I would be required to use a standard 5-man Space Hulk Terminator squad comprising 1 Sergeant, 3 Terminators with storm bolters and 1 Terminator with a heavy flamer. I wanted to try and put together a proxy unit rather than run with standard Terminators, so I rooted through my boxes and found some unloved Limited Edition LE10 Power Armoured Marines sculpted by Bob Naismith. Having already converted and painted one of these as my Rogue Quest Paladin a few years back, I figured a full squad would tick the right boxes.
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| My Rogue Quest Paladin Gondamer Rossal. |
There is limited opportunity to convert the LE10 marines with their closed poses and heavy level of detail. I figured I could keep one unmodified and do a few head changes to vary poses. Adding in a big guy also appealed!
In the group shot above you can see (from left to right) an unmodified trooper, sergeant, Forgeworld Thallax robot, altered pose, and my original figure with his visor removed.
The Forgeworld Thallax is clear a homage to the older sculpt, and was a shoe-in to be part of the unit. The modified trooper (2nd from right) had his helmet cut off and repositioned, as well as his legs twisted. I also later removed his chain blade weapon attachment.
The sergeant had the most attention paid to him. I cut away his right arm and replaced it with the head from an early 3rd edition space marine sergeant. His helmet was removed and replaced with the head from the same space marine. I added the helmet to his belt then sculpted a new collar and arm details.
I gave all four new troopers quick and dirty paint jobs with washes, blister foam weathering and high gloss visors.
I gave the Thallax the same treatment and was pretty pleased that it blends in nicely, in spite of the modern crisp sculpt compared to the soft cruder 1980s figures.
All in all I'm pretty happy with the resulting squad - I think they look suitably mercenary and beaten up - just the kind of crew to go wandering a space hulk in search of a payday!
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| The full crew. |
Bloody excellent.I love the realistic finish and simple paint jobs.
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil! It's actually difficult to paint these guys any other way all the cables and lack of flat smooth surfaces means you've got to batter them up a bit I think!
DeleteReally great work on these Jon!
ReplyDeleteNot an easy mini to repose with their hunched pose and tucked in arms. I really like what you did with them. Your clever conversion choices really paid off :)
Can't wait to see them on the table at BOYL!
Thanks Shane. You're not wrong - they're a pig to repose. The guy looking to his left (rather than his right) involved some clever disguising of the damage to his helmet cables, but I was really pleased with how simply I was able to adjust his legs with some gentle bending.
DeleteThe pointing guy involved rather more hacking to remove his awkward right arm, but I think it paid off!
This is a cracking crew Jon. The things you can do with a single model, a saw and a bit of imagination. More power to your green stuff!
ReplyDeleteThanks Colin! I keep thinking the ideas will dry up, but so far, so good!
DeleteSIKK AF Jon! It's got Aliens written all over it, shoulda made a Newt, or Ripley character.
ReplyDeleteThose are cool ideas - Ripley would certainly be fun. That's where the heavy flamer should come in!
DeleteThese are great. Real gritty hard sci-fi look to them, but still instantly recognisable as 40K. Really nice work.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kym! I really wanted them to have that worn beaten up sci-fi look, rather than full on space Gothic.
DeleteThose look ace.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like them!
DeleteSweet, sweet modeling! I am so envious of your endless supply of old models, yet grateful that you share them with us.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephen! It's not entirely a bottomless well, but I admit I've got a pretty extensive stash of lead :)
DeleteGreat paint chipping effects on the armor.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Just some dark grey paint and a scrap of foam packaging.
DeleteOh, I remember the first guy. I thought that the conversion was ace, but you just took this to another level! It amazes me what you can achieve with the original models!!
ReplyDeleteI always fancied making a squad of them. It's nice to have opportunity to do it!
DeleteI love these. The level of conversion work and thought process is very impressive. It's great to see someone take several of one miniature and make them individual. The colour scheme works very well too, and is excellently done.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lee! It's a challenge sometimes to make variations with just a single model - one I enjoyed with this group though!
DeleteThis is absolutely marvellous! Getting enough of the LE10 to make a whole squad is an achievement in itself! And you've pulled off a repeat of your Custodes where you've span out a single figure into a squad with variety.
ReplyDeleteI've been working towards a squad of these too, though I've painted mine red and will be spinning them as Adeptus Mechanicus proto-Skitarii to be led by the Olley Techpriests and some of the Naismith Robots. So I feel my plans are different enough from yours to not have had my thunder completely stolen.
I really like your addition of the Thallax – I'd have never have thought of rounding out the squad that way.
On the Gondamer Rossal post, you talk about the "removal of the combat blade on the gun", and some of these squaddies are also without their blades. Did you get any of them without blades, as I've got one without one and I was wondering if it was a running change for mould-ripping reasons, or removed by the previous owner.
Thanks Curis. It's really pleasing to be able to create a coherent squad. A few variant poses, or a more open pose on the original would really have helped though!
DeleteProto-skitarii works conceptually for me too - they feel like they're wearing lower tech prototype armour - something that has since been refined.
None of these arrived without the blade - I suspect any that have been removed weren't mould related.
Lovely work man. And now I know where all the LE10s are! Totally worth it.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I don't think I have quite all of them ;)
DeleteGlad you like them.
Goodness that many LE10's in one place! Lovely sight and your conversions are typically amazing mate. Could use this lot in any scifi setting and get away with it.
ReplyDeleteIt took a good few months of hunting to track down a squad. I think you're right, they could work in a bunch of different settings without any problems.
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