Doghouse's WIPs

[Karak Norn Clansman]

Nice work! Modelling results look great.

[Doghouse]

Thank you. 

 

I've been a bit distracted by Blood Bowl and Old World the last few days putting together some bits but I am back on track making more Astartes today. The announcement for the Battle for Beta-Garmon book has me wobbling a bit as Shattered Legions sound so interesting so I'm holding off painting just till I know a bit more. In the mean time I am making some slight conversions on a few models based on this guy as I've figured out a way to do the torso quite simply.

 

[Doghouse]

Quick update

 

I should have made in progress shots of this guy but got caught up in the fun of making him. The torso was quite a simple solution, I cut it in half horizontally and then stuck in a spacer. Nice and simple, it's still rough and ready but I have sculpted Mk III so many times back in the truescale days I could do it in my sleep.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2024 by Doghouse

[Doghouse]

So it's been quite a while since I dusted off my sculpting tools but to be honest I have not really been feeling it of late with the hobby and have been concentrating on making my own game that I want to release sometime in the future but I kind of got the itch again recently to have a bash at some models. I also got a small light box which means after about 25 years of bad images I can finally take some passable pictures.

 

I will definitely be getting back to the guys I have started here but my eyesight is not as good as it once was and I have not sculpted anything beyond digital in what seems like an age so I am going to ease back into things slowly.

 

I have two goals in mind, firstly I really want a 4th Edition army. I really am not enjoying modern 40k and it seriously has killed my enthusiasm over the last year or so. I think the problem is that I have been looking at the hobby through the wrong lens, in that once a new edition comes along all the previous editions become obsolete. The truth is they aren't really I've just been conditioned to think that way.

 

So I want two small forces, firstly I want to get back to an edition I really enjoyed for it's creativity and pretty sound rules set which for me is 4th edition.

 

My plan is a Witch Hunters force with Space Marine allies set in sand box of Pre-Fall of Cadia era.

 

Captain Valerian Lycoris

 

First up is what will be the allied Astartes commander to the Inquisition force. I started this guy ages ago and he's made from the top half of a Mk3 marine and the legs from a Mk6. Ideally he will lead two tactical squads with a Castaferrum Dreadnought, the former of which will be make up of MK6 marines.  Ideally I would like a force of Sisters of Battle and Inquisitorial Stormtroopers (maybe some guard?) to create a real crusade army feel.

 

I still need to attach the left arm and sword which are tacked in place and then clean up the GS. I'm making use of a lot of Heresy upgrade kits.

 

 

 

Praetor Kanis Demilius

 

This next guy is a Prator of a yet un-named Legion from the time of the Great Crusade, this is a time period that greatly interests me and I want to explore a little bit more of that era of history. I'm currently looking to go mid to early period thus limiting myself a bit with what I can actually take, maybe even pre-discovery of Russ so maybe the first twenty years of the crusade and trying to stick to a more regimented organisation.

I have a legion in mind but want to play around with a few ideas before committing, I do want to represent an early expeditionary fleet rather than a pure Legion force though.

 

[Naryn]

I've been feeling similarly about 40k lately, and seeing you going back to older editions that still spark joy in a way the newer stuff does not is inspiring. Love the models and looking forward to more!

[Terminatorinhell]

I'm absolutely thrilled to see a Doghouse update. 

[Doghouse]

Narym: Thanks mate.  Yeah it is a bit rough for a lot of people these days who feel the same way, I think a lot are still enjoying the current edition but for me getting into modern 40k is about appealing as jumping onto a high speed treadmill covered in sand paper.

What I would love to see would be some people embracing older editions in the same way people play various editions of D&D. There are lots of old codex and rules books in people's collections or floating around on ebay for cheap so I am thinking maybe I should try and promote this in the same way that I contributed to the truescale movement. I think 3rd to 5th are probably the most appealing editions but for me 4th was just an explosion of creativity within the hobby and that is what I miss the most.

 

Terminatorinhell: Thank you very much, it's always great to see your replies in my thread too. 

[Firedrake Cordova]

They look great to me.  The Praetor looks suitably imposing 

Edited Sunday at 10:45 AM by Firedrake Cordova

[Sherrypie]

Loyalist Death Guard out of time, I feel like I've seen this show before... :D

 

Great stuff in the blog, Doghouse. Your mix of current, better proportioned bits and more classic midhammer aesthetics is a pleasure to look at.

[Doghouse]

Firedrake Cordova: Thanks mate 

 

Sherrypie: Thank you.  Yeah there's something about Legion elements who are out of the loop that is very interesting to me. I like the idea of expeditions being dotted all over doing their thing and with the nature of space travel being out of touch of what has been going on between the Primarchs.

 

Got a few of the chaps underway for the Minotaurs. I want this to be a small side force mainly because in my mind given the unimaginable scale of war going on in Imperial space they would be extremely thinly spread given the thousand chapters thing. I also like the idea that the vast majority of denizens of the Imperium would most likely never see one in their lifetimes unless things were extremely bad in which case stopping to snap a selfie with one would probably be the last thing on your mind.

I'm not really truescaling these guys but I am thickening the thighs a bit and extending the torso a little. Once I have twenty made I will start blinging them up.

My goal is twenty Astartes, the Captain, Dreadnought and maybe a Landraider. Given that 4th edition has vehicle design rules I may have to make some more unorthodox vehicles as well.

 

 

I managed to snag this guy on ebay a few months back so will probably use him as is after cleaning him up a bit. The scale is a little off with the newer plastics but I can live with it.

 

 

This next one was going to be my Inquisitor base model as it is quite subtle which in truth is probably how a lot of them would operate. As it is going to be the leader of the Witch Hunters leader, however, I am going to use a much more dynamic model that I have ordered as the basis of the model, as long as the scale works it should look quite good.

 

 

Then finally for now the Captain's arm and sword are in place and I just need to fill in the games before adding the bling.

 

[Terminatorinhell]

Maybe you can true scale a dreadnought 

[Doghouse]

Terminatorinhell: Yeah it's a possibility, I'll have to see how it goes. 

 

The idea that I am playing around with is ultimately a combined force of Astartes via the Allies rules and a Witch Hunter force composing of Sisters of Battle and Inquisitorial Stormtroopers as mentioned before. The following sets the scene for the theme of the army, the Imperium is still reeling from the aftermath of the Age of Apostasy while the Minotaurs Chapter are becoming more active and feared as instruments of the High Lord's will.

Imperial Date:

103.139.M38.
(Standard Terran Reckoning)

Location:

Segmentum Tempestus – Halitus Prime
Designation: Hive World (Rebellion-Status: Confirmed)

Mission Classification:

Ordo Hereticus Directive – Seal Level: Obsidian
Astartes Asset Deployment: Minotaurs Chapter – Captain Valerian Lycoris
Objective: Classified

 

The strike cruiser Brazen Wrath hung silent above the fire-wracked world of Halitus Prime, its gunports shut like the eyes of a great and terrible slumbering beast. Below, its cities burned, its vox-networks screamed with dissent, and its skies were choked with ash and rebellion. And above it all, in the vaulted strategium of orbit, silence reigned between two figures who shared no kinship, only duty.

 

Inquisitor Theodric Malvenor of the Ordo Hereticus adjusted the collar of his tunic, the silver Inquisitorial rosette that hung on a chain around his neck catching the crimson glow of the lumen-strips. He did not stand to greet his guest, merely raised one gloved hand in terse welcome.

 

“You kept me waiting, Captain Lycoris.”

 

The figure before him moved like a prowling war engine, each step of his reinforced boots echoing with restrained menace. His Mark VI armour had clearly been modified and reforged many times, battle-worn, blunt-edged, and utterly functional. The bronze of the Minotaurs gleamed beneath the dim lights, dulled by micro pockmarked ashen scars and the memory of flame. A bolt pistol hung heavy at his side, mag-locked and silent.

 

“I came as swiftly as I was able,” Valerian Lycoris said, voice like a blade unsheathed. “Your summons bypassed Chapter command. That is not... customary.”

 

Malvenor allowed himself the ghost of a smile. “The Ordo Hereticus has never been much concerned with custom.”

 

“Nor with courtesy,” Lycoris replied flatly.

 

The inquisitor steepled his fingers. “There is a derelict vessel that fell from orbit five days ago. It lies half-buried beneath the rebel-held manufactorum complex in Halitus Secundus. We have reason to believe it carries an artifact of significance, an ecclesiastic relic lost during the Age of Apostasy. It may have been the spark that ignited this uprising.”

 

“And you want it retrieved.”

 

“I want it retrieved unspoiled,” Malvenor said. “Untouched by heretic hands. If it has been defiled, I want it destroyed.”

 

Lycoris took a slow step forward, the servo-motors in his legs whispering as they shifted. “You’ve brought me across the Immaterium for a relic?”

 

“No,” Malvenor said. “I brought you because Halitus Prime is drowning in sedition, and the local regiments are already compromised. I need warriors who cannot be subverted. I need fear. The kind only your Chapter delivers.”

 

The Captain’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Then speak clearly. Am I here to fight your war or fetch your trinket?”

 

“Both,” Malvenor said, coldly. “The artifact is buried beneath a city of traitors. You will break them, find it, and ensure it does not fall into darker hands. I want the truth brought to light, Captain, not just the silence your Chapter so often leaves behind.”

 

Lycoris’s posture did not shift. “You accuse us of silence, yet whisper of heresy in every shadow. You see danger behind every loyalist’s eyes.”

 

Malvenor’s voice tightened. “Because heresy begins in the mind, Captain. A word. A thought. A spark. That is all it takes. And your Chapter, efficient as it is, has never cared to ask why. Only who dies.”

 

Lycoris’s jaw tensed. “Because it is not our place to ask. It is our place to end what must be ended.”

 

“They sent a Minotaur,” Malvenor said. “They always send you when subtlety has failed.”

 

“And they send you when truth must be tortured from rubble,” Lycoris replied, his voice edged like a chainblade.

 

And for a heartbeat, only the hum of the vox-relays spoke between them. Finally, the Inquisitor broke the stillness. He sighed, whether from weariness or control, it was unclear.

 

“We may differ in method, Captain, but the Emperor binds us both. We are His judgment. His execution. Neither is complete without the other.”

 

Lycoris gave the smallest incline of his head. Not agreement, but acceptance.

 

“Then I will retrieve your relic. If it remains uncorrupted.”

 

“And if it does not?” Malvenor asked.

 

Lycoris’s eyes darkened, the barest flash of steel in his tone. “Then I will leave nothing but ashes.”

 

Their gazes locked one last time—unblinking, unyielding, untrusting.

 

But loyal, still, in their own terrible ways.

[Doghouse]

 

The Thunderhawk’s engines howled as it cut through the ash-thick skies of Halitus Prime, smoke-streaked and heavy with rebellion. In its hold stood death, armoured and absolute.

 

Captain Valerian Lycoris stood motionless, one gauntlet resting lightly on the grip of his plasma pistol, the other by the hilt of his power sword, mag-locked at his hip. His armour bore no ornament, only scars, functional, unflinching, like the man within.

Opposite him loomed Dreadnought Atabastos, a veteran of a hundred compliance actions, now entombed in a Castraferrum-pattern sarcophagus. His assault cannon hung low, ammo drum locked and whining softly as it cycled readiness. His power fist flexed with mechanical weight, each movement echoing against the hull. Beneath it, a heavy flamer was mounted, its pilot-light flickering with restrained menace.

 

“Your vox-silence lasted too long, Atabastos,” Lycoris said over the internal channel. “I was beginning to think your hatred had finally consumed your mind.”

 

The Dreadnought’s vox unit crackled to life, distorted, thunderous, the voice like a slow avalanche of gravel.

 

“It has consumed me, Captain. That is why I remain useful.”

 

Lycoris gave no smile. Just the faint narrowing of his eyes. “We descend into ruin. Two squads. You and I. No reinforcements. No escape.”

 

Around them, the Marines of Squads Damokles and Rho-Tan stood silent and ready. Just the low murmur of rite-checked weapons and ignition runes. 

Among them moved Apothecary Vharkas, wordless and pale beneath his helm’s stark white. He checked no vitals. He made no speeches. Only calibrated the extraction systems on his reductor and logged estimated losses.

 

Over the vox, Atabastos continued “This world festers with lies. Prophets preaching rebirth. False visions. The same rot I crushed on Vallis Veris. Do you remember, Captain? You ordered me to tear down their altar.”

 

Lycoris’s gaze didn’t move from the deployment screen “You were under Captain Theros during the conflict on Vallis Veris. He died in the breach. That was decades before my commission.” There was no reverence in his voice. Just fact. Like recounting coordinates, or confirming a kill. “You weren’t preserved for glory, Atabastos. You were entombed because you hated loudly enough to be useful.”

 

A long pause followed, deeper than silence, until the Dreadnought’s vox crackled again “And that hate has never dimmed.”

 

Below, the hive opened like a wound ,Halitus Secundus, once a manufactorum hub, now a heretical bastion. Torchlight danced along half-buried hab-spires. Vox-blasts of corrupted catechisms howled from makeshift shrines, echoing the same message: The Ember Crowned shall rise.

The derelict lay at the city’s heart, an immense, cathedral-like wreck of blackened hull plating and scorched gold, half-embedded in the lower hive strata. It had fallen from orbit like a spear hurled by divine wrath, and the cult had begun to form around it like carrion flies.

 

Atabastos stood motionless, a towering slab of ceramite and wrath beneath the thunderhawk’s interior lights “I hear their whispers, even now. Beyond the steel. Beyond the bones. They say the Emperor walks again. That He comes in fire.”

 

Lycoris drew the plasma pistol from it's holster on his hip and ran a finger over the activation stud. “They are wrong,” he said. “The Emperor does not return. The Emperor is. He endures. Through fire. Through silence. Through annihilation.”

 

The Thunderhawk touched down amid the shattered plaza at the hive's edge. Dust billowed. Auspex returns flickered with motion. Resistance was expected. Mercy was not.

 

Lycoris gave the order “Squads Damokles and Rho-Tan, advance. Atabastos, breach the relic’s perimeter. Mark all vox-emissions for Hereticus record.”

 

“Let them speak their heresies while they can,” Atabastos growled. “There will be silence soon enough.”

 

As the ramp dropped, the Minotaurs advanced into the flames of heresy, the wrath of the Emperor made manifest, clad in bronze, bringing fire, death and retribution.

Edited Sunday at 09:50 PM by Doghouse

[Blindhamster]

lovely stuff and great to see you back!

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate, always a pleasure to see you pop up in one of my threads. 

[Blindhamster]

Interested in your personal game project too, DM me!