Paint it Black - My Watch Begins

I am finally ready to reveal my secret weekend-project.

I enjoy a challenge, from the hobby perspective. I like taking methods that most people find hard, and tackling them head-on. For this reason, Deathwatch (and many forms of black power armor) have always fascinated me. People say that black power armor is really hard to get right... I have always wanted to master it.

Back in 2010, I had a new Iphone 4 (fancy, at the time). I wasn't very good at photographing miniatures with it, however. But I posted this:

http://teun135miniaturewargaming.blogspot.com/2010/10/finally-we-have-photos-again.html

It contained my first forays into black armor (aside from a handful of Black Legion models that I sold off):

It also was my first foray into free-handed Chapter symbols. I would later use these skills in a lot of my work.

I used these guys as my Sternguard Veterans in my normal Space Marine armies. I thought it was thematic and cool that they would be the elite of the elite, having access to special gear and ammunition.

I visited the idea again years later, when I bought my first new tactical squad box in years... I wanted to perfect my execution of black power armor.

I wrote this post: http://teun135miniaturewargaming.blogspot.com/2016/05/on-my-table-562016.html

I think I nailed it... these guys looked good and were some of my best work to date. Many times, I'd get comments on how crisp these guys looked.

I was hooked. I wanted to keep painting black power armor.

Then I started playing Iron Hands. I liked their Feel No Pain, and their dour pragmatism. Their calculating logic. Their superior use of armor and mechanized warfare.

So I looked into playing them in 30k. I dabbled in 30k but the necessity of Forgeworld models made the price point a bit steep for me, so I swung back into 40k with Iron Hands. When Angels of Death came out, I finally had a reason to go whole-hog into Iron Hands. I sped up my technique (sacrificing a little bit of the crispness for a huge increase in speed and uniformity) and managed to finish an ENTIRE ARMY to a high standard in the course of a scant few months! Anybody who knows me also knows that I typically do not work this fast.

Now, in 2016, they came out with Death Masque. A new starter set, containing Watch Captain Artemis and his merry band of xenos-killers. Coupled with a new Deathwatch Codex, I finally have the tools and the hobby practice to undergo my most ambitious hobby challenge: A complete Deathwatch army.

This weekend I took my first steps toward that goal. I bought, built, and even have started to paint; the makings of my first entirely-independent Deathwatch Black Spear Strike Force.

I bought a trio of Razorbacks, and with the contents of Death Masque, I should have a good start to my Black Spear Strike Force. I also added a few newly-converted HQ units (see top of post) and I still have a squad or two of regular tactical marines to assemble with their new Deathwatch shoulder pads.

It's going to be a long road. But I feel like I am ready. I look forward to the work ahead... I think the end result will be spectacular and worth every ounce of effort.

--Teun