Dark Imperium - Novamarines Force

Seventy-one (71) days since the release of the Dark Imperium starter box for Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition, I have finished painting the included Primaris Space Marines in the colors of the Novamarines.

Core of my Novamarines Army

I have enjoyed painting them and still have a few units ahead of me.  As I have discussed before, I am going to add Aggressors, a Repuslor, a Librarian, an Apothecary, and as many as seven (7) additional Primaris to this collection before adding an Imperial Knight to complete the 2,000 pt army.

In Work

I may end up adding a second unit of Interceptors (with Plasma weapons), another unit of Hellblasters (with the heavy Plasma weapons), and bulk out a unit of Intercessors to 10-man.

Close-ups follow.

Hellblasters - 4th Company Novamarines

5 Novamarine Hellblasters

Last week I finished up the five Hellblaster Primaris Marines and one of the Lieutenants out of the new Dark Imperium Warhammer 40,000 Starter Box.

I have been enjoying painting up the Novamarine force.  It is different enough from my Ultrmarines as to include a few challenges, but is obviously still very familiar territory for me hobby-wise.

Same Novamarines, different angle

Fighting for the Fate of Konor

I really like the idea of narrative-focused games.  The summer campaign Games Workshop is running is a perfect excuse to get in games of 8th edition 40k using my core army - the 3rd Company Ultramarines - and my newest army - the 4th Company Novamarines.  This past Sunday, I defended against a Khornate host pushing through a shattered gate on the approaches to the the Quintus Gate on Astaramis.

The right flank in defense of the Quintus Gate

Ruins of Istvaan III

Initial Positions

On Sunday, I played a game of Horus Heresy against a guy new to the area.  He owns a great looking Sons of Horus army.  He soundly won with his Justarian Terminators and Contemptor Dreadnought handling my loyalist World Eaters without much support from the Veteran Tactical Squad.  My Terminators were unable to take down the Contemptor in two rounds of combat, which was disappointing.

Battles out of the Box

On Sunday, my brother and I played two games of eighth edition Warhammer 40,000 using just the miniatures in the Dark Imperium core box.   To keep things simple, we played Open War (the big what you have/want).

Our first game was Annihilation, in which we setup 24 inches apart, with the goal to have the last models on the table.   The game was very much about getting a handle on the rules for the game and two forces.  My brother forgot that Nurgle Resiliency was an army-wide benefit for him for the first two turns, in which I did significant damage to the bulk of his army.

For the second game, we played Hold at All Cost.  I dropped two of my units to be the smaller force attempting to hold the center of the table.  My lack of heavy firepower resulted in my army being destroyed by the top of turn 5.  A few lucky rolls in there and I may have been able to pull off a victory, but to no avail.

M42 - Novamarines

On 17 June, the eighth edition of Warhammer 40,000 was released.  Alongside the release are new "bigger and better" Space Marines - Primaris Space Marines.  The starter box set for the game is an outstanding deal for anyone interested in either the Primaris or new Deathguard models and it includes the big Rulebook.

Instead of painting the Primaris as 3rd Company Ultramrines to fight alongside my existing 3rd Company, I decided to pursue a new Space Marine army.  I will likely add a small detachment of 3rd company Primaris in the future.  The difference gives me a a different scheme to paint.  However, at the same time, I wanted a direct connection back to the Ultramarines, and specifically, my 106th Company of Legion XIII.

In this case, my head cannon is the Novamarines 4th Company trace back their first members to the 106th Company of Legion Ultramarines.  The 4th Company returned to Ultramar and took up the defense of the sub-sectors its forebears defended in the Heresy and fought bravely on the despoiled garden world of Iax.

I will also be attempting to print my own transfers for chapter symbols, hopefully with great effect.

In Process of highlighting

Ancient Mikael - Contemptor Dreadnought

Yesterday, I painted up a slightly modified Betrayal at Calth boxed set Contemptor Dreadnought.  I added three pieces from the now out of print Etched-Brass Ultramarine icons.

The model was straightforward to paint.  I think it was intricate enough to require a paint brush throughout vice the possibility of airbrushing large areas.  My airbrushing skills, confidence, and equipment are not yet ready to take on using it for carapace surrounded by details.

I made up the name Ancient Mikael while writing the post.  But the more I think about it, the more fitting it is.

More images below...

Roboute Guilliman

Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the XIII Legion, Ultarmarines

I completed Roboute Guilliman.

I was incredibly intimidated at the prospect of painting this model.  I was worried about doing justice to the incredible model and the character..

I have been playing Ultramarines for over two decades.  The story of Guilliman in the second edition Codex: Ultramarines appealed to twelve-year-old me.  I had been fascinated by the Roman Republic/Empire and story of Macragge and Guilliman paired right alongside that fascination.  The Horus Heresy material only added to my loyalty to the XIII, its Primarch, and what they represent in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

In my past few weeks of downtime, I have dedicated a few hours each day to painting some of my "back-log" of miniatures, as the past half dozen post show.   After finishing the Suzerains, which are highly detailed and have a lot of similar details to Guilliman, I planned to paint the miniature.

The main body did not present anything particularly new or challenging.  The marble effect was a new challenge for me and took multiple layers and attempts make it close to what I wanted.  I think it came out pretty well, not professional marble, but good.

More images...

Starting a Primarch

This past weekend, I began working on Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the XIII Legion Astrates, the Ultramarines.  Painting a Primarch is a bit intimidating and I wanted to finish the Suzerains (who can serve as his bodyguard) before embarking on the effort.  I am steadily working on the Primarch himself.  Painting the marble of the base will be a new technique and I will probably practice on something else first.

Basing Guilliman

Suzerains Complete

A second update in the same week!

Very High Angle View

Just showing off the completed Suzerains.  I have begun cleaning up Guilliman for assembling and painting.

Closer-Up, Lower Angle

I am steadily working down my backlog of modelling and painting projects.  Partly to make room for new projects in the coming months.

Back to Games Workshop

Suzerains in work

As I finished up models for various other systems and my local community gets excited about the new edition of Warhammer 40,000, I have returned to painting Games Workshop/Forgeworld products.

I am almost complete on the second set of 5 Suzerains for my Horus Heresy Ultramarines.  With the excitement around 40k, I may crash on assembling and painting the Primaris by July for the Fate of Konor Campaign.  In addition, I may look at finally adding long awaited 1st Company Terminators and Veterans units to my 40k Ultramarines.  I anticipate lots of blue in June & July.  I need to paint faster.

Geiers and third Ragnarok

Pair of Geier bombers, Top & Bottom

Over the past week and Saturday morning & evening, I painted up the pair of Geier bombers and my third Ragnarok pocket battleship.  Finishing out these three models completes out all the Danish and Prussian lend-lease ships I have.  I have been playing at least a game of Dystopian Wars each month, which helps with the motivation to paint stuff up.

I still have a few Dystopian Wars models I can paint, 2 or 3 Korsor corvettes and 5 mine markers.  When my brother's Kickstarter box shows up, I will have a box or two of "new" Prussians to field.  I will need to decide if they are actually Prussian, lend-lease, or maybe something else.  I doubt the Danes would sit out a Baltic war, maybe they are working to prevent the British from pushing through the Danish Straits.

Third Ragnarok pocket battleship

 I am now pivoting back to another project, partially inspired by the coming update to 40k.

DRN Dannebrog

Profile of the DRN Dannebrog

 This past Saturday, I spent afternoon painting up the DRN Dannebrog for my Dystopian Wars fleet.  The model is an Scandinavian Teutonic Order Aufseher, which I run as a Gewitterwolke in my Danish fleet.  In the rules (currently) the primary difference between the two is that the an Aufseher brings six small robots to the fight.  In terms of game-play, it is my third large ship and is a great and now striking center piece to my fleet.  I enjoy diving it into the enemy fleet and throwing its broadsides left and right.