Mirror Mirror: Astral Claws and Red Corsairs

[Preacher No'ki]

Evening brothers.

(Those here for E Tenebrae Lux  may wish to skip down to Here.)

This log has been a long time coming and I'm not sure how regularly it will be updated but we'll hope for the best. This is the story of a minor side-project that seems to consumed all of my hobby life for some time now. Awhile back I was looking for a distraction from the retro-fitting of my Dark Eldar Kabal (filthy filthy xenos!), I remembered that I had an old Space Marine mega-force laying around that I'd never got far with. Perfect! Well a long story short I was bought IA:9 & 10 and quickly found myself pledging my sword to the Tyrant. I've always loved renegades and there's no one better than the Tyrant of Badab.

Recently however my mind has been looking for another avenue to explore...The Astral Claws that I will show here are the 6th Company under Captain Darius Hyaensis, fighting on the surface of Badab itself for their very survival. But, what about afterwards? I found myself wondering what happened to my favourite characters from the army after the fall of Badab. With the recent purchase of Dark Vengeance I can start to not only expand the forces of the 6th but also of Hyaensis BoneMaw's Red Corsairs.

For the time being that’s enough about Bonemaw's company as my girl friend is currently holding all the chaos bits hostage in exchange for Terry Prattchet goodies but I hope to able to show you bits and pieces soon enough. So for now you'll have to make do with the glorious 6th, which some of you may remember from the Badab topic. (Warning: Bad pictures, tabletop painting and dodgy fluff follow).

Tactical Cohort Haban- At the fall of Badab first cohort was led by Lucien Haban, a vicious man who by all rights should have led a retribution squad. However, knowing the rivalry between Haban and Sgt Agathon, Captain Darius never approved the transfer instead allowing both men to drive each other on. A master swordsman Haban preferred to close with the enemy as quickly as possible to put his skills to the test. For that reason he attracted other hot headed astartes to his unit. Those who could not fight in the close confines Chohort Haban found themselves in never remained in the unit for long. Haban's fate after Badab can only be speculated at, if he survived the siege and fled to the Malestrom he would have undoubtedly fallen to the worship of Khorne.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMAG0999.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/HabanandRocket.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Pistoler.jpg
I desperately need to rebase all of my Astral Claws, this was my first attempt using GW snow and, well you can see the mess. Fortunately I found a better method with my DE so these chaps will be seeing new bases soon enough. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice Haban is missing a shoulder pad. He gave it up for a member of the Command Squad and is eagerly awaiting a replacement from Forgeworld. These close ups also show me all the mould lines I missed.

Tactical Cohort Agathon- Led by Rees Agathon Second Tactical Cohort was as different to the first as their Sergeants were. Where the members of Haban were hot blooded and volatile, Agathon was cold and calculating. Sgt Agathon would often chastise his brother Haban for his recklessness, however steady accurate covering fire always materialised as Haban led the charge, Agathon's bolters counting for as many enemy as Haban's blades. By the events of the Palace of Thorns tactical cohort Agathon consisted primarily of Skaros veterans. The Skaros Incident hung over the records of the 6th Company as their greatest achievement and darkest moment before the Badab War, however each survivor wore their earned livery with pride until each met their fate in the ruins of their home. Of note is the presence of Brother Lazarus of the Lamenters, one of the many stragglers that Darius brought with him to the final Siege. Lazarus fought proudly throughout the battle until succumbing to the black rage and turning on the rest of Cohort Agathon, weeping for the sins he had committed for the Tyrant.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMAG0992fixed.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Beakie.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Lazarus.jpg
I guess these gents need a bit of explaining. Originally I set out to make a Lamenters army, however I could never replicate the yellow I'd managed on the test model, you guessed it, Lazarus. I had however managed to paint the checkerboard pattern on most of the squad and was fairly proud of it at the time. So when I couldn't bring myself to paint over the checks or repaint Lazarus both were incorporated into the squad. This has also led to me wanting to include at least one of all the Secessionist chapters in the army.

Assault Squad Mochan- (These guys still need some backstory).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/AssaultSquad.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/AssaultSgt.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/MantisWarrior.jpg
This is the squad I'm probably the happiest with at the moment. The unit seems to work as a whole and I enjoyed painting them, its just a shame no story has come to be about them yet. Mantis Warriors!

Landspeed Creos- The Machine Spirit at the heart of the Creos beats like a hungry hawk. Forever looking for a quick kill before flittering away onto her next target the Creos' crew learnt to work with her fickle nature. As a hunter at the edge of battle fields Creos was never far from the main battleline, her crew became opportunists as much as she was. Both speeder and crew met their fate covering Captain Darius mad dash to escape the destruction of Badab.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Creos.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Creos2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Creos3.jpg
Currently my only Landspeeder, but hopefully not for long. I love the Landspeeder model and am really proud of what I've managed with it. Obviously the base is still a WIP in this picture but I think I've finished it now. The Creos also shows off the slightly darker scheme that you may see on my units in the future, however I can't decide between the lighter or darker looks.

That's it for today’s post, and I think it's more than enough. I hope you enjoyed it and I'd love some constructive feed back, but even short comments are always appreciated.

Preacher

[Dorns Padawan]

Looking good so far mate, nice paint job ^_^ . As for looks, personally I would go for the darker look - IMO it gives a more menacing appeal to whole thing. Are you going to base the speeder?

[Kronus Stormbringer]

I like the Mantis warrior! :)

[Preacher No'ki]

@Dorns padawan: Yup the Speeder is now based properly and I'll try and get some pictures up of it after the weekend. As for the darker tone I really am leaning towards it more and more...my only problem is whether it makes them look more "Iron Warrior" than Astral Claw. I still want them to look fairly regal, but we'll see how that goes. Once again I'll try and get some pictures of both my Sternguard and Centurion over the weekend as they show the darker scheme on the infantry.

 

@Kronus Stormbringer: Cheers, I enjoy painting the Mantis Warriors in that unit but I don't think they're at the same level as the rest of the army so I may go back and redo them.

 

To hopefully tide things over until I get back with more pictures over the weekend I've got a few shots from when I took the army down to my old local GW, there are a couple of previews in there to. (Again sorry the quality, they're from the stores FB page).

 

Tactical Cohort Haban advance in close support of a Predator.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/TacticalandPred3.jpg

 

Scout Squad Kivuli provide covering fire

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Scouts3.jpg

 

Here's an early WIP shot of Captain Hyaensis, he's gone through a few minor alterations since this point.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMG_3481.jpg

 

Once again, C&C is encouraged (I know manipulated pics are no good for that but still).

[War Angel]

Well what's he look like now?

[Dorns Padawan]

The Captain looks really great, love the pose & the servo skull adds a nice touch. Your new photos are pretty ace looking, very nice effects! The Ls looks regal anyways - all is needed is a few markings/iconography to set them apart. Looking forward to seeing the picts mate

[Kronus Stormbringer]

How are you basing your flyer models? I saw a you tube guide on using a bike spoke instead of the standard plastic effort from GW, worked really well.

[Preacher No'ki]

Well it seems the tides of the warp are ever fickle things where time has no meaning...or maybe it's just real life getting in the way again?

 

Firstly I want to thank you all for your comments, they keep reminding me to update this thing. ;)

 

@Kronus. For the time being my skimmers, and eventually any fliers I add to the army (I've got my sights on a Caestus for these boys) will be mounted on the normal GW stands. I've never had too much problem with the skimmer bases beyond the old DE Raiders which didn't fit them, and so far I've not had a problem with the flyer stands for my Dark Eldar either. Although I can imagine the Caestus will be a very different beast to my Razorwings so it may be something I look into in the future.

 

@Dorns Padawan. Thanks once again, I'm rather proud of searchy the servo skull, he came about from trying to find a way to represent the Iron Halo without it looking too much with the banner. The pictures are a quick bit of manipulation to make basic table pictures not look as crummy. :D

 

@War Angel. Ask and you shall receive.

 

On with the pictures! Firstly, as Kronus and Dorn's Padawan were interested and I did promise pictures, its rather dull but here's the "nearly" finished base for the Landspeed, minus snow which I'm still trying to get to look less like it was sneezed out by a fat guy in a Santa suit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMG_3184.jpg

Dull I know...so on with some proper pictures and a glimpse into darkness...

 

Captain Darius Hyaensis- “That will not be necessary. You have done all you can...And that is why I am here.” An Astartes in full gleaming MK8 battle plate of silver and gold, Captain Darius Hyaensis was a terrifying sight even for his allies, and he somewhat enjoyed the fact. Captain of the 6th Company, Darius had held his position from before the fall of Rovik Blake and was often referred to as the Old Dog by his fellow captains. When Huron took to reshaping the Chapter the 6th were awarded the status of full Battle Company and Hyaensis took to this new position with gusto. The Badab Conflict changed Hyaensis, the changes in the chapters attitude were reflected in the face of the old dog. By the wars end he was no longer the noble figure who had stood firm at Hells Iris. By the Siege of the Palace of Thorns, Hyaensis was a broken, desperate, man on the edge of madness. Before the final battle, both he and many members of his ragtag company swore an oath before the Tyrant. Whilst Lugft Huron still drew breath, Darius Hyaensis would never lay down his sword...A dark pact, unbroken even in the ruins of Badab...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Hyaensis1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/HyaensisFace.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/HyaensisBack.jpg

 

Hyaensis is my favourite model in the army at the moment, but oddly also the one I want to revisit the most. This is about his third or fourth head here, but finally I found one that fits just right for the character I wanted to create. Overall I love the flow of the model but there are a few things I want to go back and rework. He was one of the first models I finished for this army and I think it tells. I want to go back and tidy up his lower portions from the belt down. Now, I claim to paint to a tabletop "Blanchitsu" style, but even then I think there are areas I can tidy up and improve on this model. (And mould lines are the bane of my life). If I really had my way I think I'd start afresh with him using some forgeworld parts to bulk his character out a degree, but for now I will enjoy his GW plastic goodness.

 

Centurion Avitus Singh- Various rumours circulated in the ranks of the Tyrant's Legion about Avitus Singh, Darius Hyaensis' second in command and Centurion of the CXII Legion. Of those, the darkest were the ones with a hint of truth behind them. It was said that to restore order in a failing flank Singh removed the Tribune's legs with a clean sweep from his chainsword to stop the man from running. And then, rather than leaving the coward to bleed out Singh pulled the man up by his collar and forced him to order the advance, the Tribune was then carried forward as a twisted cross between a banner and a human shield. What was true and what was fabricated in the end makes no difference. Avitus Singh was not just a member but the commander of the Hyaenodon, a brotherhood of warriors within the 6th Company who had shared a terrible ordeal within the Maelstrom and forged an unbreakable bond with their Captain. Just what that bond entailed is unclear but their souls were stained from that day forward...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Centurionfront.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/CenturionBack.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/CenturionForward.jpg

 

Oh Singh, where to star with Singh. First please excuse the white-tac in the pictures, his arm decided to drop off as I took him out of the cabinet and I'm lacking glue. I wanted to try and embody the brutality of Marines who served in the Tyrant's Legion, over perhaps my more "ornamental" marines in the battle company. I also needed someone to lead my Legion forces, and to stand in as Carnac Commodus when required. For that reason he's mostly in unadorned armour, and I used as many early mark pieces as I could find in my bits box. The Mark 8 was kindly donated by a sgt, he needed something to mark him out and I feel it adds to the impact of the model. It might be difficult to tell but he's painted in the slightly darker tone I've begun to use that I think I'll repeat through out the army from now on. Overall I'm happy with the model (moldlines not standing), although I would have liked to find a way to get him to stand slightly more central on the base.

 

And to finish off tonight’s ramblings...What happened to all the banner poles in my army when I realised I didn't like them anymore? Well they may not look great sticking out of a sgts head as a sign post for snipers, but they make great objective markers. ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Objectives.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Objectives2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Objectives3.jpg

 

I will then leave you on this note for my next update, what's board policy on DV Chaos Cultists?

[Preacher No'ki]

So brothers the board is back and so am I for another randomly timed update, now with added Chaos. Hurray everybody!

Work on the Astral Claws has been fairly slow recently due to one thing and another (mainly being at Uni 150 miles from my paint station, strange how that affects productivity). However I do have a few things to show those who are interested. Firstly, I received the Dark Vengeance box for Christmas after sufficient hinting that I could put all of its contents to good use and it would stop random hobby purchases for a while. Hey, it might work...

But before we get there I wanted to show what started my fall to Chaos, and it is perhaps only right that one model alone led this Astral Claw to the clutches of the dark gods...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/HuronFront_zpseca69a68.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/huronfront2_zps1cad5ad2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/huronfrontclose_zps8450fffc.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/huronrear_zpseba354f9.jpg

The Blood Reaver himself. I bought Huron a while back to practice my painting techniques and challenge myself, but once he was in my cabinet I couldn't help but think he needed an army to lead. Couple of things with him...I tried something new with his base and tried to give it the look of a ship's deck although I'm quite sure how to finish it off so any suggestions on that front would be appreciated. I'm also very tempted to go back and try and make something more of the chaos symbol on his talon. I loved painting this model and learnt a lot doing it (he was the first model I painted before assembly).

For now I can provide a slight teaser of the reinforcements Huron will soon be recieving, in the form of my first Cultist.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Cultist2_zps6ec8babe.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Cultist1_zps2e0cf1d3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Cultist3_zps43ab3bab.jpg

I don't have many pictures to show of this space womble as photobucket is having it's normally hissy fit. Again I tried to improve on what I'd learnt with Huron so all of my DV models will be painted pre-assembly. I tried to pay particular attention to the highlights on the cultist as it's normally a stage I rush with a quick drybrush. This time though I tried some "extreme?" highlights, particularly on the red cloth. Hopefully this has added some depth to the model. I think it might look a bit "comicbook" this way, but that kind of works for me. Obviously the base wants finishing, but I'm trying to find a way to do deck platting quickly for all my Red Corsairs.

That's it for now. I've currently got a mix of Astral Claws armor and Red Corsair chosen on my painting bench so with some luck you should see some progress on those next time I post.

[Styrofoam04]

I like your Huron, Im glad that you went with the deadish blue skin too. I'd love to see moar!

 

All Hail the Blood Reaver!!

[Red Scorpions]

Great WIP, love the pictures and models. Heres an idea though, have some of your Red Corsair Squads still have members with Astral Claws armour. Just an idea.

[Preacher No'ki]

Cheers for the comments folks, they are always appreciated no matter how infrequently I update this thread. I'm hoping to update more regularly over the summer, but I've said that before.

Styrofoam04: I'm glad you like the blue skin look, yours was one of the models that inspired me when I first painted up my Huron. The contrast between the "dead" blue and the red armour was too good to miss out on, so thank you.

Red Scorpions: Cheers, that's high praise coming from a member of such a despicable chapter as the Red Scorpions. I'd considered doing a few different coloured marines in the army, as I've done with my Astral Claws. There seems to be two approaches to the Red Corsairs; the studio approach with Red and Black, and then the Black Library approach of individuals still wearing their original colours. I think I'll sit somewhere in between with most of the army in red and black and a few in their original colours. I probably wont show any in Astral Claws colours still, simply because one of the lines that really stood out to me in "Into the Maelstrom" was Huron mocking a traitor and referring to him as "the last of the Astral Claws", but some of the newer members will definitely show their old chapter colours.

So what have I been up to whilst not updating this thing? Well apart from Uni believe it or not I have been busy. Work on the Red Corsairs may have stalled slightly but I'm hoping to kick-start that with my E Tenebrae Lux vow, but more from that in my next post. I have however been working on my Astral Claws and they're soon to hit the 3000pt mark along with their Tyrant's Legion allies.

The following shots are from the first catch up game a friend and I had a while back, we've got a rematch planned over the summer.

Battle of Megaclite II. On the borders of the Maelstrom Zone, the Astral Claws 6th Company battle to secure a Heresy era fortress and keep it's weapon stockpiles out of the hand of a World Eaters warband.

Sixth Company deploy to the planet's surface, hoping to secure the long abandoned fortress.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMG_7999_zpsfd7a7baf.jpg

Tactical Cohort Agathon, Devastator Squad Tamar and The Tyrant's Lance hunker down in the ruins, securing an objective.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMG_8000_zps42db312f.jpg

On the opposite flank Cohort Haban, Assault Squad Mochan, the Hyeanodon and an ancient Dreadnaught move on the Fortress.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMG_8002_zpsa96ed692.jpg

Out numbered and out gunned, Mochan lead the counter charge against the World Eaters, with Scout Squad Kivuli providing covering fire as 1st Company veterans teleport into the fray.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMG_8018_zps5f45021a.jpg

Whilst the right flank collapses and their brothers struggle to hold the fortress against the tide of World Eaters, the left flank holds firm, preparing to make a final push for their secondary objective.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMG_8026_zpsa18a2bbf.jpg


That game came to a bloody draw, with the forces on the right barely holding their own objective and the fortress. Next time 6th Company will triumph.

I hope these shots show off some of the work I've done, and I'll try and get some more detailed shots up soon. One thing I did want to show you was the start of my Iron Hunters unit. The Astral Claws are famed for the skill of their biker units, but there seems to be a rather large deficit of them here on the B&C so here's me doing something about it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMAG1454_zps1ced4b6e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/48b076c2-7f0c-443c-82c0-313aa25f7b8e_zpsb775799f.jpg
Whilst clearly a work in progress I hope it shows what I'm aiming for with my Iron Hunters. This model is from the Dark Vengence box, and I'm considering getting a raven wing squadron to add to them and keep the ornamental look to this unit.

And now, once more into the maelstrom, to the depths of madness and the realm of New Badab...

[Preacher No'ki]

++E Tenebrae Lux II++
Vow 1. Post 1

 

And now for my E Tenebrae Lux II vow.

In the name of the Tyrant, Blood Reaver and before the Pantheon, I Preacher No'ki answer the call of E TENEBRAE LUX and vow to complete: 10 Chaos Cultists (with auto rifles 1 heavy stubber, champion with shotgun), 1 Hellbrute with Reaper Autocannon and a Sorcerer from Codex Chaos Space Marines to the total value of 227pts on or before August 31st. Success will bring eternal glory to  Red Corsairs and failure will doom me to bear the Badge of Shame until the year-end.

Take what you can, give nothing back!

Before pictures:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMAG1455_zpsf4efb2aa.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMAG1456_zpsd8a51967.jpg

And here we go. So I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this, combined with finishing off my Astral Claws to 3000pts for the end of July. But never mind, those who dare win as they say. I would have liked to continued work on my half completed units but its not in the spirit of things and this vow allows me to get the army ready quicker, with a bit of luck.

So, plans? Most of the plan is fairly obvious, cultists are cultists etc. I plan of converting a reaper autocannon from a left over auto cannon from my Astral Claws and I'm aiming to use the Chosen Champion as my Sorcercer model and try my hand at some greenstuff work for the first time. Wish me luck. ;)
 

[Styrofoam04]

Styrofoam04: I'm glad you like the blue skin look, yours was one of the models that inspired me when I first painted up my Huron. The contrast between the "dead" blue and the red armour was too good to miss out on, so thank you.

It's an honour.

I can't wait to see more, Interesting ideas

Good luck with the conversions

[Preacher No'ki]

++E Tenebrae Lux II++
Vow 1. Post 2.

So I've been working away on two projects recently, getting my Astral Claws ready for my "Apocalyptic Catch Up" which has so far involved painting far more guard units than I'm used to, and I've been working on my ETL vow. Why I agreed to do both with a similar time frame only the gods know, but at least I've got all of August to work solely on ETL if I fall behind.

But that won't happen, as I'm here to show the first work in progress shots from that vow. Hurray everybody! Firstly an apology, my photos are never amazing, but my camera died on when I went to take these so the camera phone had to be used. Consider yourselves warned.

WIP: Jasoom the Witch
...Abhor the Witch...Destroy the Witch...A life time learning to hate what I was...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/54c230e5-4ff3-4a30-811b-7587cc0adc65_zpsccec4b0f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/046f22df-3936-440e-8d5c-0c5e13d20e0f_zpsf37495d0.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/2e71b16a-3ca0-4e60-a5e7-d539844a8853_zps0f9dd4ea.jpg

Ok, so Jasoom will be the first sorcerer to join my Red Corsairs warband of the two I have planned. I hope to include a little fluff piece about him once he's finished but the hints are fairly obvious as to his origins. More importantly lets talk about modelling and painting.

This is my first attempt to use green stuff since some horrifying experiments back in my early hobby days which would have made Nurgle feel a bit queasy. As such I'd love some feed back, although I know what I've attempted is pretty basic. The coil of greenstuff around his mace is meant to represent the warp energy he's calling up, either to cast at someone or force weapon a loyalist into the warp. I'm fairly happy with the basic effect, although think I might have to paint carefully to pull it off.

Then there's the eye patch. You don't see enough Red Corsairs with eye patches. This was fiddly as hell to do and I lost count of how many times I had to reposition it on his head. As it is it's not quite in the right place, but I'm happy enough with it now.

Painting wise, still in the early stages, hope to have a bit more to show soon but you might be able to see two complete Corsairs in the background of the second image.

Cheers for looking. Any and all feedback is welcome.

Preacher

[deathspectersgt7]

Cool can't wait to see more.

[Punk possum]

Love the Red Corsair with Eye patch idea. I think the G.S. work on the mace will stand or fall on the painting.

Good luck with the Vow.

[Preacher No'ki]

Cheers for the comments guys. Hmm, this regular update thing feels weird. It seems deadlines and feedback do actually work as motivation.

Having said that there's no real update this morning as my painting table has been fairly boring. Since the last update I've continued to block in colours on Jasoom and put the first coat onto a Leman Russ for my Tyrant's Legion. So in stead I thought I'd show some mostly finished stuff from my archive.

Let's start with the Red Corsairs and I can save the Astral Claws for a latter day. The first reason I want to show you what I've achieved with the Red Corsairs is to give you a glimpse of where things will end up for my ETL vow and hopefully you can give me some feed back on a couple of things.

Strax: The Bull.
"Casualties can be kept about as little as 80%."
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/a6c24f72-7736-4ad5-a486-caf2d7750371_zps5c6842ad.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/c4d54926-7fb3-4bb3-9e1c-88516bcefe99_zps511b1fcd.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/b62fd3a6-dc6b-4be1-ac2d-c2e2929ff540_zps580680a3.jpg
"Out of the way, boy!" Rhys flattened his power armoured back to the corridor's wall just in time to avoid being smashed to the deck plating as the enormous form of Strax the Bull barrelled past him.

"Idiot", Rhys thought to himself as Strax ran headlong into the guns of the deck crew who had set up a blockade at the junction ahead. Although he had to admit, quietly to himself, what the Bull lacked in subtlety he definitely made up for in brute aggression. Lending sporadic covering fire, he couldn't make it too easy for his new "brother", he watched as Strax crashed through the make shift barricades and set to work butchering the deck hands who had been too slow to run away. Looking at the scene in front of him an unwelcome memory returned: the Palace of Thorns burning, gold clad berserkers bathing in his brothers blood, the relentless foot falls...

Shaking off the memories Rhys drew his power sword and charged after Strax screaming at the top of his enhanced lungs, "For the Tyrant!"
+++

Slightly blurry pictures I'm afraid, yay camera phones! Strax is my current reference point when painting up my Red Corsairs and hopefully he shows you what I'm aiming for. Here you can also see a wip version of how I'm aiming to base the Red Corsairs. When I first assembled Huron way back in the thread I hadn't planned for an army, but I knew I wanted him on the deck platting of a ship, leading another raid. Now I'm building the rest of his warband I wanted to continue the theme but Huron's base wouldn't do and so it acted as a prototype. Here you can see the mk2 base in all its raw glory. As well as hopefully looking half decent when painted, the base raises the models so they appear the suitable hight when compared with cultists who wont have the supports under their base.

Speaking of Cultists...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/0344f8a0-e1ab-476c-a847-fbef69db8ddc_zpsbc9c44be.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/438b2b80-66af-49f8-aec5-65e0edf72de4_zpsdb99fc0f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/13aa8705-a091-48dc-a757-2693a1b6a9d8_zpseeef1957.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/IMAG1427_zps97c5cf64.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/8230821e-e445-4348-993b-18d7570aa43f_zpsc2933479.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/3cbca846-d5ae-4ab2-b80d-d08a3afcf43a_zps252be324.jpg

These are some shots from the unit of cultists I'd started before ETL so couldn't vow. But again I hope their show the direction the army is heading in. There are a number of duplicates with the DV cultists so I'll be trying to vary them slightly with minor conversions in the next batch and alternating the paint scheme. One of the things I'm trying to achieve is for each model in the army to a slightly different pattern to the red and black mix, showing these are not a polished army but instead the raiding force of scum and villainy that they are.

Now here's a question I'd like to get some opinions on. Having seen some of what the force is going to look like, how do you think I'm best approaching the greenstuff staff on Jasoom. I've got two conflicting ideas on this and would love some feed back:

1) Paint it as "warp energy", in the shades of green I normally use to donate "power weapon" etc and try and make it look half decent.
2) Try and sculpt some "gills" into like the tentacles the DV chosen have, and show it as part of Jasoom's own flesh reaching out.

Once again thanks for your time, and happy reeving.

[War Angel]

Those objective markers, what did you use for the bases?

[Preacher No'ki]

Hey War Angel. The objective markers are based on the 40mm pieces that came in the citadel 40k basing kit. From there I added salvage from my bits box to taste. I think it came with four of these as I'm sure I've got one knocking around somewhere waiting to be updated. 

[War Angel]

Curse you and your chaos ways..... Now I'm trying to figure out how I should mimic this for my own chapter.... Pooyie

[Preacher No'ki]

I've heard they've changed what comes in the basing packs, but can't back that up myself, so you may still be able to get them. I'll be making new objective markers for my Red Corsairs at some point and plan on using standard 40mm bases and building up from there with bits and pieces if that helps you, loyalist so and so. Glad I've inspired someone, even a little bit.

Not a lot of feed back on the Red Corsairs, so let's switch back to Astral Claws...

"Though my guards may sleep and ships may rest at anchor, our foes know full well that big guns never tire."

So lets start off with the heavier sections from 6th Company and their accompanying Legion forces.

The Tyrant's Lance
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/021a150f-c881-44a4-97e4-f75a9661be19_zpsc50a87e1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/1e9bc35a-b421-4761-bfdb-a9554768a5ca_zps1eaf16ee.jpg

The Hyaena- Captain Darius' personal transport.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/7e554a6b-5eae-41af-bf42-cf146ce34882_zpscbfb0dc1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/7119c5e0-5b05-4ff1-8518-368a96b87386_zps5d0717ae.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/09518203-bdfa-4b32-b3aa-8cbaca711322_zpscec523c5.jpg
These two where the first tanks I painted up for the army and I experimented with trying to weather them a bit using various inks and washes. It doesn't look that great in the close ups, but on the battlefield the effect works fairly well. This was also the first time I've painted the interior of any vehicle and I'm quite proud of the control panel. I'll definitely try again next time I paint up a rhino.

The Tyrant's Fist
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/e8a7be43-da40-4624-b2d3-21d5c48f26bb_zpsd565aa05.jpg
The first of two Leman Russ battle tanks planned in this stage of the army, they will eventually go to form part of my Blood Pride Apoc formation along with two other battle tanks (undecided on pattern) and a Baneblade. The picture is a bit washed out, but the weathering worked better here than the other two tanks, sometimes less is more.

As always, thanks for reading, and I'd love some feed back.

Preacher

[The Colossus]

Your Red Corsairs are cool, but your Astral Claws win this thread for me- works gone into the fluff, and I like the yellow you've used as a spot colour, it makes the force eye catching! Looking forward to more. Any plans for Termie Huron?

[Styrofoam04]

I'd love to see some army shots

[Preacher No'ki]

Don't you love it when both the forum's and your own back ups go splat at the same time? So some of the back story for my Corsairs seems to have disappeared into the void for now, and I don't feel like trying to match Jacobi's back story again just yet. If people want I'll try and at least a few army shots up for my Astral Claws.

In other news it seems very unlikely that I will complete my ETL II vow. I wish I had a valid excuse for this one, but simply my own muses have led me to failing the gods, I got distracted. I'll say that Tzeentch had a hand in this, but who knows. So here is where I've got to with my ETL vow, including the close combat Cultist unit I finished instead of the autogun unit which I vowed.

Jacobi. The Witch
"...Abhor the Witch...Destroy the Witch...A life time learning to hate what I was..."

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/06c16d98-7c80-4773-8b4a-30e0c09ab153_zpse24a16b5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/7d378b0c-1510-4004-b77b-badb10386311_zps195dc700.jpg
Now I've shown Jacobi before so I won't go into too much detail. I'm fairly happy with him, and have tidied a couple of bits up on him which I thought were sloppy. I am pleased with the green stuff attempts I've made on him as a first time thing.

M'erzost. The Abomination
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/59936475-d0f4-430d-b66a-e0f9b0df413c_zps65ed4341.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/6cf4bb92-8eca-4a47-b52d-6bf089a48c2e_zpsfaf6f62d.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/7a85e55e-741c-427c-b54d-38a9dbc7d5c6_zps1f55ef26.jpg
It took some time but I'm very happy with M'erzost. It really helps that the Hellbrute is a wonderful model. I was a little concerned about the level of blue in the model, but looking at him now I think it works well as the center piece of the army. I've also attempted to convert his multi-melta into a reaper auto-cannon. I know it should be double barreled, but I only had the one auto-cannon.

The Judged
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/c3232c23-a10a-4f49-ba2b-6de7bfd3b317_zps65008c4a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/edeb0fbc-bc39-4a7e-b6e8-6c53d41cee91_zps62056367.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/61fee96d-56ab-4c91-b7f9-1b327af1da07_zpsa862729c.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/d6e9a861-377e-4147-9c7a-070e0bc938f2_zps9b7931e2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/bc70632b-3cdd-4f52-b3d2-ccad17e6ae48_zps4b302a50.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/f86ad327-a460-4e1e-98ec-08bffb985e4a_zpsae4213c3.jpg
Sorry for the first picture, struggling with unit photos at the moment and that's the best I could do. The Judged are my first cultist unit, and one of my comic book/pop culture reference in this post (a cookie if you get them). Now the first problem I noticed with the DV cultists is the repetition in the models. Whilst they are lovely models, as are all the DV stuff, I'm trying to keep my Corsairs as individual as possible. To combat this I took two approaches. Firstly I've alternated the colours between each clone, and tried to perform a few simple weapon swaps, both of these can hopefully be seen above.

So there we have it for now, that's as far as my ETL vow has reached. I know I have tomorrow and bit of Thursday, but at the rate I paint it's an impossible task to get another unit done. And on top of that I'm trying to keep the quality up on these as when I started the army I did it to improve the quality of my painting. All comments and feed back are greatly appreciated and encouraged (as well as suggestions of what you'd like to see next).

I will leave you with a teaser, and proof that Jacobi is not the only Templar to fall...

Sifo-Dyas...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/773e405b-87fc-456d-9c32-0fb5f0a1e570_zpsfecf89f6.jpg