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Hi there!

Name's Custodian, and I've decided to start a P&M Blog for input and a chance to show off my pretty unpainted/unfinished miniatures. I love converting, but I gotta drag myself to the paints once I've kitbashed/filed/cut/sculpted whatever I lay my hands on.

Got two armies, the Grey Custodians SM Chapter, and the Cadian 57th Shock Troops Regiment. They're meant to be fighting in the same theatre, Ardua Hive on some random in Segmentum Obscurus. I'll give you a short summary of the fluff behind the Custodians.

The Grey Custodians are a Dark Angels successor chapter of the Third Founding. They have a long history of standing guard against the forces of Chaos, due to the proximity of the Eye of Terror. The Chapter has come under investigation by the Inquisition on several occasions, mostly due to the non-Codex organisation of the Chapter, since it boasts at least 1500-2000 marines, spread throughout the standard 10 chapters, and several smaller detachments. This is due to the incorporation of a decimated expeditionary fleet of loyalist Emperor's Children and Imperial Fists that the Grey Custodians encountered in the 33rd Millenium. The fleet had been stranded in the warp during the Horus Heresy, and emerged millenia later after the storms of the warp sprung from the Heresy abated. Since the fleet had become so tight in their comradeship during the Great Crusade, they refused to let the Emperor's Children be purged, as would likely have happened, and the Imperial Fists knew that they could not return to their chapter without raising concern. Therefore, the Custodians incorporated both elements into their new Chapter, and the swell in numbers are derived from this unusual event, as are their massive amounts of Crusade and Heresy era equipment and vehicles. They have managed to keep this a secret since, all marines bearing the same insignia and serving the same parent Chapter. Also, due to the influx of marines from the Great Crusade, the Grey Custodians have stood true to the Emperors vision of a secular Imperium of Mankind, fighting almost fanatically against mutants, xenos and daemons. However, this has led to conflict with the Adeptus Ministorum on several occasions, and therefore scrutiny by the Inquisition.

In other words, a cheap excuse to have a Dark Angels successor with a bunch of FW HH goodies. On to the miniatures, and I apologise if some pictures aren't that crisp!


Left to right: Tactical Marine with Bolter (REALLY like how this one came out. It just screamed "badass marine" after I assembled it.) Tactical Marine with Plasma Gun, 2 Tactical Sergeants with PW & PP, Interrogator Chaplain with Crozius Arcanum and PF.


Left to right: Tactical Vox Marine with Bolter, Tactical Marine with Bolter, Tactical Sergeant with PW & PP, 2 Tactical Marines with Bolters.


Contemptor Dreadnought with TL Lascannon and PF.


Left to right: Brother-Prefect Arnos (Captain with PW), Honoured Brother Valdon (Standard Bearer with PW), Brother-Centurion Enhom (Captain with PW & SS).


Left to right: 5 Tactical Marines with Bolters.


Left to right: Tactical Sergeant with PW & PP, Tactical Marine with Bolter, Assault Marine with BP & CCW, Assault Sergeant without PW & SS.


Left to right: 2 Veteran Marines with BP & CCW, Veteran Marine with Twin LC.


Master of the Guard Robb (Captain with PW).


Master of the Hunt Síhmon (Librarian with FW).


Tactical Sergeant with PW & PP.


Tactical Marine with Bolter.


Terminator Sergeant with PW & SB.


Left to right: Vox Operator with Lasgun, Veteran Guardsman without Lasgun.


Left to right: Guardsman with Lasgun, Company Commander with Laspistol and PW, Sergeant with Laspistol and CCW.


Left to right: Medic without Lasgun, Veteran Guardsman with Meltagun.


Company Commander Leman Russ Mars Alpha Pattern Battle Tank with Lascannon.


Forward Command Chimera/Salamander (Unsure, could count as both) with Heavy Bolter and without Autocannon.


Chimera with Multilaser and Heavy Bolter.


Bretonnian Damsel.

This is it for now, on the tapestry is a bunch of marines, FW and GW styles.

I've done some very minor painting in the days after Christmas. Basecoated 5 Marines, and started on the CC Leman Russ, having lined out the pattern and started filling the boxes.. Going for an urban splinter camo, with black and dark grey being the primary colours, light grey/white and a brownish red being the secondary colours.

I like tanks, and I like the Imperial Guard. 'Tis the perfect combination, and I've been busting my behind off for a few hours these last few days to build something to show those pesky traitors, xenos and the occasional jealous Imperial why their tanks are better than the rest.











WIP Leman Russ Demolisher Siege Tank with converted Mars Alpha Pattern Hull. Added all manner of extra stowage and "armour" to push the Siege Tank part of it into the faces of its enemies.

And also:



WIP Griffon Heavy Mortar Carrier, with:



Crew.

Nice looking stuff.

Love the marines, lots of character in your builds.

Good stuff, I really like some of the conversion work in here!

Paradigm wrote:Good stuff, I really like some of the conversion work in here!

Nevelon wrote:Nice looking stuff.

Love the marines, lots of character in your builds.

Thanks, appreciate the compliments!

Late sunday post, before leaving for drills over the coming week. Started painting the tanks, and assembled some infantry for the IG and SM. Basecoated the tanks with the Wolf Grey primer from Army Painter, and then sponged on Ceramite White to create the winter camo, after an initial and disastrous attempt at masking the Leman Russes with tape after the initial primer, and then hitting them with a Corax White spray. Damn tape melted and left some ugly marks on the tanks, so that wasn't very successful.



















Cheers!

Really like that LC Marine and the missile team, the tanks are looking good too!

Wowzer cracking stuff! The conversion work on the Horus heresy style marines in the first couple of images are especially awesome. I look forward to seeing them painted up.

I am also loving the simple but effective paintwork on the imperial guard tanks, the mortar tank in particular. I wouldn't feel down about how they've turned out, i think they look great!

Haven't been up to much since my last update, due to work. Got some things fixed these last days however, and started on yet another batch of FW tanks for my IG. Not all tanks are on the first two pics, we're missing a Vanquisher in the process of assembly, and spare parts for about one or two extra tanks. The Incinerator will also be converted into a Executioner. The odd one with a lot of pictures will be a Command Vehicle (Count as Chimera) with an Autocannon. Last picture shows some Tank Commanders I threw together. Left to right: Command Vehicle, FW Leman Russ BT, FW Leman Russ Vanquisher.

I have a problem.

I've recently placed an order with Victoria Miniatures for 25 Arcadian Guardsmen and -women, and Raging Heroes Hilda von Stroheim, with the intentions of making the former into a woodland force kinda inspired by the Swedish Armed Forces, and the latter into a Commissar (The lack of female IG, especially Commissars and officers, is quite annoying) for them. However, this presents the issue of awkward camo pattern combinations. Presently, the regular guardsmen are painted (Albeit to a lesser standard and number than I like) in an urban style, Mechanicus Standard Gray armour and Abaddon Black fatigues. I have 5 vehicles basecoated with a winter camo, Wolf Grey primer with Celestial White "sponge-dabbed" on. 3 different theatres for one force, doesn't make much sense. The biggest problem IMO is the vehicles, since they are the largest models, and will be the main part of my army.

Got two examples down below, the first is how they are painted now (As you can also see in my posts above):



While this is my other idea, Mechanicus Standard Grey spray with some shade of green (Three different below) dabbed on:



Anyone got opinions on what might be better? Considering the basing of my Marines, it'd be some snow, or simply white gravel/stone/sand, involved but hardly covering the ground, and they would be in a woodland and urban environment. Thought it'd be a good idea to take in suggestions before committing to painting everything.

PROGRESS!

Of the lesser degree, but still

Started on my recent Victoria M. and Raging Heroes orders. I've also decided to keep the weird mix of camos in the army, since I've come up with a fluff reason for this, kiiiinda inspired by Sabatons Hearts of Iron. Everything but the Marines are WIP, though the Sergeants are missing their backpacks.

First, two new Sergeants and a Marine for my DA Successor Chapter:










Next, Lord Commissar Whats-Her-Name:





After that, two Guardswomen:




And finally, a Guard Captain in a spiffing uniform! At first, I was gonna paint him like the Guardswomen, but then I decided to mimic the uniform m/1886 of the Swedish Grenadiers Life Regiment, with some alterations.




The uniform that inspired:


This in turn made me interested in making some Grenadiers/Dragoons to accompany the Captain into battle, wearing something similar to the uniform on the right in this picture:



The best model to start out with would probably be Vic's Victorian Guard models, with some conversion work.

Let me hear your thoughts on this!

those guardswomen look really cool! and the blue uniforms look pretty neat aswell

I'm seriously slow when it comes to updates, but here goes some.

Decided on another camo for the Cadian and tank elements of my IG. Grey fatigues with black splinters, combined with grey armour. Tanks are sprayed with Caliban Green, which is masked in splinters before a Mechanicus Standard Gray spray coat is applied. Worked wonders on the Valkyrie. Also added tons of stowage to the 2 Leman Russ tanks shown here, found a US Stowage set from Tamiya in 1/35 which suits nicely. I've also gotten some work done on my Space Marines, namely assembling and painting a Land Raider Prometheus and getting started with a few squads of Tartaros Terminators. Oh, and the IG Dragoons have a scheme and some figs painted, buuuut I forgot to take some photos of them before my second vacation this summer


2iC Leman Russ Vanquisher, added stowage, a "tank basket" to the already exisiting one (yo dawg, I heard you like...), and a mesh cover for the engine hatch, to protect it from nosy grenades.







Leman Russ Executioner, converted from a Leman Russ Incinerator. I just liked this barrel a lot more!







Valkyrie. Added a second Lascannon to the other side of the cockpit, so it can double as a Vendetta when I attach the wing pairs. Painted the passenger compartment pre-assembly.







That's all for now, you'll get more in about two weeks time. See 'ya!

Loving your stuff, conversions and paint finishes are brilliant, look forward to seeing more

Good stuff! where do you get your tank stowage from? it looks seriously awesome!

Promised an update two weeks ago, and I deliver!

First of, thanks for the compliments! The stowage is a mix of GW bits from the Tank Accessory sprue and from Tamiyas 1/35 Modern U.S. Military Equipment Set.

Now to the miniatures (*Cough tanks cough*), still WiP, and we'll start with the Leman Russ Vanquisher, now named "Slammer" with the charming crew motto; "Feeling outranged?"









Next, the Leman Russ Executioner, still unnamed.







Now, the Land Raider Prometheus I told you about last time. Personally, I'm split whether the wash came out good or way too blotchy, especially in the flat areas. The resin parts where it pooled is just bad. Don't get me wrong, I prefer my tanks and infantrymen to be grimy and weathered, but I'm just not sure it looks good here.









And finally, the IG Dragoons I talked about way back, with some paint splattered on. They're Victoria Miniatures Tannenburg Fusiliers with Victorian heads, that I've sculpted a plume on. Got about 20+ of them waiting to be assembled and painted, and even more Arcadian Guard and regular Cadians too. Slow painter? Check








And done, see you next time!

Liking the dragoon idea. Must admit I like Victoria mini's, I'm using some of their legs with skitarii torso's to mix up a squad a bit.. There female guard are also pretty cool.
Liking the tanks, everything seems to flow quite nicely.

An update! I've finished the Leman Russ Vanquisher "Slammer", painted 13 Arcadians (Sadly botched two when I tried the Army Painter Quickshade, they got a lot more varnished than shaded, but I'll strip and repaint them ), and also painted two of the Dragoons, a Sergeant and an Officer! I've also included a SM Captain I painted during the summer, but totally forgot to show.

Yes, I'm also shocked that I've managed to finish something

Personal reflections:

The Leman Russ turned out darker than I anticipated, but contrary to the Land Raider Prometheus incident, this worked out in my favour. You can still discern the camo pattern clearly, and it makes the lenses pop, especially the red on the turret side (Love it!). Weathering is just right in my mind, as I contemplated drybrushing it with a dark grey to simulate concrete dust and similar crap in the air, but I skipped it as I was already satisfied with what I had.

When it comes to the Arcadians, I'm very happy. The photos makes them a lot darker than they actually are, though they'd easily blend in on a foresty tabletop, which I see as proof that you got some good Imperial Guard going. Also tried to paint different skintones, which worked well despite the difficulties I have with painting bare skin. Though I'd say my current formula for grunts works, which is a solid layer of the base colour (Light, medium or dark brown) followed by a mix of drybrushing/thinly layering the next lighter tone on, before washing with Reikland Fleshshade. Works for grunts, though an extra highlight is required for more important people, i.e characters.

The Dragoon characters prove that the scheme is easy but pops on the table. Macragge Blue, White Scar, Averland Sunset layered with Yriel Yellow, and Vallejos Chocolate Brown. Wash everything but the skin with Nuln Oil, then highlight with White Scar, Alaitoc Blue and Yriel Yellow. Highlighting the dark uniform after the was with such bright colours pops like crazy, and that's the way I like it!

The Space Marine Captain was the first mini I tried Stormhost Silver on, and that along with Leadblecher are the only irony metal colours that I actually like. The others run far too much for me. Also like the pose he's got, feels dynamic.


































Next time will probably be some Arcadian artillery crew along with more dragoons, and possibly the Leman Russ Executioner. Cheers!

the guardsmen/women from vic minis look really awesome!!

@STG They sure do! Beat the old Cadian sculpts by miles, a lot more character with Vics minis.

@Alaricuk Thanks, missed your comment when I did the last update, shame on me

So, thought I'd post a quick update on the progress for my Dragonskvadron and Jägarpluton (The Victorian Guards and the Arcadian Guards respectively, gonna start fluffing the thread up as I'm fleshing it out in my head. And yes, it'll be a lot of Swedish influence ) as I've grouped them together on my desk. As it stands, I have 10 Dragoons in need of heads (front row) and 10 more on sprues but lacking weapon arms, so gonna have to order more of those eventually. On the green side of business, I have the 2 5-man artillery crews on sprues, but ready to be assembled at any time, another 10 man squad, and 2 more troopers for the command squad on the assembly line. Just waiting for my latest dispatchment from Vic to start equipping some with sniper rifles and extra gear. Lastly, we have another female commissar waiting for some paint. Just a simple headswap on the Officio Prefectus Commissar. I've loathed the plastic model ever since it came, as it killed the very nice metal models in favour of a plastic model that is totally compensating for something with that hat. So, I got rid of the hat









'Till next time!

Time to revive this thread. It's been more than 1 ½ years since my last update, ample time for some people to finish an entire army, and I've gotten about a tank or so done. Procrastination? Never heard of it....

This will mostly cover some of the larger projects I'm currently working on, or having recently finished.



The command vehicle for my IG Tank Company. I've shown this one before, and since then I touched up on the green camo and motivational text on the turret, so it'd pop a bit more.





Incinerator-turned-Executioner, also shown before. Nearing completion with this one, just washing and some detail work left. The texts on the side were inspired by a discussion I had with some co-workers a few weeks ago, along with the novel "Cadia Stands" by Justin D Hill (Quite decent book, actually. However, it shows that it was written as filler for the events of the Fall of Cadia book.) regarding the state of the Cadian regiments that escaped their planet. The reasoning I laid forth was that many Shock Troopers would likely become either death-seeking or fanatical, knowing they were either not there to defend their homeworld, or that those present for the destruction of it would be driven to desperation over the self-imposed impression that it was their fault for not fighting hard enough. It'd be an interesting take on the otherwise stoically portrayed Cadians, with their thing for discipline and professionalism, to showcase them as being driven by an intense and wrathful desire for vengeance, that might even overtake their sense of reason in some situations, Hence, the "We're still alive!" and added "Stands!" to the regimental stamp of CADIA 57.





Working on some wheeled IFVs to proxy as Chimeras, based on 1/35 Stryker models, shortened by a quarter. Despite this, their size remains an issue. Just in the current state of lacking a main weapon, they are taller than the hull of a Leman Russ, and 1/3 longer as well. I don't particularly care about the in-game disadvantages with their larger bulk, but it looks out of place from a model-perspective.





Count-as Macharius Vanquisher, made from a 1/35 Tamiya Pzkpw. V Panther D. Switched the turrent ring for the engine block, to get the rear-set turret of the Macharius, but without the redundant double barrels. The FW model is absolutely gorgeous, but having two large-caliber main weapons like that is a silly concept. You'd need twice the ammo for the same effect you'd gain with a single shell. If one hit from that gun doesn't kill what you shot at, then the immediate second round won't either, having practically no dispersion apart from the distance of the barrels from one another.. Also, the crew must be cramped past the point of claustrophobia with double the amount of gunners and loaders in that turret. Rambling aside, it still lacks the side-sponsons and the casemate weapons on the front, along with some other details, but the main shape is almost done.





And this little birdie will be one of the two converted Vampire FB.5 aircraft now turned into Lightning Strike Fighters. Quite pleased with how smooth the hardpoints became underneath the wings, with 4 AT-missiles, 2 Lascannons, chaff launcher and targeting pod mounted. The pod and launcher came from a 1/35 set of US Aircraft accessories and weapons I picked up some time ago.


Not shown here are the usual assortment of custom DA Successor Marines in their Heresy gear and a Spartan Assault Tank, Guardsmen (and -women) from Victoria Miniatures and Anvil Industries, along with a coming set of more IG armour from FW. As you may have noticed, I have a thing for converting stuff for use with my IG armies, and there's more of that to come as well. Also, I've started to think up some fluff behind the different forces and the world they're battling for, if there's any interest to read some of that, I'd be happy to post it! I will also go over the past posts this week and either remove the pictures murdered by PB, or simply move them to some other site, suggestions welcome. Now to see when the next update will come, and if it'll even be this year...