Iandanger's Hive Project

[iandanger]

Hi All, I've been a lurker for awhile and am posting here for the first time. I am mostly a 40K player, but I started gaming with Mordheim when it came out, and 2 years ago I began the long road of making an inquisition force. I've converted up a substantial amount of acolyte models, built a small tempestus detachment, started a guard counts as army using IG veterans and soon Bullygrins. I even started a deathwatch squad to accompany my Xenos inquisitors. This has led me to an interest in making a Genestealer cult and some house gangs to possibly play Necromunda with some of my game group. I'm also interested in trying Inq 28. And Heralds of ruin Killteams. And eventually Mordheim.

Anyhow, I'm starting this thread as an omnibus blog for my underhive journeys. To start, I am going to show off some of my 40K board. It is one of the Secret Weapon Tablescapes, and since getting it in October I have been working hard to fill it with suitably dense terrain. I am going for a table that is dense enough to play 40K, infinity, necromunda, etc, depending on how much of the terrain you use.

My initial phase of constructing buildings is wrapping up, and I am moving toward details. I recently added a Hive Guys takeaway window and neon sign, and I have begun working on a large crane that will move shipping containers around the board (the crane will have a magnetic arm that will allow it to suspend a shipping container in midair over the battlefield, ultimate sniper nest).

One thing you will see a lot on my board is technology. I started with an Arbites precinct with a cheap digital picture frame making an electronic billboard that scrolls imperial propaganda (or traitor propaganda if they have homefield advantage). Next, I added a plasma globe and built a power generator complex around it. I bought a mantic Landing pad (and put a smaller helipad on the Arbites precinct roof), and will be lighting both with LEDs. I also have several neon signs planned, and hope to paint them fluorescent and add black light LEDs to the surrounding area. I may add a few more LEDs where appropriate, but I don't want to overdo it. My last 2 projects will be adding a computer fan to one of my styrofoam buildings and wiring it to a battery, and adding a bluetooth speaker to the board. That about covers the "extra" features.

Thematically the board features my Arbites precinct with a landing pad fenced in next to it, and across the street the power station. Adjacent to that is a hab block that is built on either side of a road with elevated walkways connecting it, and the rest of the board appears to be largely pieces of one massive, collapsed building. Among the ruins is a crane and eventually shipping containers. The idea is that the area is being rebuilt.

 

[RMagryta30!]

Styrofoam bits does wonders for sci-fi terrain, I think. I've thought of using it myself - anyone know if there's a sealant spray or specific primer to use to keep it from crumbling too easily?

 

[iandanger]

I use a coat of Mod Podge, which is a white glue for découpage (I mix in sand and a bit of water as it gives some added non-foam texture), applied with a paint brush. I have also seen spackle used.

 

[trollmeat]

That looks great! Bonus points for having a Hive Guys franchise :-D

The digital picture frame shows really dedication and inspiration. Love it! Make sure you post your Genestealer Cult (I need more inspiration)

 

[iandanger]

I can't wait to dive into GS Cult, I'm waiting until I have the scratch to start with some oldhammer models, probably with an Eisenkern APC as limo

 

[ClockworkOrange]

Welcome! love the billboard may copy that idea!

Love Orange

 

[iandanger]

Whew, it has been awhile since I started this thread, and frankly I've made backward progress on the board (my cat broke my landing pad and it was the shoddy mantic clip that broke so i have to figure out how to reinforce it without making it look crappy). I would love to say I've gotten a ton of other hobby stuff done, but mostly I've worked on my house and hung out with my now toddling youngster (oh and started working again, the cost of hobby budget is hobby time it seems).

Anyhow, ever since I saw fury road (and really before that, as I wanted civilian vehicles for my streets) I've been thinking about making some mad max, straight out of hell death machines of steel and chrome. A few months back I got some die cast cars out of a $5 bin at the drug store, and what it birthed is as follows:

First I built this a few months back:

But I stalled out, until a friend mentioned his store was doing a 40k deathrace based on Formula D with added shooting rules, so I went ahead and got the other two vehicles for that crew converted up:

The idea is that the gang rents out its service as a taxi service into the wastes, the main vehicle carries enough provisions for everyone, allowing the other cars (blocker cars, in honor of archer) can stay light and efficient.

Here are the 3 of them with crews (at least for now, I haven't decided on lists or weapon loadouts, and I'll be converting each miniature so it is unique, so there will be head swaps etc) at the track in the game store:

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/740/20687393999_6bc1996289.jpg

Finally, I got working on my second gang's vehicles (and I'm planning to make up some squadron rules for all of them together in 40k for apoc games, they'll be called to serve my inquisitor or a chaos lord, whatever makes sense in context) and have given them a coat of primer:

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I'll leave you with some pictures of the racers from the game store, it had a definite "Wacky Cartoon Racers" feel to it:

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[Loriel]

excellent!

 

[iandanger]

Whomp, 2 of my images didnt embed properly (of course, thats what I get for posting in the wee hours), here they are:

Anyhow, after a bit of fiddling about over the last few days, I've also made some progress on my soon to be gang called house Von Kobold, an up and coming group on a different planet from Necromunda, one located in the Maelstrom zone. This is mostly because I have Astral Claws and Red Corsairs as well as lamenters, mantis warriors, and executioners in my model collection, so most of my fluff revolves around the maelstrom zone.

I have 3 Cawdor juves with autopistols that I am using as juves, I also converted a Reaper Bones Cave Troll into a heavy (well, I'm still heavily working on him, but ive gotten started) with a heavy bolter, converted a heavy with a hunting rifle from an Empire Flaggelant, and have given 2 dark vengeance cultists lasguns from my bits box. I have a bunch of autogun and bolt pistol cultists, I plan to do head swaps so there are no identical models at all. Obviously I also have a Dark Vengeance stubber heavy, and I could probably summon a flamer one back from my traitor guard relatively easily. I'll need to get some shotguns from a 3rd party bits maker, as I know they are great fun. There are some reaper bones models I may also add to the gang, including a priest (who may not actually fit in on the table but is definitely part of the household either way, a mechanic with a ccw (who i may run as a brawler of some kind), and there are others in their scifi and fantasy lines that I'd consider.

Since the first gang will ostensibly operate the taxi service run by the family, I plan to keep them sized to fit into their vehicles for now (3 in the car with the turret, 2 in the convertible, 8 in the van). I want to add new vehicles for each addition to the crew.

My next addition will be a 1/32 scale semi truck with a tanker trailer, that should be a fun one, I may even need to use a wych model to make a furiosa character.

 

[tangomegadeath001]

Great work bud, just wish I had you skill.

 

[trollmeat]

The vehicles and the gang look great - you seem to have gotten the scale down perfectly.

Always like to see people setting their games in their own worlds. Look forward to seeing more

 

[Ben_S]

Nice work on those. I need to do something with my DV Cultists some day - just never sure what...

 

[Matelloco]

Ohh those cars are so so sweet. Where did you get the base model ?

Thx !

 

[iandanger]

Thanks all!

The cultist models are so great, I am using them for a lot of conversions, plus my heretic army from IA 13.

The cars I actually found at a drug store, they are cheap die cast cars, I bought one to compare scale and I thought it was more or less perfect. Originally they were primarily intended to be terrain. Also, they all have the thing where their wheels wind up and they roll forward, I've punched holes in cardboard with the spiky ones lol.

Small update, I took some glamour shots of my crew, I believe I've settled on a starting lineup:

 

[point_blank]

Those vehicles look great, the base models you picked up have the right kind of era to be converted into mad max style vehicles

 

[iandanger]

My hobby ADD continues unabated. I have painted a bit on my terrain, worked on my necromunda crews, and now here we are with the retinue for my Inquisitor Orin Grax:

First we have Grax himself. Obviously an age of sigmar conversion. My original Grax model used a warrior of chaos, but I actually really like this more (also I lost the last model in a warp storm/moving last year). I made 2 versions, one in full armor with force sword and needle pistol, and this one with him casting a psychic power.

This is his retinue, the squad I run him with in 40K, a CC squad in a land raider crusader with psybolts.

And while I'm posting from this faction, here is my other inquisitor, an orthodox Xenos inquisitor Sarah Locke. Both Grax and Locke were part of the retinue of Inquisitor Bolin Wyte, a legend in the field and a man with considerable knowledge of the many Xenos known to the imperium. It was during an invasion of one of the squat home world's that Bolin fell to a hive tyrant, his psychic defenses weakened by a combination of toxic gasses and the hive minds oppressive presence.

Locke and Grax were both acolytes, Grax was field appointed to inquisitor provisionally and was tasked with returning his master's body. He was given command of a unit of Deathwatch in the aftermath, and was separated from the rest of their retinue. Locke was given an intense review and was found to be qualified to take up the mantel of inquisitor, inheriting her former master's command and taking in most of the survivors of their ordeal.

Grax, meanwhile, would go on to gather important data and genetic materials for the eventual creation of hellfire ammunition, and following his official affirmation as an inquisitor was given leave to return to his master's former work of studying and mapping the fauna of the Galaxy.

In time, he would begin to see the utility of using Xenos as tools for the emperor's will. He is known to surround himself with both squat survivors of the tyranid invasion, as well as horrific genetic aberrations, sometimes called "beastmen" by civilians. While they are officially called to be exterminated by the ordo hereticus, beastmen who are bathed in the light of the emperor are potent, hellish opponents in battle, relentless and deadly. They serve as acolytes, death cult assassins and crusaders for Grax.

Grax also has a reserve of various Xenos and other outcasts that he has gathered to him. Eventually, I plan to add some tau fire warriors, some kroot, a few Eldar guardians and maybe a ranger, a dark Eldar warrior (in chains perhaps), even a couple ork boys and some models to represent the other Xenos that aren't big enough to have books of their own.

Locke's retinue on the other hand are mostly going to be human and mechanicus in origin, featuring Adeptus Arbites, skiitari (I had originally made some bad casts of a modified war games factory trooper with a hood to use as my mechanicus, but I'll probably get some of the new minis to use instead), storm troopers, and of course psykers, priests, and acolytes made from empire flaggelants. I did make some death cult assassins with wytches:

I am also slowly working on a deathwatch kill team to run with them. My Storm Troopers are mostly done, my Arbites are nowhere near where I want them. I am using hannomag apc models for the Arbites Tauroxes, and the taurox model for taurox primes. I need to get some bullygrins for the Arbites (who I run as grenadier vets with shotguns)

 

[Ben_S]

Some nice ideas there. I'm surprised the DE pistol doesn't look ridiculously tiny in the hands of the Sigmarine Inquisitor.

 

[iandanger]

Right? i was a little surprised about that myself. I had originally kitbashed a needle pistol for the model I lost, but honestly i think the wytch pistol works well enough and there isn't that big of a difference in concept between a gun that uses a laser to pen armor then fires a poison vs a rail gun that fires a poison particle.

 

[trollmeat]

Have you tried making lightning using tiny roots (from grass or just in bare soil, dried out and painted)?
More fragile than wire but can look quite good.

 

[Ben_S]

Or, if you don't want to use actual roots, many Wood Elf kits have roots and/or branches that could be painted like bolts of lightning/something else.