Blood Ravens

So when Dark Imperium was announced I decided that I wanted to go back and do some space marines and edge highlighting after my Talons of the Emperor. I also decided that I needed to do something than Space Wolves, both paint scheme wise and basing wise. So I settled on Blood Ravens on a desert world. So without a further a do here is where I am so far with the army and some bits and pieces that I am still working on.

The Core

So the core of the army is Dark Imperium box as it was the most logical way of starting the army and my local store was doing a painting competition for one of the armies of the box. Going on from there I started to add the units that I wanted to to the army. I think I started with the 3 pack reivers, and bought 2 sets, swapping a head so that they all had helmets (everyone in the army apart from Gabriel Angelos will have a helmet). After that I followed up with the Librarian, Apothecary and Redemptor Dreadnought. I also have lined up to paint another squad of reivers with the bolt guns, a Repulsor, 5 Tartaros Terminators and the big man Gabriel Angelos.

Painting

So I painted the army in the same way that Paul Norton painted them in the first white dwarf/his instagram account. It was so enjoyable going back to edge highlighting after the super simple way I painted. I also feel that I've pushed myself with this project. The one thing that I haven't got round to doing on all but two of the transfers for the shoulders (and the front pauldrons of the dreadnought). One other thing I decided to do was to paint all of the support characters left arm the standard red of the Blood Ravens. this was down to the fact that the shoulder pad colour of the Blood Ravens is not the same as the armour and I wanted to tie them in with the rest of the army. I don't know if this is the way you are mean to do it but I think it works.

So far there is only one minor conversion in the and that is my Apothecary, Brother Hamlet. After a lovely chap called Noel pointed out that the apothecaries pose is very much like the famous scene from Hamlet I decided to cut out the progenoid gland that the apothecary is carrying and replacing it with a skull. I like it as a conversion, subtle enough that some people won't notice but also a nice little joke for anyone who gets it.

Where next?

So I have a whole bunch of stuff on the painting desk but I'd like to paint the stuff that is listed higher up but I also have the aniversiary Captain and Chaplain. I'd also like to get hold of some more hellblasters and a second repulsor to give me some extra fire power and transport capability. I also have a couple of regular marines in boxes which I should probably get round to painting in the future, but they are just not as fun the paint as the new stuff so we shall see when that gets painted. 

Anyway hope you enjoyed the Blood Ravens and hopefully there will be some more on the channel going forward

Philip