Word Bearers Raptors #1 & #2

And lo', I bring you these bearers of the word of Lorgar.  Or, to the un-schooled, Word Bearers.

These are made up from various bits from Chaos Space Marines, Space Marine Assault Squads, Chaos Marauders, Blood Angels jump infantry (whatever those goths are called) kits, as well as resin conversion parts from MaxminiEU and Anvil Industries.

Once again I've used my scheme that I developed based around a description of Lorgar from the Horus Heresy series of books, and taken his penchant for applying gold to his face, and used it on the armour trims. Much better than the standard silver that our pals at GW seem to think is appropriate.

If any of you fools got beef with this, step to me. We'll settle this with a friendly game of 40k.

I did mean to post this up sooner, honest! But time gets away from a mudderfugger knowhutamsayin'?
Real life gets in the way. As does playing games of 40k and watching TV. And listening to high quality hardcore punk.

However, now Breaking Bad has finished (what an ending) and now Dexter has finished (seriously, they should have canned this trash at the end of the previous season), I find that I have a whole 2 hours per week to spare.

Word Bearers Raptor work in progress

Word up! This is a kit-bash / conversion from various loyalist space marine parts, chaos marine parts, a chaos marauder head and a maxmini.eu jet pack (these guys make some awesome conversion parts as I've said many times before!).

The paint job loosely follows the recipe I previously used on the few Word Bearers I completed a while back.

I think my favourite things about this model are the hair being blown to the side, which I think adds a bit of extra dynamism to the pose, and the torso armour from which I have roughly trimmed away an imperial aquila to give (to my mind) an impression of a salvaged and desecrated bit of imperial armour.

Anyways...

Military engagement on Drakefell Moon

++++++++messageincoming+++++++++ Images captured via servo skull indicate hostilities have spread from Avignon Primaris to Drakefell Moon. Incursion by Adeptus Astartes Death Guard [designation Excomunicatus Traitoris Extremis] and Word Bearers [designation Excomunicatus Traitoris Extremis]. Cultist activities confirmed. ++++++++messageinterrupted++++++++

++++++++messageresumes++++++++ Indication of possible Genestealer Cult activities - Xenos infestation unconfirmed [designation <classified by Ordo Xenos - your security clearance level is insufficient>].  Local Guard forces may be corrupted.  Recommend purge with extreme prejudice. ++++++++messagepauses++++++++ Visuals also suggest orkoid spores have taken root. Confirmed  sightings of Ork and Gretchin xenoforms. Request Adeptus Astartes rapid intervention. The Emperor protects. ++++++++messageends+++++++++

Word Bearers raptors W.I.P

Over the last week or so, I've had a bit of a kit-bash session, using bits that I had lying around the place. I decided that I'd make these Word Bearers raptors.

The main sources for pieces have been the GW Chaos Space Marines kit, jump packs from MaxminiEU, Steam Lord heads from Anvil Industry, and the legs come from both the GW Space Marine Assault Squad and the GW Blood Angels Sanguinary Guard.

There has been some trimming off of Blood Angels and general Imperial insignia and unnecessary Chaos spikey parts.

The results are as follows...

Death Guard and Word Bearers - a rough breakdown of what's finished

As I finished the squad of possessed the other day, I thought I'd have a quick review of what I've managed to finish since I started this blog in January 2012...

HQ
Daemon Prince with mark of Nurgle
Word Bearers Chaos Lord
Death Guard Chaos Lord

Troops
Word Bearers marines/Chosen x6 (incl. aspiring champion)
Death Guard marines x7 (incl. aspiring champion & plasma)
Death Guard marines x7 (incl. aspiring champion & plasma)
Cultist champion

Elites
Possessed marines with mark of Nurgle x7 (incl. champion)
Death Guard Terminator with lightning claws

Heavy
Death Guard Predator with side and turret mounted twin linked lascannons
Word Bearers Helbrute

A bewildering total of 34 models, including one that was painted by Tom (thanks again, dude!).  Meaning that I've managed 33 models in just over a year.

I need to do better this year, for sure.

Word Bearers Helbrute or Dreadnought

I have to confess, I struggled somewhat with this one.

I glued it together ages ago, and I will readily admit that I wish somebody had suggested binding some bits of  this thing together with rubber bands (or elagi bands if your are that way inclined - the North...) while the glue dried to stop them coming a bit apart.  Luckily though, you can't really tell too much between the crap photography and the amateurish paint job.

One of the pleasing things about this model is that (having put one together and handled it hour after hour while painting it), I think it offers tons of scope for interesting conversions, both major and minor.  Not that I bothered on this one, though.  I do have a second one that I picked up for absolute peanuts (thanks to a £5 off Ebay voucher) which I am intending on doing some conversion work on at some point. When it's done, it'll be painted up in Death Guard colours, though.  Once I've given myself time to block the annoyingness of this one from my mind, at any rate.

Anyway, back to the model.  It took ages to paint, and I'm not really mega happy with how it turned out, to be honest. But I don't think it looks absolute toss either.  I did realise something about myself while I was working on it. And, that ladies and gentlemen, is that I don't seem to enjoy working on larger models. Somehow, I managed to forget how much working on that Death Guard predator ages ago totally pissed me off.  In the grand scale of life, this one was realistically less annoying than the predator, though.

One thing I do know, though is that next time around I may well look at doing the majority of the base coating before it gets glued together... although that may not be so great if I'm going to use rubber bands on it while the glue sets...

The Battle for Avignon Primaris (part #237)

T'other day, I met up with Chris for a pre-Xmas game of 40k. Fairly small scale. 1250 points of my Death Guard & Word Bearers chaos marines vs his Snakebite orks. It was a great bit of fun.

Here's some pictures of what went down on the mean streets of Avignon Primaris...

Two boar trukkz careen down the streets of Avignon
Primaris

I love these trukk conversions - great fun!

A squad of Death Guard marines discover "nothing of note" for 3 Victory
points in the shell of a bombed out building.

In what is now a traditional face off in our games, my
Possessed brace themselves to face off against a trukk-
load of Ork Nobz and accompanyin Pain Boy.

Another squad of Death Guard marines shelter by an abandoned
Bane Blade.

The Pig Mek's Cyboar Riderz roar through the wreckage of a downed
Valkyrie. Unfortunately, several of their number fail dangerous terrain
tests while attempting "jumpy trickz".

Captured by servo-skull, here we see a Death Guard squad guarding a Grav
Generator for 3 Victory points.

Euphraxes, Word Bearers exalted Lord of Chaos advances, supported by
a squad of Word Bearers marines and two chaos spawn.

The Possessed champion has been forced into
throwing out a challenge to Ork Nob, 'Ard Barry.
Alas, neither his power armour or invulnerable
save were up to the task of surviving a blow from
'Ard Barry's Power Claw.

The Fly Blown, Daemon Prince of Nurgle (until I think up a better name) and
the possessed mix it up with some Orks and a Pain Boy. Check out his witch-
doctor mask and 'urty needle.

Euphraxes challenges the leader of the Cyboar unit to single combat. Unfortunately this "puny beaky"
swiftly ended matters in a rather decisive manner, earning multiple Boons from the Chaos Boons table.

Euphraxes, Lord of Chaos

I've spent a bit of time over the last few evenings working on the Chaos Lord model from the Dark Vengeance box.

I've decided to paint him up to go with the Word Bearers  marines (the Tony version) I've been working on, which are the Chosen from the Dark Vengeance box.

I've named this guy Euphraxes, and I've painted his rather large sword to represent a Daemon Weapon. As to the True Name of the foul denizen of the warp that is imprisoned within the blade, of that I cannot speak, lest the beast be unleashed.