The Apocalypse Crusade

[Andhil]

Ah, sad news indeed. But none of us will hold this against you. You stood by our side when it mattered. 

 

Also this is great motivation for next year! 

 

(Oh, and I do expect someone to barge in and start throwing fits yelling about Paddleums and paddling. Be warned!  )

[Honda]

Stick to your standards brother. The ETL is about doing "our" level of painting, so don't sacrifice your quality...but do try to keep swinging. :)

[Marshal Mattias]

Yeah, browsing the DA forum indicated that the general consensus is that '3 base colours and call it finished for now' is better than nothing...

[tvih]

Alas I've been too tired to really paint anything since the ETL, but finally today I got at least something done... namely a tiny bit of conversion on Thevryn. Since he's supposed to be an avatar of sorts of me, and with me about to get into the whole historical fencing with longswords thing (in fact should be taking delivery of my sword next week), I finally got around to doing what I had been meaning to do for a while - a two-handed sword grip pose.

 

http://www.tvih.net/stuff/wh40k/thevryn-2h-swordgrip0.jpg

 

Previously I only had the finecast Vanguard Veteran, but his grip is on the wrong side, plus didn't want to steal those arms for Thevryn  Wanted something a touch more unique, I guess. It's not perfect anyway, the supporting arm is only very loosely around the hilt grip and whatnot. Still need to install magnets and hope it aligns reasonably. Gonna try to get that done today probably. I'd also really need some 1mm brass rods, as I intend to pin the sword to the right arm, so that I can also put an axe in there (the one from the Vanguard box) if I want to. And well, also a combi-weapon, but obviously with a different left arm in that case due to the hand orientation.

 

I ought to get the magnets and eventually rods on the other BT Sternguard vets as well, so I can get them really finished and then take a proper group pic of the bunch.

[tvih]

Here's a sword & shield alternative pose (worth mentioning that while I painted him for Sternguard originally, I reckon he's gonna end up playing Honour Guard, Vanguard and perhaps even Command Squad positions too... maybe even Crusader Squad sarge - basically any veteran role really).

 

http://www.tvih.net/stuff/wh40k/thevryn-sword_and_shield0.jpg

 

Installed the magnets, but alas the left arm didn't end up just right. I think I need to add some green stuff or something (once I get some) to prop the arm closer to the right arm when using the two-handed sword grip. Also kinda screwed up the drilling on the left side anyway, nearly messed up the entire left side. Or well I kinda did, the entire flat area, so I guess I kinda need to fill it up and repaint it. Looks like I've become WORSE at installing magnets. Annoying.

 

Oh, and at least I managed to paint him a cloak.

[Marshal Reinhard]

The seething red absolute fury at the sight of the emperor's foes continues strongly within the apocalypse crusade!

[Marshal Mattias]

Nice, I love the shield too!

[tvih]

Found someone online selling a sizeable Templar army (2 old Vindis, a Rhino, a Razorback, ~56 infantry, 10 jump infantry, 10 terminators) for not a whole lot of money. Ugh, annoying to be so tempted, even though I'd basically have to strip them all and paint them from scratch at some point or another. And since most of them don't seem to use BT bits they'd probably even end up as CF, IF and such for the most part, since they wouldn't fit the aesthetic of the rest of my BT marines.

 

Anyway, seems like I'll need to finish up some models for the Crusade Expansion, hopefully I can get these works in progress done during next week. It shouldn't take all that long once I start, if I can muster the time and energy for it. For some reason, though, I'd really like to try making a CF Rhino, but that's not really a BT expansion!

Edited August 17, 2014 by tvih

[tvih]

Looks like the Crusade Auxiliaries will swell a bit again with the inclusion of a full Repentia Squad, a nearly full Seraphim squad and some other odds and ends. Too bad no heavy flamers in the lot. For once got lucky with finding a used lot for a good price!

 

The same seller would have a Grey Knights lot too, metal models... I know I said in the GK thread that I wouldn't ally with them, but the price is tempting. Sadly they'd have no psycannons for the Inquisitor conversions, plus in general seems the GK metals are very very monopose, the power armored ones for example all hold the storm bolter in exactly the same position... ugh. So I don't know, despite the low price I'm not sure I want so many similarly posed models - there's 17 terminators and 20 power armor models plus one Inquisitor. I certainly wouldn't need that many though, but at about 2,4€ per model it's indeed tempting. Opinions? Could be I ponder about it for too long and they get bought by someone else, though :P

 

On the note of metal Sisters and whatnot, it's sad that they don't get new models. In discussions the GW folks say the current models are great etc - well, I do like them a lot so can't really disagree, but looking at the ones in the GW store now compared to before, I once again notice several of the existing models have been removed entirely! Quite a bummer.

[Beor]

Money not spent is an even better saving than buying cheap models ;) Expecially if you're not too happy with poses

[tvih]

True, though the difficulty of painting metal is at least as large a factor, although admittedly the clone army looks a bit creepy, though with the melee weapons not attached could at least try to put those slightly differently. Anyway, chances are I'll never end up buying GKs as plastics due to price. On the other hand I suppose I have enough marine chapters as it is, and ones that aren't all filthy psykers to boot. Ugh. Decisions, decisions. Always hard to pass up bargains, even when it's something you don't necessarily need :P

 

Great to get the extra Sisters though. Despite buying some new, I passed on Seraphims due to cost. And Repentia, well, I rather focused on something else, but now with this deal I'm glad I did :P

[Marshal Mattias]

I saw potential in mixing some fantasy high elf archer types with scout arms, as the models are exactly the same size. I have loads of scout bolter arms laying around, so a box of these robe/armour elves with the female head choices, armed with bolters... It could work, perhaps?

[tvih]

Well, as proxies possibly, though mixing elves with actual Sisters figures... nah. Would've been cool to get some more special weapons in the model pile to make some Dominions or such, but can't expect to have everything

 

I figure that all else failing I might just have to go with buying a GK terminator box at some point. Sadly it only has one daemonhammer, since I'd need two if I ran two Inquisitors, but at least it has the two psycannons, so I could proxy a thunder hammer as a daemon hammer I suppose. Then I'd just need to figure what the heck I'm gonna do with 3 extra GK termies

[Marshal Mattias]

Get chopping, add some tabards, assault terminator sword brethren sergeants. EVERYTHING IS BETTER IN BLACK.

[tvih]

Meh, I already have a pile of terminators who would need tabards, but I can't seem to make any decent-looking ones! Plus being in the armor of a witch would likely make any Templar itch  Plus there's a lot of Inquisition/GK heraldry to get rid of. I suppose Inquisition markings could perhaps be explained as the armor being a "keepsake" from a tour of duty in the Deathwatch, but obvious GK heraldry would have to be eradicated.

 

But, I suppose that's a problem for a time when I actually get the box, whenever that may be.

[Marshal Mattias]

Also, most iconography seems to be etched into the armour, so a little liquid GS should fill that in toot-sweet. The few other bits are easily shaved off. Perfect ;)

[tvih]

Picked up the Sisters reinforcements (click to make even bigger)...
 
http://www.tvih.net/stuff/wh40k/sisters-reinforcements.jpg

I only paid under 70€ for the lot, so even though there's some funky stuff going on with them, can't complain too much.

The rundown:
- two Sister Superiors with plasma pistol and chainsword
- Sister Superior with Combi-Melta and (broken) Power Maul
- two Sisters with Multi-Melta (plus an excess heavy bolter)
- a Canoness with... uh, well a pistol on the right hand, and for some reason some sort of heavy bolter strapped to her back, as well as a marine backpack - hopefully not too damaging to remove
- a... uh, seems like the heavy bolter sister but equipped with an eviscerator and melta pistol - the eviscerator arm looked really off, because the arm looks far too long given where it is positioned, so I snapped it off after taking the pic, luckily it came off easy
- an older very nice Canoness with combi-flamer and some sort of inquisition symbol, might just give her a sword though
- perhaps the weirdest of the lot, a Canoness with a Halberd and a Psycannon - no idea what I'm gonna use her for, admittedly looks kinda cool though! Too bad no power-armored inquisitors who could use that loadout. In any case the weapons seem very firmly attached, so not sure I can remove them or anything
- five Seraphims with dual bolt pistols
- Seraphim Superior with bolt pistol and power sword
- two Seraphims with dual hand flamers
- nine Repentia
- a kinky dominat... uh, Mistress

In addition there's the two power swords, two bolt pistols, two scroll hands and a book hand. Sadly there's two backpacks missing, or three considering the one model with the marine backpack. For some reason there were three mutilated backpacks included, it seems the "knobs" where marine backpacks have the vents have been cut off, no idea why. Perhaps I can manage to make new knobs from putty or something, ought to be easier than making entirely new backpacks. Also missing is one Seraphim jump pack, not sure how I'm going to replace that. Also none of the Repentia had bases, but that's no biggie.

Nicely the only models I already had were the power maul Superior (love that model), the newer Canonesses, and the heavy bolter Sister. Not sure what I'm gonna do with so many Canonesses or Superiors, but I reckon I'll think of something.

There's certainly some cleaning up to do, since everything except unpainted models need to be stripped (of paint, you pervs), but of course I forgot to buy some stuff to do that with to get the restoration started  Also the sockets where you attach a weapon to an arm on the models with loose arms seem to be full of green stuff residue, as if that was tried as a glue replacement 

 

Now, to get those Repentias a transport...

[tvih]

Uh oh. Seems like I ended up with even more Sisters and Steel Legions yet again. Probably receiving them next week. Might be some a few other additional models too 

[tvih]

Ugh, seems the Crusade swells more than expected. Aside from a whole bunch of SoB & Steel Legion auxiliaries as well as a Limited Edition(?) Plasma Pistol Inquisitor, I got two '94 vintage Chaplains (coined "Brothers Grim" for their grim skull visages) for added zeal, and a Terminator Captain. The Captain will likely be painted as a CF since I already have that model in BT colors. Chaplains are black anyway, so they're fairly universal between chapters. Also a couple of old LotD models and ~20 primed power armor models, of which some are likely going to be BT, the rest something else.

 

At any rate so many metal models needing painting... painted a Canoness, was a pain because the paint just wants to rub off so easily, even though the metal Sternguard model during ETL didn't have that problem. Bah.

 

Also, an annoyance with the chaplains... bursting with zeal, they've struck such a pose that can't even fit backpacks properly on them 

 

Recently I've considered trying to offload some minis, but it appears it's all for naught. Even if I sold off all the Chaos marines for example, it'd be just a drop in the bucket compared to my Imperial armies, so I wonder if there's even any point to it :P

[tvih]

Ugh, why would anyone glue on a bolter before having painted the model, I shall never know. Received all the purchases I'd made now. As was known of the 20 plastic models they were primed and glued and incorporate a mix of BT and DA bits. Unfortunately that in many cases means both in the same model, it appears. Mostly it's BT bolters and BT shoulders. But at least I get to make more BT initiates with the unused tabard bits and whatnot, which will bring my tabarded initiate count to 31, I believe. Will have to see what I'll do with the mixed-bits models and the couple of non-tabarded BT-bit models.

 

Also included in that lot was 8 FW BT storm shields. Being my first ever FW bits, while the detail is nice I'm not exactly impressed by these particular casts at least. They're extremely thin at the middle, and  there's some nasty casting lines in the even surfaces of the shields, sometimes at the rear which isn't so bad, but sometimes also at the front. It seems "dangerous" to try to sandpaper them due to the thinness.

 

EDIT: Also, I have the 3 old LotD models, but minimum squad size is of course 5. Bugger! 10 shoulder pads though, so I guess some conversions are in order.

Edited September 3, 2014 by tvih

[Firepower]

Wow, those Templars are looking a touch feminine.   Must be something wrong in the latest gene-seed batch.

[tvih]

Wow, those Templars are looking a touch feminine.   Must be something wrong in the latest gene-seed batch.

 

Yeah, have had some more of that same "issue" twice now after that... but at least their zeal seems to register at an appropriate level regardless.

[SCOTT_FRANCIS]

Ah, I see it now, "The Sisters."

 

The female siblings of aspirants that successfully become Black Templars are gathered together and trained in the art of warfare. Thus becoming the Sisters of Battle. As we are Battle Brothers, they are the Battle Sisters.

 

How obvious, how could I have not seen it before. Brothers I require a Paddling for my lack of understanding. 

[Marshal Rohr]

You're FW shields may be recasts. If they don't cut smoothly and feel like normal plastics it's a different resin.

[tvih]

Shouldn't be, they were even in the original FW bag. Though there's actually two batches, three shields are yellow resin and the rest are the - at least these days - more common grey. But I've read that FW at least in the past did yellow resin as well.

 

Still, as much as people love FW over Finecast, it's not like FW is - historically or currently - problem-free either.

 

I suppose I'll make do with them, after all I paid sod all for them anyway.