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As you might expect from the name I'm starting a new army and the theme being 'lets see how real 9 foot tall super soldiers can be'. I know I know I have 13095 Started armies and haven't finished one of them. Well this one is different.... Okay Okay, Not really. After starting my DKOK's experimenting in more traditional military modeling techniques I looked back at my marine army and was some what ashamed. (the thought to sell them has crossed my mind more than once) I'm starting this army with a couple goals in mind. Make ever model as 'real' as I can. Again keeping in mind 'real' is 9 foot tall super soldiers in knight armor battling against demons and gods that live by eating dead stars... I decided to go with dark angels because they've always had a special spot on my blood pump. They were the first 40k models I ever collected and I still have a thing for them even though they are hands down the worst marine codex right now. The only models I've currently done are Ananiel a Tactical squad Sergent with a power weapon and plasma pistol and I've started on a Drop pod and a Venerable dreadnought. I've also sculpted up six more terminators in to true scale That I've yet to finish assembling and I've also built a watcher in the dark. The goals for this army is keep everything as 'real' as I can. Both in color pallet and scale with weathering and battle damage galore. Enough of my yammering. How about some pictures.

Here is finished Ananiel and my Wip Dreadnought Drop Pod




Ananiel from concept to completion








I used Migsula's style of true scaling on him as well as painting in more of a glaze style and less of a paint by colors stepping up straight out of the pot style. He was painted with a mix of Vallejo's and GW's. I used Terminator legs with plasticard spacers and green stuff. His chest is a terminator front and a normal marine back. His arms, shoulder pads and back pack and head are all standard marine. He was the test model for my entire army.

The Dreadnought Drop Pod


















For the Drop Pod I tried some military modeling approaches and techniques I learned while doing research for my DKOK's. I airbrushed the out side orkhide green after priming the entire model brown. I then added some goblin green to the mix for the first highlight and then some bubonic brown for the final highlight. the inside was given 3 coats of tresume hair spray and sand was sprinkled about. (I've learned why all the pros use salt now... Don't use sand! I didn't have salt available so I used sand I had to clean all the sand out by hand where as salt will disolve when the water is applied.) I then spray painted testors desert sand and then lightly highlighted with flat white paint. Removing the sand and some of the top lairs of paint with an old toothbrush and a little bit of water. I then gloss coated the entire model preparing it for the oil treatments.

The watcher in the Dark.






He was made from the new plastic flagellant kit and green stuff. The helmet is the company champion helm with high elf lord helmet wings added.

The Venerable Dreadnought.




He was made from the Venerable Dreadnought kit. I know right?!

Anywho that's all I've got done thus far. Hope you enjoy.

Cool.

But scrap the name on the base; it's the sole eyesore.

Looks great, though I have one critique: the marine's arms look a bit... stubby in comparison to the rest of his body. It might just be the pose on that pistol arm, but they look really short from the side.

Meh, just my 2 cents. Everything else looks great!

So... freakin' nice!

Looks good, and nice use of weathering so far.

I have to agree with Anit-Mag about the name (printing them and gluing on might work better, and you can do Imperial fonts) and with Xcal|ber about the arms (perhaps wrist spacers covered by GS gauntlets would help).

Looking forward to seeing TS marines with that realistic paintjob. Go to it!

These are looking good

Looks promising, really like the weathering on that drop pod. Good tip about the salt too, I first heard about this using sand, and on my first attempt used a mix of sand and flock thinking it might be interesting

i was wondering, does the FW model masterclass book teach how to paint Dark Angels, because i think i might need to buy it for when i start painting my dudes.

and anyway, great models you have there, i am looking forward to seeing more Dark Angel troopers, and the painted ven. good luck!

Looks good. Would like to see the difference between this true scale and a normal GW marine, just too see the hight difference you've made. Also I agree with the others the arms do look rather stubby. I agrre that by adding spacers to the wrists will add sufficent length to scale his arms up to true size. Otherwise you have a nice model there. And by the way what greens did you use on your marine?

dark6spectre wrote:i was wondering, does the FW model masterclass book teach how to paint Dark Angels, because i think i might need to buy it for when i start painting my dudes.

No, there's nothing chapter specific in the model masterclass book, it teaches using modelling techniques that have been used for a long time by military modellers, such as using oil paints to add various effects and using weathering powders etc. It's a great book that really got me interested in the techniques (and cost me a fortune in equipment).

Love the weathering and armour damage you've done there littleboyblues, will be watching this one with interest.

Natorum wrote: It's a great book that really got me interested in the techniques (and cost me a fortune in equipment).

Love the weathering and armour damage you've done there littleboyblues, will be watching this one with interest.

SNAP!!! it's a really useful book, I just wish they had maybe dropped on of the tank/plane galleries to show something either different again or painted in quite different colours.

anyhow, on topic - really like your colour scheme, could you let me know the secret recipie for it? I'm going to be painting my marine (in sig) hopefully in a more 'realistic' scheme to show up weathering rather than the standard dark angels green, and your is heading in the right direction for what I was thinking. Hope you don't mind me pinching a few of you ideas!

yeah sweet job mate, but don't talk down your other marines. What the hell. If only we humble mortals could paint like that

yeah sweet job mate, but don't talk down your other marines. What the hell. If only we humble mortals could paint like that

kanelom wrote:yeah sweet job mate, but don't talk down your other marines. What the hell. If only we humble mortals could paint like that

Double post QFT

These look lovely, could you do a more detailed turotial on how you weathered the drop pod please Because that looks fantastic!

I agree with everyone else here that the name distracts from the nice looking model and the arm does look slightly short. Is this guy meant to be a recently fallen angel or an original lutherite?? If the latter then his armour should be black Otherwise they look brilliant!

Nice freaking trompe l'oeil on that Pod's chipped paint! Seriously! Much respect for a solid execution. Also, the salt technique looks stellar.

Watching this one closely! Much inspiration to be had.

Looking good, if you interested, im putting together a True Scale Marine kit. See http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/150/297644.page for the progress.

Where's the next update?

Sorry about the lack of speed. I got a little excited about 8th ed square base game. I'm painting up some dark elves so I'll have an army to play. I have built six chest pieces and 6 leg pieces for the true scale. I learned how to make a mold and that was a true experience. HAha! Anyway, I'm going to start with a ten man squad and a captain is the short term goal. I'll keep adding 10 man squads as I get time. I would like to have a full battle company some day but I wouldn't go holding your breath as years may be involved. I also base coated A venerable dreadnought with the same technique used on the inside of the drop pod. Pictues!

Ven Dread Base Coat





Molds for True scale



I think I'll get to painting that watcher in the dark today.

Cant wait to see how those leg moulds turn out, have you done torsos?

I've made torsos but haven't cast any yet.

Awesome stuff in here!

And, interesting to see that 'only' the legs were 'True Scaled' and everything else is stock parts - as your test marine looks great!

The torsos are true scaled as well actually just arms and heads remain the same. That's more or less because all older gw models have enormous hands and faces. I suppose this is for ease or painting.

really reallly good stuff

Recently worked a little on this and thought I would share. I've added 4 more Marines to the true scale project. I also got bored of doing lame art commissions and messed around with a dark angel captain painting for fun.

Dark Angel Captain
Acrylic on water color paper




Brother Aurthur
Aurthur has served under Sergent Ananiel for years and is his trusted second in command. They served together as scouts in the tenth company before being inducted into the third Company tactical squad together. Aurthur is the oldest in the tactical squad and is very well respected within the unit often heading up the secondary squad if broken into Combat squads.




Brother Warren
Little is known about Warren as hes just come from the tenth company in the last couple of months. Warren is very eager to show his usefulness in battle and gain respect from the rest of the unit.




Brother Kalis
nothing yet




Brother Garrock
nothing yet



Sergent Ananiel finished.



And as the beatles would say "All together now!"


Hope to start painting these guys soon and come up with a little more in depth and complete fluff for my tactical squad.

Thanx

Nice. Are you going to true scale the dread too?

so are these guys fallen or loyalist? i ask only because if they are indeed fallen they should be wearing black armor in place of the green (the change happened after caliban was destroyed by lion el' jonson, the dark angels felt ashamed by the "traitors" and painted their armor green in memory of caliban)

Erm, wont that dread look well small?

Dear Jesus! I'm tired of explaining this. I mean no personal offense TyraelVladinhurst. Yes... You are absolutely correct. However I said he was a renegade as well. My little fluff has him going rouge or fallen or renegade after the siege of vracks which happens in the current story line some 10k years after the fall of caliban. Thus they would have green armor. To go rouge or renegade does not mean that you automatically worship chaos and "for the dark gods" and all that mess. The only two chapters to have never lost an astartes to going rouge, renegade, or chaos is the Ultra marines and the Grey Knights. (Source = Skull harvest by Graham Mcneill) Thus everyone else has lost one or two here or there along the way. There are some cases of whole chapters deserting not necessarily going to the warp and helping Abbaddon out with his Saturday morning cartoon villain ploys. My character is not nearly that old and has never seen caliban minus the chunk of rock hes been on for a couple of decades floating about in space. He goes "rouge" when he meets an inquisitor of the radical persuasion and learns of some great secrets within the imperium and decides to join in his retinue to help the inquisitor. So the fact that he didn't get recruited until the fall of caliban was as much myth as history and he didn't fall until after the dark angels did their part on the siege of vracks means that he would in fact have GREEN armor.

Again this rant was not to be a personal attack or anything of the sort. I've had to explain this to people many times and sometimes to people who didn't even read the fluff and some times in the same thread multiple times. They just saw he was in green armor and was fallen and there was no way this could be possible as all chaos marines from the dark angels should have black armor and golden horns and listen to blaring metallica while riding chopper motorcycles through space with hot topic pants and slave girls in chains tied to the wheels!

Boy, you continue to amaze me. That one landraoder you did, with the touch of god, beautiful.

Keep going, put the rest of us to shame