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Great stuff as always. I think that is a great idea with the tarantulas. Do you think you'll have marines around the guns or some version of Imperial guard? OR, will the tarantulas be gunning down xenos scum right on the bases? That'd be neat.

I've made some more progress with the Dread and the Tarantula base with the former being at about 80% at this point.:



It's a constant battle to find the right level of ornamentation for a Dread as I feel you need a certain amount to denote his legendary warrior status (and keep painting interesting), but you don't want to over do it. I hope I'm striking the right balance with Revered Barachiel.

Tarantula base:

Not much to say, it's got some shell casings added to either side of the Tarantula and been painted. I'm quite looking forward to having a crack at the thing itself.




That's all for now.

kitch102 - ah, you're too kind, mate. Appreciate it.

RBeijers - thank you very much, very nice of you to say.

Meph - Thanks, I very much agree. I really dislike them with their halo type things and it's such an easy fix. I wish I hadn't limited them to just my special character count-as models now.

IceAngel - Cheers, fella. As you can see I've added some spent shell casings to the base to indicate it has been used and I'm going to have a Techmarine standing behind the Tarantula like he was just checking on it or something but has had to pause because something's coming, so an alert yet passive pose. I've got three others to get through at some point and I'll be aiming to do something different with each one. I do like the idea of PDF fleeing past a Tarantula, hoping to hide behind it.

Venerable Gadrael

Another fallen veteran, Gadrael served with distinction in both the Second Company’s Honour Guard and Vanguard squads, Epistolary Oriphiel in particular favoured Gadrael as an Honour Guard member, for over a century before sustaining the wounds that left him entombed. For a Chapter of misanthropes and cynics who tend to revel more in mourning the fallen than the celebration of victories Gadrael stood out as much for his somewhat jovial disposition as for his martial prowess. The two dovetailed to produce a gifted warrior who wrought carnage on his foes as though each blow were a sacred, intoxicating triumph, ever hungry to inflict more damage and being elated by its causation. Upon ascending to the rank of Vanguard he showed a proclivity for utilising a pair of lightning claws whenever possible, developing a frightening dexterity with the weapons to the extent that it seemed they were truly parts of his anatomy. Now confined to a Dreadnought Sarcophagus, this has become so.

Gadrael’s internment became necessary after his heroic actions during the Wrath of Macharia incident at the close of M.40. Once again in pursuit of Eldar Corsairs operating in the Segmentum Pacificus the Crimson Tears 2nd Company came across an Imperial Navy Dominator Class Cruiser, the Wrath of Macharia, drifting through space at the edge of the halo zone. After hailing it yielded no response a boarding party was readied and the Chapter’s Strike Cruiser docked with the dead ship to allow quick in- and egress. There were signs of struggle throughout the ship, but nothing to indicate the final fate or resting place of its crew until the vessel’s very heart was reached. The mound of mutilated corpses that greeted the boarding party was as foul as any vile monument to the Ruinous Powers, yet no such calculating an evil had eradicated the crew as the astartes would soon discover. Not long after the grisly discovery the score or so of Crimson Tears were assailed by seemingly numberless Tyranid lifeforms of the Genestealer class and were forced into an immediate, frantic fighting retreat back to the Strike Cruiser. Several of the boarding team were lost during this fraught withdrawal, though that they were not wiped out to a man is nothing short of miraculous. At the head of the retreating column was Gadrael whose crackling claws made short shrift of any Genestealers clogging the corridors between the boarders and the Striker Cruiser’s sanctuary. First to reach the boarding tunnel Gadrael was the last to enter it, refusing to seek safety until his more junior brethren –by the time the boarding tunnel was arrived at the other two veterans of the party had succumbed to the waves of xenos – were all en route to the air locks of the Strike Cruiser. His own return was torturously slow, a retreat of centimetres as he still fought against the press of chitin and claw. The boarding tunnel would not be retracted until Gadrael was safely inside the airlock, a decision commendable for its consideration to the veteran and his survival but that allowed the tunnel itself to become filled with Genestealers who erupted into the airlock as soon as Gadrael cleared the tunnel entrance. Waiting in the airlock were the remnants of the boarding party and a few other 2nd Company members who had rapidly armed and armoured themselves to help repel the invaders. Their numbers, however, were vastly inferior to those of the foe and Gadrael ordered them to retreat behind the airlock’s bulkheads, fearful that they would be overwhelmed and the vile aliens granted access to the entire ship.

As he saw the last of his brothers through the doors he swung his claws in a deadly arc, clearing himself enough space and buying sufficient time to shut the bulkheads and allow his brothers to regroup prepare to cleanse the airlock as reinforcements arrived. While he gave the last bulkhead commands via his vox unit he was speared through the lower back upon the talons of a preternaturally large creature, identified subsequently as a Broodlord class Genestealer of hitherto unrecorded proportions. Footage from the airlock monitoring systems showed how even this grievous wound would not fell Gadrael , his noble warrior spirit demanding that if his end were to come it would be facing his enemy. He wrenched the creature’s limb from its body and drove it into the walls of the airlock. As the two grappled the rest of the swarm were set their wicked claws to the Bulkhead and interior of the airlock, gouging the surfaces deeply with every slash and thrust. Finally despatching the beast with his own claws Gadrael noted the swarm’s actions and grew concerned that the bulkhead would not withstand the xenos’ unthinking, yet determined, assault. Surveillance footage shows that his next action was to plunge into the heart of the clawed mass, the Broodlord’s talon still protruding from his warplate, disappearing from view beneath the mass of chitin and fang, not sighted again until his eventual recovery. Soon thereafter the bulkhead was opened and a counterattack party burst through it prepared to repel the xenos threat, meeting surprisingly little resistance. What greeted their arrival was not the hissing clawed mass expected but an ichor drenched space strewn with carcasses and limbs. The few live Genestealers capable of mounting resistance were summarily dealt with, many of these bearing fresh scars inflicted by the shimmering claws of Gadrael. Indeed he had clearly demanded a bloody toll from the aliens for daring to set their taloned feet aboard the Strike Cruiser. His body was almost overlooked by the counter-attackers; with his armour re-coloured by the aliens’ bodily fluids and partially covered by corpses he blended perfectly with the scene of carnage he had created. The crackling of his claws, however, could not be obscured and duly grasped the attention of his brothers. Given the myriad ways in which his war plate had been rent and punctured he was assumed dead and borne from the airlock in an impromptu funeral procession, only discovered to still be alive, just barely, as the company apothecaries prepared to reclaim his geneseed. Despite their best efforts they could do no more than stabilise him, his body was beyond healing. His actions had certainly saved the boarding party, perhaps even the entire Company and Strike Cruiser, in recognition of this feat, considering also his veteran status and previous battle honours, it was decided by Captain Nathaniel and his advisers to offer Gadrael the option of being placed inside a Dreadnought sarcophagus, an opportunity he gladly availed himself of.

Centuries have passed for Gadrael inside his living tomb and have seen him involved in conflicts throughout the Imperium against all its many foes, forever at the forefront of an assault and always a bulwark in the heat of battle, revelling in the destruction his armoured form is capable of wreaking. His counsel on matters of tactics and strategy is perhaps sought less than his similarly interred brethren, but he still has much to offer the beyond a mighty battlefield presence, His innate skill with his weapons, the character most sharply highlighted by his final deeds outside of his current form, both speak to a deep, natural understanding of the warrior spirit and as such his words on both the practicalities and spiritual side of war are highly valued by all members of the Chapter.





I know the twin Storm Bolters aren't a legal load-out, but he was inspired by some Forgeworld artwork of a Blood Angels mk. IV Furioso with twin Storm Bolters and it's not like my army's hitting a table anytime soon.


In addition to Gadrael I have also managed to finish off the Tarantula. In order to occupy a bit more of the space on the base I put a Techmarine on there, too. Here are some shots of him on his lonesome:



Given how he's turned out I'm slightly annoyed with myself for having used him purely as a base ornament. I'm particularly pleased with the Admech symbol on his right pad. The auspex close-up demonstrates why he's suddenly on guard what with several incoming blips. The purity seal on his holster is a nod to that irritating habit plasma weapons have of killing their owners and shows the extra steps that Brother-Techmarine Nanael has taken to mitigate against it. I know that other specialists like Priests and Librarians in the Crimson Tears have thus far maintained their black and white armour, with wargear and adornments denoting their positions, but I felt Techmarines are sufficiently different from the rest of the chapter that they should stand out and so I've done him in the standard dark red. His purely metallic pad is a way of demonstrating still further his role as armourer/mechanic, someone who deals with the chapter's machinery rather than it's soldiers.


Now, for the sentry gun itself:





It was an interesting model to do , but I think in future I may try and paint the stand in pieces rather than whole as it was kind of awkward to do that. Most of the lenses on my marines are blue and I tried to differentiate this unmanned machine by taking its targetting lenses in different colours, with the main one being yellow, which was also a fun painting challenge. As it's not a marine, merely a weapons platform, I've tried to keep the amount of white on it to a minimum.


Productive holiday period! Hope you've all enjoyed yours and see 2014 off in style.

Very nice tarantula. Nice simple tech marine too. He does look a bit like a junior tech marine with only one servo arm.

Once again, great job on the fluff. I do like the old dreadnought chassis's I just wish they could look a bit more dynamic. I don't think any one will even notice the dual storm bolters either, lol. I take it you don't get to play very often?

First post of the New Year, hope everyone saw it in in style. I've got a little something new, for something quite old:

The last tactical marine for the squad I started almost exactly a year ago. Yup, it's taken me basically an entire calendar year to get the one squad done. Anyway, here's the guy.



Full squad:



Now the reason it took me a little while to get them done is that I did quite a lot of other stuff over the course of the year too:



Altogether that's :
For my Crimson Tears -
10 Tactical Marines, 10 Vanguard Veterans, 3 Breachers, 2 Penitents (counts as Death Company), 1 Captain Samael (counts as Tycho),1 Captain Nathaniel (counts as Malakim Phoros), 1 Baal Predator (my first tank!), 1 Furioso, 1 Tarantula (with a Techmarine on its base).

Other servants of the Imperium -
1 Inquisitor, 2 Warrior Acolytes, 5 man Deathwatch Kill Team, 1 Angel Encarmine,1 Knight of Blood, Large scenic objective (60mm).

I also started to branch out beyond marines, the results of which can be seen here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/610818.page


So, all that held me up a little. With the squad completed though my Second Company now numbers 90 marines and 8 HQ's. 10 more marines and I'll be done with the infantry side of a full battle company! Here's the whole lot as they currently are:



On the left hand side we have (left to right)-

Front Row: Chaplain (in need of a redo) 10 man Assault squad w/ plasma pistols,
Middle Row: Venerable Gadrael, 10 man Assault squad w/ meltaguns.

The middle (l to r) -
Front row: Reclusiarch Sariel and 2 Penitents, Captain Nathaniel, Codicier Morael, 5 man company Honour Guard, High Apothecary Remiel, Epistolary Oriphiel, Reclusiarch Barachiel, Apothecary Zachriel
Middle row: 5 man Assault squad w/ meltagun, 10 man Assault squad w/ flamers, 10 man Vanguard squad w/ almost one of everything
Back row: Baal Predator "Traitors' Ruination", Revered Uriel, 10 man Devastator squad w/ 2 Lascannons and 2 Missile Launchers.

Right hand side (l to r)
Front row - 10 man Sternguard squad w/ 2 Heavy Flamers, Venerated Castiel
Middle Row - 10 man Tactical squad w/ meltagun and multimelta, Tarantula w/ Techmarine Nanael
Back Row - 10 man Tactical squad w/ plasma gun and plasma cannon, 2 Servitors


Supporting elements:



Left to Right:
Inquisitorial support - 8 Deathwatch, Inquisitor Constantijn and retinue of 9 warrior acolytes (plasma gun, melta gun, 3 storm bolters) and a Techpriest (Jokaero Weaponsmith)

3rd Company Captain Samael (Tycho), 4th Company Captain Ezekiel (Seth) and Breach unit Azazel (Vanguard squad w Storm Shields and 1 power axe), Ancient Raphael, Sons of Sanguinius envoy unit (Angels Encarmine, Blood Drinkers, Knights of Blood, Flesh Tearers and Angels Sanguine currently represented).

At the back there's my 3 objectives and 6 scouts with sniper rifles on scenic bases.

Apologies for the group photos, my camera can handle close ups of small numbers of models but not wider shots of many, so you'll have to click on the image and do some zooming if you want to make out anything specific. I also feel the need to say that the assortment of books on the bottom shelf indicate my reading habits from when I was about 15 years old rather than subsequent years during which I have diversified my taste and even tackled some more 'high brow' stuff.


Enough waffle, that's where I stand at the start of 2015. A year during which I hope to finish the Second Company, add to the Crimson Tears motor pool, round out my Sons of Sanguinius and Deathwatch side projects and dedicate more time to my mounting pile of unpainted Malifaux.



IceAngel - cheers, fella, Yep he does, it's even a small servo arm, he's not trusted with a big one yet. I am again very much in agreement with you over the lack of dynamism with the dreads. It is frustrating. I might try hacking up a plastic one on the future to see how I can improve it. I do love dreads, though, so I'll continue to make more even with their rubbish, un-poseable legs. I haven't played a game since starting the hobby back up in late 2011, but I'm not sure I really want to either. I get a lot of fun out of modelling and painting, live in quite a remote area and none of my friends share this hobby so I'd have to go really out of my way to find a place and some people to play with for a start. That's not even touching upon the latest edition of 40k being wildly different to the 4th edition I left so many years ago and what I've heard about it doesn't really make me want to make the effort to get back into the gaming side of things. When I build my army I try to make sure everything's codex legal on the off chance they should ever be used in a game rather than because that's the aim.

Everything is beautiful as always Looking forward to what you bring to 2015

Righto, time for the first proper update of the New Year. Priority one at the moment is getting the Penitents up to a minimum squad size and that's gone pretty well so far with one completed new marine and two most of the way there:





Nothing too fancy, but I'm pretty pleased with the posing. The Mk. VI guy looks like he's running pretty flat out and I like to think the pointing Mk. VII guy looks as though he's singling out his next victim rather than doing a generic marine point.


Ran out of bases while painting the above, luckily I already had a batch primed up and as I had the relevant paints out I thought I'd do the lot, here are the unused ones:



Again, nothing special, but it needed to be done and I should be good for a little while now.



I also spent a bit of time getting one of my next projects up and running, a new dreadnought!



I figured that he can do dual duty as a Siege Dread or a regular dread as the multi-melta is common to both patterns and the chainfist works as an assault drill or a dreadnought close combat weapon.Thankfully air bubbles were mercifully few and there weren't too many mold slippage lines/bits of flash/mold silicon to deal with either. Alas, it's too cold and wet to prime anything at the moment (good ol' Blighty), so he's going to have to stay as a hunk of resin for a little while longer.


Nash - nice to hear from you buddy. Perhaps this year I might finally bring the 2nd up to full company strength and then I'll dive off into other parts of the chapter as I see fit.

Cool stuff as always. Quick question though, where are those space marine chest pieces from?

Your stuff always look good and that Dread will be a nice change for you

The Penitents are done! They've been a lot of fun and have generated some great responses from members on here, I'm intending to do a Razorback for them in the future, but I have other things to crack on with before that happens. More of that when I make a few key decisions. For now though, pictures:





Group shot, the 2nd Company's Penitents are led into battle by Reclusiarch Sariel, who will note their battlefield deeds and help counsel them in the aftermath as to whether or not they have done enough to expunge their perceived failings:


IceAngel - thanks, man. The chest plates are from the Death Company box, but with a couple of minor alterations. The skulls comes with a couple of crossed bones that I've cut off (hate skull and crossbones iconography for marines, it looks silly imo) and the groin flap with the blood drop on it has two blood gems, one either side, that I removed to make posing easier.

Nash - cheers. Yeah it will, if I'm ever allowed to prime the bleedin' thing! Even down here in usually balmy Surrey we've got snow for the 3rd time in a few days.

More metallic pattering as small arms fire impacted harmlessly on the Land Raider’s hull; another vibration as a shell detonated nearby; the continuous dull roar of the transport’s engines . Jophiel unclosed his eyes and gazed around the compartment, observing the actions and rituals of his brothers ahead of disembarkation. Adonael was trying in vain to find more room on his belt for an additional meltabomb. Captain Ezekiel had been assured by the Imperial Guard Commanders that the breach was practical and it did indeed look to be so from their own reconnaissance, but the veracity of such declarations was often dubious where the Guard were concerned and Emperor knew what might be done to the breach when the time came to actually force it; best to be prepared. To his left Jophiel noted Galgaliel flexing his new bionic arm. Riddled with autocannon fire during their last deployment, the youngster was more scarred than many a veteran and was fortunate to avoid losing more than just the limb. Further towards the assault ramp Eiael knelt, murmuring prayers to the Emperor while Nahaliel hefted his chain-axe from hand to hand with obsessive focus. Hidden by his helmet, Jophiel lingered on the figure of Sergeant Azazel. Sat bolt upright, perfectly still with twin axes crossed on his lap he resembled one of the statues often found on worlds delivered by a space marine chapter, his complete lack of motion a stark contrast to the preparations of his squad.

The engines slowed and Jophiel felt the Land Raider turn. En masse the squad rose to their feet, arming themselves and falling into rank, anticipating disembarktion The blades on their axes whirred and whined into life, tearing through the air rapidly, seemingly mirroring the impatience of their wielders to close with the enemy. Moments stretched on for an eternity as Jophiel waited to follow his brothers from the safety of their ceramite sanctuary and into the likely maelstrom of the breach. They’d all done it before, some more than others, and nothing was ever the same but for the unpredictable nature of the resistance that would meet them. Jophiel himself had charged headlong into breaches across the Imperium and been met by as diverse an array of foes as a servant of the Emperor could find in that vast expanse. Today they simply fought the misled regiments of a planetary Governor with traitorous, separatist ideas far beyond his station and resources. There would be no such triumph as when scouring Eldar raiders from walls they were too slow to vacate out on the Eastern Fringe or reclaiming Hives around the Eye of Terror from warp-tainted astartes of the ruinous powers. No, today their foe was guilty only of blindly following the orders of an egotistical tyrant and for that they must die, but there would be no glory in meting out their punishment. Jophiel was drawn from his reverie once more as a muted roar different to that of the engines signalled the Land Raider’s gunner scouring the breach perimeter with the vehicle’s Flamestorm cannons. A further pause, torturous and slow, until, at last, the ramp began to lower. Even the dim, grey light of the outside was near blinding as it penetrated the Land Raider’s gloomy interior, helmet lenses rapidly adjusted as the squad spilled out onto the scorched earth before the walls, ignoring the charred corpses they passed. They made their way up the rubble that used to be part of the citadel’s defences and towards the gigantic gash in the exterior wall. The Guard had been correct in their assertions, the breach was practical.

Resting at the edges of the breach Jophiel detected noise from the defenders behind the walls over the din of battle. Orders perhaps? Certainly they would be aware of the ancient war machine that had just driven up to the citadel and no doubt they would be readying themselves for what was to come. At this Jophiel allowed a grim smile to flit across his lips. The Chapter had not deployed in this conflict until now, it was doubtful the renegades were prepared to face space marines, let alone the Siegebreakers of the Crimson Tears’ 4th Company. He imagined his brothers from the other breach units readying themselves to unleash their wrath at the other holes brutalised into the gargantuan walls. With a gesture of his crackling power axe Azazel signalled the squad to advance.




It has taken a couple of years (possibly longer, I don't want to think about it too much...), but the finish has finally arrived, the Breacher's are done! It actually feels a little weird to not have them there in the back of my mind as a project in need of attention. Anywho here is the member who brought this longstanding labour of love to its conclusion:



The more of these guys I've created the more I've tested my bits box for appropriately hefty looking sets of running legs and the tricker it's become to get a diverse range of fairly dynamic poses. Kromlech's relatively recent release of another excellent leg set helped solve that problem with this guy an the inclusion of a bionic leg inspired me to give him another bionic limb, suggesting that perhaps he's been first through a breach just a few too many times; not that it's diminished his appetite for the task.

While I was at it I decided to upgrade the first Breacher a little bit. He's so old I was still black lining my white and has a brown axe haft:

Before


After


That shows a few things I tried to do better on him, sharpened up the edge highlights, brought the whole pad up to a higher standard, completely went over the white and changed the axe haft.

While I was in the mood to redo things I decided to give Ezekiel some attention. When I took a picture of him side by side with my other counts-as captains a lot of details jumped out at me as not being to the standard I currently demand of myself and it's been playing on my mind ever since. So I decided to refresh him a little and that quickly turned into a partial rebuild and pretty much total repaint. For those that can't be bothered looking back to see what he used to look like here's a quick refresher:




This is what I've done to him:


So that's a totally new pack and pair of shoulder pads plus a tilt shield buckler for his right wrist. The arms and black leg have had their highlights completely redone, the accessories on his belt got the same treatment and so did all the white areas. I've made the deepest shadow paler and tried to layer it back out to white rather than having fairly stark grey lines as the shading. Admittedly the photos of the old version don't look too bad in this regard, but with the model in hand it was pretty mediocre and the new job is a huge improvement. Similarly, the black highlights in the old photos generally look ok, but if you zoom you can see small gaps in the lines and parts where they went wonky. Not good enough for me anymore, so they had to be changed. Lastly, I added a couple of purity seals, some decoration for his eviscerator, went over the skull on the base and re-did the jewellery on his left wrist and right thigh. They've not ended up completely different, I just had a whiter tone of gold that I wanted to use. He's slightly more covered in red gems now than I realised he would be, but that's not a bad thing for an HQ figure. Definitely feel better about him now.

Most excellent update! I love the breachers. I may have to check out the kromlech stuff after seeing what you did with them. It's great to see the before and afters of Ezekiel. I love the giant blade. The added bits and bobs are a great way to make the model have a bit more pop too, more things to let your eyes wander over.

After some Crimson Tears related completions I felt that it's been a while since the chapter's allies have been somewhat neglected in recent times. To rectify this state of affairs I present to you Kapitein Geerhard de Vries, loyal bodyguard of Inquisitor Constantjin:



I've had this awesome model sitting around for a couple of years now and have always wanted to tackle it, but I was slightly worried I'd screw it up. Well, I'm now confident enough to give him the paint job I've wanted to. Clearly the metals still need a wash, but I'm happy with the start. A little bit of blending on the trenchcoat, some fine layering on the pouches; opportunities to try different colours and techniques.

He's not the only one swelling the Inquisitorial ranks, though, the Ordo Xenos have a new recruit awaiting finishing touches:



More different colours to work with (yay) , especially on the belt trinkets and the combat knife.


IceAngel - Thanks, man. They really have been one of my favourite units to build. Can't recommend Kromlech enough. They've got a whole bunch of leg sets to help add variety to a marine army and I've always found the cast quality to be excellent Speaking of, Ezekiel's Eviscerator is also from Kromlech and a favourite bit. Glad you like his updated form, he really did feel a bit plain compared to some of my other HQs.

Kapitein Geerhard de Vries, Esko PDF, 3rd Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 4th Company.



Kapitein de Vries came to Johann Constantjin's attention during the aftermath of the daemonic incursion on Esko that set the latter on his path to becoming the feared agent of the Ordo Malleus that he has become. The Esko PDF, in which de Vries served, was almost annihilated as it attempted, vainly, to withstand the ferocious onslaught of the Khornate monstrosities unleashed upon their world. de Vries was but one of a handful officers who survived the ordeal and almost unique in that his continued existence came about despite being a constant presence on the front lines, standing shoulder to shoulder with his men while both superiors and subordinates cowered in underground command bunkers or simply deserted, shirking their responsibilities to their men and to the world. His inspirational leadership, married to a keen strategic mind and indomitable resolve, was credited with preventing several cities near the incursion's epicentre from total destruction. Mighty deeds considering the scale of the carnage wrought before extra-planetary before relief forces arrived to push back the daemonic tide.

Once Esko had been delivered and left to attempt reconstruction de Vries found himself not lauded and rewarded for his efforts, but court marshaled for disobeying the orders of those with higher rank than he. Imprisoned along with several of his most trusted NCO's, he was offered up by those who had failed Esko as a scapegoat for their ineffectiveness and cowardice. Constantjin, a man of influence even before being elevated to an acolyte of Lord Inquisitor van Lecht, heard tell of the conspiracy to bury one of Esko's true heroes and was outraged. Not powerful enough to bring down the well-connected aristocrats who permeated the top ranks of the PDF and its associated bureaucracy, he was able to secure the release of de Vries and his men. Disgusted at his treatment by the PDF hierarchy and harbouring a zealous hatred of the ruinous powers after they had so scarred his homeworld de Vries readily accepted Constantjin's offer to join his fledgling retinue, on condition that the offer be extended to the loyal NCO's.

Since that day de Vries has traversed the Imperium by Constantjin's side and is fiercely protective of the Inquisitor. After all, the wounds of Esko remain raw for the Kapitein and Constantjin has provided him with endless opportunities to exorcise the rage they engender. de Vries service is characterised by the same unflinching belligerence in the face of chaotic entities that so distinguished him in the rubble of his home planet and both he and his men remain some of Constantjin's most valuable warriors in the fight against the darkness that threatens to undermine the Imperium.


I've also finished the Deathwatch Space Wolf:




I experimented with his Deathwatch pad, adding Reaper's anti-shine additive to the metallic paint to see if it would defeat the need to use matte varnish to get the effect I like. Although I don't mind it I think I'll be sticking to the previous method. Tried some different colours for the wolf tails on his pack as wolves do come in more than one and I fancied using more of the humungous range of paints I've accumulated over the last 3 and a bit years despite only regularly using a comparative handful...

Had a sudden burst of hobby activity today:









Don't know if you can see the scroll beneath the angel, but it says repent. On the other side I cut the annoying crossed bones off the door and, frankly, think it looks orders of magnitude better with just the skull and cross. Then again, I do have a slightly irrational hatred of skull and crossed bones designs on space marine stuff. The reliquaries on the exhausts are only tacked on for now so don't worry if they're a bit off centre. The plate on the rear door says 'Blood of the Fallen' for those who may not be able to make it out. Anyone guess who it's for?

New update

Most of a new Deathwatch member:


The start of another counts- as character:

I have finished both my not-Corbulo and two more Deathwatch members.

So, here's High Apothecary Phounebiel



The name means 'angel who thwarts disease' which seemed rather apt. I wish I had some fluff to accompany him, but nothing really came to me, maybe it'll happen later.



These are the latest Deathwatch recruits:

Executioner



Novamarine


Some of you may notice that their parent chapters were on opposite sides of the Badab War. Things could get interesting in the field....

Crimson Tears recon elements inbound:








I haven't painted a scout In 2 or 3 years and back then my painting was... not where it currently is. This guy was just an attempt to see what I could do with those models given the improvements I've made over that period of time. Pretty pleased with how he turned out. As for the servo skulls, well, they're servo skulls; what you see is what you get. I probably should have zoomed in a bit further on them to properly show off the shading on the bone, it's quite subtle and doesn't show up particularly well on the skull with a halo.

The Revenant (Cypher counts-as)

Very little is known about this mysterious Crimson Tear, known even to the majority of his brothers only as The Revenant. The sole common knowledge is that he was recovered, quite by chance, from the minor death world of Pyrrgha’s Lament in the Segmentum Pacificus as the 6th and 7th companies pursued and purged a tendril of Hive Fleet Scylla. Noticing the drop pods making planetfall, shortly after a plethora of mycetic spores, he sought them out . His appearance was wild and his armour almost devoid of any markings whatsoever, it would have been understandable for his erstwhile brothers to shoot him on sight, but he convinced them he offered no threat, falling to his knees as soon as he was within sight and allowing himself to be restrained in a drop pod harness until the command figures of the two companies could conduct an interrogation. He was permitted to accompany them freely, but unarmed, as they hunted Tyranids through the jungles of the small planet; presumably answering their enquiries somewhat satisfactorily. Even without weapons he proved himself a valuable asset as a tracker and saving Chaplain Risiel from the claws of a Lictor with nought but a branch spear earned him the prestige and trust to carry a boltgun. This was but one demonstration of the almost preternatural abilities that his untold years on the death world appeared to have bestowed upon him. Over the course of the campaign it became clear that his instincts and reflexes were honed far beyond those of any in the chapter and his accuracy with ranged weapons was peerless; this despite the fact he could not have fired one for decades, if not centuries. He returned with the 6th having accumulated numerous battlefield honours and the beginnings of legendary status. He was quickly whisked away to a conclave of the Crimson Tears’ leadership and since then has enjoyed a unique position in the chapter.

He is permitted to attach himself to any strike force he pleases and is not permanently assigned to any company, though he seems to spend a lot of time with the 5th. Indeed, this tendency, along with the ornateness of his armour and armaments and privileged position, have led to some speculation that he is one of the many Captains the 5th has lost during its turbulent history of near destruction and rebirth. Some members of the 7th recall seeing what they thought was the wreckage of a Dark Eldar vessel in one of the many jungles on Pyrrgha’s Lament, the very foe the 5th fought the first time it was nearly exterminated. Given the proclivity of that vile race for taking prisoners, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that The Revenant is indeed who many of the Crimson Tears’ rank believe him to be.

In battle he tends to operate alone, tracking the ebb and flow of the conflict and inserting himself where intervention is most needed. He wields two exceptionally finely crafted pistols, one bolt and the other plasma, already relics of the chapter’s armoury that he seems to have further improved with tweaks to their design. Always attached to his hip is a markedly plain and ancient sword from the 5th company’s own relic vault, but such is his uncanny accuracy with his pistols that none can ever recall him having needed to draw it from its scabbard.

Some great stuff since I last came by. Your latest is cool Still no work on the dread?

So, just a little bit to explain my relative radio-silence recently. I started a new job at the beginning of May and it involves a longer commute and slightly longer hours than my previous one which means finding hobby time during the week has been a little bit tricky. Plus we've actually had some decent weather in the UK the last couple of months and you've got to make the most of that while it lasts!


I've not been completely idle, though, to compliment my counts-as Cypher, I've finally gotten round to doing the counts-as Mephiston whose model I started maybe a couple of years ago. He had an accident and his legs broke, so I went off the project for a while, but I refurbished him recently and here he is in all his glory along with his origin story:



Crimson Tears Chief Librarian Samkiel

Prior to the events that led to his appointment as the Crimson Tears’ Chief Librarian, Samkiel was the 5th Company’s Epistolary, a strong leader and skilled swordsman who earned a great many battle honours, yet not possessed of psychic abilities notably superior to those of his contemporaries. This was to change radically when the 5th company endured its first brush with near-total destruction on an abandoned prison moon near Hydraphur in the Segmentum Pacificus.

Engaged in the seemingly endless task of attempting to purge the sector of Eldar corsairs, the 5th Company came upon two Eldar vessels believed to have carried out a recent raid on Colcha and pursued them vigorously into some of Segmentum’s sparsest areas whereupon many more vessels, including several larger war ships, materialised. Instantaneously transformed from hunters to prey, the company attempted to reach the relative safety of the nearest Imperial world and its orbital defences, Hydraphur in this case. The fighting retreat was well executed and a handful of the xenos craft were initially crippled or destroyed, but the astartes strike cruiser was eventually overwhelmed before reaching sanctuary and all but immobilised still some distance from Hydraphur. Fortuitously, or so it was thought, the nearby moon of Rathaar IV was near enough to be reached by Thunderhawk and Stormraven so that a proper stand befitting warriors of the Crimson Tears could be made. Not for them would be the inevitable death aboard their strike cruiser in the cold depths of space, firing dwindling numbers of weapons as their more numerous and agile foe toyed with them. No, their boots would be on solid ground, chainswords and bolt pistols in hand, ready to greet the enemy face to face. Rathar IV previously housed tens of thousands of the Segmentum’s worst criminals in a truly vast prison complex until Eldar raids made maintaining and defending the prison simply too expensive for local officials to bother. The labyrinthine compound, however, was merely abandoned, rather than destroyed and it was there that the 5th company made their stand. Samkiel, like the other command figures of the company, accompanied a selection of the company’s finest warriors to the enormous main yard, hoping to draw the bulk of the xenos force to that one area, while the remnants of the company and its various support elements established firing lanes and choke points on the approach, attempting to ensure as limited exposure as possible.

Utilising the fullness of his psychic arsenal, Samkiel was the bulwark upon which waves of twisted xenos broke for the battle’s duration. They fled in terror as he tormented them with visions the content of which is likely best not known, fell like marionettes whose strings had been cut as he scoured them with bolts of arcing psychic energy and writhed in agony as he raised the temperature of their very blood to the point of mortality. Many more fell before his force sword as his already considerable skill with the blade was augmented by significantly heightened reflexes and dexterity, striking so quickly that the agile Eldar appeared to be standing almost still and so frequently that their numbers thinned more rapidly than they had time to appreciate. Some accounts from the few survivors, all of whom were among those fighting directly alongside their revered brother, report experiencing similar augmentation of their fighting abilities while in Samkiel’s vicinity. It is not known whether this was by his design or simply the natural overflow of so much psychic energy being harnessed and expelled. What was certainly of Samkiel’s intent were the force fields he somehow, amidst all the other powers he was simultaneously employing, had the presence of mind to shield his brothers with when particularly dire threats raised their heads.

The battle’s climax came as the 5th’s numbers had dwindled to but a handful of battle brothers, ammunition completely spent, fighting back to back, hand to hand against the Wych and Hellion cult shock troops that had been sent in to finish them off. With Samkiel demonstrating astonishing psychic stamina, far beyond that which would have ruined even most space marine librarians, to keep fighting at a level beyond superhuman, as well as maintaining their own very considerable combat standards, they were able to keep these deadly foes at bay. Clearly this was much to the frustration of the Dark Eldar, for, after the Wyches were cowed into retreat, the Haemonculii let their vile experiments loose upon the beleaguered Crimson Tears. Unhallowed forms of implausible variety, uniform only in their sickening union of flesh and metal, bristling with all manner of alien weapons, that loped, shambled and scuttled towards their prey. Their very existence was an affront and they fell upon the few remaining astartes with the sort of mindless savagery usually only witnessed in Tyranids or the most abject Chaos cultists. In the face of this new onslaught it would seem that Samkiel attempted to harness still more psychic energy than he already had and this attempt, rather than finally exhaust him, resulted in realising a new apex of power. He moved more rapidly still so that he was barely visible to the naked eye, and the strength behind his blows became frightening to behold, cleaving in twain with consummate ease the hulking monstrosities that beset his brothers. His brothers, while not comparably blessed, also fought with renewed vigour and strength, easily matching the abhorrent creatures.

Terrible carnage was wrought upon the beasts and seeing them fall in the manner that they did, perhaps combined with an appreciation of how heavy a toll the 5th had levied on its near destruction at that point, seemed to give the Eldar pause for thought. When no new waves of attackers fell upon them, the battered survivors withdrew into the complex with all the haste they could muster. A lone Thunderhawk was contained in the prison’s hangar, all that would fit inside a civilian building not designed to accept astartes gunships, and the battered survivors used the lull in the fighting to make for it, sensing salvation. The battle had been kept away from the hangar, and the route was eerily clear of corpses given how much of the rest of the prison complex was carpeted in alien and astartes bodies. Seven battle brothers accompanied Samkiel aboard and the lone ship was able to leave the moon unnoticed. Within a day they had been recovered by an Imperial Navy squadron sent to respond to the strike cruiser’s distress signals. Of the Eldar Raiders there was no sign.

How he survived to the battle’s halfway mark, let alone to its conclusion, and not just survive, but take an active and dominant role, remains an utter mystery to the entirety of the Chapter’s Librarius, as does Samkiel’s subsequent exhibition of a permanently raised ceiling for his diverse range of abilities. It has perplexed to the extent that the Crimson Tears have even reached out to the Chapters with whom they are on the best terms and have the strongest ties to in order to help understand the phenomenon. For such a fiercely independent, it could be said isolationist, Chapter, this is an unprecedented step, surely demonstrating the gravity with which they are treating what appears to be a miracle of battle, but could be something else entirely. In the meantime, while the enquiries conintue, Samkiel continues as a frontline presence in the Crimson Tears’ most significant campaigns, his psychic mastery and now near monstrous capacity for carnage proving invaluable in securing resounding victories.

[/url[url=http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/733305-.html]




That's not quite all I have to show for 2 and half months, though. Paradigm has been running themed, monthly painting competitions over in the Painting & Modelling sub-forum. Here's what I managed for June's 'Some Kind Of Monster!' Challenge:



I think perhaps the cables ended up too bright and maybe green, red and purple weren't the greatest colour choices, though purple is what I've used to denote psychic energy so far and thus is apt for a demonhost, but I'm pleased with the rest of the model and it's one I've had knocking around for a while without much idea of how to tackle it.


Didn't have time for July, but August is 'Rise of the Machines' and I'm going to enter these three guys:



Something small that I might actually be able to get done, but are also different to all the black, white, grey and red that went into finishing Samkiel.


I finished this servitor a little while back, but don't seem to have posted it here. Love these Micro Art Studios Iron Brotherhood models. To me they look more AdMech than a lot of the now official GW AdMech stuff.






Nashbashem - Cheers. Yeah I haven't had enough hobby time lately that I feel motivated to take on something bigger than an infantry figure.

Your Crimson Tears army is spectacular! I love how the armor is not uniform but is unique to each unit. Great work!

Well, here's my finished entry for the monthly Dakka painting challenge:




They were surprisingly fun to do. Fiddly as hell, but a lot of fun. I do love doing lens work and the two old metal servo skulls are covered in them, I hadn't really noticed until I sat down to paint them.

Also got this chap done, the ranks of the Deathwatch continue to swell:



Think maybe the highlight on the gun is a bit pinker than normal and I'll make sure not to do that in future. Septembr's painting challenge theme is 'Never tell me the odds...' which sounds more or less like a Deathwatch mission statement so there'll be another one along soonish. I'm away in Europe from the 7th to the 18th, so not sure quite how soon soon will be.



maubrey08 - Why thank you, one of the guiding principles of this army has been to make each marine look a little unique while still looking part of a unified whole.

OK, how did you do those skulls? That is amazing

Why, thank you, kb_lock.

How? Steady hand, brush with a point and half a season of Hell On Wheels.

More seriously, the skulls are the Reaper Master Series Aged Bone triad with a whole bunch of very fine, time-consuming layers from shadow to highlight.

I return with yet another recruit to the ranks of my Deathwatch, an Angel Porphyr.



Very pleased with the blue on his chapter icon and fairly satisfied with the white having tried a different method to normal.

I'm starting to run out of pads with sculpted details now, got a few more, but not many. May have to learn how to use transfers properly or bust out some free hand soon...


I've also made a little start on the next part of the force:



Yep, that's one side of a quad-heavy bolter rapier gun carriage. Big woop.

I've been thinking about what to do with the crew as well as I'm one of those people who's not actually a massive fan of MK.3, still less the MK.3 crew that come with the rapier itself. I've settled on one of them being a sort of spotter after rummaging through my bits box and finding some Anvil combi-weapons I ordered not so long ago. This one:



is their not-plasma option, to me it looks like a marker light. I'll be using a head with a bunch of lenses and will try to find some kind of targetter for his back pack too so he looks properly geared up for identifying and painting targets.

I just discovered this thread today, but I have to say you're stuff is excellent. Your painting is superb, but it was your fluff segments that I found to be the most interesting Top notch!

Those Deathwatch guys look gorgeous. Really nice work

Been working on Deathwatch some more:

Watch Captain Jael (counts as Pedro Kantor)




Started the interesting bits of the Rapier's spotter:


Also started building some stuff to get back on track with the Crimson Tears rather than Deathwatch.

GW brought out a new Jump Pack Chaplain a week or so ago and I was, frankly, massively underwhelmed. So I've set out to make one that I think is better and more in fitting with my Chapter's aesthetic.



Need to integrate a couple of the press moulded bits a little better and figure out what I'm going to do for his pack, but he's coming along nicely. Being all MK. VI ought to make him stand out a little.


Speaking of which, I have a Mk VI assault squad in need of a few more bodies:




Cheers for looking.


brushcommando - thank yuo very much for your kind words. I particularly value your appreciation of my fluff, they generally take a little while and I know people have a tendency to skip over blocks of text so I'm very gratified that you took the time and humbled that you liked it.

War Kitten - thank you very much, they're one of my favourite things about 40k so I try hard to do them justice.

 sockwithaticket wrote:
Been working on Deathwatch some more:

Watch Captain Jael (counts as Pedro Kantor)

If you could please sir, can you tell me where you pick up some of these bits? I really love this model and would like to make my own copy. Fantastic stuff!