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Post by: kavika0311
* This project has evolved a few times since it's beginning. Currently, I’m just going for the entire 3rd Company plus attachments. I’m going to leave all of the original posts intact, because it’s a nice reminder for me of the path that this company has followed. I’ll primarily be using this thread to just keep my thoughts organized and to provide myself with tangible evidence of progression. As always, any comments, suggestions, tips or tricks are always welcome. *
Task Force Caesus is a detachment from the Ultramarines 3rd Company. Veteran Sergeant Caesus was elevated to Force Commander and tasked with assembling a force of Space Marines to root out a suspected Genestealer Cult in the capital of Forge World Piedra in the Ultima Segmentum. Caesus assembled two full Tactical Squads with transportation and set out. To aid him, the Reclusiam and Apothecarion each attached a representative to the Task Force under his command. His mission escalated when it was discovered that Feral Orks in the planet’s wastelands were providing a breeding ground for a second Cult. At that point Commander Caesus was granted approval to requisition additional Astartes from the Chapter’s Reserve Companies. The situation only worsened when the Great Rift tore across the galaxy. With the Rift came assaults on the Forge World by Chaos Astartes attempting to secure it’s manufacturing capabilities. Now separated from his parent Chapter, Caesus must rely on support from any ally he can find. Fortunately, a number Ultramarine successors are based nearby, namely the Novamarines.
This is the Order of Battle for Task Force Caesus at the beginning of the campaign. The core of this force has already been completed and I'm now working on all of the attachments from the Reserve Companies and the Chapter Armoury.
My plan right now is to paint the Reserve Company Marines in their parent unit colors. I'll use the campaign badge to tie all of them together.
First up is the Task Force Commander and a Chaplain. They're posed next to an old Novamarine of mine for scale. I'm not making him a Company Captain because I don't like conflicting with established story. This guy however, can lead all of the dudes he wants and I can come up with whatever story I like.
This is the Task Force Apothecary.
Here is the Task Force Champion who I'm pretty proud of. He turned out taller than all of the other Marines. His combat shield is a Warriors of Chaos shield with their markings cut off and my own added.
These are two Rhinos I whipped up for this month's unofficial Dakka painting challenge. I'm in the process of making the two Tactical Squads to go along with the Rhinos. The front left of both Rhinos is covered in battle honors bestowed upon the vehicle and it's crew. Both vehicles have antennae added and they both have two removable crew members exposed on the top.
I also have 3 Veterans and 5 bolter Marines done. I will post them up when their unit is finished.
As always any comments, critiques, or tips are more than welcome. Thanks for looking.
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Post by: Nevelon
Very nice start you have here. Always good to see another Ultra’s blog.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks Nevelon! Those Rhinos and their crew were actually the first Ultramarines anything that I've ever painted. It's nice to finally not have any shortage of transfers. Lol.
So these are four old models I had from my other blog. They're all basic poses. Nothing too spectacular. Out of the two Tactical Squads there will be a total of fourteen bolter brother. It gets hard coming up with new poses for each of the, so if anybody has any suggestions or requests I'm all ears.
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Post by: kavika0311
This guy is a new addition. He's just a regular tactical Marine but I've modeled him with a monitor on his chest and extra comms. This allows him to receive video feed from any supporting assets available without cluttering his visor.
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Post by: kavika0311
A setup similar to these guys.
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Post by: Nevelon
Neat concept. Might be worth fielding them him as a lieutenant or dev sarge. Data coordination sounds like re-rolls/BS boosting kinda stuff.
Love the character you get our of your builds.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks Nevelon. Using him as a Dev Sgt actually makes a lot of sense. I'll probably revisit this idea for when I eventually make a Devestator Squad.
I'm currently working on three more bolter Marines. These guys are still very much a WIP. I still have to fully kit them out with mag punches, grenades, pistols, etc. I've also started putting paint to the. Captain, Champion, and Apothecary. C&C welcome.
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Post by: kavika0311
Just a small update on these guys. They've still got a long way to go. Once I'm done with the command staff I'll start cranking out the line troops.
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Post by: kavika0311
A little more work done on the Task Force Commander Caessus and his Task Force Champion. Still a good ways to go. I'm hoping to be able to get some work in this weekend.
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Post by: kavika0311
I was able to get a little bit of work in today and I'm pretty sure this is all the progress I'll make this weekend, but progress is progress. Any comments, critiques, or tips are more than welcome! And any suggestions on what environment I should base these guys into would be helpful.
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Post by: Nevelon
Nice progress.
For bases, I’m partial to arctic/snow bases for Ultras, particularly 3rd company. The white sets the blue off nicely. And from a fluff POV, one of our most famous actions in the 3rd was the re-taking of the polar fortress at the Battle of Macragge.
Do you have a “home” table? Not necessarily in your home, but one where you will play most of your games? Matching that one is another things that can impact basing choices. Do you have a favored foe/opponent? Might want to swap some spare bits from them to scatter about.
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Post by: Plodmarine
Some great and dynamic poses here buddy! Always good to see a fellow truescaler at work. Do you separate the legs at the hip to repose? And what do they look like once based up? Subbed for more.
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:Nice progress.
For bases, I’m partial to arctic/snow bases for Ultras, particularly 3rd company. The white sets the blue off nicely. And from a fluff POV, one of our most famous actions in the 3rd was the re-taking of the polar fortress at the Battle of Macragge.
Do you have a “home” table? Not necessarily in your home, but one where you will play most of your games? Matching that one is another things that can impact basing choices. Do you have a favored foe/opponent? Might want to swap some spare bits from them to scatter about.
Thank you. I thought about snow bases for a little bit but decided against it because I'm currently basing my Raven Guard in snow and I'd like to try something else. There aren't any particular environments that are used more than any other where I am. I have decided to add in some Tyranid bits like you're suggesting. As you said, the 3rd Company has a storied past fighting Tyranids. I'm now leaning towards this being a Task Force with a Tyranid hunting mission. Maybe model them up as though they're tasked with clearing 'nid infested space hulks, or rooting out a genestealer infestation in a city, or maybe just mopping up remnant organisms on a planet that just recently repelled a splinter fleet.
Plodmarine wrote:Some great and dynamic poses here buddy! Always good to see a fellow truescaler at work. Do you separate the legs at the hip to repose? And what do they look like once based up? Subbed for more.
Thanks man! I cut at the hips and at about mid shin. I'm currently assembling the last of the bolter Marines for the first two Tactical Squads. When I start working on the special weapons Marines and the Sergeants I'll take some pictures of my methods. As for basing I'm still trying to figure out how exactly I'll do it.
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Post by: kavika0311
I’m going to call these first four Marines 95% done with paint. Next I’ll slap on some decals and do the final touch ups.
First up, Commander Caesus. I’m now thinking I’ll paint up a helmet for him as well and attach it to his belt.
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Post by: kavika0311
Next are the Task Force Champion, Apothecary, and Chaplain. As for basing, I’ve styled on urban rubble. I’m also planning on adding bits from pretty much every other army into the rubble. Any weathering I’ll be doing will be done after the bases are finished. . As usual any comments, critiques, or tips are more than welcome.
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Post by: kavika0311
Command elements for Task Force Caesus finished.
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Post by: kavika0311
Force Commander Caesus was tasked with assembling a force of Space Marines to root out a suspected Genestealer Cult in the capital of Forge World Piedra in the Ultima Segmentum. Caesus assembled two full Tactical Squads with transportation and set out. To aid him, the Reclusiam and Apothecarion each attached a representative to the Task Force under his command. His mission escalated when it was discovered that Feral Orks in the planet’s wastelands were providing a breeding ground for a second Cult. At that point Commander Caesus was granted approval to requisition additional Astartes from the Chapter’s Reserve Companies. The situation only worsened when the Great Rift tore across the galaxy. With the Rift came assaults on the Forge World by Chaos Astartes attempting to secure it’s manufacturing capabilities. Now separated from his parent Chapter, Caesus must rely on support from any ally he can find. Fortunately, a number Ultramarine successors are based nearby, namely the Novamarines.
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Post by: kavika0311
When the Task Force Caesus mission expanded, it was granted an allocation for a Task Force Champion to assist Commander Caesus. Upon hearing this, Veteran Brother Spurius of the 1st Company Vanguards volunteered to fill that billet. Champion Spurius served under Caesus when he was a Sergeant of the 3rd Company. It was Caesus’ recommendation to Captain Fabian that started the process for Spurius to transfer to the 1st Company.
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Post by: kavika0311
I’m about to start building the Tactical Sergeants. What’s the preferred load out for Sergeants these days? I was just planning on a power sword and bolt pistol if it doesn’t make much difference.
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Post by: Nevelon
kavika0311 wrote:I’m about to start building the Tactical Sergeants. What’s the preferred load out for Sergeants these days? I was just planning on a power sword and bolt pistol if it doesn’t make much difference.
It depends?
Combi weapons basically let you field 2 specials in the squad, now that you can shoot them as often as you like. Bit of a points investment.
Basic power weapons cost peanuts, and sarges come vet at standard, so seem a decent choice. Plus they look cool.
Now that you don’t get a bonus attack for sword & pistol, a lot more combos have opened up. Pistols are however probably pointed appropriately for the fist time in a while, so I don’t feel like I’m tossing efficiency to the wind by using them. But things like stormbolter/powersword is a decent low-cost jack of all trades load. But would have been a garbage pick for the last few editions.
But even though the points are low, they do add up. If you are playing competitively, there are probably better things to spend your points on. But at the FLGS level, as long as you avoid the crazy expensive things, and make sure you have some synergy with your squad, build what you think looks cool.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks for the info Nevelon. I was just going with the rule of cool, but a combi weapon or a storm bolter would provide some new modeling opportunities. I’ll have to crack open the codex to check out the points costs. Just in case I ever plan on playing a game.
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Post by: kavika0311
Finally starting to work on the special/heavy weapons and the Sergeants for the Tac Squads.
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Post by: kavika0311
And these are the squads they will be joining.
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Post by: kavika0311
This is the First Tactical Squad I will be painting. I’m doing these guys for the November Dakka Painting Challenge. 3 weeks for ten guys should be easy enough.
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Post by: kavika0311
I’m been trying to crank out two Tactical Squads for Dakka’s monthly painting challenge. These guys should be done by next weekend. Automatically Appended Next Post: So I just checked out my last post and saw that the pictures are horribly pixelated unless you click on them. Anyone know how to make this not happen?
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Bases got some washes and while they dry I’m on to some decals.
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Post by: kavika0311
Majority of decals are done. Just need to smooth some of them out a bit then I just need to add the campaign badges to the ones who don’t already have them. After that just need to mount them on the bases and weather them together.
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Post by: bunnygurl
These look amazing! Keep pluggin' along.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks bunnygurl!
I’ve finished with the decals and glued them to their bases. Next is to do a few paint touch ups and then finish it up with some weathering.
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Post by: Nevelon
That’s a lot of marines. Nice work getting them done.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks Nevelon! I’m currently trying to figure out how to take better pictures of them. I also need to figure out why they look super pixelated unless you click on them.
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Post by: kavika0311
The Task Force is finally filling out. The core of the unit is now complete. I'll have to sit down and flesh out what the rest of the units will be and what I'll work on next.
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Post by: AdmiralHalsey
I just can't like the truescale. I think it looks silly.
That said, I love the paint job, and they're going to look stunning on the tabletop. Well done!
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Post by: Desubot
kavika0311 wrote:This is the First Tactical Squad I will be painting. I’m doing these guys for the November Dakka Painting Challenge. 3 weeks for ten guys should be easy enough.
Woh hang on there how did you do that sneaky guy on the bottom to hold his ML that way.
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Post by: kavika0311
AdmiralHalsey wrote:I just can't like the truescale. I think it looks silly.
That said, I love the paint job, and they're going to look stunning on the tabletop. Well done!
Well I guess to each their own. Thanks for the compliment!
Desubot wrote: kavika0311 wrote:This is the First Tactical Squad I will be painting. I’m doing these guys for the November Dakka Painting Challenge. 3 weeks for ten guys should be easy enough.
Woh hang on there how did you do that sneaky guy on the bottom to hold his ML that way.
It’s actually super easy. You just need a straight arm, a missile launcher arm, and a bolter pistol grip. I used a chain sword left arm because I have a dozen of them just laying around.
You then carefully trim away the molded Space Marine arm from the missile launcher, paying special attention to where the hand is connected and making sure you don’t trim out part of the body of the launcher where it meets the shoulder. Then you just sflatten the back bottom of the launcher where it was connected and smooth out where the grip was.
Next you trim off the weapon from whatever arm you used so that it’s just his fist left over. Marry that up with the carrying handle on the top of the launcher and trim it to fit.
Lastly you just glue the pistol grip on and glue the fist between the carrying handle.
Super easy.
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Post by: Desubot
Ah man you cut the arm off. i see seems tedious. i was thinking some flavor of hunter killer missile canalization neat.
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Post by: kavika0311
It really is easier than it sounds.
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Post by: kavika0311
I’ve decided that next on the workbench will be the Command Razorback. Unfortunately for Commander Caesus he was not granted a Land Raider from the Chapter Armoury.
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Post by: kavika0311
As the glue was drying for my Razorback I started combing through my old vehicle boxes for some bits. Came across a half dozen AOBR dreads from some old lot buys and got a bit distracted. My plan is to just lengthen it’s limbs and doll him up a bit. Still doing some research to figure out how to give him longer arms without making it look ridiculous. Anyone got any tips?
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Post by: kavika0311
Just a dry fit of the converted AOBR dread I’m working on. I feel as though he’s not bulky enough. He’ll be a stock Dreadnought with an assault cannon, storm bolter, and Dreadnought close combat weapon.
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Post by: Nevelon
Hard to get a good feel for him from the pis, but he’s a big one.
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Post by: kavika0311
Sorry about that, hopefully these are better.
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Post by: kavika0311
I’m going to say I’m done building this Razorback. The back and the turrets are magnetized so I can use whatever loadout or turn it into a regular Rhino.
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Post by: Nevelon
While the dread is the right size, he just seems a little splindly. Might just be my love of the angry washing machine;
Razor looks cook. How did you put together the 3rd co symbol on the side?
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:While the dread is the right size, he just seems a little splindly. Might just be my love of the angry washing machine;
Razor looks cook. How did you put together the 3rd co symbol on the side?
Thanks Nevelon. I feel the same way about the dread. I think it’s the legs that make it appear that way. I’ll probably try something else with those.
As for the 3rd Co symbol it was surprisingly simple. I took the power sword off of an arm from the Assault Marines sprues, the handle came from an old power axe, and the Tyranid head was just half of an unassembled Hormagaunt head. Then I just carefully shaved the sword pieces in half and hollowed out a groove in the Tyranid head wide enough for the blade. Did some dry fits and made adjustments where needed. The scroll was just bent in the center to fit over the symbol. Easy day.
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Post by: kavika0311
Currently I’m still trying to figure out how to beef up this Dreadnought. I had a couple of old Dreamforge Games Leviathan Morris in 15mm laying around and decided to put one together to see if I could use some of these parts. Turns out this thing is a monster! I’m going to finish putting it together just for fun. It’s an awesome model so far and it seems as though all of this things joints are moveable.
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Post by: warboss
Looks very nice! Out of curiosity, how come you didn't just use primaris marines especially given the UM theme? They seem to scratch alot of folks true scale itch (like me).
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Post by: kavika0311
warboss wrote:Looks very nice! Out of curiosity, how come you didn't just use primaris marines especially given the UM theme? They seem to scratch alot of folks true scale itch (like me).
Thanks warboss. To answer your question, I started true scaling guys a few years ago because, like many people, I didn’t like stubby Space Marines. While figuring out how to truescale dudes back in the day I just fell in love with hacking Marines apart and putting them back together, however I want, while bashing as many kits in that I could. I don’t think I could ever go back to assembling guys how you’re supposed to.
Not saying that I don’t like the Primaris dudes. Big fan of them and I plan on adding some to this force as well. They’re actually still bigger than my “truescale” guys.
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Post by: kavika0311
So this guy definitely won’t work as a Dreadnought. He’s much larger than expected. I’ll probably still paint him up in Ultramarine colors just for fun.
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Post by: kavika0311
Well I’m adding this Predator to the force now. The turret and all of the guns are magnetized.
Next up on the painting block though will be some Scouts. I’ve got 5 snipers, 4 Scouts with bolters, 1 with a heavy bolter, and 1 with a missile launcher.
I do have a question though. What size bases do Scouts use? Do they use 25mm or 32mm bases?
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Post by: Nevelon
Scouts are on the older 25’s still.
Nice selection of old lead there. Despite their age, those scouts held up incredibly well.
The pred looks very “real”. Extra kit strapped to it, etc. makes it look more like something that would actually be on a battlefield. good work on the build.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks for the heads up Nevelon. I checked around at a few sites and there’s a lot of conflicting info out there. And I agree, the lead Scouts are still quality models. I actually, like them a great deal more than the plastics.
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Post by: Nevelon
The biggest problem is the lack of poses. Do you want a 10 man sniper squad composed of the same two guys?
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Post by: thegreatchimp
Great stuff man. The Sanguinary guard torsos and legs look great as armour for elites to make them stand out. I did something very similar with my own sergeants and ICs.
Also may I ask -where did you get the small bolt on / applique armour plates for your predator?
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:The biggest problem is the lack of poses. Do you want a 10 man sniper squad composed of the same two guys?
True story. It doesn’t help that they made more close combat Scouts in pewter than any of the other configurations. I guess they expected that to be a more popular loadout. Lol.
thegreatchimp wrote:Great stuff man. The Sanguinary guard torsos and legs look great as armour for elites to make them stand out. I did something very similar with my own sergeants and ICs.
Also may I ask -where did you get the small bolt on / applique armour plates for your predator?
Totally agree with you. I don’t play BA and never have, but those Sanguinary Guard kits just have so much cool stuff in them.
And I’m sorry to say I can’t remember where those came from. I got those like 8 years ago when I first got into the hobby.
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Post by: kavika0311
Work on the Scouts has finally begun. I’ll be trying to paint them up in the following urban pattern. I will keep one shoulder blue though.
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Post by: kavika0311
Bit of bad news. Finished up 10 Scouts tonight. Went to end the night with a coat of matte varnish and somehow ended up with a can of black primer in my hand. Fortunately I only got a couple bursts in before I realized I was an idiot.
What really sucks is it covered up a lot of the camouflage I painted on their fatigues. Looked at half of them and shut down the shop. I’ll check them out in the morning to see what the extent of the damage is. Hopefully they just look a little more dirty.
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Post by: Nevelon
Ack!
Hope it’s not as bad as you think and fixable.
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Post by: youwashock
Ugh. That's one of the great painting terrors right there. Hope you can recover the models.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks for the hopeful wishes guys. The majority of them turned out better than I expected but I’m still pretty upset about the amount of details lost, primarily in their faces. They’re not so bad that repainting them is an immediate concern though.
The bolter Squad has a heavy bolter and missile launcher Scout so I can take either one. The Scout Sergeant is actually an old metal Space Marine Sergeant. Those old metal guys are shorter than the modern plastics before truescaling them. So I figured his skinny ass would make a pretty good Scout Sergeant.
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Post by: kavika0311
Next I’m still deciding on either a Razorback and a Predator or a Dreadnought. They’re all built, just haven’t picked which to do yet. Any suggestions?
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Post by: Nevelon
Do you need any of them more for getting an army on the table? If not, I’d go with the Pred.
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Post by: kavika0311
I don’t actually “need” anything in particular. These guys won’t be seeing a tabletop anytime soon. If I go the vehicle route, I’ll probably be doing both of them simultaneously.
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Post by: kavika0311
Starting work on the Task Force’s Razorback and Predator. Base coats and a few washes are done.
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Post by: Nevelon
That’s a lot of armored dakka rolling across the paintbench. Looking good.
How’d you make the las/plas turret? Building one has been in the back if my mind for a while, but I never got around to it. Not sure I’d want to in 8th, but it does look cool.
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Post by: IGtR=
Always nice to see some true scale marines
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks guys!
As for the las/plas, it’ll probably never get used. It’s just an option that’s available, so I wanted to make one. I did the least amount of research possible on how they were supposed to look and liked this one best. It is pretty much just some cannibalized heavy weapons and a casing from a different turret. The lascannon is from an old land raider side sponson and both of the plasma cannons are from the devestator set. I chopped off unnecessary parts and filed flat where they would be touching. Shaved and filed to fit in the weapons housing and slapped on some glue. I have an extra turret base that it’ll be glued to.
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Post by: kavika0311
Started adding some decals. Slowly coming along.
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Post by: kavika0311
Still have to do a few coats of Microsol to blend away the decal edges.
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Post by: Nevelon
kavika0311 wrote:Still have to do a few coats of Microsol to blend away the decal edges.
I’ve not heard of using microsol to blend edges away.
I recently picked up a bottle of both micro sol and set, but am kinda afraid to start using them. I found a good tutorial, but it involves a lot of layers of varnish, and I generally don’t seal my minis. Worried how it would work. Thinking of picking up a pot of lahmian medium to use that instead of varnish. How do you use them? You are getting good results, whatever your technique..
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:
I’ve not heard of using microsol to blend edges away.
I recently picked up a bottle of both micro sol and set, but am kinda afraid to start using them. I found a good tutorial, but it involves a lot of layers of varnish, and I generally don’t seal my minis. Worried how it would work. Thinking of picking up a pot of lahmian medium to use that instead of varnish. How do you use them? You are getting good results, whatever your technique..
Thanks man. I still paint the edges of the decal. The Microsol just really thins it enough to make it almost invisible.
I can’t praise the pair enough. They make decal work super easy. I do seal my guys so I haven’t had any issues with the varnish method. I haven’t bought anything from Citadel’s paint line in years so I can’t say how the Lahmian medium will work. Pretty sure it’ll work just fine without varnishes so I wouldn’t worry too much.
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Post by: Nevelon
kavika0311 wrote: Nevelon wrote:
I’ve not heard of using microsol to blend edges away.
I recently picked up a bottle of both micro sol and set, but am kinda afraid to start using them. I found a good tutorial, but it involves a lot of layers of varnish, and I generally don’t seal my minis. Worried how it would work. Thinking of picking up a pot of lahmian medium to use that instead of varnish. How do you use them? You are getting good results, whatever your technique..
Thanks man. I still paint the edges of the decal. The Microsol just really thins it enough to make it almost invisible.
I can’t praise the pair enough. They make decal work super easy. I do seal my guys so I haven’t had any issues with the varnish method. I haven’t bought anything from Citadel’s paint line in years so I can’t say how the Lahmian medium will work. Pretty sure it’ll work just fine without varnishes so I wouldn’t worry too much.
My two concerns were that the stuff would melt the paint, and that it would make the decals so thin and fragile, they would rub off without something sealing them. From what I’ve heard, the medium is just paint without pigment, so a clear layer of that should protect the decal without altering the finish of the mini.
Thanks for the info.
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Post by: kavika0311
These things are mostly finished now. I’ll probably sort out the rest some other time. A bit more work on the weathering and some highlights and touch ups. Time to move on anyways.
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Post by: kavika0311
The whole Task Force now.
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Post by: Nevelon
Amazing force you have there. Well done!
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks Nev! The only question now, is what next? The Task Force has a planned 4 more Squads from the Reserve Companies. I haven’t decided if they’ll be 5 or 10 man squads yet. Also, plan is for one more Predator and a pair of Dreadnoughts.
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Post by: Nevelon
I’d go with the assault squad next to help round out what you have. You have a solid core of troops, and a healthy dose of long range fire. What you lack is some chop. Outside of HQs that is.
I’m a firm believer that Ultramarine lists should always include something from every force org slot. Well rounded force and all that. Overall looking at your task force, you have a very strong gunline. Need some mobility to take care of things the guns can't deal with.
Plus I’d like to see your take on the AMs.
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Post by: lipsdapips
Hey kavika! Really enjoyed sifting through your blog. Ultramarines players are always refreshing to see and this is only amplified by the character you're getting out of your miniatures Forgive me if it's been explained earlier and overlooked by my hasty look through the pictures, but your infantry models seem to have a glossy finish. is there any chance we could get some extremer close ups or photographs of particular details? There's no particular reason that I want this other than to reconcile whether i'm a fan of the effect or not - because when I see it in some ways it looks a little distracting, but then in another breath it also looks realistic and adds to the overall aesthetic of your miniatures. At any rate, keep up the good work - i'm eager to see what's coming next! LDP
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:I’d go with the assault squad next to help round out what you have. You have a solid core of troops, and a healthy dose of long range fire. What you lack is some chop. Outside of HQs that is.
I’m a firm believer that Ultramarine lists should always include something from every force org slot. Well rounded force and all that. Overall looking at your task force, you have a very strong gunline. Need some mobility to take care of things the guns can't deal with.
Plus I’d like to see your take on the AMs.
Well I can’t see any flaw in that logic. Thanks Nev. What’s the load out people are going with these days? Automatically Appended Next Post: lipsdapips wrote:Hey kavika! Really enjoyed sifting through your blog. Ultramarines players are always refreshing to see and this is only amplified by the character you're getting out of your miniatures
Forgive me if it's been explained earlier and overlooked by my hasty look through the pictures, but your infantry models seem to have a glossy finish. is there any chance we could get some extremer close ups or photographs of particular details? There's no particular reason that I want this other than to reconcile whether i'm a fan of the effect or not - because when I see it in some ways it looks a little distracting, but then in another breath it also looks realistic and adds to the overall aesthetic of your miniatures.
At any rate, keep up the good work - i'm eager to see what's coming next!
LDP
Thanks LDP. I’ve been a fan of your work for while.
Interestingly enough, I ended up not liking their glossiness. This past weekend I hit them with a completely matte varnish and the shine is now gone. Unfortunately, what I’ve posted is all I have for you.
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Post by: Nevelon
kavika0311 wrote: Nevelon wrote:I’d go with the assault squad next to help round out what you have. You have a solid core of troops, and a healthy dose of long range fire. What you lack is some chop. Outside of HQs that is.
I’m a firm believer that Ultramarine lists should always include something from every force org slot. Well rounded force and all that. Overall looking at your task force, you have a very strong gunline. Need some mobility to take care of things the guns can't deal with.
Plus I’d like to see your take on the AMs.
Well I can’t see any flaw in that logic. Thanks Nev. What’s the load out people are going with these days?
I’m a mostly casual guy, but I’m leaning towards plasma pistols these days. I like flamers on AMs, and have for a while. I think they still have a role if you want to start them on the table as a screening/troubleshooter unit. The price was always in their favor as well. But with 8th, we saw a drop in the price of plasma pistols to something reasonable. And the DS rules make it so you can’t drop down into flamer range any more. Keeping your chainsword with the pistol is gravy.
A lot depends on the role you want and how much support you are going to back them up with. But plasma pistols and whatever moderately-priced CC toy you think looks cool for the sarge seems as safe bet. Mechanically I favor the axe, but they all have a niche to fill.
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:
I’m a mostly casual guy, but I’m leaning towards plasma pistols these days. I like flamers on AMs, and have for a while. I think they still have a role if you want to start them on the table as a screening/troubleshooter unit. The price was always in their favor as well. But with 8th, we saw a drop in the price of plasma pistols to something reasonable. And the DS rules make it so you can’t drop down into flamer range any more. Keeping your chainsword with the pistol is gravy.
A lot depends on the role you want and how much support you are going to back them up with. But plasma pistols and whatever moderately-priced CC toy you think looks cool for the sarge seems as safe bet. Mechanically I favor the axe, but they all have a niche to fill.
Well, I’ve never actually played a game with Assault Marines (I’ve only ever played like 5 games). So I’ll just defer to you for most of this. Sifting through my bits though, I found an old metal Ultramarines power sword arm and decided to use that for the Sergeant. I’m just making a 5 man squad for right now and I’ll probably fill it out at a later date. Went with a plasma pistol/power sword Sgt and a flamer Marine.
Also, I’m still trying to figure out how to post pictures on here so they don’t end up grainy like all of my previous ones.
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Post by: kavika0311
Finally got some paint on these guys. Just some base coating right now and a bit of shading.
Just made a 5 man squad to start with. Power sword and plasma pistol for the Sergeant and a flamer in the squad. I’ve added extra grenades to their belts because that’s something I expect Assault Marines have. I also shortened the flamer, because the length of the usual flamers are ridiculous in my opinion.
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Post by: kavika0311
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Post by: Nevelon
Very nice work on the AMs. Do you not paint your plasma? Not expecting OSL or anything, but many people do.
That’s quite the pile of parts. How you gearing the sarges?
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:Very nice work on the AMs. Do you not paint your plasma? Not expecting OSL or anything, but many people do.
That’s quite the pile of parts. How you gearing the sarges?
Thanks Nev! As for the plasma effects, I’m honestly just cranking these guys out. I have plans in the future to go back through and touch everything up. I actually haven’t done any highlights or finished up any lenses or any other little details. I’m planning to do the plasma in green and lascannons in purple.
As for the Dev Sergeants I’m just going to stick with bolt pistol/chainsword or just a bolter. I am working on modeling them up something akin to a mounted SOFLAM as a stand in for their Signums.
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Post by: kavika0311
This is probably going to be what I’ll stick with for the Dev Sgts.
And this is a SOFLAM that I’m trying to mimic for their Signum.
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Post by: kavika0311
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Post by: kavika0311
Well I'm starting this guy back up. I hooked myself up with a nice slice through the thumb working on my Thunder Warrior project. The amount of converting and sculpting involved in that project has forced me to put it on the back burner for a few weeks. Task Force Caesus started out with a rigid plan in place. The whole force structure was laid out before I began and when I finished, it was to be finished. As most things go with this hobby, it's not going to work out that way. TF Caesus seems as though it's going to end up being the entirety of 3rd Company with attachments from the Reserve Companies. So somehow I've convinced myself into making a full Battle Company(REIN). I'm also going to expand into other chapters who will be attached to the 3rd Company, all sons of Guilliman of course. I'm planning on making the entire 3rd Company "first born" Marines and any Primaris will be in one of these detachments from another Chapter. Let's restart by showing you where everything is sitting right now. Everything painted is at a simple table top standard. I have plans to go back through what's painted and add some highlights, armor chipping, etc. Please excuse the dust that is still on them, much more obvious in the photos. The Command Element Right now I have Apothecary Galen, Champion Spurius, Chaplain Dentatus, Force Commander Caesus, and the Command Razorback Fides in Armis Squad Crastinus 2nd Squad of the 3rd Company with their Rhino Salui Conductus Squad Montanus 5th Squad of the 3rd Company with their Rhino Durum Hominum Squad Manlius and Squad Torquatus Scout squad and Scout Sniper squad from the 10th Company If you look back a bit in this thread you'll see that these poor bastards were all done and waiting on a varnish. Instead, they were betrayed and blasted in the face with some black primer. Really broke my heart. One day I may go back and fix these guys, but it's still too soon for me. Squad Leonius 3rd Squad from the 8th Company Squad Sabinus 5th Squad of the 9th Company Squad Procopius 9th Squad of the 9th Company These will be bolter Marines from the 9th Company to flesh out the Devastator Squads when necessary. Sword of Viridia and Konor's Fist And now on to the new stuff. First, if this is going to be the 3rd Company, I'm going to need Captain Mikael Fabian. I made two choices for myself. One is a kitbashed monster and the other is built around a Space Marine Heroes model. It's still up in the air for me. These will be the remaining three Tactical Squads for the 3rd Company Ultramarines Squad _________ 1st Squad of the 3rd Company Squad _________ 3rd Squad of the 3rd Company Squad _________ 4th Squad of the 3rd Company These guys I wanted to model and veteran trench fighters. They learned many lessons from the Iron Warrior invasion of Ultramar. Task Force Nova Novamarines will be the first chapter sending help to the 3rd Company. This force is based around an old Novamarines Tactical Squad I painted about a decade ago and bolstered by the Dark Imperium box set, Terminators from the Burning of Prospero box set, a Vindicator, and a pair of Venerable Dreadnoughts. Finally, a Tetrarch, just for fun. Well, this is where I'm starting off from. Also in the chute are 30 legs that have already been deconstructed and are awaiting their spacers. These will be the 3rd Company's organic Devastator and Assault squads. The other 10 legs will be chopped up when my thumb heals. I also have another Dark Imperium set of Primaris and a Shadowspear set of Primaris as well. I haven't decided on what chapters to make those two yet. What do you all think are some of the more worthwhile successors to the XIIIth that don't seem to get any love? I'm looking at White Consuls, Genesis Chapter, and Aurora Chapter.
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Post by: kavika0311
This is where I’m at with the legs for the next three squads. I now have to clean all of the cuts, glue on spacers, rebuild legs, clean up overhang and gaps. Then I add spacers to the bottom of the torsos, and finally build a model.
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Post by: kavika0311
It’s been slow going these past few weeks. I’ve been spending most of my hobby time organizing and planning. Since my last update, I’ve finished extending 26 pairs of legs and set aside an additional 24 for future mutilation. These 50 legs will finish out the T/O 3rd Company. 3rd Co progress: 1st Tactical - Built 2nd Tactical - Complete 3rd Tactical - Built 4th Tactical - Built 5th Tactical - Complete 6th Tactical - Build in Progress 7th Assault - Unbuilt 8th Assault - Unbuilt 9th Devastator - Unbuilt 10th Devastator - Unbuilt The Assault and Devastator squads from the Reserve Companies that I have already completed will maintain their colors and status as attachments to the 3rd Company. In addition to the remainder of the 3rd Company, I have planned out how I will organize and paint up my Primaris. All of the Primaris I have will be painted up as Ultramarine Successors. With the models I have right now, I’ve made small Task Forces from 12 different Successor Chapters. The largest of the will be the Novamarines, who are nearly complete. After I finalize some things I’ll throw my plans on here. 3rd Company (Reinforced) right now: [url=https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1065294-.html] 6th Tactical Squad in progress: The rest of the company:
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Post by: kavika0311
Just finished up the 6th Tactical Squad. Now onto cleaning up gaps and mold lines for 40 Space Marines. This is going to take a while.
3rd Co progress:
1st Tactical - Built
2nd Tactical - Complete
3rd Tactical - Built
4th Tactical - Built
5th Tactical - Complete
6th Tactical - Built
7th Assault - Unbuilt
8th Assault - Unbuilt
9th Devastator - Unbuilt
10th Devastator - Unbuilt
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Post by: kavika0311
Finally finished shaving mold lines for the Tactical Squads and went ahead and primed the still unnamed 1st Squad.
3rd Co progress:
1st Tactical - Primed
2nd Tactical - Complete
3rd Tactical - Built
4th Tactical - Built
5th Tactical - Complete
6th Tactical - Built
7th Assault - Unbuilt
8th Assault - Unbuilt
9th Devastator - Unbuilt
10th Devastator - Unbuilt
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Post by: kavika0311
Had more free time than expected and got a bit carried away on the assembly line. I don't remember when it happened, but I ran out of my old Mordian Blue that I was using for all of the 3rd Company up until this point. These guys will definitely be a lighter blue than everything I've made so far. I expect it to get toned down quite a bit after adding some other base colors, washes, battle damage, etc. We shall see.
3rd Co progress:
1st Tactical - Base coated
2nd Tactical - Complete
3rd Tactical - Base coated
4th Tactical - Base coated
5th Tactical - Complete
6th Tactical - Base coated
7th Assault - Unbuilt
8th Assault - Unbuilt
9th Devastator - Unbuilt
10th Devastator - Unbuilt
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Post by: kavika0311
Not much of an update this time. I’ve been rearranging my garage and building a new work bench, so that’s been sapping most of my free time. I’m still just blocking in colors but they’re coming along. This is the still unnamed 1st Squad of the 3rd Company. I’ve decided to do something unique for each squad to help differentiate them on and off the table. This first squad will be something simple. This being 1st Squad, I’ll consider them the senior squad of the company. I’ll paint up and add on some random battle honors and campaign badges. I’m also planning to add a vertical red stripe to their squad marking shoulder pad to help unify them visually.
3rd Co progress:
1st Tactical - Working
2nd Tactical - Complete
3rd Tactical - Built
4th Tactical - Built
5th Tactical - Complete
6th Tactical - Built
7th Assault - Unbuilt
8th Assault - Unbuilt
9th Devastator - Unbuilt
10th Devastator - Unbuilt
I’m thinking of painting a glowing effect on the Sgts power fist. Does anybody have any experience with that? How does it look seeing it in person every time? Is it worth it? I have mixed feelings looking at pictures of it.
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Post by: brushcommando
You have a lot of really cool conversions and poses in here. Not sure about your powerfist question, unfortunately. I myself find that every time I try to get too fancy with effects I usually regret doing so. May I ask what blue you are using on these guys?
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Post by: kavika0311
brushcommando wrote:You have a lot of really cool conversions and poses in here. Not sure about your powerfist question, unfortunately. I myself find that every time I try to get too fancy with effects I usually regret doing so. May I ask what blue you are using on these guys?
Thanks commando! I feel similarly about effects, but I think I’m going to give it a try anyways. As for the blue, unfortunately I’m still using up a bunch of the old Citadel paint line, so I’m not too sure if the colors transferred over exactly to the “new” line. Regardless, these latest guys have been primed black, then base coated with Regal Blue and highlighted with Ultramarines Blue. The older models are just primed black and painted Macragge Blue.
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Post by: kavika0311
Another small update. It seems to be taking quite some effort to find time to work on these guys. Still in the color blocking phase of the 1st Squad.
3rd Co progress:
1st Tactical - Working
2nd Tactical - Complete
3rd Tactical - Built
4th Tactical - Built
5th Tactical - Complete
6th Tactical - Built
7th Assault - Unbuilt
8th Assault - Unbuilt
9th Devastator - Unbuilt
10th Devastator - Unbuilt
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Post by: brushcommando
Ooh! They're really starting to come together. I like the sarge's helm especially.
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Post by: kavika0311
brushcommando wrote:Ooh! They're really starting to come together. I like the sarge's helm especially.
Thanks commando!
3rd Co progress:
1st Tactical - In Progress
2nd Tactical - Complete
3rd Tactical - Built
4th Tactical - Built
5th Tactical - Complete
6th Tactical - Built
7th Assault - Unbuilt
8th Assault - Unbuilt
9th Devastator - Unbuilt
10th Devastator - Unbuilt
I'm going to say these two are 95% done. I still need to finish up the purity seals and add the glowing effect to the plasma pistol and MAYBE the power fist as well, and I'll add some silver chipping over a few spots of the black chipping. I'll just keep working this squad to about this level of doneness, then built and paint their bases, mount them, and finally add the mud/dirt.
Veteran Sergeant Servius Galba and a battle brother of the 1st Squad of the 3rd Company Ultramarines.
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Post by: brushcommando
Inspiring stuff. I like visiting this blog as it motivates me to work towards my own battle company. Your gold is a very strong one. Do you use a flesh wash on it?
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Post by: kavika0311
brushcommando wrote:Inspiring stuff. I like visiting this blog as it motivates me to work towards my own battle company. Your gold is a very strong one. Do you use a flesh wash on it?
Thanks man! I appreciate that. I've always wanted to put together a full battle company, but I didn't want to just slap together 100+ Space Marines who all have the same basic poses. As for the gold, you're spot on. It's just Retributor Gold, Reikland Fleshshade, touch up with Retributor Gold again. That's it.
1st Tactical - In Progress
2nd Tactical - Complete
3rd Tactical - Built
4th Tactical - Built
5th Tactical - Complete
6th Tactical - Built
7th Assault - Unbuilt
8th Assault - Unbuilt
9th Devastator - Unbuilt
10th Devastator - Unbuilt
Decals are applied. I'm going to add another coat of MicroSet to them and they're done. Next I'll do the chipping and then on to the bases.
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Post by: kavika0311
Small update today. Bases for Squad Galba are built. Tomorrow I’ll prime them. I’ll get some base colors on before I mount the squad and I’ll finish the bases with the models on them.
I actually pulled some of the older models out to reference for the bases. I was quite surprised at the difference between the two types of painting. It’s much more striking in person than the pictures make it out to be. I don’t think they’re so far off that it’d be distracting on the tabletop though. I might end up just mixing the old ones in with the new squads and vice versa to make it even less obvious.
1st Tactical - In Progress
2nd Tactical - Complete
3rd Tactical - Built
4th Tactical - Built
5th Tactical - Complete
6th Tactical - Built
7th Assault - Unbuilt
8th Assault - Unbuilt
9th Devastator - Unbuilt
10th Devastator - Unbuilt
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Post by: Nevelon
Coming together very nicely.
Courage and Honour!
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Post by: JulietTango343
looking great! I like the basing against the blue.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks Nev and Juliet! I appreciate the kind words. Squad Galba is mounted. Next up is to weather the bases and models together and I'll call them done. I'm just going for a good tabletop standard, so nothing too fancy really. 1st Tactical - In Progress 2nd Tactical - Complete 3rd Tactical - Built 4th Tactical - Built 5th Tactical - Complete 6th Tactical - Built 7th Assault - Unbuilt 8th Assault - Unbuilt 9th Devastator - Unbuilt 10th Devastator - Unbuilt
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Post by: brushcommando
You're really cranking these guys out! They look great on the rubble bases. Also, I really like the red trim against the gold and blue. I'm not sure why the 2nd company always gets to be on the posters. The third has always been the coolest looking battle company. I'm trying to keep a brisk pace going with my own battle company, but you're putting me to shame. Keep it up!
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Post by: JoeRugby
Lovely bit of true scaling dude
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Post by: kavika0311
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Post by: kavika0311
Ok, so today was a day of organizing and planning. As I said in an earlier post, I'm planning on keeping the 3rd Company free of any Primaris Marines. I do have a sizeable number of Primaris though and I like most things about them. So, to reconcile this, any Primaris I do will be in a chapter of the Ultramarine lineage. Fortunately, that's a large pool of chapters to pull from.
What I did was pull out everything that I have from trades and lot purchases and starter boxes, and inventoried all of my Primaris. I'm not looking to do another company of any single chapter again, so I broke them all up into tiny detachments from multiple chapters. Not detachments as the rules of the game see them, but a small detachment of military forces. I looked to try to match up chapters with unit types and match fighting styles and what not. As it is, Ultramarine successors don't really have much in the way of diversity in their fighting styles. I ended up with 11 different chapters, all of Guilliman's bloodline. I look forward to the diversity in colors when they all assemble on the tabletop. Old Roboute is pulling his own Last Wall Protocol in Ultramar anyways.
So what I've got....
Marines Errant
Phobos Lt
Reivers x5
Sons of Orar
Phobos Capt
Phobos Lt
Infiltrators x5
Iron Snakes
Phobos Capt
Phobos Librarian
Infiltrators x5
Patriarchs of Ulixis
Phobos Lt
Phobos Librarian
Suppressors x3
Doom Eagles
Inceptor x3
Suppressors x3
Aurora Chapter
Inceptor x6
Redemptor
Scythes of the Emperor
Gravis Capt
Redemptor
Hellblaster x5
Primaris Lt
Genesis Chapter
Gravis Captain
Redemptor
Hellblaster x5
Primaris Lt
Black Consuls
Primaris Capt
Ancient
Primaris Lt
Intercessor x10
Mortifactors
Primaris Lt
Intercessor x5
Imperius Reavers
Primaris Lt
Intercessor x5
This list does not include the Novamarines that I already have painted up, nor does it include the Indomitus guys I just ordered. I'll wait until I have that box in my hands before deciding what to do with them. I wanted to make a diverse group that are all tied together in the lore in some way. I also didn't want to have a bunch of "Command" units all from the same chapter. As you can see I have a whole butt load of HQ units, so I had to break these groups up smaller than I originally planned. I like it though. I look at each of these as a miniature army that will be easy to knock out when I need a break from the blue.
Any big name Ultramarian chapter get left out?
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Post by: brushcommando
You might also include the Sons of Guilliman (Spelling?) and The Praetors of Orpheus. I also think the Eagle warriors were in there somewhere. I'm excited to see what you do with your Iron Snakes. Just finished a black library audiobook about them.. It was pretty good, as black library stuff goes.
Edit: Also the howling griffons. If you want, I have a couple of shoulder pads from those guys from deathwatch kits that I didn't use. I'd be happy to pop them in an envelope and send them to you for free if it helps your project. Just pm me if your're interested. I think there may have been a raptor shoulder pad too which you can use for the black consuls.
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Post by: kavika0311
brushcommando wrote:You might also include the Sons of Guilliman (Spelling?) and The Praetors of Orpheus. I also think the Eagle warriors were in there somewhere. I'm excited to see what you do with your Iron Snakes. Just finished a black library audiobook about them.. It was pretty good, as black library stuff goes. Edit: Also the howling griffons. If you want, I have a couple of shoulder pads from those guys from deathwatch kits that I didn't use. I'd be happy to pop them in an envelope and send them to you for free if it helps your project. Just pm me if your're interested. I think there may have been a raptor shoulder pad too which you can use for the black consuls. Thanks for the offer commando! I may take you up on that, but right now the Howling Griffons and the Sons of Guilliman are both on the back burner for a while, and for the same reasons. Those two chapters have a quartered color scheme, and after working on the Novarines for a while, I’m hesitant to start another quartered chapter. The Eagle Warriors and the Praetors of Orpheus were both in the running. So were the White Consuls, but that’s a whole lot of white. They’re all still on the list for future Primaris detachments. Unless it’s under special circumstances, I don’t see myself diverging from the current plan of having all of my Primaris painted up as Ultramarine successors.
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Post by: kavika0311
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Post by: brushcommando
Very cool. I like the work you put in to the details. Little stuff like the purity seals billowing over each other like they would in real life and the stowage. 40k tanks need more stowage. I may have to steal some inspiration from that for my next tank. Excited to see the finished product!
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Post by: kavika0311
brushcommando wrote:Very cool. I like the work you put in to the details. Little stuff like the purity seals billowing over each other like they would in real life and the stowage. 40k tanks need more stowage. I may have to steal some inspiration from that for my next tank. Excited to see the finished product!
Thanks again commando! I agree with the stowage. 40k vehicle are so bare. I like to add random stuff all over all of the vehicles that I do.
This one is about 85% done. Some highlights, weathering, and then picking out little details, like all of the lenses and parchments.
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Post by: brushcommando
I don't know why this blog doesn't get more love. You do some damn fine work. I'm loving the details on the tank. I don't know what the exalt button does, but I assume it's good and I'm hitting it for this project.
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Post by: JulietTango343
I will second that. Really like what you did with the red on the recessed part of the front. Have you considered that for the back? There's a similar recess on each side of the rear hatch.
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Post by: kavika0311
brushcommando wrote:I don't know why this blog doesn't get more love. You do some damn fine work. I'm loving the details on the tank. I don't know what the exalt button does, but I assume it's good and I'm hitting it for this project.
JulietTango343 wrote:I will second that. Really like what you did with the red on the recessed part of the front. Have you considered that for the back? There's a similar recess on each side of the rear hatch.
You guys are too kind. I guess people aren’t very big fans of the Warrior King’s of Ultramar. And some guys on here are really good at generating interest and cultivating communication. I’m more into using this as an organizational tool for the project. I love getting feedback and talking to the community members about the subject, but my posts don’t really push for community involvement. It’s something I’m aware of and plan to work on.
As for the red in the recesses in the rear, I actually planned on doing that. I somehow forgot all about the back end while working on it and didn’t realize until I was adding the weathering. Just blanked on it and never noticed.
The Predator is almost done now. I’ll probably wrap him up, then pull everything out for an updated company photo.
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Post by: Nevelon
Pred look great.
I’m personally torn on the whole stowage/weathering thing. I feel that it’s a slippery slope to start down. Once you have a few things like that, you expect everything to match. And I’ve got too much on the shelf to go back and re-do everything. But I love the look when done well. Which you have.
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:Pred look great.
I’m personally torn on the whole stowage/weathering thing. I feel that it’s a slippery slope to start down. Once you have a few things like that, you expect everything to match. And I’ve got too much on the shelf to go back and re-do everything. But I love the look when done well. Which you have.
Thanks Nevelon! Fortunately, I have a boatload if stowage bits from some old WW2 kits and random other SciFi ranges. I’m on and off with the hobby due to work, so my hobby progress is relatively slow. I’m certainly not cranking them out like you do. You’re a damn machine. But I like to add something extra to all of the models I’m making for the 3rd Company. The successor chapter forces won’t be so customized.
To add to my slowness, I have multiple projects going all at once. This Battle Company is just the one that has my attention right now.
In addition to the 3rd, my desk is crowded with:
Raven Guard 4th Company
Iron Warriors 31st Grand Battalion
Olympian Guard - Iron Warriors Human Auxiliaries
Fists Exemplar Warband
Fallen Warband
Tyranid Hunter Cadre
Thunder Regiment
Plus a project to paint up a combat squad from each legion during the Horus Heresy. I’m about halfway through that one.
Just another guy who keeps starting things without ever finishing.
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Post by: kavika0311
After a little more work on that last Predator I'm going to call it done for him.
So far I have completed:
3rd Company
Force Commander - Lieutenant Caesus
Chaplain Dentatus
Apothecary Galen
Champion Spurius
Tactical Squad Galba
Tactical Squad Crastinus
Tactical Squad Montanus
Rhino Salui Conductus
Rhino Durum Hominum
Razorback Fides in Armis
Predator Sword of Viridia
Predator Konor's Fist
8th Company
Assault Combat Squad Leonius
9th Company
Devastator Combat Squad Sabinus
Devastator Combat Squad Procopius
10th Company
Scout Squad Manlius
Scout Sniper Squad Torquatus
Pulling the whole force out really helps me appreciate the progress that's made. Whether it's half a squad, or a whole squad and a vehicle finished in between, it doesn't matter. Just adding to the force and seeing it grow really keeps me going with this project. I'm really enjoying working on this company.
The Tactical Squads with their Sergeants
Reserve Company Combat Squads - I'll be finishing these squads out to full strength and then probably make up a Lieutenant from each company for them as well.
10th Company Scouts - I have another squad of scouts in the chute and I'm feeling like it's about time to get around to fixing these guys from the black primer debacle.
3rd Company HQ - Caesus is going to end up being one of two Lieutenants for the 3rd Company, as soon as I get around to painting up Captain Fabian that is.
Finally, this is the 3rd Company with their Task Force Nova reinforcements. I'm very excited about painting up mini forces from the Successor Chapters. I like the splash of white into the force and am pumped to see more colors get added in.
For the 3rd Company, I still have three Tactical Squads basecoated and all of the Assault and Devastator Squads are still in the assembly process.
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Post by: Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll
Seeing them all together is quite intimidating!
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Post by: brushcommando
Wow. Those are some impressive army shots. At this rate, you'll have a practically chapter-strength army in no time!
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks guys!
With all of the Reserve Company attachments and Primaris Task Forces from the Successor Chapters, I’ll end up with a little over two full companies. That’s a ways out though.
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Post by: kavika0311
Been a while since the last update. Life’s been busy and I’ve really only been able to do a little chipping away at the leg extending process.
I’ve got close to three squads worth of legs done for the Assault and Devastator squads. I’m in the middle of listening to the Guilliman Primarch book and now I’ve got some interesting plans for the assault squads.
To give myself a bit of a break from the legs, I put together the ETB Redemptors that I got in a trade.
I’ve never done a Redemptor before and now I really want to paint one up. My plans for the Successor reinforcements have all three of the Redemptors coming from different chapters. There’s going to be one from the Aurora Chapter, Scythes of the Emperor, and the Genesis Chapter. I’ve given myself two weeks to complete one of these and can’t decide which to do. Any suggestions?
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Post by: Nevelon
Very impressive army shots. It’s always good to get the boys all together for formal shots.
Any chapter is good for the dreads. Give you a break fom the blue.
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Post by: kavika0311
Nevelon wrote:Very impressive army shots. It’s always good to get the boys all together for formal shots.
Any chapter is good for the dreads. Give you a break fom the blue.
Thanks Nevelon. That’s exactly what I’m looking to do. I’m leaning towards the Genesis Chapter right now. Either way, primer is going on all of them today.
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Post by: JulietTango343
It's an impressive sight to have 3 massive stompy dreadnoughts next to each other. I like the carnifex maw on the onslaught cannon.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks JulietTango! I wasn’t too sure how I felt about the head actually. But I already chopped up a perfectly good head, so I might as well use it.
I went ahead and put the main color on each of the Dreadnoughts to see if one specific chapter just grabbed my interest. Right now, I'm starting to lean towards putting effort into the Aurora Chapter Redemptor.
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Post by: kavika0311
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Post by: JulietTango343
I'm all for freehand stuff, but if you've already put some decals on, it might be odd to have a mix of decals and non-decals on the same model. But, I'm sure you can make it look good either way. In any case, the thing's amazing
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Post by: kavika0311
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Post by: brushcommando
Nice work on the freehand and weathering. It suits the model well. Excited to see the rest of the dreads get the same treatment.
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Post by: kavika0311
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Post by: 416_SpaceWolves
Those dreads look great.Would you consider using the same accent gold you used on the flamer on the gun?
They don't need tinkering, but it might tie it all together.
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Post by: Guardling
Nice looking dreads, but they seem out of place with the rest of your army to me,
I know they're all Ultra successors and everything but I think they could do with something visual to tie them together...
First thought would be something like a TRF, which is a small block colour patch thats unique to every regiment in the british army.
Or like the Death Watch shoulder pads but in reverse...
Second thought and probably better idea would be a campain badge,
GW already has them in fluff (most notable is that cross thats on everything in the indomitus box set) and it's possible for multiple chapters to get the same badge.
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Post by: Fifty
Those Dreads are fantastic.
If you were looking for a way to tie them together you could do worse than some black and white checkers at the same point on each model.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks guys! I really appreciate the compliments! @416_SpaceWolves - I did consider adding gold to the gatling cannon. I decided against it because I felt as though it would just be too much gold. It's in the plans to go back later and add some heat staining to the end of the guns for them, but right now I'm just trying to get these guys up to a good tabletop standard so I can keep pushing. @Guardling - Ah! The old Tactical Recognition Flash. Good idea! Not going to lie, I had to google it. lol. If you look back at some of the earlier models, I actually had a campaign badge picked out for the force that is on most of them. It's a yellow triangle with a red double headed axe. That was the campaign badge for the mission that Task Force Caesus was sent on. With the expansion of this project to include the entirety of the 3rd Company, I nixed the campaign bade. I think you're right though. I think I'm going to have to come up with something like a TRF to put one each model, in a somewhat uniform area, in order to tie them all together. Maybe on the same shoulder pad as the chapter symbol? @Fifty - That is a pretty good suggestion. I'll have to start a list for a possible TRF. TRF SUGGESTIONS 1. Checkered patch 2.
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Post by: kavika0311
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Post by: Guardling
Nice trophies!
As for TRF ideas, Half blue and half white, blue to symbolise the founding chapter and white because is denotes veteranship in the ultramarine lore AFAIK.
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Post by: brushcommando
I really like the trophies. The tyranid jaw gatling gun is awesome.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks guys! I’ve got a boatload of rando Tyranid bits laying about. These trophy pieces will be painted up as Hive Fleet Kraken. A splinter of that hive fleet destroyed the Scythes of the Emperor’s home world of Sotha.
So far, for something to tie everyone together, I’ve rummaged through all of the transfer sheets I have in order to take stock of what’s available. I’ve been able to come up with the skull in a circle campaign badge, or a small four squared checker patch. The sheets I have will give me about 90 campaign badges. That’ll be plenty enough to tie all of the units together across the different armies. The checkered pattern strips on the transfer sheets can be cut down to small four square patches. If I’m careful, I can get 90 out of each strip. With the sheets I have, that would be enough for every model. Right now, I’m actually leaning towards doing both of them. I like the idea of having the campaign badge in different locations on models throughout the entire army. I also like the idea of having a small TRF in the same spot on every model to solidify their unity.
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Post by: kavika0311
I just finished listening to "Godblight" and have started on the "The Swords of Calth" audiobook. All of this Ultramarines talk has reignited my drive for this project. I've decided to take a break from my Thunder Warriors project and get back to work on these guys. I have foolishly decided to batch paint two of the Tactical squads that I have basecoated already. These will be 3rd and 4th Tactical Squads.
3rd Squad will be denoted with entirely bare headed and their shoulder pads will be quartered in red and white with blue Ultima symbols.
4th Squad are modeled as trench fighters. I wanted these guys to be veterans of the Iron Warriors invasion of Ultramar. They're kitted out with close combat weapons that they gained preference for in the siege trenches and their helmets will be black with a blue stripe down the center.
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Post by: Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll
I like the variations of the heraldry for squads! Keeps things fresh.
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Post by: kavika0311
Thanks Gwyn! I wanted to do it this way for a few different reasons.
1. I'm putting a lot of effort into modeling personality into each squad. I want the paint job to reflect that.
2. I don't want to get bored painting up 100 identical Marines.
3. This makes it super easy to identify which model belongs to which squad.
4. It allows me to experiment with painting ideas that a standard color scheme wouldn't.
I'm still blocking in colors. Next I'll clean up a few spots, add decals, then move on to washes. Apologies for the picture quality. I only have my phone to use and it's focus is currently fixed at one distance. As usual, any comments, critiques, or suggestions are more than welcome.
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Post by: Veteran Sergeant
Wow, this is ambitious, and some excellent work.
Back when I started my True Scale project, I wanted to do a whole company. I got about two thirds of the way through assembly before shelving it to focus on 40K boxed games (Space Hulk, DWO, Blackstone, etc) and other projects. It will be an impressive display piece if you can finish the whole company.
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Post by: kavika0311
Veteran Sergeant wrote:Wow, this is ambitious, and some excellent work.
Back when I started my True Scale project, I wanted to do a whole company. I got about two thirds of the way through assembly before shelving it to focus on 40K boxed games (Space Hulk, DWO, Blackstone, etc) and other projects. It will be an impressive display piece if you can finish the whole company.
Thanks man! Your project has inspired a whole bunch of dudes in the True Scaling community. You definitely put a good deal more effort into each model than I do. I'm about at the same place with building though. I've got all of the Tactical Squads built and I'm about halfway through the legs for the the Devastator Squads. My plan was to use the Primaris Task Forces as my break from the 3rd Company whenever I needed. This is definitely a long term project. It's already been going for about three years and if anything, my plans for it are growing. I don't ever actually play, so all of my hobby time is dedicated to modelling and painting.
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