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Welcome to Smithy's Painstation - Ultramarines 4th Company Blog

29/05/2014 – After a bit of an absence, time for a reboot! If this is the first time you’ve looked at my blog for a while, maybe have a bit of skim through below!

So, due to some personal problems as well as a bit of a hobby lull, I’ve taken a bit of a sabbatical with this project- so apologies for anyone who missed the updates (though I wasn’t exactly expecting an uproar). I’ve revamped the OP a bit for clarity.

This is a little bit about me and my Painting, modelling and gaming history (from the original post)



Since I started my project in early Dec, here’s my list of completed units:
4th Company Chief Librarian – kitbashed Librarian, using Tigurius’ rules
4th Company Captain – using Chapter Master rules.
10 man Sternguard Squad
3 Stormtalons
1 Stormraven
2 Tactical Squads
3 Devastator Centurions
3 Drop Pods
2 x FW Contemptor Dreadnoughts (One counts as Venerable, the other an Ironclad)

As of now, and after a hefty investment, I’ve got a large WIP pile:
Shadowsword super heavy – Built, undercoated, basecoated.
Land Raider – standard pattern w/ Lascannons - Built, undercoated, basecoated.
Land Raider Redeemer - Built, undercoated, basecoated.
10 Honour Guard, kitbashed from a variety of boxes – being built.
4th Company Chaplain using Cassius’ rules, kitbashed from a variety of boxes – being built.

Below is the picture taken by the manager at GW Manchester of my old army when I started this project in December, so you can see how little I've done since

Glory to the 4th!

Dan

Chief Librarian of the 4th Company, kit-bashed from the plastic Librarian, using Tigurius' rules.
Sorry about the bad photo.

Looks like you are off to a good start. Always nice to see what my fellow Ultramarines are up to.

 Nevelon wrote:
Looks like you are off to a good start. Always nice to see what my fellow Ultramarines are up to.

Thanks Nev, more updates tonight.

Looking good. That's librarian is great and I like the subtle OSL, nice and understated. Looking forward to more shots of the other stuff.


Are we going to be seeing any characters from the 4th Co novels any time soon? I've made my own versions of a few, and I'm intrigued to see what other people have done with the characters.

An update for you, a few more of my older creations.

@ Paradigm - apart from the characters in the codex, I don't have any from the two omnibuses. I think I should though.. you've given me inspiration. Hmmm... I might do Learchus first, as my Sternguard sergeant. Thanks for the idea!

Cool stuff. I like the way you've got a clean look without appearing flat, which is always a challenge.

The blue helmets on the termies is something that is unusual but works really well, and I like the use of red as a spot colour on the scouts.

Learchus as a Sternguard Sarge would work. I've done Passinius as a Command Squad flamer dude and Ventris as a captain with the Burning Blade. Ventris was fun to do as, compeared to the other SM captains, he is quite plain, so I ended up using a lot of parts from the Tactical squad set rather than the more blingy stuff.

I'm look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Very nice, neat, clean army. Goes a long way in my book. Bet it looks fantastic on the tabletop too! Great basing by-the-way, looks terriffic with the blue.

@ Paradigm - I'm building my Sternguard at the moment, so I'll update when I have one. So far he's got a Chainsword, though he'll also have a nice bolter.


@ GItsplitta - Thanks! The problem is neat and clean is rather time consuming. I can't leave it unless it's pretty much 'perfect' or at least as good as I can make it. I do like the basing, completes the model for me and helps it looks that bit more finished - took plenty of trial and practice to find the right one.

I think it's worth it... on both counts. Nicely done.

Well, my blog nearly failed before it started.
I know that there are plenty of smurf collectors, so it's not the most original of concepts.

However, one month later, here's my latest update. 3x stormtalons and my 10 sternguard. I kit bashed the sternguard kit and the tactical squad kits with the finecast shoulder pads. I find the sternguard kits a bit too ostentatious and a bit too 'blingy'. Do you think it works?

I am NOT a fan of the recent "blingification" of 40k commanders and veterans. They didn't survive to get to that level my wearing jewelry that screams "Shoot me, I'm important!" So yes, I definitely approve.

Don't sweat the blog, takes a while to get established and to have people find you and figure out what you're doing.

They look great. If I might make a suggestion. Post WIP pics as you're working on things. Ask for input and thoughts of others while doing so. It will lengthen your blog and allow for some creative input.

And here are my current projects. 20 tactical marines and three drops pods for my 1200 pods and fliers list.

Drop pods are extremely annoying to paint and build... ahhh. Finding it hard to motivate myself though.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Whoa, you guys were pretty quick off the mark!

@ Gits. Thanks mate, yours is definitely well established, I keep an eye on it myself. Any hints?

@ weapon prime. Good ideas, I've posted my progress so far. Think I might do an altogether shot once my 1200 list is done.

In all truth, I do! People asked me to put together some advice & this is what I came up with...

Git's Tips on making a P&M blog: Building a better blog.

Thanks Gits!

All common sense stuff, but stuff you can't help but forget as you go along!

Does everybody else think of their next project before they've even got towards finishing their current one?

I've got 20 infantry and 3 vehicles to do, and I'm already looking wistfully at new models.

I was thinking of my 1800 list, with a) A stormraven b) 3 devastator centurians with 3 cannons and c) A contemptor dreadnought counting as an Ironclad.

The idea (for any gamers reading) is to put Tigurius in the flier with the Centurians, using his divination powers to buff them.. and a dreadnought for lulz.

At any rate, a few questions!

a) Are the Forgeworld brass rubbings any good? I've got my Raven already, and it looks a bit plain to be honest, and I'm not a fan of transfers!

b) I've never used FW before, so what are they like? Are the models good? What's the resin like to use compared to say, finecast or plastic?

c) Any suggestions for my current project?

Well, in my case I plan by single model. Because every one in my army is gonna an individual, with their own paint scheme and little background story.

a) I can never manage transfers myself, but neither have I used the brass stuff from FW either, sorry.

b) FW is all resin models, I've only got a few guard pieces so far. They're not bad, need some pretty hefty cleaning to remove flash.

c) Well, whats your overall plan for the army?

I build and paint, to play really, so ultimately I'd like a decent army to kick backsides.

I'm doing a lot of drops pods to fit my tactics, so I've got 4 so far. I'm thinking of doing to nice Chapter Master using an honour guard model from Marneus' crew, and then making an honour guard from a sternguard kit. But I want it to look a bit more bling than my current "toned down" guard, but not too much.

Well, I think you're well on your way. At this point its a trial and error thing. See what you like. If you end up not liking what you've done you can strip and redo it.

It's nice to see this back in action, and nice work on the Sternguard and Talons. Like previously, they are nice and understated without looking bland. And painting 30 tacs at once must require some serious dedication.

I agree about the Drop Pods, building the 2 I have cost me the majority of my will to live and I haven't even got near them with a paintbrush yet.

That Honour Guard Champion (I think that's the one you're on about) would fit the toned-down style nicely as someone of a higher rank, and Hounor guard should be fun to kitbash. I'd suggest perhaps going for the Vanguard Veteran box instead/as well though, as the poses are a little more dynamic.

As for looking forward to new projects, guilty as charged. I currently have half an inquisition army on my desk, along with around a thousand points of Space Wolves, and a WIP Ultramarines battle company (I know, so original ) that I need to get back to.

Regarding the Tiggy/cents/raven idea, it's something that I'm in two minds about on a tactical level. On one hand, it counters the mobility issues of Centurions and gives them far more reach, but on the other hand, if the raven goes down (heavy interceptor would be a disaster here) then each one is getting hit with S10 AP2, so will probably die, and that's 400ish points down the drain. There's also the fact that they can't be anywhere useful until Turn 3 at the earliest, by which point there's every chance you could have walked there anyway. That said, there's no requirement to put them in the SR, so you can always just use it as a gunboat while the tig-cents shoot stuff up.

Ironclads are awesome, just be sure to give him a pod and he can wreck anything.

Great to see this back, looking forward to more.

Good luck with those drop pods. I hate them with a fiery passion. I forced myself to do them bit by bit. Interspersing more fun minis between parts. And I have one in my to-prime box. <twitch>

As for the “next project” I always have thoughts and ideas bubbling away on the back burner. The problem is when thinking about the next project distracts you from the current one. Finishing that last guy or two can be a chore when you’ve already done the rest of the squad. The new project shine has worn off and you are just pushing to the finish.

What is the extent of your current project? Is it to fill out a playable list, or to collect the whole 4th company? Either way, you should get yourself a roadmap of where you are going. If you are building the whole company, you need to decide if you are going with the classic 6/2/2 squad disposition, or if you want to dedicate some of your marines to bikes/centurions/etc. If you are more focused on a playable list, think about what tactical gaps you need filled and grab that.

From a gamer’s perspective on your next suggested purchase (Tig/raven/cents/dread) I like all the parts, just not together. If you have too much of your army in reserve, the parts left on the table are going to be outnumbered and outgunned. That’s just too many points in one very expensive basket for my tastes. I like ravens empty as gunboats. Tigurius is powerful and underpriced in the latest codex. I think the dev cents make a a good firebase, but am not sure they would be a good match for a drop pod army. If you are going to use an ironclad, drop pod him. Relying on ravens to deliver assault troops is a mistake IMHO. You are looking at a turn 3-4 assault, many games are wrapping up by the time he’s going to impact the fight.

@ Paradigm: Thanks mate, appreciate it.
Thought that having dropped of the grid, no-one would notice/care, or that I came back on either!

Thankfully, it's only 20 marines, as 10 of them are the Sternguard I've done. My target is three weeks. Then another two for the pods, because I hate them so.

I'd be interested to see yours, once you've done them!

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440176a&prodId=prod1160088a&rootCatGameStyle=

It's the guy with the two swords and the entirely golden helmet I was thinking. With a toned down paint scheme, I'm thinking it won't be too excessive.

Vanguard for honour guard? Sounds interesting, I might mash it with the Grey Knights kit for all the funky power weapons.

Oh dear, do you have enough of a work load there? :p

Right, see this is the plan... after I arrive using my uber loaded Raven, I'll use the Strike from the Skies rule from the Stormraven, and jump out. It's just difficult a terrain test, so hopefully the risk is minimised and they can still fire as normal, thanks to being relentless. They will have to either pick the Raven or the contents, rather than a huge juicy target or them all. All of this at turn 2!

Great thread a must follow! Your Ultramarines look great the and have to agree that the overly gaudy look just doesnt do it. If you don'nt mind what is your color scheme? I've gone through 10 different color blues and finally found the one i like (painted em up last night!) but I dig the vibe you were able to achieve.

Looking Great!

That dude should make a neat chapter master, it was the one I was thinking of.

A mix of GK and either veteran kit (or even the DA veteran kit if you're looking for less-overtly-blingy ones) should give you an ample amount of power weapons and decorative bits, and the GK kits are just a joy to build.

Of course, I forgot about the air-drop rule on the Raven. In that case, it makes the plan very viable, and you could even escort it with a Stomtalon for more flying dakka.

It is something of a workload, and that's not mentioning the 30+ deadzone models I have, as well as terrain, as well as 3 rhinos, 2 drop pods and various odds and ends I have lying around. Oh well, everyone knows a gamer's arms fall off when he's finished his last model anyway...

@ Nev - The final plan is to have a killer drop pod list, somewhere around 3k, with plenty of Drop Pod filled goodies and fliers to support.

As for the gaming side, I agree there's a lot of tricks in one basket, but considering the amount of "in your face" Drop Pods and Fliers, hopefully there will be enough distraction. All of my army starts in reserve, so hopefully it shouldn't provide too much of an issue. But granted with the Iron clad, that's best left in another pod. The centurions should be shooting turn two, so I thought it would work OK? Maybe it's something I should play test..

Definitely appreciate the feedback though, I'll certainly run my list by you.

I was thinking as a quick draft -

Tigurius with Cents in Stormraven.
Chapter Master with Honour Guard in Drop Pod.

A few Tactical squads with melta/other load outs in Drop Pod.
3x Stormtalons

Sternguard in Drop Pod.

FW "ironclad in Drop Pod"

All that would be somewhere in the 2500 region? I'll draw up a list a run it by you and anyone else actually. I want to to be casual yet playable!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 CoyoteCasket wrote:
Great thread a must follow! Your Ultramarines look great the and have to agree that the overly gaudy look just doesnt do it. If you don'nt mind what is your color scheme? I've gone through 10 different color blues and finally found the one i like (painted em up last night!) but I dig the vibe you were able to achieve.

Looking Great!

Thanks a lot!

I try to make it look fairly minimalist, so you can always "go up" one level, so your top guy doesn't look out blinged, and the whole think looking like a gypsy wedding.

My blue is: Macragge blue, the blue wash. Heavy drybrush of Macragge blue, then a lighter Altdorf then another even lighter Calgar blue drybrush (and highlight if it's an important model).

 smithy12262 wrote:

@ Nev - The final plan is to have a killer drop pod list, somewhere around 3k, with plenty of Drop Pod filled goodies and fliers to support.

As for the gaming side, I agree there's a lot of tricks in one basket, but considering the amount of "in your face" Drop Pods and Fliers, hopefully there will be enough distraction. All of my army starts in reserve, so hopefully it shouldn't provide too much of an issue. But granted with the Iron clad, that's best left in another pod. The centurions should be shooting turn two, so I thought it would work OK? Maybe it's something I should play test..

Definitely appreciate the feedback though, I'll certainly run my list by you.

I was thinking as a quick draft -

Tigurius with Cents in Stormraven.
Chapter Master with Honour Guard in Drop Pod.

A few Tactical squads with melta/other load outs in Drop Pod.
3x Stormtalons

Sternguard in Drop Pod.

FW "ironclad in Drop Pod"

All that would be somewhere in the 2500 region? I'll draw up a list a run it by you and anyone else actually. I want to to be casual yet playable!

Like all drop pod lists, you are high risk, high reward. But it looks like you have all the major bases covered. I’d recommend getting some games in, proxy new stuff, and see how things work for you, vs. the guys you play against. It’s one thing to talk about the theoretical internet meta, it’s another to push some plastic around with your friends at your FLGS. My concerns about reserving too much of your army don’t matter if you go up against other reserve heavy lists, for example. Same thing with how much anti-tank fire you need to pack.

I'm not quite sure what your drop pod woes are, but perhaps this thread can help?

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/560917.page

I learned those tips through trial and error, especially about the lip on the bottom of each door.

They're just a lot of effort at 35 points each, and they're a bit fiddly. I'm just making excuses. Suppose I better just get on with it

Right, I've updated the original post, with new aims and objectives!

2500 point list, with plenty of new units in Pod and Flier frenzy. Nevelon has thankfully pointed out holes in my list and I've amended accordingly.

Current project - Two tactical squads, with multa melta, melta guns and combi meltas.

Drop pods with deathwinds - though I might field them as storm bolters.

I'll do the pods all in one go, but I'm doing the 20 marines as 4 combat squads of 5 men each, so I don't get bored. How do you guys stay motivated?

 smithy12262 wrote:

I'll do the pods all in one go, but I'm doing the 20 marines as 4 combat squads of 5 men each, so I don't get bored. How do you guys stay motivated?

Motivation is a fickle thing. What works for one person might not for another. There are a few things that I try to do to keep at it.

Set goals, and ones you can reach. Keep it realistic, else you just fail and get disheartened. This can be a weekly progress goal (x minis per week) or a deadline (I want the models for this 1,500 point list ready for a game in 2 weeks)
Work a little bit every day. Slow and steady wins the race.
Work bulk troops in batches. I try to work 4 at a time, but if 5 works for you, go for it.
Reward the boring with the fun. Don’t try to bang out 20 marines in a row. Do 5, then a dread, another 5, captain, yet another 5, librarian, etc.
Take breaks, and intersperse painting with other hobbies. Put a layer of paint down, read a chapter in a book, another color, watch an episode on TV, drybrush, etc. Not only does it break up the tedium, but after a certain age, being hunched over the paint bench for hours does unkind things to your back.
Showcase your results. It can be encouraging to watch your "to be done" pile migrate over to your “ready for battle” shelf.
Read the rules, and envision the nasty tricks your current projects are going to inflict on your hapless opponents. Maniacal laughter is optional but encouraged. This obviously works better for meaner units. But the image of drop pods screaming down from orbit, disgorging the Emperor’s finest into the heart of my enemies is one of the lights that got me through painting those darn things.

Hope some of these help.