Doghouse's WIPs

[Doghouse]

Had an interesting idea.

 

I could include the ad mech Inquisition proxies as the Collegiate Extremis. These are investigators in the same way Arbites operate in the Imperium I believe, I think they hunt Hereteks and the like which would work really well. So the Magos and a small retinue, ten tech thralls as Arbites and then the Scion Aquilons and the Russ tank I have as Imperial Guard with a Priest thrown in.  Just a shame I can't include Sisters of Battle.

 

More tomorrow with any luck as I am itching to crack on with the Russ now and have the Solar Auxilia Strike tank from the battle group sat gathering dust.

 

Awesome!

[BadgersinHills]

Excellent work. The Custodes head looks great, will have to try that on one of my marines as well.

[Firedrake Cordova]

They look great, as usual

 

On 5/3/2026 at 8:49 PM, Doghouse said:

My eye sight isn't great anymore so it's quite challenging trying to GS stuff these days.

Dumb question, but have you tried a magnifying visor or reading glasses (possibly multiple pairs)?

[Doghouse]

BadgersinHills: Thanks mate, I found removing the neck tubes isn't really needed but did it anyways so you can just use them as stock.

 

Firedrake Cordove: Thanks mate, not a dumb question but yeah I have to double up with these. 

 

 

I feel like Rick Moranis in Honey I Shrunk the Kids when sculpting.

 

 

 

I am thinking of upgrading to this which may help though.

 

 

 

 

[MoriyaSchism]

16 hours ago, Doghouse said:

Thanks mate, always great to see you pop up in one of my threads and I appreciate your enthusiasm and support over the years. 

 

I was thinking the same about BA as well to be honest, maybe add a cherub or something. One serious thought I had was because I am now definitely leaning towards a fourth ed army over HH was to make them Space Wolves.

 

I know that may sound a bit odd but I've been reading a few of my old codex and the Space Wolves 3rd edition codex is incredibly versatile allowing stuff like dreadnought HQs and Wolfguard that you can attach to units. My current plan is whatever route I go I want to be able to use Witch Hunters as allies so that I can fit lots of different elements into the army to create a crusade feel. What I was thinking was proxying Inquisition as Ad Mech, so the Inquisitor is a magus model with some servitor proxying as retinue models and then use the HH tech thralls I have as Stormtrooper proxies. Now the cool part is that SW can take a Leman Russ Annihilator tank so what I could do is have a squad of stormtroopers or two squads of 10 tech thralls proxying stormtroopers and the Leman Russ as a regular guard tank ala Kelly's Heroes. Or there are actual rules for Arbites with shotguns.

 

 

The other option is replace the Inquisitor with a Commissar and have the Tech Thralls as a Penal Legion. 4th edition allies are very restrictive with only certain armies being able to do so but with a little imagination I could make a really fun little army. As I have the 2004 Chapter Approved I also have the Vehicle creation rules so could probably include a Knight as well. Actually I could probably turn one of my Saturnine terminators into a cool Wolfguard....

 

There are lots of options that this route opens up. I also recently got an unopened Inquisitor Karamov which is yet another option.

 

Space Wolves at 2k points though will be 3 compulsory heroes as you have to include a HQ for every 750 points.

That sounds really cool. I had a similar idea about using the 3rd edition Imperial Guard Codex and vehicle design rules to start an Angstrom II force for the Badab War, but their involvement in the conflict is super limited. 

[Doghouse]

That's a really good idea, I am all for people thinking outside of the box for cool armies. I think it is part of the hobby that has fallen on the wayside in recent years sadly.

 

Started on the Russ, I want this to be a seriously old tank which unlike the way Astartes tanks are often depicted isn't worshipped or revered but seen as reliable and stubborn. It's probably not really understood by the crew how ancient it really is given that Guard are pretty expendable in the older lore.

I could see the commander being seen as a grizzled veteran despite being in his late twenties at most. I am a big fan of the film Fury and could see these poorly educated, poorly equipped soldiers battling to keep this old tank running and stay alive at the same time.

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Heh ...  at the telescope  

 

I find that a 1.5x magnifying visor is really helpful for painting. I've seen watchmakers using two pairs of reading glasses stacked.  

 

I like your idea for the tank.  Fury might not have been the most accurate film, but it had bags of atmosphere which is what makes it.  

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate 

 

Nearly finished the build of the Russ. Having built the old ones years ago I have to say this is a much nicer kit in terms of detail and fitted together very well, I think next up I may build a heresy Land Raider for the Astartes element of the army. I want to get started on painting the Russ when done though.

 

I'm toying around with the setting of the army at the moment, I think that 745.41M may be a good setting because this is after the Damocles crusade so all the armies of 4th edition are then established by then, plus it is actually 40k rather than 42/42k or whatever year the current setting is. Alternatively I could just set it say 34/35M not sure yet. I'm not really a fan of the Newhammer setting so this feels more interesting to me.

 

 

 

[batu]

I have started to use this thing. Game changer! So much easier!

 

 

 

[Doghouse]

Yeah that's pretty much the one I use as well, it's very handy. 

 

Started to slap on the paint now, I'm basing it with a mottled brown effect then will stipple over the areas I want the tank's paint to be so the end effect should be an extremely worn look with corroded metal showing in areas. It's a bit of an experiment in weathering but I think I can probably make it work. Like I say I don't want this thing to look like it is straight from the Departmento Munitorum, it's an ancient machine dating potentially thousands of years.

 

I'm going to try adding a cadian green style base paint but trying to make it look like it's been repainted and repurposed several times so it's true colours are an ancient memory. I'm going to call it LAR AUXIA, the idea being that somewhere on it's interior it had a designation stamp that said Solar Auxilia but the letters have eroded over the years so only the letters lar Auxi a remain. Given that the crews would be completely oblivious to the what the Solar Auxilia originally were or even have knowledge of the Heresy they have mistaken it for it's name.

 

 

[Doghouse]

I've started to stipple on the paint that will be the main colour of the tank. I can't see the crew being artisans so probably used paint rollers to do as good as job as they could leaving much of the corrosion underneath showing through. It's still very early days and I am just building up the colour before I can start highlighting and weathering. I will be adding the three coloured bands on the front side to indicate company. So far I am having fun with it.

 

[Doghouse]

Got a little bit more done, started the red back drop for the company colours, I'll add maybe a yellow stripe down the center as soon as I can find my masking tape.

 

[BadgersinHills]

Very cool.

[Doghouse]

BadgerinHills: Thanks mate. 

 

One last update for tonight, I've roughly added the yellow stripe to the red and am just mapping out the green. I think the doors look quite plain so may add some decals there. On the whole really enjoying painting it and happy with the direction it is going. I'm tempted to paint the turret a completely different colour but not sure for now, might look interesting if painted white or something. Tracks will probably be a standard metallic.

 

[Doghouse]

Starting to map out the turret now but an old tank needs old paint...

 

This was bought in 1998 and I have just opened it to christen this tank and is still as good as the day they came out.

 

 

 

I am starting to map out the colour of the tank turret which will eventually be a worn white. I will start to use glazes to blend it in once I am happy with the progress. I still have to continue the green on the hull on it's right side and clean up some areas but at the moment I am just flittering around doing the parts that I want to try and having fun rather than worry about winning any awards.

 

 

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Looks good - I like the colour scheme

 

Those old flip-top bottles are great  As long as the tab doesn't break off, then you're in for a sore thumb day  

Edited May 6 by Firedrake Cordova

[Doghouse]

Took a break from painting to start building the Landraider for the Astartes element. These will be the main force so I need to add 3 HQs and two Troops choices because of the way 3rd/4th Space Wolves work. I may just make them a knightly order type thing that just uses the codex because I want to lean into the Gothic of the game but will see when it comes to painting them.

 

The plan for the Imperial Guard element will be represented by The Space Wolves Annihilator proxy and two squads of Stormtroopers.

 

The Inquisitor will be a Magos of the Collegiate Extremis and I will use the Ad Mech kill team to make his retinue.

 

I'm not going for a power list but instead trying to include as many parts of the Imperium into an army as I can.

 

I think I will use the same process I did with the Russ as I am really enjoying painting it. I also have an original Armourcast Warhound titan I may dig out and paint for this army for fun.

 

[batu]

You’re on a roll, brother! Love it—keep on rolling!

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate. 

 

I think the more I look into 4th edition the more I want to get an army together. I really should sit down and hash out an army list but rolling with the tank making and painting at the moment. Feels like the old days again. i think breaking it down into distinct elements helps as well.

[Brother Ezra]

I've been thinking along the same lines recently - I had the thought that, if you buy the Horus Heresy Astartes Combat Force, and either buy another Rhino or swap the Dreadnought for one, you have the core of a 4th edition army pretty much all in one go! All you'd need to add is an HQ choice, and maybe some additional special weapons to kit out the Tacticals. 

 

Lovely work on the Leman Russ, by the way!

[batu]

If ever play 40k again... it will be either 2nd or 3rd/4th edition. 

[sitnam]

Your weathering looks really good and natural, the stippling worked well

[Doghouse]

Brother Ezra: Thanks mate.  That's a really good idea, I've got the special and heavy weapons sprues so will probably use those to also add Long Fangs as well. I also have some Saturnine so may make a couple of those into Wolfguard.

 

batu: Excellent choice, I think people tend to forget there are other editions of 40k and if you hunt around a bit you can still find most of it online or being sold on ebay still.

 

sitnam: Thanks mate. It's an old scale modelling trick I have been wanted to try out properly for years now. I have to say I am really enjoying it so far.

[Doghouse]

Base coated the Leman Russ, will probably go with grey stippled over the hull in the same way as the Russ.

 

[sitnam]

1 hour ago, Doghouse said:

sitnam: Thanks mate. It's an old scale modelling trick I have been wanted to try out properly for years now. I have to say I am really enjoying it so far.

 

i did it last year for my traitor guard tanks, because I refuse to buy an airbrush. Really fun technique. I think i need more tanks now...