Scouts. For scouting.

The scouts are nearing completion. They need snow.

I wanted to base them to represent "move through cover" a little more than the average tactical marine, so I put larger chunks of concrete/cork on their bases. This lead to some interesting center of gravity issues for the models leaning more heavily to one side or the other. I corrected the imbalance with fishing sinkers glued to the light side of the base, as pictured here.

Wow, that is one blue picture. Digital photography can be mystifying.

Here is the latest version of the chapter symbol. It's a little shiny, since it need to be varnished. I think we're pretty much where you had specified, but let me know if you want changes.


And lastly, I'll throw in a WIP of the assault sergeant. I still need to highlight his chest insignia, hit the joints with boltgun, and probably add more damage to the power fist.

Update.... 15 down (well, 16 including that sergeant)

Assault Squad and regular scouts are almost complete. (Sorry for the lack of pics over the weekend.) Tactical squads will be next.

We need to discuss what the company standard will look like. That will probably require a couple iterations of revision before I get it exactly how you want it.

More Pics Soon

I hope to get more WIP pics over the weekend. Stay tuned!

Scout

The scout sergeant is the test model for that unit. The model directly to the left shows a scout in progress, and should give a good idea of the importance of getting a good base coat for flesh. One coat, even for foundation paints, is seldom enough. Undiluted paints result in chunky texture. Only multiple thin coats can give a smooth texture and good coverage at the same time.

Each of the scouts is equipped with an empty pistol holster, which makes attaching additional pistol holsters counterintuitive. To get around this, I clipped the pistol grip off four of the holsters and glued them in place on the existing holsters.

Chapter Symbol

I altered the sergeant's chapter insignia to reflect better proportions and some options for added decoration. It will be modified to match the final design.

Assembly continues!

Now comes the tedious part

Now comes the task of preparing the models for painting. I've washed the plastic scouts and assault marines, and are in the process of assembling them. The assault marine squad has 110 parts, plus basing. I will have to partially assembly the scouts, since bolters will cover their chest plates and make painting difficult. Once the fronts are painted I will glue on the arms and work from there. The scout sergeant with the power fist doesn't look as lopsided as I had feared he might.

First model complete?

Having added black to the gun (handle and side panels) and painting the chapter insignia, I think this sergeant is about done. Assuming, of course, that this is how you want the chapter symbols done. I think there's an optical illusion in the photo that makes the cross a bit distorted, but it looks quite square on the model.

Getting close on test model

I think we're getting close on this. I changed the power weapon color using purple ink. I also added some more roughness to the concrete and then added the snow. I still need to add the chapter insignia.

I bought a compact fluorescent light bulb to use as a second light source when I paint, so hopefully there photos will look better than my historically bad photography.

If this looks good to you then I'll get started in earnest on the troops.

More testing

After a second session of painting, I'm rather liking the effect of the orange armor. I toned the highlight on the side of the helmet down a notch, which should lower the chalky look. I still need to paint the chapter insignia on the other side... we might go through a couple iterations of that until we get one you like. I can see in the photo that the brush-on matte varnish that I use hasn't completely dried in a couple spots, so don't be alarmed by goopy spots. :-)

The basing is cork painted to look like a slab of concrete, and sergeants/veterans will get slightly higher basing than regular marines.