WIP Infernus Marines

My Infernus lads gave a good account of themselves last game I played, so I've decided to "reward" them by getting them finished. Still WIP; just the base coats for the metallic and green armour currently. 

The weather was overcast but pleasant, so I painted outside to take advantage of the natural light. Very pleasant listening to the multitude of birds we get in the garden. 🐦

Infernus Marines

Quite happy with the build/kitbashing involved with these. The 10 man squad you can easily get is just a repeat of the same 5 sculpts, which is a tad boring. Therefore, I took the less sensible, more expensive option and sourced the other 5 sculpts from elsewhere.

The Sergeant (front, second from the right) is the issue 5 exclusive sculpt from the Combat Patrol partwork. I gave him a Salamander upgrade sprue helmet and replaced the dead 'nid with a mundane tactical rock.

The Corporal (front and centre) is from the Getting Started magazine. His bonce, backpack candles and fancy skull he's holding are all Black Templar bits. My vague chapter lore is that each 10 men squad has a corporal/2IC, who's usually entrusted with the squads auspex/comms etc. As I imagine Infernus squads veer a bit more toward zealotry than their comrades, I replaced the bog standard auspex with something a little more esoteric. The gucci skull is that of one of the chapters loyal but deceased Navigators, their otherworldly powers lingering upon their remains and aiding the squad against equally otherworldly incursions.

Finally, the remaining three lads are from the paint set; all I did was scrape off the shoulder pad icons. Having said that, I'm pretty sure the half-helmeted lad (back and centre) is from that kit. He's using the head of the Phobos Lt. with combi-weapon and the half helmet from the multi-part Sternguard vets.

Second Post of the Year!!!

Last post I was apologising for a 3 month gap in posting. This time its a 7 month gap 😅

So, a concise update is in order. In all honesty, I've only really been productive in the last couple of months, getting a large chunk of my primaris marines painted up as well as making the decision to sell off my AdMech and Custodes. I thoroughly enjoy the hobby and gaming aspects of marines but the same can't be said for the departing forces.

You therefore might expect me to make a post about sci-fi post-human warrior monks but instead I'm making one about fantasy post-human warrior monks.

Fuck the Everchosen! I break his back, make him humble!

Behold the Secret Project! I've always liked the stormcast aesthetic, especially as they've become more svelte in the past two editions.

Bases are from Fenris, left over from an older project that never came to fruition but now happily in use. The above pictures showcase a few of the headswaps I implemented. In order from Top to bottom : Frostgrave Wizards II, Victrix Dacians, Fireforge Scandinavian Infantry, Stormcast Praetors and finally, a Sisters of Battle head.

The two castigators at the bottom I've modelled heroically posing on convenient rocks; the models are originally from Underworlds and thus had heavily sculpted bases that didn't suit the look I was going for. 

(p.s. I started writing this post on 25/09/2022 and have finally finished it on 16/10/2022 😬. Fine form as usual)

I have been busy ...

 A very belated happy new year 2022!

My laziness strikes again and it's getting on 3 months since I last posted. Perhaps the variety of plans I had for the year has led to me procrastinating, combined with mandatory inactivity over the festive season, leading to a drought in enthusiasm. I had wanted to get some of my old metal Mordor orcs painted by the end of the year to celebrate the release of The Fellowship of the Ring and the accompanying model line but that never came to fruition. My realisation that I didn't start collecting the SBG until 2002 put paid to that anniversary idea easily. As I type, they sit undercoated to my left and will be finished this year. I plan on playing the first, generic learning scenario presented in the rulebook so require some Men of Gondor as well.

I can happily report that I have finally experienced some productivity as I've shifted gear into finally assembling my dream Space Marine army of many years in the planning. I bought a Assault Intercessor squad with high hopes of some mild kitbashing, only to be disappointed by how limited they really are. Or at least to my sensibilities. I then started kitbashing a Tactical squad to try and perk me up and it worked like a dream! As refined and dynamic as the Primaris kits are, they seriously lack the modular, Lego like quality of the Firstborn kits. I used 5-6 boxes for the squad, supplemented by plenty of bits packs from Forgeworld and Other  sources. I won't continue with my lyrical waxing as I don't have any decent accompanying photos but will post a wip. 

Van Saar Multi-Melta on a marine

Whilst perusing for bits on eBay, I noticed the Necromunda Van Saar heavy weapons and the shoulder mounted nature of them reminded me of the old 2nd edition devastator weapons. Thus intrigued I ordered one! It turns out unsurprisingly that weapons made for standard humans are a tad too small for post-humans, regardless of GW scale problems. I had to trim away the pad and padding from the shoulder rest to get it to fit on top of the marine pauldron. the chainsword arm I chose for the weapon arm turned out to be too short for the stubby weapon. I will need to remedy this with green stuff and maybe some plasticard. Lore wise, I'm fine with the small size of the weapon as I prefer my Tactical squads to have more compact and easier to carry heavy weapons. Plus, Necromunda is a recruitment planet for the Imperial Fists, whom my Abominators are a successor of. My hazy explanation is that it is perhaps a gift from the parent chapter or an oddity picked up on a joint visit to the planet. Van Saar weapons are  high tech but notorious for their radiation leakage so I'll use that to explain away its small stature compared to it's stats. Marines should be immune to such levels of radiation anyway, right? Just to make sure, the techmarines will slap a few purity seals on it and maybe issue the 'lucky' marine with a specialised helmet.

Lastly, some time last year I bought a small quantity of acetone based nail polish remover to try and remedy this poor gummed up fellow:

Cursed Image

I got him in a trade with a friend nigh on 20 years ago; no idea what I gave in return but I suspect I was hoodwinked 😁 As you may be able to see, much of the detail, especially on the chest is covered in a thick layer of superglue that is hard to remove even with the traditional freezer method. I left him in there with 2 other models and kind of forget about them for a few months. Only yesterday did I take them out.

The Result

It worked! (Apart from the paint removal, which was dismal). The glue had acquired a slightly gummy texture and was easy to pick off, especially in nooks and crannies such as male/female joints for weapon hands par example. I've now thrown in my ancient Ahriman for the same treatment.

The next victim

That's all. Hopefully I'll be posting with the same regularity I exhibited last year.

Citadel Skeletons and Dodgy Light Boxes

I'd wanted to finish off more skellingtons today but was distracted from the task by watching The Last Samurai. Luckily, I have two fit (mostly) to show off:

ME 72 Dead Man of Dunharrow & C17 Armoured Swordsman

Both of these date to the mid 80's and are both therefore older than I. When I was at Uni, I went through a phase of buying old lead that took my fancy. I'd always been a little smitten with the Dead Man; one of my favourite sculpts from the original LOTR range. The C17 lad less so.

Usually when I go figure hunting on ebay, I will look at what other items the seller has to offer, to make the most out of the usually pricey P&P. I think in this case, I had my heart set on another skeleton, possible a scythe wielder if memory serves. Inevitably I lost that bid but won this fellow. Having painted him, he has grown on me.

ME 72 Dead Man of Dunharrow & C17 Armoured Swordsman

I painted both of these towards the end of 2020; sadly part of a miniscule effort on my part in what was a "perfect" year for painting, horrible though it was. I was rather chuffed with them at the time, being my biggest output in more than a decade of inactivity, but with hindsight, they're a tad messy. I applied a lot of GW technical paints: Ryza Rust, Nihilakh Oxide and Typhus Corrosion to give them an appropriate sense of decay.

C17 Armoured Swordsman

The bone is Skeleton Horde Contrast with a liberal helping of Agrax Earthshade (which is better than the overrated Nuln Oil if any one was to ask). The shields are painted Army Painter Scaly Hide. Choosing a green similar to the verdigris effect you're using was perhaps not the best move but I really like that particular shade. Back in the day it was Snot Green. Is this indicative of my maturity I wonder? 😜

The models could really do with some highlights, a technique that has filled me with dread for 20 years (well, for as long as I even knew there was more to painting than gleefully slapping it on anyway). The bases could do with more colour; I like the idea of contrasting the shambling dead with vibrant spring/summer flowers rather than the more common autumnal and winter themes. Luckily I have a bunch, which will soon decorate the bases of their compatriots when I next post.

On another note, I used a shoddy £7.99 Light Box off of eBay; I think the results speak for themselves. I like the backdrop dioramas some hobbyists use so I'll try and rustle something up, probably some nice ruins, as well as a better light.