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That looks spectacular! The OSL also lifted the overall piece a lot.

So what`s the plan for nr.2? Because one is not enough

R

Wow, I really think your conversion was a huge improvement on the standard model. I would be proud to own such a beauty. Also, the paint job really brought it to life. The OSL was really done well. The only thing I might have done differently was put the extra wings slightly further back on the model, but that is such a minor detail in the grand scheme of things. You are a pretty talented author of short stories! Both of those were fun to read. The first one gave a real sense of danger and wonder, and the second one a good idea of just how deadly the thing can be to the enemies of the fourth assault company. Great thing to wake up to and read in the morning.

Well cheers, and I'm waiting to see your competition =)
Also, will you be able to post the other entries fluff bits too? I always love reading good short stories about 40k.

That is a huge improvement on the original, awesome fluff too. Good luck in the competition

Cheers, guys!

@ LordRogalDorn: Aww man, stop it already! I'm vain enough as it is Seriously, though, thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate it, especially about the fluff: It's good to hear that, even though I am not a native speaker of English, it seems I am able to get a couple of ideas across in my fluff

As for the extra wings: Indeed, there is probably a myriad ways of attaching these, and you could possibly change the overall look of the model quite a bit! Just check out Rhasputine's conversion , where he proves that the model can be made to look even more like a FW chaos flyer in shape! At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference, but the option's clearly there if you want it.

Oh, and while I won't post the other guys' fluff here in my thread to avoid stealing their thunder, I will provide a link to the original posts over on ToS, so you'll get to read their fluff (which is excellent, btw), so no worries!

Congratulations on the Hellrazor, Kraut! You managed to pull of something really awesome from something kinda scrumpy.
I've got one Heldrake still unopened as I didnt know what to do with it but thanks to you I have plenty Inspiration for my
Manta.heldrake-thingy...

Cheers, mate! Glad to be of help!

@ Red Skullz: Oh, I just realised I didn't reply to your question there. Sorry! Concerning a potential, second flyer, I think I can safely say that it won't be another conversion of the Heldrake kit: I cannot actually see myself painting those wings ever again

If I were to build a second flyer, my favourite option would be to pull of something similar to this fantastic conversion over at Eye of Error. That flyer looks brilliant, and I even have the G.I.Joe toy to pull it off! Now to work up some courage...

Nae worries mate If you do make a flier that Stiletto flier would be awesome indeed!

R

That flyer looks awesome! For some reason I like the way the underside looks even better than the top... the contrast between the blue OSL and bronze treatment came out really good.

Hmm...

I love the paintjob, and the top-down view looks awesome...

But somehow the Heldrake conversion just doesn't look quite...right. I see what you were aiming for, but it looks too much like a Heldrake torso with the ends of the wings sticking out the shoulders to me.

@ Meade: Cheers, mate!

@ Squigsquasher: Well, in the end, it always comes down to personal taste, of course. I can at least safely say that the conversion turned out the way I wanted it to -- Your mileage may vary concerning everything beyond that

I've always loved your short stories. They were both great little reads!
As for the model I think it's cool, a take on the Helldrake that I wouldn't of thought of Though I don't understand why people dislike the original GW Helldrake model. I personally think it's awesome.
Keep up the great work

Love your take on the Heldrake: both the conversion and the narrative. Well done, sir!

I have a challenge for you, Scientist.

The techmarine you wrote about in your fluff peice for the Helldrak - Docinar, I think it was? Can we see a model of him?

It would be intereting to see how one reconciles the bloodlust of Khorne with the cool logic of the Adpetus Mechanicus - can we see a model that somehow represents this internal struggle? I don't know if that's anywhere close to what his character is like but it's just an idea I had.

Also...

Khornate Mechadentrites. Now, that would be some scary sh*t.

Awesome army, KS! As a newcomer to the hobby working on a World Eaters army, this is some really inspirational stuff.

Yeah Kraut, I wanna see you work on a Techmarine as well so I can steal some ideas from you.

Thanks a lot for the kind words, people!

@ Crystal Geyser: That is indeed quite a challenge, and one I've thought about quite a few times already! I believe that Deracin will probably one of the most difficult models to get right. I imagine him as a huge, imposing guy with quite a few bionic implants. Instead of being a raging madman, I think he's more of a classic berserker: Calm and dignified outside of battle, but he'll be terrifying once you manage to make him angry.

My first attempt to build Deracin was based on an old WD conversion for Huron Blackheart, but it didn't go anywhere. Then I planned to actually base him on the Huron Blackheart model, but then the new codex was released. And while I think the Warpsmith would be a pretty good start, I also feel a little hesitant about the whole thing. I'm a little afraid of that axe bending out of shape all the time, for one, and I would definitely have to replace the head with something more fitting. This guy's face, for instance, pretty much shows Deracin as I imagine him.

Anyway, I'll have to tackle this challenge sooner or later, especially if I ever want to be able to run a Warpsmith, but I won't hurry it until I have an idea that I know will work (like I did with the Dark Apostle).


So, let's take a last look at my converted Heldrake for now: As you know, I built the model to enter it into the Eleventh Throne of Skulls Painting/Converting Contest. So how did it go?

The deadline for the contest came, and, as you know, my entry looked like this:



But what was I up against?
The other contestants were Biohazard and swamp, and I was thrilled to see their entries:

Biohazard submitted his fantastic, kitbashed Bloodstalker:



I couldn’t begin to tell you how much I love this model! Biohazard is a true master of kitbashing huge chaos war machines, and his Bloodstalker is a testament to that: Kitbashed from many disparate parts into something that looks almost like a regular GW kit, this beast ranks among the best Defiler conversions I have ever seen and would also certainly be a fierce opponent.

And here’s swamp’s entry:



A masterfully painted Forgeworld Decimator. The model itself is lovely, and the smooth blending technique on this piece managed to blow both my and Biohazard’s paintjobs clean out of the water. Fantastic work!

What I especially liked about the three entries was how different they were from one another. And still, each of them represented an imposing daemonic contraption, bound to the will of Khorne.

So how did it all end? Well, I didn’t win this time. But I didn’t mind, since losing to either of these models certainly was no shameful affair. In fact, I was actually really happy when Biohazard’s Bloodstalker won the competition! A well deserved victory! Great job, buddy!

All in all, what a great result: The contest produced three great entries. My favourite managed to win. And I even ended up with a converted and fully painted chaos flyer for my army. Plus I am really thrilled to see what kind of motto Biohazard will come up with for the next contest!

Head on over to ToS , in case you’re interested in seeing more pictures of the other guys’ entries as well as their fluff. You can also see more pictures of Biohazard's Bloodstalker on his Dakka thread . Don't forget to congratulate him, while you're there! And let me wind up this update with a little image I crudely slapped together for Biohazard in Photoshop:



BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

Oh, one more thing: If you want to own your very own Bloodstalker pattern defiler, you are in luck! Biohazard has you covered: He was actually nice enough to write up a tutorial on how to build this beauty. It also explains which bitz you are going to need. Check it out here.

As always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

I have to say that watching your blog and Biohazard's develop together has been wonderful. Keep up the work you two! Khorne is pleased.

Congrats to you guys... and especially Biohazard for the win!

Swamps' had the best paintjob, but clearly creativity/converting was a big factor in the judging... which is nice.

very epic comp held there. Love all the models, but that helldrake is very impressive.

Thanks a lot, guys! Agreed on the congratulations for Biohazard! That Bloodstalker is simply brilliant!

 Freytag93 wrote:
I have to say that watching your blog and Biohazard's develop together has been wonderful. Keep up the work you two! Khorne is pleased.

You're really on to something there, mate! It goes to show how hobbyists can really inspire each other to keep pushing the envelope on their armies, which is really one of the best parts of the hobby! Plus without Biohazard's continuous generosity in donating bitz to my cause, many of my models wouldn't have been completed in the first place

Seeing the Helrazor from a different angle, and on it's base, makes me like it a whole lot more. It looks great now it's more or less finished!

Keep up the good work!

Gosh, I cant believe you've made the Helldrake look good! It looks so much faster and sinister than the original kit, and I love the echoes of the Hell Talon fighter. Gotta run to lectures, but I'll come back to chat in more detail in a bit.

Love the tentacles on the back though! So cool!

Sweet Maker, that Helldrake looks good. I too like the new head and the Necrosphinx insert - very tasteful conversion from awkward dragon-flyer thing into an actual machine that's been given consciousness while somewhat retaining more of its mechanical aspects.

And a double for Biohazard's chaos walker... thingy! Holy hell, I love it! It's a fantastic conversion that I can't even begin to place, plus it has that old Mechwarrior Madcat/Direwolf pose to it to boot! Awesome throwback, intentional or not...

Very smooth on swamp's entry as well... not sure if those neon green crosses are part of the original, but they make a great spot color and detail to the model!

All very, very nice toys you have, gentlemen.

-Remi

really liking your converted Heldrake - loving the swept forward wings and the simplicity of it. Much more of a techno-organic beastie than the standard model. Thumbs up!

Thanks a lot, guys! Yeah, that Bloodstalker really is something else, isn't it?

I recently decided to enter cormadepanda's painting contest , mostly to force myself to paint another character I had originally planned to enter Lord Captain Lorimar, but it quickly became obvious that he would need more work than I can realistically get done until the end of February. So I switched around entries and instead opted to paint my counts as Dark Apoostle.

Started painting him today, and I have to tell you: That new plastic Chaos Lord is a joy to paint! At least if you were clever enough to resist glueing everything together right at the beginning

Anyway, here's a couple of PIP pictures to feast your eyes on:









The model needs quite a bit more detailing work, but I am already pretty happy with how it's coming along.

C&C always welcome!

 HF Izanagi wrote:

And a double for Biohazard's chaos walker... thingy! Holy hell, I love it! It's a fantastic conversion that I can't even begin to place, plus it has that old Mechwarrior Madcat/Direwolf pose to it to boot! Awesome throwback, intentional or not...
Remi

Thanks for the kind words, the Mechwarrior Madcat pose was a subconcious decision I think. I used to lve those games
And a thanks to everyone else. I have it on good authority the comp was one of the closest we have had on ToS and that it was a VERY narrow margin to win. I cant wait to see what the next one produces.

As for the Apostle hes looking fantastic with some paint on him, I especially like the way you're painting the cape. Looking forward to the finished model buddy.

Saw your progress on the comp page, I must say the apostle is looking great, best of luck to you, at this rate I don't think I'll come close with my slaanesh herald

Great work in this thread. Always a pleasure to check the progress.

D

Thanks a lot, guys!

@ Biohazard: It was a victory though, and a well-deserved one at that, buddy. Stop being so fething modest about it!

@ Matt.Kingsley: Aww, you do me too much honour! Plus there are a few guys participating in that contest that'll probably blow us both out of the water painting-wise, so take heart!

@ evildrcheese: Cheers, mate!

LOL ok, I won :p