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Hello,

So as the subject title says I've been out of the game a while. My last army was pre primaris space marines, I also had a Lizardmen army (now Seraphon!) and also some Imunda (Necromunda's back!).

After having two kids I've only managed to dabble in and out of the hobby but now feel I have some time to invest in once more, woohoo!

Now I have always loved the Kroot, the look of them, their background and lore I find very appealing. I managed to pick up 6 knarlocs on ebay on the cheap, models I've always thought to be great, and have a crack at them.

I've got one ready, still need some tweaks and tidying up before painting. I'd like to get all 6 ready first.

The background for these guys is a hunting party that rely on and prefer primitive weapons but do utilise some tech. One of my mates I play regularly with is a tyranids player so expect to see odds and ends of nids bits like on spear ends and such.

Feedback would be much appreciated and hopefully doing a P&M Blog will keep me motivated to get these guys done and dusted.

Thanks....

That's a great eBay find, I look forward to seeing the rest of the project.

Nice looking models. I bet they will turn out awesome.

I love the kroot too, it's always good to see more of them around. I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this!

So I've managed to put together a third of the knarlocs over the weekend. This one was damaged with no lower jaw so I used an ork jaw instead.

fingol23- Yes it was great find, three of them were damaged though but I have some ideas to fix up.

youwashock- Thank you, I'm looking forward to having a play around with the rest, converting and making models unique I find to be the most enjoyable part of the hobby.

amazingturtles- They are my favourite faction, I haven't found much literature on them but found some on the Tau documenting kroot which made me like them even more.

Here is the third knarloc rider, feedback would be great thanks.

Hello! I've just put together a 4th knarloc. This one had a missing leg so I replaced it with bits from an ork kit .

I'm not too happy with the pointing hand, I used a bloodletter hand but cut of the pinky as I thought it most resembled a kroot hand. Looking closer at minis though I feel kroot hands are more like a pair of thumb and index fingers. I'm tempted to leave as is but I think if you feel somethings not right then just try and change it. Anyway, here is the 4th. Feedback would be awesome.

So the hand bugged me so much I had to change it!

As I said, looking at Kroot hands it looks as if they have a pair of thumb and index finger on each hand.

Anyway here is the new hand. Feedback would be awesome!

The new hand works better. I like the prosthetic leg for the knarloc.

Yes I think so, I'm much happier with the hand. The missing leg was a blessing in disguise too. Now to patch up the one which was broken in two.

So I've managed to put together the 5th knarloc.

This one was pretty beat up, was split in two down the neck so I straightened it to make it different from the other model that was the same.

I've also been making a little background to this hunting/tracking party being expert trackers. I thought about having one with an auspex but then thinking about it, why would they need one. So instead I've greened stuffed some flesh in this ones hands as if it is taking in a good long sniff to get a scent.

I also added a different arm to show that this group have some basic understanding of biomechanics or biorobotics. One of my mates has a tyrannid army so I've made this one as if they've used a scythe from a hermagaunt to fix up their knarloc.

Anyways I hope you like it and feedback would be most welcome.

Thanks

It's looking nice! If i have one critique it's that the scythe is still pretty easily identifiable as a tyranid part, and it might be nice to see something done to make it seem more like part of the knarloc

Thanks amazingturtles for the feedback. I wanted it to look like they attached it to the knarloc after a battle with tyranids, the scythe being a perfect replacement for the knarloc's lost arm. Same with the second knarloc riders' spear.

So I've also been writing a little narrative or short story to go with these guys to give them some background and context. I'm no writer, this is more me trying to get my thoughts and ideas on these Kroot in some sort of story. I hope you enjoy and feedback would be awesome.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Part 1

A series of clicks signalled the arrival of the rest of the pack. The creatures had moved silently across the forest floor with a ghostly ability that left the undergrowth undisturbed. It was only when his camp had been encircled that Crighton had realised he had been caught by Kroot, or something to that liking. He’d never seen one before or knew anyone who had but he was sure of himself. He recalled his training on xenos identification. Laying on the ground, he was filthy, dripping with sweat and unrecognisable due to the beating he just endured.

After removing a piece of flesh from a corpse and bringing it to it’s face, the Kroot drew a large breath through it’s nostrils. As the air particles passed through it’s enlarged olfactory system the Kroot’s head quills quivered.

It looked up and communicated with clicks to the rest of the pack. They acknowledged with nods and disappeared into the dense jungle. It then turned to the bloodied Crighton laying on the ground.

‘Human’ it said, in a deep, coarse voice.

Stunned that the beast in front of him could speak Imperial Gothic, Crighton could only stutter his words. ‘W..w..w..wha..’.

Interrupting, the Kroot continued, ‘You underestimate. Human always underestimate’.

‘W..w..w..what are y..you?’ whimpered Crighton, as the pain in his leg began to grow stronger. It eventually overcame him and he couldn’t help but scream.

The Kroot knelt down and began to emit clicks and grunts as a response to Crighton’s question.

At this moment a voice from Crighton’s arm began to translate. It crackled and made little sense so he looked at his arm. Words flashed up on the screen

+++translation: Tracker Kindred+++

The Kroot continued to grunt and click and Crighton’s arm continued to flash.

+++translation: We hunt+++
+++correction+++
+++translation: We find+++

The Kroot took little notice of the crackled translation but it must have heard it. The larger beast beside the Kroot was clearly displeased by the sound and barked. It was evident that this creature had some genetic similarities with the Kroot. It was much larger, hunched over and clearly less intelligent than it’s genetic cousin but it had the familiar quills and beaked face. It stood on it’s hind legs with it’s body and neck stretched out in front of it. It was a genetic dead end. It had been, in the distant past, a Kroot, identical to the one standing in front of Crighton.

Switching back to Imperial Gothic the Kroot slightly raised it’s voice to speak over the crackling arm, ‘We find others soon’.

Crighton didn’t know what to make of the Kroot’s statement.

It continued, ‘You were with them...ones I want...I can smell’.

‘Why do you want to kill us, this isn’t your fight? Crighton replied.

‘Not want to kill’, said the Kroot.

Crigthon spluttered, ‘You killed him though’ pointing towards the corpse with the missing piece from it’s leg.

‘He not needed...you...other...needed’ replied the Kroot with a satisfied grin on it’s face.

The Kroot looked up, jerked it’s head and seemed interested in something distant. It began again, ‘You go now...Human...with me’.

Crighton was visibly scared, his eyes widened as the Kroot grasped him by the shirt collar and lifted him with ease. It flung him over the genetic cousin and tied him to the back end, pulling at him to check he was secure. The stench from the creature's rear made Crighton gag. For now he was alive and it seemed his captor wanted him alive too.

It was dark but the jungle was bustling with activity. Insects were chirping and other alien creatures hooting and whistling. The malfunctioning translator provided little light. The glow was enough for Crighton to see that his arm was in a bad state. The pain was becoming unbearable. The Kroot didn’t want the constant whining to draw any unwanted attention as they travelled. One of the Kroot leapt over, slamming it’s claw onto Crighton’s damaged arm. Another was clasped over his mouth. An explosion of pain coursed through his body. His shrieks of agony were muffled by the Kroot’s palm. Crighton drew a panicked breath through the Kroot’s fingers before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and fell unconscious. His seemingly lifeless body was further secured along with the rest of the haul.

After a brief back and forth of clicks, grunts and hoots the pack set off. The padded feet of the Kroot genetic cousins allowed them to move silently through the verdure. The six Kroot and a near dead Crighton vanished into the darkness.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Part 2

Crighton shaded his eyes from the glaring light from the twin stars high in the sky. This system was relatively small and remote, located in the Formosa Sector of Ultima Segmentum. Of the five planets that orbited Pelta and Priox, one was habitable and only barely. The moons of Priox IV was where most sentient activity occurred and Crighton had found himself on the moon Nesto. It had high biodiversity of both flora and fauna and the lush greenery of the forests blanketed most of the landmasses. Nesto was a moon that had sparked the interest of many due to it’s proximity to a barren planets nearby, rich in energy resources but highly volatile and inhospitable. It had also perked the ears of Inquisitors Ordo Obsoletus, hence Crighton’s appearance in Nesto. He was part of an Inquisitorial retinue. Much was kept from him during the mission brief but the phrase ‘locate and retrieve’ was recurrent. He pondered whether his ties to the Imperial Inquisition was the reason for his capture. He now found himself slumped up against a tree stump. The strong odour of burning bark and tree sap made his throat itch as he began to wake.

The rays broke through the canopy and the light danced across Crighton’s body. To his surprise he was untied and his wounds had been tended to. His arm was splinted and wounds covered in an oozing sap. His body was sore all over and he didn’t sleep much. Constantly woken by the barks and hoots of the Kroot throughout the night. Crighton imagined them as weary travellers laughing and sharing stories about old conquests. He could see the Kroot more clearly now and started to observe them. There were six that he could see. The Kroot were dark green in colour with blackish quills. He assumed that was all of them as he spotted six of the larger creatures, all huddled around a makeshift trough. The Kroot’s genetic cousins were a much paler beige colour. They were nipping and snarling at each other trying to get into the best position to get their fill of the meat.

The Kroot were gathered in an opening where the canopy above was thin and the light shone through down onto them. They were pointing up. Crighton assumed they were discussing weather patterns, probably to determine when best to move on. The clicks and grunts from the Kroot became more audible and Crighton’s arm started to flash.

+++translation: Bora-Bopha+++
+++translation: We are close+++
+++translation: One solar day+++
+++translation: Basaant+++

The translator couldn’t keep up and Crighton was rapidly looking from the screen to the Kroot trying to match the text with the speaker. The words continued to flash on his arm.

+++translation: No, move together+++
+++translation: Mistake+++
+++translation: Fekitoa+++
+++translation: Fight if we need to++++

One of the Kroot shoved another before a third one barked at them both. This one seemed to be the one in charge. Crighton deduced that this one was called Bora-Bopha, it’s Imperial Gothic name anyway. More flashes came from his arm.

+++translation: There’s no time and there’s too many+++
+++translation: Leave the human+++
+++translation: What do you think Gorrok+++
+++translation: Keep him alive+++

The one called Gorrok was clearly highly thought of and his opinion mattered to Bora, the one in charge. Crighton recognised this Kroot as the one he spoke with last night. The translator on his arm caught two other names, Basaant and Fekitoa. These of course are the attempted Imperial Gothic translations. The other two were smaller, younger, maybe there to learn. They were keen on listening in on the discussion but kept their distance. These two had been packing the group's equipment away and what were clearly their weapons. Long spears, each with unique heads. There were also a few pistol-like firearms. Although they seemed primitive at first, the Kroot used some technology and had knowledge of biorobotics. One of the Kroot genetic cousins had a leg replaced with a mechanical one and few others had scythed arms.

Crighton had been observing them for some time and wondered why none of the Kroot had checked to see if he was still there. With sudden exuberance an urge to escape came over him. His heart started to beat faster as he quickly sketched up plans in his mind on how to get away. He started to shuffle slowly round the other side of the tree stump and crawled towards a dense shrub-line. Looking back, his captors were unaware of his escape. He turned to run but the tight grip of a Kroot’s four fingered claw had clamped around his neck. It squeezed tighter, so hard that Crighton’s eyes began to bulge from his face. He was turning purple and just before the pressure in his body would have built so much that his veins would have exploded, he was released and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Gorrok was standing there, his long slender body towering above, looking down at the spluttering human gasping for breath.

‘Where you go human?’ questioned Gorrok, his deep voice reverberating in Crighton’s ear. ‘You know this jungle? You know what to eat, where to drink?’ Gorrok continued. ‘You would die quick’.

‘I’m gonna get away’ said Crighton. And his expression, although looking half dead, was full of convincing determination.

A grin spread across Gorrok’s beaked face. ‘There is no point to run, you stink, you easy to catch’ said Gorrok. ‘If you try, they eat your legs’ pointing towards the rest of the Kroot which were all now staring directly at Crighton.

Still trying to catch his breath, Crighton rolled over onto his back exhausted. Gorrok knelt down beside him and offered his hand. Crighton reached out and was hefted up to his feet. Gorrok strolled over to the rest of his kindred and Crighton followed behind. As he walked he contemplated a few thoughts. The Kroot wanted Crigthon alive and that it was obvious now they were conveying him most likely to someone else. They were probably hired. He also understood that in order to survive, for the moment, it would be best to go with them.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Part 3

A rolling thunder disrupted the early morning chorus of insects and other jungle life. It came from a ship racing across the canopy, it’s under-belly skimming the tops of the trees. It weaved in and out of the ones brave enough to emerge from the green sea, the ones that had used the Twin Star’s energy to grow even higher than the rest. The jungles of Nesto were vast and dense. The patches of civilisation were scattered and restricted to the coastal plains and river deltas. Although the sentient populations were mostly made up of colonial Imperial humans, they were largely self governed with little to do with the Adeptus Administratum. The moon had become a stopping point for traders and travellers uninterested or unaware of the wider grimdark universe. It had also become a haven for exiles, mercenaries and bounty hunters and a few regions accepted xenos species to live and work amongst the humans. The ship continued to zig zag above the dense jungle towards its waypoint.

The ship was crude in structure and design. The simple shape and ample size lent it to being used as an efficient transport vessel. The paint had been stripped to reveal the natural metal although dulled down from centuries of use. Scrawled across one of the wings was an ancient text which read ‘saambok’, loosely translating to ‘nest’ in Imperial Gothic.

Inside, the malodor would have been particularly unsavoury to human senses. It would have been obvious to any being that this ship was being used as a living space as well as for transport. There were clear areas for sleeping and cooking but also enough room to carry plenty of cargo or troops if needed. The instruments that steered the ship were towards the front. Two Kroot sat on makeshift chairs, touching buttons that propelled them forward. One stood behind them observing the screens.

A holographic image rose from a console. It flickered on and off but showed Crighton and two others. He wasn’t a handsome man by any species standards. Other than a scar running down his face his other defining feature was his hair. He was bald except for two tufts of hair either side of his crown. Crighton had been an inquisitorial acolyte for some time now, for longer than he could remember. He wasn’t the best of fighters. In both firearm and close combat he was below Imperial standard, but he had impressive will power and an endurance that was close to matching that of a Space marine. That was the main reason he was chosen to accompany Inquisitor Ebeko on this latest expedition to Nesto and nearby moons of Priox IV. Crighton didn’t hate xenos, not like many others within the Imperial Inquisition. In fact he had at times found it useful to work alongside them utilising attributes they may have. This was something that would probably hinder his chances at one day becoming an Inquisitor himself.

The images didn’t cause the Kroot to break it’s gaze away from the screens. It’s kindred had already located the targets and if they hadn’t it would favor it’s sense of smell rather than eyesight in tracking and identifying. This kindred had been absorbing DNA from animals that primarily relied on smell to catch it’s prey. Over generations the Kroot began to develop large cerebrum with prodigious piriform cortex as well as other organs specialised in scent detection. More recently they have evolved primitive biological sonar through preying on animals that depend on echolocation.

The ship continued to roar across the top of the forest, the engines showing their age with a continuous stutter. It followed a trajectory to meet with the Kroot who had found and captured the being shown on the flickering holograph. The vessel pushed forward.

 borneo424 wrote:
Thanks amazingturtles for the feedback. I wanted it to look like they attached it to the knarloc after a battle with tyranids, the scythe being a perfect replacement for the knarloc's lost arm. Same with the second knarloc riders' spear.

Ah, i understand it better now! sorry about that. i think it does work well as that.

You're a good writer! I'm enjoying the story

No don't be sorry at all, i totally get your point, i may add greenstuff near where the sycthe joins to try and show it was put together hap hazardly and not natural , maybe even paint so it looks sore/raw.

At this point I think kroot are my favourite army in 40k. You've done a great job giving character to these great sculpts. It's a real shame that GW haven't done anything else with the kroot.

I'll be following this blog for sure.

Nice work on those knarlocs! The conversions look great.

 howie wrote:
At this point I think kroot are my favourite army in 40k. You've done a great job giving character to these great sculpts. It's a real shame that GW haven't done anything else with the kroot.

I'll be following this blog for sure.

Thanks howie! I was so lucky finding these on ebay, forgeworld even stopped making them. It would have been great if they had become a standalone army, good seeing a few 'count as' armies though.

Thanks Vermis, trying to get the sixth one done now.

Wow, that's are great! Well done!

 faultie wrote:
Wow, that's are great! Well done!

Thanks faultie!

So I've managed to put together the last one! This one I changed many times, the hand with the reins was a bloodletter hand but now switched with a kroot one. Also added the whole biorobotics idea with the tyranid scythe again with this one.

Now, I find the modelling and character making the best part of the hobby but really would like a nice paint job for these guys so I've decided to send them over to the very talented Chris W from Raven's Nest. I'll keep you posted on progress here.

Also attached a group shot.

Feedback welcome as always.

Great use of my favourite Tomb Kings banner! I used it for a Necron Lord, but it works very well on this unit, what with the long spears. Fantastic modelling!

Wow, it's amazing seeing them all together like that! You've made an impressive group here. I like the scythe on this one too, it looks a bit more natural

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll wrote:Great use of my favourite Tomb Kings banner! I used it for a Necron Lord, but it works very well on this unit, what with the long spears. Fantastic modelling!

Thank you, yes it was a fortunate find in my bit box. I had it without any banner but it just didn't look right, looked small next to the others with their long spears. Glad I added it.

amazingturtles wrote:Wow, it's amazing seeing them all together like that! You've made an impressive group here. I like the scythe on this one too, it looks a bit more natural

Thanks amazingturtles, I was planning on just doing these 6 but I think I'm going to attempt a little kroot force.

So those of you interested in a story behind these guys I've just finished up part 4. Just a narrative or more of my rambling ons about these guys. Part 1, 2 and 3 here too.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Crighton was enveloped in darkness. ‘You know why you’re here don’t you?’ whispered a female hooded figure in a soft voice. Bringing her lips to Crighton’s ear she continued ‘You know your purpose, the reason we brought you here?’. The figure came into view. Her face was obscured. ‘You must come to me’. Crighton attempted to speak but couldn’t. He put his hand to his face but could feel nothing. His mouth was sealed. He was overcome with panic. Internally he was screaming and began trying to prize his lips open, scratching and clawing at his face. Darkness enveloped him once more. Crighton shot up, sweating and panting.

‘You’re awake’ said Gorrok.

‘Yes’ replied Crighton, touching his face before rubbing blood between his fingertips.

Crighton, the six Kroot and their genetic cousins had now been travelling through the jungle for longer than they had anticipated. Crighton of course was none the wiser as to how long they should have been travelling for. The Kroot were not lost. They had been told that a transport ship was going to pick them up from a specified point and that ship did not show. The decision was made to make contact with the rest of their kindred and use one of their own vehicles. The two younger Kroot had advanced further than the rest to scout the terrain.

Crighton had been riding with Gorrok on one of the genetic cousins. It was grossly uncomfortable. Jerking movements, changes of speed and the up and down motion increased the pain in his arm.

‘How is arm?’ said Gorrok, gesturing towards Crighton’s limp limb that was clasped closely to his chest. Not only splinted but now also slinged. He had complained about the pain regularly. The Kroot had been treating the break and also used local flora to limit the chance of infection. They didn’t want Crighton to die.

‘I can’t move it at all now’ he replied, shaking his head.

‘Maybe lose’ responded Gorrok. ‘Maybe better to lose’.

The thought of losing his arm didn’t sit well with Crighton but anything to take away the agony would be welcome. ‘Is there something you could do?’ he said through gritted teeth as another wave of pain passed over him.

‘More than we already have?’ questioned Gorrok. ‘If we were home’ the Kroot paused and examined the injury, ‘If we were home, easy to fix. We not know these.’ Gorrok proceeded to pluck leaves from a nearby tree. ‘Some we know, they help you. We not know what fix you’. Gorrok began crushing the leaves in it’s palm, adding a liquid substance, drops at a time. The leaves turned into a mulch and applied it to Crighton’s arm. The pain eased a little.

‘Thanks’ said Crighton showing genuine gratitude for the care he was given. The Kroot flicked it’s head in Crighton’s general direction and snorted.

The convoy came to a sudden pause. Bora, the Kroot which led this pack, tilted it’s head back. Drawing in a long breath, it’s chest expanded. It then began jerking it’s head back and forth, each time taking in a sharp gasp. It was attempting to pinpoint the location of a specific scent. Bora’s eyes widened it’s throat began throbbing. Crighton was observing this behaviour astride Gorrok’s genetic cousin. It dawned on him that the Kroot had been sending out Infrasonic pulses, low frequency sound waves through it’s vibrating throat. Bora was communicating with the pair that had ventured out ahead of the pack. Most beings' ears wouldn't be able to pick up these vibrations.

Crighton was in awe of the abilities these Kroot, this kindred, had picked up from absorbing specific DNA. The biological gene sequencing must have taken generations, possibly hundreds or even thousands, he thought to himself. Crighton found himself reflecting on failed missions and missed opportunities. Different scenarios came to his mind where these Kroot would have been perfect for the job. His daydreaming was broken by a sudden jerk of the head by the Kroot at the front.

Bora glanced towards Gorrok and the remaining Kroot. The group conversed with subtle clicks, camouflaging their dialogue amongst the natural sounds of the jungle. Crighton’s arm began flashing, the device attempting to catch the conversation.

+++translation: Located+++
+++translation: Humans+++
+++translation: How many?+++
+++translation: ...o ma..+++

Crighton’s translator began faulting. Not now he thought. He began smacking it against a nearby tree in an attempt to wiggle any wires back into place. It worked to Crighton’s surprise and delight.

+++translation: Move quick+++
+++translation: Prepare to engage+++
+++translation: No, too many, we risk the other target+++
+++translation: We will follow+++

The genetic cousins began moving slowly, treading lightly as to not break any twigs or crush any leaves on the ground. Their padded feet muffled the sound. In an instance they accelerated up an embankment, Bora leading them away from the Human scent it’d detected. They didn’t need the risk of getting spotted and then drawn into a firefight. They would follow this group, the one Crighton was with. They would wait for the right time to capture the second target and then deliver them together.

Hello everyone!

An update of the knarlocs which are with Chris. Colour scheme is like that from the story. Kroot being dark green and the knarlocs being pale but with dark feet and hands.

Also a very early wip/concept for some walkers. One of the most frustrating models I've attempted, the walker pilot was so fiddly. Still a lot of work needed on it.

Feedback much appreciated.

Knarlocs coming along nicely. The colour puts me in mind of landstriders from The Dark Crystal.

The walker looks great. I can sympathise with fiddly conversions, but you made it look easy here. Nice pose and choice of bits.

That paint scheme is looking fantastic. The walker is a great idea. How many do you think you will make?

Vermis wrote:Knarlocs coming along nicely. The colour puts me in mind of landstriders from The Dark Crystal.

The walker looks great. I can sympathise with fiddly conversions, but you made it look easy here. Nice pose and choice of bits.

Landstriders would be an awesome xenos model to have a go at making. The pilot for the walker was just too wide so had to keep shaving bits off and squeezing it in.

youwashock wrote:That paint scheme is looking fantastic. The walker is a great idea. How many do you think you will make?

I've got 3 in total but I'm toying with the idea of making a larger knight model.

Here is some further progress with the walker. Feedback as always would be awesome.

Yeah, I can see what you had to cut away to fit things together.

Walker's looking good. Giving me a Starship Troopers feeling now. More like the Ape, which is a pity, because the Chickenhawk might be more appropriate.

 Vermis wrote:
Yeah, I can see what you had to cut away to fit things together.

Walker's looking good. Giving me a Starship Troopers feeling now. More like the Ape, which is a pity, because the Chickenhawk might be more appropriate.

Thanks Vermis! Yes an Ape look definatley from starship troopers

Some work on the second walker, this one with a looted invictor warsuit arm. Bith walkers still need a lot of work.

Lovely stuff! I Like the poses and the kroot walker is very interesting. Looking forward for more update!