Minotaurs!

[Governor Gallagher]

I have too many space marines. They clutter my closets, shelves, cabinets, and work tables. They are all in various stages of completion, mocking me with their bare, unpainted plastic bodies. Knowing that I will never have the patience to paint them all in the same style as my current Lamenters army (which has sat idly at 1850 pts ever since the foundation paints came out and have made me never want to paint yellow "the old way" again), I have decided to paint them all in a much easier scheme.

Enter the Minotaurs. I have always loved the Badab war and building forces that are diametrically opposed to one another. In addition, the Minotaurs are incredibly easy to paint quickly and still have them look decent. I started this project by building the two special characters Ivanus Enkomi and Asterion Moloch from IA 10 when I got copies of both it and IA 9 almost a year ago, but life has prevented me from actually painting anything until now.

My brother and I have started a little escalation campaign and my goal is to paint 250 points every two weeks for the next eight weeks or so. This log here is to keep me motivated with another external pressure besides the campaign; I'll need some outside pressure to paint the rest of them when it's over!

I have taken stock of my marines and set aside the following to become my Minotaurs. I will check them off in green as I go:

HQ:
Asterion Moloch
Ivanus Enkomi (w/jump pack)
Chief Librarian (in terminator armor)
Librarian (in power armor)
Captain of the 4th Company (counts as Cato Sicarius)
Captian of the 3rd Company (with magnetized jump pack, relic blade, and storm shield)
Comand squad (with apothecary, standard, a powerfist, four flamers/meltaguns/plasmaguns magnetized for versitility)

Elites:
Terminator Squad (ten men)
Dreadnaught
Sternguard Veterans (two combi-flamers, two heavy flamers, and six combi-meltas, one with power fist)
Servitors to make the foot Chronus into a techmarine with retinue (two will have plasma cannons)

Troops:
Tactical squad (w/ multi-melta, melta gun and srg w/ power fist and combi-melta)
Tactical squad (w/ plasma gun, plasma cannon, and srg w/ power weapon and plasma pistol)
Tactical squad (w/ flamer, missile launcher, and srg w/ power fist and combi-flamer)
Three Drop Pods1,2,3
Rhino
Rhino with parts for Razorback
Scout Squad (ten men w/bp & ccw, srg w/ bolter-flamer)

Fast Attack:
Three Land Speeder Typhoons (w/ heavy flamer and multi-melta) 1, 2, 3
Vanguard Veteran Squad (ten men)
Assault Squad (ten men with two flamers, srg w/ power weapon and melta bombs

Heavy Support:
Devastator squad (ten men w/ four missile launchers and srg w/ signum)
Predator w/ counts as Srg. Chronus (magnetized for all weapons variants)
Chronus on Foot

I've got the paint scheme down to a formula I'm happy with. I can paint ten marines at once without going insane, they look alright when done, and it only takes me a weekend or so to complete them. The waterslide transfers are another story though...the first twenty marines I painted turned out great till I tried to put them on. I'd never used them before and I almost feel like the ruined those poor guys. I tried a new method on their squad badges and land speeder though, and I think I've finally figured out how to use them without them looking like ass. Oh well, enough babbling; On with the pics!

Asterion Moloch:




Tactical Squad with Meltas:






Tactical Squad with Plasmas:






Land Speeder:




Feedback is, as always, appreciated but I doubt I'll change much when it comes to paint quality; my goal is to get them done quickly! Also I have a very old digital camera...and no photo set up...so apologies on the often shoddy photo quality.

Thanks for looking!

[Lextheimpaler]

Very very nice, moloch looks awesome

[Ostling]

Looking awesome, especially like the weathering effects on the armor.

[baphomael]

Looking good, what was your method for painting the verdigris effect?


And yea, transfers on space marine shoulderpads are a total ****. Not impossible, but a total faff. I got FW transfer sheets to do mine... part of me thinks 'balls to this, shoulda gone the lazy option and opt for the resin pads/doors'

[Governor Gallagher]

It's pretty simple really. Just a mix of 1 part hawk turquoise, one part thraka green, and about three parts water (maybe four) painted into the recesses with a small brush.

As for the transfers, I've found that putting some strategic slits in them helps, and that the best way to put them on is to paint the pad with gloss varnish, apply the transfer, and then paint more gloss varnish on top. I originally tried painting around the transfers to make them blend in to the model better...that was a HUGE mistake. A ton of work and it ruins any kind of smooth color finish...

[Governor Gallagher]

First update! Here is what I've been working on this week. A drop pod!







That brings my force up to 765 points. Since our first game will be 750 I'm gonna paint up a couple flamers and magnetize the special weapons troopers. They should save points and help against those Dark Eldar warriors cowering behind cover!

Here's the whole force:



And finally a taste of things to come. After I paint those flamers it's on to this tactical squad and a deathwind launcher for the drop pod. That will see me to 1000 points!



And then I'll paint something from this box...not sure which but there are 10 terminatiors, 10 vanguard veterans, Ivanus Enkomi and an assault squad I scrounged together over the weekend! What fun!



Our first game will probably be this weekend. I'll post our campaign tree before then and might do a battle report for the game. At the very least I'll post some pictures and highlights.

Thanks for looking!

[Governor Gallagher]

Another small update. I painted the flamers for the tacticals and magnetized the existing plasma and melta guns! I'm pretty excited about the versatility. I haven't done that sort of thing before except for predators.

KOLOKHIS INFERNUS!


I also finished most of the next tactical squad. They just need verdigris, basing, and transfers.



And another thing I've been messing with in the down time when the paint dries, the terminatior librarian.



And just for fun some close ups of the army shot: it's fun to see them in terrain!

WHAMO!


They shall never defile this sacred ground!


Protect the Munitions!


Thanks again for looking! Sharing my toys keeps me motivated to plug away at them!

[Petay1985]

fantastic progress fella, this army is really developing very quickly. looking forward to seeing more.

[TSS]

By far the best Minotaurs ive seen thus far! These should have been the FW Minotaurs! Subbed!

[Rod Hull]

Very nice. How do you paint the armour ?

[Governor Gallagher]

By far the best Minotaurs ive seen thus far! These should have been the FW Minotaurs! Subbed!

Yeah...I like them better than ed browns as well. His are a bit more creative though. But I've seen some much better than mine. For the life of me I can't seem to find the log im refering to anywhere anymore but they had a really sweet severin loth librarian conversion...anyway maybe someone else knows who I'm talking about? Thanks for the compliment though. It's very inspirational!

*edit* found the log I was thinking of. It's El Diablos on ammobunker. He has the best minotaurs in my opinion.
http://s3.zetaboards.com/The_Ammobun...pic/7536012/1/

They are sprayed black, over brushed calthan brown, over brushed brazen brass (although now that I'm out I'm using dwarf bronze), drubrush highlights with shining gold, mithril silver, wash with devlan mud, then paint directly into the recesses a wash that's 1 part hawk turquoise, 1 part thraka green, and 3-4 parts water. It paints super quick and comes out nice and bold. It looks really good at a gaming distance!

Thanks for all the kind words. I won't be playing a game this weekend after all, but I will still post my campaign tree and hopefully finish those tacticals.

[MasterValrik]

Looks real good, I like the look of this army, very diffrent, the Master/ Lord is sick, really love the shield and the ribbons displayed on it.

[MrSean]

These Minotaurs are looking great. The drop pod looks great with the burn marks. Also I'm a fan of the extra fins on the land speeder it makes it look a little more aggressive.

[dwarf]

This log is going to be awesome! I have wanted to paint a space marine army like this for many years but never done it (I started doing it once but got bored).

Yours are looking really great and that little bit of red and the freehand/decals on the models really does a lot for them!
Have you thought about painting up a HQ model or an HQ command squad in a similar way like the rest of the army but using silver instead of bronze and blue wash instead of turquoise? I think that would really make the army as whole stand out on the table.
But it's just an idea...

Anyways, keep up the good work and will be watching this log for sure!

[ChaplainOrion]

Very nice man, but I'm wondering what chapter those shoulders belong to. Because if they're yellow Mantis Warriors, shouldn't they have the camouflage marks on them?

[emcee temper]

Do you mind showing a picture of the back of the Terminator captain? Would like to see the placement of the cape, for future referance.

On another note, really like the verdigris on the models, adds a real nice touch to 'em

Cheers, Temper

[Governor Gallagher]

Very nice man, but I'm wondering what chapter those shoulders belong to. Because if they're yellow Mantis Warriors, shouldn't they have the camouflage marks on them?

They're Lamenters. Hence the checkers on the predator turret on the land speeder base. No checks onother pads cause theyre just tactical markings.

And as far as the cape, it's the chaos terminator lords so maybe find a picture of him? I'll post one for you though once I finish the tactical squad; which will hopefully be tonight.

[richter]

Great job on the colour scheme! The drop pod really looks ace, the blue circuitry and cabling gives it that techno-esoteric vibe, do I spot some protoss inspiration there ? The same goes for the rest of the amy, but the drop pod really hits the spot!

You also did some cool modeling work, they look really great. Now I'm curious to see the librarian painted up, the open visor is a very nice and unusual detail

Keep it up!

[Governor Gallagher]

It appears my brother and I will be starting our campaign after all. I'm super excited about this! We first started playing 40k at 13 and 11 respectively (thats 13 years ago!) with the 3rd ed box set. He got the Dark Eldar and I got the Space Marines. I can't think of a more fitting match up for the 25th anniversary! Some of the same models will even be taking to the field, having been stripped and then incorporated into our new armies. We'll even be fighting in the jungle trees and gothic ruins from the box set, albeit with new bases and a new coat of paint! Well enough blabbering, here is the campaign I have written.


The Kat'ar Incident

During the Badab war many pirate forces took advantage of the chaotic nature of the war zone, raiding targets of opportunity while the eyes of the Imperium and the Separatists were turned towards each other. Appearing without warning from The Maelstrom, raiders would hit civilian targets such as shipping freighters, trading outposts, and unprotected colonies as well as weakened military assets who had just undergone some form of violent conflict. One such force of Pirate Eldar managed to threaten both, raiding the demoralized worlds in the Pale Stars region. Recovering loyalist forces were assaulted and the ruins of once proud cities invaded, the murderous aliens seeking to enslave the war ravaged survivors within. Word of the raids came swiftly to the Loyalist, but with the majority of their forces engaged with the Sepratists little could be spared to stop the raids.
Having been assigned sideline duties after conquering the Lamenters chapter, the Minotaurs were tasked with ensuring the Pirate Eldar's annihilation. On-world stability was vital if the captured worlds of the Pale Stars were to be utilized as staging and supply points during the war effort. Lord Asterion Moloch, master of the Minotaurs, felt he could ill afford to leave his valuable Space Marines on sector wide sentry duty and set about eliminating the specific Pirate Eldar threat instead. His plan was as brutal as it was aloof, use the planets with the most degraded states to lure out the raiders and crush them utterly with direct assaults during their sorties. The Minotaurs gave little consideration to the loss of civilian lives such a plan would ensure. The planet Moloch deemed most prone to a raid was Kat'ar, a planet the Minotarus had decimated less than a year before, wiping out a Tyrants Legion and Lamenters garrison in the main hive city of Kar'uk. After sending fresh recuperating military forces and supplies in as bait, Moloch and elements of the Fourth, First, and Tenth companies hid in high orbit with baited breath.



***

The Kat'ar Incident is a ladder campaign that uses the following tree system to determine its results. Start with the first neuteral mission. From then on advance the campaign in the direction of the last games winner, either to a neutral or race specific mission depending on the type of mission last played. IE if the last game played was a Minotaurs mission and the Dark Eldar won, play the next neutral mission. If they win that mission as well, play the next Dark Elder mission. If any game is a draw, advance the mission to the next neutral mission. THe campaign will last four games total.
Victories are worth five campaign points, draws are worth three campaign points, and a loss is worth one campaign point. In addition, the points awarded for the final battle are doubled.
At the end of the campaign count up the total number of campaign points each side has earned, compare the difference and consult the following results:
0: tie
1-5: minor victory
6-10: victory
11+: major victory

(The following missions should be set up in a tree: Three coloms with the neutrals in the center, but I can't be bothered to make it happen on here...)

Minotaurs Missions

2. The Minotaurs defeat the Dark Eldar and attack their reserve element:
Vanguard


3. The Minotaurs locate a webway portal and attempt to destroy it:
Invasion (with only one objective, in the tables center, ignoring the Realm of Chaos Rule)

4. The Minotaurs attempt to destroy the now isolated Pirate leaders, breaking the back of the cabal:
Surprise Attack

Neutral Missions

1. The Minotaurs intercept a Dark Eldar Raiding force:
Annihilation, Dawn of War

2. The frustrated forces attempt to gain mastery of the battlefield:
Seize Ground, Table Quarters

3. Both sides attempt to hold their line while breaking the enemies.
Capture and Control, Pitched Battle

4. The forces clash in a last ditch effort to annihilate their remaining foes:
Annihilation, Table Quarters

Dark Eldar Missions

2. The Dark Eldar raid an Imperial outpost. The Minotaurs attempt to destroy the raiders:
Slave Raid

3. The Dark Eldar preform a feigned flight with their captives, luring the pursuing Minotaurs into an ambush:
Feigned Retreat

4. The Dark Eldar encircle the last of the Minotaur ground forces at their evacuation point, intent to kill or capture as many of them as possible:
All-round Defense

Campaign Bonuses: Each mission has a reward for the winner that is used during the next game.
1: Press The Advantage!
You may re-roll your die for deciding who gets to go first. If the mission specifies who goes first, you may force a roll off instead.
2: We've got them on the back foot!
You may force your opponent to place one of their units in reserve;however this unit may not cost more than 150 points (if all units cost more, you must choose the least expensive unit).
3: Veterans!
One of your long serving units has gained some useful skills in their many battles against the enemy. One of your Troops selections gains one of the following skill sets for the final game (your choice).


Fieldcraft
Infiltrate and Move Though Cover

Anti-Armor
Tank hunters and the unit automatically passes tank shock tests.

Ferocious
Furious Charge and Fleet

Counter Insurgency
Counter Attack and Preferred Enemy.

Marksmen
The units weapons are twin linked.

Courage Under Fire
The unit can choose to pass or fail any morale check it is called upon to take.

And some updates on my progress! The tactical squads bases are wip and it needs transfers and dull coat to be finished.



And here is Moloch's back as requested:



And finally, I've decided to paint the assault marines next. I think I'll need the numbers and mobility and who can say no to two flamers!

You also did some cool modeling work, they look really great. Now I'm curious to see the librarian painted up, the open visor is a very nice and unusual detail

Oh it's actually not a visor; it's the start of the lower portion of his psychic hood!

Thanks for all the encouragement!

[richter]

Oh it's actually not a visor; it's the start of the lower portion of his psychic hood!

Oh! Apologies then for the confusion. This however has made me even more curious to see how it will turn up