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Deathwatch Strike Force Valinus

10K views 29 replies 7 participants last post by  The Son of Horus 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm a longtime lover of the Emperor's Astartes. I even quietly admit I like the spiky ones, too, although don't tell anybody that otherwise the Inquisition will come blam me. So when Deathwatch came out, I was pretty excited, because it meant I could use all that cool stuff that has accumulated in my bits box over 15 years of collecting my own Space Marine Chapter and doing loads of commission work.

The army list looks something like this at 1850 points. Yes, I know this has some stuff that hates fun in it, but it's a concession to the state of the game. If we didn't have people running around with Imperial Knights and Lords of Skulls and all that nonsense, grav guns wouldn't exist, and moreover, wouldn't be something that's sadly obligatory in the game these days. If someone isn't planning on bringing bullshit, those squads will replace their grav guns with either meltaguns or plasma guns-- I haven't decided which yet.


CAD/
HQ/
Watch Captain Valinus, Lions Rampant
Artificer Armor, Lightning Claws

TROOPS/
Kill Team Murius
5 Deathwatch Veterans lead by Watch Sergeant Murius, Ultramarines. 5 grav guns.
--Drop Pod

TROOPS/
Kill Team Corubello
5 Deathwatch Veterans lead by Watch Sergeant Corubello, Angels Sanguine. 5 grav guns.
--Drop Pod

ELITES/
Kill Team Doniel
5 Deathwatch Terminators lead by Watch Sergeant Doniel, Angels of Absolution. 4 power fists, 1 chainfist, 5 assault cannons.

FAST ATTACK/
Eydric Setorax

FORMATION/
Aquila Kill Team

Kill Team Eumenicles
9 Veterans, 1 Librarian.
--Librarian Eumenicles, Mentors. Mastery 2; Force Sword, Bolt Pistol.
--4 Veterans with boltguns and close combat weapons.
--1 Veteran with infernus heavy bolter.
--2 Veterans with frag cannons.
--1 Veteran armed with a boltgun and power axe.
--Brother Ghensus, Blackshield [Astral Claws] armed with a power fist and boltgun.
--Drop Pod

FORMATION/
Aquila Kill Team

Kill Team Valinus
8 Veterans, 1 Librarian.
--Librarian Bellicos, Blood Ravens. Mastery 2; Force Sword, Bolt Pistol.
--3 Veterans with boltguns and close combat weapons.
--1 Veteran with infernus heavy bolter.
--2 Veterans with frag cannons.
--1 Veteran armed with a boltgun and power axe.
--Brother Zaphkiel, Blackshield [Dark Angels] armed with a power fist and boltgun.
--Drop Pod


Anyway, here's the first model done-- a Veteran with a bolter (Brother Donatus). I'm waiting for the Sector Imperialis bases to come in, which is why the base is blank.

 
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#2 ·
Hey man, welcome back!

I don't know anything about death watch kill team other than the models look great.

That guy seems good but the photo is quite blurry.

How's the game store going?
 
#5 ·
Two more Deathwatch Veterans done- Grytt from Overkill and the Veteran with a power axe for Kill Team Valinus, Braum Icebreaker (of the Space Wolves Grand Company of Egil Ironwolf.)








This brings Kill Team Valinus up to five-strong ready to fight. I haven't decided if it makes sense to do their drop pod next, or finish the other four models in the squad first.
 
#9 ·
Fashions change with the times and all that :laugh:
 
#13 ·
Personally I am loving all of this –you paint to such a high standard that even if bright red is a little wonky (as all of 40k used to be, and honestly I kinda miss it), the models still work wonderfully and it kinda fits tbh. Keep up the good work!

*EDIT* actually now that I look at it again, the red doesn't even look out of place –it creates a really nice contrast with the beautifully executed grimdark
 
#15 ·
Finished another Veteran for the first kill team. Brother Calvallo, Crimson Fists. This is what the squad looks like at the moment:



I also made sure to keep his crimson fist. I've tried to incorporate as much Chapter heraldry on everybody as I can manage.
 
#17 ·
Today, I finished the Blackshield for Kill Team Valinus, Brother Zaphkiel (Dark Angels). I thought the blurb in the Codex about Fallen Angels appearing as Blackshields was cool enough that I wanted to make sure I included one in the army. Besides, the bits they give you in the Deathwatch Veterans kit is very Fallen Angels-y.




And while it's definitely not exciting, I finished up the drop pod for Kill Team Valinus. I usually just airbrush the bottom half of a drop pod to appear scorched and then dirty from slamming into the ground. But on something that's predominantly black anyway, I'm not sure the effect really shows the way it does on something brighter colored.

 
#19 ·
Brother Pharus Surr, Brazen Claws.




And the Kill Team as it currently stands-- all that's left to finish this unit is one more model- Brother Kel'shann, Salamanders, with an Infernus Heavy Bolter.

 
#21 ·
Glad you like it! I was thinking about redoing the inside of the drop pod doors-- I had wanted a very weathered look and I had thought they just looked a little too haphazardly drybrushed instead of really worn. But maybe the really uneven weathering looks right.
 
#22 ·
Kel'shann, Salamanders, armed with an Infernus Heavy Bolter. I opted to do flames on the shoulder pad, but I'm not sure if I like it or not. I wanted to show he's from the Firedrakes but I don't know if it looks weird or not next to all the black.




And the finished Kill Team:
 
#24 · (Edited)
Watch Captain Etienne Valinus, Lions Rampant






++Datafile, Brother Etienne Valinus, Astartes Chapter 733 Lions Rampant. Nonclassified Access.++
Born sometime between 650 and 660.M41 on the hive world Arannor, capitol of Arannor subsector. Records are incomplete but suggest Valinus was born to one of the noble families of the upper hives and orphaned in the process of political intrigue. Valinus was recruited from Schola Progenium holdings on Arannor by the Lions Rampant Chapter, flagged by Confessor Nerus (Inq.Ref 7418/e/Arannor) as potential recruit for Adeptus Astartes.

Valinus served as a Neophyte of the 10th Company from 671-680 before receiving the rank of Brother Astartes and being assigned to a Devastator Squad in the Chapter's Third Battle Company. Recipient of silver skull for cleansing action against Orks on Thetos VI (ref. 4.692.M41). Sole survivor of his squad. Issued Mars-pattern masterwork Heavy Bolter "Heretic's Due" and reassigned to 7th Tactical Reserve following Thetos campaign. Reassigned 704.M41 to Fourth Battle Company as replacement for losses in line Tactical Squad LeVeaux. Recipient of additional silver skull and Imperial Laurel during punitive campaign against human population of heavy industrial world Mozen (Inq. ref. 4.718.M41/Mozen Heresy). Citizens of the world noted for production of heavy equipment including Leman Russ chassis for the subsector rebelled under flag of warp-touched Xeratine infestation, expressing open worship of xenos overlords. Xeratine matriarch slain by infernus shell from Valinus' heavy bolter.

Valinus received title "Ser" (ref.Lions Rampant honorifics) and reassigned to Fourth Battle Company Devastator Squad Ganauld 726.M41. Nineteen additional awardings of silver skull over ten year period. Award of Crux Terminatus and admission to Chapter Reclusiam 742.M41. Valinus removed from active duty for next five years, over which time he studied under Brother-Chaplain Vitorre Eirdeaux. Assigned to Assault Squad Valdor, Fourth Battle Company, 746-761. Attached to Lions Rampant 1st Company 762.M41. Service as Veteran from 750-821.M41. Awarded the rank of Sergeant 822.M41 and assigned to lead Tactical Squad Valinus, 4th Battle Company. Following cleansing of genestealer cult on Proxima Segmenta on the border between Segmentums Obscurus and Solar and defeating cult magus in single combat, Valinus was ordained a priest of the Church of the God-Emperor, and donned the black armor of a Chaplain of the Reclusiam.

Attached to 6th Tactical Reserve as Chaplain 849.M41. Additional rewards of Crux Terminatus recorded during next twenty years against punitive campaign following traitor cult uprisings along Cadian Gate cordon. Valinus personally executed heretic Cardinal Sul Gabal of Gehenna, an industrial world supplying bulk munitions to the spinward elements of the Cadian Gate. Gehenna subjected to Exterminatus 901.M41 despite continued campaign to purge traitor cults. Situation deemed untenable following rise of plague zombies (ref. Plague of Unbelief).

Upon returning to Elysee 901.M41, seconded to Deathwatch for single Vigil. Expertise on moral threats proved valuable to uncovering a chain of genestealer cults which the Deathwatch was able to use to predict the path of a splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Kraken. Upon revelations of Inquisitor Kryptmann regarding Tyranid threat, the Deathwatch request for additional Vigil from Valinus. Given rank of Watch Sergeant 931.M41. Watch Captain Belius Leandros of the Angels Vermillion killed in action against Enslaver incursion 952.M41. Under recommendation from Watch Master Kurga Khan, White Scars, promoted to Watch Captain. Elysee sends newly forged set of lightning claws, quenched in the blood of martyrs, to commemorate Valinus' promotion to the rank of Brother-Captain.

End datafile++
 
#25 ·
It's kind of alarming to think that the 1850-point army list is actually a little over a quarter finished at this point after having painted only twelve models. Next up is Terminator-armored Kill Team Doniel.

Kill Team Doniel isn't necessarily the most game-effective configuration for a Deathwatch Terminator Squad. But, even knowing that I'm putting 300 points into 5 one-wound models, it's too much fun not to do. Deep striking in front of whatever target they need to eradicate, and just holding the trigger down on five assault cannons 'till they go click...

Sword Brother Wurtz, Black Templars
 
#27 · (Edited)
40 models. Although really 58, because I have the rest of Kill Team Cassius and I have an additional Captain, five Vanguard Veterans, a Dreadnought, and Watch Captain Artemis as well. But for the 1850 list, it's 40 models.
 
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