Work in Progress: First Legion Predator

I'm not very experienced in painting vehicles if truth be told. I've painted around 60 or 70 basic infantry figures, 30 terminators and 20 bikes, but in terms of vehicles its limited to a couple of Land speeders and a pair of Rhino tanks. Coupled with the fact that black is generally considered to be one of the harder colours to get right on a model (ironic when you think about it!) along with white and yellow, it was with an element of trepidation that I approached this task.

With tools in hand I unpacked the box and set to work. The Predator box comes with many and varied options for modelling, which match its various uses on the battlefield. In order to maximise 'bang for my buck', I decided from the outset to make extensive use of magnets in building the model, to allow easy switching around of the weapon configurations. Fortunately, Elmo9141 of the Bolter & Chainsword forums had kindly written up a tutorial for doing exactly what I needed, so I set about the task with alacrity.

Here's a link to Elmo's tutorial if you are interested!

The Mighty First

The Crusade is at its zenith. Millions of worlds have been freed in the Emperor's name, and brought into the sheltering embrace of the Imperial Truth. All is not as it seems, however, and even now the Warmaster plots against his father.

The First Legion, the Emperor's Angels of Darkness, are a Legion about to be torn asunder. Under the beguiling influence of Tzeentch, mightiest of the Chaos Gods, Lion'el Jonson and his former Lieutenant, Luther, are being drawn unwittingly into a conflict that will curse the Legion for 10,000 years. Brother will turn against brother, and who can say from which leader an individual marine will draw his strength.

We are Legion

The emperor is a genius, and a fool. He saw that humanities was at its strongest when it had a violent purpose, with a fight to pursue. It makes us strong, kills the weak, and bonds us together in a brotherhood peace never could. The Emperors Great Crusade is the crucible in which humanity has grown. But what will happen once the war has won. Does the Emperor not realise that we, as a race, will grow soft, and fat, and weak, ripe to be destroyed by those we call defeated. The only option, once the last of the galaxy is under the flag of the Imperium, is to fight one another, and we could stayed on Terra for that. - Accredited to the censured Remembrancer Christoph Alexandreous.

Greeting internet. So this is the start of my XXth legion. Rather like Facmanpob's First Legion, they are of uncertain loyalties, but where the Dark Angels are (considered) loyalists, the Alpha Legion are considered traitors. What the truth is, only the black library knows. So when I started this model I wanted to roll that into the model, his plain armour and covered face, and hidden weapons hide his intentions and give him a menacing look, yet his neutral pose is opposite how traitors are usually portrayed.

For a first post this model is perfect as he really introduces me. He is WIP, and has been for around 2 weeks. Hopefully this blog will focus me to not only finish him, but add some more Legionnaires. But then I also gave Imperial Guard to put together and I've just acquired a bucket lodes of Orks so who knows. Alpharius probably....

Showcase: Characters from Gedeal's story

In case you've read Gedeal's story, here, you may have been wondering if I had painted any of the characters involved. In actual fact, I have.

The first character to appear in the story is, unsurprisingly, Gedeal himself, shown here in modified Scout armour and cameleoline cloak. The armour used by the Guardians of the Covenant scouts varies depending both on the mission being undertaken, and also how far advanced through their training they are, with more experienced scouts being given access to more powerful and rarer weapon systems and armour.

The miniature itself is part of the Anvil Industry Black Ops Sniper Recon Team, which is one of the best miniature sets I've painted. The base is by Fantascape.








The other main characters appearing in the story are Chronicler Zianor and Chaplain Attaris. I have modelled these using miniatures available in the Limited Edition version of the Dark Vengeance set by Games Workshop. The Chaplain is on the decorative base he came with, whilst the Librarian is on a base of my own concoction.

Extracts from Archive log 1366907A-3F

Gedael crouched at the edge of the clearing idly thumbing the selector switch of his rifle as the Thunderhawk settled to the ground in front of him, his camouflage cloak shifting gently in the breeze. The ramp lowered and a lone figure emerged, encased in armour the colour of flame-blackened steel. Blue robes covered his shoulders, sweeping aside as the figure moved purposefully down the ramp to the forest floor below. The figure reached the bottom of the ramp, turned to face Gedael and beckoned.

Gedael smiled, knowing that although he was effectively invisible to normal eyes, the subtle powers of a Chronicler Librarian would not be so easily fooled. Standing, he stalked towards the gunship, halting and kneeling several metres from the Librarian.

The armoured figure spoke, repeating the words he had said a hundred times before, on a hundred different worlds, “Petitioner Gedael, you aspire to join the ranks of our battle brothers, and leave the 10^th Company which has been your home. You have called and we have descended from the void. Have you completed the task that was given by the Keeper of Mysteries?”

His head remaining bowed, Gedael replied in the ancient form without yet understanding the full meaning of the words, “I have returned from the wasteland. My task is complete, and yet my burden is just beginning. I become Unforgiven, but you cannot grant me forgiveness. I would return to the fortress to petition the Keeper.”

“Very well, Gedael, rise and enter.”

Showcase: Deathwing Knights

So, to get the party started.... my Guardians of the Covenant Deathwing Knights, probably the best painted unit I've managed to produce in the three years I've been painting. It's almost certainly due to the fact that I just love painting terminators!

Is there anybody.... out there?

Pink Floyd references aside, what on earth am I doing writing a blog?

Is it to document my progress as a painter of plastic soldiers? Is it to achieve world domination? Is it to gain notoriety as a man of wit and learning?

Our survey said...... Motivation!

Yes, that's right! When the hobby paralysis takes hold, and the mere sight of a brush and plastic glue makes you shiver and shake.... write about it on 'tinterweb! No-one will read it anyway, so who cares? (Well, maybe the other contributors to the blog will read it, but do they really count?) The act of writing about not wanting to paint won't actually make you paint, but it will make you feel as though you are contributing to your 'hobby' progress, so it's all good.

Anyway, on with the show! This blog is a collaborative effort on behalf of a number of gamers, as a means of documenting progress, comparing and contrasting styles, and hopefully improving along the way. If you are reading this blog and you are not one of the contributors, then I hope your accidental clicking wasn't a waste of time.

Cheers...