Space Marines: Raptors

A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords at dawn.

After being suitably impressed with the First Strike starter boxed set for Warhammer 40,000, I decided that some of the models in the set might be a good place to experiment with painting. Aside from painting the majority of Dreadwhisper for the Curse of the Alabaster games last winter, I have not painted another model in my entire long history of being involved in the hobby, letting that all fall on Adam’s shoulders. Having no particular use for the push-fit Primaris Space Marines that I assembled from First Strike, they seemed like the ideal place to start to learn the particulars of painting. I also had an extra cast of our True-scale Space Marine, and figured his large size would also be a good way to ease into the process. After some consideration, I selected the Raptors Space Marine Chapter to paint my first models as. I always loved the drab military look of their chapter, reminding me of Sherman tanks from WWII. Conveniently, I also had most of the colors that I thought I would need from a Vallejo Model Air paint set for German/Allied WWII models.

Making Death Guard Great Again: A Challenge

“I shall reap a terrible bounty from the death that I sow in your name, Father Nurgle…”

In our last episode of Dragged into Turbolasers we had a lot of critical things to say about the majority of the new Death Guard models. In recent years, we have become increasingly concerned with scale and anatomical accuracy of Games Workshop’s models, and were thrilled when they released the Primaris Space Marines that corrected many of traditional Space Marines’ egregious errors. Unfortunately, aside from Mortarion, the vast majority of the new Death Guard models have not benefited from the Primaris’ improved anatomy, and instead are plagued by massive thigh gaps between their legs and a veritable lack of abdomens, making the range looks awkward and seem like a step backwards. Now, I know that it could be argued that the blessing of Grandfather Nurgle and the passage of thousands of years would have vastly changed their anatomy, so it does not need to make sense. I can accept this to some extent, but I am still doubtful that their proportions were purposefully left wonky to fit with their patron god. But maybe Grandfather Nurgle blesses all of his followers with kyphosis as their first rite of passage? But, I digress… Upon the suggestion from the talented and prolific bigbossredskullz, we decided that we should try to convert a Death Guard model using some of the new models, trying to live up to their storied legacy, instead of simply criticizing. Spiralling from the discussion with bigbossredskullz, together we decided it would be fun to start up a challenge, reminiscent to our Kingdom Death multipart kit Challenge, but open it up to anyone interested in participating.

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 29: Mortarion heralds a wave of new Death Guard releases

The Death Guard are here!

We spend this episode talking about the new and upcoming Death Guard models. We devote a significant amount of time discussing their Primarch, Mortarion, and how we feel that he is the strongest model in the range, not not suffering from many of the severe anatomical issues of the rest of his legion. The majority of the rest of the episode is spent analysing the new terminator models, particularly the Deathshroud terminators. We lement at their lack of of abdomens and awkward leg attachment, but think that they will still be excellent for conversion opportunities.

Thorn Moons Crusade: Elder One Othalanga Painted

From Throne to Thorne.

Elder One Othalanga is complete! At times it seemed like he would never be done, with all the  sculpting, casting, and experimentation on the proportion of Space Marines, but after 8 long months, he is done. He was created for Iron Sleet’s upcoming Thorn Moons Crusade, a collaborative event where the Imperium, led by a horde of Vlka Fenryka, is attempting to the expunge the Green Mechanicvm from existance. The Elder Ones are a mysterious Space Marine chapter dating back from the time of the Great Crusade, who were separated from the wider Imperium until the late 41st millennium due to warp storms. Although few in number, each Elder One is a prodigious warrior that towers above most Astartes, fitting well with the gigantic marine I sculpted. All of the other Elder Ones were created by the esteemed FPOA (who is now a member of Iron Sleet), and painted mossy greens and browns, suggesting their ancient lives amongst trees and thorns. When painting Othalanga, I wanted to achieve a similar look to FPOA, so that he would fit along side his brethren. To do this, I experimented with a few different techniques, focusing on using stippling to create variation in color rather than traditional highlighting. Below I will talk a little about the paints I used and how I went about the entire process.