Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi ho,


So this is a little reboot of sorts; it's been a while since I've updated my previous blog, and I've had a bit of a rethink in some areas so I figured a fresh start would be good. For the mind. Or something.


I'm not much of a writer, but there's a little background and thought to the army. A quick pitch of the force as a whole: The main bulk of the numbers are the inhabitants of what was an Imperial agri world now turned to Chaos; workers, planetary defense, goveners, and whatever else might be involved. The human rabble is led by a small group of Heretic Astartes with a big superiority complex and a lust for domination and conquest. The Astartes aren't particurly zealous for the most part; they generally aren't big Chaos worshippers, nor are they on a destrcutive crusade against the Imperium. Their goals are more along the lines of following their ambitions and having autonomy, creating their own little empire through subjugation and brute strength. They're maybe not as powerful as they think they are, but picking on the little guys in a backwater imperial farm world sure does make them feel tough. It's this combination of two factions that makes up the army, which a clear power gradient across the ranks; the hierachy is rigid, strength is king and the Astartes are at the top. In battle, the humans will be herded forward to die in droves, while the Astartes will mostly linger back in relative safety.




I'll start with what's the most done - mutants. 19 of the little buggers, basecoated and ready to go. A renegade mutant rabble, all with shotguns. Unit champion is still WIP... I'll get to him someday. I'm still working on the paint scheme... trying to get a skin tone that feels right. There's a little test model in the mix that I'm not entirely happy with - the technique and overall texture of the skin I do like, but the colours need work.



Conceptually, the lowest worker class of a small ex-imperial agri world, hunched field-working abhumans permanently deformed after generations of stooping over the dirt, bred in isolation. Slaves now to Chaos in much the way they were slaves before to the Imperium, except this time they were handed shotguns and poked until they ran in the right direction. They are the very bottom rung in what aims to be a strongly hierarchical army, the weakest and most easily dominated of all.



THE ASTARTES. My old ones were okay, I liked the concept and the general feel of them, but there was a little too much awkwardness in the posing (particularly in the legs) for me to be completely happy with them. This was largely because I was converting them from somewhere in the range of 10,000-12,000 different kits. I finally got my hands on some of the primaris sprues and felt stupid for not exploring that option sooner. While there is still a healthy amount of kit-bashing and converting required, at least I have a single base model - in the primaris marines - with the correct proportions.

The idea behind the Astartes is unchanged; dirty, cowardly, renegade scum. Damaged, missing and non-standard armour; the more decrepit and unfamiliar the better. There will be few helmets, particularly among the lower-ranking marines, most will have bare heads or shoddy, improvised masks. I've played around with the weapon and armour parts to try and make them a little esoteric and archaic looking; there's the odd reference to Rogue Trader era miniatures in the mix too.

One of my older models has now been relegated to a test piece (and he's sadly missing his head </3)

>

The idea is that they're a disparate band of rebels, marked out by the yellow stripes self-painted onto their armour. I'm trying to ignore the standard 'armour panels one colour, trim another colour' sort of paint scheme that is often seen for Chaos Marines. Again, I want the miniatures to feel a little disparate from each other; they don't hail from any one chapter, legion, or era. I may explore this in a Deathwatch-esque way at some point, with subtle nods and design cues carried from various chapters into the mix.


FOR NOW THOUGH, I have 1 (ONE!!) finished-ish new model to show, an Aspiring Champion. A unit leader from a standard CSM squad, not a particularly spectacular or influencial fellow, but a leader nonetheless. I tried to make his pose kinda stoic and authoritative, which will hopefully mesh well enough with the poses to come, but also make him a little distinct. Like I am planning with most of the Astartes, he's a little sparse on armour in places. He's poor and under-supplied, okay? Leave him alone. Also he's too cool for that 'protection' lark anyway - that being said, he must have lost that leg somehow... Maybe some greaves would've helped?







The excellent Cawdor upgrade kits from Forgeworld supplied the head and axe (the axe albiet is heavily modified), and the rest is pulled from I don't remember where. Bit of Thallax in the bionic leg, and I think bits and pieces from the Nurgle Blood Bowl kit elsewhere. I am still opting to sculpt the shape of the torso, just to give them enough distinction to avoid them looking like CHAOS PRIMARIS. The process is a LOT easier than using mini-marine bits though, as I don't have to 'size-up' the torso underneath the greenstuff to get it to work.




I've got a few more bits 'n' pieces that'll get around to posting at some point - some Traitor Guard, the starts of some Warp Talons, Renegade Commander etc...


Thanks for looking all, and thanks for wading through all that text if you could be bothered!! Comments and abuse is welcome! Cheers.


[better-res pics below]

I like the look of this already. That Aspiring Champion is just badass and I can't wait to see him painted up!

Brilliant start and great backstory, looking forward to the next members of that twisted and corrupt society.

I've seen your mutants on your old blog and they were already pretty good, but the Marine really is the icing on the cake. Inceredible job done there! It's a really great character, that easily reads as a Chaos marine even though he is a bit undersupplied. Quite a different concept to all the other ones out there as they tend to be more on the opposite end.
Just out of curiosity, you used a Primaris as a base for this? So he'd be quite a bit taller than your mutants (maybe a scale shot, pretty please? )
Keep up the good work!

I remember the other thread! I still love those mutants, and look forward to the marines

Those are actual screws, aren't they? Yessssssssss

Love your ramshackle CSM, excited for more!

Thank you all for the kind comments :] appreciated

 Pneumo wrote:
Quite a different concept to all the other ones out there as they tend to be more on the opposite end.

Yes that is definitely what i am aiming for! I do think the direction GW are taking the new CSM is really nice, and I think the newer models look excellent... That being said, I think they are excellent Black Legion models; I think there's a lot more scope to explore different themes with renegade marines, and I am finding it a lot of fun to intentionally steer as far away from that very 'Black Legion' aesthetic. I am glad you think they still read clearly as Chaos!

 Pneumo wrote:
Just out of curiosity, you used a Primaris as a base for this? So he'd be quite a bit taller than your mutants (maybe a scale shot, pretty please? )

Of course! Next to a mutant and Psyker to represent a more normal human:

I did not see your previous thread, but I'm surely keeping my eyes on this one! Excellent conversions and paint work! I got to say that while I'm not a fan of the stock FEC ghoul models, I've seen some really great conversions turning them into various hunchbacked mutants, and yours are some of the best I've seen!

 mcmattila wrote:
I did not see your previous thread, but I'm surely keeping my eyes on this one! Excellent conversions and paint work! I got to say that while I'm not a fan of the stock FEC ghoul models, I've seen some really great conversions turning them into various hunchbacked mutants, and yours are some of the best I've seen!

Thank you! Agreed on the original ghoul models; I think it's the arms and faces being a little too whacky... I think they're so much more appealing with those substituted.

So there has been a little progress in the world of hobby, first up and probably less interesting; a little bolter dude, looking awkward and unfinished:



I really love the utterly filthy expression on that head sculpt... It's from the Catachan Command set and while it's a little small, I kinda it; it helps emphasise the physical bulk of the marines a bit. Now that I am looking at it, this is a terrible photo that illustrates very little worth talking about... I guess I'll save any explanation for another time!


Next up, Warp Talons. These have always seemed heavily under-explored in terms of miniatures to me. I understand that though, the necessity of them being in a dual kit with raptors somewhat hamstrings the ability to make them unique. In the fluff, they seem very far from Raptors, a lot further apart than a weapon swap. They're supposed to be demonic, barely human predators. I wanted to try and take that angle a little more seriously, and tilt their aesthetic further form the human and more to the bestial. I took a lot of inspriation from harpies and vultures; I think there's some slightly unsettling body horror in having arms instead of wings and an elongated vulture-like neck.

Now I'll treat you to some highly awkward and terrible photos of me holding the as-yet unbased model I have so far (currently trying to source some Inceptor -style flying stands from literally anywhere):







Still quite a lot of work to be done, but the feel of the model is about right I think.



Thanks for looking, comments, criticism and character assassinations are welcome [:

Ah man, you make me jealous. I feel like my models are crap now... Still you did an amazing job and I commend you sir!

That is a lovely raptor. Nice work. More please

That 's a genuinely freaky looking bird marine.
Fantastic idea, and excellent execution!

Thanks for the comments PossumCraft and Flinty!

DeathKorp_Rider wrote:
Ah man, you make me jealous. I feel like my models are crap now... Still you did an amazing job and I commend you sir!

Thank you! but also :[ at the risk of sounding patronising: don't talk yourself down! Any piece of art is never an achievement, only a footstep. I feel like many of my models are crap... part of the reason I move on so quickly Never good to dwell




And so... Another update. I am trying to update semi-regularly even if there's not all that much EXCITEMENT so sorry if this is dull! First up I have finished* another of my CSM. Not especially exciting maybe, but it's an important step for me nailing down the feel for Astartes as a whole. The Champion turned out nicely, but it's the rank and file that I think will dictate the army's feel most strongly.

*Upon further inspection, I realise I have yet to fix the shins :[






I worked quite a lot on the posing, I'm trying to keep them low, hunched, cowardly looking. Primaris Marines are very cool/ heroic/ dynamic looking and just doesn't fit what I'm going for. It also contrasts nicely with the very upright pose of the Champion. Rogue Trader era marines were actually a really useful reference here; a lot of the posing back then was more hunched and 'real' and a little less heroic. I opted to modify the bolter to align with those old designs too, with the forward mounted mag. I used the Bolt Rifle because frankly, it's a far superior sculpt to any standard boltgun available... But the size is in line with what a Boltgun should be.

I've also been trying to think about the anatomy of power amour a little too; if there's a piece missing somewhere, you have to decide what's underneath it. One of the big things I settled on was the rubber-looking joints that you usually see in the crooks of elbows and knees etc. I sculpted versions of these wherever something was absent at a joint; under the missing knee pad and shoulder guard, at the seam between the gloved hand and his bare arm (also visible at the shoulder joint of the Champion). I think this adds a layer of believably, and brings into focus a detail that I think is often overlooked when you think of space marine armour.

I also played around with battle damage on the backpack:





Outside of the world of CS I got my hands on some Blackstone Fortress Traitor guard, and I set about kitbashing them with Cadians, still have filling etc. to do:



Nothing particularly exciting or mind-blowing here, but it actually feels really nice to go in for a bit of an easier conversion lol... The Mutants and Astartes are a lot of work. The intention is to change the base models enough, that I can put them next to the 7 Blackstone models and have them look like different sculpts.

For those who don't know, in the Renegades and Heretics list there are 2 'tiers' of human fodder, Cultists and Militia. They a pretty much the same stat-wise and conceptually, but Militia have poor WS/BS compared to the 4+/4+ of the Cultists (as they are in the CSM dex too). The Traitor Guard will be 'Cultists', their better stats reflecting their status of being the planet PDF; actual trained soldiers. The Militia - when I get around to them - will be more worker-types in a similar vein to the Mutants.



In other news, a shamefully expensive little package arrived today that I am very excited about...





...And I will leave you with that! Thanks for looking all.

Geniunly love that vulture fella. How many are you planning on making?

I love this project so far. Your converted Renegade Marines are awesome.

This is a true pleasure to see. You've managed to break out of the Astartes silhouette in some pretty groundbreaking ways, and I'm excited to see where you take them next.

For those who don't know, in the Renegades and Heretics list there are 2 'tiers' of human fodder, Cultists and Militia. They a pretty much the same stat-wise and conceptually, but Militia have poor WS/BS compared to the 4+/4+ of the Cultists (as they are in the CSM dex too). The Traitor Guard will be 'Cultists', their better stats reflecting their status of being the planet PDF; actual trained soldiers. The Militia - when I get around to them - will be more worker-types in a similar vein to the Mutants.

God i miss IA 13.....

Btw nice progress, any idea for psykers?

Very cool stuff. I wish I could green stuff that well.

Thanks all for the comments! I am glad people are finding something interesting in my playing around!

 NotVaughan wrote:
Geniunly love that vulture fella. How many are you planning on making?

Uhhh ideally 5, for a full GAME LEGAL Warp Talon unit... That being said I am not much of a gamer and my focus can be... lacking. The first guy took a lot of work to get to where he is (which is still a ways off done) so it may be a while before I get all 5... I am planning a unit champion soon-ish though which will be a little bit different.

Not Online!!! wrote:
Btw nice progress, any idea for psykers?

I think I actually let out an audible 'ugh' when I read this... not your fault! but I have had many ideas for psykers yes. Where are they? They've all been terrible. I've tried 4 or 5 different psyker coven models and I just can't get anything I'm happy with. It has been very frustrating so they are currently On The Back Burner™. That being said, have a cheeky photo of my most recent attempt anyway:




In recent news there has been painting! My phone camera does not get on with picking up the yellow on the overall quite drab models... so they're looking even flatter on the screen than in person lol...



I am pretty much done with the head of the champion, I'm pretty happy with that. The rest of it is obviously a ways off, but I think the final look of the model is a little easier to visualise at this point. Need to push the contrast on the grey blends a little further and get edge highlighting the browns next.



In the modelling corner I have begun on my first human leader-type: A high-class lady with big status aaaannd... limited combat potential. Astartes and normal human for scale:



It's probably about time I evoked the ubiquitous John Blanche, it's hard to do anything 40k without doing so... Her posing was heavily inspired by the following:There's a lot of work left to do here, but her basic form is shaping up well. I have some slightly tricky plans for her left arm, and a lot of details that I'd like to add. She's got yet another FW Necromunda upgrade kit head... They are some damn nice kits...



Thanks for looking all!

Really great work on these guys , also I like this less chaotic/mutated version (except the raptor who is awesome) of renegade Astartes better than your previous ones. Nothing wrong in any way with the previous ones, it’s just you don’t see too many marines who have taken on the “ it, I’m taking my share” approach without going full chaos.

I think I actually let out an audible 'ugh' when I read this... not your fault! but I have had many ideas for psykers yes. Where are they? They've all been terrible. I've tried 4 or 5 different psyker coven models and I just can't get anything I'm happy with. It has been very frustrating so they are currently On The Back Burner™. That being said, have a cheeky photo of my most recent attempt anyway:

First nicely done, second, it seems you need to place them on the foodchain somewhere just like you did with the rest of your army in their background.

Are they worth more then the traitor guardsmen? Then they need to be better clothed,etc.
If you can answer that question you have the baseline for your model.

These renegades of yours are everything I always wanted renegade marines to be - not regimented chaos versions of imperial marines, but rag-tag space pirates with no master but themselves.

The conversions are top notch - I love the esoteric mix of mis-matched and damaged wargear, and that battered paint scheme with the distinctive yellow stripe is perfect.

I can't wait to see more!

This some brilliant stuff - and I think your cheeky psyker was great. Love in the inclusion of the sickle, and overall style of conversion. Great work!

This is fantastic work... greenstuff+grimdark. Well done.

Cool grimdark renegades. I always thought there should be something between Imperium and Chaos Marines and your renegades suit the aesthetic well. Consider me subscribed!

Awesome vision here, and perfect execution. Whilst you can see in the grey/green pre-paint pictures where most of the bitz come from, the painted composites look so original and are truly seamless.

Brilliant work. Subbed instantly

Thank you all for the comments and feedback; it is great motivation knowing that other people are taking an interest!! Much appreciated.

Not Online!!! wrote:
Are they worth more then the traitor guardsmen? Then they need to be better clothed,etc.
If you can answer that question you have the baseline for your model.

Answering these questions is actually where I've been struggling... Being an HQ choice logic dictates that they should be worth more, therefore better off, than the standard troops. But when I think of a rogue psyker I think of them being unsanctioned psykers; not trained or skilled in anyway, just maniacs who have been playing with the powers of the warp and are pretty heavily out of their depth (this is reflected in their rules, with them being able to cast powers more easily at the cost of wounds). So yeah... I am finding it difficult to marry the idea of 'crazed, out of control, volatile madmen' with the idea of them having a sense of superiority. My latest idea revolves around them being somewhat feral, a lot of ripped clothing etc. and a bit of a swamp witch vibe going on, as if they have no cares or even awareness of how they look. Finding the right bits is proving to be troublesome... Thanks for the ideas though!!



I've had pretty limited hobby time lately so there's not been too much going on, but I have more-or-less finished painting my first model! This will be the first thing I have fully painted in like... 8 or 9 years. It feels good! I am waiting on some basing supplies so I can get the finishing touches done, and the back definitely needs work. But he's like 90% there!!

[I am finding out that my phone's camera has an AWFUL time trying to photograph this paint scheme... I know very little about cameras but it seems to just not be able to cope with the contrast swings in the miniature; either the yellows and highlights appear completely washed out and flat, or the rest of the model looks really dark. These photos are a little on the dark side but I think the best I can do with current equipment and skill level... I'll include some of lighter, more washed-out ones in a spoiler below.]




The back needs a lot of work, there's a few details that need touching up, and the odd part I'm not entirely happy with, BUT I am trying to push on and not get bogged down too much in nitpicking. 'Perfection is the enemy of progress' ...or whatever. Painting-wise I've taken a lot of inspiration from the INQ28 crowd (Ex Profundis and Iron Sleet being my 2 favourite blogs on the subject), and I've tried to capture a similar miserable, 'grimdark' atmosphere. INQ28 and 'blanchitsu' seems pretty enamoured with washes, but I just can't grasp them. It's probably my background of painting on paper or canvas rather than miniatures; I just can't seem to get the knack of painting with washes. My comfort zone is in blending, so there's a lot of that and not much else on this mini lol. The flesh parts are the only bits I managed to use washes, and those are some of my least favourite bits...


Feedback on the axe would be appreciated; I am not that happy with the way it looks, but I don't really know what else I could do... Any ideas? Does it look fine?

High-res images and some brighter photos, real-life look is somewhere between the two:



Thanks for looking all, let me know what you think!

I like the axe, though the body of the blade does look a bit plain. Maybe something more where the blade meets the handle?

Hmm yes that flat black bit is pretty dull... I may have a go at another red fade emanating from the handle? Or have a go at some glowing chaosy runes...


Did a little facepainting tonight I may as well share:



Unsure whether or not to do more on the mouth, and I might add another little red stripe on the headband to mirror the champion, maybe some kind of ad hoc squad marking... Decisions, decisions...

Actually, the answer to your psyker is probably no, they are not worth more then their traitorguard buddies.

Rogue psykers are untrained, unstable, tendency for possesion, are frowned upon still, the marines will probably also be afraid of them / hate them from previous experiences, have a nasty tendency to blow up allies instead and are cuckoo crazy.

So if your warband here is not tzeentch then they will be stuck mostlikely at the bottom as your mutants.