Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey everyone,

welcome to yet another of my hobby projects! This one is far enough removed from my different Chaos and INQ28 models that I feel a separate thread is in order
I know what you must be thinking: Finish one of those other projects already, before starting yet another one! I know, I know. However, this is a project with a much tighter scope than, say, my World Eaters. So it will serve as more of a thing I do in order to relax.

So what are we looking at here? Let me start off by saying that I’ve never been that interested in loyal Marines. Granted, I love looking at fantastic Space Marine models as much as the next guy, but apart fron a few flashes of inspiration, I never really considered building a loyal army for a number of reasons: From a conversion standpoint, there’s very little that a loyal army would provide that I cannot do with my beloved World Eaters in one form or another. And I also really hate the line highlighting necessary to make loyal Marines look cool. Another reason why I am a Chaos player: All that nice brass trim on the armour to add instant definition to the paintjob without me having to jump through any hoops.

The same goes for most Pre-Heresy armies. While I understand the appeal of these, I’ve never felt tempted to do Pre-Heresy World Eaters — probably due to the fact that their colour scheme isn’t all that attractive to me (and would be really difficult to pull off to boot). So no Pre-Heresy for me until now.

The more attentive readers might notice that all of this sounds like there’s a colossal BUT hiding in the rafters. And they would be right, of course:

Because all of my resolutions about Marines and Pre-Heresy armies were sorely tested when I first took a look at German WD 112 (from April 2005): Not only did it feature rules for a Horus Heresy campaign, but it also marked the first time I ever saw Dave Taylor’s spectacular Legio Custodes army . I instantly fell in love with the Legio Custodes based on Dave’s army and the official artwork. There’s just something about those guys that really clicked with me. And even now, quite a few years later, Dave’s Custodes are still easily one of my favourite armies ever (the army was auctioned off for charity, btw, proving that Dave is not only an extremely talented artist but also simply a great guy).

So the seed was planted, and some time ago, I took a look at all the fantastic new Space Marine kits, and my love for the Legio Custodes was rekindled. And then, by lucky chance (or by some devious scheming of my subconscious), I found myself in the possession of three different Space Marine kits: The power armoured Grey Knights and Dark Angels Veterans (I had bought those for all the great bits and felt that I might use the DA’s as Word Bearers Chosen at some point) and the Sanguinary Guard (given to me as a gift by cousin Andy). And suddenly I realised that I had everything on my hands to create a couple of Custodes.

I wouldn’t even have to work nearly as hard as Dave Taylor, since all the cool new bits would allow me to build the models by merely sticking to kitbashing. So I did a bit of research and discovered some more great Custodes armies: Kaleb Daark’s Custodes thread on B&C , The Buddy Times and the very helpful kitbashing recipe for creating Custodians on Spiky Bitz . And so everything just fell into place.

Here’s what I wanted to do with the Custodes:

1.) I wanted to incorporate the classic “Praetorian” Custodes with their conic helmets, golden armour and Guardian Spears. In honour of Dave Taylor’s army, I wanted a squad of power armoured Custodians wearing different armour patterns. I would also definitely need a chaplain inspired by his Chaplain Animus.

2.) I wanted to build the army from all plastic and all-GW parts: I realise that there are some awesome models floating around the net – Scibor’s “SF Roman Legionaries” are Custodes in everything but name – but using readymade models for a project like this always feels like a bit of a cop out to me. So I wanted to try if I could kitbash this army by using only GW parts, preferably all of them plastic.

3.) I didn’t want this to turn into srs bsns, so I would cut a few corners here and there. Don’t get me wrong: I wanted my Custodes to look awesome, but I wouldn’t get myself killed over it. There would be the odd heraldic element belonging to Grey Knights, Blood Angels or Dark Angels — I would only cut something off unless I had something better to replace it. And I would lose no sleep over the models’ armour not being 100% accurate. Let’s face it: Some of the HH artbooks feature as many as three different armour variants for the same Custodes unit type — in the same picture.

4.) While I would try to have them be useable as a legal army, this would not be my chief concern while building the models.

With my gameplan decided, I started by building my first test models. I immediately went for the iconic “Praetorians”. All of these were kitbashed by mixing parts from Grey Knights, Dark Angels Veterans and the Sanguinary Guard (and the occasional Tac Marine bit). As per Spiky Bitz’ recipe, all the heads came from the WFB High Elf White Lions.

Here’s the first test model I built for the squad, equipped with the Legio’s trademark “Guardian Spear” (actually a GK halberd combined with a Sanguinary Guard Bolt pistol):



The shield is from some old WFB Empire spearmen. I realise that there is no precedent for shields like that in the Custodes background, but I liked the look of them and decided to use the lion motif as a recurring visual element. That’s why you’ll see lion heads repeated here and there on the models. Maybe I’ll even try to weave it into the army’s background: They could be called “The Lionsguard”, guarding the Lion’s Gate Spaceport (we all know how that went) or due to some honour awarded to them by the Emperor.

Anyway, here’s the squad’s standard bearer:



The design on the banner was done by using a simple decal taken from among the Space Marine vehicle decals. I am aware that there may actually be some fluff reason why these guys technically shouldn’t be sporting the Aquila in the first place. See my comments on accuracy above on that subject



Next up, another Custodian armed with a Guardian Spear, although this time I used a GK Storm Bolter for the conversion. Unfortunately, it ended up looking a little clunky, although I like the rest of the model:



I also built a Custodian carrying a special weapon (that was converted from a GK special weapon and the gunbarrel from a Deathwing assault cannon). I couldn’t even tell you what this is supposed to be. I just converted it to look cool…





And finally, the squad’s Centurio, Jastilus Petrarca:





I wanted the model to be the most impressive in the squad, so I used some of the most detailed parts, including the champion’s head from the White Lions. I also gave him a power sword from the AOBR Space Marine Captain and a spiffy wrist mounted Bolt pistol from the Sanguinary Guard.

Like I said, there are some departures from “official” Custodes artwork: For one, these guys are never seen using regular Marine backpacks in official sources, but I still decided to give them back packs to bulk them out a little. I went for Chaos backpacks for an older, more ornate look. I also didn’t add an extra faceplate to the High Elf heads, since they work well enough as is, in my opinion. Like I said, There’s also a bit of a hodgepodge of heraldic elements, with symbols of Blood Angels, Dark Angels and Grey Knights appearing alongside each other. However, the paintjob helps to somewhat alleviate that problem, tying everything together.

I went for a fairly straight paintjob in the trademark Custodes colours of crimson and gold. The one point where I departed from that formula were the different gems found on the models’ armour and equipment: I painted them in my beloved Vallejo Halcon Turquoise in order to add a bit of much-needed variety to the models. What’s more, jewels painted in red often end up looking like cherries, so using a different colour helped me to avoid that pitfall as well.

Here’s a picture of the whole squad assembled:



Squad Heraklion

One of the Praetorian squads in the Legio Custodes’ elite Lionsguard, squad Heraklion consists of warriors as fiercely loyal as they are accomplished. Clad in the traditional Praetorian plate and wielding an array of mastercrafted weapons, the members of the squad know no goal more important than guarding the life of their Emperor. Leading the squad is Centurio Jastilus Petrarca, a relatively young but exceedingly talented officer. In spite of his young age, the inside of his ceremonial plate already shows an astonishing number of engraved names and titles, earned through great feats and deeds of honour.


So there you have it: This squad marked the beginning of my Legio Custodes project. With recent announcements of Horus Heresy books to be released by Forgeworld soon, I am not sure whether my timing in creating these guys was rather awesome or actually completely horrible. Any Custodes released by FW will thoroughly upstage my own meagre efforts though, that much seems certain…

Nevertheless, these guys were a blast to convert and paint and stand as an example of the fantastic versatility of GW’s new plastic kits. And while my Custodes project may be limited in scope, there’s quite a bit yet to come: I already outlined some possible ideas above, but there’s more that I would like to try: Jetbikes, Cataphracts, Sisters of Silence…just wait and see where this voyage will take us!

Until then, I would like to know what you think, so drop me a comment! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

I love these already. Wonderful and all GW parts yes?

Man you're a modelling machine!! These guys look great and the turquoise is a really nice spot colour. Will be interested to see how you tackle the sisters of silence.

Thanks a lot, Rabid Ferret!

This is not an ideological standpoint of mine or anything, but yes, all GW parts with this project

Must...resist...copying...Must...not...start a... new armyyyyyyyyargh

Great job Mr KS!
I'm curious to see how you've worked on the shoulder pads. Could we have a detailed pic, please?

Biohazard wrote:Man you're a modelling machine!! These guys look great and the turquoise is a really nice spot colour. Will be interested to see how you tackle the sisters of silence.

Thanks, buddy! Actually, I just built the first test models a short while ago. Using Dark Eldar Wyches and a couple of bits, it's possible to create models that are nearly 100% accurate with regard to the artwork...

...well, some of the artwork, that is. There is a silly amount of inconsistency within the different HH materials, like I stated above.

Fantastic stuff there mate

Look forward to seeing them. Im working on a couple of new Skull Champs for my WE, hopefully Ill get a chance to sit and paint today as well.

Again, thanks a lot, people!

@Hyenajoe: The shoulderpads are mostly unconverted ones that came with the DA veterans, GK and Sanguinary Guard. I just chose those with the biggest "bling" factor. One thing I did was to cut off some (overly blatant) BA iconography from the huge "winged" shoulderpads and replace it with those little lion heads from the WFB Empire cannon kit (also used them on my Hereticus Inquisitor a while ago).

I don't have the camera on hand right now, but I'll probably post the detail shots you wanted pretty soon.

:O awesome sauce, can't wait to see how these develop as a force

These are looking great, KS! Keep up the great work!

KrautScientist wrote:
This is not an ideological standpoint of mine or anything, but yes, all GW parts with this project

Where are the shields from? I could use a couple myself....

Thanks, guys!

@ Yellowbeard: Those are from the WFB 6th edition starter set (Orcs vs. Empire) and were originally the shields for the Empire spearmen. No idea how easy it is to find some more -- fortunately, I still had them lying around from my WFB days

these are super awesome. i'm thinking about doing this now...hope you don't mind :]

Those guys look great! Simply awesome kitbashing.

Thanks a lot, guys!

@ allibator: Go right ahead, mate! My only piece of advice would be to have a plan what you're going to do with the leftover stuff: If you want to replicate my recipe, you'll have a lot of leftover Sanguinary Guard, GK and DA bits on your hand On the one hand, this conversion can get rather expensive if you just want to build a squad of five Praetorians. On the other hand, the three kits give you enugh stuff for the Praetorians, a squad of jump infantry and a huge pile of bitz to use on other models. It pays to be thrifty, here

Alright, here's the detail on the shoulderpads Hyenajoe requested:



I must apologise for the fuzziness of the pictures: I only have my gakky phone camera on hand atm. Anyway, I guess it's still easy enough to recognise what I did. Going from top left to bottom right:

1: Sanguinary Guard pad. Scraped off a drop of blood and added a laurel from the WFB Empire Knights on top
2: Sanguinary Guard pad. Again, scraped off the BA iconography and added a lion's head from an Empire cannon
3. Sanguinary Guard pad. Unconverted. It's crazy how a uniform paintjob will help in tying together disparate pieces
4: This one came from the DA veterans, I think. Unconverted.
5: Sanguinary Guard again. Unconverted.
6: Grey Knights. Unconverted.
7: Same as number two.
8: This is just a regular CSM shoulder pad (used for the extra trim) with a wing I cut from one of the little Imperial icons you get with virtually any tank kit added on top. Single wings are a great way to spruce up fairly plain shoulder pads

And that's it. Hope this helps

Great stuff again! I'm beginning to wonder when you sleep...

thanks for the heads up! i'm going to do some things slightly different. just got a SG kit and a DA sprue on the way! thanks for the inspiring work my friend!

nicely done Krautscientist!

Thanks, guys!

Baiyuan wrote:Great stuff again! I'm beginning to wonder when you sleep...

Haha, I am actually rather big on sleeping, even though it doesn't look that way

This is amazing! Every single thing you churn out astounds me. I hate painting gold, so for you to do whole models covered in it is nothing short of inspirational! And it looks so good, would you mind sharing your recipe?

Keep it up, I simply can't wait for more!

@ prototype_X: Cheers, mate!

To tell you the truth, I really hate painting gold as well! So I effectively cheated by painting those guys bronze instead . Seriously though, you can probably see that the gold is of the rather dark variety

I undercoated the models with GW Chaos Black, then basecoated them with GW Tin Bitz (or Vallejo Tinny Tin, after my last Tin Bitz ran out). Then they were liberally washed with GW Devlan Mud (or, failing that, Agrax Earthshade). Then I drybrushed them with GW Shining Gold and painted GW Gryphonne Sepia into some of the deepest recesses. Done.

Admittedly, it doesn't look quite as clean and impressive as some brighter recipes, but I am pleased well enough with the results. And it's really fast work, too! I especially like the fact that you get to forget all tha stupid line highlighting

Anyway, hope this helps!

That seems ridiculously easy! I will give that a try on my next Death company, Thanks

Glad to be of help! Oh, and one thing: It probably goes without saying, but this recipe works the better the more surface detail (and texture) there is. So it's really great for Custodes with their "bling", and will also possibly work rather nicely with BA's and the huge amount of detail on their armour, but I really wouldn't recommend it so much for plain old tac marines with no over-the-top detail whatsoever. For those guys, it's line highlighting all the way

Looking good, darker gold makes them look older, more ageworn. Its been said before, but im looking forward to your sisters, mine involved quite a bit of sculpting work.
Do you have plans for expanding the army, cool think about PH is that you can easily include different factions, build yourself some cyborgs and knight titans!

Thanks, japehlio!

As for the development of the army, I already outlined that I want another Custodes squad, but wearing older marks of "regular" power armour. Then there'll be a squad of jump infantry, if only because if have all those leftover parts from the Sanguinary Guard I'll also do a few HQ models, one of them definitely a Chaplain to honour Dave Taylor's Custodes. And I want to do jetbikes. As a matter of fact, I've already worked on the conversions. More on that soon

Concerning the sisters, I was able to kitbash two fairly convincing test models without any sculpting at all. The only caveat is that, in a way, they need an even more specific number of bitz than the Praetorians.

All in all, I'll be going for variety over numbers. That means that all squads will have the minimum size, but that I get to build more different unit types. In some cases, I may even only build a single model of a certain type for the heck of it. This is really for the joy of converting, after all

I probably won't be including any huge models, since they usually stress me out Now a venerable Custodes Dread, that would be something different...but there's enough other models to finish before I think about that.

If you like I can post/link pics of mine for a bit of inspiration, didnt wanna just wander in and appear to hijack the thread...

Well, let's have a small update today: Since I already talked about my Sisters of Silence a bit, I guess there's no harm in showing you a teaser of the first two test minis I built:









Again, these are all-plastic and all-GW. They are only kitbashes, though. There was zero modelling involved. I've only got those two for now, and it'll probably be quite a while before I get around to painting them, but there you have it.

japehlio wrote:If you like I can post/link pics of mine for a bit of inspiration, didnt wanna just wander in and appear to hijack the thread...

Go for it, mate! My thread is your thread!

looks good, where exactly are the heads from?

and certainly, here are a bunch of pics: (note, I cheated and got Scibor romans lol)



put em inna spoiler as there are quite a few lol

Thanks, japehlio! The heads were spliced together from two old Dark Eldar plastic heads. It's rather easy to do and a pretty close fit to the original artwork. The only caveat is that those are technically OOP and can be a bit hard to get hold of.

But you've got quite a collection there yourself! Great job! I especially like the SoS, they look excellent!

Nice work there mate! Which codex are you using for them? or are they purely for display purposes? keep up the good work ;D