Scythes of the Emperor and Black Library

GW's Black Library has just released a short story as part of their Summer of Reading. Their first release of the second week is The Shadow of the Beast, featuring the Scythes of the Emperor! Think of this as a beginning to their encounter with hive Fleet Kraken.

Completely used without GW's consent, but all credit goes to them!!

It is a short story. But being as it is about the Scythes, I am getting it. Add it to the other published Scythes story Orphans of the Kraken, in the now called Space Marines: The Omnibus. Excuse me, I have some reading to accomplish...

Storm Talons of the Scythes

Saving the best of my Scythes for last, I present my Storm Talons. These are the last pieces I have done for my Scythes as of now. Working in my usual style, I built and painted the pair at the same time. The two even are armed the same. Painting is where there are some differences.

                        

 

Talon number 1 on the left received some stripes and more of a yellow tail. I just wanted to experiment with striping a tad. It came out pretty good. Like all my other Scythe models, they were primed white to give the yellow more of a pop when it gets airbrushed on. Anything to remain yellow was then carefully taped off to completely painted separately, i.e. the cockpit. Black was then sprayed onto them. The black was given a stippling of blue/black that I had to soften it some. I had not yet gotten into using weathering powders yet that can be used to 'fade' the paint.

                 

 

The cockpit was fully detailed. A Techmarine is piloting the vehicle with accompanying Scythian shoulder pad. The canopy was taped over with the trusty Tamiya tape. Which was then slightly cut away in the corners of the glass to expose the framework. The entire glass piece then sprayed yellow, tape removed, and a clean piece was left behind. Regular PVA glue was used to attach the canopy. Use of superglue or plastic glue can cause the clear pice to 'fog' up, especially if it isn't given the ability to let the fumes escape.

The biggest experiment with these was on the bases. Number 5 was done in normal fashion of glue and sand after placing the wall. This resulted in a very flat piece even with a few rocks on it. On Talon number 1, I put some light modeling paste down (Golden). Wetting it, I added sand to the putty and molded a small crater into the base. This gives the ground a more realistic feel to it. Some undulations and even moving it up against the wall to show the build up of debris as you would see naturally. For large base like the guys use, the light modeling paste was much better in achieving realistic results. 

                    

 

The only drawback I had was with the clear stand. I taped it up with regular masking tape so I could save my Tamiya tape. During the gloss coating and dull coating, the tape failed in spots. I went ahead and sprayed the rest of it to avoid the splotchiness of the effect. Why not just glue the flying stand on afterward? By getting it attached in the first place you get the strong bond of plastic to plastic melting together. It's more work, but going the easy way in this case would not be the best way. Lesson learned that I did not hold back with the Tamiya tape when I painted up my Ravenwing aircraft in an earlier post.

Each time I do a project whether it be a squad, a tank, or terrain. I always want to add something new to the repertoire of techniques. The technique can be something simple like the striping on here, or using the modeling paste. I recommend trying something new each time you work on a project.

Scythe Command Characters

The Chapter Master Thorcyra for the Scythes passed during the Battle on Miral at the Giant's Coffin. Most of the Command characters also died during their defense against Hive Fleet Kraken. Their leadership was so broken, only one Librarian survived. With Company Master Thrasius immediately charged with leading the Scythes to safety and rebirth.

My special characters were left for last when putting the army togther. I wanted to have a Sicarius representative. Simply for the fact that he could cause Instant Death with a single strike. A suitable item to use against something like a Carnifex or even against a Hive Tyrant should he survive the original onslaught. The scythe I built was fairly rudimentary, and there are better options out there now (Heresy Death Guard). I like what I created, but I was never really happy with him. I wanted him to have something that grabbed a person's attention with the scythe. But it never really materialized into what I envisioned. He is in need of a rebuild or retirement. 

                   

I knew I wanted to have a Chaplain Cassius, simply for the fluff. A known survivor of the Tyranid attacks. Meet Chaplain Bayne, a metal figure that I filed the Ultramarine symbols off from his shoulder and kneepad. Bayne is a great character as far as Challenges go with his Toughness of six and Feel No Pain. Being part of a squad really weakens him, but you don't want to have him run around alone.

                   

I do have plans to build up a Company Command Squad. Probably around the time I rebuild my Company Master. I sorta have to now that I have an Apothecary, but no squad for him to accompany. This a Forgeworld creation. It comes two to a pack. The other was assigned to my Dark Angels. The fluid jars at the top came out the best. I am really quite happy with this guy. 

                        

Once I get past my ETL vows for Bolter and Chainsword, I plan to add more to the Scythes to make them more complete and competitive.

Scythe's Combat Vehicles

My Scythes are built around an idea of movement. Whether it be in Rhinos and Storm Landspeeders or Attack Bikes and Dreadnoughts being delivered via Drop Pod. It's a concept I am still trying to learn. A theory of move and fire. I only want to engage in melee combat once I know I have the edge. Playing to a theme that each model is more than just a figure, but that each one is a valuable. It is a very conservative notion. Outside of the Ravenwing and White Scars, I am envisioning the Scythes to be a mobile force as well.

To carry on that picture, one of the first units I put together was a squadron of Attack Bikes. Three Bikes each one different in insignia. Allowing for them to be deployed separately, but also enough alike that if they were deployed as one, they would still meld together.

 

The bikes were modeled in a way that allows for either the Mulit-melta to be used or the Heavy Bolter. I did this without using magnets. Just a simple paperclip and a hole drilled carefully into the waist of the gunners. Much easier than magnets to carry out and a bit cheaper too.

Why even have the Heavy Bolters when all the meta says Meltas are the way to go? This squadron is an awesome anti-horde unit. And they can move and shoot. Able to bring their firepower anywhere on the board. With all the shots, they have the potential to put a wound on any monster that is thrown at the Scythes. Just as well with the Multi-meltas they are a gun target due to their high threat value against everything. Albeit, just one wound at a time if they hit.

                           

 

If I really need some heavy anti-armor, I just bring in my lone Dreadnought. I deploy him via Drop Pod only. With his HK missiles and melt gun, he can be dropped alongside a tank and cause havoc in the backfield immediately. I have only ever used him with the Dread Close Combat Arm and Seismic Hammer. I just wish the Dread was more reliable. Even with the 13 armor they are still fragile until they can engage in combat. For around 200 points, he is a reliable gun magnet. I love the model and the potential he has is awesome. I must get another two at least.

Scythes Transports

This one can be the boring post. Transports are rarely exciting. They fight through the fire to deliver their cargo. And much like a male spider after it delivers its cargo, they tend to die or get ignored.

Even still, I tried to make them look good! 

There are only two Rhinos currently. If or when I enlarge the company, there will definitely be more vehicles. I just have to remember most of the heavy tanks have been lost so I will avoid the Land Raiders and Predators. 

Should the Company Commander decide to ride, his wheels are suitably ready and unique in its adornment. The Grim Reaper is from a US Navy insignia I found on the internet. Using Photoshop, I resized it a bit and reversed the colors where all the black was clear and yellow was black. It is able to stand out nicely as a command Rhino.

                      

                  

I must say the Drop Pod kit looks great when finished, but it is a pain to put together! Why couldn't GW just put some pins in for the vanes to slide into? The entire process was extremely frustrating. Almost like they rushed it or a non-modeler built it on the computer. In order to get it to look good, you also have to pre-paint much of it before the final build. That's where I tried to do the electric look for the sensor dome or machine spirit. The Drop Pod is quite easy to paint up. Dry-brushing goes a long way with this item.

The last transport is for my Ironclad Dreadnought. I should have placed a picture of the two Drop Pods next to each other so you could get an idea of the size difference. The Dread Pod is fat with only three doors. A Dread base can just fit inside the Pod. Mine will not completely fit due to the Hunter Killer missiles on top. You will see him in another post soon. The Forge World Pod was much easier to build and is more stable than the plastic one. 

Update!

You can see the Dread Pod is about twice the size. You may also see in the back my latest WIP

Scythes' Space Marines

The Scouts may be the most numerous of members of my Scythes of the Emperor, but the graduated Space Marines are the backbones. Going with the theme that either they are rookies or veterans, my Scythes have two squads of Sternguard Veterans and one squad of regular Marines.

This is the regular squad. They tend to ride in a rhino transport. Why a multi-melta? Cheaper than a lascannon and still good at putting a wound on a Tyranid monster. Usually don't have to worry too much about range. The bugs tend to help you out there just fine. The Sergeant has a power pick for a weapon. I claim it as an axe ahead of time. The pick was a nasty anti-armor weapon back in medieval times. So, it fits just fine with the armor piercing of a power axe.

You can also see redeemed Lamenters amongst the unit. As the Scythes were assigned to oversee the Penance of the Lamenters following the Badab War; the Lamenters suffered heavily during the Kraken invasion. With the overall decimation of the Scythes Chapter, any surviving Lamenters amongst the Scythes number deemed vindicated were incorporated into the existing Chapter. I am sure the Inquisition will have questions regarding this action. Yet, it can be easier to ask forgiveness than permission considering the situation the Scythes current face. At the least, his gene seed may not be saved if it ever comes to it.

The first of two Sternguard squads is displayed above. The squad is made up of a mix of metal and plastic Marines. This squad has combi-meltas and a heavy flamer from a Terminator. The Veteran Sergeant is equipped with Lightning Claws. Usually deployed via drop pod into the middle of the enemy to draw them away from the front lines and to just cause as much damage as possible. There are only nine guys in the squad as a character sometimes deploys with them. They are great for chewing up Tyranid Warriors. The unit has successfully been used to alpha strike a Hive Tyrant leading to a complete disorganization of a Tyranid assault.

The last Space Marine unit is the heavy weapon Sternguard. I will combat squad this unit with the heavy weapons staying behind leaving the Veteran Sergeant and comrades to provide forward cover. It's also not too difficult to simply leave them all combined and shoot Kraken rounds too. It's difficult to see, but there are also a couple of comb-plasmas in here as well. I know it is not a standard use of the unit, but again, I play more for fluff.

Many of the plastic figures are modified to have service studs on their shoulder pads. The pads were made with Testors putty filled across the entire face then left to dry overnight then sanded smooth. With a pen, I chose several locations for the studs to go and lightly drilled into the putty with a pin vise. The studs themselves are tiny silica beads. You tend to get them with items shipped in boxes. I left a dollop of super glue on piece of paper, using a toothpick, I put a touch of the glue into the drilled hole. The silica bead was then carefully pressed into the hole. 

Some of the battle damage was a result of the pin vise drilling and the putty chipping off on the shoulder pads. Other was created by simply hitting the model with a file. Since the figures were primed in white and then yellow over the top, the file tends to show the white primer and the grey of the plastic underneath. This looks best on the black armor locations.

Each of the figures are individual with alternating color schemes and decal usage. Normally I make my Marines uniform per squad. Each one using the same numeration and symbols. Since many of the Veteran Scythes survived the Hivefleet attack, the disciplined rules are a bit more lax.

Now being colorblind, I never knew the lining I did on the yellow was red. I originally thought I grabbed the brown micron pen. It wasn't until the Necronomicon Tournament that I was told, 'I like how you used the red for the lining.' Aww, crap! Even still I can't tell it's red.