XX. The Emperor Protects

What's better than one guard? Two guards!

I had a few weeks where my job took all the energy and concentration I had, but summer is here and I'm back at my hobby desk.

The second guard was originally going to have a visible face, just like the first one. I even made a head for him but scrapped it after I decided it wasn't up to scratch. Then I hit on the idea that the heads from the Sicarian Ruststalkers would made good Mechanicum issue gas masks.

Other than the different head, he was made in the same way as the first Household Guard; a Solar Auxilia lasrifleman as a base, backpack from a Forge World Chaos Renegade and lots of greenstuff.

As always apologies for the terrible photography, thanks for looking and your comments are massively appreciated.

XIV. Broken Things

Jaysha Kree is the personal Astropath to Magos Kalindra, mistress of the Mechanicum contingent aboard the Euripides. A telepath of extraordinary talent apparently, but the Soul Binding took an awful toll on her young body. It left her broken, but did not kill her and the Mechanicum took her did what they could. I've seen tech adepts with whole new bodies of brass and steel, but Jaysha refused to give up so much of her humanity: instead her shattered form is kept alive by Kalindra's machines.

~J

It's been a long time since I picked up a brush. March is the busiest time of the year for me at work, and that, followed by a couple of weeks of flu has kept me away from my minis.

Now with work easing off and the flu gone (apart from a lingering cough), I've had time to finish a mini I started a long time ago now.

Thanks for taking the time to look.

XIII. The Medusan

Legionary Azuhk has joined the Immortals. The gloom that has enveloped the Astartes lies heaviest on him and, despite all protestations, Azuhk is convinced he has failed his Primarch.

"I will find redemption in killing the traitors", he told me. I hope the Emperor watches over him.

~J

Finished and I'm very happy with how he's turned out. I'd love to say he will be the first of many, but more likely he'll be the first of a few.

And because size does matter, here's a couple of scale shots;

XI. The Solar Auxilia

I freely admit that I have a problem when it comes to sticking at a task. I'm just too easily distracted. So, I broke off from working on my art scale Astartes to finish painting my first Solar Auxilia.

I bought these chaps on a whim because I loved the sculpts so much, I'm not trying to build an army here, so it may take me a very long time to get round to painting all twenty of them. However, they may also turn out to be a nice change of pace whenever I want to take a short break from converting. It could be good to just have a few miniatures which I build straight out of the box, as it were.

So, this one is a colour test, using the same restricted palette as I intend to use throughout the crew of the Euripides. Hopefully I can keep a unified look without it all merging into one murky mess.

X The Colour of Iron

I know some people like to see work in progress photos, so here is the Astartes in his current form. All dark and grubby and awaiting ... well pretty much everything.

I've developed a painting style which could best be summed up as, slapping it on and hoping for the best. Like my first attempt at an Iron Hand Astartes, I'm avoiding painting him black. I'd rather suggest black using shades of slate grey. This time I've added some brown in some of the recesses to add interest and warm him up a little. This Iron Hand is going a bit rusty, I think.

A long way still to go to finish him.