Hey 40k lovers, this post is for you. Today I want to take the opertunity to talk about what recent reads have inspired me to my convertions. First novel would be Graham McNeil's "Chapters Due". I have been a fan of all of the Ultramarine novels and Graham is an amasing writer. In Chapters Due, Captain Urial Ventris is encuraged to create a comand squad for the first time in all the serise. This made me reserch the possible efectivness of a Captain and Comand Squad in gamming terms. A unit with multiple load out choices, an Apothicary providing "Feel no Pain" and a Company standard providing extra staying power I saw some apeal. In addition, a Comand squad can be an exelent focal poing for an army display wise. So 4 models kid-bashed together and I have an impressive squad started.
Just after completing Chapters Due and before building my unit I jumped right into my next novel, The Horus Heresy "Age of Darkness". This is another of compiled and edited short storys continuing the epic saga of the Heresy. If you havent started the serise I give you an internet slap in the face as no 40k player should be missing out! There was one short story that made a convertion idea litteraly explode in my head. Written by Rob Sanders "The Iron Within" speaks of the Iron Warriors. As most of us know the Iron Warriors are one of the many Traitor Legions in the Heresy. But also we know from previus novels that not all companys or marines are willing to turn from the Emperor's light. Iron Within tells of one company of loyal Iron Warriors against more of there traitor brothers. Ill stop gving the plot away an give you the quote that germed my creation.
"So" the cleric said, "you hear it for yourself: straight from traitor lips. Our brothers' hearts steeped in warped treason." The rector reached inside the ritch material of his robes. The soft whine of the displacer field - all but imperceptible before- died down through the frequencies, unmasking the priest and revealing his true dimentions. As the cleric lowered his hood the reality about the huge figure fell out of focus for a moment before reassuming a searing clarity. Their minds unclouded, the Schadenholders beheld a brother Space Marine: his ornate plate of the deepest blue. He held a plumed helmet under one arm and an ornate gladius sat in a sheath across his thigh. His surcoat robes hung from resplendant flourishes of his artificer armour, with battle hounors and commendations dripping from his glorious plate. The symble on his right sholder identified him as an Ultramarine; the bejewelled Lrux Areas Crafted into his left as Legionary Champion, Tetrarch of Ultramar and Hounor Gaurd to Robute Guilliman himself." - Rob Sandars "The Iron Within"
This section discribes Champion Nicodemus sent to the loyalists by Guilliman to inlist their help. Later in the story Nicodemus is discribed charging down some traitor Sons of Horus sheilded by a huge storm sheild. It is this moment I attempted to re-create with my convertion of him.
To continue my comparison to Nicodemus I will be painting him up in Ultramarines colours and using him in my comand squad as my Company Champion. If any one is intersted I used the current Sicarius model as body and head. I pretty much dulled my hobby saw cutting though his torso, witch included alot of cloak! I had to do it this way as I broke 3 dremmel cutting disks trying to use a dremmel first. I kit-bashed for the sword, filed a warriors of chaos sheild then decked it out for the storm shield. The cloak I cut has been laboursly filled back with green stuff.
That is all for tonight fellow converters. Keep up the cutting and have fun. Tristian :)