+ inloads: Iron Warriors 'Officio Monstrosa ' army shot +

+ Iron Warriors 242nd 'Footsore' Great Company and the Officio Monstrosa +


+ Is there any greater satisfaction – hobbywise, at least – than seeing an army you've painted laid out, and completed to the best of your ability? +

+ MIssing the tanks, but otherwise complete +
+ I found myself in the (unusual, for me!) position of having finished everything I need for an event with some time to spare, so I decided to double-check everything was complete. I ended up surprising myself with how much I'd done for the force. Because they've developed rather more organically – i.e. with less pre-planning than other armies I've done – I'd quite forgotten some of the models. It was nice to dig 'em out and get some details – I hope you enjoy the show. +


+ Tactical legionaries are at the heart of every space marine force I've ever done. I've ended up with nearly forty, all told. +


+ Perturabo hasn't seen table-time yet. Now the army's 'done' (though is any army ever really finished?), I'll have to twist the arms of Bob Hunk and Stuntwedge to face me with Team Fisto in a suitably large game. Perhaps that cowardly wretch Rogal Dorn will make an appearance? +


+ Zaricus Cjarn has led the force so far. A relatively lowly Centurion, I think he'll end up being superceded by a higher-level officer soon. I won't forget this axe-wielding loon, though. One of my favourite models full-stop.+


+ You see the benefit of 'boring' poses when you set out your models like this. Having more restrained marines helps the more dynamic poses stand out, and makes for a better overall look. +


+ Talking of dynamic poses, I think this chap is my favourite in the force overall. +


+ The stripped-back aesthetic of the Iron Warriors still leaves a little space for details that add a bit of narrative. Here a little wolf token – a gift from the XVIth Legion? A trophy from the VIth? – is there for viewers to pick out. Note also the hazard striping. I've deliberately kept that minimal. It's such an eye-catching device that it can really draw attention away from the metallics. +


+ Freehand banners. A lot of fun, and a good opportunity to practise your brushwork. +


+ New Destroyers. The damaged pauldrons come from Master-Crafted miniatures. The metallics here are ever-so-slightly darker than the rest of the army; to reflect the rad-soaked background. +


+ Multi-meltas – a perfect example of a unit made just for looks. They attract a lot of positive comments, which goes to show a change is as good as a rest, sometimes. One of my favourite bits of the army, they make heavy use of the Blood Angel helmet that I adopted for its sinister eye slits.  +


+ The new apothecary – see yesterday's inload [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] – was designed to fit alongside the vignette of two injured Marines [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] I made. +


+ Again, a bit of freehand detail really sings out against what is, at root, a super-easy metallic scheme. The little targetting panels were painted with the same blue accent I've used sparingly across the army. +


+ Rapiers are fun – small enough that I enjoyed painting them (unlike most vehicles), large enough to stand out. +


+ GIANT ROBOTS +


+ MORE GIANT ROBOTS +


+ ...and back to regular ol' troops to close. Converting every model is time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, but it really helps to make the army feel like yours; adding a very personal artistic touch. It also helps to remind you that even the 'basic' Space Marine is a distinctive hero (or villain), with the potential for own narrative development. This all adds to the enjoyment of every aspect of the hobby; from generating ideas for painting honorifics to suggesting storylines and plots for gaming. +

5 comments:

Suber said...

Pretty cool shots there!

Lasgunpacker said...

Fantastic! Great work, and it is amazing to see it all on the table like this. And Cjarn is one of my favorites too.

Pedro said...

Dear Apologist, awesome work. One question: How do you get those ultra bulky torsos on the standart marines? the legs are from terminators, but torsos? Where they come from?
Thank you in advance.

apologist said...

Hi Pedro, the torsos are based on the Grey Knight Terminator torso, with the detail scraped back and some greenstuff work.

Pedro said...

Thank you! Will try it. I love the "apologist" look.