40k on a Budget

As many of you know, Warhammer is an expensive hobby.  In an attempt to field more models and save my wallet I did some research on converting the Land Speeder Storm scouts into usable models. I found some great examples online and decided to give the conversion a go. 

Here are two of the basic conversions.  The only thing I had to do for these models was separate the torsos from the original legs, shape them to fit onto the regular scout legs and glue.  I had previously purchased five scout legs on Ebay for about $4.00 with shipping, they came in handy with these two models.

This model was also extremely easy.  The only conversion I did here was carve out the hand in order to have the scout hold the combat blade.  The model was already in this pose, I just stuck a Tyranid skull under his foot. Simply done but the model looks great.

The picture is a little blurry but this is the Heavy Bolter gunner seat model.  I wanted to be able to use him as both a Heavy Bolter wielding scout and have him sit the gunner seat in the Land Speeder Storm.  I accomplished this with a lot of green stuff and some magnets.  The model can be removed from the base and seated in the Land Speeder Storm.

Here is a shot of the base from underneath.  I cut out a hole in the base, attached another piece of a base above the hole and green stuffed a rare earth magnet inside.  It looks a mess, but it works.

The model has a piece of a strip magnet glued to his foot.  I shaped it a little bit to try to give it a look that will blend well with the base.  Now the scout can be attached to and removed from the base.

Here is a shot of the scout from behind.  The magnet on his foot blends with the effect of the base fairly well.  Once painted it should look like he is squatting on a raised mound of earth.

Lastly we have the Scout Sergeant.  The pose is unaltered.  I glued a pair of binoculars in his had and threw a Boltgun on his back.  I didn't like the way the Boltgun looked just stuck to his back.  I decided he needed a sling.  As you could see in the green stuff mess above there is no way I could make a sling for the Sergeant on my own.  I had to enlist the help of The Liz.  She painstakingly molded the sling out of green stuff and attached it to the model.  A big thanks to The Liz.

Here are some shots from various angles to show some of the detail The Liz put into the sling.

I did not alter the pilot model.  Someone needs to fly the thing.  A box of regular scouts costs about $25.00.  All in all I figure I saved about $20.00 by doing the conversion.  I'm really happy with the way the scouts turned out.  I will post some pics when I actually paint them and glue on their arms.  Until then I'd love to hear your comments and critiques. 

-Talagand

Paint and Runes

Here are some pictures of my work thus far. I tried to get good shots of a few models with rune work.


Here is a Rhino. Its still sporting the Dwarf Bronze Aquila from my old scheme. The scroll on the front is written in Angerthas Moria. The letters represent the name "Durin" who was one of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. This is where it gets really nerdy as I plan to name all my vehicles for Tolkien characters.

Here is another example of some of my rune work. This is a Black Reach Terminator. He correctly displays my current paint scheme of Regal Blue, Ultramarines Blue, and Boltgun Metal, though, he is still incomplete. The rune letters here represent the word "ruin".  The inspiration for this comes from the book The Return of the King when the great battering ram Grond is being described it is said that "on it spells of ruin lay".  Rune spells on weapons will be a reoccurring theme with my army.



Here is a shot of a Scout Sergeant. I just wanted to show off the urban camo styled cloak. From this cloak I decided that I'm going to do the pants and sleeves on my scout models in the same pattern. I haven't done so yet, so I have no idea if I will like the way it looks, but I will post pictures regardless.









This is just a brief look at the paint scheme and rune work. I will post more as I continue to paint and actually finish off some models. I'd love to hear your comments and critiques.

Thanks,
Talagand

Founding a Chapter

When I began playing Warhammer 40k I decided that I would play Space Marines. I knew little to nothing about the lore of the 41st millennium or about individual Space Marine chapters. I started painting my army Regal Blue, Ultramarines Blue, and Dwarf Bronze for the trim. I later changed the scheme from Dwarf Bronze to Boltgun Metal. I had though of changing my army over to a preexisting chapter, but I had already committed to my paint scheme so I decided that I would continue and found my own Space Marine chapter.

After much thought and a little research I settled on the name "Rune Bearers". Originally I mused with names like "The Faithful" trying to capture that zealous aspect of Space Marine lore. I even thought up "The Word Bearers" only to discover it already existed as a traitor chapter. I had already begun using rune letters to decorate my models so I decided I should capture that idea and develop it further. The runic alphabet I use comes form the works of J.R.R Tolkien. I marry both my love of Tolkien and 40k in my concept for this chapter.

The most challenging aspect of creating a chapter so far has been designing a chapter symbol. Transfer sheets included with just about every set of models are a huge advantage for decorating your models accordingly. As I don't have that luxury I'm stuck at the moment, though I have a talented friend who pledged to help.

I will post some pictures of my work, though I don't consider anything to be complete.

Glory to the Emperor,
Talagand