Showing posts with label Blood Angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blood Angels. Show all posts

Saturday, 13 April 2019









Within the spheres of the Blood Angels, there exist outsider elements. Marines so damaged by war or those who are unable to work within the reformed tenets of the Principia Belicosa, that they may only find refuge in their own, unstable kind. These are not the formations of the Angels Tears, those who commit acts of lawful atrocity, and who may lay their burden aside once the act is complete. Those few who comprise the Ha-Mashchi are permanently damned by the proscribed weapons they wield.

Rememberancer Taihij; The Numbering of Angels. 


Thursday, 15 March 2018







When I think of the silhouette of a Horus Heresy force there are certain models that stand out. The Contemptor pattern dreadnought, the wonderful Praetor set, cataphractii terminators, the sicaran and, of course, the Spartan.

The Spartan has been a hallmark of Heresy gaming since the beginning. A big chunk of resin that was nigh impossible to kill on the tabletop. It has been the ferry for the great and the good, Primarchs, Deathstars and even the humble Tactical squad. I knew I needed one in my collection, however, I quickly came to realise that this model didn't really suit my playstyle with the Blood Angels. The Day of Revelations does favour more hard-hitting, drop assault units, so this project has kept being delayed while I filled up on assault marines, Dreadclaws and Dreadnoughts. I've finally managed to complete this, replete with Black marble, chased with the gold of the Blood Angel decal sheet.

If you would like to learn how to paint the black marble like this, there is a short video up on the patreon, as well as a legion focus on how I paint the Blood Angel red.

Enjoy!

TUTORIAL






Friday, 28 April 2017








Chaplain Maelio is the latest in a fraternity of brothers dogged by ill fortune - the average life span of a Chaplain crusading with the 133rd being two years. The grizzled Luna veteran seeks to break that cycle. 

The Chaplain's armour presents us a problem in dating. The MKIII boarding plate was largely a relic by the time Faustino took his position, replaced en masse by MKIV within the Blood Angel Legion. Cross reference reveals this armour had the honour of being in the presence of the Emperor at the Triumph of Ullanor and held a ceremonial value within the IXth. With elements of the 18th being sent independently into the void, its numbers swelled by new recruits from Baal, this armour become a physical link to Terra.



Most of you will remember my original Aquailante Faustino. Unfortunately on his first outing in game he lost his life. I roll on a chart after each game and I need to roll a double one for characters to permenantly die (they otherwise suffer minuses to their characteristics, or if successful in their mission have the chance to gain additional abilities). First Aquilante died, then his successor (in personal combat to Angron no less) and a third who barely had time to don the black before his head was taken by a World Eater Warlord. 

It felt wrong to keep using the same miniature, so, reluctantly, I replaced the head and the weapon. I magnetised the old helmet to use in Zone Mortalis or zero gravity actions. 



Thursday, 20 April 2017







Dynameis terminator squad.  

The vaunted Dynameis formed the shock core of boarding actions of the 33rd assault division sequestered to Belarius' command. Specialising in zone mortalis actions, the Dynameis were recorded to have fought in the Sol System at the time of the siege. Infamously the surviving members formed [REDACTED]. 

My first batch of terminators are now complete. After reading the rules for Blood Angels I doubt these will see much action in games of 3k points of lower but they make perfect members of a Zone Mortalis force. The models themselves are created from the Emperor's Children Phoenix Terminatos and the Cataphractii resin kit. 

Thursday, 30 March 2017




Mysteries abound in the Age of Darkness. So many personnel files consigned to magenta level secrecy codes, wholesale data purging during our current age, and so much simply left unrecorded in the desolation of the Empire in deep space. 

The origins of the Epistolary ['Revelation'] is an enigma in a time of fractured truths. A minor figure in the Heresy his later involvement in the fall of Gairados and similarities between the Auric Tyrant has made him a figure of interest to Inquisition kill claves.  

Explorator fleet 133 took possession of the somnolent 'Revelation' in the aftermath of the Taakan Reeva campign. The 344th Iron Hands exploratory fleet encountered a dead Hulk, or more accurately several dead space craft of unknown and imperial origin orbiting one another in installer space. A Blood Angel strike cruiser was found admits the wreckage, containing several dozen life support sarcophagi unique to the IXth. 

It is unclear whether this is a Libraian of the IXth, his embellished armour reflecting some Word Bearer iconography. It is known that he served alongside the 133rd and survived the Siege, later galvanising shattered traitor elements...[REDACTED]...








This is the librarian of my burgeoning Blood Angel Heresy collection. It's starting to look somewhat like an army now! From the outset I knew I wanted a Librarian for my force. The Blood Angels were one of the founding Legions of the Librarius program (indeed, it turns out much of the initial lore used to teach the legions Librarians was gleaned from the repositories of Baal - see Inferno). 

I did however want something different from the usual blue armoured marines. In this time, to wield psychic powers was in direct violation of the Edict of Nikkea. I wanted this Librarian to look like the choice to wield his powers again had cost him. It made sense to me to include a recidivist element within the make up of the miniature. I used Erebus as the base - the images of purgatory, books hinting at forbidden knowledge and the sculpt made it a perfect for what I wanted. 

I went with a singular paint scheme in mind - I wanted this to be an old, faded, desaturated gold with patina streaks for tears. I feel the I've had to sacrifice the readability of the model somewhat to generate atmosphere. In the end it looked like a Klimt painted by Egon Schiele - something I'm immensely proud of. 

The back story of this guy evolved from the conversion. His armour didn't always look like this. During a vicious space battle, his strike cruiser was rendered inoperative, so the Blood Angels do what space vampires do and retired to their sarcophagi (early fluff taken from Angels of Darkness). During the decades in the void, the Librarian's latent, subconcious powers empelled him to prey on his brothers, dreaming their dreams, borrowing into their souls. In a kind of weird psychic vampirism,  he killed them to sustain himself. His armour is a warped reflection of the Purgatory he has made for  himself. The revelations of his kinsmen scratched into his armour in Angelic script. 

I imagine this character would survive the Siege and go on to found some kind of Astartes Death Cult, rounding shattered elements of any legion who would follow his banner. 

Would you like to convert something like this?


Friday, 3 February 2017










Alleluia! May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,
Alleluia. The Choir of Saints have found the well-spring of life and door of Paradise,
Alleluia. Weeping at the grave creates the song: Alleluia. 
Come, enjoy rewards and crowns I have prepared for you.

Pre Untiy song, unknown. 








This is the project I worked on over the Christmas break. I knew unless I painted it then, I wouldn't have another long stretch off my work load until next year. The inspiration for this piece came from Master of Mankind, an offhand comment by the Bringer of Sorrows to Arkan Land describes Baal's culture resembling that of the Holy Roman Empire. Little details like this provide a context to explore the artwork and develop pieces like this.

Those large open space on the carapace cried out for some form of freehand and mapping it proved to be troublesome. Lots of time was spent just getting the proportions right to begin the paint work.

Enjoy the weekender guys! See you there.

Wednesday, 1 February 2017




Anyone else getting really jacked up for the Horus Heresy weekender?


Limited Edition Primus Medicae Blood Angel Commission - This white was built up from a khaki base coat, working up through the whites, then shaded with a cool grey. White doesn't have to just be white and black, try adding blues and yellows into the mixture and see what you can produce. 

Wednesday, 4 January 2017







[Pict_Render: Seige of Terra]

I've been saving that base for a special project. From the very outset I wanted this force to be based in the final days the siege of Terra, when the air is thick with the dust of uncounted statues shattered by artillery. The black was highlighted with bone colours rather than pure black and white and the red was created using this tutorial.

As with my other Blood Angels, I do no consider this complete as I am waiting for Forgeworld to release their decal sheet. 

If you would like to learn how to paint this miniature why not sign up to the online tutorial service? 


ONLINE MASTERCLASS TUITION 

Monday, 28 November 2016


The Cataphractii Pattern was amongst the first Terminator armour issued, and suits of this type were even more heavily protected than their contemporaries. Slab-like ceramite pauldrons housed additional shield generators, although this formidable protection came at the cost of the wearer’s speed, and the trade between agility and survivability meant that this pattern was beginning to decline among some Legions at the outbreak of the Heresy.

Paints used: Vallejo, Reaper Master Series, Games Workshop Washes, Com Art Medea Airbrush Airbrush: Iwata Hi-Line HP-CH Airbrush Paint Brushes: Rosemary & Co. Raphael 8040, Broken Toad Brushes, Windsor and Newton Series 7

Saturday, 26 November 2016



The Tartaros pattern is arguably the most advanced form of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, and shares many systems with the MkIV ‘Maximus’ power armour. It provides greater mobility for its wearer than other patterns, with no loss in durability or protection; this has led to great demand for the Tartaros pattern and means that it is particularly commonplace amongst the Legiones Astartes.




Paints used: Vallejo, Reaper Master Series, Games Workshop Washes, Com Art Medea Airbrush Airbrush: Iwata Hi-Line HP-CH Airbrush Paint Brushes: Rosemary & Co. Raphael 8040, Broken Toad Brushes, Windsor and Newton Series 7