Soldiers of Incaladion: Skitarii Vanguard

Yes, I know, I know… I should try to finish one of the units I am currently working on, instead of starting a new one. I have a good excuse for this, however! A couple of months ago with some friends we arranged a Kill Team campaign day, and I absolutely wanted to bring for the first time my Adeptus Mechanicus on the table.

After a couple of playtesting games to try different units on the field, I settled for a ten-man unit of Skitarii Vanguards supported by my Sydonian Dragoon. So, as I only had a Rangers unit, I had to start building and painting as fast as I could, putting aside all the other projects.

Unluckily I did not complete the unit within the deadline (looks like 40 days are not enough for me to complete a single unit), but it did not matter, as the campaign was called off due to last-minute engagements for three out of seven players.

Even if we did not play in the end, I am happy that I have found the motivation to finally build and paint a box of models that I bought almost two years ago! My backlog is finally starting to clear! (If I manage to not buy immediately the new Belisarius Cawl, that is…)

Now, let’s finish those Scyllax Guardian Automata and Myrmidon Secutors.

A Dragoon “ironstriding” in the desert

Back to the field!

Hello, everyone! I am finally back for an update. I have been silent for more than six months, and for almost all of this time I was away from the hobby. The last time I posted anything on this blog the summer had not yet struck with all his might – then the hottest season I can remember began. It was so hot that, even during the night, the paints would dry on the palette as soon as I thinned them, so all my projects suffered a severe setback. I think this could be the main reason why the hobby is not so popular in the southern parts of Europe while being extremely widespread in the northern Countries.

When the temperature reverted to acceptable levels, the much-awaited Metal Gear Solid V – The Phantom Pain was released, and most of my sporadic free time was absorbed by it . Now, having finally completed its main story, and with the complicity of the flu that prevented me going to work for a couple of days, I finally found the time to return to my miniatures. And this is going to be a big post!

Update: Incaladion, Skitarii and Imperial Knight

Incaladion

When I started my hobby project based on the Tiger Eyes Titan legion, I thought that very few sources spoke of Incaladion: the third book of Forge World’s Horus Heresy series, a short note in Imperial Armour Volume II, a brief mention in Codex:Necron from third edition (which implied that on Incaladion there were schismatic members of the Cult Mechanicus that revered the C’Tans) and the image of “Incaladion pattern” storm bolter used by the Howling Griffons Space Marines Chapter.

surfing the web, however, this week I discovered that there is at least another mention of Incaladion, on that I completely missed while reading the Gods of Mars novel:

“‘Then we will fight them again,’ said another Space Marine, Varda she thought. ‘And this time we will finish the job.’ Ilanna shook her head. ‘No, you won’t. I mean no disrespect, Brother Varda, but you saw them. The beasts are imbued with some form of self-regenerative mechanism. You can’t hurt them. At least, not without my help.’ An irritated flare of noospherics behind her. ‘Do not suggest what I know you are about to suggest, Magos Pavelka,’ said Archmagos Kotov. ‘It could help kill the hunting beasts,’ she said. ‘It is a curse upon machines,’ said Kotov. ‘You dishonour the Cult Mechanicus with such blasphemies.’ ‘

What is she talking about, archmagos?’ demanded Tanna. ‘Nothing at all, a vile perversion of her learning,’ said Kotov. ‘Speak, Magos Pavelka,’ ordered Tanna, and Ilanna almost smiled at the outrage she felt radiating from Kotov. Had they been anywhere within the Imperium, she had no doubt the archmagos would already have exloaded his Technologia Excommunicatus to the Martian synod. ‘When I was stationed on Incaladion, I–’ ‘Incaladion? I might have known,’ said Kotov. ‘That is why you bear brands of censure in your noospherics? And to think I allowed a techno-heretic aboard the Speranza!’ Tanna held up a hand to forestall further outrage from Kotov, and Ilanna was pathetically grateful to be spared a repeat of what she had heard from her accusers so long ago. ‘What is Incaladion?’ asked Tanna. ‘A forge world in Ultima Segmentum,’ said Ilanna. ‘I was stationed there a hundred and forty-three years ago when there were some… troubles.’ ‘What sort of troubles?’ asked Tanna. ‘Researches into the shadow artes of the tech-heretek!’ snapped Kotov with a surge of indignation. ‘The worship of proscribed xeno-lores and artificial sentiences! Half the planet was in violation of the Sixteen Laws.’ Kotov rounded on Ilanna. ‘Is that where you developed your heathen code?’ ‘In service to Magos Corteswain, yes,’ answered Ilanna. ‘Corteswain? This just gets better and better!’ said Kotov.

‘Who was this Corteswain?’ asked Roboute. ‘He was a great man,’ said Ilanna. ‘Or at least he was before he disappeared on Cthelmax. He was Cult Mechanicus to the core, but a Zethian by inclination.’ ‘I do not know what that means,’ said Tanna. ‘It means he held to ideals of innovation and understanding, of looking for explanations of techno-functionality that did not rely on the intervention of a divine being.’ ‘You see?’ said Kotov. ‘Blasphemy!’ Ilanna ignored him. ‘The possible applications of xeno-tech to existing Imperial equipment fascinated Corteswain, and he dared question established dogma regarding its prohibition. What you have to understand about Incaladion was that it was a world where a great deal of corrupted machinery ended up. Spoils taken in battle against the Archenemy. Machines and weaponry infected with scrapcode and infused with warp essences. Adept Corteswain developed a form of hexamathic disassembler language that could break the bond between a machine and whatever motive spirit lay at its heart.’ ‘A curse on all machines!’ wailed Kotov. ‘It was a way to free those machines from corruption,’ said Ilanna with an indignant flare of binary cant. ‘Magos Corteswain saved thousands of machines whose souls were in torment.’ ‘By killing them,’ said Kotov. ‘By freeing them to return to Akasha,’ said Ilanna. ‘Ready to be reborn in a new body of steel and light.’”

I have to thank Karthak Maz Urzak from the Space Battles forum for this quote.

This quote is utterly interesting, not only because it tells us something more about Incaladion and what is going on there, but also ties Corteswain to it. In case you are wondering, Corteswain is a former techpriest that was abducted by a C’Tan and was then released alive after visiting a Necron planet. He then proclaimed that the Machine God was nothing else than a C’Tan, eager to devour all life, and stripped himself of all his bionic parts. He was later imprisoned as a heretek, but his preachings managed to spread among the Cult Mechanicus.

Reading these paragraphs again gave me the inspiration I needed to create a background story for my army, and to tie it to the legendary Gates of Varl, but unluckily I still have not got the time to write it. I will post it here as soon as I have something worth showing.

Well, but now it is time to show off some hobby.

Skitarii

The Skitarii are coming along nicely: I added the flames to their robes, and then painted the purity seals and lenses. Here you can see a couple of side-shots of my Alpha and of a ranger with transuranic arquebus (those weapons are visually too cool to not use them).

And here are a couple of group shots with the Imperial Knight’s base as a scenery.

Legio Fureans Imperial Knight

I almost finished its legs’ armour. I just need to glaze some areas with Guilliman Blue, add some shadows around the rivets and then higlighting the metallic trims.

Here you can see a test-fitting picture. I had to lay the Knight on its back, for the plates would not stay in place if it is standin on its feet. As you can see, I have undercoated the whole model with Leadbelcher spray. The finish looks a little bit grainy in person, but we will see how it will look after the first Agrax Eartshade wash.

Overall, I am extremely happy with the results I am achieving! This is surely the best army I have ever painted.

Some updates on my Skitarii and Imperial Knight

Lately I have not been able to update the blog as often as in the previous week, for I had a lot of work to do and when I managed to have some free time alone I mostly spent it painting and not writing. Here it is was I have been up to:

Skitarii Rangers

Last time I showed them to you (almost a month ago) they were not even undercoated, while now I have finished their trousers, almost all their metallic parts (minus the weapons and the backpacks) and almost finished their robes. Some of them have yet received their last highlights and the last Seraphim Sepia wash. Now they just need the torsos glued to the legs and the black flames of the Incaladine Mechanicum painted.

The other half of the squad is still missing the last two steps, but I will most probably do them this evening. Then I will probably switch to some lesser details (Opus Machina, lenses, cables) before doing the remaining bigger areas.

Well… in truth there is another picture of my Skitarii that I want to share here. It is from a earlier stage (I had just applied the first wash) and not very clear, but the Knight in the background really look imposing from this angle.

Imperial Knight

Nothing much to show here. I undercoated the model with black and then just applied the first two layers of paint to its legs’ armour (well, in truth they were at least a dozen thin layers of paint and a wash, but just two different main tones). As you can see I have left the darker colour show in the recesses and painted a shadow on the yellow knee pad. Next steps are to add some shadows to the lower part of the thigh guards and then highlight the top areas of all the armour plates, before applying a thinned down wash of Seraphim Sepia. I do not need to add shadows to the armour of the lower legs, for their lower part will be covered with the Legio Fureans’ signature black flames.

Castellax

After many misadventures with the courier, the replacement part for my second Castellax is finally arrived, so I can show him in his full shape, even if I will not paint it for quite a bit. The Skitarii and the Knight are my priority now!