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Deet's Alpha Legion


Deet

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A few months ago I came across some models by Marc Raley that absolutely floored me. It was his powder blue Alpha Legion, and they were incredibly cool. That on its own was enough to make me want to start a Horus Heresy army, but I choke at GW's prices, much less FW's. I decided I'd have to start a CSM army for 40K and do my own take on those.

 

Now, I've always avoided Chaos, because to me it looks like something the metalheads scribbled on their Trapper Keepers in Jr High. It's just a little too Ronnie James Dio for me. Alphas provided the perfect opportunity to play with all the great CSM fluff without having to resort to horned and tentacled infantry. So I bought a Marine strike force box and went to work.

 

Here's 22 troops all ready for paint.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eop64irywZM/VQH5-WOPCpI/AAAAAAAAMoQ/vbJhZ8TJPGk/s1600/AlphaModel.jpeg

 

And here's my first quick color test:

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oBMqelgyd_s/VQHU5OH0KMI/AAAAAAAAMnM/Gn-dddaCjao/s1600/AlphaColor.jpeg

 

The grey will eventually be NMM and a little darker metal. There'll probably be more rust and paint chipping too. Trying to make these guys look like they've been through the wringer without any resupply since the Heresy (armor mark be damned).

 

Will post highlights here and the full step by step stuff will be on my blog.

 

Thoughts on the color? I was a little worried I was going too Ultramarine, but the green washes helped a lot.

 

Hail to the Hydra!

~Deet

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The GW rust is very pasty, and is indeed pretty orange. You could use it as a final highlight pass of some rust. I recommend the Modelmates Rust because it goes on dark red and only gets orange when you add water to it. With a little practice you can control it really well and it always comes out fantastic.

I showed a little of that process on my Aegis line you can see on the blog.

If you're in the US, it can be tough to find. You'll have to find someone willing to ship from the UK, but there's plenty of stores that will do it, and it will last you a long time.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Still struggling to get my colors right.  If I were painting Ultramarines, I'd be pretty happy right now.  Still not green enough for Alphas though.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K0tigGf5a78/VSQFHRLmIhI/AAAAAAAAM7k/DGPHzGdY-rA/s1600/Alpha-1SM.jpg

 

I even went so far as to airbrush some green along the bottom of the panels- bottom because I'd rather it look like corrosion than an iridescent highlight. The goal is to look passable as either evil or good- playing to that Alpha duality. Problem is that the green disappears pretty well when I do my blue oil wash and start the weathering.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_X0GuMDsJ5g/VSQFHf1eUNI/AAAAAAAAM7g/8ZUN9OOBqF8/s1600/Alpha-2SM.jpg

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Getting in to the swing finally. I checked my color test next to actual Ultramarine blue and am now feeling a lot better about my colors.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ee8WIrb3FlI/VSwgTPV0EBI/AAAAAAAAM9s/JFawo_KG3YE/s1600/ColorComparison.jpg

 

And now the batch painting begins!

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CdaQ_9nUjv8/VSwgTCrQ5wI/AAAAAAAAM9o/aPI6wI_OG1w/s1600/First6.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Took me forever, but I've got the first squad done.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yz5Gr_PLPWI/VXhMD2Y_dQI/AAAAAAAANqo/7s6cV2V6SMg/s1600/AlphaSquad1-1SM.jpg

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZhzkII5EtY/VXhMD9vafDI/AAAAAAAANqs/fE5tzMibUb0/s1600/AlphaSquad1-2SM.jpg

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ilYsRMh9i4/VXhMD6UWW4I/AAAAAAAANqw/x6SJ78B3RZI/s1600/AlphaSquad1-3SM.jpg

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Excellent work! Your blue-green is very nice, and those FW shoulder pads look great with the other parts of your kit. I too am inspired by Marc Raley's army, and am glad to see more Alpha Legion in the "cleaner, more renegade" style of Chaos.

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awsome work, the nice thing about choas with reguards to the legions is that u can do ur own trkae on HH and as u get more funds u can expand out, thanks to FW u can use the same tanks in 40k CHoas as 30k AL. mostly.

 

great work i look forward to more

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Wonderful stuff!  Marc's powdery looking weathered astartes are the only Alpha Legion variation that I like, so it's great to see someone inspired by similar tastes, and you're definitely long on your way to producing your own awesome looking legion.

 

Your blue has a nice tint that definitely takes it away from UM colours.  The green you added can be seen on the completed marines in those last pictures, I actually really like what you've done there!

 

If you're looking to tone down the blue similar to Marc's, have you tried dusting over a lighter shade of the blue, or better yet a very light airbrush dusting with your weathering colours to find the tint / shade you are looking for ?  When I look at your helmets, they are a very strong blue shade, where as the shins with weathering are matted down.  Not suggesting your marines need it, but as a way of finding a shade you are happier with, maybe it could be worth the experiment on a single model ("Sorry sir, I slipped in the mud I did sir!").

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I love Marc's but because they're his own style. I'm not looking to replicate his at all. They're great, but that's not my style of painting. I'm definitely much happier with my blue now. I just want a little more variation in there- other colors to break it up a touch.

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I really like where this is going! The weathering is mighty fine. The choice of weathering compound really compliments the armor color.

Have you considered maybe washing in some more green that has been dusted over?

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Sure, I wasn't expecting you to be replicating them, you have to keep your own style afterall!

 

Is it the blue of the armour that you want to variate in colour?  Or just to add more colours to the minis themselves?  If it's the latter, may I suggest brightening the OSL of your lenses and plasma/volkite to stand out more vibrantly against the similar colours of the blue armour and green tints/purity seals.

 

Your green-tinted blue is fast growing on me and I know a slightly more contrasting or brighter OSL could really make them pop! (if.. that's what you wanted.. :) )

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  • 1 month later...

Progress updates on my latest addition. Building my first Monstrous Creature- a Mauler/Forgefiend. Wanted to have something dynamic on this base and love these bricks I got from Secret Weapon, so I've got him casually smashing through a brick wall.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qy-RtDkFacY/VY-g_uwnRqI/AAAAAAAAN5g/jZAzwJ87f8c/s400/IMG_20150627_220943.jpg

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AVjIFSylb84/VY-hSGIgSuI/AAAAAAAAN5w/SW1S23wxa0w/s400/IMG_20150627_225713.jpg

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fEnoroZalLU/VY-hhlc_4nI/AAAAAAAAN6A/b5fjfFY2qZk/s400/IMG_20150627_232137.jpg

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1rX0wtDxQEM/VagEfrtsfuI/AAAAAAAAOHE/FQa-WR68ftA/s320/Mauler4.jpg

 

Was a real pain making sure all the stuff on the base didn't run in to the various magnetized options. Had to continuously swap back and forth, but I think it came out well. You can just barely make out here the razor wire on the back right and the ammo cannister and spent shell casings at the base of the wall. Starting on paint tonight!

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  • 2 months later...

Been a long time since I posted an update. Been very slow at painting with lots of work and life craziness. Revisiting my 'Fiend. He's not the only thing that's made progress in the last few months, but here's the progress on him since July.

 

Primed him up and then painted all the flesh with Bugman's:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oMGHfIwsSeM/ViAv8UBy5dI/AAAAAAAAPaA/GkM7-wa6jjo/s320/FiendFlesh.jpg

 

Masked off the flesh with Blue Tac and then airbrushed the black undercoat for what will be metal. Then painted the Vallejo Medium Blue base and Light Turquoise highlight:

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1USrXM7Enc/ViAv7qkIrwI/AAAAAAAAPZ0/-XTEuVFQPUw/s320/FiendBlue.jpg

 

Spent weeks going back in and basing all the metal details in black:

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UNdy8slPkV0/ViAv7vOETRI/AAAAAAAAPZ4/tfea7VdYVco/s320/FiendBlack.jpg

 

Finally, starting to lay down the metal:

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CzsGfmHPLjE/ViAv7hggr9I/AAAAAAAAPZ8/OXuRNFlp3SE/s320/FiendAssemble.jpg

 

In the middle of a move at the moment, so my stuff will likely be packed up for a while, but hope to quickly get back to him and the 3 squads of troops that are all at a similar point of painting.

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  • 2 months later...

Been very slow going on this model for me, but I've finally picked up the pace again. Got all the metal base down, washed, cleaned up, and on to highlighting. 

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sn8UmnPc5lc/Vo6twHYoBlI/AAAAAAAAPs8/qXfegj3kWEg/s1600/FiendWIP1.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-evJky9FqCnk/Vo6twLKub0I/AAAAAAAAPtA/iX3A2eSDedY/s1600/FiendWIP2.jpg

 

Highlighting makes a big difference, as seen on the two arms lower right. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Making good progress on my 'Fiend. Paint is pretty much done on the big guy. Have to move on to the base and then weathering all over. 

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9OBYqtdH_7w/VqpK5lCM6ZI/AAAAAAAARG0/tMIQxtRHeKE/s1600/fiendWIP3.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0RC8un6_iQ/VqpK5g7twrI/AAAAAAAARGw/cSZP0h24f-M/s1600/fiendWIP4.jpg

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