with the plastics for Heresy but focusing more on something from around m32. I'm not really a fan of all the modern 40k lore but there is still ten thousand years prior to play around . So I am going to dabble with the Astropath Wars in 888.M32 mentioned in a text blurb in 5th edition and other than some tiny comment about the Space Sharks added later I consider this quite a blank canvas to play around with. 

 

I'm not sure what chapter that I want to paint his guy as but I would like to do a couple of units. It's nearly two thousand years after the Heresy and the last Primarch vanished about three hundred years prior so it's an Imperium acting alone without the guidance of the Emperor's sons which is something I find very interesting.

 

This guy isn't supposed to be truescale or 'improving the design' of the Heresy plastics but more me just doing my own thing. The torso is from the new MK III plastic marines so I am shifting the tone of the models ever so slightly away from the designs of the Great Crusade and into the era of armour parts being mix and match. I've gone with a winged gem icon on the chest plate which is something that goes back to late Rogue Trader era with the likes of the metal and plastic hybrid set known as Strike Force. The legs are MK6 and I have padded the thighs out a bit and ever so slightly lifted the torso up. The Heresy plastics are nice and while better than the older proportions still feel off to me, the Mk III seem to be an exception to this and feel a bit bulkier and taller even before taking the additional armour in consideration.

 

 

Initially I had used the Mk6 arms but found that by simply scraping off the trim on the vambraces (forearm armour) they actually gave the arms a bit more bulk and resembled Mk4 quite nicely.

 

 

Still needs to be cleaned up but works well alongside regular human models in terms of scale.

 

 

Next up we have the warriors of the Rout. The Space Wolves were not keen on their name which had started as a nickname and instead preferred to be known as the Vlka Fenryka. The Rout was the name given to the sixth Legion during the Great Crusade partially because of them being so brutal that the enemy would

run and their comparison to carrion dogs. Not a particularly flattering name but these were the Terran born sons of the Legion who I intend to include as Grey Stalkers who are a variant of the tactical squads. I'm going full on twenty man squad who are normally armed with bolt pistol and chainsword have been upgraded to include Bolters, it's probably not the best idea given that it costs more and they are typically a melee army I find that it captures the Terrans really well.

 

The Praetor will be attached to this unit in an attempt to bridge the cultural gap between the Fenrisians and the Terrans. According to the flavour text of the Grey Stalkers the Terrans were initially resistant to change and this feels like a nice thing to represent here. I've added a wolf pelt to the shoulder based on the picture of an Mk2 Astartes in the Liber Astartes and wolf teeth totems along with a Fenrisian rune. I've also magnetised the arms meaning I can change out weapons giving him a bit more flexibility.

 

I will be adding a second unit of Grey Slayers using Mk III and maybe give them the same treatment. I have a load of plastic Chaos Marauder axes and a boat load of OOP Orc shields coming that will go well with the models.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Impressive work  

 

The last one is my favourite

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate, these are actually quite fun to make so I will be making a lot more. 

 

Well the Assault troops landed today and I dived straight in ignoring the jump packs and clamouring to get hold of the arms.  The Space Wolves were the first Chapter I used back in first edition and the first Epic Space Marine. They were far less Viking inspired back in the day being little more than regular marines with extended canines. This later expanded with the RT era Chapter Approved expansion and the inclusion of tongue in cheek names which would later be included in the Heresy lore as the Wheel of Fire campaign.

 

So I am striding two worlds here, the first being the old ways of what is now known as the Rout with the Terran Grey Stalkers and now the Grey Slayers seen below. This is one I have quickly thrown together hoping my plan I had envisioned in my head would come together and I am pleasantly surprised. For those that are not in the know Grey Slayers are armed with combat shields and Fenrisian Axes, a weapon that adds +1 strength to the user. Space Wolves are really fast on foot to the point that a jump pack oddly hinders them so these guys will go screaming across the board to get to grips with their foes. I may still add some jump troops though as they can deep strike.

 

This first test guy is quite plain for now as I have just thrown him together but I will add furs and other totems later. I would have preferred large round shields but these old WFB Orc shields really work well and are only a smidge smaller than the standard combat shields. 

 

 

 

[Doghouse]

I'm normally a stickler for lore but in this instance I can see myself bending a little because it works really well. Old school lore has always been that Mk III has never really been a melee armour due to the armour on the back being weaker to balance out the heavier armour on the front but in all honesty these packs look really nice on them. A justification for this in my mind would be that these are void assault troops, the idea being that in the actual lore Mk III came about for tunnel fighting and ship boarding where you would be facing the enemy in confined spaces hence the heavier frontal armour. Jump packs or flight packs would be really nice for traversing the void although maybe not so great for running around inside a ship with low ceilings. 

 

Either way I am sold on this design, it looks brutal.

 

[Montuhotep]

I am a simple man. I see a thread by Doghouse, I click 'Like' - it's really that simple.

 

 And totally justified, these look all kinds of brilliant.

[MoriyaSchism]

1 hour ago, Doghouse said:

I'm normally a stickler for lore but in this instance I can see myself bending a little because it works really well. Old school lore has always been that Mk III has never really been a melee armour due to the armour on the back being weaker to balance out the heavier armour on the front but in all honesty these packs look really nice on them. A justification for this in my mind would be that these are void assault troops, the idea being that in the actual lore Mk III came about for tunnel fighting and ship boarding where you would be facing the enemy in confined spaces hence the heavier frontal armour. Jump packs or flight packs would be really nice for traversing the void although maybe not so great for running around inside a ship with low ceilings. 

 

Either way I am sold on this design, it looks brutal.

 

That looks fantastic. Ever since I saw that Death Guard Mk III breacher with an Anvilus pattern backpack that was always the type of marine I imagined whenever I thought of void warfare, but jump packs make sense too. Void jump marines with quick detach jump packs might be an interesting build idea. By the way is that the new jump pack? If it is do you happen to have a rear shot of it? I can't seem to find any images online and GW's site doesn't have a 360 view for any of the new assault squad models.

[Doghouse]

@Montuhotep Thanks mate, I appreciate the compliment. 

 

@MoriyaSchism Thanks.  Yeah I am a fan of the Anvilus packs as well and started to add some to some potential Iron Warriors for that exact reason. I've taken some pictures of the pack from a load of different angles so hope that helps. I did have to remove a tiny hose on the flat side of the pack that attaches to the Mk VI torso though. 

 

I think I am going to do my Jump Pack guys as Blood Angels, not sure why but I kind of get that vibe off them.

 

 

[Doghouse]

Just in case anyone is wondering here are some shots of the Mk VI bodies connecting to a regular pack. On the whole it fits perfectly and will be good for despoilers. I get a kind of Heavy Intercessor feel to the way it connects to the torso.

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

3 hours ago, Doghouse said:

I'm normally a stickler for lore but in this instance I can see myself bending a little because it works really well.

When in doubt, rule of cool  

 

Looks good to me 

[batu]

Thank God you have one place to rule them all now! Can't wait for more updates! 

[MoriyaSchism]

2 hours ago, Doghouse said:

@Montuhotep Thanks mate, I appreciate the compliment. 

 

@MoriyaSchism Thanks.  Yeah I am a fan of the Anvilus packs as well and started to add some to some potential Iron Warriors for that exact reason. I've taken some pictures of the pack from a load of different angles so hope that helps. I did have to remove a tiny hose on the flat side of the pack that attaches to the Mk VI torso though. 

 

I think I am going to do my Jump Pack guys as Blood Angels, not sure why but I kind of get that vibe off them.

 

 

Thank you for the photos. These are perfect for what I had in mind as they seem slightly more compact than most jump pack variants. The plan was to get a couple to build a unit of Firewing Dark Angels or a 3rd Edition style jump pack melta gun specialist for the Partisan side in the False Primarch War.

Edited December 16, 2023 by MoriyaSchism

[Terminatorinhell]

Pretty good work! Where is that head with the beard from? 

[Doghouse]

Firedrake Cordova: Thanks mate, yeah you can never go wrong with the rule of cool. 

 

batu: Yeah I like to do themes but to be honest I get too many ideas at once so figured lets just embrace my nature do the one WIP blog and indulge in the randomness. 

 

MoriyaSchism: No problem, that sounds like a really nice project. I've seen bits and pieces of Ed's group project and it looks very cool.

 

Terminatorinhell: Thanks mate, it is from the FW Legiones Astartes Character Heads Upgrade Set 1 

 

https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/legiones-astartes-character-heads-upgrade-set-1-2023

 

Both bearded heads are the first two top left.

[Doghouse]

So just a brief update.

 

I've been playing around with the Jump Packs and I'm thinking about making them into void troopers like I discussed earlier but not sold on a legion just yet. Main candidates are Word Bearers as the Graven Star Chapter who specialised in void warfare, these could be potentially quite nasty with Corrupted which gives them Fear 1 and immune to psychology, then Iron Warriors or Emperor's Children.

 

My favourites are Iron Warriors but I want something a bit more interesting to paint than silver, Emperor's Children would be nice and quite good at melee but I am feeling the pull of chaos towards the Word Bearers to be honest. 

 

I'm currently magnetising the arms hence the white tac holding the right arm in place. Since the game still thankfully relies on points it will allow me to chop and change gear to suit.

 

[Doghouse]

Word Bearers it is.

 

I still need to go back and clear areas up and align the mace handle correctly but it's getting there.

 

[Marshal Rohr]

Absolutely stellar

[Firedrake Cordova]

I really like the advancing-whilst-holding-helmet pose

[Doghouse]

Marshal Rohr: Thanks mate. 

 

Firedrake Cordova: Thanks  I really should branch out into more dynamic models again but the problem is in my minds eye I can't see an Astartes seeing anything other than another Astartes as a threat. I also like the idea that Heresy Astartes should be portrayed as more human making them prone to arrogance and other negative emotions that could contribute to their fall.  So the idea being he's just walking out of arrogance has even removed his helmet because his enemies are beneath his contempt. In his eyes while he knows he can suffer harm should he cross paths with a worthy opponent he doesn't register most of his enemies as a threat. He's stared into the Abyss and it has stared back.

 

Not a huge update but an update none the less. I've done some work on the haft covering it in a leather wrapping. Apologies the pictures are a little blurry but I took them as I am tired and with my bleary eyes they looked fine on the camera.  The bottom picture shows how the magnetisation can be used for custom load outs although each will have his own set of arms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

I like the tooth necklace that you've added

 

The greenstuff haft-wrap for the mace/hammer looks good. It looks like it might be a hair out of alignment with the body of the weapon shaft (high/low), but that's probably only noticeable due to the images being magnified on screen a fair bit.  

Edited December 19, 2023 by Firedrake Cordova

[Pearson73]

Well, if you're going for arrogance, Word Bearers are a great choice  But honestly they look ace, great pose and spot on choice of head. The hilt wrappings are a nice detail too.

[Doghouse]

Firedrake Cordova: Thanks mate.  I think it's probably my eyes failing more than anything else.  I think it may be time to sign up for the Ad Mech so I can get some bionic eyes.

 

Pearson73: Thanks  I'm playing around with making some void helmets for them with hit and miss results, definitely going with Word Bearers and the Graven Star though.

 

I'm not really feeling marines at the moment but my Kill Team Salvation sets arrived so I have been feeling the urge to stray from His holy light to tread the path of the foul Xeno.

 

I have only made one but the tactical rocks are not actually attached to the Scorpions which is great but I've only made one and he stands flush with the base without converting. I'm hoping that the same goes for the others.

I'm currently having a bash at making a fully magnetised Autarch. I know that it's not going to change but I don't trust the 10th edition wargear rules so want to make her edition proof. Having other options also means I can play around with loadouts on a whim.

 

The eventual plan will be magnetised arms, heads and back packs. I'm going to make a ten man unit of Scorpions next and then paint them. I was a massive late RT era and 2nd edition Eldar player and these are my favourite aspect regardless of how they perform in game.

 

 

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Fully magnetising the Autarch sounds like an interesting project  

 

As a side note, I really like new Striking Scorpion models - they look like a very nice update on the classic kit  

[batu]

Love to see some Xenos action in here! 

[Doghouse]

Firedrake Cordova: Yeah they are really nice. The only issue I have is the kit isn't laid out well on the sprue and you need a sat-nav to locate the part you are looking for! 

 

batu: Thanks mate 

 

I've been playing around with the plastic scouts a bit just to see how they go together and what I can do with them. I have three squads to play with and thought I'd have a go at making a Firstborn/Heresy era Scout. I removed the godwyn pattern bolter and replaced it with the new Phobos pattern from the Mk III kit. It works very well with a bit of chopping and reposing. I have to say the base model was a pain to put together, firstly suffering from the same problem as the scorpions with the parts being on different sprues but also that the legs were not a clean fit. I also smoothed off the back pack, I'd like to do a Heresy recon force but will see how it goes as I flit between stuff.

 

 

The other guy is a truescale (if that is still a thing) Mk IV recon marine that I may make into a praetor or centurion. The other guy is one of a squad of Mk IV guys I have mostly built to go with them and depending on the recon company rules I may throw in the Indomitus terminators I started on a while back. Both these guys are made from Intercessor, Mk IV and Assault marine parts, the latter being the front of the chest for the destinct Mk IV cabling.

 

 

If I were to go with a Legion it'd probably be either Imperial Fists or Death Guard. The DG have a nice legion trait that gives them relentless meaning I think I can move and fire Nemesis sniper rifles which would be cool and thematic for trench raiders. 

[Firedrake Cordova]

I think the scouts turned out well  

 

12 hours ago, Doghouse said:

The only issue I have is the kit isn't laid out well on the sprue and you need a sat-nav to locate the part you are looking for! 

Heh, sounds like most modern GW kits. I remember getting the old (1990's era) GW kits, and clipping everything off the sprue, and then assembling from that pile of parts. Doing that now would be a very bad idea