# The Orphans of Maximo - My DIY WIP Space Marines



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

So, I thought I would finally give this a go.

I have been into Warhammer of various flavours since I was a kid (Advaned Heroquest and Space Marine Epic). Now I am 35 and only really taken an interest in the hobby again in the past year. I lean mainly towards 40k fluff wise but love to see awesome painted WHFB armies and read the battle reports. However, my main love is with 30/40k...

But...

I have never played a game. Not once. I don't even own the 6th Ed rule book. I will eventually and it remains my ambition but for now I just want to get some standard models painted up and one or two units that I love from a fluff perspective. I have no idea what is or is not competitive. I have no idea how many points I will sink into a certain tactical squad configuration. I am making it up as I go along but to play it safe I will only initially concentrate on troops/units/individuals where I know my modeling and load out is legal. So I am a bit limited to begin with with the idea that this blog will motivate me to get out there and start to plan this army out and build something I can take to the gaming table. Something that allows me to strike a balance between fluff and remaining competitive.

What I have:

Approx enough Marines to make up 2 Tac squads: (Some of these have already been modeled and painted up in a previous attempt at the Orphans. I will be refurbing them into the new scheme. The rest still need to be put together and configured)

Some Sternies (old sternies) and enough additional Marine bitz to kit bash further vets

Assault Termies

Libby in Termy armour

Test mini below!


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

As you can see from the above, I will be concentrating on 2nd Company of this Codex Chapter. Will have some 1st company in there too - probs Termys and Sternies.

So, things I know I have not yet done:

Fluff - not established. I like the idea of a Chapter of "Orphans".. I dunno.. a system is destroyed, eaten by a Hive Fleet, consumed by a warp rift etc... Mass relocation... High Lords feel it necessary to have a localised SM chapter to guard what is left... The next generations were the original gene seed reciprocals yadda yadda...

Maximo - the name of the planet or system.

Chapter Badge - I dont have one yet. I like the idea of a weeping eye but I am not 100% sold. Plus, Im finding the free hand hellishly difficult. Painting over it a whole heap of times..

Drilled Bolters.. I know, I know! Awful..... But I dont have a drill right now and I just want to paint. I will do it I PROMISE!

Anyway, pic of second test mini below: You will notice that he is a bit more dynamic. I guess the idea I have is for there to be two Tactical squads. One to sit back a bit deeper and guard home targets and the second to operate further up field to contest objectives closer to the enemy. I will no doubt kit out accordingly. So, he will be in my second squad... and the above guy in my first squad. Or that is how I think it will pan out.


































OK, I know - my paints are too thick (especially on the white) and the scroll on his shoulder is horrible. I will tidy that up asap! In the meantime I will concentrate on getting all my tacticals painted up... two squads


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

So, that didnt work!

Pics here...

I know everything is pretty vanilla at this stage. No real kit bashing going on, standard posing etc... and certainly no green stuff.

Just trying to get a feel for my scheme. I still need to work out some fluff and some squad names, squad and individual markings etc. Lots to think through before I start to push the boat out (including how to work this forum!). I want to learn to crawl before I walk :wink:


----------



## iamtheeviltwin (Nov 12, 2012)

That is a nice, simple looking paint scheme...which I highly recommend when doing marines. I am a firm believer in DIY chapters, follow the link in my sig for my own custom chapter, with attached fluff and all.


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

iamtheeviltwin said:


> That is a nice, simple looking paint scheme...which I highly recommend when doing marines. I am a firm believer in DIY chapters, follow the link in my sig for my own custom chapter, with attached fluff and all.


Thanks so much, Evil Twin. You are my first reply! I like simple Marines - but I also like simple painting as I am not the best and still learning. Grey gives a good cover and scope for varying degrees of highlighting.

My original Marines were a dark grey. I am in the process of refurbing them to "bring them to the light"!

I will be sure to check out your link. Look forward to it! :good:


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Annnnd... just because I couldn't resist it I will jump the gun.

My first vet and test termie.... (ignore my ham fisted attempt at a chapter badge - it is uber lame.. will be painting over shortly)

I know.. the white is chalky and my power effects a bit clumsy but it is a first attempt at those kind of things!


----------



## alasdair (Jun 11, 2009)

Fantastic colour scheme. Simple but looks brilliant. What are you thinking for basing?


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

alasdair said:


> Fantastic colour scheme. Simple but looks brilliant. What are you thinking for basing?


Ah, thanks! Its really great to get positive feedback. I struggled with grey when I started out. Always thought I would lean towards bling. But I dunno - kinda like the simple tones. Quite cool though... might need to find ways of warming them up.

Regarding basing... yeah.. well.... erm.... I really dont know where to start. I simply painted them brown just to offset the grey while I figured it out. I dont know if I just go with some of the GW texture paints to start off on my troops or go more adventurous. Keen to get thoughts.


----------



## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Really impressive start, great scheme, well executed.

The texture paints are great, Agrellan earth (the cracked earth one) is awesome.


----------



## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

These look pretty good. Tasteful.

The issue with the scroll on the earlier model isn't the white, it's that the shading is too dark. The folds or shadows are a brown when they would look better with the natural light falling on them creating the shadow.

There is what's a certain amount of tension when painting models between what effects you should create and which you should let happen in the light.


----------



## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

A very nice, generally subtle paint scheme, but you've got some things on there that really stand out and make the models eye catching, including the blue seals and the golden brown bolter. Nice work!


----------



## alasdair (Jun 11, 2009)

For basing, I reckon that brown you have is a nice colour and complements the model well. As has been said, maybe you could try the new Agrellan Earth crackle paint with some tufts of grass. Easy but a really nice effect.


----------



## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

That scheme is very nice, really like the powder blue on the purity seals :victory:

I use sand and budgie grit for basing (get both very cheap at a pet shop). Just cover the base with PVA and pour it all on, then shake off the excess. Paint it dark brown and then drybrush a lighter colour, gives a very good effect and the drybrushing does all the hard work for you.

Take a look at my project logs in my signature if you want to see some examples.

Keep up the good work mate!


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

torealis said:


> Really impressive start, great scheme, well executed.
> 
> The texture paints are great, Agrellan earth (the cracked earth one) is awesome.


Thanks so much! My first batch of marines (which I will post tomorrow) were not too good. I went for a much darker grey (basically because it covered the primer in one coat) and a wash. Didnt really highlight.. and my gold was just straight out of the pot. That almost turned me off grey but one of the guys in my local store told me to stick with it but consider a lighter shade... Thanks for the tip on Agrellan earth.. I will give it a shot.. im all for testing!



Kreuger said:


> These look pretty good. Tasteful.
> 
> The issue with the scroll on the earlier model isn't the white, it's that the shading is too dark. The folds or shadows are a brown when they would look better with the natural light falling on them creating the shadow.
> 
> There is what's a certain amount of tension when painting models between what effects you should create and which you should let happen in the light.


Great tip! I am definitely guilty of "forcing" a particular look. I always over shade and then have to work twice as hard to bring it back up. I will get on it and start to fix it.



Iraqiel said:


> A very nice, generally subtle paint scheme, but you've got some things on there that really stand out and make the models eye catching, including the blue seals and the golden brown bolter. Nice work!


 You are all very kind to me. They are not wrong when you read that starting these logs up motivates you (ha.. that said I still only have three painted mini's). I originally wanted to have a different coloured bolter for each Tac squad in the company. Ditched that idea. I think that would be me guilty of doing "too much" again.



alasdair said:


> For basing, I reckon that brown you have is a nice colour and complements the model well. As has been said, maybe you could try the new Agrellan Earth crackle paint with some tufts of grass. Easy but a really nice effect.


Defo going to try it out!



Varakir said:


> That scheme is very nice, really like the powder blue on the purity seals :victory:
> 
> I use sand and budgie grit for basing (get both very cheap at a pet shop). Just cover the base with PVA and pour it all on, then shake off the excess. Paint it dark brown and then drybrush a lighter colour, gives a very good effect and the drybrushing does all the hard work for you.
> 
> ...


Checked them out.. great work! Love your blogs... I will test out your method and the agrellan earth as mentioned above. There might be scope to combine the two!

The purity seals started out life red... and I just thought meh... I preferred the coolness of the blue working with the grey.


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Sorry, no pics on this update. Going to move more towards a WIP method now. Test minis all done and I am pretty happy with my scheme. I have a whole bunch of marines I have built, in the process of building, base coating, posing, washing etc. I will get them posted up tomorrow. I will also share pics of my original Orphans and the Marines who are making the cut for a refurb! Not all of them will make it.. some of my original posing was horrible.

Gulp.. also going to give a shot at some fluff... will sleep on it tonight. But I have to get it done if I am to build out squad identifiers and banners etc. Also that darn Chapter badge.. it fills me with dread just thinking about it.

ANY advice or help is appreciated. I like the idea of an eye - ever watchful etc. That way I can incorporate tear iconography... I like that.

Im also thinking about changing the name....


----------



## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

Catman said:


> eye - ever watchful etc. That way I can incorporate tear iconography... I like that.


Consider reverse detailing on this. Block out an area in the required iconography base coat, then using the top layer of the armour colour, fill in the bits that are not needed for the shape. I find that this technique helps to get fine curves such as what might be needed for an eye, as well as allowing you to get your proportions right if, say, you were going for an eye over a tear.


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Iraqiel said:


> Consider reverse detailing on this. Block out an area in the required iconography base coat, then using the top layer of the armour colour, fill in the bits that are not needed for the shape. I find that this technique helps to get fine curves such as what might be needed for an eye, as well as allowing you to get your proportions right if, say, you were going for an eye over a tear.


Will definitely try that out. Thanks for the tip!

I mentioned in earlier posts that I would be building out two tactical squads to begin with and go out from there. I also mentioned that I would build them from a mixture of a new(ish) tactical box and some older marines I painted in my old, darker scheme.. well... here they are below.

I need to layer up the old marines and sort out the gold, purity seals etc.. as well as highlights.

The newer stuff I need to get built out in Maximo colours.

Then I need to model enough extra marines to get up to 20 with. Should have enough bits.

After that... well... I gotta get my markings right. These bad boys are going to be the backbone of my force as I will probably be going with Imperial Fists chapter tactics... bring on that massed bolter fire! (Hmm... suppose I better get a codex right!?)

Anyway, my next project below. I am going to change my approach to get as much done as quickly as possible. I am a very slow painter so need to go the Ford route and get production lining. Grey, metalics, golds, bolters, spots... but not necessarily in that order!


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Thought I would post this guy. I remember when I modeled him I wanted him to be a sternguard. But I think the chainsword might be illegal. I also wanted to test the white contrast on the grey (it was my first time attempting 1st company). Anyway, when I got to the stage of markings I wanted to test my free hand tactical symbol so I did it on him.. and on his leg!

Thing is, I definitely know that a chainsword and bolter is illegal for regular troop choice marines so he is in limbo right now.

So yeah, I know from a fluff point of view there is a whole heap wrong with him (1st company markings yet a tactical symbol on his armour). I will paint over that stuff and if he ends up with a slot in first company then great. If not perhaps he will just live on a shelf.

Anyway, I have a soft spot for him. It is the first time I attempted painting teeth 

Oh, and I think I will keep the red bolters for my vets... I will try and think of a suitable fluff reason for it when I stop putting off my fluff


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

So..... turns out this plogging thing is not as easy as it seems! Been away a while and no updates. I guess it is easy to put it off and not commit to getting stuff done.

I am still working on my Marines. I have a mixture of old guys who need a refurb in my new lighter colour style and some guys who have only been based, washed etc.

I am also working on my back story. Getting there slowly and hope to have an outline live in the next few days. Modeling and painting wise I am still concentrating on getting 20 tacticals painted up. I will then organise them into two squads (each with a different purpose) and start to get their heraldry up and running to denote their squad numbers etc...

Then.. well... Im nearly there with the Chapter badge. So I will start getting that on there too.

But first up... I finally based a model. First time ever. Very simple - just sand, layer of paint and a dry brush. Have NO idea why this took me so long. I will try and be a bit more adventurous on some of my other models!

As ever - feedback and questions are always welcome!


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

So, these guys are some of my older models painted up in my old, darker colour scheme. As mentioned on previous posts, Im no longer into it and want to make them lighter to fit my new chapter colours. You will also notice that I have red purity seals..

I will be spending time refurbing them and making them Orphans in the next few days. New coats of paint!

I know - mould lines on the flamer dude are CRIMINAL.. will sort them when I refurb him.

Also, anyone know how to drill bolters?


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

I loved this model when I first put him together about a year ago.. He was my first sarge...

I will spend some time getting him together. Repaint etc. Not sure whether to give him the power axe he originally had or give him a sword.. probably go sword although dont know the rules and what is better. 

My plan is he will be sarge of my more advanced, "up table" marines... so probably more change of being charged.


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Heeeeeavies ;-) WIP


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Couple of WIP's - I really like the posing on these guys. Love mag locking blades - think I will do quite a bit of this.

I think I want my army to be quite clean.. and functional. But will no doubt bling out my characters or special units!


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Hello everyone!

It has been a while. A combination of motivation, work and my kids has been holding back my hobby time recently.

Motivation: Grey. It is easy to get bored of it. Plus, it frustrates me when I am not entirely happy with a complete miniature. When I see my ham fisted attempt to highlight on a photo. Or when I see the fact that my yellows are too thick, or my grey is grainy.. or my whites are chalky.

Job: Takes up heaps of time and the fact I work from home mainly I always feel guilty when I pick up my paint brush. Even if it is the evening.

Kids: Well - this is obvious!

But I have been doing a bit of work recently and I will try and keep my updates smaller and more regular. Little and often... recipe for life there right? I have also had some ok thoughts for some fluff and I am starting to put that together now. Will share on this thread.

In the meantime.. I completed 7 tactical marines (minus Chapter symbols - as they are not designed yet). And based them.. I still need to highlight some of the bolters and I am unhappy with the plasma cannon but generally they are ok. Around table top standard I would say. I cant paint to a higher standard anyway so what you see is what you get!

Little things still frustrate me though. I want to free hand my tact symbols and squad markings but I find it very hard to get them pointed! I need to take earlier advice paint grey over the white to create more acute angles.. but it takes time and I just want to get "completed" mini's together. I will return to them...

I also have a handful of WIP's that I will show here. They will complete the first tactical squad and begin the second squad. Hope you like them!


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Cant WAIT to get involved with these... will probably make up the majority of tactical squads 2 and 3.

Love the sculpts on the new tacticals. Really great. Hopefully, by the time I get around to painting them I will be a little improved and do them justice.


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Finally got around to basing my Termie.. and it got me thinking. Maybe a bit of work on my favourite models from a fluff perspective would break up the monotony of the Tac's... and then I thought of green stuff.. and the fact I have never had the balls to use it....


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Green stuff!!

Haha - check out how rudimentary it is! But I dunno... I just am not that happy with all of the Terminator leg poses. And I wanted something a touch more dynamic for my sergeant.

Well.. then I realised I was never quite happy with any of the LC combinations. I wanted something a bit more bear like? So I got playing with poses and realised the only way to get something close to what I wanted would be to finally take a deep breath and take a hobby blade to expensive plastic models!

Anyway, as many of you will know, once you start you cant stop. And when it looks crappy like my reposing of the leg you realise you need to hide it. So you use more.. and so it goes on. Anyway... here are my first shots of amateurish attempt at genuine converting.


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

This is the pose I didn't like so much... I wanted to make a statement with this guy as I want the sargeant to have a little fluff in time. Im still nailing it down but he is being tipped for Captain of the 8th Company - reserve assault. Over a hundred years service and a fearsome reputation.. more to come 

So I decided to convert him further. Results below.


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

The rest of the squad.. minor conversions just to get posing sorted! (I see what they mean about not being able to stop!)


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

And under coated.. for when I get around to painting them.. in oh, I dunno.. ten years? ;-)


----------



## Catman (Mar 17, 2014)

Some Sternguard WIP .. Grey primed. I wont be returning to these until two squads of tacts and the Termies are fully painted and based. But I love sterngaurd.

The two on the outside are from the old box. But I dont want a power fist so the Sarge probably wont make the cut. The guy in the middle has a combi plasma from the Libby termie finecast kit and is a kit bash - apart from a greenstuff mohawk. (sigh.. once you pop you really cant stop).

Will probably go 2 combi plas and 2 combi grav.. with a heavy flamer chucked in for good measure but will see. This all depends on how many I bring along for the ride. But I do love sternies from a fluff perspective and the opportunities they lend for kit bashing and converting.. so they will definitely feature to some degree.


----------

