Oath Of Moment: Fenris Youth Arise

The Rout: Work In progress

Work In progress

My commitment to the Oath Of Moment challenge we alluded to the other week is something of a cop out I’m afraid. With The Dark Throne Tournament now only a month away I’m using this part of the challenge as a motivation to get my first 1000 points of 13th Company Space Wolves finished. Now this is the first army I’ve EVER painted. Sure I dabbled with Bloodbowl figures and the ocassional plastic dwarf when I was a kid but this is a whole challenge in itself. I’m a fluff guy primarily, I possess a creative and curious mind. I’ll happily sit and bullshit with you all day about twin tailed comets actually being Thunderhawks, the politics of heresy in the 30K universe, lost Primarchs and all of that caper, but when it comes to practical application of actual brush to model… ehhhhhh not such a natural fit for me.

One of the parameters we imposed upon The Dark Throne tournament (there will be an actual post on this next week) was that if you wanted to be involved you had to come with a painted army. This was not intended as some dick move to restrict or discourage entrants but rather a means of motivation for new or returning players (like myself and a number of the other CH crew) who are kind of slack in that department. As Paul mentioned HERE, there’s something that makes the whole wargaming experience far more immersive and engaging when you’re staring across the table at a fully painted force, it helps create a sense of atmosphere to what is essentially combat arithmetic

So with that in mind when I started out with my Space Wolves force I wanted that whole Pre-Heresy ragged/lost in the warp vibe. I’m talking Valhalla Rising, stinking astral Ulfhednar in storm grey & crimson armour rather than the powder blue & yellow clad, cuddly space vikings that GW tend to portray. So, now aware that in order to compete in my own tournament I needed to get my finger out and actually paint some model’s, my saga began.

I often ponder why Astartes players gravitate towards particular Legions? Is it purely an aesthetic or fluff choice or is there something deeper at work here, some type of subconcious attraction toward immersing ourselves in a legion or race that reflect traits or aspects of ones own personality, desires or beliefs? Is it some type of archaic Jungian archetype bullshit? I ask this because as I look around at my Corehammer brethren I can see their characteristics, strengths and flaws reflected in the 28mm forces that they command. Kev, a son of the Emperors 1st through and through, unflinchingly loyal but burdened with guilt & self loathing, whilst in Paulo we see a man who constantly pursues perfection in his painting whilst reveling in his own vile swamp of carnality like a true Child of Fulgrim, Chris Kaye, stoic, bitter and methodical just like the tin men he leads into battle. And of course we have Boardman tactical genius/knob, so naturally he plays Tau & Ultramarines and on and on and on….

Which begs the question why have I developed such an affection for my Wolves? Despite my nordic good looks and occasionally volatile temperament I’m hardly the stereotype of hard drinking, brawling norseman. Indeed, I’d go so far as to say I find the more boorish aspects of Fenrisian life somewhat tedious. Personally I think it’s the spiritual and esoteric traditions, the wyrd and their perceptions and understanding of the warp that resonates with my own principles. The rogueish trickster aspect of the legion that is best personified by Lukas, mockery and devious trickery to manipulate a situation to a desirable conclusion. As a committed practitioner of ‘The Rip’ and veteran mischief maker, I can get down with that. I have tried to encourage that appreciation of humanity’s inherent wildness to manifest in my chapter choice, from aesthetics to unit choice to style of play.

I had been sweating over the sheer volume of models I imagined I’d have to paint for some time, but when I finally sat down and figured out my list for The Dark Throne last week it was considerably smaller in terms of boots on the ground than I’d anticipated and is actually already about 2/3 complete.

With just under a month to go the pressure is on to get Maugrims Reavers (as I have named them) up to table standard so I don’t get ripped out of the room. For most that means just basing and applying some washes and highlights to add texture and depth to the models but for others more diligent attention to detail is required. In keeping with the unique nature of the legion I decided that I wanted each figure to be customised from now on.

My first kitbash. It'll do.

My first kitbash. It’ll do.

My first foray into individuality was my Lone Wolf terminator marine. A simple enough kitbash, but for one of my meagre skills with knife and clippers, a trial in patience nonethless. Scibor pads and torso, GW weapons and head, little bit of green stuff to fill awkward gaps. As we’ve gotten closer to DT I’ve started experimenting with Green Stuff beyond using it simply as filler. Adding beards and hair to a figure may not seem like much, but it gives models some character that is more in keeping with the vision I have for my army and I found it to be a lot of fun and something I am really keen to explore further in the future. I’ve used a number of Chaos Warrior torsos and cloaks along with parts from Anvil Industry and Kromlech to individualise my Wolf Guard.

Maugrim pictured in my toilet. Wolves In the Throne Room LOL

Maugrim pictured in my toilet. Wolves In the Throne Room LOL

So far my favorite conversion has been Maugrim himself. I wanted my army to have more of a tribal warband feel, even more removed from Guilliman’s Codex than the standard great companys. The kind of army that’s been fighting behind enemy lines so long that they have regressed to an almost feral state. To achieve that, I needed character models that would provide a focal point and set the tone. From a fluff perspective I knew that I wanted a Rune Priest rather than a Wolf Lord..as shamans they just seem more suitable leaders for my type of army and the way I interpret the SW’s.

The Rune Priest miniatures on offer from GW are pretty crap so I decided to take the plunge and make my own. I wanted him to be grim, hulking and absolutely seething with runic energy. I took parts from a Dark Angels Knight sprue that Clarke gave me a while back and mashed it together with a Terminator Captain torso, some Forgeworld upgrade pads, made him a custom two handed axe and using Green Stuff I sculpted a crude beard emerging from that cowl. I envisaged a dark and brooding mystic, reminiscent of Odin in his wanderer aspect and I’m pleased with the result thus far. This model, along with Lukas and a customised Wolf priest have all been sent off to a comission painter. A decision I struggled with as I wanted to do the whole army myself, from cradle to grave. However I’m aware of the limits of my current abilities, and though each model I paint is an improvement upon the last, I really want these guys to pop on the battlefield so I’m at peace with my choice.

I’ve got a couple of Long Fangs left to paint, a handful of Bloodclaws, a drop pod, two Grey Hunters and a Wolf standard along with a few other finishing touches. If the runes favour me, I’ll be able to post up a completed force update before battle commences on the 26th. Then after that it’s onward with a Skaven Army and a Raven Guard Kill team…..

2 thoughts on “Oath Of Moment: Fenris Youth Arise

  1. Smashin’ stuff though; I do like that Rune Priest conversion a great deal. Things like that are the great redeeming feature of GW games – even a burned-out old hater like me can look at the plastic kits and say “well at least you can do cool stuff with the models”.

    Can’t help but ask, either: I’ve played Night Lords, Word Bearers, and I envisaged the next Chaosmens being Iron Warriors before I quit. What does that say about me, I wonder?

  2. Pingback: Hobby goals for 2015 | COREHAMMER

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