Genesis Chapter - Warhammer 40.000

First Genesis Chapter Bike

2012-01-21T17:58:00.011+01:00

I'm working on my new Ravenwing Battleforce and I have just finished the first Bike. Since I still have six more to do, I thought I'd share pictures, in case I'm doing something wrong.

So, here it is!

As you can see, the marks show that the marine is an Assault marine of 2nd Company, 7th squad. I didn't put squad number on the bike, even thought it should be there according to Insignium Astartes. It seems illogical to me that the bike should show squad number, but not a company marking, so I didn't paint the squad number at all. After all, according to the fluff, bikes belong to the chapter Armoury, and not to Companies (as do Rhinos and some other vehicles); the Companies instead request them according to mission requirements.

This picture shows a better detail of the base. I modelled the base according to a tutorial that was available on the Games Workshop site, but it looks like they took it down now! The base is covered by a thin layer of Green Stuff - and the bike track was made by pressing a spare Bike wheel into it. The effect is pretty cool, and complements my idea of a swamp planet pretty well, although most of the track is covered by the bike anyways. Here is a detail shot of the base, before I put the bike on it:

Regarding the bike model itself, it can be seen that it's mould dates back to the third edition. The detailing is simply not that good, but luckily a good paintjob can cover that well! I hope I have achieved that.

And that's about all for now, so - thanks for reading! As always, comments are most welcome. After all, I still have five more of these to do, and an assault bike as well!

Genesis Chapter Tactical Squad Revisited

2012-01-05T20:41:00.014+01:00

You might remember my first Tactical Squad. It missed squad markings and consisted (mostly) of basic AOBR marines, so I've decided to revisit it by adding markings, and mixing in more "advanced" marines.

Probably the most important change is the Sergeant. I've decided to supplement the flamer combat squad with a new Sergeant; particularly because I wanted to arm the squad with a stronger close combat weapon, and particularly because I've grown quite allergic of the stock two-dimensional AOBR sergeant.

Sergeant Malleus, 3rd Tactical Squad, 2nd Company

As you can see, the new one is quite an improvement. The axe is a power weapon from Assault Squad sprue, and the other parts are standard Tactical Squad bits. I got quite bored of bare head marines, so I gave this one a helmet - in blue color, to represent sergeant status. I also stopped to paint marine eyes in Blood Red and instead went for Iyanden Darksun.

I've made minor changes to my first Rhino as well; after reading Insignium Astartes, I've found out I got the markings all wrong. So I've replaced them with a 2nd Company insignia and a tactical mark; note that the large tactical arrow is yet to be added. I also added a large Genesis Chapter logo on the back doors.

I'm still solving out my army list, and I'm thinking about actually putting this Tactical Squad into a Razorback, so that's why the Rhino still doesn't have squad markings. For some time though, the squad will use it as a dedicated transport, so here they are together:

And here is a better look on the squad markings, which are variously placed either on shoulder-pads or knee-pads:

As you can see, the squad is the third squad of Second Company (indicated by the golden shoulder-pad rim), Genesis Chapter. I'm afraid I quite messed up the Sergeant's banner, because the squad number insignia there looks too similar to a company badge - see the picture with Rhino to understand what I mean. I'll definately use different style of markings on future banners.

Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you like the squad. As always, any comment or criticism is welcome. Do you think I should re-do the banner, to make it more apparent that it displays squad number? Or is it apparent enough?

First Alaitoc Guardian

2011-12-25T20:42:00.011+01:00

Hi again! Just wanted to share a picture of my first painted Alaitoc Guardian. I didn't really use stippling here (I save it for vehicles), but I had great fun painting the carapace armour with Enchanted Blue, Ice Blue and Asurmen Blue wash. It definately looks better than my first try on Alaitoc, which ended up a bit too dark-coloured.

As you can see, there are still many things to improve on the model - for example the fingers holding the shuriken catapult could get some washing, and the jewels could be more detailed as well. I'll probably return to this model when I'll work on other Guardians, but right now, Genesis Chapter is the priority.

Also, I experimented with the basing a bit. You can see a piece of ruin there with an Eldar hieroglyphe (which is actually the symbol for Guardians). The plan is to make the Eldars look as if they are guarding an ancient sacred place.

Anyways, Merry Christmas (or Chanuka/Kwanzaa) and happy New Year! I'm sure about to have fun with a new Ravenwing Battleforce that I'm about to use for my Genesis Chapter army.

Gotta love the Ravenwing upgrade sprues... They make me think about assault cannon Razorbacks.

Anyways, see you in 2012! That is, unless the mayan prophecy turns out to be true.

Deffkopta Squadron finished!

2011-12-15T14:07:00.015+01:00

It took a while, but all my three Deffkoptaz are finally finished! Let's take a look at them first.

I spent so much time on these that I actually don't know what to start with! Each of them was painted in very different circumstances and it can be seen on them. Let's look at them one by one.

The first one was actually the first vehicle (if you will) I ever painted; it was finished back in June 2010. Since then, I haven't improved it much. Main change is the basing - when trying it out in a test game, the holding pole broke and I had to improvise. So I took some sand and rocks, a piece of sprue and few toothpicks, and made the ruiny stand you can see now. Lately, I added a plant as well.

This is the Deffkopta my girlfriend was working on. She finished it this summer, and as always, her work inspired me. On this model, she extensively used Bad Moon Yellow, and in quite a different scheme than I did (I used to pay only little attention to engines, and this model proves that was a mistake).

The base was done by me last week. I bought a large terrarium plant for like 5 euro, chopped it up and planted it into drilled holes in the base. The result looks pretty good, I think I'll try to make a whole terrain piece (a small forest perhaps) using this method.

I painted this one recently; in September or October, I think. I like to compare it to the first one I painted; I definately made progress since 2010. There are more colors and the Deffkopta seems richer. It's the same model as the previous one, without any conversions, yet the two look very different from each other. The check pattern is fundamental for this model's individuality. The basing was done last week as well.

On the picture above, you can take a better look at the rokkitz and the basing. One more neat detail there: notice the right Deffkopta pilot's head. My girlfriend really did a good job there - something as simple as a yellow strip gives the model a lot of character!

Last picture is sort of a teaser:

Yep, I got a Predator nearly finished! Still have to paint some details and battle damage on it though.

To be honest I'm glad I'm finally finished with the Deffkoptaz. They are great-looking models, but painting them was annoying because of the two-dimensionality of Assault on Black Reach sprues. Anyways, most of my AOBR units are painted now - only thing left is a bunch of Boyz!

Anyways, I hope you liked the orky machines and the new basing. These things took so long to get finished, but I feel the result was worth it.

See you soon! I'll try to make another post within a week or two, to make up for November.

Genesis Chapter: More fluff

2011-11-22T17:52:00.016+01:00

Hi. I'm sorry for missing a few updates; I am currently working on my bachelor work and don't have much time for modelling, and even less for writing on the blog. I'll be sincere now - this post is in fact a filler. It still might be worth reading for anyone interested in the fluff of Genesis Chapter.

"In too deep, against all odds brothers!"

I've been digging through Insignium Astartes and warhammer40k.wikia.com and found some interesting information that haven't been mentioned in the introductory post.

Unsurprisingly, Genesis Chapter follows Roboute Guilliman's Codex Astartes to a tee. The chapter is traditionally split into ten companies, which are distinguished by shoulder pad rim colours, most probably in the same manner as the Ultramarines. Therefore, the classic colour scheme of Genesis Chapter (yellow/golden trims) refers only to the 2nd Battle Company. While veteran's badges are white/silver, sergeant's badges are blue.

Note that the Chapter's Apothecaries have most of their armor painted red. Only their helmets, left shoulderpads and right shouldepad trims are white. Left kneepad is colored according to the Apothecary's company.

The chapter keeps close ties with their Progenitor Chapter, the Ultramarines, and its Astartes commonly undertake at least one pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Primarch on Macragge. Genesis Chapter frequently undertakes joint operations with the Ultramarines, and their squads and even specialists such as Techmarines and Librarians routinely fill gaps within Ultramarines' companies.

There are two recent notable campaigns that involved the chapter. First is the Cleansing of the Ulik Sector. In 997.M41, Space Marines of the Death Strike and Genesis Chapters conduct a series of Exterminatus missions in the Ulik Sector on worlds not yet consumed by Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan to prevent it from gaining resources.

The second campaign is Waaagh! Irontoof in 998.M41. A combined force of the Genesis Chapter and the Ultramarines engaged the growing Ork Waaagh! Irontoof and successfully pushed it back.

Sources:
Insignium Astartes, 2002
Genesis Chapter at warhammer40k.wikia.com
Codex: Tyranids, 5ed

Genesis Chapter 3rd Battle Company captain.

If you would have any relevant information on Genesis Chapter which hasn't been mentioned here, please leave me a comment here. I'm especially curious about the campaigns conducted by or with the help of the chapter. Unfortunately, I didn't notice anything about the Irontoof campaign in Codex: Orks.

Also, once again sorry for missing out the update (and for this filler post as well). As any good marine, I have to adhere to my duties first. In December, I'll either continue with the trend of filler posts, or I'll actually finish some of my current projects and post them here. I'm currently revisiting my first tactical squad (expect squad markings and a new Sergeant), painting up a Predator, and basing my three Bad Moons Deffkoptas.

Anyways, thanks for the patience. See you soon!

Genesis Chapter Scout Squad finished!

2011-09-24T17:05:00.020+02:00

It took time, but my first squad of Scouts is finally ready for battle! I consider them my first truly finished unit, because they have both Genesis Chapter and squad markings!

I decided to make them a melee unit, therefore they are equipped with shotguns and combat knives. The sergeant has a Melta Bomb, shamelessly stolen from Assault Marines sprue.

I hope you like the color scheme; it is inspired by the only official Games Workshop picture of a Genesis Chapter scout marine I know of (you can see it here). The blue color used for trousers and shirts is basically Ice Blue with a heavy layer of Asurmen Blue wash.

I had some problems making the pictures sharp enough due to extremely odd weather here, so I experimented with background a bit. I've found out that red background makes the picture much more sharp, and I've stick with it for this serie of pictures. I hope it isn't too disruptive for viewing.

Next picture focuses on the shoulderpads; left shoulderpad bears a small Genesis Chapter transfer, while the right shoulderpad has a written squad marking (number I for this squad). I'll have to add squad markings to my previously finished squads (especially the Tactical Marines), although I'm a bit unsure about where should I put them - on shoulderpads, or somewhere else (eg. on a kneepads)?

Anyways, let's finish the post with some more detailed pictures of 'dem Scouts. I really can't wait to see these guys in battle with my Bad Moons! I hope they will be a worthy match to them. Somehow the Scouts look much more hardcore than Tactical Marines to me!

Anyways, I hope you like them. These guys were definately fun to assemble and paint, even though it takes quite some time to finish them - but the result can look so much more lively and personalized than an average Tactical Marine! I'm definately looking forward into getting more of these guys.

Bonebreaka WIP 2

2011-09-09T13:59:00.006+02:00

I wanted to post pictures of my new Scout Squad today, but because the pictures didn't turn out good, I'll continue today with my Bonebreaka gunwagon project instead - sorry! Still, I hope the progress I made will make up for an interesting post.

Good thing is that I finally started working on a sratchbuilt Deathrolla, and it's actually already attached to the vehicle:

Yes, the Deathrolla is actually made out of a hair-curler! The "arms" that hold it with the vehicle are made out of a sprue, that is pinned together to prevent it from collapsing. Casings around the arms have been looted from the Battlewagon turret mount, from which I needed only the middle section - rest I used to make useful "orky" bits like these.

I also made simple exhaust pipes from drinking straws! Also, instead of putting lasguns at the back of the vehicle, I took some sluggas and put them there - unfortunately I already painted that part black so it can't be seen well; this, ofcourse, will change when the model gets a paintjob.

Last thing - I removed the imperial eagles from sides of the vehicle and replaced them with glyphs. This was a very harsh process and I still have to fine the damaged area, a lot.

I decided to join Matt Kingsley's Ork Vehicle Building Competition on DakkaDakka with this vehicle. If you are scratchbuilding anything orkish right now, be sure to join it as well!

Anyways, this is it for now. My plan is to add more details to the vehicle, and "orkify" it a bit more. I'm sorry that the pictures are too dark - it's rainy here for like three days in row! When the weather gets better, I'll make better pictures - and pictures of the Scout Squad, too.

Well, thanks for watching! I'll be back, soon.

Genesis Chapter Captain finished!

2011-08-24T19:03:00.006+02:00

Finally, I have finished my AOBR Captain! Sorry it took me so long, as always I was busy in real life, and I couldn't find the one hour necessary to do the basing for like a month... Or maybe I could but I just didn't feel like it? Just kidding, let's take a look at the masterpiece:

Captain Severinus in all his glory.

OK, now seriously. I really enjoyed painting this one; regarding the details I think it's the best model of the Assault on Black Reach set. I love the beautifully crafted bolter, so I decided to play the model with Hellfire Rounds upgrade. Also, I want him to be as good in close combat as possible, so I'll count the sword as a Runic Blade upgrade; to make it feel less like an ordinary power sword I painted some germanic runes on the blade:

Painting it wasn't too hard. After basing the model black I painted the blade with Boltgun Metal and highlighted it with Mithril Silver. After that, I gave it a heavy wash of Asurmen Blue to achieve a power weapon effect. Then I had to carefully paint the runes, first with Badab Black, and then with Mithril Silver. It was quite an experimentation from my side, but I think it was worth it!

One thing I loved about the model was the flag. It's well detailed and it gave me an opportunity to finally use yellow instead of gold - which is cool, because yellow was the original secondary color for the Genesis Chapter!

Painting the loincloth was pain but the result looks good. It's pretty much Skull White on Astronomicon Gray base, carefully washed with Gryphonne Sepia, one of my favorite washes.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the model! Thinking of it, my Assault on Black Reach set is nearly all painted - all I have to do now is one Deffcopta and a bunch of Slugga Boys. I'll have to make a collective photo of them all when they are done! Also, I have a squad of Space Marine Scouts here ready for basing and transfers. That will most probably be my next post.

See you soon and thanks for reading! As always, any feedback is most welcome.

Bonebreaka WIP 1

2011-07-11T10:16:00.006+02:00

Hello there!

Maybe you remember the post about my love of Final Liberation ork vehicles. After hours and hours (or months and months) of thinking, I have finally decided to build a kitbashed Bonebreaka, which will serve in my army as a Battlewagon proxy.

Bonebreaka is equipped with a Deathroller and a Battlecannon, a perfect setup for a Battlewagon!

I was deciding between Rhino and Chimera body for the wagon and in the end I went for the Chimera - guardist vehicles look easier convertable into Orks thanks to their industrial feel (and bolts everywhere). I also bought a battlewagon turret from a friend, and I was lucky enough to get a Killkannon too - no deathrolla though.

Joining the chassis and turret mount went rather good. I had to out large section of the original Chimera turret mount - battlewagon turret simply needs a larger hole. I also used only part of the Battlewagon turret platform here, because the whole platform would be too large for the vehicle. Hobby driller helped a lot here.

I also had to saw off one of the corners of the turret mount, which wasn't hard at all. The newly modified platform fits very well on the vehicle.

Here is the vehicle with turret on it. Notice the deffdread Big Shoota on the turret's side. I decided to keep the turret rather simple, so it wouldn't get too large in compare to the chimera body. Pipboy101's article about The Zen of Converting Orks was a great inspiration here.

I love that little valve on the turret. It looks almost as if it is connected to the Killkannon somehow!

Right now, I'm trying to scratchbuild the Deathrolla. Don't laugh, but I'm thinking about using a hair-roller for it. That's right, Orks can loot anything, your mom's wardrobe included!

Also, more posts are coming soon. I have Genesis Chapter Captain and Scouts finished - the only thing they need now is basing, which won't take long. So, see you soon!

Terminators finished! (w. custom transfers)

2011-05-24T16:31:00.012+02:00

Alas, the first Genesis Chapter Terminator squad is finished! I was working on these guys on and off for over a year, and it can be seen; especially as I recently started using Mithril Silver as my "veteran colour". Still, I think the squad looks coherently; see for yourselves.

The reason why it took me so long to finish them is, I think, the low variety of models; all of them have the same boring pose and they are basically clones of each other. Later I started adding bits on some of them, like grenades and spare bits from the Commander box set.

I was also lucky enough to score an Assault Cannon from a friend - that doesn't just give the models more variety, but most of all some heavy firepower! The bit is metalic, but it holds just fine.

Model I enjoyed the most is the Sergeant, even though I had to switch his Storm Bolter arm, the original one just didn't look right to me.

It was also my first time painting a power weapon - not surprisingly, I did it the easy way (using Asurmen Blue wash). I'm satisfied with the result though.

Now let's check the Genesis Chapter decals:

At first I was a bit worried the decals will be too large to fit the shoulders, but luckily they are sized well. I'm really happy with the result, though I'm thinking about adding some squad markings to the shoulders (or elsewhere). I used various iconography for hierarchical purposes (like the white/silver cruxes and icons on those shoulder shields), but when it came to squad markings, my imagination was burned out. Got any ideas?

I planned to buy five more terminators, but now that the prices are rising, I'm not that keen on the idea.

Anyways, thanks for stopping by! Now, back to magnetizing that Predator...

Just passing the word...

2011-05-22T20:32:00.004+02:00

Not that I agree with everything said, but the GW policies are going a bit too far lately...

"As I’m certain everyone in the gaming universe is well aware of by now, Games Workshop has announced a wide range of price increases currently set to take effect at the end of May. Veterans, and even most neophytes, in the gaming community, would normally roll their eyes at this completely expected maneuver, shrug their shoulders, and move on." (...)

Tabletop Hooligans: The Winter of Our Discontent

Anyways, I have bit more time now, and I'm working on Marines and Orks again! I'll post some stuff soon, I promise!

AOBR Terminators WIP

2011-03-07T20:12:00.011+01:00

Hello there!

I'm not dead yet, but I'm not much alive either - I have so much work this semester that I will have hardly any time for Warhammer until April or May. I'm hardly ever at home, so the only thing I can do now is to hoard stuff. Therefore, excuse me for my delay, I promise I'll make up for it in summer!

Anyways, I thought I could share few pictures of my nearly finished Terminators. They still need a lot of work - bases, custom decals and ofcourse, a careful check for mistakes, and some more details, too.

As you can see, I'm trying to customize these, since the AOBR terminators are rather... boring and duplicate. Commander set helped a lot with this one.

Another bad thing about AOBR terminators is their lack of special weapons. Luckily, I have a shiny metal assault cannon from a friend!

I guess you noticed the color scheme difference. I used white as a veteran color on a first bunch of termies, and then switched to Mithril Silver - but I couldn't imagine a Terminator without it's classy white helmet, so I kept that on. So right now I have two red/white termies, and three red/silver ones! Let's see the difference closer:

I think I'll stay with the silver scheme because it makes the terminator look more battle-worn (and I'm going for that look in this army), but the unit is a mess. I hope it doesn't matter that much, because I really don't feel like repainting the white ones. Opinions are welcome though!

Anyways, I'm afraid this is all for now, and for few weeks (perhaps months) as well. :sight: See you in summer.

First Alaitoc Jetbike finished!

2011-01-14T19:19:00.005+01:00

Happy new year 2011!

I'm sorry for inactivity, just have too much trouble IRL right now. Can't wait to get back to Warhammer!

Anyways, I have finished an Eldar jetbike, craftworld Alaitoc. While I like the way the front plate went out, I'm rather dissatisfied with the rest. I will try a much lighter color scheme next time (I have a whole Eldar battleforce ready for assembly here). While I have used Mordian Blue, Enchanted Blue, Ice Blue and Asurmen Blue on the Jetbike, I plan to use mainly Ice Blue / Asurmen Blue on the Guardians. I hope it will bring a more contrasting result.

Here are pictures of the jetbike:

Well, that is all. Since I'm new to the Eldar, I would really welcome any sort of tips and criticism!

Ergotoxin out.

Genesis Chapter Tactical Squad finished, with custom transfers!

2010-12-05T11:37:00.008+01:00

Finally, my first Genesis Chapter tactical squad is finished! In fact I had them lying around for some time already, but only recently I have printed a transfer paper for them.

They are far from perfect but I think they'll look well on table. Painting AOBR marines was just pain; I find their poses extremely lackey. Actually there are only 8 AOBR marines; two were already painted in Ultramarines colors, so I have replaced them with marines from the battleforce. They definately make the squad seem more lively.

Here is sergeant Lucius, along with two of his faithful marines.

I am not fond of the sergeant model, his pose does not make much sense. If I'll ever get my hands on another AOBR sergeant, I'll try to convert him a bit with Green Stuff.

I have equipped him with a meltabomb, you can see it behind his leg. I am working on a meltagun marine now, who might replace this squad's flamer. With a meltagun, melta bombs and a missile launcher, this could be a good anti-vehicle squad.

Missile Launcher Marine is probably the most interesting of the AOBR tacticals. He has some nice unique details, like the backpack or the stormtrooper-style helmet.

Here is the flamer marine, who will be possibly replaced, and the two battleforce marines.

Here is the whole squad again:

...And here is a better view of the transfers:

Note that you can find the Genesis Chapter logo sheet on Bell of Lost Souls.

Anyways, back to painting now! I will post the meltagun marine soon, as well as the Dreadnought, now with Genesis Chapter markings.

Thanks for reading! As always, opinions are most welcome.

Lootas finished!

2010-12-02T16:18:00.006+01:00

Well, it took way too much time, but my first pack of lootas is finally finished! No wonder it took so long, those guys have plenty of detail and I tried my best at the paintjob... not to mention the rather annoying assembly.

Anyways, let's take a look at them!

I tried to experiment with the color scheme and make everyone of them a bit personal - see the first one with a lascannon? He wears blue because he believes it will bring him luck in the battle. And see that other energy weapon, owned by that grinning ork on the right? That blue glow on the weapon is my first try on "dynamic lightning" ever. And the mek with the grot... I just love that model, so much character in it already.

And here are the deffguns itselves. I love those little addons on them - like that small rocket.

...And the other side. Can anyone identify the weapons? I can see a lascannon, lasgun, and some stubbers (I guess). Any idea what is the second energy weapon (the one I painted glowing)?

Anyways, thanks for reading! As always, any commentary/criticism is most welcome, I could sure use some tips!

Ow and... I have a question for you, dear random reader: do you prefer links to the dakkadakka gallery (which has some cool functions such as a very effective zoom), or to plain images files? Let me know!

Bad Moons Trukk finished!

2010-11-28T14:53:00.000+01:00

Hello there and sorry for the long abstain - I have plenty of work IRL right now, and I'm working on so many 40k projects at once lately!

Well, at least I have finished my first Ork Trukk. I plan to have 2-3 trukks in my army, one well-equipped for my nobz, the other lighter for choppa boyz. The one I have finished is the heavy equipped one; so, let's have a look at it!

I love the golden wrekkin' ball. The weapon of a choice for a wealthy Bad Moon.

The moon is made out of a Green Stuff. It looks a bit blobby and whacky; I confer, it is my first work with GS ever.

To make the Trukk a bit more comfy, I added a set of drums to the back, and a drummer as well!

The drummer is easily removable, thanks to the use of pinning (and some paper clip bits):

I have to say that even though it took me weeks to paint this one, I can't wait to paint another. The kit is very variable and I would like to try assembling it in a radically different way.

Well, now I'll go back to the Lootas... Have just one last to finish, so I should be able to post them pretty soon. In fact, I have a Genesis Chapter Tactical Squad ready as well, all it needs is the chapter logo... Give me some time and I'll try to print my own decals, I promise!

Anyways, thanks for reading! Any input is most welcome!

Final Liberation: Oldschool Ork Tanks

2010-10-23T13:53:00.002+02:00

Hello there!

After seeing the neat image of a Rogue Trader era Battlewagon at From The Warp, I was overwhelmed by memories of the oldschool Final Liberation game. This PC game from 1997 was a faithful recreation of Epic Armageddon for Windows, and I loved it back in the days.

What I really liked about the game was its encyclopedia with computer-generated images of all Imperial and Ork units. I've searched my harddisc and found out that I still have them around - so I thought I could share some:

This, ofcourse, is the Battlewagon, armed with Autocannon. While I don't like the old 40K Battlewagon at all, this one looks pretty cool.

This is Bonebreaka, armed with a Deathroller and a more powerful Battlecannon...

...And this is Bonecruncha, replacing the Battlecannon with twin-linked Autocannons.

Third tank is my personal favourite - Gutrippa, armed with Battlecannon and klaws, a specialty of the Goff clan.

Finally, this is Giblet Grinda, the only Ork super-heavy tank available in the game, armed with five turret-mounted Autocannons and a Deathroller.

While the modern-day Battlewagon certainly looks great, I miss "real" ork tanks like these. The good thing is, it shouldn't be hard to convert a Bonebreaka or Gutrippa out of a Rhino chassis! I'll have to try that one day.

Well, that's all for now, but I can certainly post more of these oldschool images later. So see you soon!

Simple Combi-Plasma Conversion

2010-10-03T21:11:00.001+02:00

Hi!

I have been recently working on converting Sternguard Veterans and I needed combi weapons so... I decided to convert some as well. I used a very simple technique and the result looks pretty decent so I decided to share :)

Stuff needed: 1 Bolter, 1 Plasma Pistol, Tools (hobby knife, files, plastic glue)

1) Take a regular bolter and a plasma pistol. Cut off the hand holding the p-pistol.

2) Bolter: Cut off the part marines usually hold in their hand, as seen on the picture below. Be careful when cutting as you may easily damage the clip, which we don't want to remove. Cut off the gun barrel as well, but don't throw it away - we will need it laters!

Plasma pistol: Split the pistol in two parts, as seen in the picture. Basically you want to get rid of the cooler-like looking part and its surrounding area.

3) Again we are going to cut the plasma pistol in half, or what has left of it. This time we need the part with the larger gun-barrel. Ever noticed those little cooling holes on the front of the pistol? You want to cut it in such a way that the piece will have three of these holes on each side - see the picture.

4) File the cutted areas and glue the pieces together. Don't forget on the bolter barrel! Be careful when glueing as any excess glue may damage the detail of the model!

Here's the final result (sorry, I forgot to take a final unpainted picture, but this should be good enough):

Size comparison to the combi-plasma from the commander box:

As you can see, the weapon is pretty compact, so it should work with most of those classical marine poses you can do with the generic marine arms.

Thanks for reading! Comments and criticism is most welcome, as always!

Stripping a metal Veteran Captain

2010-09-13T12:12:00.000+02:00

Hi there!

I'm thinking about starting up a converted Sternguard Veteran squad - and I realized I have a Veteran Captain model (*1991) lying around; with a new paintjob it could be a worthy addition to the team. Now this is the first model I ever had - my father bought it me more than a dozen years before I actually started collecting - so it's paintjob wasn't that good (I remember we had only few colors at home and didn't know anything about priming:), especially after all those years.

Now I have already tried to correct the paintjob (unfortunately I forgot to take pictures, stupid me) and played him in my only Ultramarines tactical squad, but it seems more logical now to start anew and use him in my Genesis Chapter army - I paint better now, too, so the result should be really worth it!

The only picture of the corrected paintjob I have.

Anyways, onto the stripping. There were actually many layers to strip down - not only the original one (which was actually rather thick), but also the new ones from those corrections.

I used a Nail Polish Remover mixed with water (1:1 solution), old toothbrush and a needle. I soaked the parts in the solution for about a hour, then started brushing it. It didn't remove all the paint, so I repeated the process two times, soaking for 30 minutes only though. If something couldn't get removed with the toothbrush, I carefully used needle instead. I think the result is pretty good:

Looks almost like out of a blister - oh the memories!

As you can see, some of the paint is still there; I'll either repeat the process once again, or play a bit more with the needle. Right now the model is having a nice bath in a warm water with soap, to remove any possible leftovers of super glue in the cloak area.

One final tip: use gloves when working with the Nail Polish Remover. It can quite irritate your skin.

Anyways, back to work. I think I'll exchange the model's backpack for a new one. Since the model will be neither a captain nor a sergeant in the squad, it doesn't really need a cloak, and it will look better too (that old backpack is proportionally pretty different from the new ones). Not to mention how annoying the metal cloak is - it falls off all the time.

As always, any comments are most welcome :)

Warboss Burstahed finished!

2010-09-06T11:11:00.000+02:00

The warboss and his retinue proudly proceeded through the battlefield - only to stumble upon a falling back squad of red space marines. The bloodthirsty greenskins quickly assaulted the tactical team with their choppas and power klaws, and the fight has begun.

One nob has turned back though - only to face the four meters high chimera of green muscles and cybork technology, Warboss Burstahed himself. The Warboss laughted maniacally and shot the foolish nob to leg with his kustom shoota; there can be no remorse for the weak.

The eyes of one the marines met with the disturbing gaze of the greenskin leader. The holy warrior aimed his bolt pistol right to the face of the beast - too late, for Warboss Burstahed has already launched his attack. He grabbed the marine around neck with his razor-sharp power klaw and slowly snipped his head off.

And more beakie heads shall fall this day, the boss thought.

Alright, sorry for the badly written fan-fiction above, I guess I'm in that poetical mood again. As indicated above, I finally have my Warboss painted! Kudos to my girlfriend, as she has done a large part of the paintjob. Anyways, to the pictures:

Note that his skin is pretty dark. I like my Orks darker - especially Nobs, and the Warboss should be even darker, right? I might add a bit more highlight later on, though.

You might have also noticed the ponytail. I think it adds a nice piratic touch to him, as a Bad Moon should have.

I love those holstered guns. They have a golden coat, pity it can't be seen well on the picture.

And here is the shoota. I have already tested the Warboss in a small game and I have to say the model rocks. Not only it is already modelled with a power klaw, but it also has a twin-linked shoota, cybork body and hard armour as well! That's a nice setup for a starter-box warboss. I might add an Attack squid laters, if I ever get one.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one! Next to come: Tactical Squad and/or Lootas.

Rhino (nearly) finished!

2010-08-25T10:06:00.000+02:00

Hello there!

My Rhino is nearly finished so I thought I'll share some of the pics. Only thing it misses now is the tactical arrow and the Genesis Chapter logo - these I'll finish laters, when I'll have more time (you know, summer - plus I need a pause from the vehicle for now).

Note that the Storm Bolter turret is detachable (as seen in previous post).

As you can see, we (me and my girlfriend, that is) were pretty heavy on the weathering, again. I really like the ancient look it makes.

Here is a picture of the inside:

Well that's all. As always, any feedback is most appreciated!

I have a lot of stuff to finish now; one tactical squad needs just one last soldier; one lootas squad waits for the last man as well; and my AOBR warboss is waiting here for a basing, I think I'll do that as first. So, see you soon!

Rhino WIP: Poorman's Alternative To Magnetizing

2010-08-08T18:36:00.000+02:00

Hello there, I'm back from my vacation!

I'm slowly finishing a bunch of units, including a Genesis Chapter Rhino. I thought I could magnetize the turrets so I could swap around HK missiles and Storm Bolters (and do WYSIWYG weapon destroyed results). HK missiles suck though and rare earth magnets are hard to get in my area right now, so I went with a classic Storm Bolter turret instead. Here is a WIP picture of the Rhino:

I didn't fully glow on the Storm Bolter though. There is a sprue glued on inside the Rhino, and the lower side of the SB turret is covered with a double-side duct tape. Therefore it can be easily removed and/or swapped. See:

I might add another Storm Bolter if I'll get the parts, that would be fun. The Rhino is near finished now, just have to do some weathering and it's ready. Uh, except the tactical arrow on top, and the Genesis Chapter symbol. But those will come sooner or later too, I'm sure of that.

Two weeks pause

2010-07-14T07:31:00.001+02:00

Hello there!

I have a near-finished Rhino sitting here and a mob of Lootas as well, but they still need some detailing so it would be too soon to post them all. I'm going for a vacation this friday and I'll be there for two weeks, which means I'll remain silent for a while now. Sorry :(

Meanwhile, here's one of the Lootas:

See you in two weeks!

Ork Names Generator!

2010-06-21T13:05:00.002+02:00

I'd like to present you a small HTML project I made few weeks ago - an orky names generator.

How to use it:

Simply visit the website www.ergotoxin.webs.com. An orky name will be generated on each visit. If you want a new name, simply refresh the thing!

The purpose of this project is to make it easy to come up with interesting fluffy names for your nobz, warbosses, kommandos or who-ever. You can either use the generated names themselves, or use it as a source of inspiration for your own original name.

Some funny names generated:
Speed Freek Nascarr
Arch-Arsonist Burstahed (I'll definately use this one for my Warboss:)
Natzblasta

There are thousands of names possible. If you will find a bug in the code, or would like to submit some new syllables or titles, just let me know!

Also, I'm thinking of starting up either a Space Marine or Eldar names generator. Hell, even a Tau name generator would be possible, but I might need some help for that. Just let me know if you would welcome any one of these!

Hope you will enjoy this. Don't forget to leave a comment if you like the idea (or any of the ideas I mentioned), or if you would like to share some particularly nice name generated!

Genesis Chapter Dreadnought "Magnus"

2010-06-19T11:06:00.000+02:00

I've finished the last details on my Assault on Black Reach Dreadnought and uploaded the pictures. God I love it. In my opinion it is the best model in AOBR; sure, the pose is rather static and the Multi-Melta might not be everyone's choice (though I believe it will work great as a "kan opener"), but all the great details make up for it. Really the only way to distinguish him from "normal" Dreadnoughts is that he has shorter exhaust pipes in the back.

All hail to Magnus, the veteran of the First Tyrannic War:

Magnus is the late latin for "Great". I like to give my marines late (christian) Roman names. After all, the Genesis Chapter adheres to the legacy of Ultramarines, so I believe they have a lot of common with the culture of Ultramar as well. The name "Genesis Chapter" itself has a strong Judeo-Christian connotation too.

I love how he turned out. Main coat used is Mechrite Red, with Blood Red and Boltgun Metal highlights. My girlfriend did a large part in that, she is awesome. There is Shining Gold on the sarcophagus, which is rather uncommon, yet I think it brings a lot of character and makes him look more "gothic".

Back side view. The exhaust pipes look so much better when they are drilled.

Here is the Multi-Melta. That Purity Seal is a neat detail - nice work, GW! Note that I use Mordian Blue for the sealing wax. I know GW uses red seals even on Blood Angels, but that seems like a waste to me, it just loses all the impression like that. Fun fact: blue sealing wax was historically frequently used, as well as yellow, gold, white and green.

And here is the DCCW. I love the way Boltgun Metal came out. When I'll assemble my Rhino, I'll paint in a similar style.

Here's a little detail on the basing - there's a severed Ork arm down there, along with a shattered Choppa!

Any comments are most welcome - I'd love to hear your opinions on the paintjob - after all, it is my first vehicle painted - or on the AOBR Dreadnought itself!

Bad Moons Deffkopta

2010-06-18T18:57:00.001+02:00

Alright, quick update on the Bad Moons!

I have recently finished my first Deffkopta. I was thinking hard on the paint scheme - most people do Bad Moons vehicles with yellow all over the model, which looks cool (especially if heavy washed), but I prefer my boyz with a more serious face. Therefore I decided to heavily use black (made by mixing Chaos Black and Tin Bitz), which makes nice contrast with the yellowish details.

I chose the Deffkopta with dags (the dog-tooth pattern), since yellow-black dags were always favoured by the clan. Pity the other two Deffkoptas are clones. I'll try to be more creative next time.

Anyways, on to the pics:

It's a pity the flash I use is rather unforgiving on the yellow, making it look a bit brighter than it is. It is actually washed with Gryphonne Sepia, on all the right places.

Thank you for your time - any comments are most appreciated!

Bad Moons Nobz

2010-06-17T22:59:00.000+02:00

Anyways, let's move on some units. The AOBR nobs are the first mini's I owned (I bought the sprue for few bucks on a tourney) and painted, so please be forgiving on the paintjobs.

So, without further ado, here they are:

Funny thing is I painted most of these before I had a wide selection of colors. Therefore the skin color is just a mix of Chaos Black and Goblin Green (washed though), and the leather is a mix of Mechrite Red, Sunburst Yellow and Chaos Black. Nowadays I prefer black-washed Calthan Brown for that.

Since the Assault on Black Reach nobz have only choppas and sluggas, I decided to convert some of their weapons over time. I already added two Big Choppaz and one Kombi-Skorcha, and I plan to add more kombi weapons and one or two powerklawz in the future.

Here are the big choppaz of Goldrippa and Bone'ead:

Goldrippas big choppa has been made with sprue bitz. I like the chain-halberd style of the result. Hey, it was my first conversion ever. Bone'eads big choppa has been made from two same choppas. That's one of the possibilities you get when you buy duplicate AOBR sprues.

Lastly, here is Koffhead, my newest Nob. Note his style is particularly different - I was greatly inspired by Fallout and Mad Max when I made him, so I tried to give him more of a post-apocalyptic edge. He's armed with a very simple Big Choppa (I just elongated the shaft with a part from a boyz choppa) and a Kombi-Skorcha, which was converted from various pieces (AOBR big shoota, AOBR nob slugga, burna, sprue bit and an ammo belt from a boyz kit).

I believe my future Orks will be a compromise between these two styles. I love the torn-out look, yet I also love the yellow/black contrast of Bad Moons.

I hope anyone can find this useful. Any comment or criticism is most welcome!

Bad Moons: Introduction

2010-06-17T17:16:00.000+02:00

Well since I'm most of all Ork fan, my second army is Orks. First, let me introduce you to the Bad Moons...

The Bad Moons are an Ork clan, and as their teeth grow faster than anyone else's, they are the richest of the Ork Clans. This is not considered an unfair advantage, because other Clans figure that they can always bash a Bad Moon Ork over the head and take his teef (teeth). They trade with other Orks to get the biggest guns, the flashiest gear, and the best food, but are not as concerned with close combat as other orks. Their symbols consist of yellow crescent moons and black flames.

(source: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Bad_Moons)

I have decided for the Bad Moons since the Goffs are just too serious (and too dark), since they love dakka and contraptions (I plan to get lootas, killa kans, meganobz and a battlewagon) and since their color is yellow and black - and the combination of these two seems very elegant to me.

A post of painted AOBR nobz will come in few days...

Genesis Chapter: Introduction

2010-06-17T15:05:00.002+02:00

Let me introduce you to the Space Marine army of my choice - the Genesis Chapter.

The Genesis Chapter is a Successor Chapter of the Ultramarines Legion, created during the Second Founding. First amongst the Primogenitors, the Genesis Chapter are dogmatically loyal to the memory of Roboute Guilliman, and can be counted upon to fight at the Ultramarines' side without hesitation.

Not much is known about this chapter otherwise. The homeworld Newfound is located in the Ultima Segmentum, not far from Ultramar and Charadon. In the last decade, the Genesis have participated in two large military operations - in 997.M41 they have worked together on Exterminatus missions with the Death Strike Chapter in the Ulik Sector to prevent Hive Fleet Leviathan from spreading, and in 998.M41 they have engaged Waaagh! Irontoof together with Ultramarines.

(Source: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Genesis)

At first I wanted to start an Ultramarines force, but after seeing the Codex and its idiotically over-described part on the 2nd Company (I like to make my own fluff, at least partially) I got rather disguisted. Also, the paint scheme of Ultramarines is nice, but the blue seems to be rather docile. So I went searching for other Astartes chapters...

...And the Genesis came out as winners. They have a clean, aggressive paint scheme; they are loyal and work closely with the civilized Ultramarines; they are almost unknown and therefore leave space for my own imagination.

Note on the paint scheme - traditionally, it should be Red with Yellow details; well I decided to make it Red with Golden details, just because it looks better (shiny!!). After all, Ultramarines used to have yellow trims as well.

Anyways - here is sergeant Lucius, as well as two other battle brothers from the Assault on Black Reach set:

"You should add 'Place Template Here' around the base of your sarge.

Or maybe 'I'm with stupid!'"

- Heffling, from DakkaDakka.com Forum

I'll post more when the whole squad will be finished.

Ergotoxin out.

Review: Assault on Black Reach Paint Set

2010-06-17T13:48:00.004+02:00

So, on to the first review. That is, the infamous Assault on Black Reach Paint Set.

This set includes:

- 6x 4ml citadel colors (white, black, burnished gold, boltgun metal, mechrite red, mordian blue)
- 5x Tactical Space Marines (see below)
- citadel starter brush
- pallete
- booklet

The exact content on the sprue is:
- 5x Tactical Space Marine
- 5x Bolter (2 w. scopes, 2 w. belts)
- 5x SM Backpack
- 5x Shoulderpad (w. Ultramarine insignia)

Price: £15.00

Let's start with the booklet. It's a simple manual on painting ultramarines. It's more informative than the AOBR "Getting started" book as it includes information on drybrushing and basing. Alright. let's move on...

The palette is small but handy; I find it rather cool. The starter brush is good for coating but you'll definately need a smaller brush for detailing. I never liked citadel brushes anyways.

The color selection is very narrow. There is no green, yellow or brown so don't even think about using this set to paint your AOBR orks. I don't know why GW chose to include Mordian Blue instead of Ultramarine Blue; it's too dark for them so you'll probably have to buy Ultramarine or Enchanted Blue.

What really sucks is that colors included are in 4ml pots only, instead of standard 12ml! So basically you buy only 1/3 of the standard color pots... Be prepared to run out of black quickly! Even worse, the pots aren't of good quality so the colors dry out fast.

The real gimmick of this set is ofcourse the marine sprue. The models are not the same as the AOBR ones - they have molded ultramarine symbols and there's very little variation, so I wouldn't really recommend them for a dedicated marine player.

All in all, it's an ok start to the hobby but that's about the only use. Better get some real paint set for your AOBR box and skip this one!

2/5

Pros:
- quick start to the hobby
- includes a brush, foundation & metalic colors
- includes 5 simplified tactical Ultramarines

Cons:
- colors are only 4ml and dry out fast
- color selection sucks
- simple models
- low price

Introduction!

2010-06-17T13:19:00.001+02:00

Hello there!

I'll use this blog mostly to present my painted 40k minis (Genesis Chapter and Ultramarines Space Marines, Bad Moons Orks and possibly more in the future, Alaitoc Eldar perhaps). I'm very new to the hobby so I believe this will allow me to watch how I improve over time. Comments and criticism is most welcome - I know my painting is far from perfect!

In the spare time I'll post more random stuff such as my random orky names generator, reviews of Games Workshop products and links to blogs of other painters.

I hope you will have a good time here!

Ergotoxin out.