Thorn Moons Crusade: Spireguard of the Thorn Moons

On a midnight run.

As the month comes to a close, the Thorn Moons event is almost here! With the T-26 tank finished, all that was left was to paint some of the Imperial Guard that we converted as Spireguard. To fit alongside the tank, I chose a similar color scheme with drab greens and browns. Below are some pictures of the completed kill team and the background we wrote describing how they fit into the setting.

Thorn Moons Crusade: Painted T-26

The Rhani of Yhanzi march next to the T-26.

A while back I posted my efforts at repurposing a 1:35 scale Russian T-26 for use by the human elements during the Thorn Moon Crusade. After some deliberation, I decided to try painting it using some scale model techniques, primarily involving various oil paints and some enamels. For one reason or another, there seems to be somewhat of a gulf between scale model (tanks, airplanes, trains, etc.) painting and miniature wargame painting. Possibly this is because GW’s line of paints are all acrylic ones, and are the easiest to find if you are already involved in the wargaming hobby. While it was quite a learning experience, I am glad to report the tank is complete, and wanted to talk a little about the painting process.

MasterClub 1/35 metal tank tracks: Impressions

"Wherever you are, death will find you, even in the looming tower."

Earlier this year I built and modified a Russian T-26 tank for use in the upcoming Thorn Moons Crusade. One of the most challenging and time consuming aspects of the entire build was assembling the plastic tracks for the tank, since they were assembled link by link and fixed with tiny plastic bolts. I entertained the notion of building another tank for the Thorn Moons project, but wanted to find an alternative to the plastic tracks, one that still looked good but was easier to assemble. After a little research, I discovered that there are aftermarket metal tracks available, and decided it would be fun to see what they are like. There are two major companies that produce these tracks, Friulmodel and MasterClub. I decided to get a set of T-26 tracks from MasterClub because they use resin pins to hold the metal tracks together, rather than cut-to-fit wire (Friulmodel). Read on if you wish to learn about my struggles with building these tracks.

Thorn Moons Crusade: the Polysmith helps us create the first Spireguard

Our presence remakes the past.

Having made some molds, built some mock-ups, and written some background, we are thrilled to finally show everyone some completed Spireguard from the 73rd Thorn Moon! Even more exciting, however, we get to announce that the esteemed Polysmith (one of the nicest and most talented hobbyists you will ever find!) has collaborated with us to make them into a reality! An accomplished 3d designer and sculptor, he designed and printed a range of stunning female heads to help build our Thorn Moon defenders. After being disappointed with the scale of the new Necromunda Escher models, we needed to find a new source for supplying us with a large number of suitable heads for the models. The Polysmith quickly came to mind, due to his skill with 3d design and his imaginative conversions that take GW models and turn them into something completely unrecognizable (his work on Instagram speaks for itself). He graciously agreed to help us and created a series of remarkable sculpts. Below are pictures of the initial renders and some of the final models built with them!

Thorn Moons Crusade: The XXVIII Expeditionary fleet arrives at the Crataegus Fragmentum

The Shape of He to Come.

Over the past few months, we have been working on creating some Imperial Army/Guard to defend the Thorn Moons from a warpath of ravaging Space Wolves. Recently we started the process of creating some silicon molds to help expedite the process of building an army. For this post, we thought we would do something a little different and, rather than talk about our progress with the models, we would show the first of what we hope to be a few posts dealing with their background!

Thorn Moons Crusade: Making a mold for the Defenders of the 73rd Moon

It's understood, we'll do or die.

A few weeks ago, we showed our progress on our remnants of the Imperial Army defending the Thorn Moons. Since then, I have disassembled all of the models and built a few more weapons and sculpted some arms, preparing to create a silicone mold. I am pleased to say that I made the first mold for the guard, and it was quite successful! I wanted to show you a few pictures of the resulting mold and the resin casts it produces.

Thorn Moons Crusade: Defenders of the 73rd Moon

For a thousand years I spurned the flesh change
But I had lived as half a being
Until the celestial tides wrought our metagenesis.

Late last year, shortly after Iron Sleet announced their second Invitational, we began work on some Imperial Guard to defend the Thorn Moons, the remnants of the Imperial Army that originally explored the Crataegus Fragmentum during the Great Crusade. For the Guard, we wanted to create soldiers that were a little more grounded in reality than most of Games Workshop’s human warriors, eschewing bulky breastplates, rubberized mining suits, and heavily starched robes. To do this, I started to greatly modify Forge World Elysian Drop Troops. In the last few months, I have not had too much time to work on them, but am pleased to say I am now going to set my full attention on them again! I wanted to use this post to show my recent progress on them.

Season's Greetings from Between the Bolter and Me

Happy Holidays from the Thorn Moons!

2017 is finally coming to a close, and while we will do some posts to recap the highlights shortly, we wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays! The year would not have been nearly as special without this community and all the collaborations we got to do with people this year, from exploring  the sandy wastes of Tor Megiddo, the boreal Thorn Moons, and the virulent Plague Planet with their Death Guard inhabitants. We know 2018 holds great things to come, but wanted to wish warm tidings to all on these last few days as we get ready to welcome in the new year!

Adam, Eric, and Greg Wier

Thorn Moons Crusade: Building a T-26

"That which I cannot crush with words alone, I shall crush with the tanks of the Imperial Guard!"

Earlier this year I started to explore the possibility of using scale tank models in Warhammer 40k. I discovered that both 1/35 and 1/48 scale models work alongside 40k ones, with 1/48 being best if the tank is a medium or heavy one (such as a Russian T-34 or German Tiger respectively), or 1/35 if it is a light tank (such as a USA M5 Stuart). With this in mind, coupled with Adam’s work at creating some Imperial Guard for the Thorn Moon Crusade, I thought that it would be fun to build a tank for them. I have always loved the T-26, a Russian light tank, that despite being largely obsolete at the outset of World War II, still saw widespread use (including use in the Spanish Civil War and the Winter War). Therefore, I decided to get a 1/35 scale T-26 and try to convert it into something for the beleaguered defenders of the Thorn Moons.

Thorn Moons Crusade: Invitational II WIP

"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places."
- H.P. Lovecraft

Over the last few months, Iron Sleet has slowly been revealing glimpses of their next collaborative Warhammer 40k project, the Thorn Moons Crusade. From the enigmatic Elder Ones, to the shadowy Alpha Legion, to the howling slayers of the Vlka Fenryka, forces are mobilizing to turn the Thorn Moons of the Crataegus Fragmentum into a warzone. During this time, we built Elder One Othalanga to help defend the Thorn Moons, but still had many other ideas swirling through our heads of other things to create for the project, primarily focusing on the human defenders of the Thorn Moons. Incidentally, a few weeks ago Iron Sleet announced their second Invitational, inviting people to join in on creating models and lore to accompany the Thorn Moons Crusade, specifically asking for people to build 5 human-sized models that would fight alongside the many factions looking to spill blood in the coming conflict. We decided to take this as a cue to put some of our ideas into model form, creating some elements of the Imperial Army that originally explored the Crataegus Fragmentum during the Great Crusade, and has spent the last 10,000 years cut off from the wider Imperium.

Dragged into Turbolasers Episode 31: The Thorn Moons Crusade and the Iron Sleet Invitational II

The Green Man Cometh!

This episode is focused on talking about Iron Sleet’s next project, following the Pilgrym event, called the Thorn Moons Crusade. We talk a little about the origins of the project, and the lore that surrounds it, talking at length about the Thorn Moons and the Elder Ones and Green Mechanicvm that inhabit them. We also discuss the Elder One that Adam built and painted over the last few months. Finally, we talk about the Invitational that Iron Sleet extended to the world, encouraging people to create a series of 5 models to explore the human elements of the Crusade.

True-scale Black Templar Space Marine

No Fear! No Pity! No Remorse!

Despite the release of the new Primaris Space Marines, which we think would be an excellent foundation to create “true-scale” Space Marines, we have not given up on our efforts to create more anatomically correct Space Marines. We created silicone molds to cast our most recent attempt at a true-scale Space Marine, and as a proof of concept built a Black Templar Space Marine. I am pleased to say that this Black Templar is finally complete! With this post I want to talk a little about the painting process and show the completed model.

Building a True-scale Space Marine

And they shall know no fear.

Making true-scale marines has been very popular as of late, much of it stemming from all the excellent examples Migs and many others have created over the years. With this in mind, we wanted to try our hands at creating one. We really wanted to try to address some of the questionable anatomy that Space Marines have developed over the years (incredibly wide thigh gap, lack of a proper abdomen, questionable arm attachment points), and try to create a suit of armour that a person could conceivably fit into.