40k Hopefuls, #2

Hey guys, Huron here again.  Time to let you in on what the above minis is for in my second 40K Hopefuls of 2012 post.  Last November I posted a couple of WIP preview shots of this guy with a slightly different base, a Mk5 marine, and a finecast jump pack chaplain with a FW Pre-Heresy jump pack.  Well those were the first models of what I thought at the time was going to be pre-heresy Dark Angels army.  Well things ebbed an flowed and while I ended up ditching the Dark Angels idea, trying and failing to paint a squad as Hersey World Eaters, I still continue to gather up minis for this army a bit at a time.  To be honest I already had quite a size able cache of FW bits that I have been buying from both Forge World as well as an UK bits site called bitsandkits.co.uk.  Bits and Kits is a cool because form time to time they stocks up on FW bits and you can bits order individual pieces.  Not the most cost effective way of doing things but if all you want is Lugft Huron's body, an Astral claw shoulder pad, or a single FW Hersey style Missile Launcher, the price is pretty nice.

So now that I am talking about what 40k armies I want to work on this year, I though I'd share with you what I have built so far.  Here is a pic of the full army at this time.

More pics below.

So yes that is a unit of Vanguard paint in Pre-Hersey World Eaters colors chilling in the middle of the army.  I painted these guys (and a standard bearer) last November to get myself motivated to work on the project. Well they had the exact opposite effect for me, breaking down my confidence as painter and making me swear off 28mm minis for the rest of 2011.  I have always wanted a Pre-Hersey World Eaters army however painting white on that scale proved to be to much for me.  The approaches I tried utterly failed and the final products were banished to a box of minis on the bottom shelf with the hope they would never see light of day on this blog.  Well I am going to share them with you, only because I have decided to strip them.  They are next up on my list of minis to get a dunk (been focusing on Warmachine models recently, though the standard bearer has already been soaking for over a day now as a test) so I guess it is okay to show them off now.

Here they are, in all their horror:

Not my best work.

So here are pics of the rest of the army as it stands.  To give you some insight as you are looking at the pics I have added a title and list of parts used, yes I an a nut!  So for the above Vangaurd unit, the parts used are: Grey Knight Power Armor Helmets (plastic), Pastic Arms, 2 GK Falchions for Power Swords, FW Bolt Pistols, FW Power Fist, FW Mk5 Chests, FW Mk5 Assault Legs, FW Mk5 Studded Shoulder Pads, FW Mk2 Shoulder Pads, and FW Mk2 Jump Packs.

Chapter Master: FW Lugft Huron Body, FW Lugft Huron Claw Arm, Plastic Chaos Terminator Lord Arm and Cape, FW Games Day Boarding Assault Captain Storm Shield, FW Astral Claws Terminator Shoulder Pad, Blood Angels Plastic Bare Head with Bionic Eye (from Sanguinary Guard Sprue), Dragon Forge Designs Resin Broken Concrete base with added Rubble (the whole army will use these eventually).

Jetbike Squad: Chapter House Jetbikes (including legs and arms), FW Mk5 Chests, FW Mk5 Heads, FW Mk5 Shoulder Pads (both smooth and Studded), FW Mk5 Back Packs, and 2 FW Hersey Meltaguns

Tactical Squad 1:  FW Mk 5 Hersey Marine Bitz (9 Heads, Chests, Legs, Shoulder Pad Sets, and Back Packs; 7 Sets of FW Mk5 Arms) 2 Sets of Plastic arms, one carrying a bolter, one set for Sergeant, 1 FW Mk3 Marine minus Back Pack, Maximini Resin Back Pack, FW Hersey Lascannon, FW Hersey Meltagun, 8 FW Umbra Ferrox Pattern Bolters

Tactical Squad 2: 10 FW Mk5 Torsos and Shoulder Pad Sets; 9 FW Mk5 Back Packs; 10 sets of plastic Marine Legs; 9 FW Raven Guard Veteran Mk6 Heads; 1 Mk4 Plastic Head; Mix of Plastic and Resin Arms; FW Hersey Missile Launcher, FW Hersey Heavy Weapon Back Pack, FW Hersey Meltagun, 8 FW Umbra Ferrox Pattern Bolters.

Terminators (both Squads): 10 Grey Knight Plastic Terminator Heads, 9 Assault on Black Reach Plastic Terminator Bodies, 9 Plastic Terminator Chests, 7 Sets of Plastic Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield Arms, 3 Sets of Plastic Lightning Claw Arms, Resin Maximini Terminator Shoulder pads (2 kinds, 10 of each), FW Tyberos the Red Wake Body.

So what remains unbuilt/ to buy?  Well I have a custom Honor Guard in bits waiting to be assembled that uses the chest pieces from Severin Loth's guard and their axes, some BA heads, GK legs, and Maximini Back Packs.  I have the first 2 models of a Command Squad wearing Mk3 armor too.  I also have a Contemptor Dread or two sitting around (but need the correct arms and to figure out how I want to magnetize them).  I am also going to need at least 2 of the FW Heresy Rhinos, a FW Heresy Predator or 2, and at least one Proteus Landraider (can't decide between armored or unarmored versions).  I also want to do a Mk3 Devastator Squad with 4 missile launchers and I need to expand my jetbike squad to at least 6 model and an Attack Bike of some sort.

I also want to do some Landspeeders.  Though I have several of the 2nd Edition metal ones kicking around, they are very small, here is to hoping FW or Chapter House do one that allows for a Cyclone Missile Launcher option.  Oh... and I have a Severin Loth Librarian and a couple of Chaplains with various armaments for the army too.