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The adventure continues!

What a year! I've graduated, got a job and accomplished many things that have nothing whatsoever to do with wargaming.

But that's not what you're here for. I'm happy to say that after a sizeable hiatus (during which I've been painting all sorts of exotic things which may be uploaded in a different thread), I have now finished two new Raven Guard units and got some considerable way through a third! I've also re-written the army list to make it work with more recent versions of Chapter tactics and done some work to update the painting on the older units.

So here we go, updates away!

Firstly, I have added recognition stripes to my Land Speeders:


And altered their colour scheme to bring them in line with a stronger overall theme for the army (the only colours I'm using now are black, white, yellow and green):


I've done the same with my first Tactical Squad, changing the colours slightly to make the army look more cohesive:


And I've changed all of the Sergeants' helms to be white, rather than red:

*Note that I've added individual stripes to the weapons. As far as I know there's no fluff basis for this, but it looked very cool in Forge World's Raid on Kastoral Novem book, and helps the Raven Guard stand out among the countless other black-armoured space marines.


These changes were made early on last year, but more recently I've also added two new units to the army. The first is a second tactical squad, which was really fun to build using the new kit, and has come out extremely well:


I've continued the trend of weapon stripes and white-helmed Sergeants here, as well as the limiting of colours. Having bright greens and yellows really helps the black look blacker, and creates a strong look for the whole army. I know that the 6th Company's colour is traditionally orange, but I've used some artistic license to shift the hue a bit, I think the effect is well worth it:


The second unit I've added is a Land Speeder Storm, which can ferry Scout Squads about, blinding the odd enemy units and delivering troops to objectives at the last minute. The kit is brilliant, by the way:


And from another angle:


And a shot of the passengers for good measure:

*The interior of the Speeder is fully painted. It didn't occur to me until I started gluing the passengers in that you'll hardly be able to see any of the interior detail. Still, at least I know it's all there.

And that's your lot for now. I'm only a few days away from finishing the next unit to be added, so expect another update before too long, along with details of how the army list has been re-written to accommodate the new rules.

Spiney out.

Amazing work! Great to see the Raven Guard getting some love, especially when the paintjob is so perfectly executed

The only criticism I have is that the bases are a bit dark, I think the marines would stand out a bit more if they were lighter

Excellent work!

 Ezra Tyrius wrote:
The only criticism I have is that the bases are a bit dark, I think the marines would stand out a bit more if they were lighter

I know what you mean. That's really more a matter of Dakka's auto-editing. It sharpens up detail and brightens things on the models themselves (which I like), but it makes the dark colours look a bit closer together. The bases are actually quite a bit lighter IRL. It's Charadon Granite, drybrushed Khemri Brown and Dheneb Stone.

As promised, I have an update.

In the past two weeks, I've finished two units, an unheard-of pace for me.

First, here's half of an Assault Squad. This is treated separately to the rest of the squad because it was a project in an of itself.


Rather than the boring old 'merrily jogging' poses we generally see with Assault Marines, these are posed to be lunging at the enemy with the aid of their jump packs...


...this was done using brass rod, Milliput and clump foliage, which was then painted to simulate the flame and smoke of a Jump Pack firing.


Here you can see the Marine's personal markings, as well as the Kastoral Novem campaign badge. This squad is painted as the 4th Squad of the 8th Company. The conversion work also serves as a fun way to tell the two Combat Squads apart, should I need to separate them.



Today I finished this. It's the Rhino for the first Tactical Squad and it matches the squad's markings, as well as bearing the same Company Colour. It also has the Kastoral Novem campaign badge on its rear right flank.


Most of the vehicle's Markings are transfers, but the large arrow on the roof hatch was done by masking off a shape when spraying on the basecoat.
Note that it also has the stripe on its weapon, echoing the theme of the rest of the army.


Finally, here's a shot of the Interior. I always try and paint the interior on my vehicles, it adds character and completes the paint job. I took my cue from Borderlands for the lights on the fronts of the lockers under the seating. Green means there's something stored in the locker, red means it's empty. This really helps add subtle colour to a model which would otherwise be monochrome. I like to strike a balance between a strong scheme and a range of colours, and the lack of yellow or black on the interior really helps to brighten the model overall.

Anyway, that's your lot for this week. I'll probably post another update in a couple of weeks, once I've had a chance to tackle the rest of the Assault Squad. I'll definitely get round to finalising the army list at some point, too.

I think this might be the final update of the summer, as I've now actually run out of Raven Guard to paint. I plan to get hold of a Predator at some point later in the year, but that'll only happen when I can afford it and when I've finished planning what it is I'm going to do with the kit.

In the meantime, here are the photos:


First, the second half of the Assault Squad. These marines aren't firing their Jump Packs, but are instead posed to be already in combat. Like the others, though, they all bear the markings of the 8th Company's 4th Squad.


This Combat Squad is lead by Veteran Sergeant Boreus, the 8th Company's foremost duellist and braggadocio. He is armed with a well-balanced Power Falcion, but frequently wields this alongside a long dagger which, while predominantly meant for parrying, can be a lethal and unexpected weapon in its own right.


Attached to Squad Boreus is Kubaryi, a Chaplain from the Raven Guard's Recclusiam. Though his strength is in the way he inspires his borthers, Kubaryi is not to be underestimated, as his ornate Crozius Arcanum is as fierce a weapon as one is likely to find, as well as being his Badge of Office.

As you can see, Kubaryi is converted from the Lord Executioner model. The only real conversion work was to replace the Captain's axe head with a banner top to act as the head of the Crozius Arcanum. The design is a departure from the established style, but I don't think there's any doubt about what this object is for.


I had to cut the transfer to make it fit around the braiding, and then fill in the gaps with white paint. I think the result is quite good. It's also worth noting the absence of the Kastoral Novem campaign badge on this model. Frankly, there wasn't any space for it, but then perhaps the Chaplain has only recently been attached to the army to keep moral up in the wake of that bloody defeat. We'll go with that.


There's really not much point to this image, I just thought you'd all like to stare at his arse for a minute.


I don't think it's usual for a Chaplain to wear the Crux Terminatus, but perhaps Kubaryi is particularly proud of his time in the 1st Company. I did enjoy painting the winged skulls on his Jump Pack.


Finally, here's a shot of the whole squad. They look quite menacing overall, and I must say that it's only when I see them like this that I realise just how bulky the Jump Packs are.



As promised, here's a quick breakdown of the updated Army List. There are two lists, covering different points values. The first is intended to get me playing games with this army nice and quick. It's not meant to be competitive by any stretch of the imagination, but the units should all work reasonably well together.

Raven Guard 1st, 6th, 8th and 10th Companies
Taskforce Korbijn
Combined Arms Detachment (Raptors Chapter Tactics)

[HQ] Steward Captain Edric Korbijn = 175
*Counts as Lias Issodon (IA9)*

[HQ] Codicier Ernaldus = 65
(Telepathy)

[ELITES] Squad Garrulus = 110
-5 Sternguard

[TROOPS] Squad Coroni = 180
-10 Space Marines
-Plasma Gun
-Missile Launcher
-Veteran Sergeant
[TRANSPORT] Rhino = 35

[TROOPS] Squad Mellori = 65
-5 Scouts
-Veteran Sergeant
[TRANSPORT] Land Speeder Storm = 40

[FAST] Squad Nasicus = 120
-2 Land Speeders
-Heavy Flamers
-Multi-Meltas

[FAST] Ephrenia = 130
-Stormtalon
-Typhoon Missile Launchers

[HEAVY] Enca = 125
-Predator Annihilator
-Lascannon Sponsons
-Storm Bolter


Strike Force Kubaryi
Allied Detachment (Raven Guard Chapter Tactics)

[HQ] Chaplain Kubaryi = 105
-Jump Pack

[TROOPS] Squad Orru = 155
-10 Scouts
-Camo Cloaks
-10 Sniper Rifles
-Veteran Sergeant

[FAST] Squad Boreus = 195
-10 Assault Marines
-Jump Packs
-Veteran Sergeant
-Power Sword

Total Points Cost = 1500
Total Model Count = 48
Total Expenditure = £275.20

As you can see, I've had to switch things about a bit, but overall I've been able to fit more units into this army following the almost universal price drops in the new codex. I know it's quite Character-heavy, as well, but there's nothing here I haven't got a use for and I'm quite happy with how the list plays.



Secondly, here's an expanded list which will take a bit longer to complete, but should cover me for bigger games:

Raven Guard 1st, 6th and 10th Companies
Taskforce Korbijn
Combined Arms Detachment (Raptors Chapter Tactics)

[HQ] Steward Captain Edric Korbijn = 175
*Counts as Lias Issodon (IA9)*

[HQ] Codicier Ernaldus = 90
-Mastery Level 2 (Telepathy)

[ELITES] Squad Garrulus = 110
-5 Sternguard

[ELITES] Venerable Brother Albicollis = 130
-Plasma Cannon
[TRANSPORT] Drop Pod = 35

[TROOPS] Squad Albus = 180
-10 Space Marines
-Plasma Gun
-Missile Launcher
-Veteran Sergeant
[TRANSPORT] Rhino = 35

[TROOPS] Squad Coroni = 180
-10 Space Marines
-Plasma Gun
-Missile Launcher
-Veteran Sergeant
[TRANSPORT] Rhino = 35

[TROOPS] Squad Mellori = 65
-5 Scouts
-Veteran Sergeant
[TRANSPORT] Land Speeder Storm = 40

[TROOPS] Squad Validus = 65
-5 Scouts
-Veteran Sergeant
[TRANSPORT] Land Speeder Storm = 40

[FAST] Squad Nasicus = 180
-3 Land Speeder Tornados
-Multi-Meltas
-Heavy Flamers

[FAST] Ephrenia = 130
-Stormtalon
-Typhoon Missile Launchers

[HEAVY] Enca = 125
-Predator Annihilator
-Lascannon Sponsons
-Storm Bolter

[HEAVY] Florensis = 125
-Predator Annihilator
-Lascannon Sponsons
-Storm Bolter

Total Points Cost = 1740
Total Model Count = 49
Total Expenditure = £336


Raven Guard 1st, 8th and 10th Companies
Strike Force Korvydae
Combined Arms Detachment (Raven Guard Chapter Tactics)

[HQ] Shadow Captain Korvydae = 155

[HQ] Chaplain Kubaryi = 105
-Jump Pack

[ELITES] Squad Tristis = 140
-5 Vanguard Veterans
-4 Power Swords
-1 Pair of Lightning Claws
-Jump Packs

[TROOPS] Squad Boreus = 195
-10 Assault Marines
-Jump Packs
-Veteran Sergeant
-Power Sword

[TROOPS] Squad Orru = 164
-10 Scouts
-Camo Cloaks
-9 Sniper Rifles
-Missile Launcher
-Veteran Sergeant

Total Points Cost = 759
Total Model Count = 27
Total Expenditure = £133.80

This second list is basically the same as the first, but with a few extra units to make it viable for higher points levels. I haven't got a schedule in mind for completing the larger list, but it should be done in the fullness of time, and the smaller list is very close to completion (with just the aforementioned Predator to go before it's done)..

So that's probably it for now. As I said, I may well get a Predator before too long, but you might consider this to be my last update for a while. That said, I can't possibly say what kind of whim will strike me in the coming months, so keep an eye out.

The Emperor Protects.

All looking good, love the duelling dagger and the converted Chaplain!

I'd love to see some full army pics of this lot!

That chaplain is looking epic, very nice work thus far. Keep up the outstanding work.
For the Emperor!

Despite not being the most well-off person right now, I've managed to get hold of every model I need to finish my Raven Guard! If things go well, I may have this army finished before the New Year. If not, I'll definitely have it done by Easter.

Dayyyum. Some seriously baddass looking raven guard you have there.

D

Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. Outstanding work

Thanks, chaps.

Right, first pictures of the birthday haul incoming!

Not strictly speaking part of the army, this month I've finished a Damocles Command Rhino. I'm a big fan of this model and I added this to my wishlist as soon as I saw that bloody stupid Command Vehicle twin pack GW did earlier this year.


Here you can see the vehicle's markings, showing that it's the 3rd vehicle of the command pool, and that it was present during the Raid on Kastoral Novem. There's also a short litany of devotion on the rear cooling unit.


On the vehicle's left flank is a large chapter symbol. The transfer had to be painted over; it was so large that being laid over a black field turned it a dull grey colour. I like the result, though.


Finally, a shot of the interior detail. This is what makes this one of my favourite Forge World models. The two crewmen actually have plastic heads, because I didn't want them to be identical. I've also painted their pauldrons with individual heraldry. On the other interior wall, not visible in this photo, the crew's helmets are stowed, and each also bears individual markings painted freehand.

I'm thinking I'll have to make another allied detachment to use this model, as its locator beacon only works for Teleporting models, not those arriving via jump pack or as flyers. Nevertheless, that's a job for another day. Next up is the first Predator, which should allow me to start posting battle reports for this army. Exciting stuff.

Amazing work, as always! The individual heraldry and the markings really bring these figures to life, makes me want to dust off all those transfers I've accumulated over the years

How do you paint the white parts by the way? They always looks so nice and clean

Very nicely done. I don't have the patience to paint the interiors of my vehicles. Excellent work.

 Ezra Tyrius wrote:
Amazing work, as always! The individual heraldry and the markings really bring these figures to life, makes me want to dust off all those transfers I've accumulated over the years

How do you paint the white parts by the way? They always looks so nice and clean

Thanks. It always pays to invest that bit of effort. The trick to nice, clean, seamless transfers is to apply them over gloss varnish, using a decal solvent (I use Microsol) to shrink them into the surface.

I always undercoat my models with matte grey (it sticks well to plastic, metal and resin alike and gives a smooth surface without influencing the colours), then I mask off the bits I want white before I spray on a black basecoat. The bits I left grey can then be layered up with thinned white.

Last update of the year!

I've now finished the second unit from my Birthday haul; a Predator Annihilator with Forge World armour upgrade.



As you can see, the Forge World bits make the whole vehicle look that bit bigger and more Tankish. One thing that bothers me about the basic Predator kit is that it is quite evidently a Razorback with a new haircut, so these extra bits help distinguish it from other Space Marine Vehicles. This also fixes another Predator Pet Peeve of mine which is that turret. The inward-sloping plate would just deflect incoming shells down into the turret ring, which at best would disable the main gun and at worse would kill the Commander!



From the other side you can see the identity markings, which show that this is the second vehicle of the third squadron (not the thirty-second tank as some people seem to think, I'm relatively sure most chapters have fewer than twenty Predators in total!). You can also see the crispness of the stripe (which was again achieved by masking the vehicle before the basecoat was sprayed on), as well as the large emblem shown on the front plate. The stripe motif was inspired by Force World's Raven Guard stuff, and makes the tank go faster!



Finally a shot from above. That front plate come from a Baal pattern Predator and was given to me by a good friend. It helps to further distinguish this tank from the Rhinos in my army. Thanks, Alistair.

Lovely tank. The extra armor makes a huge difference. I completely agree about the basic rhino hull pred; it just doesn’t feel like a tank. A new hat makes you AV13 up front? That’s one think I liked when assembling my vindicator. I felt like a tank. Nice to see a pred looking as solid.

Beautiful work on the vehicles, I do not envy you painting white over that black at all.

A very nicely themed army list as well, great stuff.

 Nevelon wrote:
Lovely tank. The extra armor makes a huge difference. I completely agree about the basic rhino hull pred; it just doesn’t feel like a tank. A new hat makes you AV13 up front? That’s one think I liked when assembling my vindicator. I felt like a tank. Nice to see a pred looking as solid.

I do like the Vindicator kit, it's just a shame that the rules let it down, unless you're playing very large games where squadrons of 3 are viable. They really need a price cut, and to have the Seige Shield grant +1 to armour on the front facing. Then you'll have a tank worth taking.

 Thraxas Of Turai wrote:
Beautiful work on the vehicles, I do not envy you painting white over that black at all.

A very nicely themed army list as well, great stuff.

Thank you for your kind words.

The white on this was actually rather easy, because I just put a spray of white down the middle once it was undercoated, then masked it off for when I sprayed on the black basecoat. The other tanks in the squadron will also have stripes in different styles.

The Predator looks gorgeous, it gives me some ideas for my UM Predator (well, the 2nd one since I already finished the 1st)

Just a quick update this, as I've only managed to do one model in the past month. You'll see why, though. This is one of my best paint jobs ever, and it's just got joint first in the local painting competition! I'm really happy with how it's turned out.

Around 990.M41, Korvydae commanded a force of Raven Guard brothers drawn from four companies, as well as the entire 181st Elysian Drop Troop Regiment, in an attempt to isolate and destroy Big Mek Buzzgob on Kastorel Novem. Despite admirable personal heroics on his part, Korvydae's raid resulted in the unnecessary deaths of 70 Brothers of the Raven Guard and more than 2,500 Elysian Guardsmen, and the loss of Kastorel Novem to the Orks. Since then, the Forsarr Sector has been all but completely claimed by the Greenskin hordes, leaving Deliverance itself open to attack. For his failures, Korvydae was sentenced by Master of Shadows Corvin Severax to a full two years of service in the Deathwatch,


Shadow-Captain Korvydae is the Raven Guard Master of Recruits, though he delegates many of his recruitment and training duties to his staff Sergeants (what an arse!). He prefers to be out for as much time as possible, leading a group of loyal raiders and saboteurs in daring guerilla campaigns.


I'm a big fan of this model. The pose is just perfect and the detail is brilliantly sharp. It was a joy to paint. Just try not to think about what the end of the haft on that hammer might be for...


That gold braid is just fantastic. It really conveys that this is a somewhat vain and arrogant sort of commander. Also, this is the first time I've applied a marble effect to an actual model (as opposed to the base). I think it's been really successful and this fellow will be taking pride of place among my Assault Marines.

That's all for now, but I've already started work on my next miniature, and this one is a real treat as well!

Woah, that's really good! I love how you've pulled off a sort of subtle marbly effect to the whites on the eagles - how did you do that? My only criticism would be that his head looks quite bright but i'm not sure if thats the image, the contrast on the armour or what, but let that detract from my compliments - all round he looks killer! Great work mate and congrats on the joint 1st

Really great stuff!

 lipsdapips wrote:
Woah, that's really good! I love how you've pulled off a sort of subtle marbly effect to the whites on the eagles - how did you do that? My only criticism would be that his head looks quite bright but i'm not sure if thats the image, the contrast on the armour or what, but let that detract from my compliments - all round he looks killer! Great work mate and congrats on the joint 1st

Thank you for your kind words. I did intentionally go rather pale on the skin. Korvydae is old and would therefore have paper-white skin due to the flaw in his gene-seed. That said, there's an awful lot of bloom on the image; the shadows on his face are a lot deeper IRL. I don't have my own light box and I can't afford a decent camera, so this is the best I can do. Thanks anyway.

Oh, the Marble effect was just done with a fine brush and some very thin paint. I just added a spot of grey to the white and sketched out the veins with it, then gradually darkened the tone and applied it in thinner and thinner lines. This was my reference: http://previews.123rf.com/images/mg1408/mg14081104/mg1408110400110/9225470-White-marble-texture-High-resolution--Stock-Photo.jpg

I just did the same in reverse for the black eagle on his left shoulder. It's an effect I used quite successfully on the bases of my Inquisitorial stuff (which I really must upload pictures of). I didn't give it a gloss coat on this occasion, though, because I didn't want it to end up looking wet. I think it's a bit too fine in the detail for a varnish to work properly.

Hot damn, this one was a treat to paint! I really bloody love Dreadnoughts. I know they're out of favour in competitive circles, but honestly I couldn't care less. These are fun units and this one in particular is really nice.

Presenting Venerable Brother Albicollis; a veteran of over three millennia of battle, Albicollis was interred within his MkIV Dreadnought's sacred sarcophagus in 741.M36 after he was bisected at the waist by an Ork Deff Dread. Since then Albicollis has become a true master of the Dreadnought's art of war, levelling mobile fire-power and terrific melée capability with consummate skill.


I'm tremendously happy with how this has turned out. The marble effect on the symbols and details continues from my experiment on Captain Korvydae and the chevrons make this a strongly-themed piece. I particularly like the Forge World MkIV Dreadnought Power Fist because it can be assembled in a closed, relaxed position.


A close-up of the detail on the sarcophagus. I wasn't sure whether to go for the RG Venerable or the regular MkVI Dreadnought (so I could really go to town on the freehand), but I'm glad I went with this. Incidentally, this model is also magnetised at the waist and shoulders, so the loadout can be changed and the fragile waist joint is less likely to snap.


Overall, this is probably one of my favourite models in my collection. The detail and paint-job have both come out incredibly well.

Anyway, that's your lot for now. Next up is a plain ol', boring ol' Rhino, which shouldn't take me too long at all.

Very nice work, that thing is awesome!

This one's been a long time coming. I got distracted by some Inquisition (which I promise I'll upload one day, but which for now can be found on my Deviantart Page), and was rather busy with work.

Anyway, here's the second Rhino, complete with its own tactical markings and freehand designs. I'm quite happy with how this has turned out, but there's not much to say about it, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking.





That's your lot for now. Next up is some Scouts, which shouldn't take too long (although I've said that before). In the meantime, I promise to start uploading some battle reports with this army. Now that I've got a fully-painted 1500pts, it should look quite good.

My suggestion for your pictures is to take them in a slightly lower-lighted setting if you can, and then fiddle with the brightness, shadows, or contrast in post using an image editor. Even if you don't have one, sites like picmonkey.com are easy to use and free.

The bright light, white background, and black paint are just too harsh of contrasts. But even with a decent phone camera, you should be able to get some decent results.

 Veteran Sergeant wrote:
My suggestion for your pictures is to take them in a slightly lower-lighted setting if you can, and then fiddle with the brightness, shadows, or contrast in post using an image editor. Even if you don't have one, sites like picmonkey.com are easy to use and free.

The bright light, white background, and black paint are just too harsh of contrasts. But even with a decent phone camera, you should be able to get some decent results.

Thanks for the advice. I am working on getting a new set-up, but funds and time are jolly short at the moment. Alas, I didn't really pick my phone for its camera, so it's less than ideal.I'll have something together soon.