Sunday, February 16, 2014

The Tyrant Ascends



Hey everyone, I know it has been a long time but I promise I will be more consistent with my posts. I have a lot of finished projects to show off so expect something new soon. Today I have some Astral Claw stuff to show you.



First off I have the newest member of the Sternguard squad, Buvalu.






 Buvalu's service record within the Astral Claws is a story of extreme perseverance and ruthless persecution of the Emperor's foes. While he still fought within the 3rd company as a Tactical Marine he took part in a battle against an element of a Tyranid splinter fleet. His squad became cut off from the rest of the force and quickly surrounded by the alien menace. One by one his battle brothers were dragged down below the monstrous tide until just his Sargent and himself remained. Running low on ammunition they received word that a relief force was inbound and they only had to hold out for 2 more minutes. With salvation in sight it seemed as though they would survive and then the tide turned against them. A massive Carnifex lumbered through the swarm towards them which his Sargent bravely charged, his power fist crackling. Tasked with holding off the smaller aliens Buvalu could only watch as his Sargent struggled against the behemoth. After several seconds the Carnifex was clearly winning, tearing into the marine's armor and throwing him near limp form to the ground. Unwilling to see the entirety of his squad fall Buvalu charged between the beast and its prey spraying it with the remaineder of his bolt rounds. With death looming over him he grabbed the last 3 of his grenades and hurled them into the beast's maw just as it snatched him off the ground in its crushing claws. The resulting blast blew apart the Carnifex from within and hurled Buvalu against the adjacent rocky outcrop knocking him unconscious as he heard the sound of an approaching Thunderhawk.

Several days later he awoke within the apothecarium to discover that despite his efforts his Sargent was overrun by the lesser aliens before the relieving Marines could reach them, leaving him the only surviving member. To make matters worse a large portion of his body, including most of his lower face and left eye were badly burned or gone altogether. The Apothecary's called it a miracle from the Emperor that he survived at all. Where other's saw a miracle Buvalu only saw a cruel joke and an eternal mark of shame in his failure to save any of his squad. His heroic last stand saw him promoted to the ranks of the 1st Company and assigned within a Sternguard squad. He he fought beside the likes of Ira and Zaidu for the entirety of the Badab War. As the war progressed and the Astral Claws renounced their ties with the Imperium Buvalu saw it as a perfect opportunity to vent his frustration against the Emperor who had forsaken him against the alien swarm. Taking his wrath out on the loyalist marines his kill tally was unparalleled within his squad. Unlike some of his brothers he did not particularly support his Tyant's position or oppose it. He merely followed his orders and used the opportunity to become lost in his own form of redemption. He finally fell fighting in the rearguard as his squad retreated through the ruins of the Palace of Thorns, selling his life to save those of his Battle-Brothers.

And here he is with his friends.


At first I wasn't that fond of this guy due to his pose, I thought it was one of my weaker efforts but in the end I think it all came together nicely. 

You can vote for him on CMoN here.

To finish off today I have a few conversions to show you. I got the Forge World Praetorians for Christmas and just knew I had to dedicate them to service with the Tyrant. This first guy was originally just meant to be a captain with a relic blade to use when I didn't want to field a special character but after I got the basics of the pose down I decided to fully convert him into the Tyrant's Champion, Corien Sumatris.





I am really happy with how he is turning out. Since I took these pictures I have done a little more work on him by smoothing out the upside down stock on the Bolter and adding a little skull to the side of it, which by the way I am finding I really enjoy sculpting skulls. I have also started adding detail to the inside of his Storm Shield. I think I really nailed the look of his unique Bolter that is mind linked.

This second guy is also another favorite of mine, the Chaplain of the 1st Company.



The head is from the Tomb Kings infantry sprue with tubing added from Dragonforge and eye lenses sculpted in. The crozius is a banner top and the hand and shaft from one of the new Master of the Chapter. I still need to figure out how to put a gun on him without ruining the flow of the model, I'm thinking a wrist mounted Storm Bolter like the Grey Knights.

Thats all for today, like I said though, expect a new post soon as I have a few projects to get through showing you.

Until next time,

Tyler M.



1 comment:

  1. I love your Astral CLaws mate - the metallics are so clean - brilliant.

    The FW Praetors lend themselves so well to slight conversion work - yours are some of the better attempts I have seen. I've seen a few Chaplain versions - look forward to seeing how this progresses.

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