The Perfect Space Wolf insult

This is an idea I originally came up a couple years ago for a counts as Thousand Sons unit. The idea is pretty straight forward: Enemy marines that have been captured have been handed over to the Dark Mechanicum and converted into combat servitors. Then in agreement with their Chaos Marine allies, they lead units of these lobotomized marines into combat. The AP 3 bolters is explained by saying they are using Vengence rounds in the bolters while the 5+ invulnerable is explainable by saying they use some sort of force field when in combat.

I sold the original servitor-wolves a while back when I sold my last Chaos army. But I'm starting another one and the whole servitorized captured space wolves that count as thousand sons.... god I just love that irony, I'm putting models of the space wolves on the table that count as thousand sons all it really needs is for them to be lead by a Dark Angels Librarian (hmmm....).... anyway. Sorry ADHD kicking in there. I really love this idea so I'm revisiting it. Last time I got hung up on the counts as aspiring sorcerer model. Well I think I've got it hammered out:

The Adept of the Dark Mechanicum counts at an aspiring Sorcerer.

The mecha-axe is way bigger then I originally thought it would be, but after building the model and looking at it I've found I like it more like this. Gives this look of an over-burdened menial level worker. Like he pissed off his magos so he got assigned to lead the combat servitors into battle in agreement with whatever Chaos lord we're serving this week.

"But master, I am no warrior. I have no weapons." he pleads.

"Error! Condition: No weapons. Rectified." The Dark Magos tones in his digital logic influenced speak as he shoves the Atomic Glave at the menial.

"But... my lord... I can not wield such a weapon." The menial whines.

"Statement: Unable to wield weapon. Condition: True. Subject: Verehnass Omicron Psi 91168. Conclusion: Learn. Communication status: Terminated!" The Dark Magos replies coldly.

Anyway, the model itself is based on the Cairn Wraith model, though it's been rather extensively modified. The only parts from the model I actually used were the cloak and skull face. Everything else was added. I stuck a big wad of Green stuff into the empty cavity to give me a body to work with. Then I took a pair of mechanical legs from Anvil Industries Bionic Legs set and cut the legs from the groin and use wire to mount the legs into the green stuff. I had to cut and chop down the length of the cloak on the model to allow it to accommodate the fact that it's not going to be floating any more. Once the legs where mounted I went to work on the mecha-dendrites. I used a set of Servo Skulls from Forge World  and added the small tools to the end of the tubing I got from Dragon Forge Design. Bending the tubing proved to be a new exercise for me. I used a series of pen bodies, and tool handles of various sizes to provide a form to bend the cables around that way it would 'coil' as opposed to bend. For the left hand... er.... thing, I decided to go with something a bit different and took a small section of medium sized tubing, drilled out a hole in the center of the tubing and glued in a set of three segments of small wire. My intent was to make it look like the adepts hand disassembled and this data connection/micro manipulator/whatever extended out of his wrist. Not sure I succeeded or not.

The weapon was a whole different ball game. I got the axe it self from Max Mini's Steam Punk weapons line, cut down the length of the shaft to better accommodate the size of the model and went to work on the head (jesus that sounds like a lead in for a bad porno). The Emitter Matrix is made from a cut down section of a Necron sniper rifle and then attached to the back of the axe head.

Wow, I just listed off parts that I got from 5 separate companies. I gotta say that kinda surprises me. Anyway, I'm gonna try and base it later today.

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Death Watch detachment

And construction of the Kill Team Detachment has been completed (You know baring the possibility that I want to build a Death Watch Dreadnought just because I can, or I have that Land Speeder I could build. And a Storm. A little speedy transport wouldn't be unwelcome for a Death Watch team).

Anyway. 20 Death Watch marines with a watch captain:

 Placed in command of the detachment is a Death Watch Captain:

 Each Squad is lead by a Sergent. In this case, both Sergents are from the Ultramarines Chapter.

 Covering the heavy fire part of the detachment is a Quartet of heavy bolter armed marines:

4 Heavy Bolter armed marines provide the heavy support the rest of the detachment needs.

As with all Death Watch Kill teams, the detachment is comprised of Marines from various chapters. Here we see the 4 Fists (2 Imperial Fists, 2 Crimson fists).

2 Imperial fists along side 2 Crimson Fist marins

 2 Blood Angel marines:

2 Blood Angels serving in the Death Watch

 The members of the Death Watch detachment who come from the Aurora chapter

Aurora Marines serving in the Death Watch

The Ultramarines have 3 Brothers serving this detachment:

a trio of Ultramarines serving in the Death Watch

 While the Dark Angels have likewise provided capable team members

Dark Angel Death Watch members

The children of the death world Fenris, always eager for a fight, have provided members to the detachment:

2 Space Wolves in the Death Watch team

Honor bound to destroy those that would endanger the Imperium of Man, the Black Templars have a presence in the Death Watch.

With the cold methodical logic that makes them so dangerous, the Iron Hands provide fire support for their Death Watch Brothers:

I use very simple conversions through out the entire detachment to keep it as uniform as a Death Watch can reasonably be. Mainly part swaps. the Iron Hand marines are good examples of this as I use the torsos and one set of bionic legs from the Iron Hands upgrade kit for the pair of them.

There were only a hand full of 'free form' conversions through out the entire detachment, and by free form I mean I didn't simply decide to use a different part to accomplish the effect.


This Sergent is the first example. I use a pin in the left Wrist to angle the sword outward to signify him declaring a charge.

I angled the wrist to tilt the chainsword forward, as he signals a charge.

Another example is basically every one of the Heavy Bolter armed marines.

The right shoulder of the Heavy Bolter set up has the ammo belt coming right across the edge of the shoulder pad meaning the shoulder pad is actually one piece with the ammo feed and a couple cables. So I couldn't pop on the shoulder pad of the respective chapter. I had to literally cut away the old shoulder (minus the shoulder for the Black Shield mind you. He can just be a flat shoulder pad). I then had to use should segments from other arms (I used the shoulders from the tactical marines for reason I will explain in a bit) to replace the upper arm and then added the shoulder pad to that effectively rebuilding the bit with the chapter iconography.

Through out the entire detachment I wanted to keep the various little accoutrements and symbols that so characterize space marines. These include:

The Servo Skull on this Heavy Bolter Marine

 The bolter strap on this Iron Hands Marines
 

The tooth on the grip of the bolter of the marine on the right

The Templar on the left as been awarded a Marksmanship honor

The Marksmanship honor hanging from the barrel of the bolter on the left.

So, I mentioned I used the shoulders from the Tactical marines arms for replacing the shoulders of the heavy bolters and I alluded that there was a reason for this choice. Here's why:

In the new tactical kit, the hands are built into the bolters while the arms are separate pieces. You attach the hand and arm at the wrist. Nice option for conversions, but in this particular case it created a little bit of a head ache as it means I had to cut out the hands from the bolters, and then attach them to the Death Watch Bolters. 15 times... It gets a bit boring after a while. Anyway, This now means I have 15 arms, that I don't have hands to go with. So I further canalized 4 of the arms to rebuild the shoulders of the Heavy Bolters.

And there we have a 21 man Death Watch Detachment complete and ready for paint.


... you know, I do have all those extra Dreadnought pieces. I might just do a Death Watch Dread.

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Branching out

So I've decided to branch out a little bit and start looking at my Chaos force. The one that's been sitting on my shelf basically ever since I got the Dark Vengence box set. Rather sad really that it's sat there this long. But I'm looking at it again. We'll see where it goes.

One unit I want to add is a unit of Thousand Sons, but I don't like the standard GW models for them. And honestly I have intentions of fielding something all together... a bit more insulting. I've built this particular idea once before so I'm looking at returning to it.

These are the original version I built a couple years ago.

Yes, those are space Wolf models. Here's my idea: Captured marines are turned over the Dark Mechanicum where they are lobotomized and rebuilt into heavy company servitors with the extensive use of Bionics. Stick a dark Techno Magos of some form with the unit as the Sorcorer and I think I'll be able to use them as count-as Thousand Sons.

I've been looking at different options for bionics, mainly from third party companies. I think Anvil industries has the answer I'm looking for in their armory.  By combining their various bionic pieces with a Space Wolf kit, add some battle damage, and paint 'em up in Space Wolf colors... I think I'll need to watch my back around Wolf players. If the twisted irony of Space Wolves being controlled wasn't bad enough, I think the irony of using Space Wolf models in a counts as Thousand Sons unit will require some measure of vengence be taken.

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