Thursday, June 12, 2014

6/12/14: Finished: Legio Ursas Alaska-themed Warhound Titan

Howdy folks!

This last month has been a lot of fun, getting to play with all these Forge World super heavy titans! As soon as I wrapped up the first Warhound, I got another commission to do a second! This one was open to my artistic interpretation, so I played around with some schemes and colors, until I realized my client was from Alaska. This is a model his entire group is going to use, so I figured I'd do something personal yet generic, if that makes sense! The client also wants a little fluff, so....

++Accessing files++
++Mechanicus Forge Worlds++
...Ursas...Accessing
++Location: Ultima Segmentus
++Sector: Nephilim Sector
++Designation: Forge World

     Ursas was founded towards the end of the Age of Terra, and was populated by a mix of colonial settlers and Martian technosavants. Ursas revolves slowly around a dying red giant, and thus most of the planet is tundra-lands, glacial moraines, and large boreal forests. The colonists soon discovered the planet was rich in metallic elements, and the glacial icecaps and tundra plains allowed for a quick growth in population and a flourishing trading economy. By the end of the Age of Technology, numerous Xenos invasions and pirate attacks had turned the planet into a technological bastion in the region, their abundant mineral and financial wealth supplying themselves and the surrounding planets with advanced weapons, armor, and wargear. When the Great Crusade arrived, the Priests of Mars were pleased to find a technological haven on Ursas, and quickly set to work to improve their new Forge World. Numerous flamer and melta STCs were recovered from the planet, and soon Ursas became a Forge World to rival even Gryphonne IV or Stygis. Recently, advances from the Tau Empire; namely the cadres of the renegade Farsight, has drawn the forces of Ursas back to their home system. Raids from Chaos pirate fleets and tendrils from Hive Fleet Leviathan have also continued to keep their forces nearby. 

Forge World Ursas draws its heraldry from two sources. When colonists landed on Ursas, they encountered lots of wildlife, but none as dangerous as the large black bears that inhabited the boreal forests that veined across the landscape. Although many were eradicated in the ensuing conquest, many were taken in as pets and aides for physical labor. With the arrival of the Mechanicus, the bears were given bionic limbs and cybernetic implants to strengthen and fortify their already monstrous physique. The heraldry of Ursas reflects that. The other side, an ancient Terran constellation, represents the guidance and aide that Ursas gave to her allies throughout her history, much as the constellation helped Terran settlers, both on Terra and throughout the galaxy.



Presented here is Arctos, a Mars Class Warhound Titan, during the Azulian Crusade. The Crusade halted the advance of Farsight Enclave forces into Ursan space.


The model is being shipped in pieces, though the guns are magnetized and the carapace removes to reveal the crew inside!


I wanted to do white and another color on this titan to reflect the snow base I was aiming for. Seeing as my client is from Alaska, I opted for blue and yellow to compliment it. The Big Dipper and North Star are the imagery on their State Flag, so its repeated several times across the model.


The yellow bands also allowed for some freehanding of the name.


The carapace was sprayed white. Then the yellow was applied. That was masked, then sprayed blue. Once dry, I went back into the yellow and chipped it with both brush and sponge weathering. It really adds detail to these sections of the model!


The erect bear heraldry of Forge World Ursas, backed by a golden sun. I added the bionics to keep the grimdark going on the model, and the purity seals add some extra detail!



The plasma blastgun is magnetized for future weapons, and the glow effect really gives that dangerous look we all know and love for plasma!


I also continued the glow onto the Vulkan Mega Bolter to show the reactors needed to power such a rapid-fire weapon!


The base features a wrecked Farsight Enclaves Devilfish, complete with freehanding on the top hatch showing Tau Propaganda. You can also see the two drones hovering around the titan's ankles, trying to defend their care to no avail. The drones also come off their flight stands for transport, storage, or for whenever my client decides to start Tau!


The Carapace, as stated, still comes off to reveal the crew on the inside. I continued the glow effect off the monitors onto the servitors.


Princeps Seward and his crew in all their glory!

Whew! I can't wait to do another Warhound Titan! Warhound Titan commissions are running $650 with scenic base, freehand, and all the extra parts I like to add to these titanic models, so if you're looking to get yours built and painted, now's the time to do so!

Next up are Necrons, Daemons, and terrain! 

Stay tuned!

Granesh

2 comments:

  1. Looks fantastic. I think I would have done a bit more with the terrain...the tau vehicle and drones look great, but the surface is a bit flat. I'd imagine some craters or debris would help break it up some more. But then it's a giant model, you could spend as much time on the base as you could the model itself!

    It's nice to see these guys executed in such quality and skill.

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  2. Thanks so much Greg! You're right, the terrain is a little flat, I'd wanted to get the snow drifts going but it just didn't become an option. I really wanted the Devilfish to the be the focal point too, so the rest is a little flat.

    Granesh

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