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Could you tell me what's REALLY wrong with them ? Sure, they look a bit plain, even unremarkable, but...

1. Isn't that one of the AL tactics ?
2. It looks like the "proper" Hydra we see on the waterslides, doesn't it ?

Honestly, it's simply sub-standard sculpting. The main body and necks of the hydra varies in thickness at the wrong places making it look odd, it's too contorted, they should have spread it out more over the pad and not squished it togheter like that and above all:

It's too damn thick! it rises way too high out of the shoulderplate, it's a bit hard to see on those photos but I saw a few pics taken at an angle from FW's open day and sheesh, I would eyeball it at about 3mm.

Also, no conformity of shape to the heads, the rear one looks like some derpy bird-head, it's just.. bad.

Damn, why did I ask ? I see it now....

I guess we'll see when they're released...

And also: because I am a pretentious tosser who likes my fantasy toy soldiers -Just So-, and damn everything to hell that don't conforms to my exact and unknowable standards.

STC_LogisEngine wrote:
Honestly, it's simply sub-standard sculpting. The main body and necks of the hydra varies in thickness at the wrong places making it look odd, it's too contorted, they should have spread it out more over the pad and not squished it togheter like that and above all:

It's too damn thick! it rises way too high out of the shoulderplate, it's a bit hard to see on those photos but I saw a few pics taken at an angle from FW's open day and sheesh, I would eyeball it at about 3mm.

Also, no conformity of shape to the heads, the rear one looks like some derpy bird-head, it's just.. bad.

There you go...

Yggdrasil wrote:Damn, why did I ask ? I see it now....

I guess we'll see when they're released...

I'm not sure what more we'll see when they're released.

In fact, the less we see of them from this point on, the better!

Like the Iron Hands extra bits the thumb is out of proportion with the rest of the hand ...

Something like that yeah.

On another note I have picked up my 1/10th finished dropship-scratchbuild and made some scetches to help me decide in wich direction to take the damn thing. I was going for a mono-boom assault-ram to begin with but the damn thing got ''a smidge'' too big to be able to use the caestus rules.

So.. well, the only way forward seems to be to take a shot at the thunderhawk rules and build the damn thing to size: additional flightdeck, rear exit ramp, extending the hull another 15-16cm and completely re-do the wingdesign with an adittion of forward canards and some kind of vertical stabilizer in the tail. Whoop-di-frakking-do!

I am however a bit uncertain wich layout to go forwards with, either go the classical route with a "T"-shaped stabilizer and straight wings with mid-mounted engines or do something different and go for design option 2 wich is a design more closely adhering to the layout of the Storm Eagle, engines in the wingroots with broader, triangular wings and double tail stabilizers at a 45-degree tilt.

I'll need to do some more scetches to figure this one out, what do you guys think?

I'm just hoping we get a badass etched brass sheet with an assortment of different Legion symbols like the Hydra, Omega, and classic A w/ chain. As for the dropship, I think something along the lines of the Storm Eagle would look cool, but I'd love to see some sketches of what you're thinking. It's hard for me to visualize your thought process.

I imagined something like this, roughly outlining the hull and placement of things, the wings will adhere roughly to the shape and angle of the ones on the stormeagle, sans gunpods and thrusters.
I was thinking I could avoid the huge gun and represent it with a heavy missilelauncher-system of some sort to avoid the 'hunchback' look of the thunderhawk.

Drawn to scale, 490mm long and 90mm high.

Storm Eagle shape looks great to me, but then... Wouldn't you just be better off buying one ? (if you can afford it, that is)

Ummm.. you are aware it's the intended future of this thing right? The red indicates the part that is built so far. (ie. forward part of the lower deck) Or did you mean why don't I just buy a thunderhawk?
This is the current progress.




This thing is already longer and wider than a storm eagle, the finished product will, with it's 49-50cm length be as large as a thunderhawk.
I already have a storm eagle kit, just hadn't had the time to come to grips with it yet, wonky pice of resin that it is.

Got a card up my sleeve; maybe I'll pull it out you'r ear.
Got' a rabbit in my hat; if you wanna' come and see.
This is what we'll be; this is what we'll be..

I got shackles on my wrist; soon I'll slip 'em and be gone.
Chain me in a box in the river; soon I'll be basking in the sun.
Trust none of what you hear; and less of what you see.
This is what we'll be; this is what we'll be..

I got a siny saw blade; all I need's a volunteer.
I'll cut you in half; while you're smilin'up at me.

And the freedom that you sought; driftin' like a ghost among the trees.
This is what we'll be; this is what we'll be..

- The Dramathurge Spryngsteen, "Magic" -007.M2

Needs more cowbell.....errr........thunderhawk.

Awesome blog, man! I've been gradually exploring the P&M blogs here on Dakka, and I am so happy to discover awesome ones like yours!

Exalted!

I also find it interesting how many of the cool blogs are about Alpha Legion. Just interesting dudes, I guess, with plenty of options for conversions and interesting models.

I am eager to continue to follow this journey along.

Hey, just signed up- partially to say that these are incredible. Alpha Legion are definitely my favourite of the original 20 and I love how you've done them. Can't wait to get my own Heresy troops ordered in. Great job!

Thank you very much guys, glad you enjoy my work.


Some updates too for you! I finished this one today, a sergeant for my tactical support squad, so far a 5-man squad with plasmaguns has been built and this one is the firs one to get his lick of paint.

As usual, I am not the best photographer, cellphone cam, no lightbox, yadda-yadda.. you know the drill by now.







Aaaaand a groupshot of what is painted so far.

Fantastic and clean paint job.

Wish I could do that with other colours

That purple really works for AL troopers... I also like the slightly different take on the left shoulder pad (plasmagun bearer) !

Keep it up !

 Yggdrasil wrote:
That purple really works for AL troopers... I also like the slightly different take on the left shoulder pad (plasmagun bearer) !

Keep it up !

love the paint! and I agree about that metal pad, it looks really good on him, I can see a great doom eagles force with that weathered look!

Nice consistency on the bases too--the other color scheme ties the squad together and also creates some great visual variation from the armour (which I agree looks great).

Thanks guys, I do try my best.

Nice work STC. The bunch looks great together!

How thick is the total of the plastic extenders in the space marines?

Thanks gits!

@Thor dk: wow, tricky. I use 2.8mm sheet for the extenders (both thigh and midriff) so i guess, depending on posing of the model, the total extention of height is about 1cm.

Well, I have gotten something almost done again. I got in the mood and spent the afternoon converting an apothecary (because my I am going to need those), once done I thought "Paint!" and spent a few more hours doing the basics, a couple of tactical legionaires got swept up in the mayhem too.

So, these are PIP (no sh*t sherlock! ), armor is done, metallics have a basecoat and the bases are in various stages of nowere close to finished. Another hour or so per model should have them ready for a coat of matt varnish.





CnC are welcome as ever you lurking gits.

TBH I wasn't sure at first he was an Apothecary... Only when I saw the strange contraption on his left arm, did I wonder if he was... And then I read your first line

Could we see his reductor from another side ?

I'm also not really familiar with the 30k markings, and I guess that the AL tries to have its specialists unremarkable from the line legionnaires, so that kinda makes sense >:Z

Long time no posting! Fells like it anyway

The minis look really good, but like Yggdrasil said, another pic of the narcethium'd be good.

Yggs: as far as I have seen the completely white livery of the 40k apothecary shines with it's absence in the HH books and models painted by FW for their dioramas. White helmets, shoulderpads, kneepads, usually in tandem with the red double-helix seems to be the order of the day as a spot colour. My take was to tone this down even further with a broad white stripe on the geave to add the red helix on with some freehand, to make it stand out. Though I have been dicking around with a design with twin red hydras spiraling around eachother to make the helix, and where they shift outside the white stripe they are painted in white instead of red.
I'll have to test-paint it though since it will most certainly be on the edge of my ability to freehand due to being so damn small.

And yes, you can haz moar pics.

So you have the chainblade for slicing up the warplate, the progenoid-removing-thingy on the 'inside' of that and on the vambrace you have a high-yield pulselaser to 'punch' a hole for the removal of progenoids instead of the standard drill, I went with that partly because I wanted something more high-tech and partly because I had no drill.


Pic-O-Rama!

Sweet. Good to see the thoughts behind it all and I cannot wait for the twin-hydra helix. Should be good

Indeed, twin-hydras helix could look awesome, if you manage to pull it off !

Thanks for the added pics & explanation, the reductor looks great from up-close !

Now go & finish him !