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[]Silver Skulls 8th Company Project Log

With 11th Edition on the horizon, I thought it was finally time to start a proper hobby log.

The main aim of this thread is to keep me accountable, track progress, set goals, and hopefully bring a bit more structure to my hobby projects. Over the years I’ve found that I work best when a project has a clear theme and objective rather than simply adding random units to an ever-growing collection.

I’ve been involved in the hobby for a long time and, until recently, played fairly regularly. Through 9th and 10th Edition I helped organise RTTs for my local club and spent plenty of weekends pushing toy soldiers around tables. Work has become busier lately, however, and I’ve taken a bit of a step back from the gaming side of the hobby.

Like many players, I have accumulated a sizeable collection over the years. My main armies are Silver Skulls and Necrons, and I’ve generally picked and chosen from those collections depending on what I felt like playing at the time. While I enjoy trying to win, I’ve never really considered myself a competitive player. The narrative and thematic side of the hobby has always appealed to me more.

With that in mind, I decided to let my local hobby group choose the focus of my next project. Rather than selecting a force myself, I put the decision to a vote and they chose the Silver Skulls 8th Reserve Company – the Close Support Company.

That gives me a clear framework to build around and, hopefully, a force with plenty of character. I’ve already added a further restriction of my own: every Sergeant in the company will carry a plasma pistol and power fist, mirroring the Jump Captain who will lead the force. Whether it’s the most practical choice is beside the point; I like the visual consistency and the theme.

The goal of this log will be to document the building, conversion, painting, and eventual completion of the company. There may be the occasional battle report or gaming update, but the focus will primarily be on the hobby side of things. I’m also planning to experiment with a few different painting approaches and techniques compared to my existing Silver Skulls, so this project should give me an opportunity to try something new.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully this thread will keep me honest and the grey pile under control.

Iron Within. Loyalty Without.

Oh yeah ! can't wait to see them i'm subbed!

Week 1

Before getting into the company itself, I wanted to set myself a simple goal for this log. I’m aiming to update the thread at least once a week, hobby time permitting. The main purpose is to create a bit of accountability and keep the project moving forward, even if progress is only a squad, character, or a few evenings of painting at a time. Hopefully having somewhere to record milestones, successes, and inevitable distractions will help keep the momentum going.

The Force

The project will be based around the Silver Skulls 8th Company, the Chapter’s Close Support Reserve Company.

Company Command
• Jump Captain (Plasma Pistol & Power Fist)
• Jump Chaplain
• Bike Chaplain
• Lieutenant (Plasma Pistol & Power Fist)
• Lieutenant (Bladeguard Variant, shield & sword)
• Apothecary

Project Notes
• The Jump Captain will set the visual theme for the company.
• Every Sergeant in the force will carry a Plasma Pistol and Power Fist to mirror the Captain’s wargear.
• The Jump Chaplain will be built from the Armageddon box miniature.

Veteran Support
• 5 Vanguard Veterans
• 6 Bladeguard Veterans

Project Notes
• Vanguard Veterans will be built from the Armageddon box set and equipped with power swords. The Sergeant will carry a Plasma Pistol.
• The Bladeguard Veterans will come from two Indomitus sets and will be supported by an Impulsor.

Close Support Elements
• 3 Squads of 10 Jump Pack Assault Intercessors
• 3 Squads of 10 Assault Intercessors
• 3 Squads of Outriders with ATV support
• 3 Squads of Inceptors

Project Notes
• Every Assault Sergeant will carry a Plasma Pistol and Power Fist.
• Each Jump Pack Assault squad will include an additional plasma pistol.
• The Jump Pack squads will be sourced from a mixture of kits and conversions:
• Squad I: Jump Intercessors with additional jump pack conversions.
• Squad II: Blood Claws based conversions.
• Squad III: Assault Intercessor conversions.

Armoured Support
• 3 Repulsor Executioners
• 1 Impulsor
• 3 Invader ATVs

Project Notes
• The Repulsor Executioners will provide transport and heavy support for the ground assault elements.
• The Impulsor will serve as the transport for the Bladeguard Veterans.

Company Assets
• 1 Dreadnought

Project Notes
• Currently planned as a Brutalis Dreadnought.

Project Goal

In total the company will comprise approximately 100 battle-brothers supported by armour and specialist assets. The objective is to build a force that feels like a coherent company (keeping close to the ‘1k marines per chapter of 100 marines per company’) rather than simply a collection of units, with recurring themes in wargear, markings, and modelling tying everything together.

Alongside building the force, I want to use this project as an opportunity to try some different painting techniques and approaches compared to my existing Silver Skulls collection.

First Steps

With the planning largely out of the way, it’s time to actually start putting plastic together.

Today’s goal is to build the first five-man Assault Intercessor squad. If all goes well, I’d also like to get some paint on them before the day is out. One of the lessons I’ve learned from previous projects is that I make far more progress when I break things down into manageable chunks rather than looking at the company as a whole.

The full project represents well over a hundred battle-brothers plus supporting vehicles, which can feel a little daunting when viewed as a single undertaking. Instead, the plan is to focus on one squad, one character, or one vehicle at a time and gradually build towards a complete company.

So, first up: five Assault Intercessors, including the first Sergeant sporting the company’s signature plasma pistol and power fist combination. Let’s see how much progress can be made.