Red Scorpions Painting, quick and easy

This is how Ive been painting my Red Scorpion Space Marines. I know, it didnt happen unless there are pictures, so Ill be adding some pretty soon (as soon as the camera stops hating me, that is!)

Clean and assemble model completely. Yes, Im one of those slackers that paints the models with the bolters already attached. Base the model with sand and chunks of plastic card. Remember that these are partially Forge World resins, and wash the bits well before gluing them together!

Spray them black.

I then give them a sloppy brushing of a 50/50 mix of codex grey and chaos black, then I recoat the shoulders with chaos black. From here on out its just details.

Helmet stripes, chest eagles, and shoulder trim get a few thin coats of bubonic brown, along with the knee pad getting a stripe (assuming the model has knee pads).

Bolters and the pipes/tubes/grills on their chests/helmets/backpacks get painted boltgun metal, then the bolter gets a thinned coat of black ink, followed by a drybrush of BG metal.

Ammo packs/holsters are painted beastal brown and then snakebite leather.

The scorpion symbol gets a few coats of scab red, the background gets codex grey to clean up after the red, then the symble gets touched up with blood red, and the back ground gets skull white.

Skull white is then used to paint on the squad badge on the opposite shoulder, and the company number on the left knee pad, and then chaos black for the squad number over the squad badge.

Eye sockets are my bane. I always manage to cover half the helmet if I do them, but this time it seems to be working. Ive been painting them scab red with a bit of blood red towards the front.

All thats left is basing! Ill give the chunks of scrap a coat of Teracotta, then patch it with blazing orange, and a BG metal drybrush on the edges/areas that might get some wear. The rest of the base gets beastal brown followed by snakebite leather.

One of the things I decided to do here is that the plasma weapon's plasma coils would be painted different from how I normally do it (normally just metal, like the rest of the gun), so they are also getting a dose of the scab red/blood red.

Seems pretty simple, right? One of the tricks Ive learned over the years is that if you have a decent painting standard, and are consistant over a large number of models, your army will look a lot better then each individual model would suggest.

Red Scorpions Fluff

So, I mentioned that Ive been doing a campaign badge on my small Red Scorpions force, a white star in a white circle, that looks kinda like an Old West Sheriff's badge. As anyone who is familiar with the way they work knows, the campaign badge is used to mark all the forces attached to a specific campaign... So, obviously, there will have to be other Imperial forces, right?

So enters the Cadian 42nd. Ive already got some models around, but Im mainly waiting until the Imperial Guard codex gets updated to actually get to work on them.

The story is that in the Ultima Segmentium, just a bit to the south of Ultramar, there is a small unnamed (for now) Imperial system thats been under attack by undetermined foes. The system is small and poorly populated, but contains significant amounts of mineral resourses. The Red Scorpions 5th Company were the first responders, and the Cadian 42nd is the first wave of Imperial Guard support. Until the IG arrives in force, the Space Marines are fighting in a reactive manner, protecting the locals and their mines where they can. Once the Imperial Guard is in position to protect the miners and their works, the Red Scorpions will hunt down and destroy the invaders.

Quick and easy, right?

Current project: Red Scorpions

So, my current project is the 5th battle company of the Red Scorpions Space Marines. This post is going to be what the physical goals are for them, and possibly how I plan to put it together. Ill talk about my fluffy story in a different post, maybe before I leave work, maybe not.

My goal with this collection is to have a full battle company (complete with transports, though I havnt decided if that means rhinos, drop pods, or both for each), plus support from the 1st, 10th, and possibly a few extras from the reserve companies.

Currently I have a Captain, a Chaplain (with Jump Pack), two tactical squads, an understrength devastator squad, and an unpainted AoBR Dreadnaught (awaiting RS Brass etch sheets).

As mentioned before, I have not decided on whether to use drop pods or rhinos. I see drop pods as disposable, and will probably not specifically attach them to any single unit, rather just paint up a dozen or so and be done with it. Rhinos, on the other hand, are attached to specific units and would get the full markings deal.

Most of my armies have been lacking in the markings department. My Space Marine forces were lucky to get a chapter badge usually. Ive gone full out on the RS though, Forge World shoulder pads, tactical badges, squad and company numbers painted on, and Im even adding campaign badges on their legs! No one does that anymore, that Ive seen. In this case, my campaign badge is a white star inside a white circle, looks a bit like an Old West sheriffs badge... which is intentional, but Ill explain that later.

I want to do the full load out, 6 tactical squads, 2 assault squads, 2 devastators, plus command squad and leadership. Actually, the Tac and Dev squads are easy. Im still trying to decide on if I want jump packers, bikers, or a mix of the two. Im thinking at least one is required, if only so the chaplain doesnt jump alone. But, this might be where the reserve companies come in, since I also want to include a few land speeders in my collection, I can make the 5th Co. guys jumpers, and have bikes and speeders come from the 9th Co.

Ive been using the RS veterans conversion kit as spare parts, mixing torsos and heads among the rank and file models, and Im planning on doing the same with the Vanguard Vets set (one pack of them spread throughout the two assault squads). I just like the new Vanguard Veterans set too much to pass them up!

According to the fluff, the Red Scorpions are known for the number of Apothecaries they have, and for their understrength Scout Company. There isnt much I can do with the former, since Im not planning on using FW varient rules for random games, but for the latter Im planning on breaking one of my own rules and having minimum sized squads, and only one unit of scouts, and one of bikers.

Obviously Im going to have more then enough models for a single force org chart. I like being able to mix and match for games. For the short term though I want to get an even spread, so if I happen to get myself out for a game, Ill at least have something to bring.

Introductory Posts ALWAYS Suck.

And I doubt this one will be different. Lets see, basics: 30-something gamer, married, no kids yet. I work overnight IT, and will frequently complain about tiny paychecks. Fair warning. I have an addiction to caffeine, drug of choice being Dr Pepper (occasionally laced with Captain Morgan).

Im heavy into my fluff, and prefer story based games to cut throat antics. Im a decent painter, and a friendly gamer, and have brought home Best Painted and Best Sportsman from the few tournaments Ive been to, to show for it.

I like Warhammer Fantasy, but am more likely to paint or play 40k. I have a few armies that are Apocalypse sized, with my Black Legion CSMs topping 5k last time I added them up. I think you could count the number of armies I have NOT tried from both fantasy and 40k on a single hand.

My projects lately have been Red Scorpion Space Marines and Dark Elves, though Im frequently likely to box the DEs up and try setting up another army in their space to inspire me to paint.