Legion Building, and finally a test Ultramarine!

'Arcology XIX cannot fall! Let the last thing these bastard sons of Lorgar see be fury coloured in cobalt and gold!'

Attributed to Sergeant Isidoros, Third Battle of Omega Chamber.

Squad Veun, Chaplain Beserides

Time for some quick WIP's

Meet Squad Veun and Chaplain Beserides

I found my old metal jump pack Chaplain and decided he needed to go into the army as it's such a lovely, evocative model. I also threw in some mark IV jump packs from the Sanguinary Guard kit as they look great, but didn't want to go overboard. The new Assault Marine kit is really nice, and really had a blast putting these guys together.

The Knight twins are getting there too. The shoulder plating is much further on than when this was taken, but I've put them aside for a little while so I don't burnout. They're very straightforward to paint, but they just take ages get nice flat coats of colour.

And finally, I do actually get some games in with the Shrikes. This was back in May against my friend's very red Tzeentch daemons. Was a cracking game, and he had me on the back foot for most of it. The Shrikes fought hard, but fate was not to be on their side this day (I lost by 2 vp's!). Always fun to have a close game though. I really must get the Rhinos and Drop Pods painted as well!

Celestial Indigo and Cerulean Invective walk!

After telling the tale of Martyr Blue, and exploring the strange history of House Erritian, I've been toying with the idea of making more Knights. Specifically, the other two Knights mentioned, Cerulean Invective and Celestial Indigo. With the release of the new Knight kit, and after a bit of internal Back and forth, I took the plunge, and now have two extra Knights to paint! I'm looking forward to really getting stuck into these, and they should be done quite quickly thanks to having painted Martyr Blue first.

Quick family photo in the meantime! Cerulean is the Gallant, while Celestial is going to be a Warden. That pot of Nuln Oil was full when I started, so it's lucky I had a spare!

A horizon is nearing

With the new Space Marine Codex out, I thought about what I'd like to have in my Shrikes in the future. And, well, this happened...

Short of a couple of Vindicators and a unit of Vanguard Vets, this will be the last major purchase for the Shrikes. There will be little units of things as and when after, but it seems a natural ending is very well in sight. There's still loads to do, so it's going to keep me going for a good long while yet.

I have some interesting ideas for these guys though...

Want a hint? Why not? Everyone loves hints. Which unit could this be about?

'Three. There are always three. They are the Equilateral, and we are witness to their wrath.' - Attributed to Zaidan Shraane, Captain, III Company, Crimson Shrikes Adeptus Astartes.

A Bigger World

The Shrikes are getting some work done, but not what you might think...

Only sixty more to do, and all worth it.

Bloody Beginnings

So, after that dramatic (pretentious?) opening, it's time to go into some more details. I'm building a small Blood Angels force, based around the remains of the Third Company after Tycho's death. WIthin this framework, I'm also hoping to explore and develop on my favourite unit within the Codex, the Death Company. 

This idea came to me when the last Codex was released. Some of the rumours suggested that there would be a spiritual split within the Chapter, between those who saw the Black Rage as a flaw, and those who would see it as a gift and a weapon from Sanguinius. Although this obviously was something that never quite materialised, the idea stuck with me. With the new releases, and a lot of point drops, I realised I could throw in all the things I wanted without making the army massively ineffective, and so here we are!

Below are the first things I have to work with. I also have about 30 extra Death Company from the last release, and 10 or so Sanguinary Guard. I'm planning to pick up a new Sanguinary Priest, some Rhinos and a Vindicator or two. I'm going to go with what feels right, more than stick to a list, but there will be lots of Death Company. Lots and lots of Death Company...

I've also gone and built my first model, and where better to start than with the new Captain of the Third. There's a little tidying up to do with regards to gaps, but he's basically ready to go. It'll be interesting to paint some gold, especially as I'm not planning to use any gold paint...