# Deathwatch Strike Force Valinus



## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

I'm a longtime lover of the Emperor's Astartes. I even quietly admit I like the spiky ones, too, although don't tell anybody that otherwise the Inquisition will come blam me. So when Deathwatch came out, I was pretty excited, because it meant I could use all that cool stuff that has accumulated in my bits box over 15 years of collecting my own Space Marine Chapter and doing loads of commission work. 

The army list looks something like this at 1850 points. Yes, I know this has some stuff that hates fun in it, but it's a concession to the state of the game. If we didn't have people running around with Imperial Knights and Lords of Skulls and all that nonsense, grav guns wouldn't exist, and moreover, wouldn't be something that's sadly obligatory in the game these days. If someone isn't planning on bringing bullshit, those squads will replace their grav guns with either meltaguns or plasma guns-- I haven't decided which yet. 


CAD/
HQ/
Watch Captain Valinus, Lions Rampant
Artificer Armor, Lightning Claws

TROOPS/
Kill Team Murius
5 Deathwatch Veterans lead by Watch Sergeant Murius, Ultramarines. 5 grav guns.
--Drop Pod

TROOPS/
Kill Team Corubello
5 Deathwatch Veterans lead by Watch Sergeant Corubello, Angels Sanguine. 5 grav guns.
--Drop Pod

ELITES/
Kill Team Doniel
5 Deathwatch Terminators lead by Watch Sergeant Doniel, Angels of Absolution. 4 power fists, 1 chainfist, 5 assault cannons.

FAST ATTACK/
Eydric Setorax

FORMATION/
Aquila Kill Team

Kill Team Eumenicles
9 Veterans, 1 Librarian.
--Librarian Eumenicles, Mentors. Mastery 2; Force Sword, Bolt Pistol.
--4 Veterans with boltguns and close combat weapons.
--1 Veteran with infernus heavy bolter.
--2 Veterans with frag cannons.
--1 Veteran armed with a boltgun and power axe.
--Brother Ghensus, Blackshield [Astral Claws] armed with a power fist and boltgun.
--Drop Pod

FORMATION/
Aquila Kill Team

Kill Team Valinus
8 Veterans, 1 Librarian.
--Librarian Bellicos, Blood Ravens. Mastery 2; Force Sword, Bolt Pistol.
--3 Veterans with boltguns and close combat weapons.
--1 Veteran with infernus heavy bolter.
--2 Veterans with frag cannons.
--1 Veteran armed with a boltgun and power axe.
--Brother Zaphkiel, Blackshield [Dark Angels] armed with a power fist and boltgun.
--Drop Pod


Anyway, here's the first model done-- a Veteran with a bolter (Brother Donatus). I'm waiting for the Sector Imperialis bases to come in, which is why the base is blank.


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## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

Hey man, welcome back! 

I don't know anything about death watch kill team other than the models look great. 

That guy seems good but the photo is quite blurry. 

How's the game store going?


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Been busy busy with the store! We're doing great! I'll have some better pictures in the near future!


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Finished a Librarian and a Veteran, and based the first Veteran. I decided to repaint the bolter red-- the black casing kind of gets lost against their armor.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Two more Deathwatch Veterans done- Grytt from Overkill and the Veteran with a power axe for Kill Team Valinus, Braum Icebreaker (of the Space Wolves Grand Company of Egil Ironwolf.) 





























This brings Kill Team Valinus up to five-strong ready to fight. I haven't decided if it makes sense to do their drop pod next, or finish the other four models in the squad first.


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## Batarang (Sep 14, 2016)

Red guns are not that manly...lol but never The less good paint job over all.


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## Fluketrain (Sep 6, 2016)

Loving the red bolters...it's very oldschool! Definitely needed some kind of colour change to stand out against the armour.


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## Batarang (Sep 14, 2016)

oldschool ? you mean all space marines used to have red bolters ? lol I'm new to the consept and if they used to use red bolters... i'm not suprised that they changed the color of the bolters to black later on... lol


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Fashions change with the times and all that :laugh:


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## Batarang (Sep 14, 2016)

Indeed. :laugh:


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Deathwatch has always had red bolters. The current models they show from GW are a darker red, but red nonetheless. I think brighter is better when the rest of the models are so dark.


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## Batarang (Sep 14, 2016)

The darker red looks cool. It has a dried blood look to it :smoke: but i have to admit i don't dig the bright red... i'm not a guy who is really in to fashion and all but bright red bolters... i mean come on... lol


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## JAMOB (Dec 30, 2010)

Personally I am loving all of this –you paint to such a high standard that even if bright red is a little wonky (as all of 40k used to be, and honestly I kinda miss it), the models still work wonderfully and it kinda fits tbh. Keep up the good work!

*EDIT* actually now that I look at it again, the red doesn't even look out of place –it creates a really nice contrast with the beautifully executed grimdark


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Finished another Marine. Brother Domiel Varran, Flesh Tearers; part of Kill Team Valinus.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Finished another Veteran for the first kill team. Brother Calvallo, Crimson Fists. This is what the squad looks like at the moment:










I also made sure to keep his crimson fist. I've tried to incorporate as much Chapter heraldry on everybody as I can manage.


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## Fluketrain (Sep 6, 2016)

My eye is drawn straight to that crimson fist shoulder pad...great shading.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Today, I finished the Blackshield for Kill Team Valinus, Brother Zaphkiel (Dark Angels). I thought the blurb in the Codex about Fallen Angels appearing as Blackshields was cool enough that I wanted to make sure I included one in the army. Besides, the bits they give you in the Deathwatch Veterans kit is very Fallen Angels-y. 











And while it's definitely not exciting, I finished up the drop pod for Kill Team Valinus. I usually just airbrush the bottom half of a drop pod to appear scorched and then dirty from slamming into the ground. But on something that's predominantly black anyway, I'm not sure the effect really shows the way it does on something brighter colored.


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## JAMOB (Dec 30, 2010)

Looking good mate! I love the fallen angel model especially


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Brother Pharus Surr, Brazen Claws.


















And the Kill Team as it currently stands-- all that's left to finish this unit is one more model- Brother Kel'shann, Salamanders, with an Infernus Heavy Bolter.


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## Drohar (Jan 22, 2014)

The detail is great. The red bolters make them really stand out  
The drop pod looks awesome! Especially the shading on the doors, looks like it has been worn out by use.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Glad you like it! I was thinking about redoing the inside of the drop pod doors-- I had wanted a very weathered look and I had thought they just looked a little too haphazardly drybrushed instead of really worn. But maybe the really uneven weathering looks right.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Kel'shann, Salamanders, armed with an Infernus Heavy Bolter. I opted to do flames on the shoulder pad, but I'm not sure if I like it or not. I wanted to show he's from the Firedrakes but I don't know if it looks weird or not next to all the black. 











And the finished Kill Team:


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## JAMOB (Dec 30, 2010)

The pattern is on the right shoulderpad, yeah? Maybe if you took a picture from that angle - it looks fine as is though


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Watch Captain Etienne Valinus, Lions Rampant



























++Datafile, Brother Etienne Valinus, Astartes Chapter 733 Lions Rampant. Nonclassified Access.++
Born sometime between 650 and 660.M41 on the hive world Arannor, capitol of Arannor subsector. Records are incomplete but suggest Valinus was born to one of the noble families of the upper hives and orphaned in the process of political intrigue. Valinus was recruited from Schola Progenium holdings on Arannor by the Lions Rampant Chapter, flagged by Confessor Nerus (Inq.Ref 7418/e/Arannor) as potential recruit for Adeptus Astartes. 

Valinus served as a Neophyte of the 10th Company from 671-680 before receiving the rank of Brother Astartes and being assigned to a Devastator Squad in the Chapter's Third Battle Company. Recipient of silver skull for cleansing action against Orks on Thetos VI (ref. 4.692.M41). Sole survivor of his squad. Issued Mars-pattern masterwork Heavy Bolter "Heretic's Due" and reassigned to 7th Tactical Reserve following Thetos campaign. Reassigned 704.M41 to Fourth Battle Company as replacement for losses in line Tactical Squad LeVeaux. Recipient of additional silver skull and Imperial Laurel during punitive campaign against human population of heavy industrial world Mozen (Inq. ref. 4.718.M41/Mozen Heresy). Citizens of the world noted for production of heavy equipment including Leman Russ chassis for the subsector rebelled under flag of warp-touched Xeratine infestation, expressing open worship of xenos overlords. Xeratine matriarch slain by infernus shell from Valinus' heavy bolter. 

Valinus received title "Ser" (ref.Lions Rampant honorifics) and reassigned to Fourth Battle Company Devastator Squad Ganauld 726.M41. Nineteen additional awardings of silver skull over ten year period. Award of Crux Terminatus and admission to Chapter Reclusiam 742.M41. Valinus removed from active duty for next five years, over which time he studied under Brother-Chaplain Vitorre Eirdeaux. Assigned to Assault Squad Valdor, Fourth Battle Company, 746-761. Attached to Lions Rampant 1st Company 762.M41. Service as Veteran from 750-821.M41. Awarded the rank of Sergeant 822.M41 and assigned to lead Tactical Squad Valinus, 4th Battle Company. Following cleansing of genestealer cult on Proxima Segmenta on the border between Segmentums Obscurus and Solar and defeating cult magus in single combat, Valinus was ordained a priest of the Church of the God-Emperor, and donned the black armor of a Chaplain of the Reclusiam. 

Attached to 6th Tactical Reserve as Chaplain 849.M41. Additional rewards of Crux Terminatus recorded during next twenty years against punitive campaign following traitor cult uprisings along Cadian Gate cordon. Valinus personally executed heretic Cardinal Sul Gabal of Gehenna, an industrial world supplying bulk munitions to the spinward elements of the Cadian Gate. Gehenna subjected to Exterminatus 901.M41 despite continued campaign to purge traitor cults. Situation deemed untenable following rise of plague zombies (ref. Plague of Unbelief). 

Upon returning to Elysee 901.M41, seconded to Deathwatch for single Vigil. Expertise on moral threats proved valuable to uncovering a chain of genestealer cults which the Deathwatch was able to use to predict the path of a splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Kraken. Upon revelations of Inquisitor Kryptmann regarding Tyranid threat, the Deathwatch request for additional Vigil from Valinus. Given rank of Watch Sergeant 931.M41. Watch Captain Belius Leandros of the Angels Vermillion killed in action against Enslaver incursion 952.M41. Under recommendation from Watch Master Kurga Khan, White Scars, promoted to Watch Captain. Elysee sends newly forged set of lightning claws, quenched in the blood of martyrs, to commemorate Valinus' promotion to the rank of Brother-Captain. 

End datafile++


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

It's kind of alarming to think that the 1850-point army list is actually a little over a quarter finished at this point after having painted only twelve models. Next up is Terminator-armored Kill Team Doniel. 

Kill Team Doniel isn't necessarily the most game-effective configuration for a Deathwatch Terminator Squad. But, even knowing that I'm putting 300 points into 5 one-wound models, it's too much fun not to do. Deep striking in front of whatever target they need to eradicate, and just holding the trigger down on five assault cannons 'till they go click... 

Sword Brother Wurtz, Black Templars


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## Fluketrain (Sep 6, 2016)

At this rate you'll be done in no time! What was your model count again?

All your chest aquilas are spot on too btw.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Fluketrain said:


> At this rate you'll be done in no time! What was your model count again?
> 
> All your chest aquilas are spot on too btw.


40 models. Although really 58, because I have the rest of Kill Team Cassius and I have an additional Captain, five Vanguard Veterans, a Dreadnought, and Watch Captain Artemis as well. But for the 1850 list, it's 40 models.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Watch Sergeant Doniel, Angels of Absolution (ref. "Deathwing") 









And the Terminator squad as it currently stands:


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Brother Seytiel, Blood Angels (ref. "Archangels" Veteran Company)


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

After a short break, we're back in gear with Strike Force Valinus! 

Ready to join his brothers-- at least, from the shadows, as a lone hunter-- is Eydric Setorax, the Raven Guard. When you don't have anything better to spend 35 points on, and can potentially take a lot of shooting heat off of one of the Aquila Kill Teams for a turn by getting himself stuck in with a heavy weapons unit or even just sitting around camping an objective in cover, there's a lot to offer from the named Vanguard Veteran out of Overkill. 










Also, I finished one of two haemotrope reactors for the store tables. While not strictly a Deathwatch thing, there are some really abusive things you can do with the haemotrope reactors and a Deathwatch Kill team packing plasma guns.


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