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Typical - started the Shadowsword in the time between me asking and you guys suggesting it. There's just so much blue space, I hope I do a good job... they're not exactly the cheapest models ever. Any suggestions when it comes to super heavies?

I plan on getting all three done fairly quickly, maybe within the next couple of weeks.

See where you're coming from with the FW dreads Nev - they're definitely a lot more human-like in stature as opposed to something you can make a reasonable representation of with Lego.

The shadowsword is cool enough at any rate. As for painting tips, (an this is mostly conjecture as the largest thing I've painted is a Land Raider) I think the huge model is a good place to show off some freehand or other designs and techniques. I know you like the models understated, but if there's one place they're going to go all-in with showing off, it's on a tank the size of a small office block!

Since it's being discussed, I love both the Contemptor and the standard Dread. The Contemptor does have the cleaner shape and lines, but it's a relic from a more practical age, whereas the standard Dread has that boxiness that just says 'Damn you, Physics, I'm standing upright!'. On another note, I must try and make a lego dread at some point...

Tigurius wrote:See where you're coming from with the FW dreads Nev - they're definitely a lot more human-like in stature as opposed to something you can make a reasonable representation of with Lego.

Paradigm wrote:Since it's being discussed, I love both the Contemptor and the standard Dread. The Contemptor does have the cleaner shape and lines, but it's a relic from a more practical age, whereas the standard Dread has that boxiness that just says 'Damn you, Physics, I'm standing upright!'. On another note, I must try and make a lego dread at some point...

I will admit to having done some mental exercises on how I’d build a dread out of lego. Not hit the bins to drag out bricks yet though. And I might be downloading a lego digital design program in another window while I type this...

Hi Tigurius, your army is seriously gathering pace keep up the great work, cant wait to see more.

Hey Nev linked me to this blog since I'm starting to work on a 4th army as well. Your models look amazing btw.

If you don't mind I have one question, what greens did you for for with the accents? Like the should pads, bolter casings, etc. Thanks so much! and awesome work again!.

Well, after a longer period of time than should be considered reasonable to paint a Lord of War.

I present to you... my Shadowsword. I'm quite happy with it, but I'm curious as to what you all think.

Worth the effort and the £100?

Looks very good! The only thing I'd suggest is to put some black text/numerals/icons on some of the white areas (and maybe the same with white on blue) but other than that, damn nice work!

MitchellTyner wrote:Hey Nev linked me to this blog since I'm starting to work on a 4th army as well. Your models look amazing btw.

If you don't mind I have one question, what greens did you for for with the accents? Like the should pads, bolter casings, etc. Thanks so much! and awesome work again!.

Thanks a lot! I'm glad you like my work.

It'll be good to see a fellow 4th Company player and perhaps some of your projects too? The green is waargh flesh and then orkboss green ( I think that's what they're called). It's more of an olive green finish. Caliban green might be a good way to approach it too.

Paradigm wrote:Looks very good! The only thing I'd suggest is to put some black text/numerals/icons on some of the white areas (and maybe the same with white on blue) but other than that, damn nice work!

Yeah, it's something I thought of doing. I could well take that advise soon. The flash makes it look really white though, there's a bit more texture without the stark brightness.

Played my first game with it yesterday - What a beast. That D cannon eliminated 2 tactical squads in 2 shots. Lascannons and heavy bolters scything down terminators en masse. Might only use this for more serious games. A bit OP for a friendly game.

Those things put out a massive amount of firepower. Then again, they cost a chunk of points. The baneblade chassis superhevies struck me as actually balanced. I think the shadowsword is probably the best of the lot, but it’s been a while since I looked at the details.

The lighting is a bit harsh, so it’s hard to comment on the details. I think it might be nice to get another color in there to help break things up a bit. Right now it’s basically black/white/blue. I know there is more going on, but at a distance that’s what comes across. I might slap a chunk of purity seals all over it, the red/parchment would add a spash. You could put clusters at places you want to draw the eye.

Overall it looks quite nice. And it’s good to have a big chunk of tank for when things get real.

Without flash. Any better?

I really need to set up and take my photos properly. It looks an absolute mile better IRL. The contrasts are too sharp.

Either way, my two Land Raiders are the next project. Hopefully won't take anywhere near as long.

 Tigurius wrote:

MitchellTyner wrote:Hey Nev linked me to this blog since I'm starting to work on a 4th army as well. Your models look amazing btw.

If you don't mind I have one question, what greens did you for for with the accents? Like the should pads, bolter casings, etc. Thanks so much! and awesome work again!.

Thanks a lot! I'm glad you like my work.

It'll be good to see a fellow 4th Company player and perhaps some of your projects too? The green is waargh flesh and then orkboss green ( I think that's what they're called). It's more of an olive green finish. Caliban green might be a good way to approach it too.

Honestly my work is so bad it shouldn't be shone lol. I ended up going with castellan green for the base, Loren Forest and Elysian Green. Honestly I think it's a little too dark.

That is the darker route, but perhaps you need to drybrush/highlight with the brighter colours a little more?

In other news, Land Raiders started. Built, sprayed black and are now basecoat blue. One's a redeemer, the other is a Godhammer.

These will be back to the old 4th company Green colour scheme.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Right, so I'm starting my Raiders, and I'm really looking for some direction on how I should bulk my armoured contingent.

There's a competition in my local GW at the end of October "Armies on Parade", where you put at least 1HQ and 2 units on a 2x2 gaming tile, to make the coolest looking thing possible.

Obviously there are a few approaches, including making it look like a battlefield or where you dump a feth load of units on a board and go "ta da! look at all my stuff" followed up with the jazz hands.

I thought my submission might be based loosely on the Armoured Might unbound one-click from GW. My shadowsword,(with some planned improvements, thanks guys) my Land Raiders and who knows what. I was thinking more fliers and tanks, with my chapter master looking at it all from a nice view point. Any thoughts?

Lord of War looks great!

If I may, I'll suggest - as other have already said - some markings on the white panels, to break them up a bit, and, maybe, some dirt or mud, at least on the tracks and side skirts?

Or not, if that does not go along with your taste or the rest of your army, it certainly looks the part as is as well

 Tigurius wrote:
Right, so I'm starting my Raiders, and I'm really looking for some direction on how I should bulk my armoured contingent.

There's a competition in my local GW at the end of October "Armies on Parade", where you put at least 1HQ and 2 units on a 2x2 gaming tile, to make the coolest looking thing possible.

Obviously there are a few approaches, including making it look like a battlefield or where you dump a feth load of units on a board and go "ta da! look at all my stuff" followed up with the jazz hands.

I thought my submission might be based loosely on the Armoured Might unbound one-click from GW. My shadowsword,(with some planned improvements, thanks guys) my Land Raiders and who knows what. I was thinking more fliers and tanks, with my chapter master looking at it all from a nice view point. Any thoughts?

I think doing an armoured column might be cool. Lead with the Shadowsword, the pair of LR behind it, and then 3 of something behind that. Vinidcators or Preds, maybe even Rhinos. 1-2-3 would give a nice 'spearhead' sort of look.

I like the idea of a Chapter Master and his staff watching from on high. Maybe have Chronus in the lead tank, or standing with the Commanders?

 Paradigm wrote:

 Tigurius wrote:
Right, so I'm starting my Raiders, and I'm really looking for some direction on how I should bulk my armoured contingent.

There's a competition in my local GW at the end of October "Armies on Parade", where you put at least 1HQ and 2 units on a 2x2 gaming tile, to make the coolest looking thing possible.

Obviously there are a few approaches, including making it look like a battlefield or where you dump a feth load of units on a board and go "ta da! look at all my stuff" followed up with the jazz hands.

I thought my submission might be based loosely on the Armoured Might unbound one-click from GW. My shadowsword,(with some planned improvements, thanks guys) my Land Raiders and who knows what. I was thinking more fliers and tanks, with my chapter master looking at it all from a nice view point. Any thoughts?

I think doing an armoured column might be cool. Lead with the Shadowsword, the pair of LR behind it, and then 3 of something behind that. Vinidcators or Preds, maybe even Rhinos. 1-2-3 would give a nice 'spearhead' sort of look.

I like the idea of a Chapter Master and his staff watching from on high. Maybe have Chronus in the lead tank, or standing with the Commanders?

The other option would be to have a captain/CM on a bike, with a bike squad or two working as outriders for the armored column. Any force lead by something as massive as the shadowsword is going to have some FA units screening it. If not bikes, some scouts in LSS, (on on their own bikes) or some speeders fit the role.

Of course, with a pair of LRs, having the HQ in them makes a lot of sense. I could see this going a lot of different ways.

Paradigm wrote:
I think doing an armoured column might be cool. Lead with the Shadowsword, the pair of LR behind it, and then 3 of something behind that. Vinidcators or Preds, maybe even Rhinos. 1-2-3 would give a nice 'spearhead' sort of look.

I like the idea of a Chapter Master and his staff watching from on high. Maybe have Chronus in the lead tank, or standing with the Commanders?

Nevelon wrote:
The other option would be to have a captain/CM on a bike, with a bike squad or two working as outriders for the armored column. Any force lead by something as massive as the shadowsword is going to have some FA units screening it. If not bikes, some scouts in LSS, (on on their own bikes) or some speeders fit the role.

Of course, with a pair of LRs, having the HQ in them makes a lot of sense. I could see this going a lot of different ways.

Perhaps I can do both! Excellent inspiration guys.

Might use fliers rather than bikes though, maybe some landspeeders, shove some Vindicators, the two LR's and the shadowsword in the 1-2-3 formation, with a couple of talons and landspeeder or two.

Sounds cool! Bonus points if you have a commander doing a 'royal wave' out of the top of the Shadowsword

On a practical standpoint, you need to fit everything on a 2’x2’ display? What’s the footprint on a shadowsword? aren’t they close to a square foot on their own?

You might have to switch themes to a garage or depot, with techmatrines squeezing between tanks to finish loading them up before they deploy. There would just be too much armor to fit into a realistic field deployment.

Well, it's been a while since I've posted.

Updates. My Land Raider and Redeemer are finished, I shall post some pictures of those at some point soon.

I've acquired 5 Vindicators, because after all, if there's any point in having 1, there's plenty of point in having 5! These 5, along with the LRs and Shadowsword will be the bulk of my "Armies on Parade".

I've also gained a large carry case from a local hardware store full of pick and pluck foam, which has allowed me to squeeze loads in!

I need some advice though! I've gone for Nev's idea to put a Chapter Master on a bike, and give him some pals. But I want to know - a) what kits should I use and b) what should I equip them with?

The Ravenwing stuff looks nice, to kit bash with but I'm seeking guidance, especially considering I'd like my CM to look special, without being overly blingy. In terms of kitting him out, I'm thinking a lance (possibly as a burning blade) and a storm shield (shield eternal).



Also, on a personal note - I've got a new job that I start next week, which will give me some additional time to tinker and paint, because there are often some periods of down time

Congratulations on the new job, and finding one with hobby time to boot!

5 Vindicators will ruin anyone's day on the table! Have you seen the Forge World Seige Assault Vanguard list? Its all about aggressive play and I believe you cab take Vindicators (as well as whirlwinds, preds and dreads) in squadrons. Might be worth looking into, the download is free on the FW site.

Looking forward to seeing the LR.

As for the bike, I think you're best off mixing Vanguard or Sternguard parts with a bike. Maybe not a Ravenwing one unless you fancy removing a lot of DA icons. How confident are you with Green Stuff sculpting? It could help decorate a plain bike.

There's a formation in the damnos book with vindicators - mahoosive blasts and such.

No abilities with greenstuff, beyond dodgy gap filling.

I might have to use tactical squad bits and all the bits and pieces to really bring the squads to life.

£20.00 for a box of 3 bikes. How many would you say to be a good size for my CM? 6? 9? Attack bikes, yay or nay?

When I built my bike captain I used parts from the ravenwing, sternguard, vanguard, and multi-part captain kits. The DA ravenwing sprue that you get 3 of with the DA battleforce has a number of useful things that aren’t caked with wings and broken swords. And some of the wings, if given a nice gold paintjob, invoke the image of the aquila, so are generic enough for any imperial force. Looking at the sprue pics of the newer DA bikes, they have a lot of stuff sculpted on that’s not going to be easy to remove. Might still be some bits worth harvesting, but probably not worth the price tag. But the old RW sprue is free with a number of bundles.

If you are adding bikes to your army, the DA battle force is still probably you go-to box. Less so then it used to be, since the 3 bikes for $40 boxes were introduced, but you do get the speeder and extra DA sprues for about $3, so it’s still good. And the bikes are the basic kits, so universal.

The “what to give them” question is a lot harder. As this is for an army on parade, my first though would be “what looks coolest?” On a more practical standpoint, what does the rest of your army look like? Do you have another HQ? If so, you could run a command squad on bikes. Do you have other troops? If not, you are going to need a pair of 5 man squads. Your first troop squad should probably be full melta. 2xMeltaguns, MM attack bike. I’m on the fence about the sarge, he might want the c-melta, or it might be overkill. If you are rolling with 5 vindicators, I’m not sure you need to have a grav bike squad, but they also work well.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Tigurius wrote:


There's a formation in the damnos book with vindicators - mahoosive blasts and such.

No abilities with greenstuff, beyond dodgy gap filling.

I might have to use tactical squad bits and all the bits and pieces to really bring the squads to life.

£20.00 for a box of 3 bikes. How many would you say to be a good size for my CM? 6? 9? Attack bikes, yay or nay?

You posted while I was writing, but I want to address your last point about the attack bikes: I’ve seen arguments about not taking them, but you should IMHO. Particuarly with the squad the CM is going to be in. If you have him out front tanking wounds, the attack bike can be behind him for a look out sir check. It’s got 2 wounds, so can basically take a hit for free for the guy up front.

From a mechanics POV, one of bikes' perks is the ability to get all the toys at a small squad size. If you have a HQ making them troops, 5 models strong is the way to go. Sarge, two special weapons, one basic biker, and an attack bike.

For a fluffy/display piece, I could see a full 10 man squad with 8 normal and one attack bike. While you could combat squad that on the table, IMHO you would be better taking 2x5 bikes at the list building stage to cram in more guns.

Interesting thoughts, and an excellent contribution as standard Nev.

I'm looking to play them as well, so combat ready would be awesome. So, I'm thinking - Dark Angels Battleforce, as you've said. Convert the sargent with bits to make the CM. Use the rest as a 5man melta squad, with the attack bike and the landspeeder with melta too.

Perhaps I'll buy a second one, make an librarian on a bike too with a second squad loaded with grav.

Are close combat weapons on bikes viable? Or does bogging them down in combat make them rather redundant?

 Tigurius wrote:
Interesting thoughts, and an excellent contribution as standard Nev.

I'm looking to play them as well, so combat ready would be awesome. So, I'm thinking - Dark Angels Battleforce, as you've said. Convert the sargent with bits to make the CM. Use the rest as a 5man melta squad, with the attack bike and the landspeeder with melta too.

Perhaps I'll buy a second one, make an librarian on a bike too with a second squad loaded with grav.

Are close combat weapons on bikes viable? Or does bogging them down in combat make them rather redundant?

Bikes are one of those units that can do almost anything OK. And sometimes you need to charge a unit to make the shooting stop. Bikes get hammer of wrath when they charge, and have the speed to get to their target, but don’t have a lot of attacks when stuck in. With the changes to jink saves, CC bikes are a tempting option. You need to snap fire your guns, but jinking doesn’t affect your melee ability. So you might as well pile in and crump some heads. Obviously a tooled up command squad is going to do better, but a vet sarge with a toy and a chapter master should be able to do some harm.

From a modeling POV, the bikers are very basic marines, but compatible with the rest of the range. You might find yourself just using the legs, and getting better looking torsos/heads/shoulders from other kits. You will also need to get the special weapons for other locations. There are robed legs without DA iconography on the RW sprue, but the robed torso has a big symbol on the front. If you are doing a librarian, you might need to find a good torso elsewhere.

Guys,

It's been seriously ages since this has been updated, but I've made some headway on my army.

So I'll just leave these photos here, please let me know what you think.

For anyone who's interested; on the to-do pile - 4 Deredeo dreadnoughts, 40 marines and a Fellblade.

Dan

Stunningly beautiful.

Wow, that's a heck of a lot of progress! Awesome stuff!

Very nice work! Good to see you are still at it; the world needs more Ultramarines.

Thanks a lot guys, appreciate it. I am working to fix the *slight* tank to infantry ratio issue

 Tigurius wrote:
Thanks a lot guys, appreciate it. I am working to fix the *slight* tank to infantry ratio issue

Going to do a half dozen predators? Or stalker/hunters? If you feel you need more boots on the ground, there are always dreads.



There is an Iron Hands joke around here somewhere...