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.

The following is "compiled" (kinda mashed together...) from a sorta-blog I started over at Bolter and Chainsword, thinking that I might get some more diverse opinions here . Sorry if things don't read so well gramatically... .

The goal is to create a space marine crusade based on the knights templar, teutonic order and the order of saint john.



Well, it's been a while since I've played much 40k. I have a sizeable Ork army from when I started college (bad moonz glam blam bad moonzzzzz wham damn - we da bad moonz bad moonzzzzz.....)

Anyway, i thought it was time for a change. I'm looking to put together a new army, primarily in the greys, based partly on my old army, the Iron Phoenix chapter. I'm a better painter than I was 10 years ago but there's still about 3000 points of Iron Phoenix marines in my brother's basement that he occasionally beats on with his biel-tan. So as not to let those guys go to waste, i'm thinking that the new guys will represent a spin-off section of the old army (like the sub-factions of the dark and blood angels). Where the Iron Phoenix Marines were originally an imperial fists host devastated in battle, killed to the man and brought back only by their salvaged gene-seed (hence the phoenix), I thought that these might be a particularly zealous group of those Marines who believe that if they fight with strength and honor in the name of the emperor, that he himself might be resurrected as they were.

Here's the rough job, just slapped colors on a black-reach marine with a little green stuff for the cloth and headband, nothing fancy like others do around here (but then, he's just a trooper):


Stills Sheet

still some detailing to go (squad number on his left knee, skull on the backpack, more depth on the cloth), but just posting here for design thoughts. Also - basing? i can't pin down what would look best with these colors and general storyline (main inspiration is templars, imperial fists, and real-world history of the crusader knights).

Also, any thoughts on the chapter badge? current one is the iron phoenix badge from 10 years ago split per pale with a red cross, i thinking that the banners might be the design as a larger red cross motif with the top right quarter taken for the iron phoenix badge and the lower left corner for an imperial fist emblem?
Old Version



Termies

I wanted to test out my power-weapon method. For years i always just highlighted ice blue to skull white in a smooth wet blend, but I decided I didn't want to keep doing that. Thoughts?


Chapter Colors - SMP plus some photoshop help


Been at work on the first tactical squad, failed to properly estimate how rigid the black reach guys were (they're more or less a toy kit). Most of the additions are shields and feathers from an Empire unit (Halberdiers?) from fantasy that I never put most of together (just painted the captain and the standard, they were kinda fun, but not enough to make an army...). Because these are the toy models all cloth had to be greened, which I'm not very good at (see top row). There's also greened cables/collars on the guys using empire heads (3 in the photos, 4 in the unit) and 2 shoulder pads, a crusader cross on the angry fellow (2nd row) and some bars across the missile trooper. Not sure why a unit would take a rocket and a flamer, but that's what came in the kit. Oh well, i only bought it for da cheep boyz and deffkoptaz. There must still be some ork in me because I had some sense of delight demolishing the heads (BR marines have the head sculpted in so swaps mean gouging). Didn't give them all as many cloth parts for the simple reason that it's hard, they're just troopers, and I'm out of green stuff (actually 2 of the guys not pictured have the same setup as the first guy with the 2 arm bits and the full front-back apron).
Seems like a few of the models missed out on my photoshoot, oh well, it's more of the same except there's 10 guys total. In varying stages of painting because I work though drying times (so models with green tend to fall behind, etc) and just generally without a proper workflow (no deadlines either so it's cool). They all start with scab red splash (2:1 paint to water), a splash of black india ink (1:1 ink to water), and then a rubbing (which reveals the lighter gray on the rims - a good base for highlights). There's so much paint on the final models that i hardly worry about chipping but if i run into that that's what matte varnish is for.
Splitting half imperial fist half crusader did not work as well, but i'll leave this one i think and just not do it like that again.




Dreddy :



Lord Commander Godefroy, current Grandmaster of the Knights (Counts As Lysander).
As the leader of the knights, the elite fighting wing of the Iron Phoenix Space Marine Chapter, he is on equal ground with Master Chaplain Fulcher and Master General Baldwin and second only to Chaptermaster Otho and the emperor himself.
Had a lot of fun sculpting this model, still a thing or two to solve. The halo was fun as was the loincloth (I think it's my first decent greening on a skirt), the shield (which but for the smaller central cross+skull, from the black templars sprue is all card and green) is also something i'm proud of. He still needs the rest of his armor to be etched and there are some regions still more or less unpainted...but he's getting there, about 60-70% done.


[img]Clerics of the Order (sergeants) with Brother Chaplain Balin.
To ensure the success of the knights in life and in death, they are always lead by the powerhouses, the clerics and chaplains of the most holy order. They are trusted to see that at the end, no battle brother's soul is left vulnerable to Chaos, and as such are well armed and armored so as to be the last of their group standing.[/img]


Most Noble Knights of the Order (Sergeants)
Having a lot of fun with these too, need a champion for sure asap. they need a little bit of de-chaosing in places, i just fell in love with the berserker box when it was released years ago (i think it was one of my first plastic kits). The balls and chains are in the process of becoming large censers and the heads are from Empire flagellates.

I like how you made the Stills they look awesome, I am quite curious to see where you take this ^___^

That is so awesome, I relly like this idea.

Nice.... Seriously these are some cracking ideas here mate, hold onto them and treasure them forever !

Loving the rotating stills, very professional

Look forward to seeing some more from you young man

Nice, keep up the good work

Definately ambitious

Reckon if you rigged some of your Most Nobles as Vanguards (even in Rhinos) your would get the best from them - looks like more than 1 relic blade there..

Some excellent painting and modelling on show here.Very nice work thus far,I really like the base idea of it all.The chapter master looks nice as well do the marine sergeants and such.Keep up the good work,I will be watching this one!

Yes, I suspect that very few games will see a benefit to having 2 relic blades in the honor guard, so these guys are likely to see combat as vanguard. I'm also toying with the idea of exchangeable jump pack for backpack on the running guy but i've never magnetized before....current backpack is just stuck in place (and falls off if i look at it too sternly )

This is well done, i would like to see a finished few squads put together.


i would watch out with the feathers thought, i just feel like they can like kinda absurd at times when they are the largest piece on the model, it seems to draw my eye from the model itself. Maybe on the termies, and the heroes feathers would be more interestingg

I LOVE where this is going. With all the heraldry in 40k, it's always nice to see a medievalist give it a go. The rolled headband and cloth hanging from the shoulders of that first marine immediately made me think of a houpeland and torque. I think I may have even spied a kettle helm w/ torque somewhere in there. Throw in some of those power-halberds... I like. I may have to look into Brettonian kits later on, once I've built up some basic sculpting and converting skills.

Oh, the power sword - It's a cool effect and one I haven't seen before (looks like watercolors), but I feel the white edge is too stark and covers too much of the tip. It just looks like empty space.

Fantastic work, all in all, and an inspiration for my own (hypothetical) future projects.

Sageheart - STOP posting in 'dead' threads.

Thread closed.