White Swords Tactical Squad

So, a little while ago I read a Horus Heresy novel (First Heretic) and then I realized why I shouldn't read Horus Heresy novels.  They invoke a strong need in me to paint Spess Mehreens.  I succumbed.  Damn.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any 'new' Space Marines in boxes or waiting to painted, and I'm too skint to buy any, so I turned to my first Space Marines, with their over-thick coats of paint and badly-stuck-on-transfers and undercoated them black.  Their poses aren't anything artistic because I had to paint them as they came, but time to redeem their paintjobs somewhat...

Tactical Squad Cassius

Sgt. Cassius

Evidently assembled during my "no such thing as too much purity scrolls" phase.

Häyhä

Lundgren

Blaze

Arviolz

Obel

Xavier

Lucius

Combat Squad Cassius (the back two are Andrew and Teslos)

Combat Squad Lucius

And yes, I name all of my Space Marines.  If I had a Tyranid army, I'm pretty sure I'd try name all of the Gaunts and Genestealers too.

These lot aren't based because the Hornby SkaleScenic gravel I usually use for this Chapter is playing a very fine game of hide-and-seek at the moment, so the bases will have to be completed at a later date.

I wasn't gonna go as crazy with the freehand for this lot as I could have because they be a humble tactical squad, who have not yet earned their battle honours.  That goes to the 1st Company squads.

Righty-ho, I'm off then.  Happy dice-rolling!

Whirlwind Finito!

Well, my approximation of finished at any rate.  It's only recently that I've stopped the habit of going back to old models to try and improve the paintjob my then-worse-skills could accomplish, and because I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  I'm also a bit impatient, and I'm not sure how they co-exist within me, but there we are.

   Here we go:

Now, there are a few specific things I will return one day to fix (metallics, some bits and bobs of the flame/sword designs) but I am overall satisfied with this for now, though there are no headlamps on it (we can see fine by the flames in the craters we create, duh!) as I couldn't find them - I partly assembled the model before I left university, many moons ago, and some components have found themselves into bitz boxes or somewhere less unmentionable I'm sure. There's an optional placard-type aquila about too, but I didn't see the need for it.

Umm..., yep that's all for now.  Happy dice rolling!

Whirlwind WIP

After seeing a Samurai Khorne Berzerkers thread on DakkaDakka, I felt the urge to paint something MEQ'-y.

Sorry, but when I see a large flat space, I instinctively kill a kitten.  Therefore, I must save the kittens.

Utterly my first time painting a vehicle of any kind, except for Dreadnoughts, and I dunno if I need to make it grubbier or something.  Should the white be given a light wash to dull it down?  I dunno chaps, any opinions and advice welcome.

Spess Mehreens.

Seeing as how blogs are supposed to be updates of what you have done lately, and seeing as how I haven't gotten round to the most popular wargame of this day and age yet, I thought now would be a good idea to show you the Space Marine Chapter Master kitbash/conversion I assembled when I was supposed to be doing an essay sometime last term and painted when I should have been revising (well, probably).  I might add a few more pics of other Astartes models, depending on how I feel about it a few inches down.  Oh, the suspense!

A brief little fluff explanation for the base/ model.  The White Swords Chapter were nearly annihilated during the closing days of the 41st millennium. During one of the rare ceremonial events that would see the entire Chapter gather as one, almost 60% of the Chapter defected to Chaos.  As the White Swords' Fortress-Monastery, Bladehenge, was built in the middle of a substantial Hive area, the White Swords loyalists had to trap their heretical brethren within Bladehenge and destroy them lest they escape to wreak death upon the innocent (to little avail, as a renegade Chaos force arrived shortly afterwards which was met by an Imperial force and the hive saw war anyway).  Luckily, none of the 1st Company, except their Captain, turned traitor and in hindsight, it was only this fact that allowed the loyalists to win the battle within Bladehenge despite being outnumbered.  Only 189 Marines survived.

This model, therefore, is the Chapter Master, while leading the counter-attack against the traitors within his own Fortress-Monastery.  I used a GW WHBF modular movement tray base as the tiled floor, GW paints to paint, Tamiya clear red for the lovely arterial blood, various bits from my bitz box to decorate, some green stuff somewhere and I think the sand/rocks and the grass were some kind of Hornby product, though I cannot recall precisely.

In-game, I use him as Pedro Kantor, a) because the model demands it, b) Pedro's army builds are often overlooked in favour of the cheese that is Vulkan, or Lysander (mostly Vulkan),c) the fluff is quite similar, though I honestly didn't realize it until way in.  Honestly.  I can be slow on the uptake like that.



Right, I can manage one more Astartes for tonight, and then I'll be off.  He's a Devastator Sergeant, who will never, ever use his Bolter (most probably).  Devvy Sergs can forgo their own shooting attack in order to give one of their better-armed fellows a BS5 shot that turn.  A heavy weapon hitting on a 2, or an extra S4 AP5 Rapid Fire attack?  No contest.  He's going to be out of range of what the Lascannons and Plasma Cannons are gonna be firing at anyway, so if the Bolter's going to be essentially an ornament...

.. then lets add one more Bolter he'll never use.

I could upload more, but seeing as there's already an existing gallery of some of my models on the interweb  (here), I shall merely inform you of its existence and bid you au revoir.