Author: Joe B

Mentor Legion Drop Pods

Published by Joe B

So I intend to build out the whole second company’s troop squads with drop pods, and since I have two squads done, it is only fitting I finish two drop pods. When I built them I did it in three pieces: the bottom with the doors, the fins connected to the top engine, and the center comms/seats. This allowed the center section to attach to the fins and all drop into the base when I wanted, or to take apart to paint. This was also my first attempt at airbrushing and while it gave me a cleaner white blend, I feel like I spent a great deal of time applying masking tape and then peeling it off. The first is Triumph armed with the simple bolter. For the army badges I used the ones that came with the kit and just cut off the existing mold. Since these are issued to the second company, I needed some yellow somewhere so went for the badge/button on each restraint. The second drop pod is Exultant with the …

Mentor Legion Space Marine Centurions

Published by Joe B

OK so when I first saw these guys in the White Dwarf, I pretty much hated how the Space Marine Centurion models looked. They wereÂ awkward and too busy, but after visiting my local GW and saw the manager’s assembled unit I was able to gain a whole new appreciation for the models. Is is silly for a marine in armour to wear amour? yes, but mechanics have a realm of feasibility. The exception to this for me is the under-hung guns on the assault version, I get that they are taking the same look from the Ironclad, but they look way too fragile down there. Any way, I picked up a kit and built out a devastator unit for my Mentors. I present Squad 3 of the 9th Company lead by Brother-SergeantÂ Koninmund. I did a bit of small adjustments to the model, most noticeable was switching out a few heads. I also cut apart the most static of the leg poses to give more of a walking motion (more on that below). I’m …

Ironclad Dreadnought of the Mentor Legion

Published by Joe B

So after deciding to build up my Mentor Legion last fall, I bought the Space Marine mega force, which along with the battle force and the last two starter kits worth of marines in my closet, gives me nearly enough marines to build a company.Â To round out all those foot troopers, I need some big guns and fists. This is where the wonderful Ironclad Dreadnought comes in. It may have not been my first choice for awesome marine models, but since it came along with the mega force, I might as well put him to work. On this model I also was trying out some of the weathering powders for both the model and the base. I had bought the set from Forge World as well as the Master Class book and was anxious to give it a try. They are a bit difficult to get into place, but I feel it gives a better blend when you mix the colors before setting them. The model also includes a few custom purity seals to help …

Miniature of a Different Kind

Published by Joe B

So this isn’t too related to our plastic crack addictions, but as those who follow my blog can tell, I have nearly fallen off the face of the earth this last year. A big part of this is I have now joined the legion of hobbyist fathers! On the plus side, since I’m taking time off of work to take care of him and the Mrs, I have actually got a bit done and will post it as soon as I get some sleep and edit the pictures.

Mentor Legion Chaplain

Published by Joe B

Another HQ from the limited edition of Dark Vengeance, this is Â Oldss Knirror, Mentor Legion Chaplain. When the limited edition was announced, this was the reason I jumped on it. While I haven’t been a fan of the other Chaplains, the billowing smoke from this guy gave it another level of sinisterness! Before getting started, I planed out what areas would be the green and red for the Mentor Legion, and what would be the black and white of the Chaplain. Leaving the robes white helpedÂ breakup all the other colors. Very little was done to the model other than removal of most of the Dark Angel markings and the addition of the Mentors shoulder marking (another press mold). To do the Mentor Legion icon the whole shoulder pad details were removed and the press mold used to create the eagle head. I then took thin plastic strips to recreate the border. The edges were cleaned up with green stuff and the purity seal on the corner actually covers where I chipped a bit too …

Mentor Legion Librarian

Published by Joe B

And now for some HQ! I present Echst Ralelerin, Mentor Legion Librarian.Â The model itself is from the Dark Vengeance box with an arm swap with the weapon from the chaos terminator lord. The rest of the work involved careful removal of all the Dark Angel insignia. I really love the glaring look as he focuses at his enemies. I thought the model had a great sense of focus and power except for the pose of the original sword, it was too posed for my tastes so a more relaxed arm stretched about behind gave more focus on his spell casting hand. The maced head staff helps give more dimension to the model as well by creating an up and out line. You can also see from the picture above that I made some custom purity seals to both incorporate the new arm as well as cover the hand swap. I also made the Mentors icon a bit more interesting by covering the eye socket as well. The staff was made from a combination of pieces, …

Second Company Squad Two of the Mentor Legions

Published by Joe B

Here is my second fully finished Space Marine Tactical Squad for my Mentor Legion army. The squad is built up from my collection of grey plastic from the Assault on Black Reach, Dark Vengeance, and Tactical Squad. By combining the different kits you can make them unique and change-up the static poses from the starter kit. This squad is led by Brother-Sergeant Iani Tulrosi which is from the assault on black reach set with an arm swap to give him the power axe. This helps create a unique look from the start set and more natural than the straight up sword. I also added a thin piece of plastic to his collar to create a Mark VIII look. As with squad three, many of the squad member are from the starter sets and required hand painted legion markings. You can see below on Brother Cith Cheven’s amour the final outcome of using the transfers as a starting point. I then added yellow stripes and marking to identify them as the Second Company. Here again is …

Mentor Legion Tactical Squad Three of the Second Company

Published by Joe B

Well it’s been a while since I’ve posted but I haven’t given up on my marines.Â Here is Squad 3 of the 2nd Company Mentor Legion Tactical Squad led by Brother Sergeant Strel Jokin. The models are a mix of the Assault on Black Reach and the Tactical Squad box. To mark them out as second company the knee pads and shoulder pads I added yellow markings including personal markings and individualization. Half of this squad was done over a year ago as a test/something new to do (here). Other than finishing the remaining five squad members, I also added battle damage to the original to make them all a bit worn. The damage was mostly done with a small sponge and dark grey to creating the chipping effect. Since many of the additional troops were from the starter sets, I had to add the Mentor Legion markings by hand. I did cheat a bit though since I bought a Raptors transfer sheet from forge world (more on that in the future). After applying the decals …

Green Marines of a Different Kind – WIP Mentor Legion

Published by Joe B

Although I have been much busier as of late with grad school and health goals for the year, I am still making slow and steady progress on the MentorÂ Legionaries. As you can see i the pictures below, I have a good chuck of the army built and primed. The first up to receive paint were 15 tactical marines (I had the first 5 already done), and the librarian and the chaplain from the DarkÂ VengeanceÂ box. At this point I have the base colors, wash, and the white are now done. First up is the chaplain, I really like this model from the limited edition set and with only a few minor modifications will make a great chaplain for any other chapter. The white base was started with Zandri Dust, followed with a wash of Earthshade. The white was built back up with the dust and finally pure white. Next up is the librarian. A simple arm swap with one from the Chaos terminator lord, removal of a few of the dark angle markings, and a …

Traitor Leman Russ Demolisher Squadron Finished

Published by Joe B

As I hinted in my last post, I have been working on clearing out my back log of unfinished projects. This may get a bit off with my new army, but I plan to continue working in many of these between tactical squads. I had the first Leman Russ Demolisher a long while back and the other two started, but have now completed all three. The lead tank is armed with side plasma cannons to really add some umph to an already scary tank. The second tank is a simple conversion by shortening a normal battle cannon and adding parts from a hunter-killer missile. The third Leman Russ Demolisher is one I ‘rescued’ from my brother’s old army but was badly damaged. I fixed the broken off sponsons with banners. This is actually the only one with a ‘real’ demolisher cannon being the old metal monster. The banner was made from tissues soaked in glue/water. It was then pressed on the model and tweaked a bit to add some movement. All …

Traitor Guard Tech Priest, Dark Mechanicus

Dark Mechanicus Tech Priest Joins the Traitor Legion

Published by Joe B

I’ve had this model sitting around for a while but had never quite finished it. So after finishing my Warpsmith I grabbed thisÂ Dark Mechanicus Tech PriestÂ one off the shelve of never ending projects and put paint to brush. In contrast to the rest of the Traitor Guard orange, I used the iconic Mars Red robes but used green power weapon to match the Chosen and Warp Smith. Conversions were kept minimal on this model since I actually bought the model for how it looks, rather than its game playÂ ability. With just the simple addition of the Chaos star mounted to the back pack, the rest was just paint – which goes to show how crazy the normal Mechanicus is. I tried to continue my experimentation of source lighting with the mystical green glow from the back packs power source. Â Although it could have come off a bit Christmasy, I tried toned down the red with the tan highlights. The yellow cabling also helps to break up the green and red looks. The metal was a …

Warpsmith Review – and first finecast

Published by Joe B

Of all the new Chaos releases, the Warpsmith caught my eye as the most exciting to paint. I was a bit hesitant though, as this would be my first Finecast. I had heard of many issues with the new medium and wasn’t sure what I would find in the box. Man am I glad I took the leap though, the details on this model are outstanding! While I had a few bent parts that were easy to fix with the hot water bath, there was nearly no air bubble issues. About the only issue I had was cleaning all the mold lines which did seem to crop up all over the place. The model came in 12 pieces on two sprues with the largest piece being the leg/torso combo. This piece could make an impressive lord with a bit of work to clean up the back-pack area. The rest of the pieces involve the 5 longer tentacles, the head, back sections, each arm/shoulder, and the ax hand. As you can see the ax was a …