deep in tau territory - a mod-log! (22/10: bolter-drones!)

[det]

Hi folks!
In the end i'm going to build a 1850 pts army of marines to have some break from my 10 year ork-only w40k life.
This army started pirmarly as a modelling quest, then came some random bg and the list came last.

Quick BG:
These marines are a strike force sent deep in tau territory with the object of retrieving and studying as much tautech as possible. Being alone and constantly on the move with now possibility of a break the are called "the restless".
The reason why there are 5 clearly "wolfy" marines is not yet known.
They tend to be not very strict on the equipment and behaviours, since they are completely cut out from imperial comunications, thus the fact that the libby sports a caos backpack or that the 3 techmarines of the force extensively use tau tech to repair damaged equipment is accepted by all members. Extensively means that most of the damage/upgrades made to equipment use the available equipment (tau and few marines extra stuff), but this doesn't meen that every marine is completely covered in tautech obviously!
They are also loosely based on the dornian heresy ultramarines, all the tautech stuff and "alone against everybody" thing fits the Restless well. Due to this the list has 2 ultramarine special characters...how cheesy.

Modelling:
old taumarine thread for reference, where you can see the 2 razorbacks, comand squad and one tac squad, thunderfire and one techmarine.

So this is where i am at the moment:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/groupshot1.jpg

libby - finished
captain - pip
comand squad and razorback - pip
tac squad1 and razorback - pip
tac2 and razorback - wip, waiting for bitz to arrive
techmarines - wip, waiting for bitz to arrive
speeder, bikes, bikertechmarine - waiting for bitz to arrive
scout - wip, waiting for bitz to arrive (but htese will be stock methinks.)

Here's the finished libby, where you can see the colour scheme (shamelessly "invented" using the DoW painter )
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0026-1.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0027-2.jpg
-he's finished now, with better highloghts, base and some touchups-

the pip captain: -should i colour the helmet brown as the armour or use a different color? black came to my mind...-
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0021-1.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0023-1.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0024-3.jpg
-gived him a different helmet and changed the weapons to fit his role better (sicarius instead of korsarro)

the second tac squad just arrived in the mail, and i did some quick polishing of the used models and threw together the bitz i'll use for the sergent:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0016-3.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0019-2.jpg
i'll try to give each member some small tautech, to have them visually different from the other tac squad.

and here's the second techmarine:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0015-3.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0014-5.jpg


C&C more than welcome!!

[Terminatorinhell]

Oddly enough I was wondering what happened to this thread as I was modeling some Tau, I like the concepts here and I didnt know crisis suit arms and heads could actually look decent on a marine. A quick painting comment though, your face oon the librarian looks a little flat maybe a couple highlights could bring it out?

[LardO'Blood]

I don't know if you plan on this but shouldn't a lot of them have battle damage? If they are stuck in tau land and have to use tau technology to survive wouldn't they be rather battle scarred?

[Captain Mick]

Very nice and original idea, cant wait for a update :) .

[tiny sam]

Good concept, if your chapter is not to firmly entangle in the puritan way of xeno hunting.

 

but I'm not sure about the chaos part of the librarian.

 

I aggree with captain mick that they should be battle damaged.

[det]

Thanx for the tips ladz!! Very much appreciated!!

 

This afternoon i recovered a bike and a scout...:) yuhu! bikertechmarine FTW!

 

It's not actually a chapter, but rather a strike force, which could be made of elements of different chapters methinks...

 

The battle damage is a nice thing...never thought of it really...uhm...and never liked it on a model, but in this case it could be a really good idea...i just need to figure out how to do it though!

 

Better highlight on the libby face...uhm...i'll see into that when i'll do the comand squad faces...i did the flesh like this:

black primer, skorched brown, tanned flesh (2 times IIRC, watered down) and then tanned+bleached for some highlights done via drybrush though...normal brush strokes were too visible, but maybe that's the way to go, need to improve my technique!

 

C&C more than welcome!!

det

[jpwyrm]

Nice project you get rolling there! I like most of your conversions, tau parts work surprisingly well with marine parts.

 

I must say I like the second techmarine's backpack conversion, it's really close to the DH artwork. What parts did you used to make it? Personnaly, I would try to fit something else for it's head though, that Crisis helmet is way too big!

 

Keep' em coming!

[det]

Nice project you get rolling there! I like most of your conversions, tau parts work surprisingly well with marine parts.

 

I must say I like the second techmarine's backpack conversion, it's really close to the DH artwork. What parts did you used to make it? Personnaly, I would try to fit something else for it's head though, that Crisis helmet is way too big!

 

Keep' em coming!

 

the pieces come from the tau meltagun...i've cut off the canister and most of the weapon...glad you like it!!

[det]

UPDATE!!!

 

so, i've been working a bit on these ladz lately.

 

here's the flamer for one of the techmarines. all he needs is the powermaul...it's come, hopefully, in the mail next week.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0017-1.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0018-3.jpg

 

then there's the second tac squad, with sergent and razorback built. they stell need some tau-ing up...

group shot:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0008-5.jpg

might add further tau-looking parts to the razorback:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0009-3.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0010-2.jpg

 

sgt still needs flamery part of combiflamer:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0013-4.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0014-6.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0015-4.jpg

[Hyaenidae]

AAAAAGHH! The heresy of it all!! Purgepurgepurge! Cool concept though, man; looking forward to seeing more.

[Captain Mick]

Looks good again, waiting on another update :D .

[det]

here is the wip techmarine on bike.

the idea is that the back of the bike holds part, if not all, of the servoharness. probably i'm going to give him some pulse carbines instead of the bolters.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0019-3.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0020-2.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0022-2.jpg

what do you all think ladz?

 

--

here is a question: which way to go with the speeder??

short and round wings like this:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0025-1.jpg

or longer like this:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0023-2.jpg

help!!!!

 

i do have the scouts ready...all stock atm, telion included! (first sc ever purchased :D), and the attack bikes are here too, just need to get to them.

I'm still waiting for the last bitz, ordered from bitzandkitz...but i payed the 22nd of october...and the bitz never arrived, nor did anybody from the site contact me...and i sent 4 messages both via mail at different adresse and via site PM...i'm a bit fed up atm...bah. hope they'll arrive eventually!

 

C&C more than welcome!!!

cheers

[Captain Mick]

Looks promising well done :D .

[Hyaenidae]

The short wings look better, and fit the visual profile of a tau vehicle. Go with them.

[Warsmith Aznable]

I love this idea! It's got a good story behind the use of Tau technology, and you're pulling off the scavenged look pretty well, I think. Don't like the Chaos backpack, mostly for the horns. A regular Chaos backpack would be alright, but that one screams "I'm a Champion of CHAOS" too much.

 

Since they're on the run deep in Tau territory, adopting and adapting Tau technology, why not adopt Tau camouflage ideas too? It would be cool to see these guys done up in a gray and green or tan and green Soviet style camo pattern!

 

I also agree that the short wings have a better profile. The long ones look kind of awkward on the stubby fuselage.

[det]

The short wings look better, and fit the visual profile of a tau vehicle. Go with them.

 

true! i'll keep it in mind! thanx!

 

...uhm, tau camo...never thought of that, could be a nice thing...after all i painted only the libby atm...uhm...i'll see into it! thanx for the idea!

 

(the caos backpack will stay methinks...i know, horns, but you know, these are the risks of using psy-powers...^_^)

[det]

speeder is fleshed out:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0007-7.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0006-6.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0008-6.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0009-4.jpg

 

basic shape done. under the wings i'll put some missile from the skyray kit to represent the typhoon ML.

 

what do you think ladz??

[Captain Mick]

Looks good but i whould just show the 2 drivers but thats personals. Keep up the good work :P .

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

I would extend the wings a bit so that the missiles would fit better. Otherwise, awesome army! The horns are bothering me though.

[det]

Looks good but i whould just show the 2 drivers but thats personals. Keep up the good work :tu: .

 

In the end it came out as a big drone rather than a manned craft...I wanted it with an enclosed design in the first place, then the speeder i got cheap off ebay had the driver&gunner in terrible condition...;)

 

Thankx for the replies ladz.

 

seems that those horns bother much people...hehe...beware, living on the edge has its risks... :P

 

the speeder got some work now, closed some holes on the main body.

In the end i won't use tau HK missiles, but i'll stick some strange weapons (IIRC they are cyclic ion blasters) under the wings...more energy thing that solid missiles.

 

keep the comments coming! thanx again!!

;)

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

I would stick with the missiles. I've always loved them and try to use them everywhere. A land speeder has great potential for this.

[det]

I would stick with the missiles. I've always loved them and try to use them everywhere. A land speeder has great potential for this.

 

they just didn't seem right...so i went this way:

 

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0009-5.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0008-7.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0007-8.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0006-7.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0010-4.jpg

 

what do you think??

 

i also did some work of the bikertechmarine...added a flamer and something to the front:

 

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0012-2.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0010-3.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z179/detted/DSCF0014-7.jpg

 

C&C welcome!!

:tu:

det

[Captain Mick]

Looks good, well done ^_^ .

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

I like the Speeder. The drones make it seem a lot more filled out and combat vehicle-like.

[agroszkiewicz]

I REALLY like this project. Sure, its kind of a canon violation but its all in good fun! I like the tautech integration on the vehicles best of all. Some of the models look slightly off propotionally, but on a table it will be really really cool.

 

Personally I'd have filed off the arrow on that psyker's backpack, and probably done a little conversion work on the tau head you used for the marine. Y'know, just cause I have to throw a nitpick in there. :D

 

 

Went back again and looked at all the stuff. I stand by my statement that this stuff will look rad on a gaming table. You could rock some seriously cool scenario's and landscaping around em too!