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  1. #1
    Brother-Sergeant
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    Default Curis' Squats, Space Marines and Rogue Trader

    Eggs on legs! The greatest Warhammer 40,000 miniatures of all time! Chibi Terminators! The most iconic Squat models!

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    Thane Rædwald in Exo-Armour – a tough egg to crack.

    This Exo-Armoured Squat Thane is the first Squat miniature I ever bought for a bargain 60 pence. He’s the nucleus around which my Squat obsession has grown, and has sported several paintjobs down the years. His chainsword arm is taken from a Chaos Squat in Exo-Armour, and is a conversion necessitated by the original owner. I can feel guilty chopping up such rare Exo-Armour components – but you can’t make a omelette without breaking a few eggs.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    Eggs on legs. In this colour scheme, Kinder Eggs on legs.

    The banner is tomato purée foil plus King Kazador’s back banner. When converting Squats I try to keep their components (bases aside) from 1994 or earlier so the sculpting and detailing style match. 1994 marked the release of the last ever Squat model in the from of the Epic Thunderfire Cannon, so everything up until that point I consider fair game for conversions.

    The bases are a tad excessive at 40mm, but I started the squad back in 2012 32mm bases weren’t on the market. Such big bases help them pass for Terminators more easily in games. Plus it means I can build up the bases’ height to allow the Squats to get a little closer to being eye-level with their opponents. As the elite Squat unit it gives them a great presence in the army.


    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    The hard-boiled Rædwald and his retinue supporting Strifemaster Borun.

    I’ve modelled the squad with a multi-melta, which feels the most Squatty of all the heavy weapons. It’s also a commonly enough available component from the Rogue Trader era to be chopped up guilt-free.

    Lots more Squats coming soon!
    Last edited by Curis; 02-20-2018 at 09:44 AM.
    My miniatures blog: www.ninjabread.co.uk

  2. #2

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    I love these!

    I saw them some photos of a bat rep some time ago and I love your color scheme.
    Visit my war gaming blog at: lookoutsir.blogspot.com

  3. #3
    Brother-Sergeant
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    Default

    This is one of my Golden Demon entries – Sergeant Rophocalas of the Blood Angels chapter. He was entered into the Staff Category at Golden Demon Space Marines back in 2015.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    Sergeant Rophocalas with Breacher Squad Aceldamus during a boarding action on the Space Hulk Dies Inproba Apollonis.

    Sergeant Rophocalas is the event-exclusive Mark III Boarding Marine from Forge World. He’s had a head-swap with a Forge World Legion Preator so I had the opportunity to paint some flesh. I also built a step-style base out of Necromunda bulhead and Zone Mortalis fittings to help draw the eye up the model.

    I really enjoy painting limited edition figures. I feel they’re intrinsically more valuable than their mass-produced counterparts. My enthusiasm for limited editions is more likely to last for the scores of hours that it takes to paint models to a high competition standard, so it’s a great completion strategy. And, at the end of the day you have a extra-special piece with an extra-special paintjob

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    There’s a number of techniques on this Blood Angel I don’t normally do on my gaming miniature. My standard Space Marines are largely flat block colours on their panels as I’m painting them (at least theoretically) for gaming. But on Rophocalas I wanted to push my blending and transitions. His red armour has has smooth transition from dark to mid red. Areas like the silver on his combi-bolter and the gold aquila on his shield are done is a non-metallic metal style.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    I didn’t nail the standard or style to be a Golden Demon winner, but I got closer than I’d been previously. I wince a little bit looking at parts of this entry now – but I learned a lot and stretched myself. It wasn’t the best Space Marine in the Golden Demon cabinets that day, but it was the best Space Marine I’d done up to that point.
    My miniatures blog: www.ninjabread.co.uk

  4. #4
    Brother-Sergeant
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    Default

    Hi! I thought I'd collect together all my painted Space Marines into a single thread. I really jump around and like the vintage Rogue Trader models as much as the recent Primaris.

    To start off with, Lord Calgar of the Ultramarines.

    The day school broke up for Christmas when I was thirteen was also the day I got my teenage nerd-mitts on two legends of the Warhammer 40,000 mythos – Marneus Calgar and Leman Russ. As an adult, both vignette pieces still give me such an intense festive tingle that I want to repaint them and have them in my cabinet. First up, Imperial Commander Marneus Calgar.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    Marneus’ components stripped and based up individually for ease of painting.[/i]


    There are two sources for colour schemes – the first is the original studio paintjob, now in the collection of Bryan Ansell. It stood out from the rest of the 40K range at the time because the figure was not in a battlefield setting – Marneus is sat on a throne with the Ultramarines motto “Our presence remakes the past”, ceremonial cloak and honour guard behind him. (Not that that stopped teenage Curis using him in a battlefield setting – there were lots of games with increasingly desperate conceits why the Ultramarines had brought furniture to war.)

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    Thanks to Steve Casey for permission to use his photo.[/i]

    The second source is the Dave Gallagher painting used as a frontispiece in the 1988 Warhammer 40,000 Compendium. Sadly Dave’s choice of black-and-white floor tiles make it look like Marneus is on the toilet, which is further reinforced by the sheet of toilet paper he’s holding.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    “Lord Macragge? More like Lord Macrapping!”[/i]


    Tantalisingly White Dwarf announced Marneus “…is the first in a planned series of specially sculpted vignette releases for WARHAMMER 40,000…”. Tantalising as there could have been dozens of these figures to collect and love. The second and final was Leman Russ. I reckon there was also a Imperial Commander Nisk Ranthawll being dressed in experimental armour planned. That’s an idea for a future modelling project.
    So, anyway, drawing on both I blocked out the base colours. I went for quite a tight rendition of the Dave Gallagher piece, with blue chest cabling and Mordian Blue plate. I started with the bolter and the cloak so I could reward myself at the end with the actual character model. I added a Mk 6 plastic backpack as, although the studio example doesn’t have one, there is an attachment nub.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url][/i]

    Calgar’s base took a little thought. I made a set of stone flags, using the tops of 25mm square bases (who needs them now we’ve got Age of Sigmar). Then the first thing I tried was painting them cold grey stone.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url][/i]

    It didn’t work. The blue armour blends in with the grey base. Then, I remembered the Forge World Roboute Guilliman and his polished marble base. It screamed quasi-classical. How very Ultramarine. I got the marble recipe from a helpful peep at the Forge World store.

    [center][url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url]

    I hammed up the veins more than I would if I were painting the modern Roboute – it felt more in keeping with the pudginess of the 1980s sculpt. Everything about the older models is a bit more cartoony than their 21st century descendents.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url][/i]

    Additionally, he made it into the 30th Anniversary of Space Marines issue of White Dwarf! Sadly I wasn’t credited with the paintjob, but I’m happy with readers assuming it’s a ‘Eavy Metal paintjob like the other two Marneuses/Marneuī on the page.

    [url=http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/][/url][/i]

    Now, let’s see if I can give Leman Russ the same treatment this Christmas.
    My miniatures blog: www.ninjabread.co.uk

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