Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey kids. After reading over Wonko's Catachan Spec ops thread I was inspired to follow through with an army list I had made just for fun with the Catachan Codex. With the new Codex out, I updated it and began work on it. Not too much to see at the moment; thirty NOS Catachans are in the mail and my Pave Hawk (Counts-as Valkyrie) is currently being assembled. My army list consists of two vet squads, one with Gunny Harker, a Valkyrie, a command squad, Marbo and I am currently debating whether or not to have a Spectre Gunship counts-as LRBT or run 8 Stormtroopers for the last 150 points. I intend to make every single person an individual in his own rights, so I will devise fluff for them all. I may change my mind about that last part, but my intense love of conversions and modelling mean figures will each be quite unique.

Here is my work so far. Most of the command squad still needs a few more touch ups.


Enjoying the solitude that the role of forward scout brings, Rob "Robbie" Teach is at home in any environment. His love of the outdoors and loner personality means he spends very little time with most members of his group. He is attached to one specific operative, Mike Nguyen, but even with him he exchanges few words. In the field, Teach is lost on the senses as soon as he is out of sight. You won't hear foliage rustle or see a shadowy figure slipping through boscage; you may, however, find yourself with an unobstructed route to the target, or hear a muffled explosion as a well-hidden claymore blows up. It is believed that Teach was raised by Indians, but if he was, he doesn't acknowledge it, and just continues to stalk through the woods, covered in natural leaves, foliage, and just about everything but the manufactured ghillie suits other scouts prefer.
Shown laying under leaves and vines, knife at the ready. Cue hapless sentry. [Counts-as Marbo]


Mikey Nguyen is the chief combat controller of the squad. When you want something to be not alive, you go to Mikey Nguyen. He coordinates fire support from fast movers, helicopters, spectres; if you need anything at all from the air, Mikey is the man to talk to. When Special Tactics Teams (STTs) need to land at an enemy airfield, Mikey will get them on the ground. Setting up the lights, clearing debris, and removing the odd sentry are all in his area of expertise. The retort of his G36 or the subtle thump of a guard are clues that Mikey is nearby. Whenever anyone asks him about Teach, or points out similarities between them, he'll chuckle and simply say "Yep, I've known him since third grade. We were twins".
Pictured about to cut a sentry's throat. The sentry carries (is dropping, rather) an AK-74u, while Mikey has his G36 folded and slung on his back. [Counts-as Master of Ordnance]


Pictured wading through a swamp, checking right (for traffic) before eliminating a sentry with his trusty knife. [Counts-as Voxman]


Kyrylo Kosakowski is a second generation Ukrainian, son of a car plant worker and a teacher. Everyone who meets Kosakowski understands why he's called "Big K": even his friends sometimes have trouble with his full name. Eric Rodgers complains that "it's like a damn tongue twister". Big K has long since stopped caring and finds it amusing. In the field, Big K approaches all problems with the same mentality: "I take my whooshgun, I blow tem up". Opting to eliminate hard targets with his LAW or softer targets with his silenced antique Toktarev-24, Big K can always be counted on for quick, dry wit, a spectacular explosion, or the soft thud that means a way to the objective is suddenly clear.
Pictured scoping a target and realizing a sentry is in the way... [Counts-as Meltagunner]


Eric Rodgers' squadmates affectionately call him "Boom", and with good reason. Believing the route of thunderous explosions is the only route, Boom Rodgers can't explain why he enjoys blowing things up so much; but at age eight he got his hands on a chemistry set and has loved explosions ever since. He chooses to wear extra flak armor as an added measure of defense against the flying shrapnel his grenades are wont to create, and many a light vehicle or rickety building has felt his Mk42's "boom of affection".
Pictured reloading his '42. [Counts-as Nademan]


Tyler Roebuck was raised in New York, son of a Law Firm Co-owner and Surgeon. Originally wishing to be a doctor, he decided that being a doctor in a big hospital was not how he wanted to help people, so he went through the Pipeline and became a PJ - Pararescue Jumper - in the Air Force Spec Ops. "Doc Ty" prefers an REC7, the new assault rifle from Barrett. Doc Ty is quite the marksman, but he wasn't gifted with looks, however, and reassures his patients they're still alive with the blunt statement "Angels ain't ugly".
Pictured fastroping down to apply first aid and extract a wounded member. [Counts-as Medic]

So there's the command squad, and Marbo. I'll begin work on a Straken figure after the Catachan sprues arrive, mixing in a few Necron parts for prosthetics.

Thanks for looking,

Rico.

I love this!
Very well done man, interesting conversions and some really good ideas.
I'm definatly watching this, keep it up!

Looking good, a hell of a lot of character there. Keep it coming

Affirmed, this is sweet, alot of character to the poses. nice camo.

I really like Mike he looks great althoguh given his background would the Master of Ordnance fit him more. Can't wait to see the Pave Low! I grew up around MH53s and would love to see one of those done for 40K!

The conversions look great, but the paint is gong on really thick on some of the minis. You should work with thinner coats. Adding a few drops of water to your paints will help to do a lot for this I'm also getting this bad feeling that you're using either a paint on primer, or not priming some. Maybe it's from the guy on the bottom having what appears to be some unprimed spots on an already painted body. My advice would be to go with spray primer. Hell, Krylon Ultraflat Black works just fine for $5, instead of spending $20 on GW primer with the only difference being a minutely thinner end result from the GW product.

I also think that the camo should be applied differently, especially to the skin areas. Right now it just looks too... well... camo-ey. It looks too artificial. The unit's details are lost in a complete haze of camo, and there's nothing to break it up. With Catachan, it's -very- important to variate the colours and pick out things like boots, shirts, skin tones, hair, etc... on account of the large amount of these things on them. As for the camo on the skin, the overabundance of it just doesn't really work. The camo pattern should be applied over the skintone to give it a more patchy, worn off look. Like they've been spending days at a time in the Jungle. I like the idea of using bushpaint camo patterns, but as it is, the camo just makes them look more like the green plastic army men you used to be able to buy in the big plastic bags. Try drybrushing the base over a skin colour in small patches and see how that looks.

There're also some fluff issues - Being the 41st Millennium I don't think you'd find an AKS-74U, a G36, or any other working weapons from the 20th and 21st centuries, 'Indians', as in 'Native Americans' aren't really existant, and I don't think anyone born on Terra would be known by nationality or be in a Catachan Regiment, considering Catachan is half the Galaxy away. New York and all of Terra's individual cities are gone, as the whole planet is now covered in one giant City, with the Imperial Palace grounds alone covering an area roughly the size of Austrailia, etc...

Though if it's a 'just for kicks' army, it's looking really good. the conversions themselves are really quite good, and the bulky equipment really makes the Catachan units seem less 'roided-up. The only realy problem is, again, the thickness of the paint/primer and the way the camo is being applied to the skin. I'm going to be watching this for sure

EDIT: I'm also stealing your first shot for referance while I work on my Recon Team. I wanted to have a guy knifing a Traitor Guardsman from behind, but I wasn't 100% sure how to set it up to look right with the Cadian bitz. I think I can generate it now thanks to your efforts

Updates! Replies! Frivolity!

The Catachan Sprues arrived yesterday! I worked on a counts-as Autocannon for one of the vet squads and a crew for the Pavehawk. After this modelling marathon I shall paint up the interior of the Pavehawk so I can put the innards together and move along in that project. I'll put up pictures of the interior after it's all painted and glued.

@Everyone: Thanks for the kind words!

@Llama: I considered having him be the master of ordnance, and it's an excellent reason for him to, but we'll see how points work out. I have an extra 150 points (750ptTotal) so if I just have a Hydra counts-as Spectre I'll have more points for just completely tricking out my guys, including having a master of ordnance. I even considered having Mike be "Marbo" but then the slitthroat scene came into mind and I knew I would have to do it.
As for the Pave Lows, I actually bought one, but the scale was just great for some parts but off for others - so when in my handy AFSOC history book I read about a Squadron that recently decommissioned their Pavehawks, I decided that it was best for my wallet (a 1/~32 scale Pavelow was about... 150 dollars) to have the Valkyrie be a slightly aged helicopter.

@Metalli: Thanks for the tips! Modelling and converting are just up my alley - painting is not. Thus I am a bit lazy when it comes to painting. Would you mind PMing me (or just posting) the basic modus operandi for painting models table-top quality? I am quite the newb painter.
As for the fluff, this is a modern army where everything counts-as 40k-characters and vehicles. So every gun is a lasgun unless noted otherwise, and the miniguns on the Pavehawk will be counts-as Heavy Bolters. Still not sure how I'll fit other weapons on it, but I shall manage. Maybe slinging the Ma-Deuce 50cal on the nose and rigging some wiring... I digress.

Pictures!


Chief Master Sergeant Eli Winslow participated in Operation Just Cause, Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield, and has had three tours total in Iraq and Afghanistan. He's a veteran among veterans, toting his modified PKMS with ease as his deep, booming rhetoric drowns out the HMG's shots. If you're bored, you could walk up to him and start a sentence with either "Papa Winny..." or "Papa Eli..."; his massive frame will jump up and he will order you to do push ups until he is finished cleaning his beloved "Russki Osobyjj" (Russian Special). If he's in a bad mood, he'll stop right before he finishes the maintenance and start over. Despite his ill-tempered manner, a leader more dedicated to his men you won't find, except for maybe Jack Latham. The gray-haired Papa Winny will bring his men to the gates of hell, riddle the devil with holes and come back with every man, yelling and swearing at his "boys" all the way.
Pictured strolling over a log, tracking left and right with Russki Osobyjj, NVG's resting on his forehead. [Counts-as Gunny Harker]

From left to right, top to bottom: Gunner Alex "Scholar" Turner, who will be lounging on the side of the Pavehawk (props to BrookM for the inspiration) with G3 resting on his helmet; Jake Harrison, co-pilot, lugging the PJ's parachute and toting an MP7; Nate Flannigan, the fiercely Irish Pararescue Jumper, carrying an M4 and his medical supplies; Pilot Ray "VitD" Kempster, carrying his holstered USP and urging those behind him to go faster. Not exactly sure what the Pavehawk scene will look like, but it will have the three running guys be running to the chopper while Scholar dozes in the shade of a minigun. [Valkyrie Crew]

There are times when in the course of covert operations the covert becomes overt and the thunderous retort of a M-2 50cal is required. Tom and Double A are in the process of setting up the big gun on its stand. [Counts-as Autocannon team, part of Vet squad] Don't mind the white spot on the base, I was indecisive in where I wanted the sandbags placed.

So there ye have it.

Oh, in regards to Papa Winny's fluff, Jack Latham will be my counts-as Straken. I am vowing not do his conversion before I finish at least assembling/painting the interior of the Pavehawk, but we'll see how that goes... As for the sleeves on the crew - meh. I had to trim the plates off and am not really liking how they look but I filed them and cleaned them up as best I could and I hope some paint will make them look better.

Thanks,
Rico.

Ah the good old 50. Cal... counts as an auto cannon? It should count as the Exterminator Autocannon.

If I ran an exterminator, it'd probably be in the form of a Spectre, and then its autocannon could count as the 40mm Bofors cannon. I am leaning towards a Hydra though, multiple guns and pretty cheap, with fluffy applications too.

Rico.

I'm digging the AA gun, but I too am curious as to how you plan to use it with the new codex.

If this were a renegade list from the Vraks books, it wouldn't be a problem since they have heavy stubber teams but the only HW team I can see this counting as is an autocannon or H bolter.

EDIT: I guess I should read the captions instead of looking at the pictures . Question answered already.

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:I'm digging the AA gun, but I too am curious as to how you plan to use it with the new codex.

Actually, I'm liking the idea of a Hydra more and more. With two twinlinked Hydra autocannons with a six foot range and a total of four shots fired, along with a heavy bolter, that ties in to a Spectre very well. The Hydra Autocannons can be a pair of Bofors cannons, the heavy bolter a 7.62mm Gatling Gun. Or, it could be an A10, the heavy bolter being the beast of a nose gun and the cannons wing mounted... Ah, digressing again.

I'll look into potential aircraft. I like the idea of an A10, mainly because those planes are just the most badass things I've ever seen.

Rico.

Well a .50 cal can punch a hole on some armor... so in all fairness if a 50 cal was in 40k it would have the profile of the autocannon that is a heavy 4... wouldn't you say?

Sanchez01 wrote:Well a .50 cal can punch a hole on some armor... so in all fairness if a 50 cal was in 40k it would have the profile of the autocannon that is a heavy 4... wouldn't you say?

It's my understanding from reading the Gaunt's Ghosts books that a .50 cal is roughly equivalent to a standard 40k autocannon, while a heavy stubber is about the equivalent of an M-60. Remember that the number of shots fired in 40k has very little to do with anything resembling a realistic rate of fire.

Never thought of it like that... man it is sad that that a .50 cal does the same damage as a 2 or 2.5 in cannon.

Well I believe the heavy bolter would be more of a 50 cal , and auto cannon would be a 20 mm cannon .

link of cannon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HMAS-Castlemaine-gun-2-1.jpg

Uhh...a .50 API round only has to pass within 6" of a targets head to kill it... My votes on the "counts-as autocannon"

And you think and round from a heavy bolter wouldnt ? I Believe it is even said bolters are .50 explosive rounds some where in the fluff . Think las gun and auto guns is str. 3 this would be an assault rifle of real world , so str 5 would be more of the .50 range , str 7 is way higher .

slann wrote:And you think and round from a heavy bolter wouldnt ? I Believe it is even said bolters are .50 explosive rounds some where in the fluff . Think las gun and auto guns is str. 3 this would be an assault rifle of real world , so str 5 would be more of the .50 range , str 7 is way higher .

A .50 Cal bullet is able to pass through 1.34 in (34 mm) of HHA (high hard armor, or face-hardened steel plate) at 500 meters. Now that sounds like armor 12 to me... and a heavy bolter with str 5 is too weak for that.

slann wrote:And you think and round from a heavy bolter wouldnt ? I Believe it is even said bolters are .50 explosive rounds some where in the fluff . Think las gun and auto guns is str. 3 this would be an assault rifle of real world , so str 5 would be more of the .50 range , str 7 is way higher .

A Bolter is actually .75 Cal. And if a standard Bolt round is a higher Caliber than a 50, an HB whould be frighteningly higher. So yea, you're quite right. It would go clean through a basic steel plate, no problem. The Imperium however would probably be using something other than steel for plating on vehicles, as it's likely they've found something stronger by that point on one of their millions of worlds.

Bolter rounds are also designed as HE AP rounds. Most of the time, whatever they don't punch right through, they end up blowing open with the follow up detonation. If a light or medium vehicle's armour still survives that, most of it can be put up to sheer luck.

I would say that a 'counts as' HB would work fine really, but I think an Autocannon would better suit the role of a .50 as I see a HB being more of a Light AT Gun

Yeowch didn't realise they'd cost that much! I also really like that lazy Catachan Scholar! Nice to have a none parade ground or combat pose guardsman for a change!

Small update today, just working on the Pavehawk's innards. It's just about finished, I realized after assembling an engine (not shown in pics) and testing the frame that I will need to paint some parts, and I do need to touch up a few places anyway. Sorry about bluriness (especially on the bottom pic) but you get the gist of it, and you're not missing out on any stunning paintjobs anyway.




The frame itself (it comes in two big pieces) will be interesting trying to fit it together at so many points, but we'll see how that goes. School starts on Tuesday for me, so between soccer and inevitable homework I may not update this thread as much as I'd like.

Rico.

Happy Labor Day! Another small update, completed a batch of shotguns for Straken/Latham and the Vet squad with Harker/Winslow. Also working on LAW's counts-as-Meltas, and today I may finish one of two Vet squads.

Need to clean up towards the barrel of the shotgun, I managed to superglue it to my finger while watching a movie, and left a b it of my index finger on the gun. The right picture shows a flashlight on the side of the shotgun. All shotguns shown use various parts of flamers (grip/flamer tip) and lasguns and a bit of filing.

Shown here are examples of shotguns for Winslow's Vetsquad, with various clips.


There ye have it. I may be able to update this later today, but I need to read an autobiography before tomorrow....

Bis Bald!

Rico.

WOOH AWSOME!?!?!

Quite a break between updates, sorry kids. Soccer+homework+homework is not a fun combo.

Contents include...

-Replaced a few people with other people
-Made models to replace said people
-Made shotgun vets for Winslow's vetsquad Mike
-Made a crossbow for sniper, vetsquad Yankee
-Worked on Straken counts-as
-Made a fast-roping soldier
-Gratuitously researched Antietam, Manassas (x2), and... Ooof. Sorry, bad dream. Don't mind this.

So...! Updates to previous people are at the top. I replaced Marbo's character with one I worked on, and the old Marbo will be my Master of Ordnance. The current Voxman will still be a voxman, probably. Since Special Tactics Teams are comprised of only Combat Controllers and Pararescue Jumpers, it makes sense to have at least two men with radios. The fastroper will replace Doc Ty's figure, I don't like it at all.

Pics! Fluff may come along for certain special characters. We'll see.


Pictured yelling and lining up a shot with his LAW.


Pictured free falling, chute and pack upon his back. So nicknamed as he is a Green Beret attached to the Air Force Spec Ops group. My brother thought he was going to give someone a bear hug.


Will be weapon of choice for a sniper in my more-ranged vetsquad, Yankee. Fluff will be fun for this'un. Quiver is being worked on.


Flamer-wielding specops are just silly. And not plausible, I believe. So I looked at a pic of an incendiary rocket launcher, tweaked it slightly (a lot) and voila.


Pictured waving his bionic right arm as he fires his combat shotgun (use your imagination, please).


Self explanatory.


Pictured fastroping down to apply first aid and extract a wounded member. Will replace Doc Ty's figure.


Anticlimactic. Try as I might, I couldn't fathom unique poses for these guys. I doubt the other two will be much in the ways of originality, sorry.


Shown laying under leaves and vines, knife at the ready. Cue hapless sentry. Replaces Teach's figure.

Touch ups! Once I compile everything needing GS work (currently at Fastroper, Latham, LathamShotgunArm and Freefaller's right hand (readjusted the thumb) I will fix problems like Fastroper's left leg. Also noticed a mould line (Dunno how I missed it) on Fastroper's helmet, I will see what I can do about that.

Updating original post now...

Pavehawk has not changed. I hope to at least attach the frame to the innards this weekend, possibly tomorrow. I think I've said that before... Boy I'm terrible.

Rico.