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Made in us
Huge Hierodule




United States


“They are a sickness that ravages every level of the Imperium. They are the threat within made manifest.”

- Lord Inquisitor Alcides of the Ordo Hereticus


+++


Introduction:

Hello, Warhammer 40k enthusiasts, Legion Operatives, and Ordo Hereticus investigators and welcome to my Alpha Legion Blog. My name is on a strictly need to know basis, but you can call me Alpharius, Shane, or Darth Bob. I have been involved in this hobby since 2001 with some on an off breaks over the years, and during that time I have jumped around between many armies. I have often been accused of having a case of Army ADD. However, I finally came to the conclusion to start Alpha Legion because, in all honesty, I always wanted to and just never got around to it. The Alpha Legion has always interested me because of the overall methodology and philosophy that surrounds them. They really fit with my views of how I would wage war; striking from within with adept, almost preternatural precision. Dan Abnett's development of their character is a concept that I find refreshing and incredibly intriguing, and with that in mind, it only made sense that I would want to start this army.

I will be using this first page as a reference point for you, the reader, so that I may gather all my thoughts into a condensed and easy-to-access summary. This blog will contain personalized fluff for my army, tutorials, WIP and completed models, as well as the occasional blurb or rant about what goes on through my head (scary, I know). As a preface for the contents of this blog, allow me to address each section in more detail:


Background:

Of all the aspects of Warhammer 40k, the background material is perhaps the most important to me. If it wasn't for the plethora of interesting concepts, engaging lore, and interesting stories that saturate Warhammer 40k, I highly doubt I would have such a strong interest in this hobby. It's one of the core reasons that I've never really been interested in other miniature wargaming systems. One thing, however, that I love more than the official Warhammer 40k fluff, is the ability to make your own. I firmly believe in the importance of narrative, being a frequent practitioner of various RPG systems, and this has lead me to include more-or-less in-depth background stories for my armies. The Warhammer 40k universe is so big, that as long as it doesn't conflict egregiously with the established material, anything is possible!

With that said, it is important to understand that I have a very particular view of how the 40k background "works". I view the sorted background of Warhammer to be told from the perspective of Imperial archivists and historians, as well as other heretical and xenos sources, telling the stories and legends of over 40,000 years of galactic history. Of course, as with the many different historical accounts in the real world, there are discrepancies and differences. I see the many "retcons" and "contradictions" in the officially-provided 40k fluff to be different historical perspectives rather than strict retcons or contradictions. Think about it, the Horus Heresy happened over ten thousand years ago. Surely there must be some discrepancies between what is said to have happened and what actually happened. For example, maybe the Necrons were once viewed as soulless, life-harvesting automatons by Imperial scholars, but as time went on, the true nature of their existence in the universe was better realized and identified.

The 40k universe is so grand and wonderful that it leaves it to you to decide what you want to believe really happened; to pick and choose parts of the fluff that you agree and don't agree with, just like any ancient historian would do. That being said, I would like it to be known that a lot of the fluff that will be in this thread is my own fabrication, and I don't want to upset anyone by "making stuff up". Of course, all that you see will be based and founded heavily on the established material, but I really want to bring my vision of the Warhammer 40k universe to this thread, both in the models and the background. To me, they're both equally important.

Specifically regarding the Alpha Legion, it's important to note that it is not my goal to demystify the intricacies of the Alpha Legion. I think part of the fun of the Alpha Legion is just how nebulous they are; it leaves open so many possibilities for one to imagine. Still, it's fun to speculate, and that is exactly what I'm going to do. The blurbs and fluff you'll see below outline just some of the possibilities and theories regarding the XX Legion. That being said, the actual that I am building is Legion Cell: Iota. They are a powerful and secretive Legion Cell who has been operating and functioning since the Great Crusade. The army I am building specifically, including the many characters within, are those that were a part of Legion Cell: Iota during early M36, around the time of the Age of Apostasy. I like to think of this as a snapshot of their history, when the Cell was at their prime. That's the guiding principle I have with regards to the direction I want to take in the background section of this topic, as well as the direction of the models themselves.


Painting and Modeling:

Gosh, this guy sure does talk a lot about non-hobby stuff in his hobby thread, doesn't he? Yes, well let me talk about that. The general thing to keep in mind with this army is that I'm going to take my time on this project. I want it to be clear that there is no set goal for this army, and it isn't meant to have any sort of deadline. I'm not building this to fit any sort of quota or army list, and this is an ongoing project that I plan to handle with the greatest of care and passion.

If that means spending hours upon hours converting a single, 15 point model then so be it! I want this army to showcase what I am capable of. Not to sound snotty, but I want to inspire people and provide ideas that might help them in all of their tabletop gaming adventures. Second, this army isn't particularly guided by any of the established Codices by Games Workshop. I've never been a huge fan of the Warhammer 40k game itself, and I don't like how the Codices and their various options stifle the many options for creativity that a hobbyist may delve into. There may be things in this thread that don't really serve a purpose game-wise, but I'm not building this army for "gaming". I'm building it because I love the hobby and I love the background; any gaming is just a bonus!

Finally, I want the work I put into each model to represent my commitment to this army. I have jumped around with armies so often that I almost feel bad about abandoning projects. I don’t want to abandon this. I want this to be something that I can be proud of. So without further ado, welcome to the Legion. I am Alpharius.

+++




Below, you will find an assortment of background information to help you understand who my Alpha Legion are. The section is divided into eight parts; each focusing on a specific aspect of the Alpha Legion. The first section describes the Legion's history. It outlines all events between the Great Crusade and the 41st millennium that shaped the Legion into who they are in the current timeline. The second section outlines the Organization and Leadership of the Alpha Legion and will give some insight into how their system of leadership and organization operates and maintains control of the various subsections of Legion governance. The third section is about the Alpha Legionnaires themselves. This section focuses specifically on the Astartes of the Alpha Legion, giving insight into their personalities, customs, tactics, and equipment. The fourth section outlines their Goals and Motivations. This section is more theoretical than the others, but gives some insight into some of the greatest mysteries surrounding the Legion. The fifth section outlines the Human Auxiliaries that act as close allies with the Legion. This section will explain the workings of this human military, their equipment, and their relationship with the Space Marines of the Alpha Legion. The sixth section describes the sinister and mysterious workings of The Cult of the Hydra; the infamous, Legion-affiliated cult that infests much of the Imperial infrastructure. The seventh section goes into the Alpha Legion's dealings with the traitorous Dark Mechanicus. Finally, the eighth section will reveal much about the Alpha Legion's mysterious and obscure relationship with the malevolent forces of Chaos.*

*Keep in mind that much of the development of this background information is subject to change and is as much part of the army's development as the models.

I
Spoiler:

+++ Pre-Heresy +++


Since the long-forgotten times of the Great Crusade, the XX Legion of the Adeptus Astartes has been a well of secrecy and mystique. Shrouded by plots and discrepancies in their recorded history, the Alpha Legion has been surrounded by unknowns since their inception. The last of the mighty Space Marine Legions to be brought to full fruition, the Alpha Legion was a young and impressionable Legion dedicated to fully adopting the ideals and methodology of its newly-found primarch. It was with this dedication, that the Astartes of the XX Legion became one entity completely united in their purpose and goals. Alpharius taught his loyal Astartes that secrecy, subtlety, and sabotage were the key to fluidity, efficiency, and success on the field of war. With this idealism, the Alpha Legion would operate at the forefront of the more difficult, technical operations of the Great Crusade. Many objectives and campaigns that were widely considered impossible or otherwise extremely difficult were completed with swift, brutal efficiency on the part of the XX Legion. This efficiency and reputation for completing the most difficult of tasks made the Astartes of the Alpha Legion very proud of their capabilities.

Their pride quickly brought the scorn of many of their brother Legions; specifically the Imperial Fists and the Ultramarines. The admonishment Alpharius received from Rogal Dorn and Roboute Guilliman caused him to slowly guide his Legion away from traditional Imperial practices. This manifested in the form of increasingly radical campaigns in an attempt to prove his Legion’s tactical and ideological superiority. The unorthodox tactics employed in these operations were often unconventional to the point of over-complicatedness and tactical inferiority. The most infamous example of this took place during the invasion of Tesstra Prime. Instead of exploiting an opportunity to capture the planetary capital and force the world’s surrender, they allowed the planet to fortify themselves against the assault. Over the course of a week, the Alpha Legion strategically eliminated these defenses using hit and run tactics, sabotage, and brutal ambushes. Ultimately the planet was forced to surrender after their military forces had suffered almost 90% casualties. This action only brought further admonishment for the senseless bloodshed that had been committed, but Alpharius believed that any other course of action would have been ‘too easy’.

The secretive, egocentric, and convoluted nature of the XX Legion caused many in the Imperium to mistrust them. The Alpha Legion consistently avoided any significant interaction with Imperial forces outside their own ranks whenever possible. They conducted themselves almost completely autonomously, only allowing a select number of Imperial auxiliaries to regularly operate alongside them. This alienating nature kept them relatively secluded from the rest of the Imperium. As the Great Crusade progressed, their military actions became more and more obscure to the point of being unknown to even the Warmaster. Towards the end of the Great Crusade, the Alpha Legion had all but cut off contact with the Imperium. It was around this time, roughly two years before the Horus Heresy began, that the Alpha Legion was contacted by a xenos organization known as the Cabal. Having watched the rise of the Imperium over the years, the Cabal determined that the most important of the primarchs were Horus and Alpharius; the eldest and the youngest. They foresaw that Horus would ignite a galactic civil war that would consume the galaxy in the fires of Chaos. The Alpha Legion was in the perfect position to intervene in this conflict and guarantee one of two possible outcomes. The first of these outcomes was a victory for Horus. What was left of Horus’ honor would cause him to feel a sense of self-hatred and loathing for the actions he had committed against his beloved father. This grief would fuel a self-destructive crusade of civil unrest that would eventually lead to a final apocalypse for the human race. With the extinction of humanity, the powers of Chaos would wither and die. The second outcome was a victory for the Emperor. For this outcome to occur, the Emperor would have to give his life to save the Imperium. With the Emperor now a hollow corpse interred in the Golden Throne, the Imperium would devolve into a corrupt regime of stagnation, superstition, and fear. For ten thousand years, Chaos’ influence would steadily grow until it consumed humanity and the galaxy with it. The Alpha Legion was asked to take on its greatest challenge yet. They were to betray the beloved Emperor they had sworn their lives to and defect to the side of Horus to ensure the final destruction of the Dark Gods.

+++ The Horus Heresy +++


II
Spoiler:

+++ A Body of One +++


The leadership and organization of the Alpha Legion is one of the most imperceptible details about them. Attempts to pinpoint the exact nature of their infrastructure has proved impossible for all levels of Imperial authority. The difficulty in finding definitive information about their consortium comes not only from their aptitude for secrecy and misdirection, but also because of the large amounts of variance in the Legion’s activities. Whenever information is gathered from one Imperial conflict with the Alpha Legion, further encounters will provide conflicting data that discredits much of what was previously thought to be known. There are many theories regarding how the Alpha Legion’s command structure operates, but unfortunately the information is regarded by most Inquisitorial authorities to be indefinite.


III
Spoiler:

+++ Coming Soon +++


IV
Spoiler:

+++ Secrets and Lies +++


The goals of the Alpha Legion are one of the greatest mysteries that the Inquisition has ever faced. Most renegade factions have rather simplistic or easily ascertained goals; they can include the destruction of the Imperium, the spreading of Chaos’ influence, the creation of cults, the rise to galactic power, and many other heretical objectives. However, the motivations behind the actions of the Alpha Legion are much more obscure. While it can be assumed that their agenda involves the destruction or vast reworking of Imperial rule, their exact endgame is currently unknown. At the forefront of research about the Alpha Legion was Lord Inquisitor Alcides of the Ordo Hereticus. Alcides became the top authority on the subject after Inquisitor Kravin, the former leading scholar on Alpha Legion activity, went missing in 486.M41. After his disappearance, suspicion that he may have been involved with the Alpha Legion quickly began to flourish within the Inquisition. Since much knowledge about the Legion was founded by one accused of heresy, much of the established research was deemed questionable at best and deceptive at worst. As such, most databanks on the subject were purged as falsified and heretical. To help reinforce Inquisitorial knowledge on the subject, Alcides helped to found an Inquisitorial Cabal dedicated to studying, understanding, and combating the Alpha Legion's presence in the galaxy. Alcides was the first to propose a set of theoretical endgames that the Alpha Legion might have for their various plots and schemes. These theories were based on knowledge of their actions in the distant past, interrogated Astartes and human auxiliaries affiliated with the Alpha Legion, and incursions with their forces in the Black Crusades and other events in the recent past.

The first theory proposed by Alcides was the Utopian Theory. This theory held that the Alpha Legion was on a crusade to unite humanity under their banner. By integrating, infiltrating, and destroying the political infrastructure of the Imperium of Man, the Alpha Legion would be able to institute their own political belief system and unite, by force, the various factions of humanity. Over the course of many millennia, the Alpha Legion would hope to turn enough of the human population to usurp the current Imperial rule. The theory affirms that they are attempting to conquer the human-controlled galaxy and institute their own set of laws and leadership. Alcides proposed that the Alpha Legion views the Imperium as a decadent, decaying empire that they want to turn into their own 'utopia'. He believed that, in their own twisted way, the Alpha Legion only wants what they think is best for humanity and will do anything it takes to mold it to fit their views.

The second theory proposed by Alcides was the Extinction Theory. Quite the contrary to the first, the Extinction Theory holds that the Alpha Legion’s actions are an attempt to further the extinction of the human race. Alcides proposed that there are two possible motivations for this theory. The first is that they view humanity as an unworthy race that must be purged so that they can pave the way for the Chaos Gods. By crippling the Imperium, Chaos will be able to overwhelm humanity and consume the galaxy. Thus, they are on a campaign to exterminate as much of the human race as possible so that the primary opposition to the Dark Gods is no more. The second motivation he proposed was that that they are actually trying to destroy Chaos. Alcides brought to bear the radical belief that Chaos is intrinsically connected to humanity. By destroying the human race, the Alpha Legion would subsequently destroy the Dark Gods and save the galaxy from Chaos' malevolent influence. Alcides was censured for proposing such a radical view, so most among the Inquisition only take the first motivation into account when considering this theory.

The final theory, and possibly the most controversial, is the Rebirth Theory. The Rebirth Theory holds that the Alpha Legion’s end game is to destroy the Golden Throne and thus end the Emperor’s life. It is proposed that by doing this, the Emperor’s soul will be reborn in the Warp where he will challenge the Chaos Gods to a final battle for the fate of the galaxy. If the Emperor loses, the Imperium will fall as well. However, if he rose to victory, he would return to his physical splendor and would lead the Imperium into a new golden age. The darkness, heresy, and corruption within the Imperium would be swept away by the Emperor’s light and his true vision for humanity would come to full fruition. This theory brought Alcides much criticism from all branches of the Inquisition. So much so, that he was formally called to answer for his perceived heretical agenda. While he was able to avoid formal punishment by retracting his theory as a legitimate one, many Inquisitors, including himself, still view the Rebirth Theory as one of credible possibility.

Though it is probable that no concrete knowledge of the Alpha Legion’s goals will ever be obtained, Alcides and his Cabal of loyal Inquisitors have remained dedicated to eradicating the Alpha Legion’s influence through knowledge and perseverance. However, the Alpha Legion is notorious for spreading false information and leaving fake trails for the Inquisition to follow. Their influence constantly grows and without much concrete knowledge to be found, it is unknown if there is truly anything the Inquisition can do to completely eradicate them. Without knowing their motivations, it is impossible to plan against them or take preventative measures against their recruitment. It would appear that every time the Inquisition tackles a rise in Alpha Legion presence, two more incursions are destined to take its place.


V
Spoiler:

+++ Coming Soon +++


VI
Spoiler:

+++ Hidden in Plain Sight +++


The Cult of the Hydra is an Imperial designation given to the various heretics and traitors affiliated with the Alpha Legion that have integrated themselves into Imperial society. Hydra Cultists are commonly accepted among Inquisitorial authorities to be the most substantial representation of Legion activity, given their widespread distribution and incredibly high numbers. Conservative estimates hold that almost seven percent of Imperial worlds have some form of Hydra Cult activity on them, though the reality may be far more or less. Regardless of their exact numbers, they represent an ever-present threat to the sociopolitical stability of the worlds that they occupy and, arguably, the Imperium as a whole.

The Cult of the Hydra is considered to be among the most insidious of heretic cults because of the variation in the way they operate. True to the Astartes Legion that they are affiliated with, Hydra Cultist are extremely eclectic in the way that they interact with Imperial societies. On the surface, many Hydra Cults manifest as stereotypical Chaos cults with fanatical heretics that inhabit the depths of Imperial Hive Cities. However, the true nature of the Cult of the Hydra is far more sinister. The true danger of this cult is its tendency to integrate its members into the upper echelons of a world’s governing body and law enforcement. These members, commonly called operatives, are believed to use their seat of political power to direct attention away from the rest of the cult’s activities. This allows the Hydra Cults to spread propaganda and civil unrest without the fear of political intervention or Inquisitorial investigation. These cults will work to turn as many of a world’s citizens to their cause as possible, eliminating dissenters in the political structure and instituting Legion-loyalists in their place. These social takeovers can take years and can be very covert or extremely violent. Regardless, most of these uprisings end with a complete social takeover that will go completely undetected by Imperial authorities. These worlds continue to pay Imperial tithes and keep contact with the Administratum; they appear to all outside factions to be a loyal Imperial world. In fact, even the majority of these planets’ citizens are unaware that they are living under Legion occupation. The fact that the Alpha Legion is capable of subverting these worlds without the Inquisition ever knowing about it is deeply concerning. It could indicate that a vast number of worlds may actually be under the Legion’s influence.

Though the Cult of the Hydra’s primary function is the subversion of Imperial rule, Hydra Cultists have been found in a number of factions throughout the Imperium. These individuals carry out a variety of tasks and operations conducive with their place in the Imperium. Many Hydra Cultists have been found in Imperial Guard regiments all across the galaxy; discretely turning other guardsmen to the Legion’s cause. These sleeper agents in the Imperial Guard are the main source by which the Alpha Legion is able to recruit members for the various human auxiliaries that it employs in military operations. Disturbingly, it is believed that the cult has even reached as far as the Inquisition itself. These turncoat Inquisitors are able to use their authority to cover the Alpha Legion’s tracks and spread false information throughout the Inquisition. The most infamous example of this was Inquisitor Kravin, who was believed to have purposefully misdirected the Inquisition for years under the orders of the Alpha Legion before his disappearance. It is because of this that the Inquisition takes extraordinary measures to root out the Legion’s corruption in its own ranks. Some Inquisitors in the Ordo Hereticus even believe that the Cult of the Hydra may have representatives among the High Lords of Terra. However, with the support of the Alpha Legion and their unprecedented level of discretion, there is no definitive answer for how deep the corruption of the Cult of the Hydra goes.


VII
Spoiler:

+++ Coming Soon +++



VIII
Spoiler:

+++ Coming Soon +++


+++


In the future, this section will give links throughout the blog to the various squads and individual models contained within the army. This will allow you a quick reference if you want to see particular models in their finished state rather than having to scroll through tons of pages to view a specific model.

+++


Here are some of the first models for the army! I've got two Legionnaires and a few cultists for you today:

For the marines, I decided that the opportunity to use Dark Elf scale cloaks was just too good to pass up. I really like the way they came out. They're a pain in the ass to shave down and attach just right to the torsos, but the end result is really quite nice looking. I'm especially happy with how Hylas turned out, especially his helmet. It's a head from the champion sprue that I lopped the horns off of. I think it gives the helmet a sleek and sinister look. I'm going to try my best to put the metal GW Alpha Legion pads on all of my marines as I just love the symbol that's on it. They're expensive, though, so I may have to find ways ( ) to get more in an easier manner.

As for the cultists, a friend of mine who was abandoning his Iron Warriors sold a huge lot of them (total of around 80) to me mostly assembled and all unpainted. The challenge goes to me to take all of them and emblazon them with enough Alpha Legion flair and uniqueness to make each and every one stand out since there's only around 20 variations among them. I decided that weapon swaps, the addition of green stuff hoods, and the addition of patches of scales on their robes would help to break up the monotony. Variance in the color schemes of identical models will also help to break them up when viewed in a group. I'm looking for names for the cultists, so I'm welcome to suggestion! There's a lot of names to sort out, haha! As for these cultists in particular, I love the way Shiv came out with his hand-blade and bionic eye. Durge's stubby stubber was actually a modification from the friend that sold me the cultists and I absolutely love it. I'm also really happy with how the collar and scaly shoulder pad turned out. The unnamed Leader hasn't had much done to him except for the scales. I've got four of this particular figure and he's probably going to be the one that stays close-to unmodified.

Brother Ires


Brother Hylas


Cultist Leader #1 "????"


Cultist #1 "Shiv"


Cultist #2 "Durge"



Enjoy!


Thanks go to my wonderful girlfriend for making all of the brilliant banners that adorn this thread!

This message was edited 55 times. Last update was at 2015/10/01 00:10:03


Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

Liber Daemonicum: My Daemons of Chaos Blog


Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
Made in br
Hooded Inquisitorial Interrogator





Great post. Subscribed.
   
Made in au
Fixture of Dakka





Melbourne

Hot damn.

You're off to a rip roaring start. Now hurry up and do more.

My Blogs -
Hobby Blog
Terrain 
   
Made in gb
Hardened Veteran Guardsman







This is going to be great to follow

Iron Lords
For The Emperor!
Tau
Blood Angels
Dark Angels
Dark Eldar  
   
Made in us
Huge Hierodule




United States

Thanks, guys, I hope the thread ends up meeting your expectations! I got a cultist done this morning. Nothing much added to this guy but a few patches of scales. I might add another on the hood when the GS dries.

Cultist #3 "????"



Again, guys, always open for names for the unnamed cultists!

Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

Liber Daemonicum: My Daemons of Chaos Blog


Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
Made in ca
Hauptmann




Hogtown

this rules so hard

Thought for the day
 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Dankhold Troggoth






Shadeglass Maze

Your green stuffing is quite good! When do you plan to test a paint scheme?
   
Made in us
Steadfast Ultramarine Sergeant






Cool looking conversions !

Hydra Dominatus

World Wide War Winner  
   
Made in gb
Dakka Veteran





Love alpha legion, so looking forward to this.
   
Made in ca
Automated Rubric Marine of Tzeentch





Nova Scotia

Conversions so far look great... but strangely I am drawn to your presentation. I feel like I may steal your idea when I unleash my Dark Eldar blog upon Dakka. I'm just painting a unit first to give people something to look at instead of boring unconverted evil space elves .

In any case, I will definitely be checking back to see this unfold! Keep it up!
   
Made in us
Huge Hierodule




United States

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the praise.


 RiTides wrote:
Your green stuffing is quite good! When do you plan to test a paint scheme?


I'm not sure just yet. Probably sooner than later, but at this point I have a ton of models that are waiting to be built. I kind of want to minimally get the building and modelling done on all the models I've got waiting assembly, before I jump on painting. Additionally, the recent winter caused an unfortunate occurrence where I left my window open while I was on a trip and the cold breeze coagulated all of my paints, leaving me needing to buy some more. But I am thinking pretty hard about it. At this point, I'm thinking that a color scheme that's closer to the pre-heresy scheme is probably what I want to go with. I love the green and blue look of the Alpha Legion, but I feel that it's done so much that this army would blend in with the crowd. I want to emphasize dark blue/indigo and muted metal colors with just enough accents of green so as to identify them as Alpha Legion.


 anticitizen013 wrote:
Conversions so far look great... but strangely I am drawn to your presentation. I feel like I may steal your idea when I unleash my Dark Eldar blog upon Dakka. I'm just painting a unit first to give people something to look at instead of boring unconverted evil space elves .

In any case, I will definitely be checking back to see this unfold! Keep it up!


Hey, dude, I specifically said in my first post that I wanted to inspire people. If this has inspired you to make a Dark Eldar blog in a similar style, than I encourage you to do so. Just let me know when you post it so I can take a look.

+++


Alright, guys, one last model for the day. I finished the modelling for another cultist and this one, I think, is my best one yet! At any rate, he's definitely my favorite. I hope you guys like cultists because if not, you're going to learn to by the end of this.

Cultist #4 "Shade"



P.S. A topic of conversation! I want to invest in a solid camera to take nice closeups of the models for this thread. I don't want to spend a ton of money but I'd be willing to drop around $150 on one. Does anyone have some brand/specific model recommendations for cameras that are ideal for taking pictures of models?

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2015/01/09 06:22:55


Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

Liber Daemonicum: My Daemons of Chaos Blog


Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
Made in ca
Automated Rubric Marine of Tzeentch





Nova Scotia

Cheers Bob! I've got to go to work but I was looking for a tutorial/tips about miniature photography. I found this thread. I know there's a more in depth tutorial somewhere but I don't really have the time to search just yet.

I had a bit of a chuckle because the first thing the dude in the video said was a comment about using ones cell phone to take pictures... which is what I do (you can check my gallery to see how that turns out). On that note, I have pretty good lighting and I find that helps tremendously. It's just a fluorescent room light with another as a desk lamp. Both are white so don't give off the annoying yellowish tinge of some other kinds.

Anyway, hope that helps at least a little!
   
Made in us
Huge Hierodule




United States

 anticitizen013 wrote:
Cheers Bob! I've got to go to work but I was looking for a tutorial/tips about miniature photography. I found this thread. I know there's a more in depth tutorial somewhere but I don't really have the time to search just yet.

I had a bit of a chuckle because the first thing the dude in the video said was a comment about using ones cell phone to take pictures... which is what I do (you can check my gallery to see how that turns out). On that note, I have pretty good lighting and I find that helps tremendously. It's just a fluorescent room light with another as a desk lamp. Both are white so don't give off the annoying yellowish tinge of some other kinds.

Anyway, hope that helps at least a little!


Thanks for the video. I'll look into it.

So, no big update today. Had a busy day taking my cat to the vet. Found out she has a crystal stone in her bladder that she needs to get surgically removed. Poor kitty. :( However, I managed to play around with some of my Cataphractii Terminators. What's that? Cataphractii Terminators? Yes, Cataphractii Terminators; fifteen of them to be exact with three sets of special weapons. Unfortunately, a cataclysm befell my bag of Cataphractii bits in the form of the aforementioned fuzzy monstrosity. The damage was minimal but unfortunately a left-shoulder pad was lost in the struggle; of which there are no extras and I have yet to find a replacement on any bits sites that are in stock. If anyone has an extra left shoulderpad, contact me; I'd be willing to pay or trade bits for one. Anyways, I wanted to have a bare head for my sergeants to further distinguish them from the rest but, seeing as they are all bald, I couldn't use the head that was provided. The idea struck me to butcher the awful vampire head from the old Berzerkers set, shaving it down to the upper lip and sanding off the butcher's nails on their heads. I want to smooth these areas with greenstuff, but I think the head looks pretty good:

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/03/25 16:49:43


Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

Liber Daemonicum: My Daemons of Chaos Blog


Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
Made in us
Huge Hierodule




United States

So I cranked out a couple of Cultists this morning. The first one I'm really proud of. The second, I feel, is pretty simplistic and I'm contemplating adding a hood. What does Dakka think?

Cultist #5 "Specs"


Cultist #6 "????"

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/03/25 16:41:42


Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

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Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
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I figured you'd be back at it with your Alienids, completely forgot you were Alpharius.

Am... am I Alpharius too? I don't know what's real anymore.

Anyway, everything's looking good so far. Can't wait to see some paint on these guys. And a Bane marine, that's important.

As for miniature photography, I haven't bought a new camera in years, so I can't be of any help there. Honestly, looks to me like your camera is fine for what you're doing, but I'd definitely suggest getting some kind of plain, white (or at least light) backdrop and a good light source. When half the photo is desk clutter your eye kind of has to figure out where the miniature is. It only takes milliseconds but it's enough to be kind of annoying, plus you're getting shadows cast on the mini from all kinds of directions. I used a plain sheet of paper laid against my wall with a couple desk lamps aimed at (one on either side and one above or in front) for the longest time, but you can get lightboxes complete with lamps for cheap on Amazon and such, probably for less than the cost of buying a bunch of desk lamps. Either way, it's a smaller investment than buying a whole camera and it'll improve your photography quite a bit by itself.

Of course my photos are always either too dark or too light and half the time they're out of focus, but that's more of me being an idiot with my camera settings and then being too lazy to do a reshoot when I've realized what I've done wrong.

Word Bearers, Daemons and Misc. Painting Thread
Come hold the withered hand of evil... 
   
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Great start! and Great subject matter



“Of the fabulous hydra it is said, cut off one head and two will grow in its place”

- antique proverb

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 RazakelXIII wrote:
I figured you'd be back at it with your Alienids, completely forgot you were Alpharius.

Am... am I Alpharius too? I don't know what's real anymore.

Anyway, everything's looking good so far. Can't wait to see some paint on these guys. And a Bane marine, that's important.

As for miniature photography, I haven't bought a new camera in years, so I can't be of any help there. Honestly, looks to me like your camera is fine for what you're doing, but I'd definitely suggest getting some kind of plain, white (or at least light) backdrop and a good light source. When half the photo is desk clutter your eye kind of has to figure out where the miniature is. It only takes milliseconds but it's enough to be kind of annoying, plus you're getting shadows cast on the mini from all kinds of directions. I used a plain sheet of paper laid against my wall with a couple desk lamps aimed at (one on either side and one above or in front) for the longest time, but you can get lightboxes complete with lamps for cheap on Amazon and such, probably for less than the cost of buying a bunch of desk lamps. Either way, it's a smaller investment than buying a whole camera and it'll improve your photography quite a bit by itself.

Of course my photos are always either too dark or too light and half the time they're out of focus, but that's more of me being an idiot with my camera settings and then being too lazy to do a reshoot when I've realized what I've done wrong.


Everyone is Alpharius. Most people just don't know it yet.

I'll definitely look into getting a lamp to photograph the my models from now on, as shadow control would be a lot of help in getting the pictures to be more focused. I hear you on the solid background as well. I'll try to have less busy backgrounds in the future. Also, a Bane marine is, of course going to happen.

 migsula wrote:
Great start! and Great subject matter


Thanks a lot. Considering your Alpha Legion stuff serves as some of my primary inspiration, that means a lot coming from you.

+++


Anyways, I pumped out another pair of Cultists. This time it's Willem Dafoe and a gas mask guy. I'm really happy with how the latter turned out, but the new Cultist leader will probably be like the first in that I don't change him from his out-of-the-box look all that much. The future variations of this model will have more things to differentiate them; head swaps, weapon swaps, etc.

Cultist Leader #2 "????"


Cultist #7 "????"

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2015/01/09 06:23:36


Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

Liber Daemonicum: My Daemons of Chaos Blog


Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
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Alrighty, guys. I thought that I'd break up the monotony and not force you guys to suffer another GS'd Cultist, so I thought I'd finish up a Legionnaire. Today, it's Brother Calix with his glorious plasma gun. I gave him one of the Forge World Mk. IV heads; I really like the way it looks with the plasma gun. He's got a cape like the others, and I think the flow of the cape adds some much needed movement when the pose is the monotonous "standing here aiming a gun with legs splayed apart" pose. I also took RazakelXIII's advice and worked on my photography. It looks a lot better, so thanks for that.

Brother Calix

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/03/30 17:58:25


Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

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Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
Made in au
Fixture of Dakka





Melbourne

Nice. That's a good looking model.

You aren't wrong about the head. The mkIV suits the Alpha Legion quite nicely.


Where about's are you getting the capes from?

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 Snrub wrote:
Nice. That's a good looking model.

You aren't wrong about the head. The mkIV suits the Alpha Legion quite nicely.


Where about's are you getting the capes from?



They come off of the Dark Elf Black Ark Corsairs from the GW Fantasy line.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/04/28 21:01:59


Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

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Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
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Been Around the Block






I do love Legion. This looks way beyond awesome. I will be watching.

I wrote you a haiku.

   
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Hey guys, got another Legionnaire today. This one ended up being a huge freaking pain in the ass. For some reason, I was having a really hard time attaching the cape and backpack. It worked out though. He's a Standard Bolter Marine, but I gave him one of the Dark Angels hooded helmet heads. I really like the way it looks. Next update will probably be another Cultist or (maybe) a Cataphractii Terminator. I've got to buy some more paperclips to pin him.

Brother Malcates

Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

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Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
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Derry

Like the use of the FW stuff really helps to add character to legion based CSM.
What are the patches of GS on the cultists robs?

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 Psienesis wrote:
That is because Calgar is a pimp. Not all SM heroes moonlight as pimps. Thus, their mastery of Pimp Hand is found wanting.

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 gianlucafiorentini123 wrote:
Like the use of the FW stuff really helps to add character to legion based CSM.
What are the patches of GS on the cultists robs?


They're scales. They don't show up very well in the pics, but they should show up better when the models are painted.

Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

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Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
Made in au
Fixture of Dakka





Melbourne

He's also pretty cool looking. Have you thought about GSing some scales onto the hood? That'd look good.

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Yes because scales. at the first he looks like a fallen angel.
   
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Desperado Corp.

Turns out Blogs are quickly becoming one of my favourite parts of Dakka.

Nice job making unique looking cultists - will you be working with other elements of the DV set?

Looking forward to the next update.

Pretre: OOOOHHHHH snap. That's like driving away from hitting a pedestrian.
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 Snrub wrote:
He's also pretty cool looking. Have you thought about GSing some scales onto the hood? That'd look good.

 livanbard wrote:
Yes because scales. at the first he looks like a fallen angel.


I looked over it and decided to try out sculpting some scales on the hood. Unfortunately, after several attempts I wasn't able to get it to look as good as I'd like it to be. It came off as clunky and off-putting, so I removed them. I'll stick with the plain hood for now; maybe I'll try again on another Legionnaire or try it again on a cultist and come back to it.


 liquidjoshi wrote:
Turns out Blogs are quickly becoming one of my favourite parts of Dakka.

Nice job making unique looking cultists - will you be working with other elements of the DV set?

Looking forward to the next update.


I definitely plan to. Unfortunately, though, I never bought Dark Vengeance. These cultists were all bought second-hand from a friend. I also have no interest in the Dark Angels or the Hellbrute (cool model, but I'd rather just buy the new kit for the extra bits). Only reason I'd buy the full set is if I could get someone to split the costs with me that wants the DA stuff. I'll probably just buy the Chosen and the Lord separately at a later time and implement them into the Legion.

+++


So, a quick update. I know I said another Cultist or possible Cataphractii was on the way but I've been having a lot of fun building Legionnaires and I just had to finish this one when the idea for the pose struck me in the shower this morning. He has the prestigious honor of being the first Beaky Marine for the Legion.

Brother Axios



P.S. In case you're wondering, the patch of greenstuff on his head is just there to fill a hole that was there when I clipped it from the sprue.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2015/01/09 06:24:12


Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

Liber Daemonicum: My Daemons of Chaos Blog


Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
Made in au
Fixture of Dakka





Melbourne

 Darth Bob wrote:
Unfortunately, after several attempts I wasn't able to get it to look as good as I'd like it to be. It came off as clunky and off-putting, so I removed them. I'll stick with the plain hood for now; maybe I'll try again on another Legionnaire or try it again on a cultist and come back to it.
Weak. WEAK!! That's a weak excuse.

GET SCULPTING SLAVE! Your audience demands it!

If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So, a quick update. I know I said another Cultist or possible Cataphractii was on the way but I've been having a lot of fun building Legionnaires and I just had to finish this one when the idea for the pose struck me in the shower this morning. He has the prestigious honor of being the first Beaky Marine for the Legion.

Brother Axios

Another excellent looking traitor*. You keep hitting a really good ratio of loyalist and traitor parts.













*Any one Alpha Legionnaire may or may not be a traitor in any given circumstance. And you yourself may or may not be Alpharius

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/04/01 03:37:53


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 Snrub wrote:

Another excellent looking traitor*. You keep hitting a really good ratio of loyalist and traitor parts.


Thanks a lot! That's what I've been going for so I'm glad to hear I'm doing a good job at it.



Little update today! Here's one of those cultists I promised, this time with a flamer. I added a collar from one of the leftover Corsair capes, a skull & chain, and a little bit of scaling on his gauntlet. I added a detail picture of the scales since I couldn't quite photograph them just right in the normal front and back pics.

Cultist #8 "????"




P.S. I noticed the little gap between the collar and his body after the took the pics. It has since been greenstuffed.

Hydra Dominatus: My Alpha Legion Blog

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Alpharius wrote:Darth Bob's is borderline psychotic and probably means... something...

 
   
 
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