Hello and thanks for visiting my new log, which will continue the Storm Dragons project I started about 3/4 years ago on Warseer.

I think it may be a good idea to start with some kind of summary of the army so far. The Storm Dragons chapter is a non-codex chapter specialising in stealth and infiltration tactics. Their homeworld is almost entirely covered in forests, and is inhabited by vicious dinosaur-like beasts.

The theme of the army is a mix of dinosaurs, dragons, forests, and nature as a whole. The main focus of the project is the Storm Dragons' 9th Company, which consists of highly specialised, veteran space marines:



All 9th Company members I have painted up so far.





Veteran Squads.



Captain Matheus and two Honour Guard.



Dragon Rider. Basically a space marine with rare and unique psychic powers, allowing them to bind creatures to their will. Like friggin giant Carnosaurs.

Now my Command Squad with Master of the Fleet, Captain Typhon, Lieutenant Xeres with his Servo Skull and my 1st Company Terminator Squad:



Jump pack troops are more numerous in the chapter than in Codex chapters, here's two Assault Squads with Librarian and Captain Achilleon:



Scouts and two objective markers:



Land Speeder, 'Stegosaurus' pattern:



Finally, Tactical squads, this is Squad 'Archaeopteryx' with their Rhino APC:



And, to use the old cliché, the fat red line, Tactical Squads 'Spinosaurus', 'Velociraptor', and 'Triceratops':



I have written a lot of fluff to go with the army and am in the middle of a long story detailing the chapter's downfall (they are destroyed by the Inquisition). I will attach a file containing the fluff so far if possible just for those interested, and will also continue the story here.

So what's in store, well currently I got a lot of stuff lying on my working table waiting for me to start work on, have a look:



From back to front, left to right, that's one skellie dinosaur waiting to be converted into some terrain (top of my to-do list), a crappily painted Devastator Squad and Veteran which will get a new lick of paint, a converted Veteran Squad, two jump pack Chaplains, a commander which will be painted up like an Imperial Fist (adversaries), a dead marine (objective), and a Carnosaur which will be the steed for my next Dragon Rider.

So that's me done for now, hope to have some updates on the skellie dino next week. :)

Glad to see that skellie is top of your list mate! ;)

Awsome stuff Hive. Looking forward to the new fluff!

ah my little refugee, its ok, the UN will be here with some

PARTEH!

SC

Heh, looks great, lovin the group pics.

Renewed my subscription...

-:D

You're doing another friggin' Carnosaur?! You monster! :D

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you're planning on doing with that skellie. Nice work so far (as I've already told you numerous times).

Goddamn it! I want a Carnasaur!

What rules do you use for it?

DK

Thanks all!

Death Korp, I use the Creature Feature rules for Giant Reptiles. B)

Ahh, cool. Black Templar Chaplian on Megasaur...Idea for Apoc. ....

How did you do the rider legs on the Carnasaur? Sorry for throwing Questions at you, i'm just intrested...

DK

Sorry got obsessed with the canrasaur, nice looknig army you have! Good luck with the army!

Nice, I really like the scheme the green is very striking combined with the black.

Haha, no problem at all mate, I'm happy to answer any and all questions.

For the legs I took the ones which are in a spread-out stance, the once you can find on the Command Squad and Devastator sprues. I made a small cut in the inside of one of the legs, and gently bent it outwards. I filled the gap with Green Stuff. I then sculpted a saddle out of Green Stuff which elevated the legs enough to make the whole thing fit.

I hope that is of some help to you. :)

EDIT: Thanks BDJV!

Hmmm...cheers for that Hive :)

One day, i'm making such a cool thing, so you've inspired me...which is a good thing :)

DK

Can I ask how you're using the carnisaur gamewise, cool as it looks :)

I didn't know you were making the theme about all dinosaurs, that's, well...awesome! Freehand on those Dino banners are great.

-scrubout

These are awesome Hive. Though when you first look at them they look like Salamanders, but I know they aren't! Do you ever get people saying "Oh, nice Salamanders?" People in my GW seem to think that my Raven Gaurd are Black Templars, tis silly.

Whats next?

After seeing them in person, just got to love them! Nice to see the add-ons to the amy, now get them painted!

They look great mate, I really like the free hand on the banner of the master of fleet.

Great stuff

Thanks everyone!

@Charlie: These are the rules I use. ;)

@Kayvaan: yeah it has happened a couple of times on my old log, I guess it's mainly because I use the same chapter symbol. I chose that one as I couldn't freehand back then so had to choose a transfer, and the Salamanders' one fitted my army best.

I'm not too bothered by it though, it's when they start thinking they're Orks I should worry! :lol:

Next up is a terrain piece, a dead dinosaur skeleton that I got from Digits a few weeks back and still needs to be done! :o

I got a busy week ahead of me though and the week after that I'm on vacation, so progress may be a bit slow to begin with. :(

Love the look of your Marines! I like the theme, and I really love details like the long-necked dinosaurs on the side of the Rhino.

Currently searching for an interesting theme for a Marine army, this is very inspiring!

Great models, great painting ... what more can I say?

This chapter puts me in mind of a RG + Salamanders crossed chapter.

Can't wait for more,
MM

Hivey, every picture I saw was amazing, and thanks for that tut you sent me Helped alot in the making of Xiahou Bu(not showing him until I'm at least 50% happy with him.

I am going with only one carny, as to best show the coolness of "The Bu".

Also on the situation with the rules, is there any rules for larger creatures?.
i.e. lizards the size of titans maybe..or bigger.

Cannot wait to see more, as your progress with the marines, helps me in mine.

Thanks

I only just seen these guys! THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!

well done dude,superb! :D

Really nice Marines, a great Idea well implemented keep it up. I really like the carnasaur.

I've got to agree with the others, this army is really nice!
I'm not a big fan of winged helmets but your honour guard look really nice, the wings work really well. :)

Thanks everyone! :)

@MutantMaggot: You're not far off either, I adopted a lot of aspects of the Raven Guard chapter like stealth and speed and integrated them in my own army. The Salamanders have lend their chapter symbol to my force.

@Galikoe3: Hmm, well the Megasaur rules from the same Creature Feature article would give you slightly more powerful dinosaur. Other than that I wouldn't really know.

Well I'm sorry but I have no pictures or anything yet, it's been a busy week and I'm going on vacation today so no updates at all for the coming week. After that I'm hoping to finally get this log rolling and start finishing some more squads and terrain.

However I have something for those who are interested: fluff.

I have been working on a story detailing the chapter's downfall already numbering over 30 pages...and I'm not halfway yet. First off, it may be good to summarise for anyone who wants to follow the story from here on.

After the incident at Cheilon IV, in which a holy monument was bombed from orbit by the Storm Dragons battle barge Ragnaroc, the puritan inquisitor lord Godain secretely led an investigation team to the chapter's homeworld, Ilex II. The anomalies in Ilex' sun's radiation covering Godain's approach, his inquisitorial null ship landed undetected on the planet's surface. Godain interrogated a local chieftain and took the natives' worship of grotesque statues as proof that the Storm Dragons were guilty of heresy against the Emperor.

After his storm troopers burned down the chieftain's village and killed the locals, Godain retreated and issued a Carta Extremis, excommunicating the chapter and denouncing them an enemy of the Imperium.

Immediately Godain marshalled an army of enormous size, numerous chapters, most notably the Imperial Fists, Black Templars and Flesh Tearers chapters, lending their men to the inquisitor. Together with an inquisitorial storm trooper regiment and several detachments from the Imperial Navy, Godain now commanded a force more than capable of defeating a full space marine chapter.

Meanwhile, chapter master Thiamar ordered all Storm Dragon units spread across nearby systems to return to Ilex II. Informing his brothers of their excommunication, the Storm Dragons, unable to grasp how this betrayal could have come to be, prepared for war, knowing it would be their last battle.

As the massive Imperial fleet entered the Ilex system, Thiamar ordered the Storm Dragon fleet to move out and meet the enemy in order to buy the ground forces time to finish their preparations. Every vessel was to fight until it was destroyed. The space marines and crew members abourd them were the first sacrifices the chapter would make.

Under the command of the chapter's two battle barges, the Ragnaroc and the Imperator Rex, the Storm Dragons smashed into the Imperial fleet like a thunderbolt. Wiping out the Imperial Navy vessels in one sweeping battle, the true fight began as the Storm Dragons reached the enemy space marine vessels. As the Ragnaroc and Imperator Rex reaped a heavy toll on the foe, their supporting strike cruisers and thunderhawks were taken down one by one, until none remained and the battle barges were left to fend for themselves.

The commander of the Storm Dragons fleet, captain Typhon, ordered four terminator squads to be teleported onboard Godain's vessel. Meanwhile, the Imperator Rex fought high above the Ragnaroc, trading broadsides with a Flesh Tearers battle barge. Heavily damaged from previous engagements, the Imperator Rex was crippled by a laser blast tearing apart its engines, the force of the explosion thrusting the wrecked vessel downwards.

Typhon, realising the Imperial Fist battle barge Solaris was nearby, ordered his navigator to accelerate, intent on ramming the Solaris with his own vessel, the Ragnaroc. As his ship gathered speed, armour plates tore loose from the vessel's bulk, the critically damaged Ragnaroc unable to bear the pressure any longer.

And then, in a stroke of the worst fortune imaginable, the wreck of the Imperator Rex bored into the Ragnaroc, which had not noticed its twin sister raging down towards it as it made for the Solaris. In a gigantic explosion, the two vessels were utterly destroyed.

Onboard Godain's vessel, the terminators were hunted down one by one, only a single squad managing to reach the inquisitor. Godain's bodyguard however, proved far too powerful and the Storm Dragons were defeated. Yet their demise was not in vain, as unbeknownst by the enemy a time bomb was ticking away the minutes left before it would tear apart the vessel. Godain uncovered the Storm Dragons' scheme, however, and managed to escape the doomed ship in time.

Catching up with his fleet, Godain ordered a council to be held and, together with the space marine commanders, prepared the planetary assault...

So that's the story in a nutshell for you, now, here's the part I wrote last night:

A hint of blue coloured the darkness inside the master's chambers as the silvery moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating the dark shape of Thiamar as he stood hunched over his working table, his head bowed and his hands grasping the edges of the desk. His cape moved gently in the midnight breeze, dancing around Thiamar's armoured form. Scrolls lay spread out all over the table, some even lying on the stone floor, though no one would ever bother picking them up again. Nothing mattered anymore.
The doors flew open and a space marine strode into the room, his pace quick and determined. He halted in front of Thiamar's desk, but the master of the chapter did not look up.
'Master Thiamar...the Imperial forces have made planetfall. They are using the strategy you predicted...your plan has been set in motion.'
Thiamar rose his head slightly, turning his gaze towards the edge of the table, though his eyes remained out of focus.
Suddenly he spoke, his voice barely audible. 'You are dismissed.'
Without another word the sergeant spun around and marched out of the room, but as he made to close the door he cast a worried glance at Thiamar. Then, with a concerned look on his face, he shut the door behind him.

Now silence reigned again in his chambers, Thiamar tried to organise his thoughts. For over two hundred years he had led the Storm Dragons, following the example of his predecessors. He had been proud to bear the title bestowed to some of those heroes from legend, whose names were praised in song and hymn, the great names in the chapter's history.
And he, Thiamar, had destroyed all that, destroyed everything the chapter had worked so hard, had made so many sacrifices for. The Storm Dragons had suffered their greatest disgrace, had tumbled into a dark pit of death and betrayal, and the sole person to blame was he, their leader. He had led his brothers to their doom.

He couldn't bear it anymore, couldn't bear to meet the eyes of his men again. The shame felt like throbbing pain in his heart. He wished fervently it would end.

He reached for a drawer and pulled it open. Rummaging through the parchement and seals, he found what he was looking for. Taking the tiny phial carefully out of the drawer, he held the item close to his eyes. As he turned it over with his armoured fingers, the bright green liquid contained within ran smoothly across the crystal-clear glass. A small label was attached to it, displaying nothing but a human skull. Thiamar didn't seem to notice it, eyeing the phial intently, with a look of longing in his gaze.

Then, as he made to uncork it, a grainy sound issued from a dark corner of the room, coming from a large mechanical device. It was a voice.

'My lord Thiamar, we have received no more transmission from outpost Delta...the station has been destroyed.'

The news seemed to stir something inside Thiamar. He felt like waking from a troubled sleep, and for a moment he had forgotten where he was or what he was doing. Then he realised. His men were out there, fighting, dying.
With a sudden stab of hate and shame he crushed the phial in his hand, the glass shattering and raining down on the floor, the poison hissing menacingly as it dissolved on the floor.

Marching towards a wooden cabinet, Thiamar opened it, reveiling a magnicently crafted hammer. It was carved in the shape of a dragon's head, while tiny, sculpted branches wound their way up from the handle. Lifting it from it's pillow, Thiamar held it firmly in his hands, balancing its weight. It fitted his grip perfectly.

Activating his comm-link, Thiamar contacted his retinue's second-in-command.
'Sergeant Herrera, meet me with your squad at the teleportation control room. I want all remaining terminator squads there as well.'
A curt voice replied: 'Yes my lord.'

Without another glance at his desk or the glass shards on the floor, Thiamar left his office.


That's it for now, I wish you all a good weekend and I'll be seeing you on the 26th again! :)

Hey Hiveminon! Just stopping by to comment once again on how damn awesome your chapter is. I'd love to see the Storm Dragons win at least one victory, even if they do end up losing the war. Perhaps some storied history from your glorious chapter can tell us some of their high points?

Popped in to look at the storm dragons again...they are so cool.

then saw and read your fluff, that has got me hooked even more on these guys, but I too would like to see at least one battle they have won, a glorious last stand, 300 stylee.

Keep it up.

you are a like a fluffwhore hive, just loving it, i want your first book!

Ooo, you have me all excited now! Hurry back and get writing, I want the next part already!

Thanks all. :)

Rogue&Galikoe: Well with the Imperial army on their planet killing their men the Storm Dragons won't sit back and let themselves be annihilated, expect some fierce battles soon. I don't want to give much away but you won't have to worry about the Dragons continuously getting their butts kicked! B)

Jase: Naturally! :lol:

Some Guy: More fluff on the way, but for now I got some actual pics!

Yes it's true, my first real update since ages, when I came back from hols yesterday I nearly instantly began painting and huzzah I finished a Veteran:





Also I started work on the skellie dino, but I'm having trouble bending the tail and neck, thanks to SC I'm now trying it by leaving them in hot water for a while. I'm also making a base for the thing out of polysteryne...polystyrene...whatever.

Started painting on one of the bolter Veterans, hopefully he'll be finished today or tomorrow.

C&C is, of course, always appreciated. :)

green is immense, Hive!

can't wait to see the skellie!

Looks really good. :)

The green is awesome, and the horns are perfect. Are you converting all your models?

MM

Cheers guys!

MM: I'm converting every veteran marine so that none look the same, whether it's just sticking horns on them or a repositioned arm, but the regular tactical or assault marines are plain straight from the box.

Sounds good. What models are the horns from?

These were from the old Genestealer rending claws. I use Tyranid bitz for nearly all horns, though I finally depleted my boz it seems. But not to worry, next purchase will be a Nid battleforce, as my poor xenos could use some reinforcements, and my Space Marines the bitz! B)

Sounds good and fittingly SPIKY ...

Nice work mate, some really nice touches to the model, that I like a lot :)

I'm Really digging the army Hive. keep pluggin' away :)

SC

Thanks guys, you're really boosting my motivation as I got the other bolter Veteran done now as well! :)





Looking at the last pic I noticed I still need to finish the highlight above the left eye lens and clean up the green on the thumb on the left hand, will do that right now!

Also working on some fluff at the moment, so maybe some of that later tonight if I can finish it.

Looks really good and characterful there, Hiveminion. :)

I really like your use of spiny bitz.

MM :)