Kanak Hell Spawn Veterans

To go with the Chimera 'Hell Spawn', I built up a squad of veterans for my Skulltakers! Much like the other Kanak units, these are a mix of Chaos Marauders and Catachans. But these guys have a twist!

The twist is I am using some Blightwheel heads with masks. They are quite what I imagine a Bloodpact trooper would look like. I preferred these over the Secret Weapon heads with masks due to the overall sculpt. The Blightwheel sprues also came with horns with which to glue to the helmets. I didn't even bother as they are so tiny, a small bump or snag will pop them off. I tried to drill a small hole to countersink them into to make the bond stronger, but just couldn't find the right diameter drill bit. It was either too small or too big. I quit while I was ahead. I think they look fine nonetheless. I used most of the shoulder pads I had to give them the extra armor look if I want them to be Granadiers with carapace armor.

The squad itself is armed with two melta guns and a demolition charge, whom is a metal figure with a head swap. I must say, I am really impressed with the Imperial shoulder pads from the Baneblade sprue. Those pads, just seemed to fit the look perfectly. You can see them mainly on one of the melta gunners and the banner bearer.

The sergeant received the huge skull shoulder pads. They fit the role nicely. To show their subtle change to Chaos, all the visible Imperial Eagles were removed or filed down. The Sergeant could be said to have an 8-point star on his back, or it could just be a huge target symbol...

All of the troopers have tattoos of flames on their wrists. I also tried to incorporate the symbol from the rune on the banner onto their arms. The banner 

The only thing I did differently for these guys was to try and use oil washes and other tank specific weathering techniques on their shoulder pads and helmets. The results were mixed. As they are so small, the weathering gives the appearance of a camo pattern.

Ravenwing Command Squad

I wanted to post these some time ago, but the ETL IV competition photos superseded them. 

My Ravenwing Command Squad completed about a year ago when I was cleaning out the Dark Vengeance box set. They were painted in three steps. The black portion was done first with all the edging. The silver parts were next, which went the fastest. The white took the longest encompassing the base coats and the build up of layers. 

The Apothecary was primed white separately from the bike. It just makes everything so much easier that way.

The Black Knight received an upgrade with a magnetized arm. He now has a choice of the Corvus Hammer or a Blade of Caliban. Assuming they aren't run as standard Black Knights, he will run with the sword every time.

The Banner bearer also received a magnetized arm. For when he runs as a Black Knight, he can swap out the banner for the Hammer. The banner was pretty much copied from the book itself. I even went to the GW site where I could grab a picture and zoom in to get a better idea of how they pulled it off.

They may not be my best stuff, but I really wanted to get them out and completed. All that extra white takes a bit of time. It's the feathers that were really getting tiresome. I have to think about getting a full squad of them

Third ETL Vow

I finally finished my third vow for the ETL IV hosted by Bolter and Chainsword. I was hoping to get two more vows completed, but things have gotten in the way... Anyway, this one was relatively simple, a Chimera and a Deathstrike Missile Launcher. It still took me about two weeks, twice as long as planned.

The Chimera is to be a transport for my soon to be Veteran squad. With that in mind, the Chimera was done up with some slight alterations to show a possible taint by Chaos. The spikes added and the rusty hooks on the side are there to add to the atmosphere. I even painted tiny horns to the skulls of the Aquila on the sides. The silver face is a Mordheim leftover. I am just trying my best to avoid adding any other Imperial symbols to the craft.

I did another variation on the camouflage, a sort of poor man's urban camo. I created my company with an urban environment in mind, hence all the greys I've been using. I also reached a bit further and put a face on the dozer blade. It may be a bit hokey, but there is precedent. During the Korean War, the US Army painted tiger faces onto the fronts of M-26 Pershings, as some of the Chinese were superstitious. In order to make my veterans more fearsome, their tank too received a face!

I just had to add a huge template weapon to my list. The Astra Militarum cannot get any bigger than the Deathstrike Missile! Since I like to paint in pairs or more, I grabbed a Missile Launcher. 

I haven't yet used the weapon yet, but I am dying to see what it does.

The missile was primed white with the warheads masked off. I then used Astronomicon Grey, masked it off and then Mechanicus Standard. 

I made no modifications to this one. The front line troops are the ones suffering the changes. The backline troops have not yet begun the metamorphosis. 

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.

KickStarter Boost!

If you haven't already heard, the guys from Fallout Hobbies are Kickstarting a design it yourself decal sheet! Why am I mentioning this? Well, if you are in any way like me and have a difficult time painting freehand or in a straight line; this could be the way to go. You can make up your own design and request them to make a sheet full of your design!

As they have explained on their site, you cannot print white! There is no standard white colored ink you can use in your regular desktop laserjet or inkjet printer. Without the white as a base any light colored decals you put onto a dark background tend to disappear. You can see an example of this 'fail' on my Scythe's Commanders backpack banner. The strong yellow became quite faded. You may not have noticed if I didn't admit this. This was a decal I printed out for myself. I didn't create it.

If you have ever worked with decals, you may notice that may of the bright colored decals have a white background when you look at the backside. In painting terms, think of this as the base color before the main layer goes down. It gives the light color something to build off of when placed onto the dark colors.

Why am I excited for this? Because the decals I have for my Scythes are a perfect candidate for this upgrade! Here are the decals from the Bell of Lost Souls site. I also created a sheet of generic unit designations too. These would be great in white!

       

jpeg version

jpeg version

You don't have to recreate the pyramids to take advantage of this opportunity. The decals on the Bell of Lost Souls site are free. You can grab some of the BOLS decal sheets that are in color and have them redone on a white background. It would make it so much easier to build up your Heresy era Space Marines, especially for Ironhands or Raven Guard. Here is a quick link to help you find them faster!

So, hurry now as the Kickstarter ends on the 23rd of July. I am sure you can still order from them afterwards, but I am also sure the cost would be higher.

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.