Forge Firmamentum - Lucius-pattern Warlord Titan (p.5)

[CommodusXIII]

Eliminator Unit ███-Chi-3, "The Desolator", is considered the pinnacle before the precipice of the Chi-Series Sicarian Project.  If ███-Chi-1 represents the fear of the unseen and ███-Chi-2 of the unstoppable, then ███-Chi-3 represents the fear of the unexpected.

 

The fleshform for this experiment was an Alpha of the Skitarii Vanguard.  Normally, the battle-ravaged remains of these soldiers are catalogued and discarded as hazardous waste.  This particular example was found with intensive damage but also completely saturated with radiation.  Intrigued by its unusual immunity to the deadly effect of its own rad-weaponry, Magos Organos Eriso Cobol began his work.  By the end of the augmentation procedure, six surgical servitors and a junior tech priest had received lethal doses emanating from their subject.  The result was worth the sacrifice.

 

███-Chi-3 is a living nuclear weapon, spending the long quiet between campaigns meditating in a containment vault deep within the Ark Mechanicus Divine Rumination.  When called upon to serve, the ancient personal teleporter built into its battlesuit delivers it with pinpoint accuracy into the heart of the Omnissiah's enemies.  Alarm klaxons blare, environmental counters overload and soldiers tremble as their mouths fill with the sharp metallic taste of fatal radiation exposure.  Their terror multiplies as ███-Chi-3 begins its brutal work, sterilizing the area with its irad-purifier and commanding submission with its phase tasers.  Confusion radiates outward as those communication lines not overwhelmed by electromagnetic interference are filled with futile cries for assistance.

 

Some say that Cobol should have stopped here.  Others recognized that his madness had already taken hold.  He did not have time for satisfaction with such a successful result when there was an even more ambitious experiment to prepare for...

 

http://i.imgur.com/DCXPgQyl.jpg

 

This is my take on the Callidus Assassin, which completes my AdMech Execution Force.  I saved this one for last because, of the four Clades, this is the only one that I've never used throughout my time in 40K.  As such, I was simply uninspired.

 

I did some research into similar designs, including this one by Blightwheel Miniatures, but still couldn't find inspiration.  So, I went back to the basics.  What did I already have in my other three assassins?  Amped-up versions of a Sicarian Infiltrator, a Sicarian Ruststalker and a Skitarii Ranger.  I toyed around with the idea of a modified Thallax, but that didn't quite catch.  I finally settled on a Skitarii Vanguard to keep with the established theme.

 

To create the appropriate look, I lopped off a Sicarian Infiltrator head at the "jaw" and fitted the helmet from an Empire Greatsword soldier.  I found a small camera in my bits box - I think from the Tempestus Scions kit? - to make it a bit more techy.

 

From there, it all fell into place.  Vanguard are dead men walking from chronic radiation exposure.  The idea for one that was not only surviving, but thriving, came from a Star Trek: Voyager binge.  The rad cleanser, taken from the Magos Dominus kit, works somewhat similar to the neural shredder and fits with the "walking reactor" concept.

 

http://i.imgur.com/if5jGL4l.jpg

 

I was thinking that a transsonic blade would work as the phase sword, but I'd already used that concept on the Ruststalker/Eversor.  What not replace the phase sword with a modified phase taser?  The two weapons of the Callidus (phase sword and poison blades) could be two settings on the same weapon - extremely-high voltage versus extremely-high amperage, for example.  What could be more terrifying that a freakish robot going to town on you like FN-2199?

 

A freakish robot beating you like a City 17 metro cop with two tasers, that's what.  The idea for asymmetric arm arrangement actually came from the Primagen from Turok 2, of all places.  I've never seen taser goads modeled with electrical discharge, so it took a few attempts to figure it out.  The winning move was sewing thread, cut to length and given a thin coat of superglue.  Humid air makes superglue dry "fuzzy", giving the thread the perfect crackle.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/A695XwFl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/LxoWf6xl.jpg

 

The final piece of the puzzle was the backpack, and its method of deployment.  The defining trait of the Callidus is its Polymorphine.  I thought about active camouflage, memory/sensory hacking, and other means of portraying this ability.  I'd already taken a similar approach with the neurostatic aura of the Infiltrator/Culexus.  What about close-range teleportation?  The Grey Knight Interceptor fit the bill.

 

That took care of Reign of Confusion as well.  If a 7-foot-tall radioactive BDSM-bot suddenly appeared in my briefing room, I'm pretty sure my careful deployments and troop movements would be instantly thrown into chaos.  If this spontaneous materialization didn't do the trick, its Chernobyl Care Bear Stare and electric tickle-sticks certainly would.  Suddenly this was the most enjoyable of the four, only for its sheer ridiculousness.

 

http://i.imgur.com/b2KvKYpl.jpg

 

Thus, the rise and fall of Magos Organos Eriso Cobol is complete.  Or is it?  There are a lot of numbers between 1 and █, and two minor Clades yet to be explored...

[Battybattybats]

Excellent work!
Really like your notion.

[CommodusXIII]

I've taken a break from my break from 40K to work on some Knight-scale terrain for my forge world table.  Fortifications excluded, I build all of my terrain from found objects.  GW's official kits are simply too detailed for me - I can't bring myself to half- it, but neither can I justify spending that much time painting scenery.  This approach also makes for a fairly unique battlefield.

 

For some reason the concept of AdMech buildings in the ziggurat style has stuck in my head.  I stumbled on these bed risers and thought they would be a good addition:

 

http://i.imgur.com/4LMT8AKl.jpg

 

I picked up several bulk packs of generic sci-fi detail bits on eBay to give them a 40K vibe.  Every once in a while I come across someone selling resin-cast Opus Machina necklaces, pendants and pins.  I finally found a use for them!  A little rattlecan red primer and a thick coat of black wash, and here's the end result:

 

http://i.imgur.com/Z5fm4g3l.jpg

 

At the moment I've set them up as four towering ventillation stacks, but they can also break down into eight medium-sized bunkers.  They also nest inside each other for transport and storage.  Not bad for ~$20!

 

While trawling on eBay, I also came across a damaged Playmobil dockyard crane:

 

http://i.imgur.com/VGcTW6Yl.jpg

 

It was missing the bucket and ladder, but the gears in my head had already started to turn.  I dug through my bits box and came up with this:

 

http://i.imgur.com/JNjntOzl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Q9yj0srl.jpg

 

I replaced the string with jewelry chain and cobbled together a claw from another abandoned playset.  I found a priest-scale ladder and added a couple hair curler safety cages.  The windows need a few more washes to grunge up, but even now they're not nearly as bright and clean as the pictures would lead you to believe.  This is a little outside the normal scale for my model photography...

 

All of this is gearing up for an Imperial/Renegade Knight battle royale event at my FLGS next week.  You can't have a Knight-scale battle without Knight-scale terrain!

[Battybattybats]

Oh you HAVE to make sure someone gets pics from those games!
That terrain is gorgeous!

[Nomus Sardauk]

That crane is way too cool to be mere terrain, perhaps you could homebrew some rules for it, maybe any player with an infantry model with 2" of the crane can use it to make a S9 AP- Smash attack against any enemy units with the crane's range? Or, if you have some of those Munitorum Armoured Containers that came out recently the player controlling the crane can pick up and move a Container anywhere within the crane's range? Oooorrrr you can just deny the enemy that advantage and blast the crane to tiny pieces before they can use it, with a large blast template to represent the crane falling and a scatter die to decide which way it collapses! *cue the evil laughter*

[CommodusXIII]

I'm hosting our second annual Kill Team event in December - we haven't decided if we're doing another round robin tournament, or possibly a one-day narrative event.  Either way, I'm ramping up production on terrain while designing a new team.

 

Following up on the Mechanicus Kill Teams thread, I've settled on a Thallax squad for this year.  In the past I've run body-heavy Imperial Guard and Skitarii lists. I've been tinkering with lists with low model counts, but lots of character. This is something of the far extreme.

 

http://i.imgur.com/ciJFMqKl.jpg

 

I started with a spare head found in my bits box.  I've always enjoyed Forge World's illustrations of the Thallax and what's hidden inside their imposing suits of armour.  I decided that my first attempt would be a battle-damaged unit.  I hollowed out the inside of the helmet with my Dremel and a pack of shaping bits - I accidentally delved a little too deep and had to patch it with greenstuff, but you can't tell from the end result.  I have a huge bag of skulls from Dragon Forge Design's aptly-named Skulls, Skulls, Skulls Kickstarter.  I trimmed a few down and, after a lot of cursing and a little bit of blood, I managed to wedge one into the helmet.

 

A small ball of greenstuff formed the eye.  I considered going with a bionic, which would have matched both the illustration and the general Mechanicum aesthetic, but I wanted to capture the last scraps of humanity in an utterly-inhumane being.  That beneath the hulking armour, heavy weaponry and radiation there's an incredibly messed-up person rather than a machine or lobotomized servitor.

 

Here's the final product:

 

http://i.imgur.com/ak4vGMBl.jpg

 

As always, I apologize for my terrible photography skills.  The pose is somewhat bland as this was my first experience with the Thallax model - now that I've sorted out all of the pinning needed to secure the ball joints, I can be a little more adventurous next time.

 

I'm particularly pleased with how the skull and eye turned out.  After painting the bone, I gave the socket a layer of Blood for the Blood God and let it settle into the recesses.  The eyeball got a thick dab of white to fill in the slightly-misshapen putty, after which I carefully (and nervously) added the pupil.  I've actually never painted an eye before - usually I just give faces a wash of Nuln Oil and leave them shadowed - because I'm terrified that between my poor eyesight and shaking hand the poor buggers will end up googly-eyed.  This was just about perfect.

 

The other effect that came out very well, and can't be captured in pictures, is that I prepared a mix of Blood for the Blood God and 'Ard Coat to yield a faint pink slime.  This was applied heavily to the skull and running down the front of the model, to simulate amniotic fluid leaking from the damaged helmet.

 

For the base, I started with the new 40 mm Sector Imperialis set.  I painted the metallic deck plating as normal, washing it with Agrax Earthshade rather than Nuln Oil to give it a muddy, rusty feel rather than the oily, grimly look of the model.  I then drybrushed it with Mechanicus Standard Grey and added Ash Grey flock from Army Painter.  The end result is meant to show the Thallax stalking through the ashes of a burnt-out city.  Again, now that I've experimented with the technique I can be a little more adventurous going forward.

 

All in all, a very good start to the team!

[Battybattybats]

Ok that paintjob has turned that thallax from superb to magnificently glorious!
I'd like to see some more pics of it especially once you get and it's unit into action!

[CommodusXIII]

I'm afraid photography was never my strong suit, but I appreciate the encouragement!     There will be much more to come as I work through the rest of the Kill Team.  I also have a pile of terrain pieces that will be making appearances in the next month!

[CommodusXIII]

I hit one last round of yard sales before the autumn weather set in, and was rewarded with another batch of old toys for rehabilitation:

 

The reclamation reactor began life as a Toxo-Lab playset from G.I. Joe:

 

http://i.imgur.com/rwytSxel.jpg

 

And here it is after some minor modifications and a new coat of paint:

 

http://i.imgur.com/exvSsMYl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9ql02enl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PwRGtA5l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/arV389dl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7Jrb7utl.jpg

[Battybattybats]

You stun me again CommodusXIII
Superb!

[CommodusXIII]

The heat exchanger is an old Hot Wheels Power Booster. I completely disassembled it to clean out the grease and kept only the top shell. I patched the holes left by the various components with 3D printed vent plates and rivet strips from Horizon Creation 3D.

 

http://i.imgur.com/seOPlaGl.jpg

 

And here it is, ready to be fought over.

 

http://i.imgur.com/XbDBtT8l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Bin5awHl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TuUrYq8l.jpg

[Fenbain]

That's some beautiful repurposing at work.

[CommodusXIII]

Thank you!  I have one more terrain piece currently in the works, and then I can get back to my Kill Team. 

[Nomus Sardauk]

Fantastic conversion work on that terrain Commodus, I'd love to see an entire industrial zone table made you, I've no doubt it'd be amazing. Out of curiosity, did you ever use that crane claw with homebrew rules like I suggested? :D

[CommodusXIII]

Not yet, but I want to work it into our Kill Team event this winter. I'm going to rearrange the table again when the latest batch of terrain is finished. I'll be sure to post pictures/maps.

[Nomus Sardauk]

Not yet, but I want to work it into our Kill Team event this winter. I'm going to rearrange the table again when the latest batch of terrain is finished. I'll be sure to post pictures/maps.

YEEESSS. This pleases me greatly.

[CommodusXIII]

Progress marches on!  The power distribution station is part of the 1992-era G.I. Joe Headquarters playset:

 

http://i.imgur.com/jo4KRdDl.jpg

 

After the Mechanicus got their mechadendrites on it:

 

http://i.imgur.com/wuMPVhel.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9OsP2yLl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/mVEBsUJl.jpg

 

The raw mechanical detail is relatively uneven and not very suitable for models to stand on.  I build a grate from scraps of an electric flyswatter and some rivet strips, allowing both a stable playing surface and a good view of the underlying greebles.

[Race Bannon]

See, that's art.

[CommodusXIII]

By request, here are some additional pictures of Tau-1ō-Artem:

 

http://i.imgur.com/UQNw1KGl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1Rjr44nl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7W7qy5yl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/19ZYfqbl.jpg

 

And the second member of my Kill Team, Tau-2Ð-Hadeon:

 

http://i.imgur.com/LGPiOqGl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/oUbXZp2l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8ZeqZA9l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/EgLucZpl.jpg

 

This is my Specialist with Berserk Fighter, represented by being particularly blood-splattered.  I imagine that he's just finished butchering some poor soul with his heavy chainblade, and is now stalking implacably towards his next victim.

[Nomus Sardauk]

Sweet Christ, that Thallax with the broken mask is unsettling to look at... I mean, knowing the Thallax's true nature is one thing, but to have that hidious, mutilated visage glaring right at you through the cracks in it's metal skin, like some kind of demonic apparition staring at you through a broken mirror, it makes my skin crawl... So kudos to you Commodus, great work, cause he utterly creeps me out. 

[Battybattybats]

Wow the kill team pics really show both the great work you did on the Thallax and the great work on the terrain as they really mesh perfectly!

[CommodusXIII]

As always, thank you for the encouragement!     Speaking of Thallax and terrain, here's the latest addition:

 

http://i.imgur.com/kHcPMkUl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4VJfc8Dl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Yr4GAxvl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3USCxUSl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fvZSls7l.jpg

 

Tau-3Þ-Oleksiy is the Kill Team's Weapon Specialist, bearing a phase plasma-fusil and Reaping Volley.  His modus operandi is to eliminate high-value targets at range, allowing his brethren to close into the fray.  As such, I left off the blood splatter and gave him a much more dynamic shooting posture.  It took a bit of work to get his aim straight, with the help of a marvelous little bit that I found in my junk drawer.  I also used a little greenstuff to re-position the manoeuvering jets on his back - now they're counteracting the recoil of his fusil.

 

On to the fourth and final team member!  I saved this one for last, because its pose was the first to jump into my head.  The theme is Fear. 

[CommodusXIII]

Rounding out the Kill Team:

 

http://i.imgur.com/mAPxcdRl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/X0nOeoll.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SVOPRMol.jpg

 

Tau-4◊-Fadeyka is confirming the identity of a suspicious person.  There was some confusion in obtaining his identification code, but he successfully checked out as an authorized menial.

 

http://i.imgur.com/SPowPg5l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lZT81r7l.jpg

 

With that, my Thallax team is complete.

 

http://i.imgur.com/0m8SBPMl.jpg

[TredHed]

Awesome work. I am gonna have to steal soooo many ideas. ;)

Love the idea of the Thallax kill team, probably gonna steal that too

[CommodusXIII]

With the Kill Team completed, I've been drawn back to my pile of potential terrain!  This is a rather good one - I stumbled on a not-too-badly-damaged Star Wars playset that was just begging for the ministrations of the Mechanicus:

 

http://i.imgur.com/qukd3Djl.jpg

 

And here's the new adamantium forge after a good soak, some crack-mending and a fresh coat of paint:

 

http://i.imgur.com/Mm5ynxel.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/jgH164Cl.jpg

 

I'm unfortunately out of town this weekend, but my local GW store was kind enough to store my Armies on Parade entry for Saturday.  I can guarantee that they'll take much better pictures than I ever do, so I'll share them after I get back.