Scythes of the Emperor and other actual scale bits...

[Doghouse]

It's been a while since I posted anything here on the B&C so figured it was time to change that. :)

 

Once a year the Ammobunker forums gather at Warhammer World for a day of gaming. I couldn't make it this year but for next year's event I've decided to run games of my favourite 40k system ever Advanced Space Crusade on the day.

 

For those who haven't heard of it before (the game was released about twenty years ago) the game is set in the wake of the presumed destruction of the Lamenters and near destruction of the Scythes of the Emperor at the hands of hive fleet Kraken.

 

The game is fought as a campaign using an advanced version of the Space Hulk rules. Scouts from the Dark Angels, Ultramarines and Space Wolves venture deep into Hive ships in order to isolate and destroy vital organs of the vessels whilst fending off tyranid hordes intent on stopping them.

 

For this log here I'll be posting pictures of the Scythes forces that I'm making for the game. All other stuff like the boards and tyranids will be on another board and I'll post a link for those interested once it's well under way.

 

Originally I planned on just using regular marine plastics but then realised that Actual Scale stuff would be much cooler.

The plan at the moment is twenty Astartes split into four combat teams for the marine players to use. If I get time I've figured out a way of making actual scale scouts and as I've year to complete this I may make some of them time permitting.

 

The game I'm running is set just after the destruction of Sotha the Scythes of the Emperor's homeworld.

 

This is the first WIP Marine. I've sorted out an easier way of doing the torsos so when I get the chance I'll update the actual scale tutorial.

 

http://i44.tinypic.com/2j0zfc0.jpg

 

http://i44.tinypic.com/s5ekhc.jpg

[Midas]

Nice to see your up and posting again :) Great stuff as always dude!

[ephrael]

As always Doghouse your work is top notch. I'm waiting anxiously for more pics.

[Lucifer Fellblade]

Ground floor in a doghouse thread is the place to be, really looking forward to seeing your work again, glad to hear you're back in the hobby.

[stinkenheim]

great to see you back here Doghouse, always enjoy seeing your conversions and i have to say this latest offering is awesome. really love the model, especially the head. look forward to seeing more, especially the scouts if you manage to make them. keep it up dude.

[wiplash]

best actual scale work as usual ;)

[AL.]

really looking forward to some updates mate, your work is first class

[Doghouse]

Cheers guys! I'll get some wip painted shots up asap. :D

[Seregon]

Hooray for the return of Doghouse! :)

 

Looking good, as always. Will we be treated to the rules as well?

[Terminatorinhell]

I'm always a fan of your stuff Doghouse!

[Nicorex]

Exellent Work as always Doghouse. Cant wait to see more.

[Doghouse]

Thanks guys! ;)

 

Seregon: What I'll do is because ASC is so Tyranid heavy I'll post a link to the boards I'm building along with everything else that is xeno related so you'll be able to get an idea of how the game plays.

[Seregon]

Sounds great. Looking forward to it and the entire project. :)

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate, it should be really good when finished. :D

 

Update time.

 

WIP Veteran Sergeant Karvan

 

I'm going for a darker shade of yellow for the marines mainly because I prefer painting in a dark and gritty type of way so started off with Tau Sept Ochre rather than a true yellow.

As there is very little to go on other than a few bits and pieces regarding background history of the Scythes I'm going for a codex approach hence the red helm with the white strike indicating that Karvan is a veteran sergeant. The red works well with the black and yellow.

The base will be made to look like the bowels of the Hive ship (as will all the miniatures) so that they match the board sections that I'm currently working on for the game.

I'm doing all the marines with exposed faces with blonde/white hair because I like the idea of the enhancement process that turns them into marines altering them to look a little less human as they take on small traits of their Primarch.

The next ones I'll be working on are Sergeant Khan and Brother Rolan, two of the original Scythes described in an Advanced Space Crusade story from the rule book.

 

http://i44.tinypic.com/sqkubk.jpg

 

http://i41.tinypic.com/mre61k.jpg

 

http://i39.tinypic.com/2mcypaf.jpg

 

http://i42.tinypic.com/1z6sgfd.jpg

[Blackpudding427]

It's great to see SMs in actual scale. The fact that an IG mini is the same size as a SM mini has always confused me. :tu:

[S. Bloodhowl]

Awesome models, any chance of a tutorial?

[AL.]

excellent work mate

[Doghouse]

Cheers guys! :)

 

S. Bloodhowl: Well I've got about twenty of these guys to build and now that I've got a pretty straight forward technique for doing them now I will be updating and over hauling the tutorial.

It won't be for a couple of weeks though as I need to get the cash for a box of terminators. If I can remember how I convert the files I may make it into a video rather than just pictures.

[Dorns Padawan]

Doghouse! Great to see you posting again dude, as always you never fail to disapoint! What can I say what has not been said already? Can't wait to see further updates :)

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate. :)

 

It'll be a little slow going to begin with as I'm working on Nids and Hive Ship at the same time for the game. I have a few ideas knocking about at the moment and I will try to update as often as possible.

I'm considering expanding this to an army once the main components are out of the way for the game.

 

On an Inquisitorial note I'm making a squad of Ordo Xenos old school second edition Storm Troopers as an option for anyone who fancies playing with Inquisition models on the day rather than Marines. They will be making an appearance in this log as allies as you can see from this WIP below.

I've taken the old plastic storm trooper model and modernized it by adding GS and current edition guard bits to try and make them a little more unique so as to create a distinction between the Ordo Xenos and the other orders.

 

Ordo Xenos Storm Trooper WIP

 

http://i50.tinypic.com/2hp1s46.jpg

 

I'll probably knock together an Inquisitor to lead them at some point as there are rules for Inquisitors in ASC but the marines come first. Storm Troopers are also an excellent way of bringing home the sheer size of the marines.

[Doghouse]

These next shots aren't great to be honest due to poor lighting but should give you some idea of where I'm heading with this and I'll try and get some decent day light shots up if my camera is up to it.

 

http://i42.tinypic.com/2w6f42g.jpg

 

http://i41.tinypic.com/a59hv.jpg

 

http://i41.tinypic.com/157ydyb.jpg

 

To be honest there is very little terms of background material to go on with the Scythes. Their home world of Sotha was destroyed by Hive Fleet Kraken with only a handful of survivors and their battle on the death world of Miral. Before this they took part in the Damocles Gulf campaign and there are a few bit here and there giving minor details such as mention of a special terminator detachment in Epic.

 

However I have managed to dig out some very minor details from the Advanced Space Crusade box and rule book that may be of some use to me. In the pictures above I have painted the left knee pad with black and white stripes. Originally this was the campaign marking worn by all Imperial forces in the Kraken campaign on the right knee, as I have already painted the unit insignia in this case I chose to paint it on the other knee pad. I'm going to interpret this as being done for superstitious reasons rather than go back and repaint it. The rest of the marines will have it on the right knee pad.

 

Going by the art and description on the side of the box it says that the scout has the traditional top knot where as the ultramarine and space wolf scouts have mohawks. Both the sergeant and scout pictured have a scythe earring on their right ear whilst the sergeant (named as Sergeant Reaper) has his service studs on his left ear indicating a service of two hundred and fifty years.

The scout has a single scythe in place of the chapter marking and squad numbers are replaced by checks on a plate on the chest, first squad being black and white, second being red and black, third being green and black, etc.

 

There is also a story in the book where a surviving sergeant by the name of Khan is talking to an Ultramarine Chaplain called Fabius.

It mentions an Ultramarine vid log that the sergeant hasn't seen of the plains of their home world burning which combined with the mention of the "traditional top knot" on the scout could be interpreted as maybe a Mongolian type culture.

 

None of this is really set in stone given that it mentions that the Ultramarine sergeant bears the axe icon marking him as a veteran or the Space Wolves sergeant being a veteran because of the red fang icon on his shoulder pad. But it's something that I can play around with.

 

Of the above I will being trying to incorporate a few of the ideas like the top knots for scouts into the army, the Kraken campaign marking and maybe the scout squad checks thing. The regular marines will be as codex as possible though and if I get to doing the scouts I will be doing them as the old versions rather than the modern versions.

[GuyKeefer]

I hope you get around to working on the scouts. It'd be interesting to see how you work out making them and how they turn out. Are you going to make them the same size (sans armor) as their older brothers? Or do you plan on making them somewhere between the Stormtroopers you're working on and the Astartes in power armor?

[Eberious]

Looking awesome DH, fantastic GS very sharp.

[Doghouse]

GuyKeefer: For the scouts I'm thinking of making them a tad smaller than than the astartes but will make the sergeant(s) roughly the same size as the marines but in the old style scout sergeant armour. <_<

 

Eberious: Thanks mate. :)

[Montuhotep]

You have to paint that Stormtroopers' beret in Paratrooper red/purple, I demand it! <_<