Snakes of Ithaka's - Iron Snakes Project

[Snakes of Ithaka]

The Iron Snakes

 

Fear not the snake for his guile, nor his silence.

Fear him for his speed at striking,

The clenching strength of his coils,

The armour of his scales,

And the sharpness of his bite.

Fear the snake, oh enemies of man,

For his coils encircle us

And his bright eyes, unblinking,

Watch over us forever.

 

From The Lays of Proud Ithaka.

 

 

Time to start anew. It has been almost a year since I posted anything here., my small Ultramarines project that I started a previous thread for fizzled due to real life issues and hobby burn out, so I decided to take some time away and got stuck into a solo Gloomhaven campaign instead.

 

Over Christmas while I was off work I sat down and re-read brothers of the snake quickly followed by the 2 Urdesh novels and found the itch to dig my Iron Snakes back out.

 

Usually with hobby projects I rush into them with lots of enthusiasm but without too much thought into how to put my idea's into reality and this leads to a scattergun approach which usually leads to me to spending plenty of characters converted and painted but nothing much else, so this time I have sat down and made a plan of sorts.  With the Urdesh novels fresh in my mind I plan to make the squads/characters from that novel first:

 

• Damocles Squad - using the sternguard kit as a base
• Kalliopi Squad - using the jump pack assault intercessors as a base
• Erasmos Squad -  using the assault intercessor kit as a base 
• Platonos Squad - using the intercessor kit as a base 
• Captain Priad - using dark angels master lazarus as a base.
• Pyrakmon - techmarine kit
• Hamiskora - librarian kit

 

I have sat down and painted a couple of test models which I am happy with these use slightly different colours to my previous models the biggest being the golds and have also pick up some awesome new decals from Aquila Relics to use for this project .

 

Below is the test model that I painted up using the old company champion mini that I have laying around.

 

 

I have had a rummage through the pile of shame and collected a few bits together and have started kit bashing a  5 man squad that I'll get painted up before I set to work on the above models.

 

Thanks for looking,

Edited June 12, 2024 by Snakes of Ithaka
Typo

[terminator ultra]

test model looks great! hope the kit bashing goes well! I would brighten the eyes but that's it

[Gnasher]

Excellent start, looking forward to seeing more. Seeing as Urdesh is an inspiration, do you plan any speeders or Thunderhawks?

[ShadowCaptain]

Agreed Nice start. Iron Snakes are a baddass Chapter, perhaps some Shields and Sea Lances? Love the fiction on these guys.

[Firedrake Cordova]

The Iron Snakes are an interesting chapter, and it looks like you're off to a good start

[Snakes of Ithaka]

On 4/10/2024 at 4:57 PM, terminator ultra said:

test model looks great! hope the kit bashing goes well! I would brighten the eyes but that's it

 

Thanks, yeah I was going for something different with the eyes and tried out turquoise with some gloss varnish, but don't think it really gave the effect that I was hoping for I'll probably go back to using a bright silver then adding striking scorpion green contrast.

 

On 4/10/2024 at 8:02 PM, Gnasher said:

Excellent start, looking forward to seeing more. Seeing as Urdesh is an inspiration, do you plan any speeders or Thunderhawks?

 

Definitely plan on picking up a speeder or two down the line, Thunderhawks are a little out my price range at the moment.

 

On 4/11/2024 at 2:42 AM, ShadowCaptain said:

Agreed Nice start. Iron Snakes are a baddass Chapter, perhaps some Shields and Sea Lances? Love the fiction on these guys.

 

Thanks, the plan is to definitely add some shields and sea lances, I'm looking to draw inspiration from all 3 books. The sabbat worlds crusade book has some great artwork of the sea lance so looking at the grey knight halberd's as the starting point.

 

On 4/11/2024 at 7:43 AM, Firedrake Cordova said:

The Iron Snakes are an interesting chapter, and it looks like you're off to a good start

 

Thanks, yeah I love their back ground and whole emphasis on squads over company's and think that it gives lots of modelling opportunities as each squad can look slightly different.  So I'm probably going to be mixing kits from Dark Angels/Black Templars/Standard marines ranges.

[Snakes of Ithaka]

Over the weekend while sorting out some bits in the loft I found my old marines codex's and rules books that where backed up for the house move years ago,  my first proper introduction with 40k was during 5th edition, got some proper nostalgia when reading through the 5th ed marine codex and remembering the games against a mate with his dark eldar at our local GW.

 

At that point I had an ultramarines force that I had built up to company over 5th to 7th editions but sold it off in 2017 to but the money towards buying our first house, I regret it a little now but still think it was the right decision.

 

Reading the older codex's made me realise who much I preferred marines chapter structure/units before the introduction on the primaris lore (Although I'd be lying if I didn't say that I like the newer models) and that got me think about the Iron Snakes project, seen as this is mainly a modelling project and not as much a gaming army I'm going to focus on using the newer models to create the classic squads.

 

Managed to get a little hobby time over the weekend so dived into my bits box and repurposed some marines from a failed sons of medusa project and started to put together a 5 man combat squad.

 

 

Along with the combat squad I've decided to add my Juidicar conversion to this project so that will get repainted for this army.

 

Thanks for looking.

[Brother Christopher]

Oh, I like this colour scheme. The champion model is particularly cool.

 

I'll keep an eye on your progress. And good luck to sticking to your plans; they seem very reasonable and well-laid-out.

 

24 minutes ago, Snakes of Ithaka said:

At that point I had an ultramarines force that I had built up to company over 5th to 7th editions but sold it off in 2017 to but the money towards buying our first house, I regret it a little now but still think it was the right decision.

 

Probably a bit painful but in the grand scheme of things, it's for the better ;) Now you have a proper Chapter Keep, ey?

 

28 minutes ago, Snakes of Ithaka said:

Reading the older codex's made me realise who much I preferred marines chapter structure/units before the introduction on the primaris lore (Although I'd be lying if I didn't say that I like the newer models) and that got me think about the Iron Snakes project, seen as this is mainly a modelling project and not as much a gaming army I'm going to focus on using the newer models to create the classic squads.

 

I think that there are parallels between what you're doing and my Primaris Project.

[Snakes of Ithaka]

11 minutes ago, Brother Christopher said:

Oh, I like this colour scheme. The champion model is particularly cool.

 

I'll keep an eye on your progress. And good luck to sticking to your plans; they seem very reasonable and well-laid-out.

 

Thanks, I'm hoping that having it planned out in some detail before beginning will help me actually complete it as with pervious projects I get a little carried away and then add more and more things before the evitable burn out and lack of enthusiasm for the project,.

 

Although my previous scattergun approach does mean that I have plenty of marines laying around that are ready for converting up.

 

16 minutes ago, Brother Christopher said:

Probably a bit painful but in the grand scheme of things, it's for the better ;) Now you have a proper Chapter Keep, ey?

 

Yead definitely the correct decision and means that the brothers of ithaka have secured the empty billy bookcase and are currently fortifying it lol

[Snakes of Ithaka]

I actually manged to do it, I painted a 5 man combat squad without getting distracted and starting another conversion/project.

 

After using the company champion as a test scheme I continued with the revised colours although I have now switched away from the GW colours and started using the two thin coats version's so the colours look pretty much the same.

 

I filled out the squad with more bodies from the bits box, down the line I will need to add a back banner but didn't have any laying around so will have to keep and eye out on the bits sites/eBay.

 

All that is left now is to get the decals done, Next up will probably be the Librarian once he has had a dip in the bio strip. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

They look great  

[Rusted Boltgun]

Lovely smooth metallics and great skin tone too. 

[Grotsmasha]

They look great, really like the scheme

 

I feel like the base colour is too similar and theykind of blend into the models. Maybe a black or light brown wash would subtlety shift the bases to contrast without being distracting?

[Snakes of Ithaka]

On 4/30/2024 at 3:51 PM, Firedrake Cordova said:

They look great  

 

Thanks Firedrake

 

On 4/30/2024 at 6:23 PM, Rusted Boltgun said:

Lovely smooth metallics and great skin tone too. 

 

Thanks I the head is probably the best flesh I have every painted, though painted is probably a too stronger word as its just darkoath flesh contrast over grey seer.

 

On 5/1/2024 at 1:57 AM, Grotsmasha said:

They look great, really like the scheme

 

I feel like the base colour is too similar and theykind of blend into the models. Maybe a black or light brown wash would subtlety shift the bases to contrast without being distracting?

 

Thanks, I've tried to keep the scheme simple this time so that I actually stand a chance of finishing the army, I think your right about the bases, I didn't really notice it until you pointed it out I will have a go at making a few test bases up to see what I can come up with.

 

While the librarian was in the bio strip I decided to quickly touch up the gravis captain conversion I made a few years ago, originally I planned on just changing up the cloak colour to make it match the current force but I may have got a little carried away as you can see with the before and after photo's

 

 

Before 

 

 

After

 

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

That's quite an improvement!  

 

Are you going to pick out the laurels below the knee?

Edited May 2, 2024 by Firedrake Cordova

[Grotsmasha]

Seeing those bases, I think just the different coloured tufts on the regular infantry would add enough visual distinction to separate them from the models

[Wormwoods]

Looking good! The sign of a mature painter is that they know you don't have to paint the purity seals red!

 

Nice use of Tor Garadon bits, by the way. Solid conversion work!

[Snakes of Ithaka]

On 5/2/2024 at 11:22 AM, Firedrake Cordova said:

Are you going to pick out the laurels below the knee?

 

I couldn't decided if I wanted to do them gold or green and then the procrastination hit and I totally forget about it.

 

On 5/2/2024 at 12:42 PM, Grotsmasha said:

Seeing those bases, I think just the different coloured tufts on the regular infantry would add enough visual distinction to separate them from the models

 

I think that I'll probably end up going back and rebasing the 5 man squad as I have picked up so 3mm cork board that I can use and stick with the 5mm on the characters.

 

23 hours ago, Wormwoods said:

Looking good! The sign of a mature painter is that they know you don't have to paint the purity seals red!

 

Nice use of Tor Garadon bits, by the way. Solid conversion work!

 

Thanks, yeah with the shoulder trim being red I though I would try something different for the purity seals and think they look pretty good in green

[Snakes of Ithaka]

 

 

So with the recent bank holiday weekend in the UK, I managed to get a some sit down and crack on with the finishing of the gravis capatain conversion and the paint up the librarian.

 

 

Brother Captain Trokus

 

 

Trokus is a brilliant but rather ruthless tactician as he showed during the iron Snakes undertaking to Naxos, he has currently been tasked by chapter master Seydon to lead an undertaking to the planet of Ceres.

 

 

Epistolary Hamiskora

 

 

Hamiskora's long service has seen him fight across the galaxy from the sabbat worlds crusade to the present where he is part of an undertaking to Iorgu to investigate the reports of a chaos cults springing up.

 

Really happy with the how the librarian came out as I was a bit hesitant with the colour choices as I wasn't sure the red and black cloaks would work together but I think they worked out well, so with Hamiskora complete I can cross the first unit of the to-do list

 

• Damocles Squad - using the sternguard kit as a base
• Kalliopi Squad - using the jump pack assault intercessors as a base
• Erasmos Squad -  using the assault intercessor kit as a base 
• Platonos Squad - using the intercessor kit as a base 
• Captain Priad - using dark angels master lazarus as a base.
• Pyrakmon - techmarine kit
• Hamiskora - librarian kit

Not sure if I will tackle Kalliopi or Erasmos Squad next

 

 

 

 

[Rusted Boltgun]

Red and black cloaks look really good. I like that scuplt and your scheme looks a lot less 'busy' than the GW box-art.

[Firedrake Cordova]

The captain looks much better with the laurels picked out

[Snakes of Ithaka]

Thank you @Firedrake Cordova and @Rusted Boltgun for the kind words.

 

It's been a while since I've done an update, I am slowly working my way through my to do list.

 

I have started building up the jump assault intercessors and hope to get some primed over the weekend, while hunting through my bits box I came across the kit bashed company of heroes I had started for my previous Ultramarines army, so I decided to get them out and add them to my Iron Snakes.

 

The first two completed are the ancient and veteran, I have left the decals off for the time being as I now have access to a 3d printer so once I get it up and running I am going to print off some of red warden miniatures Iron Snakes shoulder pads for this project, luckily all the models painted so far (excluding the monopose Gravis captain) only have their shoulder pads fitted with blue tac so it should be relatively easy to retro fit the 3d prints to them too.

 

Company Hero Veteran 1

 

 

Company Hero Ancient 

 

 

As I know have the 3d printer available to me, I am thinking about using custom helmets as there are some STL's that have caught my eye so I might do a few test prints to see how they look.

 

Until next time thanks for reading.

[Firedrake Cordova]

They look good - nice work on the lettering on the banner  

[W.A.Rorie]

I love them!

 

[Crusader Reborn]

Sleek paint work and a cool chapter. 

A think a few extra additions paint wise would take them from great to astounding.