Silver Skulls Plog- IG Allies

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**SickSix**

**WARNING: LOTS OF BIG PICTURES**

I am building and painting an army of Silver Skulls space marines. My skills aren't the best but we'll see how things go. I will also be using custom bits (mostly from Poland, those guys make some cool stuff) to make my army special.

The first set of tactical marines was done by airbrushing GW boltgun over black primer then spraying again with chainmail to try and achieve a highlight. But they turned out mostly chainmail.

The second set of troops (devastators) is a base coat of Vallejo Air Gun over black primer with a Vallejo Air Steel highlight. You can see how much darker these guys are. And you can tell that one plasma cannon and one Lascannon troopers didn't get the Steel highlight.

Next are pictures of my Commander and Dev squad leader and tactical squad leader with Maxmini.eu Skull Tribe heads.

You'll notice the recessed metal skull in the shoulderpads on the SQ LDR. That skull is from the GW Silver Skulls shoulder pads. I hacked them off the metal shoulder pad then hacked up a plastic shoulder pad. The metal pads stick way out, so by removing the 3D skull and recessing it into a plastic pad, it's looks a lot better. HOWEVER it is a HUGE PITA! So I gave up and now am using the GW pads as is. I will have at least 30 tactical troops, and there was no way I was doing that hack job 30+ times. You can see the GW pads on the Devastators. I will keep this updated as I progress. Constructive Criticism welcome.

*Please note all models depicted so far are WIP, I have yet to completely finish a single one haha*

**UPDATE#1**

I have mostly been working on vehicles. I am trying to get this army at least assembled before the tournament in August. It's slow going.

So the following pictures are of two Rhino chassis'. One will be a rhino/razor and the other can be a Pred or rhino/razor. I failed to glue in a key metal plate prior to assembly on the Rhino/Razor so most likely I will end up gluing in it's two crew hatches.

First up, Rhino/Razor with Bitspudlo dozer blade, gatling cannon turret and double flamer turret.

Next is the Predator. Heavy use of metal plates that I got from BlueTablePainting.com

Minor Update to Captain and Squad Leaders: added skull trophies. I think the captain may need another one, what do you think? (skulls from maxmini)

And Testing the Bitspudlo pre-heresy jump pack on an assault marine.

Considering the Silver Skulls are a second founding chapter. I plan to exploit that and add in some Heresy era stuff here and there. The S.Skulls are working out to be my dream chapter. I can adorn them with skulls and Heresy era stuff!

**kenshin620**

Very nice army theme and bitz you're using. Though there could be more skulls!

**bunnygurl**

I like them. Anything with skulls is a-ok in my books.

**SickSix**

Update: I have my assault marines assembled. Just need to magnetize their backpacks.... Or not. Anyways, here are picks of the Squad leader, and team leader, both with magnetized arms. Also I did a little test with dynamic posing. I have one assault marine about to finish off a Dark Eldar guy.

I also got my latest order of Maxmini bits in today. So I hopefully I'll use them tonight and get some pictures up.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Minor Update:

So got some more goodies from Maxmini today. As I said before, being that it is widely believed that the Silver Skulls are a 2nd founding chapter, I wanted to mix in a little Heresy Era feel. So I have outfitted a couple tactical marines with Steam Knight Helmets. There will be some much more tasty pictures coming in the next few days when I utilize the other bits I received with these helmets. (the two marines without arms are going to be magnetized. Sergeant and special/heavy weapon trooper)

**SickSix**

Check out my new terminators:

Shoulder pads and helmets from Maxmini. Some of the shoulder pads required removing some material from the arm to get them to fit. Also a couple of the heads required some minor trimming to the head itself to get them to squeeze in there. Arms are magnetized.

**SickSix**

Progress!!

Ok, Firstly: I am having trouble deciding on what company color(if any) to put on my Silver Skulls! So the first pick is a test of green, gold, and no shoulder trim.
Please let me know what you think!(even if that includes suggesting a different color than I have tried!)

Next two pictures are tests with helmet color effects. The first may be hard to see but there is a little thrakka green wash under his eyes for a subtle glow effect and the second is using GAR's blue tinted silver helmets to make the marines stand out. What do you think?

Any and all feedback welcome! I love the simple base paint scheme of the Silver Skulls but I feel I need to find a way to put a little more color on them, so if you think any of the things I did here in these pictures works, please let me know. If you have another idea please let me know that as well.

**SickSix**

Ok, so I figured it out. I really like the black on silver the best. So to break it up and not make it so dull, I simply decided to paint the shoulder pad trim Silver. I will use the squad markers/icons to designate the company color. I think I am going to go green. So here are two models to show off the FINALIZED paint scheme. I just did a very rough free-hand green tactical arrow on the sergeant to see how it will look. I like it. But I think I will make some custom green decals instead of free-handing 30 something arrows. (You can see my first attempt is pretty bad anyways)

**SickSix**

Here is my Test Terminator. Right now he is missing all highlighting and some finishing details but what do you think about the overall scheme?

**SickSix**

So I tried some minor highlighting on my Terminator. Not sure if you can tell in the pictures. I also got my 'test' squad to what I think is 'table top standard'. I will probably try to get the majority of my army to this standard before I really get into detail work.

**Remos**

Washes, you just need washes. I think everything else is painted pretty well, but those metallic parts, NO!

Knowing that Silver Skulls are pretty violent, taking heads and stuff, I recommend you to make some battle damage. And you shouldn't use just chainmail as it surely looks like. Black, boltgun metal, wash, chainmail. Or if brighter, black, chainmail, wash, mithrilsilver/chainmail. Now they are just flat..

**SickSix**

Remos wrote:Washes, you just need washes. I think everything else is painted pretty well, but those metallic parts, NO!

Knowing that Silver Skulls are pretty violent, taking heads and stuff, I recommend you to make some battle damage. And you shouldn't use just chainmail as it surely looks like. Black, boltgun metal, wash, chainmail. Or if brighter, black, chainmail, wash, mithrilsilver/chainmail. Now they are just flat..

Well believe it or not the models have already been washed in Badab Black before I started painting the details. And I didn't use just chainmail. Using airbrush I primed black, first coat boltgun, highlight coat of chainmail. However, on this first group of marines, I believe the GW chainmail covered more than I wanted. I then washed in badab black, painted the black parts then went back over silver details in chainmail, and then mithril.

I won't spend too much more time on these guys as I'd rather spend the time on the newer, more detailed marines I have waiting to be painted. I will probably practice some highlighting on these guys and then move on to the next bunch.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
So I FINALLY got my Cities of Death building in. Which of course I immediately started cutting up into pieces! I must give credit to Battle Brother GAR (from B&C) as his LR was my inspiration.

So here are the pictures after the new skull motif has been applied to my first LR:

Oh, and some Chaos Tank Sprue pieces have been used as well.

**CalgarsPimpHand**

I think your paintjob looks great as it is! Very nicely done to a good tabletop standard. The BIGGEST improvement I would make is properly basing your marines. You wouldn't believe what a difference it makes to the appearance, even though the marines themselves haven't changed a bit. I would go with a brown/tan desert base with some tufts of light green static grass as desert scrub. It'll add a lot of color and provide a nice contrast.

**SickSix**

Just catching this thread up with the B&C WIP Blog.

5OCT11
I am still working on this army! I am just trying to apply the Assembly Line Method to about 30 marines at once so I don't really have any 'finished' figures yet. Also starting to work on some other parts of the Army.

6DEC11
I am not dead! I did take a break from my army due to RL for a few weeks. I have started chiping away at finishing my tacticals again. Getting close to having nearly all bolter marines to where I am comfortable calling them "table top standard." I am however once again at odds with how to delineate company color. I really wanted green but so far I don't like anything I have tried yet. Just don't think I have gotten the right shade of green for the tactical arrow yet. And then there is the whole issue of free-handing the arrows to begin with. Anyways, here are a couple pictures of minor progress. The first of my attempt at burnt muzzle effects.

I put a layer of blue wash on first and then badab black covering 3/4 of the blue.

This is my Prognosticar WIP. The finescast made the helmet insertion possible. I would likely not have attempted it if it was metal. I do not like helmetless marines, its silly really. And I don't like painting skin.

I am having trouble deciding on a common cloth color for the company as well. Open to suggestions.

19DEC11
Woot! Making progress. Here are some WIP pics of my terminators.

Feedback welcome.

21DEC11
Here is the progress on the first Land Raider.

And because I was getting a little burned out on painting, and I'm waiting on some paints in the mail, I started building the command squad from my Megaforce box. Here is the Company Champion:

Nothing special about the figure other than the maxmini steam knight helmet and the GW Silver Skull shoulderpad. I am either going to order some resin bases or try my hand at more decorative bases for the command squad.

**SickSix**

A small update. I have got some Vallejo Model Air Chrome and I think it really stands out as my 'silver' highlight. I tried it first on my Terminators.

And here is a WIP shot of the first two Dreadnoughts.

**Remos**

These remind me a bit too much of Iron Warriors.. But still, they look pretty enaugh to field on a table. I don't know is it your painting or your camera which makes all miniatures look bit messy... But I know cameras don't like metal colours..

Heraldic point here if you won't be too upset for listening me. Never ever mix gold and silver colours in same place. It is heraldic rule that no gold and silver can be placed next to each other. I'm saying this because your Dreds have gold and silver and because I am heraldic-puritan I think they look just ridiculous. No bad feeelings for it tough.
Also using skull-helmets for regular dudes is bit strange as I personally relate skullhelmets to chaplain. But if you don't have any chaplains those marines look great.

Those stormbolters of your terminators look stupid as having too bright blue. But then again, I hate blue as a colour, so maybe it is just it. I still think green works better and if you can make really dark green (Citadel: Dark Angels green/ Catachan Green) I would bet it looks the best.
Also when you asked about those shoulder pads.. Well.. silver skulls have originally no shoulderpad trims as being old as my gradnmother and the whole pad has been silver. But if whole model is silver, it looks kind of weird so.. Well, the green looks good.. But being fluff-puritan (aswell) I'm here to tell you that silver rules on shoulderpad trims.

And as librarians are kind of combined with chaplains in Silver Skulls chapter I think you should come up with something with those models..

I'm sorry that you have no comments here at all, I think you are doing just great job! And don't take me too seriously, just saying what pops up in my mind : D

**Tortured-Robot**

Looking very interesting, I like where this is going, I would prehaps ditch the old Sgt from the first couple of picks, he looks very dated!

**Truffle**

Wash the whole lot bedab black and this is gonna get interesting real fast

**Tortured-Robot**

Yea- Badab black is your best friend here.

**SickSix**

Thanks Remos. As far heraldic colors, well I like to follow cannon as much as possible but I also feel that in this case, the army would look totally unfinished if everything was one color. I choose to exercise my right to artistic freedom. And, in the new S.S. novel, they do actually use color on shoulder trim. Anyways, yeah, artistic freedom. If you read and follow though, I do end up going with silver trim. The blue stormbolters are not finished, and a purest such as yourself should know that's a throwback to 3rd Ed.

My photography SUCKS! 1. Models are already washed in badab black. 2. It's not Gold its brass.

Thanks for the comments guys! I was getting a bit disheartened that no one was commenting. I didn't think I was doing that bad a job lol. Thanks. And remember, all pictures are still WIP and I am doing a couple test guys on figuring out the base style/color. I think the bases should be somewhat lighter to contrast the dark minis.

**Leigen_Zero**

Looking good, I love the silver skulls chapter (I just think they are awesome-sauce despite being largely ignored by the fluff) Those skull tribe head things look great, looking forward to seeing the LR completed

I painted up some random SM models I had as silver skulls, what I did to break up the gunmetal was paint the helmet and shoulder rims all the way up to mithril, but kept the body as a boltgun -> chainmail drybrush. That way I got the fluff look while still breaking up all the metal.

**Remos**

SickSix wrote:
My photography SUCKS! 1. Models are already washed in badab black. 2. It's not Gold its brass.

2. I don't care. It looks like gold and it is still wrong to mix up metals in heraldic codes even if it is brass.

But yes, artistic freedom. And don't feel sorry 'cause none is commenting. If you don't have lots of magnificent conversions and stuff, none cares so much they would actually bother to comment anything.
That still doesn't mean there wouldn't be anyone interested about your project! So keep up good work

**SickSix**

UPDATE!!

So I have been in completely hooked on Skyrim for the last month like a crack addict. Well Just this weekend I realized that I had made a Painting Vow and then was shocked to come back here and see it was due by 31 March!

So in earnest, I started working again! (I was getting the 40k itch anyways, getting bored of PC games again).

Nothing flashing but got a LOT done really. Priming and Basecoat have to be done. And once something is basecoated, the motivation to paint it comes much easier to me.

So my Vow is to complete 1x PA Librarian, 5x Sterngaurd and 5x Vangaurd. I also basecoated my command squad and LOTS of magnetized arm pieces! Those were a PITA!

The Sternguard got most of their black bits painted and a Badab Black wash. I am going to try and make my Sternguard grittier, like the one shown in the Silver Skulls info thread. Also these photos were taken with my phone, so they are not great. Once I start making real progress I will have my better camera available.

Hopefully I can beat the deadline so I don't have to have that shameful banner in my signature

**SickSix**

Update on Sternguard, Vanguard and Librarian.

These guys are not 100% where I would like them but they definitely playable.

Sternguard

Vanguard

PA Librarian (faces are my bane)

**Lokas**

Where did you get those skulls being held in assault marine's hands, hanging from their belts and such?

I looked around Maxminis and couldn't seem to find them.

**SickSix**

Lokas wrote:Where did you get those skulls being held in assault marine's hands, hanging from their belts and such?

I looked around Maxminis and couldn't seem to find them.

I am terribly sorry I am responding so late!

Look here for the skulls I used- http://www.maxmini.eu/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=86

**bigfish**

Subscribed, these are awesome and so impressive

**SickSix**

So some overdue updates.

First are pictures of my attempts to highlight my black tanks. A grey highlight and then went over some spots with a metallic to try and give them that worn through look. These are clearly still WIP.

I also used some of my not so glamorous models to try some things. I tried free-handing the tactical arrows, and painted one kneepad green to add a bit of color. I did a very simple basing job and tried out some vallejo pigment to get a weathered effect on their feet to help blend with the base. I still need something else on the bases. I am thinking maybe some kind of burnt colored static grass.

Feedback welcome.

**SickSix**

I have prepped these fine looking rhino doors from Chapterhouse Studios. I did have to use greenstuff to correct a few blemishes. Overall though these things are super nice. The details on the skulls is just great.

I am thinking of painting the doors black, the arrows green and the skulls silver. I hope that looks okay. Green is my chosen company color as you can see above. I am just unsure whether that much green on the black tanks is going to look okay or not....

Unboxing video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4vZJE5P46o

**SickSix**

So here are the ChapterHouse Studios rhino doors with base colors applied:

Top Hatch

Side Door

Now to save yourself some time and effort if using an airbrush:
1. Paint the door(s) first
2. Mask the Door(s)
3. Paint the arrows
3.5 Highlight arrows!
4. Mask the arrows
5. Paint the skulls

I did not do this order and wasted time and effort.

Also, I got lazy and one of the sets I did not wash with soapy water. I am guessing this one was it:

This is very very frustrating. The tape just kept peeling the paint back. I didn't keep track of which doors I didn't wash but it must be this one. I can't think of any other reason for this to happen. /sigh So I will try to fix it later. Too frustrated to deal with it now.

**SickSix**

Progress!
Started painting an assault squad and some other guys mixed in.