Deathwatch Space Marine - Captain and Spartan - Done!

Hello All! Another week, further additions to the Deathwatch force! This week sees the addition of a Terminator Captain and a Spartan Land Raider!

Captain

This Character I've had for a while - this was one of the limited edition runs with a chaplain (soon to be done also). The model has had the same scheme as all the other Deathwatch Space Marines with details picked out. I've added a U for the Ultramarines.

Spartan Land Raider

Firstly - I love this kit! I did a basic paint/wash for the interior then painted the tank as per the normal. I had the tracks as a separate part which made it so much easier. I've gone for the Heavy Bolters, as per the Spartan rules for 40K - I may add a second one with Lascannons as an addition to the Quad-Lascannon sponsons.

 

Happy with the results! LH  (20pts)

Spartember - Relictors Relic Spartan Heavy Assault Tank

Howdy All, thanks for clicking and having a look-see. So, after a few torturous weeks of track link hell, I managed to pull the Spartember challenge out of the bag! Albeit, right up to the line, I messaged Turkadactyl at 1hr to midnight on Sept 30th that I had just the green power cables of the left sponson left to go! Ha Ha - finished at 23:55 with only spray varnishing and photographing to do the next day.

Firstly, I'd like to thank Turkadactyl and NafNaf for putting together this hobby challenge and inviting other bloggers, through our mutual support and encouragement I feel we get more done and I have a fine Spartan that would have otherwise stayed languishing in the pile of To-Do for another few years... and I would consider them both Blogger Buddies :)

So on to my latest addition to the rather huge Relictors Battle Company transport pool, a Relic Spartan Assault Tank. This was scavenged from the battlefields of Thetus VI, a long lost Dark Angels Spartan, restored and sanctified by the Relictor Techmarines and passed through the Rites of Colour with some of the Heresy Era Dark Angels livery restored out of respect to their fore-bearers - Relictors are gene-breed from Dark Angel and Ultramarine geneseed.

From the front you'd be forgiven thinking it was a Heresy DA tank still, but the bone colour muzzles and grey shielded targeters hint to something else. The skull emblem is what I use for the Relictors Chapter Badge throughout their build, my freehand was not up to doing a side skull in 2009.

Only from the sides the true Relictor qualities start to show, the familiar Relictor Grey (Army Painter Uniform Grey/Codex Grey/Dawnstone washed Nuln Oil and highlighted Administratum Grey). I drybrushed the tracks last with Leadbelcher, Mournfang Brown and Agrax Wash stippled. The black areas were drybrushed Eshin Grey and Dawnstone.

The normal white Relictors badge was replaced with the black version from the FW SM Decal Sheet to link the black sections with the sides. The numeral 5 shows this vehicle is attached to the 5th Battle Company, the Company codex colour is also Black.

A rear shot showing the mighty engine reactor and exhaust towers. Every Space Marine backpack has two lights/sensors/nodes behind the head, I have always painted these red and blue, so the to sensors on the bottom of the engine got the same treatment, this is a nice addition to the tank, to link again to the force. I painted the exhaust stacks separately and attached once painted.

The hard work I went through with all the tracks really paid off and they look great IMHO. I am very pleased with my results. This is a great addition to my Relictors Armour pool, speaking of which...

Here are my Land Raider heavy support tanks and the Spartan - a nice dose of Heresy-Era relic to the motor pool. Thanks for following my Spartember progress and thanks for dropping in. Cheers, Siph.

Now i'm free to start my Dreadtober Dreadnought hobby challenge :)

Spartember - Week 4 - Finally Making Progress

Hi All, thanks for dropping by to check up on my progress. So, it seems like I am at where NafNaf and Turkadactyl were on Week 2... so I finally got the track units fitted and shaped.

I am rather pleased with my labourious endeavours, a seamless track on both units, so glad I took the time to trim and fit over and over again.

I've left off the exhaust towers so I can paint separately and get them weathered nicely before adding to the engine unit.

Then came the fitting of the sides to the hull, looking at Turkadactyl's efforts, I took the tip and made sure the track units fitted and were parallel, before clamping in several places to ensure a tight fit. I roughed up the adjoining surfaces to provide a better bond.

And the next day I had the fruits of several frustrating weeks, a solid straight tracked Spartan!

Next up was the start of the Rites of Colour, as this is a Relic Spartan, I decided not to spray completely Relictor Grey, I fancy a two tone Black and Grey scheme, so the outside of the track units were masked off and sprayed Grey, the main body will be black and I'll drybrush the tracks. I am thinking of painting the Aquila Red, to symbolise that the tank was once 1st Legion Dark Angels Black and Red colours, adapted by the Relictor Techmarines when recommissioning the long lost relic (Relictors were founded from DA and UM geneseed).

So, good progress has been made, I am happy if this is as far as I get with Spartember, it's built(!) but progress will continue this week, I've still a few days of Spartember left!

My fellow Techmarines progress is also continuing:

Kharybdiss is advancing with his Salamanders Typhon, it's looking great, metallics down and just looks like details to do.

Turkadactyl has his first Carcharadon Greys down and is advancing with his scheme too. Looking great!

Thutmos has also advanced some of his scheme for his Typhon but progress slowed due to visiting AdMech emissaries visiting the Forge.

NafNaf is lost to the warp - his Navigators are struggling with the Warp Storms created by the rift, so will report back when able. In the meantime, the forces of Space Wolves are amassing for Dreadtober perhaps?

Thanks for dropping in, more progress soon I hope. Cheers for looking, Siph.

Spartember - End of Week 3 - Tracks Nearly Derail My Progress

Hi All, thanks for dropping in. So, tracks progress... yes. What a git. Every piece needs filing both ends, a few mm here and there just to have them fit. The track links on each piece need reducing in size, snipping and filing a few mm...

This is the front top link, it needed a little chopping and bending and clamping into place.

And the other end of each piece has the same treatment, a few mm removed by removing a little from where it is not seen.

This is the difference a few mm makes, the top picture is before, the bottom once adjusted and fits...

And then the obligatory elastic bands to hold the tracks in place whilst they bond.

I did a little more on the main body, Engine Block and Exhausts now in place.

And onto the next few track pieces - each one of twelve needing a minor adjustment or two... what a complete pain in the butt. But, getting there!

This is the problem, without the trimming and snipping, the tracks are just too long for the vehicle hull, maybe mould shrinkage in the larger hull pieces or incorrect design? Either way, I'm glad the newer kit has addressed this error and the tracks now come already moulded in place. I'll be glad when finished!

And another four end links trimmed to fit, the single link was attached to the angled piece, but with careful hobby saw and trimming, it will be the final link to be put in place! As this is on the rear of the tracks, it will not be immediately noticed, only under careful examination of every track link can you see the smaller narrower links, by spreading the error along the entire length of track, its far less noticeable.

Wish me luck, thanks for checking my progress out. Cheers, Siph.

Spartember - Week 3 - Construction Forges Ahead

So after a period lost in the Warp, this past week has seen some progress in Spartember, the Spartan Heavy Assault Transport build. I had previously trimmed 2/3 of the vents, so I got back to speed, preparing the bits and gave them a good soak and scrub to remove the mould release agent.

I checked all the bits were there, somehow I mislaid a sponson armoured cowling, so I will leave off the other side, just a small rounded plate hidden against the sponson and tank side - not a great loss.

Now the hardest part - this was a frustrating and painful half an hour of holding and squeezing and dropping and glue on fingers - why oh why! I'm an experienced FW builder, but this has to posively be the worst construction ever! Not sure if it was my very slippery 2-part epoxy resin or the fact that the pieces just wouldn't stay in one place as I maneuvered to put the doors in place...

Eventually after much cursing, the body superstructure was elastic banded and clamp-fested! Hopefully it dries in place and solid.... time will tell.

Using 'normal' superglue, I fixed the sponsons together, a little heat bending of power cables was needed but relatively simple.

And then the fact that this is an OLD kit, the tracks - I started to fix the tracks in place, using a tip from my good Blogger Buddy Mordian7th, started on the top and will work around, this will be a slow process, but slow and steady wins the race - 24hrs drying time for each piece. I'm on piece three of 12.

My fellow Techmarines progress continues:

Turkadacytl has forged ahead to the undercoating stage! Brilliant work, can't wait to see this getting its grey Carcharadons colours.

Temple of Thutmos has applied his reds for the Red Corsairs and metallics, the tracks and weathering will be next.

NafNaf at Objective Secured is lost to the warp this week, and no Tech reports have been filled with the data scribes, but he is still ahead of me! Darn those pre-fabricated tracks!

Kharybdiss is also lost to the warp this week, but the Astropaths sense progress continues slowly.

Thanks for dropping in and checking the progress out. Cheers, Siph.