+ inload: Leagues of Votann Hearthkyn Salvagers Killteam +

+ Merry little Christmas – what did you call us? +

+ The Leagues of Votann storm into the Antona Australis sector – or rather, are unearthed after a long time. +

+++

+ Squats – kin is kin +

I've posted quite a bit about space dwarfs in 40k over the years. I thought they were a concept that deserved to be involved in the Antona Australis sector (the PCRC's little corner of the 40k galaxy, where the majority of our battles are fought), so tucked the Ironstaff League in back around 2013, as one of those threads that I planned to explore one day. +

There's an inload about the League here – [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] – and since then I've painted and built a few squats here and there. 

They've turned up as parts of tutorials [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], and as part of my other projects; notably Castaway alongside Inquisitrix Barbari Kills in the Endworlds project  [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], and in the Ashes of Armageddon, where they moonlight as part of the Norgyr League [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+].

+++

That little dip into the past should give you eyestrain from so much reading, so I'll leave this inload fairly short, and let the pictures of the painted Kill Team do the talking:

Warrior and Gunner – I think the yellow helms really help the models to pop, and give a nice retrohammer feel.

Kinlynk, Theyn and Lugger – the Theyn is from the other Kin Kill Team; I just wanted him to stand out a bit. His gun counts as a bolt revolver, based largely on the six-shooter-style bit.

A rear shot here to show the medic's backpack (centre), along with Tomb the dwarf's (a deep cut there, for anyone looking for out-of-universe references) walking suit. Again, this Thunderkin model is a stand-in for a normal Gunner with plasma beamer. I thought a Kill Team deserves at least some special effort.

J33VS and WSTR, the team's Ironkin, along with the... uh... other specialist, whose name escapes me. I've come to enjoy the Ironkin background after being a bit sceptical. 

... and to round things off, a big group shot. 

+++

+ inload: Primed and ready to go +

+ Guardians ready +

'When there is no other way, the perilous path is the only road to salvation.'

 +++

The Alaitoc Eldar army progresses, and so I thought I'd share what I've got so far. Before getting stuck in, however, I'd like to draw your gaze to a precious relic from the early days of the Internet, and still going strong, David M. Donachie's wonderful Eldar language guide  [+noosphericexloadlink+]. It's a wonderful example of fandom done right – a really useful, free resource quietly created and maintained by someone sharing their enthusiasm. (Go buy his books!) It's proving very handy indeed in helping me to create authentic-sounding Eldar terms and names, so the squad names etc. gratefully draw from this resource.

+++

+ The Guardians +

Craftworld Alaitoc appeared as one of the example schemes on the back of the Eldar Guardians boxed set (RTB17, according to Stuff of Legends), but there was very little written about the Craftworlds in terms of how they differed from one another. That would develop organically over the next few years, but fundamentally there wasn't anything special about Alaitoc at this point. They were a blank slate, created to help provide an example of the broader Eldar background covered in White Dwarf 129.

+ The back of the RTB17 Eldar Guardians set – complete focus on the colour schemes, rather than any background lore. +

... which is actually really refreshing to approach. Today it seems like every corner of the 40k galaxy, massive as it is, has been thoroughly mined and developed and explored, pushing the sense of exploration and mystery to the very boundaries. For the record, I don't think that is the case – the galaxy, after all, is a very big place... but either way, it's nice to look at an army that is more concerned with the core Eldar concept than a particular niche within that.

On with the show! The original army list has four squads of Guardians in, and I've now got three up and running, with the bits for the last one on their way:

+ Guardian squad 1: Catu Dyann Erathi +

Translating as nothing more notable than 'First Guardians that are purple', Dyann Erathi are a basic Guardian squad, with their default lasguns. The squad leader has a shuriken pistol and laspistol, and the last member has a melta gun. 

As explained in earlier inloads, in translating things to the modern period I've tried to evoke the poses and a few key details, while adding some extra little touches. In particular, the streamers and sashes of the originals are minimised on the modern sculpts, appearing only as little arm bands. These will take the purple colour of the originals, but in a more subtle way. The squad leader's top knot/tuft will make a nice new place to pop a little of the colour.

+++

+ Guardian squad 3: Tirtu Ionandyann Arithi +

The caption on the original text says pretty much what I was going to, and also hints that the name translates to 'Third Guardians of Battle'. I toyed with using the prefix 'Jov'a' (better) as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the fact that Shuriken Catapults were clearly the better choice for Guardians in the early editions – probably why Battle Squads were limited – but thought the phrasing above rolled off the tongue better.

The squad leader has had a gender swap here, mostly owing to parts available: the new Guardian box has proportionally more female members than the metal hybrid box. Still, I think this change is a good one as it saves us having two identical squad leaders – the same sculpt was used as the leader for both this and the close combat squad below, so I thought I'd tweak one a little further to bring in some variety. However, to balance this, I've tried to get the pose evocative of the original, while making the most of the increased dynamism. I think the use of the old weapons helps to sell this, too.

I just want to note how pleased I am with how the old shuriken catapults work on the new models. The smaller size goes a long way to giving them a slightly more realistic, retro feel.

+++

+ Guardian squad 4: Kantu Ukendyann Addani +

The 'fourth proximity-Guardians in white' are the squad that diverges most from the originals, and that's due to me wanting to make these close-in specialists more mobile and dynamic. Nevertheless, I hope that some of the poses still evoke the originals. It's more of a loose riff than the others.

The new Guardians kit come with lots of variation in poses, so I was spoiled for choice here. Hopefully you'll spot some similarities with the originals.

+++

+ Characters +

I also took some time to build Warlock Lorith, the name coming from a quote in the 3rd edition Codex:

The original, alongside the as-yet unstarted Farseer...

... and the update, alongside the Dark Reaper Exarch I started in this inload [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], who now revels in the name Marithiyon, which literally translates as something akin to 'Skull removed from'; a very loose translation of the orginal 'Skulltaker'. He now has a proper web of skulls, taken from the original model and pinned into place. I bent the chain a little to add some more dynamism.

For the Warlock, I used parts from the new Warlock kit (this torso matches the original lead figure) along with a head, staff and pistol from the Corsairs Kill team. Some of the details from the psyker match the Warlock very closely – from the details on the helmet to the hand holding the staff/spear.

+++

Bubbling under, we have these gunners and support platforms. A bit undecided on how to approach these, I shall have a think...

+ inload: A trot down memory lane +

 + Space Marines, 90s-style +

+ A deep hobby rut sometime needs something completely out of the blue to blow away the cobwebs. Something, in my case, like breaking out some long-buried treasure – Space Marines from the 90s. +

+ Looking just like the RTB15 Strike Force single-piece miniatures; these are the short-lived and ill-advertised two-part marines that were (by the looks of things) made from the same dollies; plus a couple of the slightly-modified later versions. +

+ History of the models +

+ What's the difference? This is real rivet-counter stuff, and I confess to being a bit unsure about the timings. These were released towards the end of Rogue Trader, when the Marines were going through a quiet redesign and being issued what's now called Mark VII armour. I'm unsure whether the single or two-piece ones came first. +

+ I'm inclined to venture that the two-piece ones were produced following the pattern established by the RTB01 plastic marines (separate body and legs) and intended to be cross-compatible with the RTB01 sprue, but that they were subsequently repackaged as the Beakies were quietly retired in favour of Mark VII, and re-cast as single-piece models. Eventually, as GW moved over to a commercial model of single casts with a different (flat-shouldered) arm sprue, the single-piece models were converted and re-cast again. +

+ A pile of potential +

+ If you're a collector, the key difference between the early and later ones is the shoulders. Both the single-part Strike Force Marines and two-part versions had a raised bobble that was intended to be used with a short-lived arm sprue that accompanied them. The later recut had flat shoulders, so they could be used with the later plastic arm sprue. You can see some of the arms from that later sprue above: they're the ones in grey (though unhelpfully I've shot them all shoulder-part down; you'll have to trust me that they're flat!)+

+++

+ Our Presence Remakes the Past +

+ I'd had a set of the Strike Force Marines many years ago, and I'd idly wondered since whether they would work with the RTB01 plastic arms. If my hunch was correct, and the two-part marines were produced as a compatible expansion, the early plastic arms should marry up nicely –  or at least as closely as any models did back then! +

+ My own Strike Force Marines, alas, are largely scattered to the winds and lost to history (with the exception of Brother Engel [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]), so I owe these figures to the boundless generosity of the PCRC; Stuntwedge (for the lead). +

A spot of retro glue fits in rather nicely, no? 

+ The backpack is the style supplied with the Strike Force models; but I'd have been interested in trying the RTB01 backpack or the earlier metal ones as well. +

Built and unprimed, on the original 25mm bases. The grey boltgun is from a Rhino.

+ The experiment proved a success. The arms seem to fit nicely – and if you'll excuse a little editorial opinion, I think the proportions are actually a bit nicer than the arms with which the models were actually supplied. +

+ It was an experience coming back to working with lead/plastic combination minis. I have hazy memories of getting the whole strike force assembled and handed over to my big brother to spray them within about an hour of getting the box home (which perhaps explains the rather 'interesting' pose Engel has), but I took my time over these relics of a past age, and it took me an entire evening to get the five assembled. +

+ Flash and mouldlines needed trimming and filing, but the majority of the time was spent wrestling with the poses and adjusting slightly shonky casting. The fixed-forward nature of the marines' poses meant that any pose besides 'stoically menacing' is pretty hard to pull off, a problem exacerbated by the limited bits I had to work with and limited poses of the RTB01 arms. +

+ It's easy to start treating old miniatures like treasure, but that's precisely why these old veterans have never seen paint. Rather than being too precious with them, I decided to take advantage of the soft lead and cut off the bare head to allow a better pose. I also cut and repositioned the RTB01 boltgun magazine – another bugbear of mine – in each case. Slightly infuriatingly, repositioning the magazine backwards actually means that the accompanying arm fits and grips it a lot better! +

+++

+ Fall in, Marines +

+ After rebasing onto 32mm bases – purists may recoil, but I like the additional framing these offer – I gave the models a prime of Grey Seer, partly for retro theme (my 90s models were always primed white), but mostly because it was the nearest I had to hand. +

+ Once sprayed, the differences between the materials is obscured, and the results were pretty good, I think. +

+ The bare-headed sergeant is interesting, as they were only ever available in the two-part versions. I remember looking at the Blood Angels in WD139 and wondering how the painters had converted their marines to have a bare head. It's a shame, as the sculpt is really characterful. I went for a fairly conservative pose, and added a little heraldic shield as a nod to modernity. As noted above, it's easy to let nostalgia or notions of 'what's correct' stop you from making the models you actually want to build. +

+ This marine is reloading his boltgun; a pose intended to make the most of the fact the two-part marines can turn. The spare magazine is also from the RTB01 kit, as are the bolt pistols and other kit on the squad. +

+ An example of the difficulties of getting dynamic poses from these miniatures, this was an attempt to have the marine aiming, which involved cutting the gun arm at the shoulder and wrist. You can't get the marine looking down the boltgun without cutting the helmet off, so the result is a bit of a compromise. Still pleased with him, though; a nice in-between pose, gun up and scanning the area. +

+ When looking at these pictures, I had the weirdest impression that I was looking at Epic marines. I guess over the years I've played about with different scales of marines, and so without some sort of reference, I can't quite tell what's what! It's interesting to think about 'truescale' here; because it was the giant heads and hands and tiny legs of later models that first spurred me into more ambitious converting – but while the proportions here are clearly exaggerated, these marines don't strike me as stylised as later ones. Perhaps it's the use of the RTB01 arms, with less detail, slim arms, and smaller pauldrons and hands, that makes them read slightly more realistically than the later releases. +

+ The plasma gun here is one of the few touches of modernity; it's from the Mark IV Horus Heresy kit, I think, and included simply because I happened to find it while digging these models out. I'm half-tempted to find a period gun, but it strikes me that some source lighting glow might be fun to play with. +

+ ... and someone's got to be last, so here's a marine performing the rite of 'technical knock' on his blessed battlegear. Partly forced by lack of parts, and partly for the challenge of having a left-handed marine (repositioning the thumb was an experience), I'm pleased with the result. It also leaves the chest decoration visible – and that's noteworthy because it's got that distinctive gem that seemed almost a Jes Goodwin hallmark around this time. +

+++

+ inload: Alaitoc Craftworld Dark Reapers +

+ inload: Reaping, Eldar style +

+ It's looking like the new Epic Legions is going to be delayed – sad face – but to find a silver lining, that means there's space for something a bit different. Enter the swift-striding Eldar, who were first to the front of the queue. +

+ An overview of Rogue Trader army number 2 – my Alaitoc Eldar project – is  found in this inload: [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], and while it's been slow going, it is creeping along. +

+ The Guardians, detailed here [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], were relatively involved conversions, but the Aspect Warriors have thus far been very minimal, because the aesthetics of the latest plastics hew fairly closely to the Rogue Trader-era originals. +

+ With a small squad size of three, I could have tackled a little more  involved conversion work, but to be honest I think that would have been making unnecessary work for myself. Both the original and modern sculpts are lovely, so beyond the helmets, I left the modern iteration unconverted. I have nodded to the monopose look (perhaps a deliberate choice, perhaps simply owing to scheduling and available casts) by angling heads and arms to evoke the 'ranked fire' look of the original squad, but couldn't resist including the cool reloading option. +

+ The helms are the only major change. The modern ones are quite distinctive, and very different from the cone-headed originals. While I don't actually dislike the new ones, I wanted to capture the pointed helm with the frowny-eyebrows look, so used Storm Guardian helms, and attached the rangefinder vanes (the big 'ears') that were carefully trimmed from the Dark Reaper helms. +

+ Conspicuously missing from the Guardian faceplates are the distinctive nose and teeth markings; I'll be painting these on. +

+++

+ The aim of the project is not so much to replicate the original army so much as create a modern spin on it – as with my Blood Angels [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], I want to use the opportunity of modern materials and models to evoke the atmosphere of the period. One of the things that I really loved from Jes Goodwin, Andy Chambers and Rick Priestley's original lore was the warpaint. +

+ Beyond conversions, this was never explored in miniature form at the time, so I'm quite keen to include a couple of bare-headed Aspect Warriors in the force. With only three in the squad, however, I didn't feel the Dark Reapers were the place to start; besides which the facepaint itself is fairly predictable. I think I'd rather the impact of the three red helms.  +

+++

+ Dark Reaper Exarch +

+ With just three Dark Reapers needed, I was left with two bodies from the plastic kit. Perfect for converting the Exarch 'Skull-Taker' (not the daemon!):

+ Exarchs have changed quite a bit since Rogue Trader. Where nowadays they're effectively just squad leaders with access to special equipment, in their first appearance, they were relatively high level personalities with access to a range of special abilities and equipment, and like any independent personality, could work as an individual, rather than being tied to a squad. +

+ A snippet from WD138 – these four models make up a whopping third of the points of the initial 'block'. A five-strong Guardian squad, for comparison, is 70pts all-in. +

+ Skull-Taker here is a Dark Reaper Exarch, but unlike the modern version he's armed with a shuriken pistol and an Ancient Weapon (an Exarch-exclusive wargear option) 'Web of Skulls'; a sort of bolas. +

+ Being the default of the original model, the Web of Skulls was for more familiar than any other option for most players of a certain vintage, and was thus a must for inclusion in my conversion. While it can work in melee, I felt that the original pose was perhaps a bit static, and since one of the new bodies is in a moving pose, I opted to use this to help bring a bit of attention to Skull-Taker. +

+ My plan is to drill three wires into the hand and sculpt on small skulls to the ends of each. Head-size skulls would look far too clunky, and fortunately the lore suggests these are crystal skulls rather than literal head-innards! +

+ The new kit is interesting in including a hand clutching a skull; likely a nod to the original. Unfortunately for me, it was in the model's wrong hand, so I had to trim it away and attach it to the new arms; both taken from the new Guardian kit. The big skull is going to form the 'pommel' of the Web of Skulls. A real bolas, of course, doesn't have a pommel, but I'm keen to avoid the weapon looking like a bunch of flowers. A final flourish for this arm is to carve out the shoulder pad and replace it with the Exarch-specific one. A minor (and awkward to do!) touch, but every little helps. +

+ For the rest of the conversion, the pistol arm has had a cable trimmed from the Rogue Trader-era arms, just like my Guardian conversions. Rather than using a RT-era shuriken pistol, I've kept a modern shuriken pistol for a few reasons. Firstly, practicalities. The RT guns are hard to come by, and I'm struggling to equip even the Guardians with them. Secondly, the additional size will help to bring balance to the visuals. Finally, it seems appropriate for the long-ranged Dark Reapers to have a variant gun that has a comparatively long, fluted barrel. +

+ In an inversion of the heads for the standard warriors, I've trimmed the rangefinder vanes off the Exarch's helmet and attached it – though I'm in two minds as to whether to try a bare head here. For the moment, I'm erring on the side of keeping the helm. While I don't love it, I think paint might bring it to life (particularly the red faceplate). Besides, the change in pose is already going to make him less recognisable, so I want to keep as many details of the original as I can. +

+ Speaking of details, I'm going to try adding a necklace of skull-beads. It's a cool and distinctive feature of the original. +

+++

+ The name Skull-Taker is perhaps a little unfitting these days, so I'm open to any elfish-style translation ideas for his name; I'm currently playing around with Gaelic translations and ending up with Neach-gabhail claigeann (Scots Gaelic); Glacadóir cloigeann (Irish Gaelic) and the reconstructed proto-Celtic [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+] Krāsjano-tagat (or 'skull-thief'). All rather wordy! +

+++

+ inload: Painting Salamanders green +

+ In The Dust Of Armageddon +

+ Feeling a bit agitated over the weekend, so took it out on this chap, a Salamanders marine who's been waiting patiently for paint. While not finished, he's coming along quite nicely, so thought I'd show him off to garner some ideas and thoughts. +

+ This particular marine has had an odd history of paint, having been undercoated with Halford’s brown and painted with olive green oils; but he has since been left to dry/oxidise, then reprimed with GW’s wraith one spray, a sort of warm off-white. Alas, the can was down to its dregs, so it was a rather patchy and necessarily zenithal coat – that is, largely limited to a top-down spritz. +

+ As a test model, I’m not too fussed about this, as I’m happy to spend a bit more time on him. For future models, I’ll want to streamline the process, so will start from a clean and even base of wraithbone or white. +

+++

+ Painting Salamanders Chapter green +

+ Thematically, the background for this model, and any little force that might emerge from it, is going to be set during the Second Armageddon War (M41.941–943). Not only does this have fond memories for me – being the then-current GW 'thing' as I was growing up – but I've also already got a Steel Legion force and the Blood Angels Third Company, which are likewise eminently suitable for the period. Moreover, plenty of ork opponents! +

+ I had toyed with a Horus Heresy period – you can read about this here [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], but I think I'm more likely to be using these in 40k. They can also do double-duty in the PCRC's Badab War Kill Team games [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]. It also allows me a pretty full range of armour marks, as Salamanders are famed for their skill with a hammer and anvil, and make their own armour. +

+ This Salamander is clad in the remnants of in a suitably patchwork Heresy suit. While the bulk is production Mark V, there's a Mark II power plant, Mark III vambrace (perhaps some honorific or personalised bit) and a left arm that's more modern – perhaps Mark VII. +

+ Painting the green + 

1_ The green starts as a flat coat of Warpstone Glow – I need to apply around three coats to get coverage over the patchy undercoat. 

2_ This was then washed with Thraka Green.

3_ Once dry, this was re-layered in areas of highlight with Warpstone Glow. The paint doesn't have great coverage, but that actually serves to make a smoother blend.

4_ Highlights were then blended in on areas near the light source using an even mix of Warpstone Glow and Moot Green.

5_Once dry, a wash of Drakenhof Nightshade was applied all over. This blue wash serves to mute the yellow tinge of the Moot Green a bit, and help blend things in.

6_ Once dry, sharper highlights were applied with a ~1:3 Warpstone Glow and Moot Green mix, and followed up with smaller point highlights of the same mix with a little white added.

+ Painting the grey +

+ This isn't yet finished, but since it was very simple, I thought I'd record the first stages here. It's simply Army Painter Dark Stone for the soft joints, shoulder pads and details, washed over with Nuln Oil. +

+ The holster and pouches were a later addition – he looked a little wasp-waisted – which is why they've just got a Halfords grey undercoat. +

+++

+ The heraldry and finishing will take quite a bit of research (and creativity!), I think, but I'm looking forward to populating those big flat plates with various markings. If you've got a favourite Company that you'd like to see me tackle, or have a lore snippet that you think might be fun to see included or nodded to, please do let me know. +

+ In closing, I'll just note that I'm rather pleased with the eye lenses. This is something I toyed with on the lights on my Catachan gun truck, which I painted to look like glass – that is, with greys. +

+ I thought this might suit the Salamanders and help give a 'calm and collected' look to the marines, while also not fighting too much with any bright orange and yellow markings. +

+ I've still not quite decided how I'm going to tackle the 'glowing red eyes' thing, and thought it'd be a fun little detail to have that glow emerging from otherwise clear lenses; perhaps as a bright ember in the very centre. I'll play around a bit more to see how that works; but I reserve the right to switch if it looks a bit duff! +

+++

+ inload: That Rogue Trader taste – Alaitoc +

 + More Guardians +

+ It's not just lasguns that Eldar were armed with in Rogue Trader – half of your squads could have the rightly-feared shuriken catapults, and that's how my new Alaitoc project [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] is progressing. +

+ Guardian Battle squad +

+ Squads armed with shuriken catapults (as opposed to lasguns) were termed 'Battle squads', something that I think went the way of the dodo in second edition – though as I never played against an Eldar army in either Rogue Trader or second edition, I'd take that cum grano salis. +

+ The Mike McVey original above, and my homage/update below. As with the other squad in the previous inload, I've tried to evoke the pose, armament and details while making the most of the lovely modern sculpt. I'm struck with how naturally the old weapons, despite being much less bulky than their modern counterparts, still slot into the hands without any modification needed to the shoulders or elbows to accommodate it. In fact, the only conversion needed is a fiddly bit of cutting, trimming and drilling to get the gripping hand off the new shuriken catapult – after that, the old guns slot right in. +

+++

+ Guardian Assault squad +

+ ...and just as there were other terms for Guardians with shuriken catapults, so what are now called Storm Guardians were simply 'Guardian Assault squads', which were armed with pistols and swords, or dual pistols. The GW studio army had five armed with power swords and laspistols (eat your heart out Howling Banshees), with the squad leader wearing a power glove. +

+ The old eldar power glove is one of those peculiar bits that I absolutely adore. I've always, always liked it, and never had a chance to use it. Perhaps there's a similar particular piece of equipment in your bits box, that you've been saving for years but never quite commit to using? +

+ Well, here was the chance – where better? +

+ My interpretation uses the original equipment – a power sword and power glove – but I've opted to update the pose. Part of this is laziness – the new kit includes much more dynamic options so it was an easier choice than paintstakingly converting it back to the standing pose – but it's also a nice way to update the model. The old Guardians didn't have a great range of poses, but I can take advantage of the modern sculpts to make a more dynamic mobile-looking assault squad. +

+ Baldness and topknots weren't nearly so de rigeur for the Eldar in the 90s, so I also took the opportunity to add a little hair with a spot of greenstuff. +

+++

+ Greenstuff +

+ As with the Blood Angels [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], I wanted to keep the conversion work fairly minimal for the bulk of this Alaitoc army – time, space and inclination all work against more involved conversions for everyone – and in this, I think it fits with the spirit of the inspiration, which (refreshingly) encouraged you to put down some very basic colours and then get playing. +

+ With that said, that has to be balanced against creating something specifically 'retrohammer' – a rather nebulous term that I use to mean something 'feels right'. I mentioned in my previous inload that part of that involves the banners, and I'm pleased to say that I've now sourced some pins ready to get those sorted. +

+ The other part was the backpack vanes. These are absent in the old guardians, but quite prominent in the new. I took the plunge and trimmed them away, which I think goes a surprisingly long way to changing the silhouette. You be the judge. +

+ Of course, I couldn't leave ruddy great gaping holes in the back, so I prepped some greenstuff and popped them in place. Using the point of a rat-tail file, I then added a few dots to emulate the 'tea strainer' vents of the originals. +

+ Here's the result – and I'm please with them. As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts. +

+++