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PREAMBLE:
This is my rather large and meandering blog of the last 8 years. For a while I've working on painting up minis and scenery for Knight's Batman and DC Universe Games, with occasional FFG X-Wing, some Mantic Dreadball teams and The Walking Dead: All Out War, gangs for the excellent Street Wars NYC from my pals at funkyskullgames... and of late, the obligatory return (again) to WH40k .

My 2017 review thread is here:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/8190/300224.page#9749057
It's as good a place as any to catch up and/or start

So, after a decade away from wargaming, I came back via 40k...

MENTOR LEGION.
So I'm thinking of building a small force of Mentor Legion to go alongside my guard (http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/269549.page). I've picked up a pile of 30-odd metal mk7 bodies and about a dozen termies which seems like a reasonable starting point:

Not being very strong in my fluff-fu, I'd appreciate input as I go along with this. From the modelling side of things, I'm debating sculpting the shoulder pads, and possibly even casting them, though the latter would be entirely new for me. Someone over a BolS has made up a printable transfer sheet for them, though I'm loathe to use transfers as a rule.

Am I nuts to consider this? Would I be better painting all/some of the insignia? I know this isn't technically a P&M blog yet - but bear with me!

I reckon the owl logo is paintable if you mark out the points, connect the lines and then fill in.

I have a squad of Mentor Legion painted up to go with my Blood Angels, but I haven't yet done the logos myself. :s

Right, apologies for dodgy image quality: wife's camera. Nevertheless, you can see it in (almost) all of its glory: my first test shoulder pad.
C&C wanted folks!


I wanted to retain the feel of the original but update for a Mk7/contemporary grimdark look. My feeling is that the boss with the eagle might be slightly too raised and that maybe the owl's head should be sunk into the penant. The penant itself could stand to be slightly larger, but I wanted to leave room for a bit of scrollwork underneath. I'm not particularly up for doing a separate piece of scroll work for tactical/tutors and elite, thinking maybe use empire laurel wreaths on the left shoulder for elites (though I could do an owl's head in one). As you can see by the fact that I've not done it, I'm not even sure I want a piece of scroll at the bottom, although without it does look a little "top-heavy" just now.

I'm also wondering whether to cast this (or a finalised version), or sculpt each, or (and this is what I lean towards) press mould the eagle and sculpt the penant each time. With the casting option, would I be as well approaching someone like Chapterhouse to do it for me? Thoughts?

Cheers folks!

Looks good! I can't see the detail much because of the pic quality but it looks pretty well detailed!

Given how many you'll want and the possibility of terminators and chest plates etc. Perhaps asking chapterhouse might be an idea?

If your looking for pads from the UK, im currently putting together a line of custom parts, i could add the pads to my list.

Oh and go all owl, no eagles, no 'background pennant', just the owl head.

Hits_the_spot wrote:If your looking for pads from the UK, im currently putting together a line of custom parts, i could add the pads to my list.

As in you sculpting, or you adding my pitiful effort with your parts line (if so feels humble)?

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Oh and go all owl, no eagles, no 'background pennant', just the owl head

I'm inclined to agree, it does look at little cluttered. I'm working on a stylised owl to replace the chest boss/aquilla head on torsos, too. I meant to buy batteries for my camera today, totally failed to do so, will try to get better pics out of wife's camera.

Yeah, I'm thinking that greenstuffing and casting for yourself is a lot of hard work, especially given how the army may/will grow over the years.

I was very impressed with chapterhouse's mantis, scarab etc just recently and think they'd save you a lot of effort + can do rhino and LR doors, terminator and officer shoulders and so on.

Also keeping it to just the Owl, minus pennant and or the eagle icon will keep it sharp and clear.

the banner and other stuff was common back in Rogue Trader era, just go straight up owl head. What about using something already and modifying it to be the owl, like lets say the Raptor head (sideways though) and filling in with GS what you need to make the owl?

I agree though, getting chapter house to make some would be the easiest way.

I would convert as much as possible the weaponry. Make man-portable lascannons with tons of extra wiring and so on, add scopes to every bolter where possible, different turret and sponson layouts on vehicles, since they are the testing grounds of the Astartes. weapon mounts in the wingtips of speeders.. you get the idea.

Erm...or you could just buy Mentor pads from GW?

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat300004a&prodId=prod1570003

Anyways, the Mentor Legion are pretty cool, Will look forward to seeing them take shape!

Found this for you re fluff stuff http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Mentor_Legion. I think Forge World do bits for Mentor Legion. Hope you find this useful.

Cheers for the links guys. I don't really like the gw mentor pads: they're raptors, not owls. Like the ideas on scopes etc; I was intending to give assault marines auspexes as teleport/time shifters rather than jump packs, thoughts?

I think some form of backpack/body harness would be better, principally since auspexes take up a hand.

Perhaps have the operator consol on the forearm like a Predator's...

I had never heard of the mentor legion except a passing name in a book or something. They actually sound pretty cool. You should have one named Archimedes saying, "who who? what what?"

@Maj. Winters: Tee-hee!

inmygravenimage wrote:Cheers for the links guys. I don't really like the gw mentor pads: they're raptors, not owls.

You do realize that owls ARE considered raptors, yes?

Yes, sorry, as in Raptor, not raptor. It's all very hawk and eagle, not very owl.

Anyway, here's a version without penant:

This was fairly quick and dirty, obviously top-right corner needs fixed. Still, a better image. Possibly standing a little too prominent on the pad though.

Looking far more iconic than the previous one. Detail isn't that clear from the pic but looking far better.

Didn't the Mentors change to a red Eagle head in the newest codex?

I'd go with the owl, regardless. Especially since the name is probably an allusion to the Odyssey. Athena, goddes of Wisdom, disguised herself as one of Odysseus' friends, named Mentor. Athena's sacred bird was the owl.

The More You Know! [/classicalmythologygeek]

That aside, this is quite impressive. I've never been able to sculpt stuff onto a pauldron, so I'm always impressed when I see people who can. Maybe I need to let the Greenstuff cure a bit before I try. Anyway, the icon looks great. Good luck with this project.

Project on hold new baby in hospital

nice sculpt. Subscribed.
congratulations!!!

This is gonna be a great thread... looking forward to it! Hope the baby is in the hospital because it's "new", not because it's ill. My best wishes either way. - GS

Sadly the latter, aye.

oooooooooh........stil nice thread.

Not a bad scuplt, better than i could do, lets see it on some models

A quick update with a Termie pad:

Mix of grey and green. Needs some fill between the logo and the wreath. Penant's done with grey stuff for sake of nice clean lines. It's a wolf guard arm I had lying about, I intend to use the body with the front of the wolf skull filed down and gs'd into a point to make a bird skull. The wreath's a nod to the classic elite logo. I have 2 of the wolf guard bodies so they'll both get that treatment, whilst this SB with a little skull will end up on another.

I know it might seem callous to do some sculpting while my 4 week old is in hospital, but I was home for an hour and I needed not to think about stuff for a bit.

He, incidentally, is a bit better, starting to take 1ml of milk an hour, less sedated. Not great, but getting there.

Thanks for both updates, hope things keep going well. Little improvements... eventually he'll get there.

Arm looks good. Why is the head a little asymmetrical at the bottom? I can't quite make it out. There's a really great tutorial on making green stuff wreaths you might check out. With your skills making them would be a snap. I only mention it because the wreath is pretty bulky compared with your owl head and really crowds it. A more delicately done wreath would probably show off your artwork much better.

The updates are great, looking forward to seeing the finished work!