We are Legion - a 'Saladamneders' army

[Ein]

So, I have to share this, both because it's a nice step in progress on the model and because of how awesome it's going.

First thing's first: Because this guy is going to be sort've a figurehead for my army, and because I can't sculpt worth a damn, I'm now working very closely with a friend of mine named Zsoulless from The Waaagh.com. Z is not only a disturbingly talented artist but a truly excellent sculptor, and I've managed to talk him into helping me make the Huronesque flamer-fist design I'd previously whipped up.

Well, Z's come through in a big way. He's gotten a start on the Gauntlet, and it's looking really fantastic.





These are his pictures, so they're not quite as large as my usual, but I think the details are still fairly clearly awesome. The fist borrows the concept of having the flamer nozzle in the palm from Huron, and Z's added a very convincing mechanical assembly on the back of the gauntlet that includes a fuel tank and hoses. There's a plug on the bottom of the gauntlet for an eventual cable that will lead up the arm and, presumably, into the backpack with the brazier and big fuel tanks.

Z's also come up with a brilliant substitute for Kesare's Mantle by making a skull press-mold cloak. Now, instead of being layered in dragonscales, the Vulkan counts-as will have souls of the damned screaming out from his tattered cloak. I think if I could paint them up to look a bit ethereal (maybe some grey-blue highlights on a black cloak, to make them look ghostly) it'd be awesome.

The scythe bit is something I figured out before I sent it over to Z. After looking around for inspiration, I actually discovered a great miniature with a very nice scythe - Reaper's Death Priest. After eyeballing the dimensions of the scythe up a bit, I ordered one, and it seems to be a pretty perfect fit. There's a paperclip running down the middle of the styrene tube in the handle that serves as a pin for the scythe's head; wraps that match the chaplain's existing handle will hopefully be sculpted up to the head of the scythe over the white styrene part. I was also thinking that it'd look great if the skull that serves as the base for the blade were lit aflame, so that'll need some attention. Going to have to practice some OSL if I want this model pop, I think.

Anyway, I'm really excited about where this model's going now that I have Z's help on the greenstuff end.

As far as the Ironclad is concerned, I honestly think I'm done with it. I could lose my mind trying to sculpt bones over the arms and engine, or I could just simply paint what I've got and go with it, and I'm leaning more towards the latter simply because of how bad I am at the former.

[Dead Dude Walking]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[Shaggoth]

Bloody amazing!

[Deadstar_MRC]

That cloak really is wonderful! Hell, everything in this thread looks awesome, but that cloak really does top everything off nicely.

As a small aside, when I first read the title to this thread, I envisaged an army of marines hiding amongst leaves of lettuce, or something. Must have been the Salad bit.

Does anyone want to make a Salad-manders army, just to see what it comes out like?

Good luck with the rest of this project, Ein!

[Ravendove]

A cloak covered in skulls. I think you've just won at 40k.

[Andusciassus]

It's always such a pleassure to stumble upon one of your threads. It's a certain way to get inspired and blessed with some frustration.
The two of you should indeed prove a deadly combo.
I really like the concept you've come up with -in many ways and also your converting skills are fantastic. Some of your ideas makes me go "Oh, no, that could never work" (like the skeletal legs on the Dread, but then you use your fine artistic skills to make it look amazing and that is something really good.
I am also a bit curious (and envious) on the sculptor, have he molded any parts of the fist or is it a pure sculpt? Anyway it looks absolutely ace.

Looking forward on seeing more of your lovely models

[Ein]

"Salad-manders"? You're killing me!

Andusciassus: I honestly couldn't tell you. Someone else pointed out that the mechanisms on the back of the fist somewhat resembled a Chaos Lightning Claw, but it's also obviously different with the inclusion of a fuel tank, so I have no idea.

So, thanks to Zsoulless' help, Redemptor Thanasius looks to be pretty much done, with some minor exceptions.





The "Hellfire Gauntlet" (which is simply what I've decided to call it; Vulkan's has a fancy name, it's only fair) is now finished-off, though not yet actually attached, so don't worry about the gap between the body and the arm. I'm well aware he looks like he wants a hug, but I think it's really only due to the open palm, since the posture is identical to the standard Power Armor Chaplain now. Either way, I still think he looks great.

I'm going to add a bit of cabling hanging from the plug in the bottom of the gauntlet that runs up the arm and to the fuel tanks in the backpack... and a skull has also been added to the knee pad of the leading knee, just because it seemed an appropriate place to put it.

I am probably going to have to do a fair bit of practicing on some older metal marines before I'm comfortable painting this guy. He shouldn't be the first thing I paint for the army, at least, since I want to do a decent job on him and I need to get the hang of painting black armor first.

Anyway, he's pretty much done. I'm not certain if I'm keeping his 'Redemptor' title, since it sounds a bit inquisitorial, but I wanted something as catchy as 'Forgefather'. The name Thanasius is staying for sure, though; it's a corruption of the greek word 'athanasius', which means 'immortal death', if the internet is to be believed.

[Ein]

I've been working on this on the side, as it were. I've always liked the idea of a Librarian, and back when I was working on my Salamanders I was collecting parts for a nice conversion. Most of those parts are no longer helpful to me, as I've switched over to the Legion, but I still want to make a Librarian for the army, so off I go.

The start of this conversion is actually a Terminator Chaplain. The reason for this is really simple. I was looking at the Terminator Librarian model and thinking to myself, "That's not going to work for the Legion. The head needs to be a skull." Fortunately, before I set about trying the miserable task of dremelling out the head cavity, I remembered that the Chaplain Terminator was... well, pretty much exactly the model I'd be making, so why not use one as the base? It's one of GW's best models, anyway, covered in a ton of rich detail.

It just so happened that I did have a Terminator Chaplain around, so I started working on him... and these are the first few small steps.







I'm waiting for the greenstuff to fully harden before I set about cleaning it up by sanding it a bit, but you get the idea of what's going on here. I carved a psychic hood that'd fit right over the normal Chaplain Terminator armor, and then greenstuffed the seam over - after sanding, it should hopefully be seamless.

I also yoinked a rather neat sword off a fantasy model -Archaon, from WHFB's Warriors of Chaos. (Side note: I still have the entire rest of the model, horse and all, and nothing to do with it. If anyone wants to buy it, drop me a message. ) It's a good-sized flaming sword that I originally intended to use for my Salamanders - but it fits the Legion just as nicely.

When I get around to the left arm, I'm probably givin' em a Storm Shield, since that seems to be the preferred wargear loadout of everyone I've asked. Not sure what it's going to be, or how I'm going to make it yet though.

I also have no idea what this guy's name is, yet. Feel free to pitch ideas.

[Lost Nemesis]

If you're doing the storm shield for coolness points, go for it; otherwise, it depends entirely on what you want your Librarian to be doing. Since he's got terminator armour, I'd probably avoid the storm shield and just keep him as cheap as possible (personally).

The model's looking nice though, can't wait to see what you end up with.

[Ein]

I'm mostly just taking the Storm Shield because everyone has recommended it to me in the past, since the boost to invuln is usually welcome. I have no idea what this guy's role in my army is going to be yet. Maybe I'll magnetize the hands so I can swap them as needed.