Chaos Space Marines...where to now?

?++Next steps++Next steps++?

I posted a modified version of this post over on a 40K group on Google+ today, as I'm looking for some advice on where to go next with my small warband of Chaos Space Marines. If you have any advice feel free to chip in!

"Can I get done advice from any Chaos Space Marine players out there?

Took a look through my dusty case of Chaos Warrior odds and ends today...
...This is what I have, both painted and unpainted.

Heavy weapons.

• X1 Dude with autocannon.(unpainted)
• X2 with rocket launchers.(unpainted)
• X4 guys with lascannons.(unpainted)

Infantry

• X15 guys with close combat weapons (unpainted)
• X2 melta guns (unpainted)
• X2 flamers (unpainted)
• X2 plasma guns (unpainted)
• X2 heavy bolters (unpainted)
• X14 CSMs with bolters (a couple of whom look like sergeants with pistol and power swords)
• X8 CSMs with chainswords
• X1 captain (?)

Vehicles

• X1 Rhino.
• X1 Defiler

Combine this with the Crimson Slaughter expansion kit I picked up http://chatteringhorde.blogspot.jp/2017/01/holiday-haul-of-chaos.html and I'll have a very infantry heavy force. If you don't know, it contains:

x1 Chaos Land Raider

x5 Chaos Space Marine Terminators

x5 Raptors/ Talons

x5 Chaos Cultists

Any advice on putting together a fun, fluffy force from these? (Photos below)

Autocannon (?)

x2 Rocket Launchers

x4 Lascannons

x15 Close combat weapons (Khorne berserkers?)

Chaos Metal Box (Rhino!)

x2 Melta guns

x2 heavy bolt guns

x2 Plasma guns

x2 Flamers

x6 Bolters and sergeant (plasma pistol and Power sword?)

Captain?

x9 CSMs with chainswords

x2 CSM bikers

x6 CSMs with bolters and Sergeant (powersword)

Thanks!

Holiday Haul of Chaos (?)

While I was at Warhammer Shibuya a few weeks ago, I came across a bit of a commotion among the punters. A Japanese gamer was in store, looking to sell off some unopened items. 

At the time, no-one in the store was really interested - they weren't making armies that featured anything from the mix of items he had. I soon found out that he had some 40K items, and that he wasn't into 40K at all, and would I be interested in some still-shrink wrapped items?

Intrigued, I was shown the following:

1. A Stormtalon Gunship (Space Marines).

2. A Tau battlesuit box (set of 3 XV8's).

3. A "Crimson Slaughter" Dark Vengeance expansion set.

As it happens, I do have a Space Marine army (Black Templars, who only an hour later than this would suffer the ignominy of bitter defeat), a Tau army, and even a small band of Chaos Space Marines, so this fit me almost perfectly.

The price?

50% off list price for the whole lot.

I almost immediately said "yes!", not because I'm greedy, but because I thought that these items might help get me out of my painting funk and bring me back to the "hobby" side of the hobby. I had never finished the Chaos SM models that I had collected over time, and this might be just the thing to get me back into it. (In my next post, I'll crack open the old GW case that houses "Black Jack's Brass Legion" and we'll line up the squad to see what is there.)

I wasn't familiar with the Crimson Slaughter expansion set, so I set about finding out more after getting home. I had quickly looked at the back of the box, and at the time felt it would add a bit of punch to my current CSM troops.

Let's have a closer look:

Crimson Slaughter box image (front)

Crimson Slaughter box image (rear)

So "What's in the box?"

1. A Chaos Land Raider
2. x5 Chaos Space Marine Terminators
3. x5 Raptors/ Talons
4. x5 Chaos Cultists

Not a huge force, but it should supplement my footslogging CSMs (I seem to remember I only have a Chaos Rhino) and also give me a bit of close combat and fast hitting power. While the Cultists don't help me at the moment (as I don't have any others) they might form the basis of a blob squad later. I'm not sure if this still holds, but without some of other elements the army will stay quite weak (air power).

Now, will I actually follow-up on my good intentions and start painting again?

Chaos Space Marines Troops finished.

*Squeek*
Busy week at work...must...go..to...bed...
...but before that, I wanted to post a couple of units of Chaos Space Marines that I more or less finished tonight.

Around 10 with bolters, 10 with CC weapons (Bolt Pistols and Chainswords) and finally a pack of guys with heavy weapons.

Pics below:

Actually, thought they were finished, but seeing photos on the screen means I can immediately see lots to do!
-heavy weapon barrels need boring out.
-I must bring myself to do the power weapons.
-layers on the flesh rather than just a wash.
-sprucing up the bases to make them more interesting (skulls? weapons? the battered bodies of the vanquished?)
etc.

a warlord's work is never done!
:-)
*Squeek*

Black Templars and Chaos Update

*Squeek*

Fellow warlords, it has been some time since my last scratchings, so I thought I should report on the progress of the Chattering Horde once more. I am embarrassed to say that I have been lured (or seduced) into following the ways of another great power in the weeks since I last posted, and have done little but work on painting an army of Chaos... 
... Chaos Space Marines that is! 

May the Great Horned Rat forgive me! 

m(_ _)m 

After finally managing to get my act together and get hold of some Citadel Black primer spray, I got the bases very roughly done and have moved onto playing around with some base colours. As seems traditional with the forces of Chaos, I have gone for metallic colours (as you can see), by which I mean lots of Boltgun Metal, not just for weapons, but for a main colour. 

In addition, I am using Dwarf Bronze and Shining Gold mix on shoulder pads etc. For the first time, I am also using some of the "new" Citadel Paints range. In this case, Leadbelcher, Screaming Bell and Hashut Copper (conversion chart here). They give good coverage and seem pretty easy to work with. At first I was quite surprised by just how "Red" the Hashut Copper was. As you can see in the images below it is very distinctive!

Screaming Bell/ Hashut Copper

Dwarf Bronze/ Shining Gold 

Screaming Bell/ Hashut Copper

Dwarf Bronze/ Shining Gold

Screaming Bell

A unit of Chaos Space Marines

The names that have come to mind so far for these units have included:

"The Bronze B@stards"
"The Brazen B@stards"
"Black Jack's Brass Legion"
Lots of "Brass" and "Bronze" etc, but I believe "Steel Legion" has already been taken....

I am a bit concerned as to how these will all come out in the end.My Skaven, Tau and High Elves never really saw any metallics used aside from on blades and breastplates etc. I am hoping though that applying some washes and then layers/ highlights should make them a little less garish. One question I am a is whether to use a black wash or an earth wash on the metallic? For weapons where I have used Leadbelcher I think Nuln Oil (Black) should he good, but what about shoulder pads? Agrax Earthshade? Also, as most of the Space Marine armour is simply black, would I wash those? And if so which washes would be best? Questions, questions! (all advice appreciated by the way!)

As well as working my way slowly through the CSMs, I also ordered two Rhinos and a couple of Landspeeders on eBay. Today I resprayed the Rhinos black and kitbashed a Lascannon turret and a Heavy Bolter turret so I could field a couple of Razorbacks if I wanted to (they aren't glued on). You can see them below:

"Old Style" Rhino w/ updated hatches (and smoke launchers?)

Twin Linked Lascannon

"Old Style" with Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters

Chaos Rhino

Landspeeder Typhoon

Landspeeder Tornado

My plan is to keep the Rhinos both black and relatively unadorned. That way (as the group I game with are very relaxed) I can use them with both the Chaos Space Marines and my Black Templars. 

The final recent addition was a small force of Black Templar terminators, again from eBay. I picked up 5 and the seller added in a couple more at a reduced price. These models have Forgeworld shields and were very nicely painted.

Lots to do then, including more work of the imperial "Fortress of Redemption"!

Cheers, 
*Squeek*

Chaos is here!

*Squeek*
Well, following my last post about the haul of Chaos Space Marines I recently laid my hands on, it was just today that I received an email from Games Workshop Japan announcing the new Chaos Space Marine Codex and models!

My initial reaction was a definite mix of excitement and disappointment.

Excitement - Look, Chaos Space Marines are just...cool. Great looking regular infantry (from the previous edition too), especially when adding in the recent Dark Vengeance models.
Check out these guys:

Chaos Marines:

Raptors:

Copyright Games Workshop

Warp Talons:

Copyright Games Workshop

Aspiring Champion

Copyright Games Workshop

Then disappointment: (1)
Flying metallic dragons??

Copyright Games Workshop

Copyright Games Workshop

Yeah, the "Heldrake". 
I could live with a version of an existing Space Marine flyer, because that would be in keeping with the current way that CSM vehicles are warped versions of SM vehicles. You know, the ones they probably would have had in the chapter vehicle pool when they "turned"...
No doubt there is a decent back story connection  ("It came from the depths of Chaos") or something, but it just seems a bit too far out there for me. 

Disappointment (2):
Armoured Dinosaurs???

Oops, wrong image. Here they are:

Forgefiend

Maulerfiend

Yeah, the "Forgefiend/ Maulerfiend".

So on the one hand there are REALLY nice models for certain units (Warp Talons) and on the other hand, plenty of "Meh" (at least for me). The Heldrake for example just doesn't seem "right".  Now, I KNOW that this is a game set in the far future, so anything is possible, but somehow it doesn't work for me. I THINK the reason is that I was hoping for more military vehicles and that kind of tech, rather than this kind of stuff, (which I grant you is well posed and detailed!)

I think it might be worth "Chaosifying" (spikes, skulls, icons) the Forgeworld Storm Eagle instead of using the Heldrake...

Copyright Forgeworld.

What do you think of the new models?

*Squeek*