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Brilliant tutorial! Also now I can point everyone who asks me to your blog

I've prolly praised your work enough, but I have a folder in my miniature folder on my mac called "Work of Internetpersonae". It very rarely gets a new subfolder with a name on it. Your one of 3 or 4 added in 08

Woah Migs, are you building up a database of rivals to strike down?

I'm not sure if I missed it, Apologist, but what did you say you used for the main body of the shoulderpads?

Cheers,

sA

Migsula wrote:I have a folder in my miniature folder on my mac called "Work of Internetpersonae". It very rarely gets a new subfolder with a name on it. Your one of 3 or 4 added in 08

I'm flattered! Long been a fan of your work – the TWAR is a fantastic blog, and I don't think I need to reiterate how awesome the Alpha Legion are. A particular mention has to go to The Shaddes offe Greye, too – the quality of the narrative, and the general inventiveness is a real spur to creativity. Thanks for all the inspiration.

SmilingAssassin wrote:I'm not sure if I missed it, Apologist, but what did you say you used for the main body of the shoulderpads?

I use Terminator shoulder pads – I simply cover the missing parts with plasticard strips, which also creates a rim like the power armoured versions. That said, you can also simply fill the gaps with putty, as shown on the next guy:


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Brother Vibius of the Locrians

According to an appended crys-stack from the Hypon Monolith, Vibius was reknowned for his mastery of ambush tactics, and is pictured here redeploying with his heavy weapon. The full weapon load of the plug-in would seem to indicate that his squad has not yet reached battle – though the heavy scoring on his chestplate makes it more likely that the cartridge has simply been replaced recently.

Dubbed the 'Iron Snake' by his brethren in honour of his fortitude and speed of striking from a hidden vantage point, Vibius is an reminder that heavy weapons bearers are not mere pack mules with a support role; but are every bit as well-trained and resourceful as their brethren.

Note the studded loincloth, indicating that Vibius has served as a dagogue (teacher) in the scout company – presumably passing on his knowledge of first strike tactics.


The Hammer-class missile launcher is a versatile weapon, able to fire a variety of missiles from super-Krak, frag, plasma, anti-plant and even more exotic munitions such as virus and vortex. In this case, a 'stinger' cartridge has been fitted. This block is locked into place on the barrel, and provides a multiple launch of micromunitions with limited auto-guidance and grav-suppression technology. It is extremely useful in engaging skimmer tanks or aircraft.

Once the cartridge is emptied, it can simply be popped off the launcher and regular usage resumed.


Early Astartes missile launchers were hampered by rate of fire issues. The characteristic pauldrons of the Astartes made shoulder-mounted equipment awkward to reload. This problem was ameliorated by the introduction of droprack magazines (which proved vulnerable to snipers and often misfed), accompanying heavy weapon troops with dedicated loaders (a waste of Astartes resources), and various other jury-rigged solutions during the early years of the Great Crusade.

Vibius is equipped with the latest mark IV armour (with the exception of the helmet), and the new backpack incorporates a servo-arm autoloader. This removes the traditional loading problem associated with Asartes weapons, and keeps the squad mobile and effective.


Vibius' heraldry shows a pun on his name. The voiced bilabial plosive 'b' had a voiceless plosive 'p' sound in historical Macraggian dialect, making it sound a little like 'viper'. The pun is reportedly rather strained, even to contemporary Macraggian ears.

The black field represents stealth or a sense of being hidden; while the white represents the heraldic element of silver or iron – perfectly suitable to the ambush predator tactics of Vibius.

migsula wrote:Brilliant tutorial! Also now I can point everyone who asks me to your blog

I've prolly praised your work enough, but I have a folder in my miniature folder on my mac called "Work of Internetpersonae". It very rarely gets a new subfolder with a name on it. Your one of 3 or 4 added in 08

Who else are in your miniature folder huh?

'The advantage must be pressed; disadvantage overcome. With the great Will of mankind at our head, how can we but succeed? Sons of Iax – advance!'

Brother Titus Dio of the Locrians

Replete with a complete set of Mark II crusade armour, and armed with combat blade and boltgun, Titus Dio regarded the Imperial Truth as his greatest weapon. Humble though puissant, Dio was one of the few who met the Remembrancer decree with open arms.


War is regarded as a noble and holy calling for the cultures on Iax, and this devotion is succoured by exposure to the Imperial Truth for those aspirants lucky enough to succeed in joining the Ultramarines.


Iax has a long tradition of trade with Macragge, and its peoples are ancient allies. Iaxian troops are sturdy, inventive and well-led, making them ideal as Imperial Army material. Exceptional subject are brought to the Ultramarines, and such is the richness of Iaxian vigour that many are made battle brothers.


Titus Dio's devotion to truth, expansion and the unification of mankind is expressed well by his pauldron, which use a white flash to represent expansion and a black star to represent the inviolable truth, overlaid on a red field symbolising warfare.

Meditation Notes
The Apocrypha of Davio is a crumbling pile of parchment, ill-bound and stained by time and numberless autodigits. It provides a priceless glimpse into an age of heroes, and is now stored in a stasis-vault, accessible only to the Chapter Master of the Mentors, and by dint of long tradition, the Chief Librarians of the Imperial Fists, Crimson Fists, Angels of Absolution and the Patriarchs of Ulixis.

Alongside its mouldering pages are the Meditation Notes of Mygsulon Iophon, one of Guilliman's veterans – who became the First Chapter Master of the White Consuls. Perfectly preserved on luminoparchment, these are believed to have been etched over a number of campaigns.

The origin of Meditation notes is unknown, though archeotechnicians now generally agree that the practice stems from an old Macraggian custom. It certainly sprung to prominence among the Ultramarines once joined by the Primarch, and all of Iophon's meditation notes represent quotations attributed to Guilliman himself. They are generally recorded in High Gothic, though the largest and best-known is recorded in Demotic Macraggian, a primitive and ugly tongue that has since died out.


One of the best-known of Guilliman's teachings, this note refers to 'bright pinions' or 'shining wings' (depending on the translator's idiom-matrix), and popular myth attributes it to the Lion's Paw Campaign, taken on Moracre. This was certainly when Iophon became an officer in the newly-formed jump-troop formations. Known as Raptors in their legion of origin (the Night Lords), jump-troops were titled 'Pinions' or simply 'Assault Troops' – among other names – in the Ultramarines.

However, it seems likely that this is simply a myth – the immunoparchment STC, which provided nigh-indestructible papyrus was not discovered until much later in the Great Crusade. Almost all meditation notes were etched into leather before this point.

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A common meditation on the care of arms and armour – and the battlegear of the dead – this note is enshrined in the Codex Astartes, and is a perfect example of how a phrase from the Primarchs echoes through the ages.

Guilliman was a visionary. A humble man – if such he can be described – Guilliman was aware of his strengths and shortcomings, and also those of mankind in general. A harsh realist, Guilliman was heard to refer to a 'terrible truth of the future'. It is believed that this emerged in consultation with a mysterious third party; all records of whom have been chrono-sealed or deleted. This iron belief led Guilliman to order his Librarius division to collate his teachings, along with those of his brother-Primarchs, in a text known as the Meditatio Belli; or 'Considerations in War'.

Knowing that a proscriptive military primer would be useless as a martial aid, this slim volume was a collection of musings, thoughts and rhetorical questions from the Primarchs; which was meant to encourage the troops and officers under their command to exercise their military minds in considerations of hypothetical situations.

This tome formed the basis of the lost Guilliman Codex, and later the Codex: Astartes, generally regarded as Guilliman's magnum opus. The fact it is still referred to ten thousand years later is a mark of how influential this book became – and how much foresight Guilliman had.

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The Meditatio Belli was issued to all officers – and later to every member of the fratry (as the Ultramarines referred to themselves). Guilliman was sternly against any secrecy, but aware of the needs of men to feel bound by ritual, he encouraged his men to regard the Meditations as spiritual tools, and to use their enscribing as a ritual to bind brothers to brothers regardless of rank – in much the same way as the Luna Wolves, Word Bearers and other traitor legions allowed secret lodges to be formed in their midst.

The meditations thus contain numerous references to the holiness of the Imperial Truth; a precursor to the Right and Dignified worship of the Emperor in this more enlightened Millennium. Rather than regarding the Emperor as a God, as we do, men of the Heresy era regarded him merely as a man – an incomparable and god-like man, but a man.

This note, which rubricises the Emperor's name, is a good example of this:


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As well as the Primarchs, Guilliman sought tactical and strategic considerations from the greatest generals, philosophers and thinkers of the day – Sephran Maul, Ambian Freed, Al'Rhamen Al'Singh, Lo Mang Shut, Decimus Burton, and the Decapotsle Sciemon of Mars.



Notable by their absence are direct notes from the Emperor (though his words are quoted numerous times by the Primarchs; particularly by Dorn, Guilliman himself, and Lorgar) and the youngest Primarch, Alpharius. Guilliman's relationship with his youngest brother was always tempestuous; the stern, open and unremitting Primarch finding his brother's secrecy and mercurial nature infuriating and naive – while Alpharius, for his part, famously condemned Guilliman as 'hide-bound and ultra-orthodox'.

Their initial meeting was open. Horus presented Alpharius to Corax and Guilliman at the Court of the Crimson King, an Eldar petty monarch whose subjects had defied the Raven Guard's Expeditionary Fleet and been destroyed by a combined force of Ultramarines, Luna Wolves and Raven Guard in the Lion's Paw Campaign.

Unbeknownst to both, Alpha Legion cells had infiltrated the Eldar defences, and prised them open on a signal from Alpharius – a gift to Corax and Guilliman as a sign of the Alpha Legion's willingness to work alongside the older legions. Guilliman was favourably impressed, and praised Alpharius' ability to trick the notoriously elusive Eldar – but Corax raged at the losses sustained by his Legion. If Alpharius had infiltrated the Eldar bastions, why had he not simply brought the Eldar to battle?

Stunned by Corax's hostility, Alpharius sought Horus and Guilliman's support. It is unfortunate that Corax, Guilliman and Horus were not closer. Guilliman and Horus had always had a cold respect for each other's very different abilities, and both had a tenuous relationship with the brooding and private Corax. The Raven Guard's request for aid from the Ultramarines and Luna Wolves had come at a critical time, and both Horus and Guilliman were aware that they risked losing their brother Corax forever if they did not support him – a decision that weighed heavily on Alpharius. Accusing Guilliman and Horus of cowardice, and spitting at Corax's feet, Alpharius turned on his heel and strode out.

Alpharius's withdrawal from the brotherhood was signicant. The seeds of bitterness were sewn, and he even withdrew somewhat from Horus, the only Primarch to whom he could ever have been described as close. He refused all requests from Guilliman to support his fleet; rejected offers of aid from the Ultramarines; and set out on a competitive and ambitious campaign through the north of the galaxy.

Guilliman and Alpharius' relationship never recovered from this rocky start; Alpharius unwilling to trust Guilliman, and Roboute becoming more and more dismissive of his younger brother.

Brother Kaeso, the Half-Hundred, of the Ciconians

Brother Kaeso was the last of the honoured Half-Hundred; a group of Astartes believed to be the first elevated to the Phratry after Guilliman's union with the Legion. Stern, uncompromising and a fine leader of men, Kaeso served under Sergeant Mox as the Ciconian's second-in-command squad leader. Gassed by Hrud in the Moor campaign, Kaeso wears a permanent osmotic gill, preventing him wearing a standardised helmet.


His heraldry symbolises purity of purpose (the white field) surmounted by clarity of duty (the red chevron). Allied to the chevron are three black inverted omegas, symbolising the three cardinal virtues of Macragge: Courage, Honour and Brotherhood.


Having seen battle in a number of theatres and campaigns, Kaeso was a grizzled veteran. He served as the company's warrant officer, ensuring discipline was maintained at all times, and standardised equipment was kept up to his exacting standards. Line Astartes commonly held ranks such as these, assisting the qualified specialists wherever possible to create as much redundancy and flexibility as possible. Calthans were traditionally noted to make good assistants for techmarines, while Astartes from Macragge were noted as fierce disciplinarians and terrifying fighters.


These pict-captures show Kaeso striding forward. Note the standardised equipment he carries: two large pouches held at right rear, each containing four sickle clips; one small pouch at front right containing the coin-sized frag and krak grenades, and a larger super-krak grenade above that. Other equipment, such as nutri-fuel and glucozade technical water, is stored in hip storage or in the backpack.

The Vae Victus
With the outlying asteroids subdued, listening posts silenced and three worlds brought to compliace, the Praetors of Calth pushed in-system in a direct challenge to the orks. Unable to detect the ork fleet through a system-wide jamming, Orpheus hoped to force the system into compliance by decapitating the ork leadership – literally!

The Chapter Master adopted a complex five-point assault on the orks: a holding force led by Tactitus Orar would secure the compliant worlds Walsh and Buckley's Folly from counter-strikes; while Lieutenant Avulus led a company of Ultramarines and supporting units from the Calth Expeditionary Force in a strike against Gulskar to draw out the orks' piquet line, and encourage the ork warlord to centralise his fleet in an invasion force. In essence, Orpheus planned to trick the orks into thinking the Marines had finally grouped together and landed somewhere they could be brought to battle.



Once the ork fleet was pulled away from Hypon, the the Battle Barge Pro Merito would lead the fleet into a space battle with the enemy, while the Strike Cruiser [i]Vae Victus and the Frigate [/i]Courageous Blow would emerge from the shielding of the Maganellic disturbance corewards of the system. This force would drop a small force onto Hypon itself, then push on to Gulskar where Orpheus and the bulk of the Praetors would engage the depleted orks in a groundwar; crushing the battlehungry beasts on the anvil of Avulus' dug-in brethren.

Orpheus' plan rested on the marines deployed on Hypon rupturing the atomic stack that was clouding the Imperial fleet's sensors, allowing the vastly superior Ultramarines fleet to finally detect, engage and destroy the ork ships.


This pict-capture shows the detonation of the atomic stack, captured on Recon Sergeant Telcion's helm-log.

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Unfortunately, intelligence had underestimated the size of the ork groundforce, and Lieutenant Avulus' position was in danger of being overrun days before Orpheus' force would arrive. In desperation, Orpheus deployed a strike force onto the Vae Victis and undertook an in-system warp jump to Gulskar. Deploying directly into battle via Stormbird, Orpheus depleted force harried the ork lines from behind, successfully splitting the ork front in two – an event that allowed the bulk of the Praetors a vital entrance when they deployed thirty-eight hours later.

The ork force was crushed between the three forces, though Avulus' command was reduced to a mere twelve marines – and the Lieutenant himself was interred in the Dreadnought suit Gloriam Est following the battle.

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With the death of Warboss Wortsnaga Grimshank at Orpheus' hands, ork resistance crumbled. Their armies were in disarray across the system, and proved easy pickings for the Calthan Army regulars and Ultramarines.

Still, the ork armada remained a sizeable threat, and the capable admiral Skabzod was putting up a decent fight, launching punishing salvoes against the 12th Expeditionary fleet that tore apart the Frigates Star of Iax and a number of escorts.

At the height of the battle, the Vae Victus, still undermanned and underpowered from the strain of the in-system warp translation, powered in close and launched a point-blank torpedo spread that buckled and finally crippled the ork's flagship, the Snarling Toof.


Artwork by Andy Walsh; used without permission. But ain't it cool?

This final strike finished the ork's willingness for the engagement, and dealth a fatal blow to orkoid rule in the Hypon system. Systemwide clearance would take a further three months, but this two-week battle is the shining light in the Praetor's drive for system-wide compliance; and was later enshrined in the Codex: Astartes.

The amount of detail going into these is astounding -- each marine has his own story, heraldry, background. It's how it's meant to be done, mate.

sA

I remember people here mentioning that the blogs should inspire each other...lets hope to see more people here inspired to start projects such as these!

Here's some fluff on Calth (thought I'd flesh it out a bit to give me a handle on the Ultras and get some ideas and inspiration flying about).

Calth
Calth is part of Ultramar, the Ultramarines Empire, and one of its most productive worlds. It is a verdant and fairly populous world, its surface covered in rich and varied terrain. It has an overall mild climate a few degrees cooler than Ancient Terra, and a gravity slightly higher owing to its larger mass. Owing to a particularly stable orbit, seasonal changes in weather are slight, and crops and agriculture are grown steadily throughout the year.


Orbital pict-capt of Calth

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The inhabitants are reknowned for their parsimony and level-headedness, and operated in much the same way for thousands of years before their rediscovery by the Imperium. Slightly shorter than galactic average, and typically endomorphic in build, Calthans exhibit moderate genetic diversity. Most inhabitants have dark, almost black, irises; and have a ruddy, olive skintone. Dark, tightly-curled hair is the norm, though the planet has alos produced an extremely unusual genotype with violet-blue eyes and near-white hair. Beyond this, incidences of mutation are low, and psychic phenomena are virtually unknown.


Typical Calthan complexion

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Roughly seventy per cent of the planet's denizens live in secondary agrarian settlements, while the remaining urbanites drive scientific research; a profession for which many show a particular aptitude. Government has varied, but the great Techniclans dominated pre-Imperial leadership, and their respect for machinery and natural resourcefulness, inventiveness and industry tends to make for excellent recruits for Techmarine aspirants.

The planet is also known for its orbital shipyards, which provide the craft used by the Ultramarines, as well as civil and military craft for wider use in the Imperium. The Techniclans of Calth make excellent and advanced weaponry, their scientific drive matched only by the outputs of their manufactories. Their weapons, armour and equipment make up much of the XIII Legion's materiel for the Great Crusade.


Calth-pattern Bolt Pistol. Note reduced height and weight compared to typical Terran-pattern.

On a broader scale, Calth make an excellent recruitment ground for the Ultramarines legion. Calthan Ultramarines tend to exhibit the same conservatism as their gene-folk, and rarely progress to high leadership positions, unlike the more creative and strategically-minded Iaxians, or the resourceful inhabitants of Parmenio and Espandor.

Nevertheless, numerous excellent line officers and infantrymen have been drawn from Calth, and its soldiery are known for their stubbornness and faith in the Imperial Truth.

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Sergeant Santiagon of the Apaesians [Calthan Extraction]:

This pict-capture documents the execution of Dregsnaga Wortgutz, a relatively minor ork personality who had been placed in charge of the enslaved populace of Scythia, Hypon's third largest continent.



Santiagon is marked out as a sergeant by a number of details. Wreathed shoulder trims were a common marker of status at this time, and the Iron Halo honorific – a red skull – is shown as part of his tactical markings on his left shoulder pauldron and on his backpack.


He has also incorporated a red halo into his personal heraldry, which combines the blue and white of the Legion with the halo of Calth.



Pattern baldness is common amongst Astartes due to the effects of Larraman's cells on hair follicles. Proof of his Calthan heritage is drawn from his pure iron service stud (other worlds in Ultramar utilise other materials for such honorifics), and also the skull wreathed by the Wings of Ultramar (a winged inverted omega) on his chestplate.

My hats off to you sir. I love the hobby but am terrible about sitting down and painting my miniatures. You have inspired me to go home and dig out my guys to start working on them. I have a question for you about the purity seals and motivational banner pieces I see you doing. For the detail, I assume they are normal sized; how do you translate the latin, internet or do are you fluent?

Thanks

Cpt. Rex

Look out hun the kitchen table is about to be invaded!

another questiong regarding your minis (sorry about C&C but they are just too cool) how do you create those helmets? GS?

Gutteridge wrote:another questiong regarding your minis (sorry about C&C but they are just too cool) how do you create those helmets?

Yep. Here's a tutorial:
Magos Apologist’s Mark II (Macragge variant) helm tutorial

You will need:
Sculpting tool – I use a GW metal sculpting tool
Sculpting putty – I use ProCreate, but this works nicely with Greenstuff, too.
One or more Space Marine heads – Virtually any kind with a grille will work.
Clippers
Vaseline or equivalent

You may find useful:
Clay shapers – I use a size 1 chisel and size 1 point, available from Heresy miniatures.
Paperclip and pin vice
Tiny screwdriver with a flat head.

1: Sit comfortably, give praise to the Machine God thrice, and mix your modelling putty. I use equal parts of each colour.

2: Pick up your modelling knife and carefully trim away the cables from the side of the helmet. Work right back to the ‘earpieces’ of the helmet, and ensure the front of the earpieces is flat (i.e. you’ve created a box shape).


3. Put your clippers on either side of the grille and trim it off.


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Tip
At this point, you may wish to drill a hole in the neck with a pin vice and secure the helmet temporarily to a paperclip. You can then hold the paperclip and avoid touching the putty as you work. I’ve smooshed a good couple of these accidentally while I’ve been working!
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4. Anoint your sculpting tool with a touch of sacred machine oil (Vaseline will do in a pinch). Put a small piece of modelling putty in the centre of the face as shown, and use your modelling tool to scrape the top part into a rough line the same width as the ridge on top. Join the modelling putty with the ridge.


5. Carefully flatten the ridge, then rub the putty into a ridge on the faceplate. Use short, gentle strokes of the tool to ensure you get a smooth surface.


6. Trim away a small piece of putty on the lower left and right of the faceplate, turning the putty blob into a rough cross (+) shape as shown. I gently press the spatula end of the sculpting tool into the recess to ensure a perfect curve every time.


7. Smooth the putty away from the central ridge once more, using hardly any pressure. This stage should gradually pull the new facemask into a perfect shape, so take your time and work gently until you are happy with the shape. Finally, use the pointed end of the tool (or one of those tiny screwdrivers) to make two small hollows for eyes on either side of the face ridge.


8. Leave the putty to cure for at least three hours (preferably overnight), and secure to your miniature.


9. Paint it. Because this is such a small area, it makes a good space to try a simple but effective non-metallic metal technique. The ridge makes it very easy. Simply paint one half of the faceplate and the ridge yellow, and the other half of the faceplate dark brown. Add brown to the yellow and shade the yellow side; and add yellow to the brown and highlight the brown side.


Hope that helps!

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CaptainRexKrammer wrote:My hats off to you sir. I love the hobby but am terrible about sitting down and painting my miniatures. You have inspired me to go home and dig out my guys to start working on them.

Glad I could pass on the inspiration that I've got from everyone else in the hobby! Good luck, and post those piccies when you're done.

I have a question for you about the purity seals and motivational banner pieces I see you doing. For the detail, I assume they are normal sized; how do you translate the latin, internet or do are you fluent?

Internet translators are useful to get the basics (especially if you're doing long screeds!), but yep, I did read Latin at A-Level. I'm definitely a bit rusty, however, so if any of your relatives went to school in the 50s, get them to check it!

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Young Holion

Holion is the most recently admitted member of the Speculatores to the Phratry. His youthful appearance and lack of experience has earned him the nickname 'Young Holion', despite being nearly thirty standard years – twice the age of many of the aspirants.
Valorous, energetic and faithful to the Imperial Truth, Holion is clearly marked for greatness...


A native of the ocean-world of Talassar, Holion's pad bears three interesting notes: the Star of Destiny, reserved for the best Academy Graduate of the year; the white on blue Legion symbol, indicating humility and a sanguine nature; and the red and white chequers of the House of Rubr.

Cassie, refugee

The Hypon campaign was hard-fought, and in bringing the enslaved worlds to compliance, the Twelfth expedition found humans willing to fight with and against them. Against this backdrop of war, many hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced or even fired upon. Cassandra Clynna Rhodes was a typical inhabitant of the city Hubris on Hypon Inferior, a city largely destroyed by Resistance artillery over the course of a month.

Firefights raged between the Calthan regiments of the Imperial Army and the Ork-funded Hypon Inf. Resistance in the ruins, and thousands of families were herded back to Imperial lines. The Rhodes family were unfortunate enough to be hemmed into the park districts when the ork counter-assault came, and all but Cassie were killed. It took a strikeforce of Astartes to break the deadlock – and Young Holion was honoured by his daring rescue of the sole survivor; ensuring her survival and return to the Remembrancer Lucion Stilldon for care.

Hopefully Holion's weird pose now makes sense – herding this cool little sculpt behind him for protection. In making the Ultramarines, I was a bit stuck for how to characterise them – 'Average Space Marine' isn't exactly an image that sticks in your mind. Aggressive chapters like the Blood Angels and World Eaters look great with angry action poses like throttling people, but more 'humane' chapters like the Salamanders and Ultramarines are tough to come up with poses that look cool but also say something about them.

I was really struggling and then thought 'What's more heroic than saving a little orphan from danger?', which is where this idea came from. Anyway, I really wanted to use this sculpt (from Hasslefree) somewhere. Hope you like how it's turned out – I do! Keep an eye out for Cassie in the later campaigns – I think you'll like the little story arc from orphan to Remembrancer I've got in the back of my head, which should help me work out how the Remembrancers interacted with the Crusade.


Close-up – I was pleased with how her face turned out: more curious about the battle than frightened, but still looking a bit nervous!

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Anyway, enough tiny people; more giant ones!
Brother Iophilus of the Ciconians

Armed with the indefaticable Mark I boltgun and equipped with Mark III Ferrum armour powered by the bulky Terran Mark I backpack, Iophilus cuts a striking figure, typical of the courageous and aggressive Ciconians.


A Talassarian, Iophilus honours Guilliman with the red and white section of his heraldry, held above all; Calth with the Blue and Black section, at the rear of his armour as a symbol of protection; and Talassar with the Blue and White section, held forward with pride.

Young Holion & Cassie: genius.

One tends to forget the trillions of Lives of the Imperium, non-military.

Hmm.

sA (Has an Idea.)

Very nice exellent work.I really like Holion and cassie but my fav is Vibius.

Your poses are fantastic. It really brings the characters to life even without the thought out back stories.

I love these guys and wish I could pull something like this off.

Ghost in the Darkness wrote:I love these guys and wish I could pull something like this off.

What's stopping you? As some of us already discussed in another thread here, this place should inspire people. Why not give it a shot? Practise makes perfect! Apologist posted a tutorial on how to make the marines so there is a start!

Fantastic paint job on the little girl being protected. And a really cool concept too~!

Thanks for all the comments, guys – and I can't encourage you enough to have a go: it's not as hard as it looks!

I've been having some troubles with a recalcitrant Machine Spirit (bandwidth issues), so if you can't see the piccies, I've added a clickable link.

Anyway, I finished Orar, so thought I'd post up some piccies and tie together some background threads – explaining why the Praetors of Calth became the Praetors of Orpheus, and how Orar ties into the Sons of Orar.

Orpheo Tacitus Orar

http://picasaweb.google.com/PCRCApologist/Ultramarines?feat=directlink#5322225195281123154
Orpheo Tacitus Orar, Knight Champion of Macragge, Beloved of All, Triumphant of Hypon, Chapter Master of the 15th. This idealised pict-capture – probably intended for propaganda purposes – shows Orar leading the way into battle, unhelmeted and grand. Note the cape buckle on his right shoulder, a boon from Fain Valin, the previous incumbent of the Chapter Master position.

Orar is wearing heavily modified Mark III Archaon-pattern armour, with reinforcements over many of the areas proven more vulnerable. His helmet, cradled in his hand, bears the 'Wolf Crest', an unusual choice for a Chapter Master, as this merely indicates sergeant-level privileges. Orar's humility was so great that it is known even today – it was a trait which encouraged huge loyalty and good regard among his men; and forms an important part of the 'Saga of Orpheus': a cycle of tales told across Ultramar. Such was Orar's battle prowess and keen wit that it is near-impossible to tell myth from reality.


http://picasaweb.google.com/PCRCApologist/Ultramarines?feat=directlink#5322225205658169378
This pict-capture shows a unique artefact: the aegis aeternum. The aegis generates an arced plasma-field that intercepts and destroys incoming solid shells.

This portable field generator has been modelled in the form of a wrist-mounted eagle; perhaps a reference to Orar's noble birth. Orpheo was a petitioner – one of the rare youths of Macragge who earned the right to Astartes Trial by outwitting an Ultramarine.

Over his cloak, Orar is wearing the hide of a Nemean Lion, a dangerous predator native to Iax, with a haunting and pervasive scent.


http://picasaweb.google.com/PCRCApologist/Ultramarines?feat=directlink#5322225216919028850
Shown here is Orar's personal heraldry; a red Omega on a white field. When Orpheo eventually fell, during the events of The Scouring, this cape was used as his funeral shroud. So beloved was the Chapter Master that he gave name to two Chapers: The Praetors of Orpheus and the Sons of Orar.

With their traditional recruiting ground dangerously irradiated from the Word Bearer's treacherous assault on Calth, the Fifteenth's new leader elected to rename the Chapter, combining their ancient honoric with the name of their fallen leader. They also took a new homeworld, renaming that Orpheus – after the transliteration of the Macraggian 'Orpeho' to the High Gothic 'Orpehus'.

The Praetors of Calth, veterans all, inverted their colour scheme at this point, changing from royal blue with white trim to white with sky blue trim; indicating a rebirth of honour, and a new beginning as the Praetors of Orpheus.

The Sons of Orar were formed much later, during the fourth founding, from a core of the Praetors. Numbering less than thirty, this group of veterans was placed in charge of over nine hundred recruits, and commanded to train them in the image of 'noble Orar', regarding him as their founder, patron and father. Volcatius, the first Chapter Master, chose Orar's heraldry as their Chapter symbol, and commanded that the Sons would wear red in perpetuity.


http://picasaweb.google.com/PCRCApologist/Ultramarines?feat=directlink#5322225224987147074
A plasma-caster, crafted by Polonin, Master of the Forge, is holstered on Orar's right hip, and below this is the army badge, emblazoned on his hipguard.

Note the engraved meditation notes on the lower guard on his right leg. Orar was devoted to Guilliman, and contributed many valuable notes to the Codex: Astartes.

...and another shot, showing him leading his troops into battle, to give you an idea of scale. I'm pleased with how he's come out.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mswOuTRQen6sFTi4G-u-hQ?feat=directlink

Man...their so...awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Great piece, great background. Nicely done indeed Apologist, nicely done.

Funnily enough, I did the same reasoning with my Scythes of the Emperor force back in 1997. Because the Chapter was virtually wiped out, my small band of survivors, unsure if they were all that were left, began anew with adjustments to the armor scheme in remembrance of the Fall of Sotha.

..in plain English, painting a yellow torso with only black limbs (Original Scheme) was well, boring. So I 'blinged' it up a bit.

I really do enjoy your fiction, I have to say.

~ Tael.

man, is it okay to use your method, its simple and really effective, it may look similar but different in multiple levels (blood raven scheme for example). i really like the amount of effort you have put into these minis, it makes me funny inside but, you have actually make ultramarines cool O.O!

10/10

Shas'El Tael wrote:Great piece, great background. Nicely done indeed Apologist, nicely done.

Funnily enough, I did the same reasoning with my Scythes of the Emperor force back in 1997. Because the Chapter was virtually wiped out, my small band of survivors, unsure if they were all that were left, began anew with adjustments to the armor scheme in remembrance of the Fall of Sotha.

..in plain English, painting a yellow torso with only black limbs (Original Scheme) was well, boring. So I 'blinged' it up a bit.

I really do enjoy your fiction, I have to say.

~ Tael.

Got pics?

I want to see the Lord Macragge, himself Marneus Calgar in this style. Plz do it, if not for then for the children, do it for them.

I love the classical influences of the model: the pose just ripe for a statue, the shortened gladius-like sword, and the helmet.

Nice.

sA

All I can say is,AWESOME!!!!

What gorgeous additions! Even stuff I haven't seen before.

Drool! We now need a full family pic!!