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Unique space marine chapters are, well, everywhere. Some have intricate back stories. Others see every single model converted in some way. I have done it myself with my breakaway faction of Space Wolves that only use beaky armour and earlier and bear no Imperial insignia...every model was converted. Rich backstory...

I have never played with them.

New rules have since been produced. A whole new game edition. This one has 'Assault on Black Reach' as the beginner box. I bought it for the cut down rule book and the glut of models that come with it. But these are codex/ultra marines. No special powers. Nothing weird. A balanced deal. Easy to learn and play.

I hate painting blue, so the Ultramarines are out. Instead I have come up with my own Chapter. Again. They are probably an Ultramarine successor chapter. Brand new. Keen to make their name in the universe. In short, eager, idealistic rookies (much like me). They are keen, but inexperienced (well as inexperienced as space marines get). They are not ultra bad ass. They are learning. They are BASIC! They are the Angels of Seraph and they want you to stop whatever bad things you are doing right now.

So, here is the deal. A basic codex chapter. Not overdoing it on the conversions. No mysterious origins. Simple but nice paint job. An army to game with. The effort to create such a thing will be chronicled here. Let it begin.

Preparation is everything. At least for me. When I am about to embark on a project I want to know that I have everything at hand to complete it. Nothing is more annoying than having to down tools mid flow to seek out something that I have suddenly found that I need. I want to just reach over and pick it up. Not spend an hour rummaging about in toolboxes and drawers.

So, things I feel I need for construction.

1: Plastic clippers
2: Box of scalpels and spare blades
3: Files
4: Pin vice and drill bits
5: Tweezers
6: Glue, both plastic and super
7: Metal rod for pinning
8: Filler
9: Decent lighting
10: Cleared down workspace



Now with all my essential bits and bobs gathered, I pop on some music and inspect the goodies.

The goodies in question are the Space Marine portion of the Assault on Black Reach beginner bargain box. A captain, a tactical squad, a terminator squad and a dreadnought. All basic, fixed pose 'snap fix' kits. For what they are, they look fantastic. I remain just blown away at how much detail has been lavished upon these plastic starter marines. They really look rather nice.




Unfortunately the Black Reach set I picked up was second hand. Somebody had already removed the marines from their sprues. They had not used clippers or a knife. In an over eager frenzy, the previous owner had twisted, pulled and pushed the plastic components from the sprues with pudgy and enthusiastic fingers. This has left damaged surfaces everywhere. Damage that can be fixed with a bit of filler here and there. A minor niggle but annoying all the same. Figuring out which bits went with who comes next. It took all of two minutes.

Assembling the Tactical Squad:

The basic trooper comes in three parts. Body, gun and backpack. The only real work was to clean up mould lines and fix the areas where damage has occurred from the aforementioned sprue plucking exercise by the previous owner.



Now I know some people use files for this. I prefer to use a fine scalpel blade. The scrape-scrape of my knife on plastic has more than once earned me a dirty look from the wife when I used to hobby away in the living room. Screeching sounds and plastic whittling aside, I find the scalpel to work better and get into hard to reach spots far better than the smallest files in my arsenal.

The damage to the figures is mostly limited to the shoulder pad areas. This makes fixing it a doddle. A dab of filler and a quick bit of sanding and hey presto. Fixed.



Weapons Drill:

I have received a lot of stick and gentle mockery for my OCD tendencies when it comes to gun barrels. I prefer not to paint on the maws of my doom chutes. I want them hollow. So, pin vice in paw, I set to work.



Now when I drill into a wall, I bang a nail on the target point to ensure I hit the mark with the whirling drill bit and don't jump off target when I get going properly. The same stands true even at this scale. I use the pointiest of my pointy scalpel blades to twist a small guide hole dead centre on the gun barrel. Then I drill. Not too deep, and I take great care not to destroy the barrel by using the wrong sized drill bit. And bingo...your mates look sidelong at you and worry about your mental state.


Basing:

Next comes the base. I was overcome with nostalgia when I saw that they were the old slot bases. This joy vanished when it became clear that there was to be no tight fit. Not that I should care, I was going to glue them anyhow. I was just expecting them to fit snugly into place for added strength. I remember needing strength like Hercules to pry the ancestors of these plastic marines from their slot bases to make their bonding (more?) permanent with a dab of glue.

Penny for your thoughts:



Not exactly. When all is said and done these models are for gaming. A handy trick I have picked up involves gluing something like a metal washer to the bottom of the base. This stops your miniatures drunkenly nose diving to the floor if someone bops the gaming table in passing or the piece of terrain they are stood on is on a slant or not perfectly level.



It helps stop breakages. It also gives you a few millimetres height advantage with which to intimidate your foe. The validity of the last point is open to debate.



Rather than use washers, I use a good old British tuppence (2p coin). It fits perfectly, does the job marvellously, but I do it mainly because this shrapnel is everywhere. Why toddle off to the hardware store when a quick rummage down the back of the sofa supplies what you need?

With all the parts cleaned up I match them up and pop them to one side. I am not going to permanently assemble them just yet. Painting will come first so nooks and crannies can be easily reached.

So, just like that. One finished Space Marine. Plenty of rinse and repeat ahead!

And done. One tactical squad ready for base coating.

I like the coin idea. Alot of my minis seem to have suicidal tendencies or have consumed too much during happy hour. Consistently toppling over. Thanks for the tip. Eager to see come color on these fellows.

More than welcome!

And so for the captain. Up to a whole four components now!



I cannot believe just how good this character looks, considering how simple he is.



I think my characters should all sound Arthurian in their naming. Angels of Seraph. White knights all.

I will call him Cador. Alliteration with his rank, Stan Lee would be proud.




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Ok. Now for some of my favourite GW designs. Terminators.

I have loved these guys ever since I first terrified myself into insomnia as a child with the original Space Hulk video game. Stamping down corridors as a member of the Deathwing, nearly wetting myself as steam hisses from a cracked pipe...then having my face ripped off by a Genestealer. Happy times.

Now you get them right off the bat in the starter box. Kids these days are being SPOILT! They get a 'My First Terminator' straight away! I had to wait for nearly a decade to get a decent plastic Terminator kit! Frassa, rassa...lucky gits.

Anyway. First off the sergeant. Four pieces again.



And with two shakes of a lambs tail...one finished Terminator sergeant.



WAIT! NO! Hold everything. I can't do it.

Terminator armour is the best personal protection a Space Marine can get. It is rare, it is awesome. Layers and layers of armour on a powered exoskeleton. And YOU LEFT THE HELMET OFF! Cool as it looks, that is a fundamentally stupid thing to do.

So, a quick rummage in the bits box and lo and a plan forms. Off comes the helmet-less front of the sergeant.



On goes the leftover front piece to some Terminators that were upgraded with Forge World resin parts.



Add a helmet and BOOM! One slightly less foolish Sergeant, now without his gleaming bonce a tempting squishy target for all around.



More rummaging about and I realise that I also have the bits to upgrade one of the Terminators into carrying a cyclone missile launcher...saves me buying another set for a while to add more punch. And at £28 quid a pop for five, Terminators are very low down on my shopping list.



More bang for my buck. Geddit? BANG?

And there we go. One squad of Terminators.



Next up, we have the Dreadnought. Now this model has a special place in my heart. Way back when metal models were made of Lead...I got one of these for my birthday. It was so heavy and had no base. I used super-glue for the first time and stuck my fingers together a great deal. It never stayed together for long. A foot here, a grenade launcher here...

It was my first real Citadel Miniature, bought for me by my Grandfather. He helped me make it, watched me slather it with thick layers of far too much paint and never complained whenever it fell over with a thunk and left marks on the table. It was the beginning of my interest in the hobby.

And now here it is. In glorious plastic. The same weapons and shape. The pieces are so insanely well thought out and far more detailed than that original lead model.



Put together, and the results are stellar.



Glorious. And that is the starter set built and ready for painting.

Ok. Painting time.

First off, undercoating. Chaos Black spray by GW is my preferred base coat. The finish it leaves has yet (in my experience) to be beaten.



Then a quick drybrush of the new 'Astronomican Grey' foundation paint. Good colour, horrible finish. I shall water it down for the future batches.



Then comes white. These guys are pure as hell, so I thought a mainly white colour scheme would do nicely. Here is a tip. Dedicate one of your brushes to white painting only. Nothing worse than a mucky finish caused by white mixing with paint you thought you had so thoroughly cleaned off your brush!



As an Ultramarines successor chapter, I thought a quick nod to their forebears might be in order. So, blue shoulder pads it is. Then comes detailing, but I am not lingering too long on these chaps. I want them basic, simple and ready for gaming!



Assembling after painting up the rest of the parts and hey presto, nearly done.



On go some decals and the flock for the base. Then a quick spray of 'Purity Seal' matt varnish to finish off the job.





And there, nothing fancy. And easy to do en masse. Best look to doing that then!

Very nice and simple, I like your white, howeveer your blue looks slightly thick, I think. The coin added to the base looks excellent, I've used smaller coins before, but never larger than the base to create a 'rim'. I would suggest painting the coins sides in blue, to tie all of your models together. One thing I cant stand however, is the grasss explosion on the base, its too basic and 'un-warlike'. There are loads of great base ideas floating around, even just soome sand or gravel would look better, or even buy some, check out the warmill if you decide to do that. What other units do you plan on doing?

Very nice and simple, I like your white, howeveer your blue looks slightly thick, I think. The coin added to the base looks excellent, I've used smaller coins before, but never larger than the base to create a 'rim'. I would suggest painting the coins sides in blue, to tie all of your models together. One thing I cant stand however, is the grasss explosion on the base, its too basic and 'un-warlike'. There are loads of great base ideas floating around, even just soome sand or gravel would look better, or even buy some, check out the warmill if you decide to do that. What other units do you plan on doing?

Hmm, I am not keen on buying in bases. If I choose to, I will create my own. Duly noted about the grass, but I rather like the look of it. I shall probably mix it with patches of sand though. Variety is the spice of life.

Yet to come from these fabulous boys in white are so far:

Captain
Terminator Squad
Dreadnought

More will follow, once I have mastered the basics of the game.

After a little watering down, the foundation paint is actually pretty damn good for dry brushing and does not leave that horrible finish that blighted the prototype tactical marine. All the chaps are now sorted out with their first coat.

How did I not see this thread sooner! I really like the direction you are going. Great work all around and the idea of drybrushing before doing details really sets you up for some nicely shaded recesses. Keep up the good work and I cant wait for more updates.

One evening of work and here we go, one squad of nearly white knights ready for detailing! Watering down the foundation paint has really paid dividends. The finish is much, much nicer and good to build on. I have been watering down the white too and it seems to be working nicely.

Getting there. Guns, packs, flock and decals and these lads are ready for a ruckus.



I have had to keep mumbling to myself to keep it simple and the results are looking promising!

Beautiful crisp painting, and you can guarantee that I will steal that swap for the terminators. Simple and effective, my favourite kind of conversion.

And here we are. First tactical squad all painted up and raring to go.



I am really, really pleased with how they look considering I used only basic techniques. Mass producing should be easy enough, though how it works out on vehicles is yet to be seen! As the old mantra goes. "Keep It Simple, Stupid" and it seems to have paid off thus far.

Now what to do next. Captain, Dread or the Terminators?

Very nice! Terminators

How did I not see this thread sooner! I really like the direction you are going. Great work all around and the idea of drybrushing before doing details really sets you up for some nicely shaded recesses. Keep up the good work and I cant wait for more updates.

Hey, thanks! The drybrush technique has really worked nicely as a base and helps the detail stand out!

Beautiful crisp painting, and you can guarantee that I will steal that swap for the terminators. Simple and effective, my favourite kind of conversion.

Cheers! The idea behind the blog was to share what limited knowledge I have, so glad I have at least something worth pinching.

Very nice! Terminators

Hmmm, it is tempting to get those bad boys painted up. Last time I went into GW for a starter game, every Space Marine player had a load and NONE of them were painted up to a decent standard. All either Black Templars (my personal slang for undercoat only) or smothered with a base layer of paint but without any detail work or finished bases. Being able to show off a finished squad will make me feel better when some smug rules-lawyer batters the stuffing out me. Who knows, maybe even a little 'we are just too damn pretty to die' mojo will act better than the save throws I have been hurling of late.


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Oh, and anyone reading, feel free to ask questions if you have any...

But I suspect that everything I have been doing has been so amazingly straightforward/dull that they will be few to none.

Okie dokie. Painting up the Terminators. As with their power armoured brethren, I drybrushed up through various greys until I reached white. That done, I painted black all the bits and bobs that would need to be drybrushed and black inked the eye sockets.



With that done, I painted the parts I wanted to be gold with Brazen Brass, then drybrushed that with Shining Gold to get the look I wanted. The rest was all fairly simple stuff as usual.



And VOILA! A Terminator squad. Just need a few more bits of detailing, decals and flock. Then I can varnish them with Purity Seal to toughen them up and they are ready to go.


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Dreadnought time!

Same deal as the rest of the army. Work my way up to white using drybrushing then paint metal and detail parts black.

Last night I finished off the Terminators. I also had a stab at making a power sword that was not just bare metal, or flat blue.



And here is the rest of the squad, all finished up.



I also got on with the Dreadnought. Nothing fancy, same techniques I have been using for the rest of the army.



And here is the rest of the army!



A solid base to build upon. May add a few squads of Scouts and a Devastator Squad once I have mastered the basics of play at my local GW.

Also, here is Captain Pellinor and his command squad.



I have decided to take a little time on the Captain and promote him up to Chapter Master, as I really like the model.

I really like the color scheme!

I went into GW today and played a few very enjoyable games. Game 1, I teamed up with a new Grey Knights player. We had 1000 points between us, and the store lent enough chaos space marine models to another couple of beginners so we could have a joint 1000 point battle.

Our opponents cheated like mad. I was blown away at how unsporting these kids were in their efforts to win. I even had to take one aside and explain the perils of cheating and being caught. IE, not being able to find an opponent for future matches. People talk, and nobody wants to play with a cheat. Thankfully the GW staff, my ally and myself did not let the little buggers get away with anything. We ended up winning, but it was a little spoiled by the atmosphere of 'no, you cannot do that' and 'no, those units were killed' and 'no, that weapon was destroyed'.

The second game was much more fun. My ally had brought his nephew (a new convert to the hobby and Chaos Space Marine player). Cracking game! I really like the new streamlined rules. On the whole, a good day. The veterans night that the store runs require a 1750 point army to participate. So, a mad scramble ahead to make up points and numbers.

Cue a really, really nice surprise. I was having a rummage in my cavernous sprues box to see if I had missed any Imperial Guard weapons (for a separate project). What I found was a Venerable Dreadnought that I did not even know I had!



I really like the look of this kit. A little warping of the mould and some errant flashing aside, it looks good when built up. I am really looking forward to fixing up the rest of the weapons options and the 'hand' power fist was a really nice touch on the part of the sculptor.



Tried to go for a bit of a dynamic pose. More purity seals and extra kibble will be added later, but for now I am just trying to get the weapons mounts modular. So next step is to read through the army lists to figure out what to add to my force from the models I have available.

Looking great. The AoBR minis are highly under rated. Sure the tac marines are fairly static, but they are pretty well sculpted. For as cheap as they can be had on ebay you cant go wrong for filling out the rank & file.

Looking great. The AoBR minis are highly under rated. Sure the tac marines are fairly static, but they are pretty well sculpted. For as cheap as they can be had on ebay you cant go wrong for filling out the rank & file.

I know! The whole set has been great fun to work with from start to finish. That commander miniature is something else. I can still remember putting together the 2nd edition plastic orks and space marines from the boxed game and by god, these are simply amazing by comparison.

Wow, very nice and simple paint scheme, well done mate!

Wow, very nice and simple paint scheme, well done mate!

Cheers buddy. I am really chuffed with how they have turned out so far. The basic paint scheme seems to really be paying off.

Nice. I have scraped together a 1750 point army.



===========================================================

HQ: 130pts

Captain (100pts): 130pts
Bolter, Power Sword (10pts), artificer armour (15pts) melta bombs (5pts)

Elites: 530pts

Terminator Squad (200pts)
Cyclone missile launcher (30pts): 230pts

Venerable Dreadnought (165pts)
Twin linked lascannon (30pts): 195pts

Dreadnought (105pts): 105pts

Troops: 620pts

Rhino (30pts): 45pts
Hunter killer missile (10pts)

Rhino (30pts): 45pts
Hunter killer missile (10pts)

Tactical Squad (170pts): 175pts
Flamer, missile launcher, melta bombs (5pts)

Tactical Squad (170pts): 175pts
Flamer, missile launcher, melta bombs (5pts)

Scout Squad (85pts): 90pts
Sniper rifles, missile launcher (10pts), melta bombs (5pts)

Scout Squad (75pts): 90pts
Bolters, heavy Bolter (10pts), melta bombs (5pts)

Fast Attack: 105pts

Assault Squad (100pts): 105pts
Melta bombs (5pts)

Heavy Support: 365pts

Predator (60pts): 120pts
Lascannon sponsons (60pts)

Devestator Squad (90pts): 170pts
Missile launcher (15pts), lascannon (35pts), heavy bolter (15pts), mult melta (15pts)

Razorback (40pts): 75pts
Twin Linked Lascannon (35pts)

===========================================================

Any thoughts?

Ok, first real game with these guys did not go so well. A force of Grey Knights did really horrible things. Lessons learned. Assault marines are nearly useless. Scouts armed with sniper rifles can be deadly as hell. My marines have also apparently been playing hooky from the firing range. They hit diddly.

Also my idea of sweeping in around and behind the enemy with the Rhino's and Razorback did not work out so well. Smoking wreckage all over the place.

Nuts.

Sorry to hear that your game didn't quite go as planned bud. As long as you learned more about your army and your enemy (as it would seem you did) than it's not a total loss. I LOVED my tyranid army but it took me a few games to figure out how to run them and even longer to learn about my opponents Needless to say my bugs got their fair share of squashings before I learned what troops were useful where. So when do we get to see the rest of the troops painted up? I'm really looking forward to it!

Well, I am at something of a loss as to what I should concentrate on first. Commander probably, though the scouts are tempting too!