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After four years of not modelling or painting a single Salamander Space Marine, I returned to my first loved chapter.

I decided to make one of the Firedrakes from the first company ... as I would like to use some (120?) in the upcoming Apocalypse <grins></grins>.

To help me with visualising my models I try to envisage where they are and what they are doing. It lets me think about scenery and detritus on bases, and what kind of damage to model on my troops. Their posture and demeanour also derive from this background information.

Anyway, without further ado this is the scene I envisage ...

The Third war for Armageddon
The Styx river : Forward refuelling point for Kragnahz Kool Boyz one of many Kults of Speed terrorising the areas.

The KKB have been pulled forward and overextended by a carefully planned Imperial retreat. Strike force Phyruss has been assembled to destroy their fuel depot and deprive Kragnahz Kool Boyz of their essential supplies, and leave them vulnerable to a massive Imperial counter attack.

Three Thunderhawk troop carriers holding some of the hardiest marines from the Salamander Chapter flew on through the night, rapidly approaching the Depot. They all knew if they failed to defeat the heavily guarded fuel depot quickly the possibility of extraction was slim.

Hitting the ground at speed, the Thunderhawks disgorged their deadly cargo. Thirty Terminator armoured Space Marines of the First Company "Firedrakes" advanced rapidly, flanked by squads of devastators from the third company in support. 

When the Firedrakes hit the perimiter resistance was lighter than expected and they advanced rapidly ...

That is the background for this piece of work, a Terminator moving as quick as he can over ash waste / rocky ground towards a large Mega Armoured Nob. Leaping from a rock in his path he cleaves his hammer overhead towards the Ork below.

Anyway here are some pictures of the work so far, please bear in mind mold lines still need removing and there is extensive green stuff to be added in joints and for decoration.

Comments and Critique welcome ...

Nice to see you back to your old love, Argos. I am doing similar.

Love the pose and the model. Nice job repositioning the foot. I think the hammer would look better further back, like he is still more wound up for the strike. It will be moving faster than him and sometimes you need to overdo a little to get the point across anyway. Just my 2 cents.

I look forward to seeing paint on there!

Nice to see you back to your old love, Argos. I am doing similar.

Love the pose and the model. Nice job repositioning the foot. I think the hammer would look better further back, like he is still more wound up for the strike. It will be moving faster than him and sometimes you need to overdo a little to get the point across anyway. Just my 2 cents.

I look forward to seeing paint on there!

Agree about the hammer being pulled further back. It doesn't seem like he would achieve much with its current position. I guess he could poke someone in the face, or try and smash his toes. . . .

Nice stuff otherwise. It's good to see a non-static Terminator model (who isn't Logan Grimnar).

I am almost tempted to pull him back more upright ... and that might fix the hammer problem

I would pull him much more upright, the body pose does not indicate someone jumping but tripping over.

I would pull him much more upright, the body pose does not indicate someone jumping but tripping over.

I would pull him much more upright, the body pose does not indicate someone jumping but tripping over.

I like it very much, any chance of a close up on the head? I would like to see the hair you have sculpted. Also where abouts in London are you from??

I am from Norbury ... South London like yourself.

Here is a list of some of the work done on Idmon of the Firedrakes.
A : Custom sculpted head with dreadlocks.
B : Gems, a very important export from Nocturne are used on the symbol, and another smaller one is used as a lens on the camea pod.
C : Fire Sculpting on the shield is merely the first stage. Another layer is to be done ontop of the first just lower, and repeated on the "wings" of the shield.
D : New Piping, has been added onto the feet, to replace the plastic piping, which was removed during the feet adjustment. In addition more piping has been added under both arms to give a similar look to many of the illustrations of terminators in White Dwarf.

I have one more layer of green stuff to go ... and then I should be able to undercoat and start painting. I will keep the head and shield seperate to make painting easier.

 

Sheesh, very cool. Thanks for showing us how it came together!

I really like this model. The beads/jems are a nice touch, but would it not have been better to put them in after you had finished painting

The gems are simply covered with a small layer of blu-tac ... sticking them early gives me some idea of their location and colour while considering the rest of the colour scheme.

Nice work! The base is excellent and the gems are a touch of genius.

Now get painting please

Here is the promised shield picture ...



I am pleased so far with outcome .. although in retrospect I will add a few wisps of flame as a second line to the "wings" of the shield.

Damn....

Here i was, almost ready to go for a Salamanders army, and you show up with this piece of art... This guy looks amazing so far, can´t wait to see him painted. Oh, and i hope there´s an army in the charts, cause it would be a pity if he were to be all alone...


Oh well, I guess it´ll be Imperial Fists for me then.

Here is the pose (blu-tac) for the second Firedrake.

This model has not been cleaned/tidied up, its for posing purposes.

There are things that I am pleased with .. and some I am not ... more later.

Changes made so far : -

1. Altered the feet so they appear more natural for a fast moving terminator.

2. Used a dragon head for the top of the heavy flamer ..  still not happy .. will fiddle with it some more.

3. The forgeworld shoulder pad on the models right shoulder, I needed to scape the salamander skin till it was thin .. and then use heat to deform it so it would sit upon the heavey flamer more naturally.

4. Spread the arms to a more natural pose using copper wire to hold them.

Changes to be made :

1. Extra piping on the feet and armpit areas as per my earlier firedrake models.

2. Texture on the soles of the feet.

3. Fill in the armpits & shoes with greenstuff.

4. Sculpt flames (as per the last post), on the heavy flamer, and the power fist (back of hand)..

5. Add gems to the middle tasset, and chest plate.

6. Drill out barrels of the heavy flamer and add flame using greenstuff.

As you can see some way to go ... but at least he is started.

I really love the pose.  The work you did with the scales while subtle really shows the level of detail you're going for here, and adds so much character to him.  I'll definitely be watching this project as it goes along. 

Beautiful work. I wasn't a fan of the head until you showed the back and I saw that the hair is actually dreadlocks! Now I'm gaagaa for it

Edit:  where'd the dino head come from?  Looks like it could be a part from a warmaster lizardman model...

Lovely. Keep 'em coming. When will the first fellow get some paint?

Does this count as paint ?



This is the colour scheme I plan to use.

No, but I like the scheme, brother.

Maybe you can switch the dragon head to the pilot light of the heavy flamer and model a little flame coming out of is mouth.

Ive seen a lot of Salamander space marines skin painted dark brown, or dark deep white... please for the love of god do it jet black with burning red eyes like there suppose to be >.<. Other than that these mini's are looking AWSHOME!

Oreren wrote:Ive seen a lot of Salamander space marines skin painted dark brown, or dark deep white... please for the love of god do it jet black with burning red eyes like there suppose to be >.<. Other than that these mini's are looking AWSHOME!

You are aware the last post in this thread is over 2 and a half years old, right? Read the date on the last post before posting yourself, as thread necromancy is frowned upon.

Two and a half year thread necro. Please don't do this anymore, Oreren.