All posts with the Heirs of Vulcan tag are regarding my Warhammer 40k Space Marine army. The army is centered around Techmarines and the Adeptus Mechanicus. Though I enjoy the more gruesome and brutal mods people assign to the Adeptus, my conversions focused on a seamless fusion of technology and man. I will be posting my whole army one by one with tidy explanations of the story and technique behind conversions. I will also comment on themes for each unit. Below are links to the pages for each Force Organization Slot:
- Heirs of Vulcan HQ
- Heirs of Vulcan Elites
- Heirs of Vulcan Troops
- Heirs of Vulcan Fast Attack
- Heirs of Vulcan Heavy Support
The army began life in the fertile ground of Blue Table Painting as one or two conversions of my favorite figures: Techmarines. I was Lead Assembler at the time and had finally amassed enough skills to strike out on my own. Many of the techniques that appear in the army were first given life in single-fig conversions (tile and grate basing) or were tried and true tricks taught me by the masters at our local games store, Blakfyre Games in Orem Utah. Slow and steady horse trading of bitz from the local players helped me build a strong theme and consistent presentation throughout the assembly process. I used practically the same techniques on the last pieces as on the first. Though the army is partially painted, I have decided to let another studio, Primarch Studio of Orem Utah, do the finish work.
Army List:
HQ
- Fabricator General (Techmarine Commander)
- Fabricator General on Hoverbike with Conversion Beamer
- Archivor General (counts as Librarian)
- Genetor General in Power Armor (counts as Chaplain)
- Genetor General with Jump Jets
- Genetor General in Terminator Armor
- Scout Company Captain
- Techmarine (of course)
- Dreadnought with Assault Cannon and CCW (I believe I can fly Dreadnought)
- Dreadnought with Multi-Melta and CCW
- Dreadnought with LasCannon and Missile Launcher
- Veteran Squad (x10)
- Tactical Squad 1 (x10) w/ PC and PG, Sarge carries PF + PP
- Tactical Squad 2 (x10) w/ LC and PG, Sarge carries PW + PP
- Tactical Squad 3 (x10) w/ LC and PG, Sarge carries PF + CFlamer
- Sniper Scouts x7 (one is meant as a Sarge, w/ apothecary backpack)
- Bolter Scouts x8
- Heavy Bolter Scout
- Missile Launcher Scouts x2
- Combat Scouts x9
- Sarges x3 w/ PF + CCW, TH + BP, CMelta + CCW (counts as Sergeant Telion)
- Combat Servitors x6
- Heavy Bolter Servitors x4
- Plasma Cannon Servitors x2
- Multi-Melta Servitor x1
- Hover Bikes x3 w/ PG and Sarge w/ PF + BP
- Multi-Melta Attack Bike
- Landspeeders x3 w/HB + HF, AC + MM, AC + HB
- Land Raider Crusader w/ Ornamental Dozer Blade
- Rhinos/Razorbacks x3 w/ LC + PG, TL HB and TL AC Turrets
- Whirlwinds x2
- Vindicators x3
- Thunder Fire Cannon
Unified themes and a consistent assembly style make this army shine. From bitz that show up on practically every model (I'm looking at you, geared skull), to consistent basing, the army is tied together at four levels: army, squad, rank, and type. By unifying presentation across the board, the army already rings a strong theme from assembly through to painting. Common colorations were assigned to keep it from getting gaudy but still add variety.
Army Level
Twisted Guitar Wire or Wire Twisted around Guitar Wire Core
The Geared Skull is Ubiquitous
No Two Alike (Weapon Placement, Pose, Armament)
Squad Level
Basing Embellishments Common to Whole Squad
Rank Display Very Distinct
Mega Man Arms Match Across Units
Rank Level
Say Hello to my Little Friend (Epic Killa Kans as HQ Familiars)
Servo Skulls
Type Level
Weapon Specialists and Bumpy Shoulder Pads
Weighted Bases (Pewter or Nickels, Metal or Plastic Regardless)
Floating Everything (Tanks, Bikes, DREADNOUGHTS)
Tile/Grate Basing (All Infantry, No Gravel Bases)
Where To Go From Here
So the army is assembled. It even has a basic paint scheme. Here is what I planned to finish it up:
Edge Lining: Though I experimented on a few figures, I never was able to finish hard edging in lighter reds to really make the models pop. This is the next step after the basic scheme to finish each piece to a higher quality.
Decals: From basic unit designations to campaign markers on the kneepads of veterans and assault troops, decals would finish the large amount of open flat colored pads and plates.
Additional Troops: I had planned a number of additions and conversions to bulk the army out for apocalypse, round out the roster with more techmarines, and make a go at even more over-the-top models. The greatest thing about this concept is the wealth of ideas to expand into and flesh out. The only limitation is a large bitz wall or very understanding friends. Some ideas are below:
- Terminators with Techmarine: The bulkier terminator armor would be the perfect vehicle for newer mods and experimentation. Specifically, servo arm and piston leg supports for the heavy weapons platforms and integrated weapon mounts expanding the Mega Man stylings or bringing it more to a Marneus Calgar type level.
- Greenstuff Printed Greaves: Brought to the attention of the world by Scibor, who has used this method to trick out simple models for years, I was planning on testing this first on terminator greaves to add geared edging, then move to new HQ models in Terminator armor. The simple process of making my mold in millipu or super sculpy would allow me to roll out a set of greaves fairly quickly and apply them directly to the model. If mold release was effective, this could be done while still soft enough to add bitz and sculpt the greenstuff.
- Baneblade, Warhound or other Superheavy Platform: Oh, the things I could do...
. The Assassin Vine is my favorite here. I made it around an armature of wire that held together pretty well, even after the oven. The white sphere is a will-o-wisp. I attempted to use the blond synthetic grass and failed miserably. We'll see how it works next time. The third is what my group affectionately calls "The Poop Monster" and was my attempt at a Shambling Mound. It nsupposed to be covered in lichen and have rocks for eyes and teeth. The rocks worked well, but the lichen never got done by game time. We'll see if I ever get around to finishing it.
