+ inload: Salamanders, advance! +
+ Building the squad +
+ Quick build of a second marine, using bits I had lying around – but I wasn't sure the heavy bolter was quite right, so that's been taken off and will likely be swapped for something else. +
+ The arms and torso are made using the same process I used for my Iron Warriors of Officio Monstrosa. The step-by-step tutorial, if you want to have go yourself, is here: [+noospherinloadlink embedded+] +
+ The legs are an iterative development of my old approach for converting 'truescale' marines. Rather than being based on Terminators, the legs use a Heavy Intercessor/Gravis base with greenstuff work (above). I haven't worked up a tutorial for that yet, but if there's interest I'll aim to do one for the next one I make. +
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+ Here's a quick comparison of how my older process – the Ultramarine Ancient on the right – compares with the new. This isn't a deliberate decision to simply enlarge models for the sake of size, but rather new materials and my own development allowing me to better capture the image I have in my mind of Salamanders in particular. +
+ That mental image has the Salamanders being notably, but not excessively, larger than most other marines, and generally having a bit more variance in their ranks. This chap is probably as big as they'll get; as I want to be able to mix and match these marines with those based on Primaris etc.. My aim it to give a more custom, artificer-made and personal feel than the very uniform, structured and formal look I wanted for my Ultramarines. +
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+ A particular appeal +
+ I like the dichotomy between the slightly more humane attitude of the Salamanders and their monstrous appearance, and this seems a nice way to nod to that – as well as allowing me to be a lot more free with my modelling, and enjoy the creativity. As to the inspiration, I've been gathering my thoughts, so figured I'd tap them out here for discussion and later reference. +
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+ Musing on the composition of the army, I thought I'd start gathering some ideas and turning them over. The Salamanders 'thing' (or strategic disposition, if you prefer) during the Second Armageddon War was protecting supply lines and patrolling the ash waste desert: +
While the Ultramarines defended the beleaguered hive cities of Armageddon and the Blood Angels assaulted the Orks head-on, the Salamanders lent their strength to the protection of Imperial supply convoys and refugee columns, ensuring the safety of the civilians caught up in the war. This was a task often neglected by the other Imperial forces fighting on Armageddon. The actions of the Salamanders in defending the Imperial citizens of the beleaguered world from the massive Greenskin onslaught has often been held up as a shining example of the role of the Adeptus Astartes in the protection of the Imperium.
+ ...which could be used as the theme for the force. I rather like the idea of playing against type and having some Salamanders bikes, or perhaps a mounted force – which had been the original inspiration for this army. As it stands, I think small steps are the best way, and constructing a Kill Team seems a modest ambition. +
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- While the Salamanders don't operate in a fully Codex manner, I think it'd be fairly safe to say that the 2nd Company probably represents the core of the army, with the 1st, 5th and possibly 6th there in support.
- The 6th Company are fighting in the Tochran Crusade in 943.M41 (i.e. during the height of the war on Armageddon), and are very badly mauled, losing forty Battle Brothers – a third of their strength. It's odd for a Reserve Company to be fighting on its own, so I'm going to guess that the Tochran Crusade involved one of the other Battle Companies (3rd or 4th)
- We can thus also likely discount He'Stan making an appearance – though it's not beyond the realm of possibility, I do like to focus on lesser-known characters where possible.
- As Tu'Shan is present, there's probably quite a substantial amount of the 1st, too. So, probably knocking on 200+ Salamanders – a not inconsiderable army.
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Potential Dramatis Personae
- Captain Pellas Mir'san of the 2nd Company, Winter Blade, Defender of Nocturne – Noted swordsman; might be fun to base him on the 3rd edition Captain with power sword, who appeared in Codex: Armageddon. Noted as old.
- Captain N'Kelm of the 2nd Company – An alternative to the FW and GW studio option, N'Kelm is from Nick Kyme's Salamanders books; he replaced Mir'San in one Codex, but Mir'san later reappeared. I toyed with having him as a Lieutenant, but unfortunately there's a third (deceased) Captain of the 2nd Company mentioned as his predecessor. I think I'll probably square this circle by picturing N'Kelm as being Mir'san's predecessor, and the events of the Salamanders book preceding Badab and Armageddon; an approach which keeps things as internally consistent as possible.*
- Captain Mulcebar of the 5th Company –
- Master Apothecary Harath Shen, Defender of the Final Vault– Another Badab veteran noted as surviving, he's not strictly part of the 2nd Company. Given the Chapter's recent losses, he might be better off staying on Nocturne to oversee the new implantations – but equally an argument could be made
Pyre of Glory – Battlebarge
An artwork of the period – I'll need to find some orks to scrap with!
1 comment:
The final bit about the Salamanders as temporally-displaced really struck me, as it kind of ended up in the same place my own force's lore is, but from a different direction - After spending a couple of years failing to square all the weird little circles in their lore that existed (particularly before their 8th ed supplement), I ultimately settled on the idea that my force was a collection of elements from several companies who happened to set out from Armageddon right as the rift opened, leaving them to face several centuries of temporally-disjointed travel in what, to the wider chapter, were the few weeks of the Noctis Aeterna. It's mostly a crutch to avoid redoing a lot of little details on a force I'd prefer to preserve as my first few minis, but it has lended itself to some fairly fun narratives over the years.
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