DuskRaider's Shadow War Word Bearers Kill Team - INQ28 Too!

[DuskRaider]

Hey folks,

  I was originally going to merge this with my 30K Word Bearers, but decided that while they are technically Word Bearers of the Chapter of the Sacred Vessel, these guys represent their evolution 10,000 years from my Heresy Era force and thus merit their own thread. 

 

 The Kill Team is led by Corphyaeus Batir Harazk, who some have seen in his 30K incarnation as my Delegatus. Fast forward 10,000 years and while he still plays the role of Diplomat in regards to the Traitor Legions, he's also responsible for the Chapter's Cult Militia. It has become customary for Harazk to lead a Vanguard to Imperial planets chosen for corruption and personally assist with recruiting the base of their Militia but also with the sabotage of the Planetary Government through various means, including guerilla warfare and small scale open warfare. 

 

So here's Coryphaeus Harazk, back when he was Delegatus Batir Harazk:

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170403_103756_zpssaa6wumh.jpg

 

And here he is in M41:

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170421_200839_zps6zf1mpej.jpg

 

Funny what 10 millennia will do to a man. His 40K model is actually carrying something that is also a little easter egg from my 30K Word Bearers... the Paragon Blade of the Chapter's Praetor. I have some background in mind for all of this, but the idea is to also leave a little mystery as to what has happened to the major players of my 30K force. 

 

Next up are the Shadow Operatives of the Word Bearer Kill Team. These guys have made it a career of infiltrating hostile territory and sowing disruption and taint. 

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170421_200945_zpsrbjrisiu.jpg

 

I've utilized Evil Craft Chaos Space Marine models not only for their excellent attention to detail, but also because they're actually true scale. Each one is about the size of a GW / FW Terminator, as you can see in these photos:

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170421_200907_zpsycs4ajb0.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170421_200917_zpsrxegtgho.jpg

 

And what would any Chaos Marine force be without it's disposable meat sacks?

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170405_002324_zpsy5kht8pw.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170405_002333_zpst5kh14aw.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170405_002343_zpsiwem3hss.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170405_002352_zps6bxcqzme.jpg

 

Interestingly, I came up with the idea for these guys before I did the Marines. My original intention was to run a Kill Team comprised mainly of Cultists with a Champion leading them and perhaps a Gunner or something. Unfortunately, the Cultists in Shadow War are mainly just relegated to meat shield status, so that had to be abandoned. I absolutely love the Genestealer Cult Neophyte kits and as they're wearing standard Imperial issued work suits, they work well as the common citizen. I wanted to give them a more... unnerving... look, so I used the Kairic Acolyte heads, which will be painted as golden masks. I purposefully used some of the hybrid hands / arms, they'll represent Warp taint on these guys. I still need to apply some greenstuff to their necks and do something about the Genestealer Cult icons. I was also able to put together a bit of a "Leader" for them using the Chaos Cultist Leader from Dark Vengeance. It was a happy coincidence he's armed with a Shotgun. 

 

Next is one of my Special Operatives... a Chaos Spawn (as seen with his master)

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170421_201008_zpsgq52flk6.jpg

 

I wanted a Spawn. It makes sense with Word Bearers, considering they worship the Dark Gods more than any other Traitor Legion. However, the GW Spawn models are a bit uhh... goofy. Thankfully, FW made an amazing and really creepy model for Warhammer Fantasy, the Nightmaw. It worked out too, my buddy plays AoS Tzeentch so he bought Sayl the Faithless off of me. I LOVE this model.

 

Finally, a little group pic for more scale and everything I have so far for the Kill Team together:

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170421_201302_zps0yajfguj.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170421_201442_zpsbhtzhkxg.jpg

 

The group pic really shows off how much these tainted Astartes dwarf humans. 

 

My starting list is as follows:

 

Aspiring Champion – 305 points

 -Mark of Tzeentch

 -Power Sword

 -Bolt Pistol

 -Camo Gear

 

Chaos Gunner – 305 points

 -Mark of Nurgle

 -Autocannon

 -Red Dot Laser Sight

 -Camo Gear

 

Chaos Space Marine – 195 points

 -Mark of Nurgle

 -Assault Blade

 -Boltgun

 -Red Dot Laser Sight

 -Camo Gear

 

Chaos Space Marine – 195 points

 -Mark of Nurgle

 -Assault Blade

 -Boltgun

 -Red Dot Laser Sight

 -Camo Gear

 

Not the largest Kill Team in the world (especially compared to my Blood Axe Team), but they'r'e well equipped right out of the gate. I do intend to add Cultists as the game progresses to represent my Word Bearers recruiting planet side. I do have something down the line for a Terminator, but since he has to be true scale I'm going with a very non-traditional base. There's also another Evil Craft order coming for a second Autocannon Marine as well as some extra bits (think dual Sword wielding Khorne Marines). 

Edited May 5, 2017 by DuskRaider

[Lord_Ikka]

It's going to be a hard campaign with Bottle tests happening every time one of your guys goes down, but I really like the direction and fluff you've got going.

[Corswain]

I love those cultists. They look amazing and I think I might have to borrow a few ideas. :)

[DuskRaider]

Well it's only four Marines to start, as the game progresses the intention is to recruit more... mainly the Cultists, which would be my screen for the big guys. My intent is to eventually include some dual CCW Khorne Marines as well, although from the experiences I've had with my Blood Axe Orks, range is key in this game. Another Autocannon will also be included down the line.

 

Yeah, I love the Cultists. The unfortunate part is the Genestealer Cult icons are molded into the models, which is going to be a pain. I was going to use the smallest Word Bearers brass icons as a replacement/ cover up, but they seem too big.

[Pearson73]

The Acolyte heads look great on the cultists.

[Ryltar Thamior]

Some pretty nifty work here :D And an interesting approach with your warband. Will look forward ot seeing how it develops. Particularly the truescale terminator [i'm grappling with this issue myself atm for Inq28 - thus far the most viable ideas we've come up with are using Horus or Perturabo, or perhasp the Chaos Mutilator kit] 

[DuskRaider]

Actually, I'm going to be using a Myrmidon Secutor body and converting that. It's got the size to work as a base, it's going to take some work though. I got the idea from HERE. I just purchased the body from a bits site, so hopefully I'll get it fairly soon and get to work. The idea is to also use Dark Eldar Talos bits to model up the power fist and back carapace and to give it a more Chaotic look. From what I've seen, they're about a head taller than a Cataphractii Terminator which is roughty the same height as my Marines. I also picked up the new Combi-Bolters from Evil Craft HERE. We'll see what I can come up with considering I can't use greenstuff for the life of me other than the occasional gap filling, so I'll try to avoid it if possible.

[DuskRaider]

I've finished the first model for my Shadow War Word Bearers. When I started these, I wanted to go with a more Blanchian color scheme throughout the army... obviously as you can see, that just didn't happen with the Spawn. I had originally begun painting him in more fleshy colors, but struggled to get the end result I was looking for. In the end, I reset the clock so to speak and went with a more Tzeentchian color scheme.

 

I figure with his vibrant colors, he'll stand out among the more subdued tones of the others. Besides, seeing as he's a Special Operative, he won't be running around much.

 

Speaking of the rest of the force, I ripped off all of of the Marines' heads. While I think Evil Craft did a tremendous job on the armour, their helms have much to be desired. I'm replacing them with various other heads to give each model an individual feel... which I wish I had modeled more individually as well, but I think when piecing these and the Cultists together, I was still in 30K mode so most of the models are armed similarly.

 

That's going to change very soon. My group loves Shadow War so much that we're going to branch out into INQ28. I've decided I'm going to take the theme of my Cultists and run with it. My Chaos Coven will be the Cultists of the Chapter of the Sacred Vessel. They'll sport the Kairic Acolyte masks (or Sanguinary Guard helms for the bigger dudes), but will be much more varied in the Blanchitsu / grimdark style. More on that as we go along.

 

Anyhow, here's the Spawn. I'll hopefully have more updates next week.

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170430_233333_zpsawxz10oq.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170430_233351_zpsdyszsiup.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170430_233404_zpseuqflhxe.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170430_233445_zpsbxq0bwt3.jpg

[DuskRaider]

So another update... this time I've fallen further into the rabbit hole.

 

I'm going head first into Inquisimunda (INQ28). We're having so much fun with Shadow War that we've decided to play the real game. I've ordered up some more bits, found my Renegade Militia, and have already crafted a rough draft war band. I look forward to exploring my Cult of the Sacred Vessel more.

 

To celebrate, I've assembled the lone Chaos Marine that will occasionally be making an appearance alongside the dregs. One must remember that Astartes are very rare and potentially game changing in INQ28, so seeing one is a big deal. As much as I like the Evil Craft models, I wanted something more imposing and dramatic. So for this, I committed absolute heresy and hacked up one (technically two, the first didn't go so well... don't ask) Gal Vorbak to represent my Word Bearer.

 

Be still needs a bit more work... purity seals here and there, some grisly trophies, etc. but this is the base. I'm wicked excited to start on the path, but I'm still also working on my Shadow War Kill Team, so they're not abandoned. So stay tuned for more updates!

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170504_154300_zpsgan2iuif.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170504_154305_zpsu1nin3bm.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170504_154313_zpsfiewhrgy.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170504_154325_zpsj21qiqub.jpg

[Brother Dallo]

You've got some lovely looking stuff here. You should be proud.

 

I'm curious about your list. Are the chaos marks for fluff, or in game bonuses? I feel Nurgle is the default one to go for in terms of power, but with all of your talk about fluff, I'm curious how a Tzeench dude ended up leading a pile of Nurgle marines.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Dallo

[DuskRaider]

They worship Chaos as a pantheon, but as I see it they won't necessarily receive all the Gods' blessings and will still find favor with one over all others, whether they seek it or not. When I think of Word Bearers, the first god that comes to mind for me is Tzeentch. They're cunning, they plot endlessly (only outdone in that category by Alpha Legion I'd say), and they make extensive use of socerery.

 

I was contemplating the Mark of Chaos Undivided for all of them, but it makes no sense on anyone other than the Champion. At the same time, he's also not only the Diplomat of the Chapter, but also the one heading up infiltration and subversion tactics. Tzeentch makes sense.

 

Originally only the Gunner was going to have Mark of Nurgle. I would envision him as having to be quite durable to carry what is usually a tank mounted vehicle, so it only makes sense. The others I was unsure of, so I just stuck with what the Gunner has. There will also be one or two close combat oriented Astartes with the Mark of Khorne.

 

In the end, Mark of Chaos Undivided is a welcome return, but it doesn't really do much for anyone else.

 

The more I look at my INQ28 man, the more I see he needs his wrists bulked up. I'm always wondering if I should remove the brass etch from his chest. Looks too mangled, I think. Any advice would be great.

Edited May 5, 2017 by DuskRaider

[DuskRaider]

Well, I fixed the brass icon on his chest by completely replacing it. I've also added some grisly trophies as well as (im)purity seals in spots and chain around his wrists. I think he's all set, but if anyone can think of anything more (or less if you think it has too much) your input is greatly appreciated.

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170505_084956_zpscwhempnt.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170505_085005_zpsxcfhdbn5.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170505_085016_zpsogq4z7sw.jpg

[Myrkul]

Where is that giant chainsword from?

[DuskRaider]

It's from the Kromlech ripper set. It's way too big for regular Marines or even Terminators (the smaller Chainsword is used on my Death Guard Praetor and even that looks gigantic). However, they work perfectly for true scale, especially when taking influence from the older Blanchian artwork of massive swords and whatnot.

[DuskRaider]

Now onto the meat and potatoes of this little Coven. Namely the Magus. Since I picked up Nightmaw, I had Sayl the Faithless' body lying about with no plans for it. Considering he's both human sized and has the perfect look for a Chaos Cult Leader, he became the base of my main character.

He's a Level 2 Wyrd, mainly due to sorcerery (although I suppose all Sorcerers are Psykers to a degree) and armed with a Bolt Pistol (counting as a Hand Cannon) and Chainsword. I was apprehensive to give him such an ornate weapon when the Chaos Marine is armed with a relatively plain (albeit massive) weapon. In the end, I realized the Astartes may not see action all that much, whereas this guy is the main character in my own little story.

I decided he would be unmasked whereas the majority of the rest would be wearing their golden masks. That's not to say he wouldn't wear one at times, and to convey this I hollowed out a Kairic Acolyte mask and hung it from a chain on his belt. His head was sourced from the FW Typhon model. I never found much of a use for it otherwise and it's actually much smaller than a normal Astartes head, so it works fine on this.

His hands are from Master Crafted Miniatures. I wanted to have him casually resting on the Chainsword while lining up his shot. It conveys a measure of confidence, if not ego. He will be the only mortal wearing the Crimson of the Word Bearers since he is the Coryphaeus' confidant.

Comments and criticism are welcome.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170506_212216_zpsf2khwju3.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170506_212223_zpszdzw4rtv.jpg

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http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170506_212308_zps9ujxpiuc.jpg

Edited May 7, 2017 by DuskRaider

[Rangaman]

Looking boss Duskraider! I have to disagree with your assessment of the Spawn, he looks EXACTLY like a Blanche miniature. Its the mix of colour pallet and not overwhelming the model with cartoony features and colours that defines him.

[DuskRaider]

Thanks man, much appreciated! I think the colors are off palette for the usual Blanch design, that being more muddled coloration or sticking to variations of white, brown and red with hints of yellow, orange and metallics. The colors may be a little off-kilter (blues and purples) in such a grimdark setting, but I figure he's a Chaos Spawn that's been transformed by Tzeentch, so he's going to look outrageous.

 

After some pointers from one of the guys on Heresy 30K concerning my Magus, I'll need to either fix the sword so it's more vertical, or bend the hand at the wrist more since it looks like the sword is about to fall. Also, I've decided the Bolt Pistol has to go. The Hand Cannon is a completely different beast and it's description reminds me of a .44 Revolver. Soooo... I ordered THIS. I'll probably slap a Red Dot or Scope on it (I still need to add the Red Dot to the Marine's Bolter and I was contemplating a stock as well). 

Edited May 7, 2017 by DuskRaider

[DuskRaider]

And I'm back with more WIP characters.

 

First up is my Psyker. He's a Level III Wyrd, so as far as INQ28 is concerned, he's a pretty powerful spook. I originally had him down as armed with a Sword and Laspistol, but decided to go a little more... weird with him. As you can see, he has an amputated arm that's been replaced with some sort of steel device or trap. To be honest, I swiped the idea a bit from Wilhelm whose INQ28 creations, along with Mr. Blanche himself, have been a huge inspiration that I could never match in a million years. There's a story behind his missing hand, but it will count as a Charm and also a focus object for his power.

 

I also gave him a moonface mask. I tried others on him, but this looked the best visually. Here he is:

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170509_002945_zpsqxxjghns.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170509_002951_zpstpe9oxlz.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170509_002957_zpshysiei3g.jpg

 

Up next is one of my Cultists. This guy is armed with a Hunting Rifle and a Maul. Instead of just using the Genestealer Neophyte bodies, I went with a FW Renegade Militia torso and the Neophyte legs. This guy is a Nobilite originally, which explains not only the highly ornate firearm but also the bionic limb. These are in contrast to his close combat weapon, which is crude and brutal and more represents his present situation.

 

He's pretty straight forward. I used chain on his waist to fill it out a bit, as well as across his chest to hold his Maul when he's not swinging it at some filthy Loyalist / Genestealer Cultist's head.

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170509_003007_zpsstb2pw3f.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170509_003012_zpsuveytyne.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170509_003020_zps1rgys6u9.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170509_003024_zpssi8hd3hx.jpg

 

So that's where we're at so far! I've been working on my Big Mutie but I'm awaiting bits to complete him, so hopefully I'll be able to post that brute soon enough. As always, comments and criticism are welcome!

Edited May 9, 2017 by DuskRaider

[DuskRaider]

Well, some of my bits came in so I was able to give my Big Mutie a face, as it were.

 

This guy is a mishmash of various FW Ogryn bits along with some Dark Eldar and obviously the Moon Man face from the Herald of Tzeentch, which while not 100% like th others (almost looks like it melded with his actual face), it carries the theme of the Faceless Minions. He's armed (literally) with a Massive Weapon for which to hug you and squeeze you and call you George. He has the mutation Hulking Form, Medium Armour... and that's about it. He really doesn't need much else, he's pretty much a giant beat stick.

 

Originally I was going to use one of the Plague Ogryn as a base for this guy and go really corrupted, but in the end decided I wanted these guys to look they'd at least somewhat blend into an Underhive crowd. It's a shame because with this massive arm on the Plague Ogryn, it looked like he was dragging it which was a cool effect.

 

I've started on one of the other Cultists, but the one in looking forward to (other than this guy) is my Beastman. I'm going a very different route I think, so it should be interesting seeing the finished model.

 

Anyhow, here's the big guy. Let me know what you think!

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170510_151947_zpshxsjl5p6.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170510_151956_zpsf4uo2yhq.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170510_152001_zpsgge1i4kh.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170510_152021_zpsscqq73ea.jpg

[Pearson73]

Really nice work; these fellas all have so much character.

[DuskRaider]

Thanks! I'm really enjoying this little project, it's giving me much more freedom to make each model it's own character... within reason, since the Cultists are mainly all hidden behind masks. While I'd love to explore some of the more Blanchian themes like a ton of bionics and whatnot, I see those as modifications for the Inquisition / Nobilites / Upper Imperial Echelon, while my Cultists would mostly be from the lower class citizens. Not quite in the Sump, but definitely not eating caviar with the Planetary Governor. 

 

I supposed the mask theme and idea of most of the war band members being Chaos Undivided and more conservative in their look has hindered me somewhat. I'm going to try to explore the character of the Cult without breaking the overall character of the team with the rest. I'm still deciding if I want to paint the Big Mutie's head golden as a mask to match what the rest of the Cultists will be wearing, a blend o fthe gold and flesh as though it's melding together, or throw all of that out the window and go with a completely different color like red or blue. Originally he was supposed to have the Mark of Khorne, but I think with this head that's gone out the window, so he'll either be Chaos Undivided to match most of the others, or Tzeentch like the Magus and Psyker. 

[Brother Pheidias]

Fethin' lovin' these!

[DuskRaider]

Well... it's been longer than I'd like since the last update, but here it is...

 

Things didn't go exactly as planned with the Beastman, I had started with a much different vision in my head for him... but the design did not live up to the picture in my head, so in the end i still went in a unique direction, but not exactly what I had in mind.

 

So here we are... I'm still pretty pleased with him, but he needs a lot of greenstuff work, especially on his right arm and gut. My intentions are to do all of the work at once (that and I'm putting it off because I absolutely suck at using the stuff). I'm also awaiting another Anvil Industry order which has various models of Shotguns. He'll eventually have one, along with some spare shells on his person.

 

Without further adieu, here he is... as always comments, criticism, and especially suggestions are welcome:

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170519_084026_zpsdzeaql3x.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170519_084033_zpsgrw05y0g.jpg

 

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/DuskRaiderXIV/Mobile%20Uploads/20170519_084039_zpsyf3gigyh.jpg

[Brother Pheidias]

Beastly, but I guess that's the point!

Lots of Realm of Chaos-vibes here!

[StruManChu]

These are glorious. Love the conversion work, especially on the cultists. And paint job on the spawn is great too! Good stuff!