Yep, time for some updates on the stalwart sons of Ferrus! Alas, GW Direct Order has been slower than the VA on getting me the remaining bitz packs I need, so that's hampered things a bit, but things still progress. The deadline for the first 500 points is fast approaching, I have until August 31st to complete two combat squads, two Razorbacks, and a Librarian. But I've been working on the army in general, and here's an update on many of the units.
First up, the first combat squad is effectively done. All that's left is the bases, which are hopefully in the mail by now.
I'm going with some ice world-themed bases (basically looks like they're on a frozen lake of some sort, though I might mix in some dirt and snow), to fit in with the "cold and relentless" theme I'm going for. Industrial-type bases were another consideration, of course, but that seemed a little on the stereotypical side.
The second combat squad is nearly completion as well. I mostly just have to do the highlighting and some minor details, like their ammo and purity seals.
I picked up the Forge World decal sheet, which has proven very handy for giving me lots of extra options, like squad or clan markings on their kneepads, as well as a different clan altogether (decided to go for the sundered mountain one, not sure which clan that specifically belongs to).
I also gave the sergeant a different loadout. All the sergeants will have unique wargear selections, and this one has a chainsword and FW Heresy-era plasma pistol. I think the third will have a bolt pistol and power weapon when I get to him. I also did his back banner in the old style, with the old "pole only" backpack and used some carefully cut decal paper covered in glue and spray-primer to thicken it up. And then, of course, threw on a couple FW decals.
Next up are the transports!
Standard plastic kit, but with some FW Rhino accessories mixed in, and a giant decal if I want to use it as a Rhino. Still need to paint the groove between the hatches in, plus lots of details in general, of course. I've since at least primed them both fully and gotten most of the metal stuff done.
Now the army in general!
You can see my Clan-Commander up front (I'll get to him in a minute), with the still-legless Librarian behind him, the Sternguard Squad and Assault Squad to one side, the three Tactical Squads and an Ironclad Dreadnought with its drop pod to the other. Not pictured are my Terminator Squads, and planned further additions include a third Rhino/Razorback, a Drop Pod for the Sternguard, 1-2 each Thunderfires and Stormtalons, and maybe a Land Raider and Devastator Squad. Would give the whole army a ton of variety for games and a solid force overall for thematic purposes.
Here's the as-yet unnamed Clan-Commander, who'll be using Lysander's rules. You can see he's got Lugft Huron's body, with fully bonic arms and a cloak by Anvil, a mechanical-themed hammer/shield combo from Maxmini, and a FW bionic commander's head. He'll also get some of those Heresy-era Terminator shoulder pads from Chapterhouse when I can afford another order.
Given my viewing the Iron Hands almost as Vulcan Space Marines, I'm tempted to look up Vulcan names to apply here, heh.
The Sternguard Squad came out pretty nicely, I think. I wound up using the Tartaros Terminator shoulderpads I got with these guys, and they certainly make them look more distinctive. I've got six guys with regular bolters, then one each with a combi-melta, combi-flamer, melta-gun, and flamer. This gives them a broad range of equipment to deal with a variety of foes, I think. Plus a sergeant with a power fist and my Clan-Commander attached means, even if they get counter-charged after drop podding in, they should hold their own for a while.
I'm fairly excited about the Assault Squad. These guys are definitely looking pretty sweet. The Maxmini jump packs are crazy huge, though. I've already started slapping some decals on, too.
The first of two Dreadnoughts I plan to use with the army, an Ironclad is just a perfect fit. This'll probably be one of the only guys with any gold detail on him (mostly just for the crux terminatus on his front there). Gonna be interesting trying to figure out how to move him over to the scenic base, since his feet are glued on to the plastic base there...
And finally the drop pod. You can still see some traces of its original color scheme (I decided I didn't really need six for my Lords of Oblivion any more, so I'm repurposing two to these guys to save on space/money). And yes, the black there is shaded. I tweaked my airbrush black to be a sort of "off-black" color so that a pure black shading could be done to help enhance the contrasts. It's pretty subtle on the infantry models, but I guess a little more apparent here.
So, hopefully those bitz packs come in, and I can finish assembling the army! Really liking how these guys are coming out!
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