As a commander your tools and devices shall be myriad,
yet the wise man knows that battles are won by flesh, not the machine.
Flesh can learn, whilst the machine must be forever instructed.

Flesh knows loyalty to its brothers and veneration of the Emperor,
whilst the machine knows not these things.

Whenever the day is darkest and victory in doubt,
look not to the machine for aid, but to your Battle-Brothers.
The machine can only bring you victory
if you tell it how such a thing can be done.

Your brothers will walk through fire,
they will stride through the most terrible carnage
at a single word from your lips,

And they will bring you victory
simply because you ask it of them."

Intriguing! I would like to know more...

Awesome.

I shall test thy brothers in combat
Whom shall stand no chance in face of our righteous superiority
In time I shall spit on the grave of thy father, son of Roboute, the Murderer of the first head.

Alpharius

And in other words, Welcome good sir! It's about fething time you brought them here!

Has the great Apologist made his way to Dakka? I've followed your blogs all the way back since the original concept work on your Adeptus Mechanicus army, so I greatly look forward to any posts you make here!

Accolade wrote:Has the great Apologist made his way to Dakka?

And what more fitting reason than for the schemes of the youngest legion!

They are big, ya ya ya. They're not small, no no no!

Very cool. But how will you do the termis?

Some good looking Marines! Some more pics and/or different angles to look at would be great!

Oh boy...this is going to be really cool isn't it?

HOLY SMOKES!

This guy is gonna be one to watch!

migsula wrote: And what more fitting reason than for the schemes of the youngest legion!

So is the appearance of the Ultramarines due to the manipulations of the legion of subterfuge??

Nice.

sA

Apologist where is more of your work posted? I would love to see it.

He's all over the internets man!

Good to have you aboard and involved in this community.

Looking forward to more.

Cheers,

Dante

Now all we need is to have Synapse come over and put those forces together with Migsula's Alpha Legionnaires!

Malika2 wrote:Now all we need is to have Synapse come over and put those forces together with Migsula's Alpha Legionnaires!

The three of them together will birth some sort of unholy fifth Chaos god...I would warn you against creating a force so potent

I thought that's what we wanted/needed over at DakkaDakka? To show the rest of the internetz which 40k community rules them all or something?

Well in that case I need to get working on my DAKKA FOR THE DAKKA GOD!! chanting

Our presence remakes the past

Thanks for the warm welcome! I've been posting on here as Cpl_Saint for the past few years, but got a bit fed up of the username, so decided to start again with my new moniker. Hope that's okay! If you search for 'Praetors of Calth', you'll find a nascent version of this blog somewhere on Dakka, but it's a bit scattered and untidy.

With that in mind, I thought I'd start again and show the process of building these guys. Because I don't need to worry about keeping them up-to-date, this version of the log should be a definitive one, with all the correct background in place.

I hope you enjoy it – here's a tutorial for how I make 'em.

+++

Adept Apologist's true-scale tutorial
(With gratitude to Elusive71, Synapse, Doghouse et al.)
Whether you call them true-scale, art-true, heroic, actual-scale or just plain 'embiggened', larger Astartes are a great project and modelling opportunity. My direct inspiration comes from the artwork – Karl Kopinski's seminal Crimson Fist in the rulebook, but also this awesome piece:


This tutorial covers the intimidating chest and legs. The model can be finished with any terminator arms and shoulderpads, a standard marine head and backpack.

You will need:
 Modelling putty
 Sculpting tool
 One or more sets of terminator legs
 One or more standard marine torsoes and backs
 Some lubricant (You can get little pot of vaseline lip balm, which is ideal)
 Patience (If you don't have much, have a cup of camomile tea and relax – or apply to your local techpriest for the Rite of Pure Thought)

Legs:
1. Clean and prep a pair of terminator legs. I trim the 'bolts' from the side of the knee to slim the legs down subtly, but you can ignore this step if you prefer. I like to work on four or five sets at once (it gives uniformity, and stops you wasting greenstuff).

2. Next, mix your putty and let it cure for ten minutes or so, so it's still fairly sticky. Using the greased blade (vaseline is good) of your sculpting tool, cut a small block (approx 2 x 2mm) and press it into the recess of the inner thigh.

+++Tip+++
For modelling putty, I recommend ProCreate, available from Heresy miniatures. If you're using the GW greenstuff, cut away the join between the yellow and blue parts before mixing. This part will have partially cured, and give you lumps in your work – not nice!

3. Press the putty into place with the rounded end of your sculpting tool, then grease the flat side and smooth it into place until the putty is flush with the support struts of the inner thigh.

4. Fill in the other areas on the legs in the same way. Work the inner thighs, then the outer thighs, and leave the backs of the calves (these will need a larger piece of putty – 3 x 4mm or so) until last. This approach means you can handle the piece as much as you need without smearing your work.

+++Tip+++
I use a GW modelling tool; but you can get by with a sharp knife and a tool with a smooth and a flat end. I'd also recommend clay shapers, which look a little like a paintbrush with a silicon end. These make smoothing and shaping putty a breeze, and won't stick.

5. This should have filled in the recesses without overflowing. If there are gaps, gently press in tiny pieces of putty until they are full. As an aside, I prefer the lower legs to look like there is a heavier plate at the front, and so I do not smooth the calf area round to the front, but simply fill in the recesses (see the picture below).

6. Grease the flat end of your sculpting tool, and with a gentle pressure, draw it down over the first area of putty, from top to bottom, to smooth it. Start at one of the hidden support struts, and work gradually round the area until you reach the other side.
This part is not difficult, but can be frustrating – so work patiently! If you've put a little too much greenstuff in the recess, this may cause the excess greenstuff to spill over the edge of the area. Carefully trim it away with the blade of your sculpting tool.

+++Tip+++
If the greenstuff starts to lift away, you're using a little too much pressure. Press the greenstuff back into place, and work on another area while it hardens a little.

7. Being careful not to smudge or smear your work, smooth out the other areas in the same way. If you find the support struts start to show through the greenstuff, or the curve is not perfect, try adding a little more greenstuff and smoothing it in.

8. You may find that the upper legs are quite frustrating to smooth. You can cheat a little by using the flat of the tool to 'lift' a little of the greenstuff at the edges of the plates (i.e. at the groin and above the kneejoint). This creates the illusion of a hard edge.

9. At this point, you should have a set of legs that look like giant power armour. Nice one! Wait for ten minutes or so, and add any details that you like now – I use the blade to make a little recessed box on the front of the thigh and use the point of the tool to make two little dots. Little techy details like this really help give the impression of scale.

10. Bask in the glory of making your own pair of legs for true-scale marines. They should look a little like this:

...and the back:

(Only hopefully not so blurry!).

11. Leave for a day, and you can file down, smooth off and generally tidy up the greenstuff.

Torso
+++Abdomen+++

1. Clean and prep a normal marine torso and back. Carefully trim away any of the circular vents or other details you find interesting and put them to one side. Trim the belt buckle away carefully – you'll need it later. Like the legs, I like to work on four or five sets at once.


2. Glue the torso to the prepared legs.

3. Next, mix your putty and let it cure for five minutes or so, so it's still sticky. Place the putty on a tile or other non-absorbent surface (blister pack plastic is good), then spread it out to make a thin sheet. Check you can lift it off the surface without it distorting. If you can't, rub a tiny touch of vaseline on the tile and start again.

4. Cut a thin block of putty (8 x 2mm) and use the rounded end of the sculpting tool to press it gently into place round the waist. It should wrap the whole way round the marine, and thicken the whole waist to the width of the plastic upper chest.


5. Grease the round side of the sculpting tool and smooth the putty into place until the greenstuff is flush with the belt. This should cover the awkward join of the terminator legs and the marine torso, creating a smooth vertical column from the top of the terminator belt to the base of the marine chest.

6. Allow to dry overnight.

+++Stomach plate/cabling+++
7. Prepare the putty as above, letting it cure for 10 minutes this time. Place the putty on a tile, then place baking parchment over the top and use a pen or dowel as a rolling pin to ensure the putty is nice and thin. A depth of 1mm is great.


8. Remove the baking parchment and use the greased blade of your sculpting tool to cut a small block of putty (approx. 2 x 3mm). Place this over the cabled stomach area, and gently press it into place with the rounded end of the sculpting tool. If it distorts, gently nudge the edges back in from the side to sharpen them up. (In the image above, I've used the blade of the sculpting tool to make cabling by pressing it into the uncured putty).

+++Chest+++

9. Cut a rectangle of putty approx. 8 x 3mm, and place it over the chest of the marine. Press it into place slowly and gently, making sure that the edges of the rectangle reach from armpit to armpit.

+++Tip+++
Stage 8 allows for many different options – the rectangle described will create a traditional marine chestplate, but you can make a Mk IV plate by making a T-shaped piece and covering the abdomen; or make a n-shaped piece to cover the laterals and flanks of the marine. Experiment and have fun, and use the artwork as reference.


10. Use the rounded end of the sculpting tool to smooth the top of the rectangle of putty down onto the top of the chest piece. Do not allow it to touch the neck of the plastic torso (see image below), or you'll lose all the lovely detail. Smooth the top corners into place, so that they blend with the curve of the plastic piece. This stage can be frustrating, but be patient and you'll get it.


+++Tip+++
Like the legs, you can cheat a little by using the flat of the tool to 'lift' a little of the putty at the edges of the plates (i.e. at the bottom of the chestplate and at the sides of the stomachplate). This creates the illusion of a hard edge.

11. Allow to cure overnight.

12. Glue the belt buckle in place, and add small squares of 0.5mm plasticard as spacers to the shoulder joints to finish.

Success!

If you'd like a more complex one, feel free to experiment!

Additional banding was added here to finish off and add detail. This is the fun bit, so have a blast!



I used the rounded end of the sculpting tool to press into the centre of the chest piece, creating a small depression. The detail I carved from the original torso was then glued in place once the putty had cured. The stomach plate was replaced with piping made by scraping lines into the plate while it was uncured. A plasticard belt was also added, and the belt buckle glued onto this.


This example is slightly more complex, but much more effective. As well as piping in place of the stomach plate, small vents were pressed into the corners of the torso plate while uncured; and a textured central reinforcement was added by rolling the grip of a drill over the putty on the tile, then cutting a block of the textured putty and gluing it in place once cured.


This torso involved adding a plasticard belt, securing various additional plates made separately, mounting carved details and also cutting into an over-extended chest piece to make a recessed protective collar. A mark III/IV hybrid appearance was added by extending the chest piece over the stomach area.
Although considerably more complex, the methods used are the same.

Experiment, give it a go, and don't be put off by failure. Success will come with practice, patience and a steady hand.

I hope that the tutorial's helpful, and good luck! With a little paint, you'll soon be well on your way to making a whole army of these fellas.

Your work is an inspiration and an aspiration for many of us. The fluidity of the poses and the cinematic effects that you've included in your models add up to make a truly excellent look which is unique.

Thanks a great deal for the tutorial, I'll finally use that free White Dwarf Termie for something useful yet...

I hope you enjoy your (updated) stay at Dakka,

Happy Hunting.

sA

Thats some nice impressive work!

A great tutorial, something thats always nice to see. The only thing I would say is that a number of the pics don't work for me, just getting red crosses. You might be getting bandwidth issues so might be an idea to copy them to the Dakka galleries?

Cheers,

Dante

CMDante wrote:A great tutorial, something thats always nice to see. The only thing I would say is that a number of the pics don't work for me, just getting red crosses. You might be getting bandwidth issues so might be an idea to copy them to the Dakka galleries?

Done! What a useful tool they are, too.

Accolade wrote:

migsula wrote:
And what more fitting reason than for the schemes of the youngest legion!

So is the appearance of the Ultramarines due to the manipulations of the legion of subterfuge??

Who better than the sons of Macragge to keep an eye on those slippery upstarts?

Now, where's my auspex?

Brother Neoprotos of the Locrians [Calthan extraction]


Equipped with a broad-band modified Auspex, designed to penetrate and counter any of the distonal Enigma variations, Neoprotos of Calth is pictured checking the screen for nearby ambushes.

The extermination campaign waged against the Nekulli on Moracre saw the deployment of many strange weapons by the xenos. None were more effective than the Nekulli's electro-magnetic warfare instruments, deployed to deadly effect in the second month of the campaign. The eerie sound of the varying Enigma-Hex devices disabled autosenses, caused unexpected power-downs in power armour servos and saw many Astartes isolated from their brethren and killed, unable to raise reinforcements, create meaningful counter-tactics or receive orders.


Neoprotos' heraldry bears the diagonal stripe of Calth against a red field. The white hue of the stripe (known as the 'Blade' is thought to represent knowledge cutting through ignorance. Note the three additional asymmetrical stars, a traditional decoration of the techniclans of Kilch-Wriss.

Reports became strangled and patchy, with reports almost impossible to transmit and pict-captures temporarily reduced to Scrapshunt malcode. The Ultramarines and supporting Alpha Legion were driven to dig in, with no solution in sight.


This rear view shows the marine's Chapter number (in this case, 15). The Fifteenth Chapter of the Ultramarines Legion was led by Orpheus 'Orkbane', and was granted the honorific 'Praetors of Calth' after Compliance was brought to the Hypon system. This shot also shows Neoprotos' slung boltgun (left) and sidearm (right).

Fortunately, the Praetors of Calth were second-to-none in technomantical support, and supported a long tradition of tech-savvy Astartes raised by the techniclans of Calth. Brother Neoprotos, late of clan Kilch-Wriss; was the first to decipher the Nekulli Enigma, and lift the machine-hex from his brethren. A counter-code was swiftly developed and patched through to Polonin, the Ultramarines' newly-instated Master of the Forge, who saw the developing code transmitted throughout the fleet, and to all the supporting forces.


This pict capture shows the Legion symbol (an inverted omega) and the tactical marking (see front of pad to left of image). Note also the army badge on the hip plate, an alternative official location for armour without separate kneepads.

Neoprotos was amongst those Astartes seconded to the Alpha Legion forces deployed on Moracre for the campaign, and his report noted that his cousin-Astartes were friendly if stand-offish; easy-going and well-trained but far from garrulous. His dataslate notes on the Alpha Legion's stealth tactics later formed a minor section of an early draft of the Codex Imperialis.

how do you use the plasticard for the belt and shoulders, i have experience in greenstuff, but sadly hardly none in plasticard
your models look great btw, thanks for the tutorial

Gutteridge wrote:how do you use the plasticard for the belt and shoulders, i have experience in greenstuff, but sadly hardly none in plasticard

Very simply, it's a case of cutting a long strip of 0.5mm thick plasticard. I aim for strips that are about 1.5mm wide. These are then cut to length and glued in place. It take a little while to get used to it, but as long as you keep your fingers clean of poly cement, you should be alright. Any little gaps between strips should be filled with putty.

I really like the traffic cone. Thanks a lot for this tutorial I'll have to add it to my list of someday maybe projects.

Thanks for the update on the tutorial dude! I was already pondering on how to do the torso!

Brother Atlion


All Space Marines are trained in the use of specialist weaponry, but those who show particular aptitude tend to be assigned squad support weaponry, such as Brother Atlion, known as 'Straightback'. Unfortunately, the records of this particular marine are lost, and the origin of this appelation are unknown. Indeed, it is only through indirect records in the Apocrypha that we know his name and heraldry at all; the Hyponian Hololith having been damaged at some unknown date.

This is a particular shame, as the presence of the Imperialis (winged skull) on his chest was later to become the campaign badge for the Loyalist forces during the Horus Heresy – and this seems to be the earliest recorded instance of its use.


Note the reinforced cabling below the arms. Despite suspensors and power-augmented strength, this mark of Heavy Bolter (Braun VI Malfeasance) was near-impossible to control under fire, and only the very strongest marines could hope to use it with any accuracy. Additional power cabling and improved couplings helped somewhat, but it was still far from ideal.

Note also the additional Truesight targeter integrated onto the helm. The versatility and adapatable nature of the Astartes Crusade armour was a great boon to the artificers and warriors who used it.


A tripartite design with a single bold horizontal stripe denotes a native of Iax. The silver inverted omega traditionally represents Indomitable Strength, and the yellow and black patterned upper part is a common Iaxian design after a fierce native predator.

Brilliant tutorial! Also now I can point everyone who asks me to your blog

I've prolly praised your work enough, but I have a folder in my miniature folder on my mac called "Work of Internetpersonae". It very rarely gets a new subfolder with a name on it. Your one of 3 or 4 added in 08

Woah Migs, are you building up a database of rivals to strike down?

I'm not sure if I missed it, Apologist, but what did you say you used for the main body of the shoulderpads?

Cheers,

sA

Migsula wrote:I have a folder in my miniature folder on my mac called "Work of Internetpersonae". It very rarely gets a new subfolder with a name on it. Your one of 3 or 4 added in 08

I'm flattered! Long been a fan of your work – the TWAR is a fantastic blog, and I don't think I need to reiterate how awesome the Alpha Legion are. A particular mention has to go to The Shaddes offe Greye, too – the quality of the narrative, and the general inventiveness is a real spur to creativity. Thanks for all the inspiration.

SmilingAssassin wrote:I'm not sure if I missed it, Apologist, but what did you say you used for the main body of the shoulderpads?

I use Terminator shoulder pads – I simply cover the missing parts with plasticard strips, which also creates a rim like the power armoured versions. That said, you can also simply fill the gaps with putty, as shown on the next guy:


+++

Brother Vibius of the Locrians

According to an appended crys-stack from the Hypon Monolith, Vibius was reknowned for his mastery of ambush tactics, and is pictured here redeploying with his heavy weapon. The full weapon load of the plug-in would seem to indicate that his squad has not yet reached battle – though the heavy scoring on his chestplate makes it more likely that the cartridge has simply been replaced recently.

Dubbed the 'Iron Snake' by his brethren in honour of his fortitude and speed of striking from a hidden vantage point, Vibius is an reminder that heavy weapons bearers are not mere pack mules with a support role; but are every bit as well-trained and resourceful as their brethren.

Note the studded loincloth, indicating that Vibius has served as a dagogue (teacher) in the scout company – presumably passing on his knowledge of first strike tactics.


The Hammer-class missile launcher is a versatile weapon, able to fire a variety of missiles from super-Krak, frag, plasma, anti-plant and even more exotic munitions such as virus and vortex. In this case, a 'stinger' cartridge has been fitted. This block is locked into place on the barrel, and provides a multiple launch of micromunitions with limited auto-guidance and grav-suppression technology. It is extremely useful in engaging skimmer tanks or aircraft.

Once the cartridge is emptied, it can simply be popped off the launcher and regular usage resumed.


Early Astartes missile launchers were hampered by rate of fire issues. The characteristic pauldrons of the Astartes made shoulder-mounted equipment awkward to reload. This problem was ameliorated by the introduction of droprack magazines (which proved vulnerable to snipers and often misfed), accompanying heavy weapon troops with dedicated loaders (a waste of Astartes resources), and various other jury-rigged solutions during the early years of the Great Crusade.

Vibius is equipped with the latest mark IV armour (with the exception of the helmet), and the new backpack incorporates a servo-arm autoloader. This removes the traditional loading problem associated with Asartes weapons, and keeps the squad mobile and effective.


Vibius' heraldry shows a pun on his name. The voiced bilabial plosive 'b' had a voiceless plosive 'p' sound in historical Macraggian dialect, making it sound a little like 'viper'. The pun is reportedly rather strained, even to contemporary Macraggian ears.

The black field represents stealth or a sense of being hidden; while the white represents the heraldic element of silver or iron – perfectly suitable to the ambush predator tactics of Vibius.

migsula wrote:Brilliant tutorial! Also now I can point everyone who asks me to your blog

I've prolly praised your work enough, but I have a folder in my miniature folder on my mac called "Work of Internetpersonae". It very rarely gets a new subfolder with a name on it. Your one of 3 or 4 added in 08

Who else are in your miniature folder huh?

'The advantage must be pressed; disadvantage overcome. With the great Will of mankind at our head, how can we but succeed? Sons of Iax – advance!'

Brother Titus Dio of the Locrians

Replete with a complete set of Mark II crusade armour, and armed with combat blade and boltgun, Titus Dio regarded the Imperial Truth as his greatest weapon. Humble though puissant, Dio was one of the few who met the Remembrancer decree with open arms.


War is regarded as a noble and holy calling for the cultures on Iax, and this devotion is succoured by exposure to the Imperial Truth for those aspirants lucky enough to succeed in joining the Ultramarines.


Iax has a long tradition of trade with Macragge, and its peoples are ancient allies. Iaxian troops are sturdy, inventive and well-led, making them ideal as Imperial Army material. Exceptional subject are brought to the Ultramarines, and such is the richness of Iaxian vigour that many are made battle brothers.


Titus Dio's devotion to truth, expansion and the unification of mankind is expressed well by his pauldron, which use a white flash to represent expansion and a black star to represent the inviolable truth, overlaid on a red field symbolising warfare.

Meditation Notes
The Apocrypha of Davio is a crumbling pile of parchment, ill-bound and stained by time and numberless autodigits. It provides a priceless glimpse into an age of heroes, and is now stored in a stasis-vault, accessible only to the Chapter Master of the Mentors, and by dint of long tradition, the Chief Librarians of the Imperial Fists, Crimson Fists, Angels of Absolution and the Patriarchs of Ulixis.

Alongside its mouldering pages are the Meditation Notes of Mygsulon Iophon, one of Guilliman's veterans – who became the First Chapter Master of the White Consuls. Perfectly preserved on luminoparchment, these are believed to have been etched over a number of campaigns.

The origin of Meditation notes is unknown, though archeotechnicians now generally agree that the practice stems from an old Macraggian custom. It certainly sprung to prominence among the Ultramarines once joined by the Primarch, and all of Iophon's meditation notes represent quotations attributed to Guilliman himself. They are generally recorded in High Gothic, though the largest and best-known is recorded in Demotic Macraggian, a primitive and ugly tongue that has since died out.


One of the best-known of Guilliman's teachings, this note refers to 'bright pinions' or 'shining wings' (depending on the translator's idiom-matrix), and popular myth attributes it to the Lion's Paw Campaign, taken on Moracre. This was certainly when Iophon became an officer in the newly-formed jump-troop formations. Known as Raptors in their legion of origin (the Night Lords), jump-troops were titled 'Pinions' or simply 'Assault Troops' – among other names – in the Ultramarines.

However, it seems likely that this is simply a myth – the immunoparchment STC, which provided nigh-indestructible papyrus was not discovered until much later in the Great Crusade. Almost all meditation notes were etched into leather before this point.

+++

A common meditation on the care of arms and armour – and the battlegear of the dead – this note is enshrined in the Codex Astartes, and is a perfect example of how a phrase from the Primarchs echoes through the ages.

Guilliman was a visionary. A humble man – if such he can be described – Guilliman was aware of his strengths and shortcomings, and also those of mankind in general. A harsh realist, Guilliman was heard to refer to a 'terrible truth of the future'. It is believed that this emerged in consultation with a mysterious third party; all records of whom have been chrono-sealed or deleted. This iron belief led Guilliman to order his Librarius division to collate his teachings, along with those of his brother-Primarchs, in a text known as the Meditatio Belli; or 'Considerations in War'.

Knowing that a proscriptive military primer would be useless as a martial aid, this slim volume was a collection of musings, thoughts and rhetorical questions from the Primarchs; which was meant to encourage the troops and officers under their command to exercise their military minds in considerations of hypothetical situations.

This tome formed the basis of the lost Guilliman Codex, and later the Codex: Astartes, generally regarded as Guilliman's magnum opus. The fact it is still referred to ten thousand years later is a mark of how influential this book became – and how much foresight Guilliman had.

+++
The Meditatio Belli was issued to all officers – and later to every member of the fratry (as the Ultramarines referred to themselves). Guilliman was sternly against any secrecy, but aware of the needs of men to feel bound by ritual, he encouraged his men to regard the Meditations as spiritual tools, and to use their enscribing as a ritual to bind brothers to brothers regardless of rank – in much the same way as the Luna Wolves, Word Bearers and other traitor legions allowed secret lodges to be formed in their midst.

The meditations thus contain numerous references to the holiness of the Imperial Truth; a precursor to the Right and Dignified worship of the Emperor in this more enlightened Millennium. Rather than regarding the Emperor as a God, as we do, men of the Heresy era regarded him merely as a man – an incomparable and god-like man, but a man.

This note, which rubricises the Emperor's name, is a good example of this:


+++
As well as the Primarchs, Guilliman sought tactical and strategic considerations from the greatest generals, philosophers and thinkers of the day – Sephran Maul, Ambian Freed, Al'Rhamen Al'Singh, Lo Mang Shut, Decimus Burton, and the Decapotsle Sciemon of Mars.



Notable by their absence are direct notes from the Emperor (though his words are quoted numerous times by the Primarchs; particularly by Dorn, Guilliman himself, and Lorgar) and the youngest Primarch, Alpharius. Guilliman's relationship with his youngest brother was always tempestuous; the stern, open and unremitting Primarch finding his brother's secrecy and mercurial nature infuriating and naive – while Alpharius, for his part, famously condemned Guilliman as 'hide-bound and ultra-orthodox'.

Their initial meeting was open. Horus presented Alpharius to Corax and Guilliman at the Court of the Crimson King, an Eldar petty monarch whose subjects had defied the Raven Guard's Expeditionary Fleet and been destroyed by a combined force of Ultramarines, Luna Wolves and Raven Guard in the Lion's Paw Campaign.

Unbeknownst to both, Alpha Legion cells had infiltrated the Eldar defences, and prised them open on a signal from Alpharius – a gift to Corax and Guilliman as a sign of the Alpha Legion's willingness to work alongside the older legions. Guilliman was favourably impressed, and praised Alpharius' ability to trick the notoriously elusive Eldar – but Corax raged at the losses sustained by his Legion. If Alpharius had infiltrated the Eldar bastions, why had he not simply brought the Eldar to battle?

Stunned by Corax's hostility, Alpharius sought Horus and Guilliman's support. It is unfortunate that Corax, Guilliman and Horus were not closer. Guilliman and Horus had always had a cold respect for each other's very different abilities, and both had a tenuous relationship with the brooding and private Corax. The Raven Guard's request for aid from the Ultramarines and Luna Wolves had come at a critical time, and both Horus and Guilliman were aware that they risked losing their brother Corax forever if they did not support him – a decision that weighed heavily on Alpharius. Accusing Guilliman and Horus of cowardice, and spitting at Corax's feet, Alpharius turned on his heel and strode out.

Alpharius's withdrawal from the brotherhood was signicant. The seeds of bitterness were sewn, and he even withdrew somewhat from Horus, the only Primarch to whom he could ever have been described as close. He refused all requests from Guilliman to support his fleet; rejected offers of aid from the Ultramarines; and set out on a competitive and ambitious campaign through the north of the galaxy.

Guilliman and Alpharius' relationship never recovered from this rocky start; Alpharius unwilling to trust Guilliman, and Roboute becoming more and more dismissive of his younger brother.

Brother Kaeso, the Half-Hundred, of the Ciconians

Brother Kaeso was the last of the honoured Half-Hundred; a group of Astartes believed to be the first elevated to the Phratry after Guilliman's union with the Legion. Stern, uncompromising and a fine leader of men, Kaeso served under Sergeant Mox as the Ciconian's second-in-command squad leader. Gassed by Hrud in the Moor campaign, Kaeso wears a permanent osmotic gill, preventing him wearing a standardised helmet.


His heraldry symbolises purity of purpose (the white field) surmounted by clarity of duty (the red chevron). Allied to the chevron are three black inverted omegas, symbolising the three cardinal virtues of Macragge: Courage, Honour and Brotherhood.


Having seen battle in a number of theatres and campaigns, Kaeso was a grizzled veteran. He served as the company's warrant officer, ensuring discipline was maintained at all times, and standardised equipment was kept up to his exacting standards. Line Astartes commonly held ranks such as these, assisting the qualified specialists wherever possible to create as much redundancy and flexibility as possible. Calthans were traditionally noted to make good assistants for techmarines, while Astartes from Macragge were noted as fierce disciplinarians and terrifying fighters.


These pict-captures show Kaeso striding forward. Note the standardised equipment he carries: two large pouches held at right rear, each containing four sickle clips; one small pouch at front right containing the coin-sized frag and krak grenades, and a larger super-krak grenade above that. Other equipment, such as nutri-fuel and glucozade technical water, is stored in hip storage or in the backpack.

The Vae Victus
With the outlying asteroids subdued, listening posts silenced and three worlds brought to compliace, the Praetors of Calth pushed in-system in a direct challenge to the orks. Unable to detect the ork fleet through a system-wide jamming, Orpheus hoped to force the system into compliance by decapitating the ork leadership – literally!

The Chapter Master adopted a complex five-point assault on the orks: a holding force led by Tactitus Orar would secure the compliant worlds Walsh and Buckley's Folly from counter-strikes; while Lieutenant Avulus led a company of Ultramarines and supporting units from the Calth Expeditionary Force in a strike against Gulskar to draw out the orks' piquet line, and encourage the ork warlord to centralise his fleet in an invasion force. In essence, Orpheus planned to trick the orks into thinking the Marines had finally grouped together and landed somewhere they could be brought to battle.



Once the ork fleet was pulled away from Hypon, the the Battle Barge Pro Merito would lead the fleet into a space battle with the enemy, while the Strike Cruiser [i]Vae Victus and the Frigate [/i]Courageous Blow would emerge from the shielding of the Maganellic disturbance corewards of the system. This force would drop a small force onto Hypon itself, then push on to Gulskar where Orpheus and the bulk of the Praetors would engage the depleted orks in a groundwar; crushing the battlehungry beasts on the anvil of Avulus' dug-in brethren.

Orpheus' plan rested on the marines deployed on Hypon rupturing the atomic stack that was clouding the Imperial fleet's sensors, allowing the vastly superior Ultramarines fleet to finally detect, engage and destroy the ork ships.


This pict-capture shows the detonation of the atomic stack, captured on Recon Sergeant Telcion's helm-log.

+++
Unfortunately, intelligence had underestimated the size of the ork groundforce, and Lieutenant Avulus' position was in danger of being overrun days before Orpheus' force would arrive. In desperation, Orpheus deployed a strike force onto the Vae Victis and undertook an in-system warp jump to Gulskar. Deploying directly into battle via Stormbird, Orpheus depleted force harried the ork lines from behind, successfully splitting the ork front in two – an event that allowed the bulk of the Praetors a vital entrance when they deployed thirty-eight hours later.

The ork force was crushed between the three forces, though Avulus' command was reduced to a mere twelve marines – and the Lieutenant himself was interred in the Dreadnought suit Gloriam Est following the battle.

+++

With the death of Warboss Wortsnaga Grimshank at Orpheus' hands, ork resistance crumbled. Their armies were in disarray across the system, and proved easy pickings for the Calthan Army regulars and Ultramarines.

Still, the ork armada remained a sizeable threat, and the capable admiral Skabzod was putting up a decent fight, launching punishing salvoes against the 12th Expeditionary fleet that tore apart the Frigates Star of Iax and a number of escorts.

At the height of the battle, the Vae Victus, still undermanned and underpowered from the strain of the in-system warp translation, powered in close and launched a point-blank torpedo spread that buckled and finally crippled the ork's flagship, the Snarling Toof.


Artwork by Andy Walsh; used without permission. But ain't it cool?

This final strike finished the ork's willingness for the engagement, and dealth a fatal blow to orkoid rule in the Hypon system. Systemwide clearance would take a further three months, but this two-week battle is the shining light in the Praetor's drive for system-wide compliance; and was later enshrined in the Codex: Astartes.

The amount of detail going into these is astounding -- each marine has his own story, heraldry, background. It's how it's meant to be done, mate.

sA

I remember people here mentioning that the blogs should inspire each other...lets hope to see more people here inspired to start projects such as these!

Here's some fluff on Calth (thought I'd flesh it out a bit to give me a handle on the Ultras and get some ideas and inspiration flying about).

Calth
Calth is part of Ultramar, the Ultramarines Empire, and one of its most productive worlds. It is a verdant and fairly populous world, its surface covered in rich and varied terrain. It has an overall mild climate a few degrees cooler than Ancient Terra, and a gravity slightly higher owing to its larger mass. Owing to a particularly stable orbit, seasonal changes in weather are slight, and crops and agriculture are grown steadily throughout the year.


Orbital pict-capt of Calth

+++
The inhabitants are reknowned for their parsimony and level-headedness, and operated in much the same way for thousands of years before their rediscovery by the Imperium. Slightly shorter than galactic average, and typically endomorphic in build, Calthans exhibit moderate genetic diversity. Most inhabitants have dark, almost black, irises; and have a ruddy, olive skintone. Dark, tightly-curled hair is the norm, though the planet has alos produced an extremely unusual genotype with violet-blue eyes and near-white hair. Beyond this, incidences of mutation are low, and psychic phenomena are virtually unknown.


Typical Calthan complexion

+++
Roughly seventy per cent of the planet's denizens live in secondary agrarian settlements, while the remaining urbanites drive scientific research; a profession for which many show a particular aptitude. Government has varied, but the great Techniclans dominated pre-Imperial leadership, and their respect for machinery and natural resourcefulness, inventiveness and industry tends to make for excellent recruits for Techmarine aspirants.

The planet is also known for its orbital shipyards, which provide the craft used by the Ultramarines, as well as civil and military craft for wider use in the Imperium. The Techniclans of Calth make excellent and advanced weaponry, their scientific drive matched only by the outputs of their manufactories. Their weapons, armour and equipment make up much of the XIII Legion's materiel for the Great Crusade.


Calth-pattern Bolt Pistol. Note reduced height and weight compared to typical Terran-pattern.

On a broader scale, Calth make an excellent recruitment ground for the Ultramarines legion. Calthan Ultramarines tend to exhibit the same conservatism as their gene-folk, and rarely progress to high leadership positions, unlike the more creative and strategically-minded Iaxians, or the resourceful inhabitants of Parmenio and Espandor.

Nevertheless, numerous excellent line officers and infantrymen have been drawn from Calth, and its soldiery are known for their stubbornness and faith in the Imperial Truth.

+++
Sergeant Santiagon of the Apaesians [Calthan Extraction]:

This pict-capture documents the execution of Dregsnaga Wortgutz, a relatively minor ork personality who had been placed in charge of the enslaved populace of Scythia, Hypon's third largest continent.



Santiagon is marked out as a sergeant by a number of details. Wreathed shoulder trims were a common marker of status at this time, and the Iron Halo honorific – a red skull – is shown as part of his tactical markings on his left shoulder pauldron and on his backpack.


He has also incorporated a red halo into his personal heraldry, which combines the blue and white of the Legion with the halo of Calth.



Pattern baldness is common amongst Astartes due to the effects of Larraman's cells on hair follicles. Proof of his Calthan heritage is drawn from his pure iron service stud (other worlds in Ultramar utilise other materials for such honorifics), and also the skull wreathed by the Wings of Ultramar (a winged inverted omega) on his chestplate.

My hats off to you sir. I love the hobby but am terrible about sitting down and painting my miniatures. You have inspired me to go home and dig out my guys to start working on them. I have a question for you about the purity seals and motivational banner pieces I see you doing. For the detail, I assume they are normal sized; how do you translate the latin, internet or do are you fluent?

Thanks

Cpt. Rex

Look out hun the kitchen table is about to be invaded!

another questiong regarding your minis (sorry about C&C but they are just too cool) how do you create those helmets? GS?

Gutteridge wrote:another questiong regarding your minis (sorry about C&C but they are just too cool) how do you create those helmets?

Yep. Here's a tutorial:
Magos Apologist’s Mark II (Macragge variant) helm tutorial

You will need:
Sculpting tool – I use a GW metal sculpting tool
Sculpting putty – I use ProCreate, but this works nicely with Greenstuff, too.
One or more Space Marine heads – Virtually any kind with a grille will work.
Clippers
Vaseline or equivalent

You may find useful:
Clay shapers – I use a size 1 chisel and size 1 point, available from Heresy miniatures.
Paperclip and pin vice
Tiny screwdriver with a flat head.

1: Sit comfortably, give praise to the Machine God thrice, and mix your modelling putty. I use equal parts of each colour.

2: Pick up your modelling knife and carefully trim away the cables from the side of the helmet. Work right back to the ‘earpieces’ of the helmet, and ensure the front of the earpieces is flat (i.e. you’ve created a box shape).


3. Put your clippers on either side of the grille and trim it off.


+++
Tip
At this point, you may wish to drill a hole in the neck with a pin vice and secure the helmet temporarily to a paperclip. You can then hold the paperclip and avoid touching the putty as you work. I’ve smooshed a good couple of these accidentally while I’ve been working!
+++

4. Anoint your sculpting tool with a touch of sacred machine oil (Vaseline will do in a pinch). Put a small piece of modelling putty in the centre of the face as shown, and use your modelling tool to scrape the top part into a rough line the same width as the ridge on top. Join the modelling putty with the ridge.


5. Carefully flatten the ridge, then rub the putty into a ridge on the faceplate. Use short, gentle strokes of the tool to ensure you get a smooth surface.


6. Trim away a small piece of putty on the lower left and right of the faceplate, turning the putty blob into a rough cross (+) shape as shown. I gently press the spatula end of the sculpting tool into the recess to ensure a perfect curve every time.


7. Smooth the putty away from the central ridge once more, using hardly any pressure. This stage should gradually pull the new facemask into a perfect shape, so take your time and work gently until you are happy with the shape. Finally, use the pointed end of the tool (or one of those tiny screwdrivers) to make two small hollows for eyes on either side of the face ridge.


8. Leave the putty to cure for at least three hours (preferably overnight), and secure to your miniature.


9. Paint it. Because this is such a small area, it makes a good space to try a simple but effective non-metallic metal technique. The ridge makes it very easy. Simply paint one half of the faceplate and the ridge yellow, and the other half of the faceplate dark brown. Add brown to the yellow and shade the yellow side; and add yellow to the brown and highlight the brown side.


Hope that helps!

+++

CaptainRexKrammer wrote:My hats off to you sir. I love the hobby but am terrible about sitting down and painting my miniatures. You have inspired me to go home and dig out my guys to start working on them.

Glad I could pass on the inspiration that I've got from everyone else in the hobby! Good luck, and post those piccies when you're done.

I have a question for you about the purity seals and motivational banner pieces I see you doing. For the detail, I assume they are normal sized; how do you translate the latin, internet or do are you fluent?

Internet translators are useful to get the basics (especially if you're doing long screeds!), but yep, I did read Latin at A-Level. I'm definitely a bit rusty, however, so if any of your relatives went to school in the 50s, get them to check it!

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Young Holion

Holion is the most recently admitted member of the Speculatores to the Phratry. His youthful appearance and lack of experience has earned him the nickname 'Young Holion', despite being nearly thirty standard years – twice the age of many of the aspirants.
Valorous, energetic and faithful to the Imperial Truth, Holion is clearly marked for greatness...


A native of the ocean-world of Talassar, Holion's pad bears three interesting notes: the Star of Destiny, reserved for the best Academy Graduate of the year; the white on blue Legion symbol, indicating humility and a sanguine nature; and the red and white chequers of the House of Rubr.

Cassie, refugee

The Hypon campaign was hard-fought, and in bringing the enslaved worlds to compliance, the Twelfth expedition found humans willing to fight with and against them. Against this backdrop of war, many hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced or even fired upon. Cassandra Clynna Rhodes was a typical inhabitant of the city Hubris on Hypon Inferior, a city largely destroyed by Resistance artillery over the course of a month.

Firefights raged between the Calthan regiments of the Imperial Army and the Ork-funded Hypon Inf. Resistance in the ruins, and thousands of families were herded back to Imperial lines. The Rhodes family were unfortunate enough to be hemmed into the park districts when the ork counter-assault came, and all but Cassie were killed. It took a strikeforce of Astartes to break the deadlock – and Young Holion was honoured by his daring rescue of the sole survivor; ensuring her survival and return to the Remembrancer Lucion Stilldon for care.

Hopefully Holion's weird pose now makes sense – herding this cool little sculpt behind him for protection. In making the Ultramarines, I was a bit stuck for how to characterise them – 'Average Space Marine' isn't exactly an image that sticks in your mind. Aggressive chapters like the Blood Angels and World Eaters look great with angry action poses like throttling people, but more 'humane' chapters like the Salamanders and Ultramarines are tough to come up with poses that look cool but also say something about them.

I was really struggling and then thought 'What's more heroic than saving a little orphan from danger?', which is where this idea came from. Anyway, I really wanted to use this sculpt (from Hasslefree) somewhere. Hope you like how it's turned out – I do! Keep an eye out for Cassie in the later campaigns – I think you'll like the little story arc from orphan to Remembrancer I've got in the back of my head, which should help me work out how the Remembrancers interacted with the Crusade.


Close-up – I was pleased with how her face turned out: more curious about the battle than frightened, but still looking a bit nervous!

+++
Anyway, enough tiny people; more giant ones!
Brother Iophilus of the Ciconians

Armed with the indefaticable Mark I boltgun and equipped with Mark III Ferrum armour powered by the bulky Terran Mark I backpack, Iophilus cuts a striking figure, typical of the courageous and aggressive Ciconians.


A Talassarian, Iophilus honours Guilliman with the red and white section of his heraldry, held above all; Calth with the Blue and Black section, at the rear of his armour as a symbol of protection; and Talassar with the Blue and White section, held forward with pride.

Young Holion & Cassie: genius.

One tends to forget the trillions of Lives of the Imperium, non-military.

Hmm.

sA (Has an Idea.)

Very nice exellent work.I really like Holion and cassie but my fav is Vibius.

Your poses are fantastic. It really brings the characters to life even without the thought out back stories.

I love these guys and wish I could pull something like this off.

Ghost in the Darkness wrote:I love these guys and wish I could pull something like this off.

What's stopping you? As some of us already discussed in another thread here, this place should inspire people. Why not give it a shot? Practise makes perfect! Apologist posted a tutorial on how to make the marines so there is a start!

Fantastic paint job on the little girl being protected. And a really cool concept too~!

Thanks for all the comments, guys – and I can't encourage you enough to have a go: it's not as hard as it looks!

I've been having some troubles with a recalcitrant Machine Spirit (bandwidth issues), so if you can't see the piccies, I've added a clickable link.

Anyway, I finished Orar, so thought I'd post up some piccies and tie together some background threads – explaining why the Praetors of Calth became the Praetors of Orpheus, and how Orar ties into the Sons of Orar.

Orpheo Tacitus Orar

http://picasaweb.google.com/PCRCApologist/Ultramarines?feat=directlink#5322225195281123154
Orpheo Tacitus Orar, Knight Champion of Macragge, Beloved of All, Triumphant of Hypon, Chapter Master of the 15th. This idealised pict-capture – probably intended for propaganda purposes – shows Orar leading the way into battle, unhelmeted and grand. Note the cape buckle on his right shoulder, a boon from Fain Valin, the previous incumbent of the Chapter Master position.

Orar is wearing heavily modified Mark III Archaon-pattern armour, with reinforcements over many of the areas proven more vulnerable. His helmet, cradled in his hand, bears the 'Wolf Crest', an unusual choice for a Chapter Master, as this merely indicates sergeant-level privileges. Orar's humility was so great that it is known even today – it was a trait which encouraged huge loyalty and good regard among his men; and forms an important part of the 'Saga of Orpheus': a cycle of tales told across Ultramar. Such was Orar's battle prowess and keen wit that it is near-impossible to tell myth from reality.


http://picasaweb.google.com/PCRCApologist/Ultramarines?feat=directlink#5322225205658169378
This pict-capture shows a unique artefact: the aegis aeternum. The aegis generates an arced plasma-field that intercepts and destroys incoming solid shells.

This portable field generator has been modelled in the form of a wrist-mounted eagle; perhaps a reference to Orar's noble birth. Orpheo was a petitioner – one of the rare youths of Macragge who earned the right to Astartes Trial by outwitting an Ultramarine.

Over his cloak, Orar is wearing the hide of a Nemean Lion, a dangerous predator native to Iax, with a haunting and pervasive scent.


http://picasaweb.google.com/PCRCApologist/Ultramarines?feat=directlink#5322225216919028850
Shown here is Orar's personal heraldry; a red Omega on a white field. When Orpheo eventually fell, during the events of The Scouring, this cape was used as his funeral shroud. So beloved was the Chapter Master that he gave name to two Chapers: The Praetors of Orpheus and the Sons of Orar.

With their traditional recruiting ground dangerously irradiated from the Word Bearer's treacherous assault on Calth, the Fifteenth's new leader elected to rename the Chapter, combining their ancient honoric with the name of their fallen leader. They also took a new homeworld, renaming that Orpheus – after the transliteration of the Macraggian 'Orpeho' to the High Gothic 'Orpehus'.

The Praetors of Calth, veterans all, inverted their colour scheme at this point, changing from royal blue with white trim to white with sky blue trim; indicating a rebirth of honour, and a new beginning as the Praetors of Orpheus.

The Sons of Orar were formed much later, during the fourth founding, from a core of the Praetors. Numbering less than thirty, this group of veterans was placed in charge of over nine hundred recruits, and commanded to train them in the image of 'noble Orar', regarding him as their founder, patron and father. Volcatius, the first Chapter Master, chose Orar's heraldry as their Chapter symbol, and commanded that the Sons would wear red in perpetuity.


http://picasaweb.google.com/PCRCApologist/Ultramarines?feat=directlink#5322225224987147074
A plasma-caster, crafted by Polonin, Master of the Forge, is holstered on Orar's right hip, and below this is the army badge, emblazoned on his hipguard.

Note the engraved meditation notes on the lower guard on his right leg. Orar was devoted to Guilliman, and contributed many valuable notes to the Codex: Astartes.

...and another shot, showing him leading his troops into battle, to give you an idea of scale. I'm pleased with how he's come out.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mswOuTRQen6sFTi4G-u-hQ?feat=directlink

Man...their so...awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Great piece, great background. Nicely done indeed Apologist, nicely done.

Funnily enough, I did the same reasoning with my Scythes of the Emperor force back in 1997. Because the Chapter was virtually wiped out, my small band of survivors, unsure if they were all that were left, began anew with adjustments to the armor scheme in remembrance of the Fall of Sotha.

..in plain English, painting a yellow torso with only black limbs (Original Scheme) was well, boring. So I 'blinged' it up a bit.

I really do enjoy your fiction, I have to say.

~ Tael.

man, is it okay to use your method, its simple and really effective, it may look similar but different in multiple levels (blood raven scheme for example). i really like the amount of effort you have put into these minis, it makes me funny inside but, you have actually make ultramarines cool O.O!

10/10

Shas'El Tael wrote:Great piece, great background. Nicely done indeed Apologist, nicely done.

Funnily enough, I did the same reasoning with my Scythes of the Emperor force back in 1997. Because the Chapter was virtually wiped out, my small band of survivors, unsure if they were all that were left, began anew with adjustments to the armor scheme in remembrance of the Fall of Sotha.

..in plain English, painting a yellow torso with only black limbs (Original Scheme) was well, boring. So I 'blinged' it up a bit.

I really do enjoy your fiction, I have to say.

~ Tael.

Got pics?

I want to see the Lord Macragge, himself Marneus Calgar in this style. Plz do it, if not for then for the children, do it for them.

I love the classical influences of the model: the pose just ripe for a statue, the shortened gladius-like sword, and the helmet.

Nice.

sA

All I can say is,AWESOME!!!!

What gorgeous additions! Even stuff I haven't seen before.

Drool! We now need a full family pic!!

Hey Apologist, you might have seen this already, but maybe the Ultramarine related pictures will give you some ideas for your markings and such: LINK

Need a Family pic? hahahah... sorry, my imagination fills with stupid BBQ day snapshots of marines, hotdogs, burgers and rampaging Chapter familiars (pets).

As for my marines Malika - The Scythes of the Emperor.

More about them soon, thanks too Apologist, Migsula and Modhail's combined inspiration waking the slumbering conversion-bear within this disillusioned hobbyist.

Great stuff Apologist.

~ Tael.

Hey cats,
Hardrockfreak1337 wrote this on the art-based (true-scale) tutorial topic:

This is how they should look. The current GW models look like guardsmen in power armour. Why for the love of whatever god-like figure you believe in did they have to be Ultrasmurfs?

(My emphasis)

I thought I'd take a little break from painting and modelling to explain why I went for Ultramarines, so apologies for the discursive break in piccies!

I think that the way to make the biggest impact with a project like this is to make something simultaneously recognisable and unique: it's easy to make a big tank; but hard to make a big tank that's obviously a Leman Russ. Similarly, it's easy to make a big armoured model; but hard to make it look like an Astartes. The 'poster boys' of the Astartes are thus a good way for people to recognise them easily: a custom chapter would have been fun, but risked not being instantly recognisable.

I've been a long time guard player – Rogue Trader veteran! – and I finally decided I wanted to make a more elite army. What better than marines? Like pretty much everyone who started the hobby in those long-gone days, I'd fooled around with collecting a Blood Angels army, so I was initially tempted to create them.

However, I've also long had a regard for the Ultramarines – call it love of the underdog. There're a lot of people who really dislike the Ultramarines for their generic and hidebound conservative reputation, and there's a huge amount of background for them that I thought was ripe for development. What a shame that it couldn't be mined to make a cool army!

I really enjoy the creativity allowed by the mysterious 40k background, and thought that it would be great to try and make an Ultramarines army that got positive reactions; so I really got my head down with some research, and was careful when making up new background that it fitted in correctly. I'm not sure how successful I've been, but hopefully I haven't made any glaring errors!

It was important to make an army that was sympathetic to the GW interpretation of the Legion, but I feel it's equally important to be creative with the background: expanding and developing it rather than sticking ruthlessly to the letter of the law. A good example of this is my interpretation of the Primarch. He's never really been described in detail, and he tends to give the impression of being a rather stuffy, overblown character, which I thought was a huge shame. He was a Primarch, one of the most charismatic and interesting figures in the 40k universe – and more than that, he was in charge of the whole Imperium for a time: there's gotta be something going for him!

It would have been easy to make Julius Caesar in space, wielding a sword and with a wreath on his head, but that would have been a bit dull: at best pleasing ultra-conservative interpretations of him. I decided to cast my net a little wider, bringing in other classical references: Roman, Greek, Persian and even a sort of Conan-like imaginary feel. This guy, after all, is about twelve foot tall and built like a tank!

I also thought that the names Macragge, Konor and so forth had a bit of a Scottish feel, reinforced by its background as an 'inhospitable and rocky land', so I introduced a few subtle touches that hinted at that too; which led on to my view of Macragge in general. This is where the idea of Guilliman wielding an axe came from – it may be pure Hollywood Scottish, but I just thought that an axe was a suitably unusual weapon that'd add a little interest, and I also figured that the Axes of Ultramar used by the Honour Guard in 40k had to come from somewhere...

I've had a few negative reactions from die-hard Ultramarine purists, but I'm really pleased with how he's worked out, and the overwhelming majority of people really like the interpretation. In the end, it's your army, so when setting out on a project like this, have courage in your convictions and make the army you want to make. Take other people's opinions on board, but if you've got a vision for something, stick your neck out: it's the only way you'll make real progress.

WIP Roboute Guilliman

The Primarch! The Primarch!
Pre-eminent amongst his brethren in these benighted days, Guilliman was – and is – lauded as the Keystone of the Imperium; its greatest Champion, bar none.

It is of Guilliman that children learn; his example is demonstration even today of humanity's primacy amongst the stars – and his sacrifice and fate; betrayed by the perfidious Fulgrim, is well-known across the Imperium. Whether lectured from dusty tomes to impressionable young scholars, or re-enacted in barbarous firelit feasts, the tale of Guilliman's fate one of the few common tales, known from edge to edge of the Imperium.

Haunted by superstition, shrouded in ancient mystery, and muddled by telling and re-telling, all of the Primarchs tales have been debated for Millenia by archeoscholars and lexmasters. In all likelihood, none but the broadest strokes can be regarded as absolutely true – namely that the Primarchs waged war with genius never seen before or since; that they led their troops with unmatchable courage, and that they were never defeated, 'til fate led them against each other.

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However, the Hypon Monolith is a precious relic of the times of the Great Crusade, and paints a seldom-seen picture of Guilliman as a man – with flaws as well as strengths...

Great post, I agree completely on utilising a recognisable image to ensure a more defined impact. Your comments on puritanism and the interpretation are something every modeller should read. It's your army, build it how you want too.

Admittidly, your project is more realised than most would do, but the story carries so much gravitas.

Enjoyed that explanation alot.

best,
Tael.

Wow, I had been following your work on Warseer, and had managed to totally overlook that you had posted them here as well. Great stuff, and certainly a big inspiration!
Many people seem to gloss over the fact that, even before being inducted into the marines, when still a mere human, a boy at that, each of them had already performed several deeds worthy of legend. Once a marine they will only add to their warrior-epics.
Your marines just ooze that realisation from every armoured joint, they give a real sense of being invidiual warriors of legend. The background write-ups are great!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts behind your approach to this project. I found myself nodding in agreement several times.

This is excellent, definately inspiration to try my own termie truescales!

BTW: 'Archaon class armour' on Orar? Excellent!

this looks really awsome , I am going to make this a project after my guard get done .

On with the show!

Speculatores WIP
The Intelligence corps of the Ultramarines legion contained full but inexperienced battle brothers, who form Recon and Scout squads; hardened veterans, who impart their knowledge to the green troops; aspirants, who form scout squads; and a number of specialist Astartes staff who formed command and control nodes for large-scale engagements, supported by failed aspirants, intelligence agents and legion serfs.

Aspirant Wenham of Dilios

A Talassarian, Wenham is coming to the end of his aspirancy unusually quickly. The Sergeant-at-Arms has recommended his promotion to the tactical corps, being favourably impressed with Wenham's keen-wittedness and courage.


Equipped with a Talassarian-pattern combat shotgun and Macragge-pattern combat blade, Wenham also bears a set of webbing that contains additional Compac protein-feed (essential for the still-growing Aspirants for operations out of regular supply line), ammunition, hydro-plus water, and most prominently, a hard carapace of Martian Plate.

Aspirant Scout squads use carapace armour near universally – lacking the black carapace and plugs that allow full battle brethren to use power armour.



+++
Speculatores (as Aspirants are called in dialect: Macragge), are organised into loose groups and sent to support the main advance – either fighting alongside the full brethren, reporting intelligence, or performing sapping and sabotage actions.

This pict-capture shows Sergeant Marcon reporting to Brother Eumon on a successful vox-intercept mission. The remainder of the squad stand ready to fight off assailants.


Astartes scouts, or Speculatores in Macragge dialect, perform vital reconnaissance and intelligence work. Recruits and aspirants make up the bulk of their ranks, but a number of veterans are tasked with training the cadre, and some battle brethren cycle through to pass on skills. This may be due to personal inclination, a request from a superior, or due to the Astartes' squad being temporarily disbanded due to a reshuffle or casualties.

Aspirant Temitope

Proof, if any were needed, that scouts serve valiantly in the line of great danger, Temitope has a Calthan-mark bionic arm and Condor-pattern mulitspectral visual bank as a result of injuries sustained in battle against the orks of Hypon. A native of Iax, Temitope is proud and stubborn, and fought on while badly wounded and half-blind, earning the approbation of his superiors.

Aspirant Corinon

Drawn from the habs of one of the small coastal cities of Macragge, Corinon is serving with skill and distinction, especially in the ballistic arts.

Aspirant Nikias

Another Macraggian, Nikias is equipped with a standard Astartes-pattern bolt pistol. Note the webbing and equipment carried as standard. Bereft of armour storage and often away from supply lines, scouts and Brethren in carapace carry small amounts of rations and equipment, but are expected to forage and scavenge as necessary. This edict may seem harsh, but these are hard (if glorious) times for mankind.

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I've been trying to go for a more boyish look than the full-grown marines: these guys are supposed to be around eighteen or so, so no heavy stubble or wrinkles. I'm relying on lighter skintones and hair colours to get the idea across. Successful so far?

Techmarines Arius, by John Gravato.

A really great image, and one that I wanted to emulate.

I went for a looser, more painterly feel on this guy. I keep vacillating between really liking it and thinking 'I ought to tighten this up more'. I'm going to leave him as is for the moment, as he's definitely got something I really like.

Techmarine Arius
Like many Techmarines, Arius hails from the tech-savvy world of Calth, and was raised in the orbital shipyards in a minor Techniclan before submitting himself for inclusion in the PDF. Skimmed off the regulars by an Astartes chapter-serf overseer, Arius was sent to the training grounds of Macragge for suitability selection.

Arius' ken for machines was obvious from his first days in training, and he was quickly sent to Mars for induction into the Mysteries on his graduation to full Battle Brother. He served under the tutelage of Polonin, the Master of the Forge.


Techmarines are all capable and powerful warriors first and foremost, and tasked with electronic warfare duties, such as communcations jamming, IADS suppression, DE/LASER attack, expendable decoys (e.g., flares, chaff, blind), and counter remotely- or psychically-impelled explosive device systems.

Arius carries a heavy servo-harness, which incorporates spread-spectrum technologies, a Joint Restricted Frequency Vox, a Sightseer Targeter Array, twin Servo Arms, a Mark 1337 Hacksaw, plasma-impellor and Techpriest Haynes Manual.


Like all Techmarines, Arius had become distant and aloof from the day-to-day concerns of the Fratry by the time he had returned. He bears no heraldry; a symbol of his severance from worldly affairs into the brotherhood of the machine.
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Boo and hiss, all it says on your piccies is bandwidth exceeded :(

Maybe put them on Dakka´s gallery? I reaaaaally want to see what you´ve come up with for this guy.

Edit: (Wow, double post beat me to it, the techmarine is ace, I was referring to the scouts...)

Apologies for the bandwidth blowout – the photobucket account gets renewed tomorrow, so please pretend that the scouts are wearing 'leet stealth armour' until then.

Apologist wrote:Apologies for the bandwidth blowout – the photobucket account gets renewed tomorrow, so please pretend that the scouts are wearing 'leet stealth armour' until then.

Don't forget, you can use Dakka to host photos as well ^_-.

++++++++++++++

I dig the new techmarine. I do think the servo harness could be more dynamic like in the pic though.

Fantastic stuff! I am baffled!

F'ing cool! Like some already said, maybe you could host the stuff on the dakka galleries, easier for here I guess!

Roboute Guilliman
Remembered chiefly through the hymnals of the Codex: Astartes, Guilliman is a figure of devotion and adoration in the current time; remembered as a diplomat and strategist. The common vision is of Guilliman during the Scouring: stern, taciturn and calculating. With little of the cold wrath his brothers Dorn or Manus unleashed; or the burning anger of Vulkan or Angron; Guilliman's phlegmatic approach to war was unequalled in its breadth and vision.

In these latter days, Guilliman grew brooding and dark, issuing brief, stern commands from the heart of the Fortress of Hera. Shouldering the titanic burden of overall command of the entire armed forces of the Imperium, even his superhuman intellect and physique was taxed by the nigh-impossible task of staunching the writhing Imperium's hundred-thousand wounds, and shepherding the Traitor Legions into exile.

In contrast, a unique (and whose veracity is hotly contested) record of the Primarch's speech from the Compliance of Sotha during the Lion's Paw campaign is quite at odds with the official verses of the Codex: Astartes. Containing none of the grandiloquence of the Codex, the Primarch's voice is quite otherworldly; a gravelly and heavily-accented murmur, speaking in curt and simple sentences dripping with menace and command in equal measure.

The speech is fragmentary and the other voices (tentatively identified as Ultramarines and officers of the Calthan XI ExPed) are frequently interrupted by the subsonic shells of the enemy; but the dour voice of the Primarch cuts eerily across the majority of the distortion.

In these benighted times, it is often difficult to imagine the glory days of the Crusade, but Guilliman's inspirational if brutal voice cuts across more than one hundred centuries like a blade.



Pictured here atop the ruins of Sotha, Guilliman's face is twisted by righteous wrath as he strikes down another of the Palisade Guard. Note the sheathed sword on his left hip. Guilliman was presented the double-handed clai-mour on his inauguration as Battle-King of Macragge, and wielded it in his early campaigns – hence the common image of him as a Crusader of Imperial Truth: a knight-paladin bearing a sword; as skilled with his tongue as his arm.

The Hypon monolith paints a different view: a noble and just king – but a king of warfare. The men of Macragge are brooding, dour and strong; and the Battle-King exemplified this beyond anything in their history.


Guilliman's personal heraldry was recorded in an enormous banner during his time as a High Lord, and is far too complex to decipher in this meagre space. His battle-regalia, shown here, is split in three. A white field at the top bears an inverted blue Legion symbol over a solid blue line; the ancient sign of Libra. The Emperor privately is believed to have presented Guilliman with a signet ring, believing him the best of His children to represent a balance of humours.

It is clear that Guilliman himself was not entirely convinced: the Crab and the Chariot overlaying this were incorporated into his Arms at his personal request at a later date, though he humbly subsumed them into the overall design. It is believed the circular field represents the Moon; though why this would be the case is debated by arcanologers.

On the lower half on the left, the yellow and black quartering of Konor, Guilliman's adopted father, is overlaid by a white circle with three 'V' designs; representing the three virtues of Macragge shielding the memory of Konor and his legacy.

On the right, a simple black-and-white chequered pattern symbolises The Myriad: the ten-thousand strong Fratry that greeted Guilliman upon his discovery.



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Pleased overall with how he's come out, though the shield might get reworked. It looks a little messy to me, and I think the crab would be better replaced with the astrological sign for cancer – it'd certainly help clean up the colour scheme. I'll have a think.

wow, this is a really inspirational log, i have to try your biggerising technique on a black templar, one of these days.
small question: what did you use for the legs on your scouts?

themightywarhamster wrote:small question: what did you use for the legs on your scouts?

I used Rackham's AT-43 UNA range of infantry. Star Troopers, I think.

Have any pics of Roboute next to some of the other SM's? Did you make him larger? Since the Primarchs were supposed to be larger compared to even the Astartes.

dashrendar wrote:Have any pics of Roboute next to some of the other SM's? Did you make him larger? Since the Primarchs were supposed to be larger compared to even the Astartes.

I worked towards a height of nine foot tall (around three metres), based on the description of the Lion's height in Descent of Angels. This puts him just over a head's height taller than my marines (who are around seven foot six tall), and puts puny humans (around five foot six) at just over his belt buckle!

There's a vague size comparison in the silhouetted pic at the top of the page, though bear in mind that he's on a raised scenic base – that's what's making him as tall as the dreadnought.

Great update, I had missed the scouts due to the outage of bandwidth problem, having seen them it was cherry and icing on the cake. Enjoyed the background, models and interpretation of the background. It does bring up the oddity there is little mention of voice recordings of these Imperial Legends, surely they were transcribed and recorded virtually every foot step they made. Something had to have survived

Inspiring stuff!
Tael.

Wow, just wow....
I missed the scouts last time round (bandwith...)
And I read the ill tidings over at Warseer...

But Guilliman is one hell of a comeback! Very impressive.

WOW! He's a real Primarch. Great! He could kick some Tyranids asses.

"This is Ultramar!"



EDIT: The rest of your Marines are some great Tyranidasskickers, too.

Primarch loks great.... especially his face, his expression is just spot on, exactly how i would imagine a primarch would view his foes with a mixture of hatred and contempt...

Oh God. Three weeks to go.

:blink:

Where did all the time go? Scrapshunt chronoshifting!

Not quite in full-scale Corporal Jones mode yet, but definitely shifted up a gear. I find I have to be in the right mood to paint: last-minute panic!

On the plus side, the remaining infantry are well on their way.
Here are the Metaeans, the veteran recon squad led by Sergeant Telcion (a special character similar to the scout sergeant in the 40k 'dex.

(L–R Misenon, Autolycus, Atreon Skotos, Sergeant Telcion, Bitterstone)


Sergeant Telcion


Detail of recon squad helmets.

[cont.]

[cont.]
I've only got a little time 'til the event now, so expect some rapid updates over the next few days – which'll doubtless include close-up individual shots, and lotsa background for the army.

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WIPs
I had a very productive weekend with the PCRC. It was QWERTY's (our club's resident mysterious überstrategist) birthday , so we ended up in an 80's theme bar on saturday night – and I ended up with a very sore head!

Collectively, my friends in the PCRC cracked the whip, trimmed mould lines, cursed at resin, sent encouragement and refreshing cups of recaff and were generally very helpful indeed. I thus have plenty of stuff to show, thanks to Omricon, Lord Blood the Hungry, Lucifer216, Bob_Hunk, grahamgilchrist and QWERTY (not to forget Omricon's wife, who baked cakes to keep my blood sugar above hangover Zombie level!)

Brother Teletas of the Ciconians


Various Praetors

Back row L–R Caius of the Furlong (Locrian), Mercution(Ciconian), Isathon (Ciconian), Fulgor Abraxas (Ciconian)
Front row L–R: Eudox (Ciconian), Albus of Iax (Locrian), ???, Ganymon (Locrian)

Fulgor Abraxas

I actually ended up making too many in the end, so this chap might be swapped with the ??? fella above. Can't quite decide which I think should make the final cut.

The remaining half-finished marines

Holy Emperor's left toenail...

..in the time it's taken me to get to new primer status on my first marine, you've churned out three squads.. hahaha.. you're a Forge machine.

I'm pretty much spent on all the great models for adjectives, but I do like the recon marine on the left (out of focus) his helm look very interesting.

Overall, massive update of some great models man

Didn't realise you had a deadline TBH.. look forward to this rash of updates!

~ Tael.

firstly, love what you have done with the true scale concept, really shows how marines should look and the Primarch, is dead spot on with the look and the body language.

but i have came upon a snag because I'm creating a true scale company master and well... I'm stuck, I'm up to the stage when you have to create the stomach area, i think i have the idea but I'm not quite sure. (the stage after filling in the legs).

thanks for the tutorial and good luck with the dead line!

One of the great advantages of unhelmeted marines is the opportunity to really make the face a focal point.

WIP Bitterstone of the Metaeans

Haven't finished by a long shot, but I find having the face done really helps stamp some identity on the figure. Note that I've already highlighted up the blue etc around his head, and base-painted the rebreather. This is so I don't accidentally paint over the face later.

Since he's a Terran, I'm pretty free with hair colour. Any ideas? I thought he'd look good mousy-brown, or perhaps redhead...

No such thoughts with Sergeant Telcion: this grizzled veteran keeps his hair cropped short. Still WIP, but again I've gone ahead and painted the face. Since this is the part I enjoy the most, you can see that I put a lot more time into it than the rest of the model.
I've always found that a good focal point will forgive a lot of errors. I'm not a particularly good technical painter – but a strong colour scheme and attention to detail goes a long way.

Note the bruising around the eye on the right. There's a little cut on the model here (I used the head from the Chaos Warrior sprue to get the grizzled, furious expression), so I developed this up with some purple glazes.

+++
WIP Teletas of the Ciconians

Really cracked on with this guy last night – he took up most of the evening after training*, but that does mean that he's nearly finished! I've long been a fan of black lenses in helmets, but it does strip the head of an eye-catching point. To ameliorate that, I've added some stark reflected highlights and a freehand legion symbol on his forehead.

Note also that the face area is highlighted up to an ever-so-slightly lighter tint than the rest of the armour, particularly round the eyelenses. This has the same effect as black lining does on light areas: creating a high tonal contrast between the dark blue faceplate/brow and the dark eyelenses; which draws the eye and helps it distinguish details.

I read on another blog that a painter that doesn't see room for improvement either doesn't paint, or doesn't improve. Well, I can see a lot to improve on here, but I am pleased with the face and the foremost shoulderpad trim: it's got a nicely subtle gredation of colour that doesn't draw the eye from the head too much.

+++
WIP Hetus

Of course, a decent base also adds a real sense of realism and gravity – even to something as fantasy/sci-fi as an Astartes. Hetus is nearly finished now – I've blocked in his basic heraldry (red and yellow diagonal quarters), so it's just a few dings and scratches, then a nameplate and he's done!

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Quick question: I'm in two minds about painting the Metaeans as the rest of the marines, or in the same camo scheme as the Rhino (blue and white stripes, with yellow dags). Any thoughts on which would look better?

+++
*I'm running the Edinburgh marathon in aid of Hospices for Hope at the end of May – if you would like to support the charity, please feel free to PM me and I'll send you the details.

These guys need weathering and an army badge each, but are otherwise complete.

The Metaeans
The Metaeans are a veteran Tactical squad hand-picked and led by the inimitable Sergeant Telcion. Each of the Metaeans has been awarded the Marksman's honour, being presented a gold-plated boltgun shell fired by Guilliman himself; and carries a Stalker-pattern boltgun into battle.

These boltguns are equipped with advanced Foestalker sights, which enhance the power armour's autosenses and enable the Astartes to keep up a fearsome rate of fire at longer ranges than usually possible. They are also equipped with stummers, nullifying the distinctive 'crack-boom' of the boltgun to a muffled thump.


This pict-capture was taken during the Annexation of Jyriad, one of Sotha's outlying moons. Note the muted grey shouldertrim – a nod towards camouflage that would not compromise the armour's Machine Spirit.

The marines each carry extended supplies necessary to their task: smoke, blind, krak and frag grenades, rations, entrenching tools, cameleoline blankets in addition to extensive communications and electromagnetic warfare gear for their role as reconnaissance and sappers. Sergeant Telcion himself bears a jamming beacon built into his backpack.

Recon squads work alone or in support of larger taskforces. Their presence in a warzone allows scout squads to operate to peak efficiency, with their Sergeants confident of immediate support if it proves necessary. This back-up is rarely revealed to the Speculatores themselves, however – self-reliance is a vital skill that must be learned.

Hope you like 'em: at this rate, I might even get the army finished in time...

Brother Teletas of the Ciconians
Teletas, like Telcion, is a Terran veteran, and trained under the auspices of the Unification War veterans. A solid soldier, Teletas excelled at his duties in the line, and was honoured with the task of protecting the ill-fated Chapter Master Valin Fain, Orpheo's predecessor.

Fain was assassinated during a diplomatic mission to Moracre, along with two of his honour guard. Teletas and the other guard, though injured, managed to fight their way clear and successfully transmitted the treachery of the Moracan's to the orbiting fleet.

A series of seemingly-impenetrable energy shields had been erected across major population areas and military installations, preventing orbital strike; and Fain's corpse lay unclaimed for a week, until a strike force of the First Chapter (the White Consuls) was able to make contact with the two marines groundside.

Teletas and his comrade guided the force back to the Palace of the Grand Poobah, and executed the entire court in retaliation for the outrage. The planet was made compliant the following month after a short and relatively bloodless campaign.


Teletas bears a Legion symbol on his forehead, marking him out as a veteran of the Moracre campaign. His yellow and black quartered heraldry marks mourning and vengeance; and is surmounted by the club symbol of Fain's personal heraldry in memorial.

Like many of the Terran veterans, Teletas is known for his pragmatism and unsentimentality – hence his standard Crusade helm. While his lack of creativity and imagination makes him unsuitable officer material, he is an excellent infantryman.

Really nice, as usual.

Very nice; makes me wish that I had my paints with my at school.

Makes Ultras look very cool. I like the unique hemets and the individualitic nature of your models, each having names and history. I do think guilliman could use some more gold though. Fantastic stuff.

Awesome updates! You keep finding fresh ground and strong personality in the realm that you've chosen. I'm always looking forward to more!

You know - this project gives birth to such insane visions in my head, squads of Alpha Legion and other ideas to dangerous to contemplate that I should not check it too often.

Holy crap, Rouboute looks PISSED!!! man, would not want to meet that guy in some dark alley, yeesh...

I thought that's what we wanted/needed over at DakkaDakka? To show the rest of the internetz which 40k community rules them all or something?

What heresy is this ! There is no 40k forum but DAKKA !!

Btw, awesomely inspiring work there Apologist, its an honor to have you here.

gameandwatch wrote:Holy crap, Rouboute looks PISSED!!! man, would not want to meet that guy in some dark alley, yeesh...

I wouldn't want to meet him in a well lit alley either....

Apologist, I like the sense of unity you've got with that latest squad, they actually look and interact like a unit of troops that experience has meshed into a single well-oiled organism.

*Phew!*

Well, finished these by the skin of my teeth at quarter-to-four on the friday morning my group was scheduled to head up to Nottingham.

I had a fantastic time at GW HQ, and was really pleased to win the best Imperial army award – and also be asked if I'd let the Praetors be a guest display at Warhammer World.

[/Own horn tooting]

My gaming prowess was clearly not up to scratch though – one win, one draw, and four defeats!

Congrats on the best Imperial army award, Apologist. Well deserved indeed.

Do you have a group shot of the whole army?

Apologist wrote:

I had a fantastic time at GW HQ, and was really pleased to win the best Imperial army award – and also be asked if I'd let the Praetors be a guest display at Warhammer World.

[/Own horn tooting]

This is awesome news!! I'm well pleased for you to hear that GW got it. Unfortunately, there are some more senior members who are very defensive about marine issues, but grassroots the love is clearly there

I second the wish for a group shot!

So Jes wasn't in attendance then?

Congrats!

I love the true scale marines and will probably do some one day. On a only slightly related note though, I really like some of those hasslefree minatures! All these naked ladies are making me want to create a customized Slaanesh army...

Having just read this blog from start to finish, all I have to say is

WOW.

You have completely inspired me to keep chuggin' on my SoB and to really go-for-it experimenting with artistic technique. Once I get back to the states, I will DEFINITELY be revisiting some of my other models, because a tabletop standard of painting just isn't good enough for me anymore!

Thanks!
As regards a whole army pic... voila! This picture is pinched from a fellow called Zog on the Space Wolf forums (hope you don't mind!) – I stupidly forgot to bring my pict-capter to the event.

L–R:
Land Raider Argo, deploying Techmarine Arius and golem-servitor maniple; Recon squad Telcion and Rhino (Metaeans); Tactical squad Mox (Ciconians); Ancient Avulus in Dreadnought armour; Speculatores; unidentified Remembrancer; Tactical squad Santiagon (Apaesians); Jetbike squadron (Phocians); Tactical squad Epipatros (Locrians); Remembrancer; Command Squad Orar (Zelians); Predators Spear of Iax and Terra's Shield.

Also:
The Zelians alongside the Primarch and Remembrancers




I ran out of time to paint any model servitors, so simply stapled some of my trusty paint servitors to bases and shrank them down with my debiggeningdendrite. (You can see the one in the centre trying to get off the base – clearly he needs his prime directives renewed.)


New Captain Orar

I love this model so much! Simply had to swap the old Captain Orar's arm for a banner and relegate him to being an Ancient, just so this guy could be Orar – and suitably pimp he is too, in my opinion!

Man I love all this! you do awesome work! did you biggerize the dreadnaught some? I dont remember seeing you do that, thats why I had to ask.

Hold up- is that Dr. Who in the second and third pic?

theHandofGork wrote:Hold up- is that Dr. Who in the second and third pic?

Who?

DashRendar wrote:did you biggerize the dreadnaught some?

Yep – quite a bit. I hope I've kept the overall aesthetic recognisable. Here's a WIP:

If you have'nt already told us, you MUST explain how you do the bolter arms, they're brilliant!

[quote=Apologist

DashRendar wrote:did you biggerize the dreadnaught some?

Yep – quite a bit. I hope I've kept the overall aesthetic recognisable. Here's a WIP:

Whats with the 2 regular humans in the second and third pics?

Remembrancers ... he said that though

Pure win mate!! This army is truly great (no pun intended)

Hot damn ! These are freakin awesome, truly. Never seen a full true-scale marine force and this one is superb !

Bravo to you

Wolf

Ghost in the Darkness wrote:Whats with the 2 regular humans in the second and third pics?

Only one's a Human, the other just looks like one



Where did you get the mini of the Doctor anyway? Or did you have to sculpt it yourself?

Wow, finally someone who makes ultramarines an appealing army to play, I love the modelling job man... They really look sick.

That dreadnought is amazing, it looks more mean and menacing.

Gorgeous!! Made my visit these pics did.

We need pics of the tanks man!

Absoloutely outstanding!

Wow, absolutely brilliant.

wow those look really good!

Thanks all!

This army has been a blast, but as one project starts, this one's closing, so the Praetors of Calth are up for sale.
(There's a Warseer selling thread here, if anyone's interested.)

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Speaking of other projects...




Meanwhile, on an unassuming agriworld on the other side of the galaxy...

The colour scheme looks neat, nice little teaser too

It's a shame since it such a great army and awesome inspiration to many people starting a true-scale marine army.
please post your next work ^^

Please post a link to your new stuff on here!

Wow! Your Ultramarines are absolutely amazing!

I think I'm going to try this w/ the next batch of Chaos Space Marines I'll be buying.

Amazing figures,trurely great work!I will try to make one of these helmets and a true-scale minifig myself thanks to your tutorials!Keep up good work

That my friend

Is something spectacular

Win.

http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202224

I've been working on some Imperial Fists – thought I'd post 'em up here. Hope you like 'em!

Archamus, Master of the Huscarls


Veterans














The bases have since been finished. Here's a group shot!


Unfortunately, these guys got fuzzed by dodgy priming, so don't really stand up to close-ups, as you can see:

Brilliant

Ace. I love it. All of it!!
What are your plans for this army? Sizewise?

If only primer was more predictable. Anyhow, they're AWESOME!

Oh boy! You're back!

some of the best work i have ever seen.great job

Great stuff, you've made Marines interesting!

Your army is spot on to the Pre-Heresy Era. Great job, great work.
Can't wait to see more pics.

Then you should keep your eyes on this thread!

Pardon me, but damn, these are brilliant!

jetjetex wrote:some of the best work i have ever seen.great job

PM him next time instead of reviving a months old thread...

Malika2 wrote:Then you should keep your eyes on this thread!

That's a cool forum. Thanks.

Back to the depths with ye...