Rotstalker II

It certainly seems I´ve got my hobby mojo back! Haven´t been this productive in a long time, and though much of this creative energy is focused on the slowly expanding primaris astartes force there´s a back log of finished or semi finished conversions that also deserve some attention.

For example this rotstalker for my long gestating plagueborg gang who´s been sitting on my desk for at least a year. This weekend I finally found the inspiration to give it a lick of paint.

Here he is with his counterpart, painted two years ago. No1 is among my favourite models so it´s hard to beat. But, while Rotstalker no2 isn´t perhaps quite as effective an conversion as the first one, I do like his creepy withered tiny arm...

The plan is to field these guys in the Tor Meggido game in october. The minis has been produced a model here and a model there over a period of about four years but I find them surprisingly cohesive despite of this. Guess my style hasn´t changed that much.

Reiving and pillaging

The first rievier squad is done! Had a go at batchpainting the last three but to be honest I think it´s more time effective to paint them individually as I find working on several models at the same time so abysmally tedious...

Oh well - this small army is now up to ten models with more on the way!

I´ve also started work on a Deathwatch lieutenant - I´ll have a few of these guys in the army as the idea is that the Metatron has extremely close ties with the Ordo Xenos and virtually all of the chapters veterans has served in the Deathwatch. Some are allowed to retain their armour and equipment when they go back to the home chapter.

Last but not least (though somewhat vertically challenged compared to the primarines) is a hardy squat warrior I threw together for my long gestating band of mercenaries. He´s based on one of the new Duardin Overlords with a headswap and armed with a Phobos pattern bolter - incidentally my favourite bolter design.

Really like how this crew is shaping up - there´s something no-nonsense and down to earth about these guys.

Sarge!

A determined sergeant joins the reiver squad.

He came out fine but I like the first reiver better for some reason. Might be the mask. Oh well... 

Anyway - three to go for a full squad. Having a go at batch painting them this time. Well see how that goes - I do not enjoy batch painting...

Astartes in colores

As promised, here some technicolor shots of the first Metatron squad!

But that's not all - I've also finished my first reiver.

These guys are amazing up close. Love 'em. They're just so quintessentially "Goodwinesque" - a bit like the original 90s assassins. He simply screamed out for a black paintscheme so black it had to be (kept the Metatron grey on the knee and right shoulderpad though).

I converted the boltpistol somewhat to make the profile sleeker, but it's still the only thing about the design I don't quite like. Might replace them with standard bolt pistols on the other guys.

First astartes squad done

Well, that took a little more time than expected. In part this was due to a rather severe cut in my left thumb, incurred while trying to work with the awful, abominable, rock hard, probably adamantium laced plastic that makes up GWs scenic base kits. Hobby models really shouldn't need diamond tipped instruments to cut them. 

Anyway, now I've finished the first squad for my Metatron chapter. None of the photos I took last night came out the way I wanted them to, so you'll have to make do with a monochrome sneak peak for now. I'll be back with technicolour pics soon.