Pre Heresy Alpha Legion

[LittleMen]

I don't post on here much, but I've been checking out a lot of nice Pre Heresy armies on here lately so I figured I would share some of the army I'm working on.

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More stuff here, if you are interested:
http://marcraleyminiatures.blogspot.com/

[interrogator_chaplain]

Top notch work! The weathering is excellent!

[JxKxR]

I love it! I love it so much.

[Darren Richardson]

Top notch work! The weathering is excellent!

I second this, your weathering work though heavy, is one of the most relisticly natural looking jobs I have seen in a looong time...

Your tanks look just like they would in real life having been through a long protracted campaign....

[LittleMen]

Thanks guys, I'll post some more photos when I'm further along.

[Fizzybubela]

The First Expedition calls for you...

[Colin Graham]

fantastic. the color combination of blue and rust is perfect. the best i've seen in quite a while and on all the models. Impressive

[Terrainosaur]

Truly superior paint job.

[phil035]

looks great but I wish the aurthers would get it into their heads and tell us for curtain what colour they are some say blue some say purple

[Pro_b0]

Amazing work, I really like that there are almost no unit or legion markings!

[Meph]

While the weathering technique is very well done, I do get the feeling it' over-done by a ton. That much rust you'd expect to see from Nurgle, or from discarded wargear left to rot somewhere but from pre-heresy marines? Even when roughed up after a very long campaign, rust wouldn't really be that prevalent in èvery nook & cranny. Chipped paint, dents, soot, discolourations for sure but rust really represents a neglegt in even the most basic maintenance and use. In short, it doesn't look very realistic or plausible. Any military person leaving his gear that neglected would surely get chastised.
Just my two cents, because otherwise you've done a kickass job.

[Psychosplodge]

looks great but I wish the authors would get it into their heads and tell us for curtain what colour they are some say blue some say purple

I think thats the point...

[Gordon J Ives]

i dunno if its something i cant ask, but is there anyway you can teach how you do this type of weathering. rusting....its amazing... thanks and keep up the epic work!

[Darren Richardson]

....That much rust you'd expect to see from Nurgle, or from discarded wargear left to rot somewhere but from pre-heresy marines? .....

I don't know, it depends on what atomosphere they've been fighting in, I expect the air on a forgeworld or mining world for instance would be very corrosive....

[Deadlift]

I think they look fantastic, I love the colour theory with the weathering and how it complements the blue paint work. Job well done and something to be proud of.

[LittleMen]

Deadlift,
Thanks for the kind words. I guess there is something too that whole complimentary color business.

Gordon,
Thank you, most of these techniques are pretty easy once you get the hang of them. Much easier on the eyes than all the layering with a brush that I usually do on figures.

For paint chips:
1. Airbrush on the color you want the chips to be. (dark brown, in my case)
2. Use a little piece of ripped up foam rubber or green scotch-brite scrubby sponge to stipple on liquid masking fluid (available from Dick Blick) wherever you want the chips.
3. Airbrush base coat.
4. Use Eraser, fingers and moistend Q-Tip, to rub off the liquid mask, revealing the chips in the base color.
5. Then come back and add a few more small chips by stipping on chip color (dark brown) paint with a scotch-brite pad. I usually also add a few with a small brush when the sponge doesn't put them where I want them.

If you want, you can skip the whole liquid masking fluid technique and just dab on paint with the sponge/foam rubber. I just prefer the look you get with the liquid mask, at least for big chips on vehicles. Also Google the "salt chipping technique" and the "hairspray chipping technique" for other methods of geting a chipped look.

Washes:
For this army I did a "pin wash" of AK interactive Track Wash and Light Rust Wash. These are pre-mixed oil based washes, but you can make similar ones out of tube oils and mineral spirits (white spirits in UK).

1. Use a small brush with a good point(1 or 2?) and let the wash flow into all of the recesses, around rivets, in panel lines etc. Be as sloppy as you like. No, really.
2. Let dry for 20 minutes or so.
3. Come back with a brush or q-tip (I mostly use q-tips) dipped lightly in mineral spirits and wipe of all the excess wash. I go through many q-tips doing this. Use brush to get in tight areas as needed.

Aternatively, make a wash out of Gouache and water, wait for it to dry and then clean it up with water. Less stinky this way. Make sure you seal your acrylic basecoat with water before you go applying the gouache and wiping it off with a wet q-tip.

Powdered Pigments:
The rusty (some might say too rusty) look of this army comes from Secret Weapon's Terracotta powdered pigment.
1. I use a brush to apply the powder liberally into the cracks and crevices. On this project, with this pigment, I just brushed it on dry.
2. Next I take a big brush and brush off the excess. (hold your model over a cardboard box while you do all of this.)
3. Finally, I come back with moist q-tips and rub the pigment off the high points, center of panels, etc. Anywhere I don't want it.
4. I also used some raw umber and Fuller's earth (dust color), especially on the feet/treads.
5. If you want, you can experiment with VERY light mists of matte varnish to seal it all on.

You can obviously use a lot less pigment to get a less dramatic effect if you desire. I went a little crazy because I liked the way it looked. Also note: all powdered pigments behave differently. The Teracotta sticks pretty well to models, others not so much. Applying denatured alcohol to an area first and then brushing on the pigment makes it stick MUCH better, but you don't get quite as soft of a look. I used alcohol to get the black pigment to stick to the exhaust and gun barrels.

Bonus tip: AK interactive or Secret Weapon "Dark Steel" pigment. I'm pretty sure it is just graphite.

1. Base coat (I used dark brown.)
2. Brush on alcohol.
3. Brush on steel pigment.
4. Rub the pigment with finger and/or brush to buff it and make it shine.
5. Rejoice! That stuff is amazing.

You can put washes on top of it and drybrush over it too. The graphite sticks pretty well and is pretty stable.

[Bigred]

Chipped paint, dents, soot, discolourations for sure but rust really represents a neglegt in even the most basic maintenance and use. In short, it doesn't look very realistic or plausible. Any military person leaving his gear that neglected would surely get chastised.


My take is that when you fight the Alpha Legion every last detail is falsehood, designed to deceive. The XXth Legion probably painted on all that fake rust just to mess with their opponents.

I am Alpharius!

[Psychosplodge]

I am Alpharius!

No I'm Sparticus, and so is my wife

[Gatlag Stonetooth]

Wow! Really nice!
Love the weathering even although I might be a bit too much for a non-nurgle army.
Great work!

[Skychaser]

very nice army, paint job is amazing

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

By far the best looking Alpha Legion I've ever seen. I love the weathering especially - can totally imagine they've been fighting a long drawn out war on some backwater overly polluted forge world or something.

[LittleMen]

Made it to 2000 points.
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[LittleMen]

3000 Point Mark:

107041070510706

[Darren Richardson]

Amazing work, that is one great looking legion your building.

[Psychosplodge]

loving the superheavy, but how does it infiltrate? :confused:

[Gwhizz84]

loving the superheavy, but how does it infiltrate? :confused:
Obviously it hides behind a big bush!

[LittleMen]

;)

I alctually can and do infiltrate my Spartan, which is almost as nuts.

[Tyrendian]

also, CREEEEED!!!!!11111
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[MKordas]

Amazing work. You have a great eye for weathering and your style is a nice mix of realism and fantasy.