I went to university in Sheffield and the worst it ever got was when we had about 5cm of snow. Though I lived in the highest point in the city (literally every street was a hill - many of them had hand rails on the walls so you could walk up them ) and it always snowed there every winter (usually not all that much) even when no where else got any.
We tried to drive to the cinema but got to the top of the road and had to turn back as we were just sliding everywhere
seriously lots of streets just got tored up by the force ice can produce. i know it sound like sibiria but we lived inthat mess. now i live in a region of berlin where the traffic always jams due to massive constructionsites for road repair. dont know for certain where the govs got all the money from, probably from us next years money^^....
night time sliding in a car downhill, man you could hand out tickets to this great attraction. its like a rollercoaster only deadlier...makes evening entertaintment something fierce...
Well still snowing here as well , infact i have never seen so much snow, its about 1ft deep in my garden , now all schools are closed, so a house full of kids , and kids friends, so even more more kids, should really use that to my advantage and organise a great big 40k or even dare i say WFB game... Feeling much better now, thanks to all the well wish's , .....wait a minuite...there were none Crosses arms and starts sulking )
I really want to paint something at the moment but , the short daylight doesnt seem conducive to painting, and with the children at home most days , either ill ,or snowed in , its not really happening. that and i cant feel my fingers unless sat on top of a heat source. so i did a little modeling, put together a mock up of the diaroma ,still needs a real base and some oldschool cadians and imperial army guys, but you will get the idea. I have been collecting a few bits of th ebay, that i dont have , like bent legs , arms guns, etc.. so i can use them on the diaroma , to give it some life. but its missing those oldschool long lasguns, shoulder mounted , imo , and i purchased a a forge world commisar , ( did i mention that already? ) there proportions are more in line with the perry minis, and make a good go between for the praxians, i also picked up some forgeworld cadian stuff , helmets, heads and a few arms. they really stand apart from the regular plastic stuff , in detail, never had resin models before , except the 40k barriers things! , i am hoping to pick up a couple of regular cadian boxsets if i cant get hold of soem oldschool imperial army dudes, to plug a hole. I was also thinking of using a single Ig from every regiment produced in the lineup as a nod to the ig. and because i want one of each . already picked up a vostroyan medic! they are beautiful models. and not that expensive from gw. will def get more of them.
I also did a little work on the Praxian Guard Yay! I made a sqaud of Noble longrifle men , these gutys are like sharpshooters, and never get there hands dirty like the foot sloggers, i suppose you could consider them as unmounted Nobilite rough riders which is probably how i will paint them up. I found some 2 part expoxy resin tubes of brown stuff, for a pound at my local pound shop its very easy to use , like green stuff , but a bit grittier , and less sticky and cures faster, i doubt its good for fine detail work but for basings and bigger stuff its perfect! linky i used it on the commisar , antal , and the captain with gas mask.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Epoxy-Putty-Repair-Filler-Adhesive/dp/B003WVLBPM and lastly i tholught i would show a snow themed ig paint schem my oldest made a few years ago, he is very proud of it, and will not let me strip it and steal the minis In real actual snow!
The cookie/biscuit fight was funny... I think it might be time to invest in a better camera btwlol. Are you planning on giving the troops proper lasguns? I liked your artillery position, very muddy, in a good way.
on behalf of your first born we deamnd to get better pics of his snowcamo cadians!
camo is bearly recogizable in all that snow...oh maybe thats why its called camo in the first place...
and no good wishes for getting better soon fom noone??? man i think i can sulk much deeper than you...
you´ve got yourself a pretty colorful bunch of imperials there. the longrifle men looks good and noble^^ the tua guns really work for them. also did you built some commisars out of cadians and praxeans? cool idea. where was that vostroyan medic you mentioned? didn´t saw him in the pics...hmmm is it the one with the injection needle? much cooler that model than mine cadian with the bloodinfusion...a bit lame i would say...
the fw comissar looks really good, but we do know by heart that they look good, and are very expensive...its a lovehate thing all over...
i have tried that epoxy stuff from a hardware store too, not that particular stuff but something from germany, and i have to say i hpe that gs suits more my needs than that. tried to fill up some holes in a rhino and wasnt able to do so... mind you i used a very dumb technique but i thought it would help me more instead now the rhino lies around still unpainted...damn you rhino didn´t want to play after my rules, now you doesn´t play at all...
antal is coming along real nice. he will be a good HQ for your army, once he has an army^^ no seriously he is really good looking. you didnt went to heavy on the gold etc so he is rather modest, which i think is fitting quiet well.
so we still expect better snowmen pics...no neil not actual somen, but more from the cadian persuasion^^
@Perkustin , Hi mate thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the nice comments! glad you liked TGDCK, and i have been looking forward to reading more of your great stories in the fiction section actually!, muddy mud, i think i want to do snow now i know i need a new camera i am hoping it will arrive christmas morn!
@ Vik Sorry mate you did wish me get well soon dont make me come over to Berlin to give you a Grimdark cookie to cheer you up The vostroyan is shy he is the one with the needle too. i like the cadian model though. but this was cheaper!
The dkok commisar is so detailed, yet so brittle! i have to be quite careful with him unlike the plastic or metal's , but although they look great as you say that kind of detail is only picked up with the camera. but after watching it for so long i finally had the excuse to buy it! i know i can never afford more than one! ( btw i have asked santa for a new camera!) i personally think on the tabletop the cadians look better, after being out of the scene for so long everything looks new and good to me ! i have to stop my self from having impulse buys i can least afford! and will never paint. ( keep in focus neil) Antal needs his army, its funny because the more modeling i do the more i want to play again. i think when i finish the praxian guard i will do a battle report with the boys! something for us to luck forward to finishing them for!
qoute ".damn you rhino didn´t want to play after my rules, now you doesn´t play at all... " lol You are the master Vik , you tell it!! I bet your like that with your boys as well, when they break your minis, ( i know i am )
Yeah i really should finish Antal, damb i wish i could paint better
i really need to post up the kids work , they are off again tommorow so then might be a good time
@Ruglud ( cool name)
Thanks man ,Its wickedly cold yet so pretty! I didnt think it ever snowed down south its like i love snow , but my snow readyometer doe not start working for at least 2 weeks! hope you guys keep wrapped up,but glad it gave you time to have a looksee , mate, i am trying to finish some stuff off, but i get so easily distracted, did that come accross i have learnt so much already from dakka , and not only about modeling , about me as well, i think i have been isolated a while and forgotten how to communicate with peeps , and become very cynical and jaded. but everyone i have met has been so nice to me.. i know i have said this before , but dakka is a great help in many ways .
i hope i can tempt you back with some painting soon
funny thing as my bunch seems to be full of hooligans the respect my workspace and the minis popping up from time to time there to no end...like a holy shrine...so i have absolutly no fear of one of them brocking anything.
so resin i brittle? since i dont own anything of that material this is quite a revelation. will keep me personaly from ever buying fwDKOK minis. also when you say the deatils are only for camera only then it would miss the point of tabletop minis on my part...i sthere a way to make the resin minis a bit more forgiving? anything to protect them more?
man you paint good enough...dont cheap yourself (cant really translate what i want to say)
i could write a book, an expensive book at that about impulse buys...
i am constantly rethinking about selling my nids to pay for the IGs...or for more possibly^^lol
you wright the book and i will impuse buy it lol not the nids what about the earth angels? NOoooooo!!!!!!!!
i suppose they vanquished them?
lucky to have children that respect minis , i never have after my raging temper incident I chucked away so many wonderfull misis and conversions , and even a scratch built Inquistorial catherdral. , I never could brng myself to spend so long on minis after that! like i lost my heart for them, and because i rarely paint em or game, they are more like toy soldiers in our house , this is a problem now i am trying to be more serious with the hobby, as they have learned from me that i have little respect for them. oh well
ha my youngest one, hes about 2 1/2 years old is often standing attentionly by my side when i model around. and if i use so much as a drill or a saw then the three of them come running to see the fun happening. it is to be expected with the likes of bob the builder and other bruises on the face of tv these days... in my youth some heavy works got only agry cries for silence from me^^
but my sons will also make good players i think...well until the 2/3 of them have begun to read i would gather^^
although i´m a pretty hot head myself i tend to not throw anything around. my wife is different there^^ also i dont tend to slamm doors. i use mostly words and loud ones at that...the volume must be quite big for our neighbours...
i dont think wahts more worse tho...you cant get loud without the ocasional swear word...
so either way parents have only the options to ruin the sanity/innosence of their childreen. which way is up to them...
@ Vik , do you play board ganes with your boys , space crusade or other things?
@ Hangfire Hey mate, hope you got paid for reading my blog and if you did maybe i should start charging .. i know all you working guys , just pretend to work and scour ebay and dakka, whilst sat at your desks
TGDCK is good fun to do , no pressure at all in putting it together. I was going to paint up the minis for that episode but then it becomes a chore so whilst its fun and easy , i will continue with it. will be even easier when i get a camera , and dont have to download , video files , then play them and screen capture every image i need before pasting em into photoshop thanks for the congrats , EyeOfHorus has another one running again now , judged in a month. about the GOFFS this time .
good chance for more fluff if you keep reminding me i really want to work on praxus , again , putting together those long rifles and watching a few episodes of sharpe , has given me reniewed vim , i am still working on the artwork for the first installment , i would prefer to release the first 2 installments before releasing anymore details about praxus , as i think they might be spoilers. but iam sure i have plenty of other fluff on praxus i can post up. thanks for the continued interest mate, i feel like the manufactorum model is getting a little left behind in all this though , poor old thing that is still the inspiratuion for it all. But praxus is bigger than just one Manufactorum now! regards matey
Yeah all these people who work in offices and their all day surfing sessions - I see em on facebook. My till doesn't get internet...
Resin models brittle - thanks for the heads up! I would not have known. I do love the vostroyans I've seen in photos though.
You guys up north can sleep easy this winter knowing that even sunny cornwall is absolutely plastered in snow and freezing below zero!!
all you people talk how the snowy weather bothers you so much i think i might add a tale of my own, underlined with a pic from my kitchenwindow...behold a platoon of cadiuans finest to battle the weather front...
the story:
today we woke up all early to see our world all in white sheats of yucky snow...my wife, due to the fact that i´m more ioll today and she wanted to help me, gave both our youngest ones a ride to their kindergarten. while on the way to my second child kindergartenlace (we have two seperate ones...damn...) she slides and fall on that white gak with him and her bike...fear not no one was harmed. but this small story i was later told got me to the conclusion to use a slay to get the children back home with...
sound like fun? NO! cause both instelations of kindergarten are about one kilometer apart from each other...so first there the there i go and collect the children....all the way pulling and puffing like the old and evil wolf...i was so spent when we finally got back home...spent and totally sweaty. i think it is unfair to be sweaty in snow...and do you want to know whats the hardest part? of traveling by slay? when some sodding bugger....gets the snow fro the sideway and leaves it barren but puts gravel on it...your so frigging done then when you have to drag the slay past that. or you have to get the kids from the slay...yeah, right fat chance of that being possible...the kids are so snow addicted when they see that...
ha at last you feel our anguish , glad your wife and little ones are fine . sweating in snow is just plain wrong . the view you have is cool , i hope your hoth troopers can cope, and dont try to end it all with a leap
Automatically Appended Next Post: sorry for prosaic text i am on a console without a keyboard
Hi guys, just a little update , I did promise myself that i wouldn’t post any more stuff unless it was painted , but i have just spent a few days making General Von Dom's Nobilite Rough-riders
of the Noble house of Praxus , these guys are General Von Dom's personal retinue , a born Rider General Von Dom has spent many years in the saddle fighting Imperium wars , but now he can be found predominantly playing Krojike a similar sport to antiquities Polo, an off worlder, Dom is a rare retired IG veteran. Born in the savage Attilan wilds this young man quickly proceeded through the ranks to become a legendary cavalry duel las pistollier. out classing his mentor ,a grave insult which led in part, and in part due to his high intelligence and cleanliness ( a rare thing for Attilan's )
to him been booted off world , only to be head hunted by a brash and radical young commisar Interon, who required a new captain to head up his dashing Rough- riders. An opportunity Von Dom eagerly accepted. Many wars and victories later, both Interon and Von Dom were unceremoniously thrown out of the Imperial Army ( CLASSIFIED HERTICAL DOC XXII-V ) Although forced retirement had its own rewards. As the two very accomplished veterans were hired by Baron Dysarno of the Noble house Dysarno on Phalanx Hive. But their particular skill set was not suited to such an environment . So when a passing emissary of Praxus , noted the pair, he sent a data node back home. At the time Praxus was in the throws of a brutal repression, and skilled loyal veterans were hard to come by in the Hydra system. An envoy was sent to phalanx with an offer of work.
Which the pair took . Quickly putting down the insurrection and reforming the Praxian PDF into a solid army. The General and commissar ( only a proxy title these days ) have helped shape Praxus millitary into a formidable fighting force, so much so , that the inquisition has increased its planetary tithes for Imperium soldiers tenfold since the pair arrived all them years ago receantly liberating 50% of its regular PDF for Iquisitorial matters.. Although now officially retired the pair have not been replaced as both men are skilled tacticians and although Praxus has not seen much war in the preceding decades, the Cavalry makes regular royal parades full of pomp and ceremony , to remind the Vulgus of their low social position. The Noble cavalry is formed of royal blood from several of Praxian Houses as well as a few off world Noble Houses. Praxus makes an ideal location for many off world noble houses who want their children to be taught the required military indoctrinations without actually placing their precious heirs in too much danger. For example Phalanx Hive located in the same (Hydra) solar system as Praxus , has many Noble houses who consider Praxus a viable option for training their brethren. Since only the foolhardy would consider enrolling into the phalanx PDF expecting to live out your contract. Commissar Interon regularly joins his Veteran shot gunners on Qaulin ( a Rare but beautifully feathers bird hunted for its noble connotations and turquoise plumage ) hunts, in the fields and forests of praxus, whilst , General von Dom prefers the less tiresome and more confrontational game of Krojike.
The rough-riders are split into three separate platoons, Captain Sharope's Lancers – Commissar Interon's Veteran Shot-gunners and General Von Dom's Las Carbiniers. These together form the Praxian Nobilite Roughriders Company , tasked with Guarding the future heir of Praxus. Whilst on official duties of state.
Love the lancer with the chain lance. Well they are all cool really - I'm really into this intermingling of sci-fi and retro napoleonic as it just seems to fit with the style of 40k - and one can well imagine a backwards world having regressed to the level of muskets and then got back into contact with the imperium, got better weapons but decided to keep the uniforms
hello neil, having just read your fluff am am well, quite futtered to see you having such a high ranking officer with such a striking name...*couch* ^^
the roughrider platoons looking very pompous and yet very efficient...i like the look of those horses with napoleonic bodys and mostly cadian arms.the tau shotguns show us that you seem to have an unending suply of new and original looking bits to go ballistic with your creative talent. really when someting starts to grow in your head its for the better not to stand near you as i imagine you having sparks of creative energy crawling like lightning like tentacles around your head...^^
will you change to more suitable bases or will you hlet them that way? i think it rather unimportant but i gather there are rulenazis around that would start a slaughterhouse on that...
if i had to make oe lil suggestion it would be the change between the horses of las carabine pistolieres 4 and 5... the roaring horse i owuld see more fitting with the onehanded shortlascanon rider...just my thought maybe there as i see more dynamics in him and the horse that would give both a more challanging charge...(whoa a challenging charger...quite the name there...)...
other than that i love the vitae of your war heros, as it makes them stand out and truly set them as battlehardened vets as they are.
also i like your slight russian touch here, well actually really fitting with the likes of a von dom...as the name stands for someone from the eastern regions of europe...
the game Krojike sounds like a game i saw in a movie with michael cain and sean connery...coincedence as they both had praetorian uniforms and where british soldiers as soldiers of fortune?^^
again i bow deeply to your artistic talents...manyfold as they are...may you live in interesting times as the old agateans say...
vik
Automatically Appended Next Post: have just remebered seen this tartrache on one of them roughriders...this small shild as a wonehanded small defense is just what sceems for my bits box to be done too...i have sic fantasy pistolieres coming in the mail that will get these for their off hands...very cool idea and gets lots of stylepoiunts there^^
@ weety , I agree that the napoleonic image can slide quite easy into the grimdark 40k . I also think that nearly any style can these days, depending on what elements attract you in 40k. With Napoleonics i think they can be utilised to recreate a granduer that isnt easy to capture with regular 40k minis. to recapture an element of 40k only slighty shown in the fluff, the idea of noble families , and pampered Brat gangs and Imperial Governors . The 40k univesre i grew up with was about utilising your imagination , to invent your own 40k , i like the idea of the planetary govenors and Navis nobilite but i know very little about them. so i feel i have almost free rein in interpreting them. 40k universe is immense and i immagine medieval worlds and blackpowder worlds exsist amongst the stars. i was looking for some info on planatery governors and came accross this old text . i like the image reminds me of dune and Confrontation
As for the chain lancer, i think i should make more of them they do look pretty good .
@ Scrazza cheers man , i have never owned a cavalry sqaud before so i am enjoying the drama that horses bring to the board..
@Hi Vik , thanks mate , i will take on board what you said about the horse and pistolier/ las carbinier, i do plan on making all the bases round , i have allready had to buy 3 bags of bases, and still need another one.!
i know the movie you mean , but cant think of it at the moment , but they do resemble the commisar and general in character.
I did always have a eastern or german general in mind like the big hatted ww1 officors or kaiser wilhelm or kaiser franz josef , i see direct links between the german empire and 40k and wfb i meen even the name Emeperor , or emperor karl franz from wfb , exploring the themes of european royalty and 40k nobility, you cant help but use napoleonics.
btw the shield was a last miniute addition and it was inspire by what you said about the nobles reminding you of mediaval chivalric knights. well that and i had a terminator shield laying around i think they will look great on your men.
in the next to last picture right to the left side a soldiers standing to attention...looks like he is actually carrying a lascanon, wouldn´t you say so?^^
well what can i say, got an old rulebook of fantasy warhammer lying around and being german the name sare so strikingly familiar...well we knew it before tho that GW hadn´t invented the wheel anew...instead they created a skeleton of a universe ruled by a skeleton^^ lol...no seriously, the thing why after all these years the 40k universe is still around is because of the fans, fanfiction and people not too botherede about rules rather than the right creative look for their minis...you and me we create this universe with each newly modeled and (not-^^)painted mini anew on a daily basis...the fluffspinning industry with its casting factories isnt...that i´m sure of. if it wasnt for the creativity of each player/collector then this universe wouldnt uphold itself on its own accord...there isnt that much of a possble combination of colors and models around. but we mix and crossbreed minis (wellkind of...) because our minds doesnt want to be rolling on the trails of someone else...we derail it and thus creating ongoing life...to bad thats not whts intended anymore...
but since converting isn´t a sought for crime^^...we continue...
by the way seeing the german WWI nobles marching alongside i have to say this: ever since you showed us your antal (hope spelled right) i realized that you´ve done it wrong...if you based him on nobles from the napoleonic timeline...cause your mini is outclassing those uniforms a tenfold^^ the do look pale those kaisertruppen...
@ Monkey , Your knowledge is again a taperstry of perspicacious sagaciousness that weaves its threads of erudite amongst the inerudite for our benificant edification.
thanks for that!
naw i saw that movie also quite some times...the essence of all that i think is stereotypical british...the nobless in the beginning and the greed in the ending...no offence to living people...
Hey mate , yeah Dragoons , heavy Cav and hussars, mainly Heavy Cav though.
So small update to the diorama.. i have been sourcing peices that will work in the scene. Originally i wanted to copy the scene exactly as it is, but the inherent problems forced me to reconsider, and instead make an original scene based on this scene, since then i have bit the bullet and spent some money on trying to accuire the original plastic igs , i wanted plastic because ,of the ability to convert them if neccesarry. well a few arrived the other day so i thought i would show a little conversion ideas,The miniatures on the diorama will not be stuck down , so i will be able to swap and change models , i suppose it will be a fancy base for holding the ig guys really , since i dont plan on buying any more after this. i have been having some fun ordering different types of captains heads from the new cadian models , to try and capture that look of the captain and commisar. I wanted to get some feedback on the heads as i have started custom building the captain, and wanted to know which head would go best with his body.
you will notice i have included the 2nd gen cadians as well. hopefully the final diorama will incorporate several types of ig , but predominantly the imperial army 2nd gen cadians and 3rd gen cadians.
oh and i put a couple of visual stories in .. because i cant help myself
thanks for this update neil,
so here are the questions a s ususal:
did you by chance build/model/sculpt that sword on your own? if so i am impressed...and it does look the look!
the heads look cool, the tankcommander one fits its picreference the best i think, but dont get upset about that because i think these hats of 2nd gen cadians shown in the pic, look a bit ridiculous and the newer ones look way more lifelike. it was that fashionthing to draw these days...
also i really like how you make all those little scenes with just two or three figs and they itself create via poses a whole story. the saluting cadians or the commisar tahts about to execute a accusingly pointing cadian...just priceless...
one of these days you should do a tutorial of your GS work...
Thanks guys, n gals,
@ Vik the sword is the hilt from a high elf, and the blade from the perry cav. the high elf blade was hidden under a scabbard!
i think i agree about the tank commander head , but there is something about it that isnt convincing me.. i am sure there was another head like this that had a ere pice but didnt go over his hat.. will have to do a search.
the scenes, arrhhh...(deep contented sigh) my stock and trade.
well i doubt iam good enough for a tut but i gues showing how to make the ropes would be simple. cheers!
@ Weety i thought hi five also, but then when vik metioned the salute , that stuck as well!
@Cain Thanks mate , i will dip in and out of this , i think . i really like the ig guys. and i look forward to painting them, they have to be easier han the perry minis! but already my next project is kreeping into my consciousness. back back i have to finish these...
@ Kenshin Thanks man thats awfully gracious of you , nice to see you again!
Hey its definitively the last head - the one with the ear phone on.
I really hope you will paint this too...as I saw one of your models painted in the back a few pages back and it looked very very good! :-)
Automatically Appended Next Post: I think your going to need to scratch build some titans for the back ground...and find a very messed up Chaos Marine for the fore.
Looking really good...just compared it to the pic a few pages back....:-)
The eye for detail displayed in keeping as close to the artwork as possible is enviable. Plus the WIP armature is scaled nicely, i love the way it looks at the moment imo, like some kinda of evil chicken robot man. Cant wait to see how good he looks with some epoxy meat on his bones lol.
@ Manoknok , yeh i think your right, although i may use a hatless head and sculpt a hat over a earpiece. thanks for the nice comment mate. and as for painting well theres that one finished now @scarper Cheers my friend , i do like a story, diorama or fluff and the praxian guard will be as fluffy as they come! @Perkustin theres nobody here but us evil robot chicken men! thanks for the nice comment matey
so update time .. well christmas is a busy time for everyone, i feel like i have a real job , all the lists shopping and organisation of school children but i squeezed some me time in and finished Antal, i wanted to paint his eyes but i failed i will have to paint em on before i do the skin tone in future! and i will be geting a hands free magnyfing glass with clamps and what nots for christmas , so that might make it easier ! so i FINALLY HAVE A PAINTED MINIATURE TO SHOW its only taken 3 months and 12 pages .. but he is done well for now at least.. i will be working on painting up the reast of the praxian guard next, i want to work on the comic but its not happening due to time restraints at the moment , maybe after christmas i will have more free time. This is my first real attempt at proper painting a mini to a high standard since i was a kid bar the chaplain near the begining of the blog and i wasnt happy with him. Any helpfull painting tips would be much appreciated , i am quite happy with him but feel i could do better next time.
the parts that i like:
the white...it looks used and very real. it looks as if you just sewn together some itsy bitsy trousers and a frock for him and had him wear them for quite some time prancin around... thats why i say the white looks real its the real thing looks like cloth to me.
i lkie your warm looking gold and the leather backpack. the rolled together bedattire and the scabbard looks really good. it is clearly viewable that you took your time carefully aplying every brushstroke.
i also like the middlepart of the lasgun made in black and the outstanding looking boots. the purity seal looks like it was one of the best of the manufactorums productions^^.
and i lkie the idea that you changed his hairdo from blonde to brown. so he looks more like a real person and not like some billboard hero.
where there is light there is bound to be shadow and there are some things on your antal that doesnt get me to cheer so...
i think there is something smudgy with his face which lets this great model down. speaking of down i think your base needs more depth and more light...
speaking of light i think that the straps on his backpack look a bit unrealistic to be made in white...i would do them black, also as you seem to be pulling off balckj as good as your white! so there is no fear in loosing detail to a dark blob as you seem to be able to do very fine highlights on black!
and not really a critizism but a thought: i would do the butstock of the mentioned lasgun in wooden look. would be more fitting looking as the now metal look. although i have to say now it looks like some HK Assault rifle from nowadays...so it might be a rather justificated look there...
i hope i have not hurt the artist in you as i was eagerly waiting to see antal finished as much as you and seeing him now is something wonderful! as the high praise on your white (something i will clearly try to avoid for lack of knowhow^^) hopefully shows i see your artistical product as much of technique and knowledge but mainly as being a humanist and choosing a look of a model by the aim to depicture a as realistc view of a true born person here...(as you see by this crappy sentence making this clearly wasn´t copied anywhere^^ )
and to turn the knife already sticking in your back once more: you fully well know that you raised our all expectations now as we now will be waiting to see a whole lot of marching /fighting/riding army of antallevel minis from your hands...(i am rather a cruel person to be honest^^ not a sliver of nice in me^^)
Hey matey, well i appreciate your critique mate as painting as you know is my weakest forte , and i any advice that helps me improve is more than welcome. I am also not happy with his face ! but i guess practice makes perfect and what i learned with him will help with the other models, i was very unsure of skin tones , and i gave hime dark eyes because i couldnt do the actual eyes. and i think this adds to the smudgy effect, i was lazy with the base.. and just gave it a wash , but i will paint it proper now you mentioned it. I will change the staock to wood , and probably add gold or bone to the crest, dont worry mate i fully understand your sentance and i do appreciate the fact that you can be technically critical, as well as get the more subltle humanist aproach. my painting isnt that good yet but i hope with patience , i can improve , i think blending and detail work , needs much improvement. but i doubt my work will ever look like the fine airbrushed smooth models that are plenty on here, as i prefer a more dirty and direct aproach, , humanist and real i suppose. glad you commented mate !
Colour scheme works well, good job, and, yeah, nice work with the white.
With the face it just looks like you didn't get good coverage over a black undercoat, shouldn't worry too much over the eyes though, a lot of peeps will leave them dark, I tend to vary it with different models.
I would suggest a final highlight on the red sash, just to give it that little bit extra, and yeah, the base isn't up to the standard of mud we've seen from you Which brings me to a minor niggle I forgot to point out earlier, he's plonked the barrel into the mud, oh noes
Nice to see a splash of colour, now get back to making more pretties for us to look at
sir your way to modest...i thought it was needed to xomment on some parts to not make you lift up in airy heights to much lest you might burnt by the sun^^
well i would think twice of the stock exchange (LOL pun intented) as i dont have your vision of antal in front of my only my thoughts about your minis which is quite a way to saddle a horse from behinde to front so to speak...
by the way what color did you use for the face? i think as the perry models are smaller than igs i think its absolutly doable to just darken the details in the face instead of actualy painting whites and all in the face. did you use badablack fro wash in the face? if so this might be the cause...although i have done some faces where it worked...there are so many different ways around painting that it is rather hit and run to get it right the first time around...
i fully second chibis comment on grey primer as this way better than black one. and i too felt always to fight against the effect of seethroughblack when doing anything fairer than brown or green tones... red, yellow, white are a real pain in the butt to do on black. and it is showing a lot of your skills as you pulled off with the white so very convincingly good...so no point in chewing the humble pie here^^
for me the only real downer is still the base and i would love to see a base in the same manner as you have done the muddy ground for your arty...
Neil - I like him at lot. The colours work for him and I think he looks good. Maybe the face is a little smudged but I don't think I would have noticed if it hadn't been mentioned above. The base on the other hand really does need some work.
Edit - Been looking at it again and I would like to know how you achieved the worn leather on the back pack case?
Chibi - Can't help thinking he is saying, " Not tonight Josephine, I have to polish my lasgun."
Thanks for all the helpfull and nice comments guys i was watching master and commader , nice outfits in that movie
@ monkey Colour is the new black spot on about the face i painted over black and the thin paint just didnt cut it , to make matters worse i then added more dark wash to give the eyes depth and that just made the fact i hadent covered it in the first place even more obvious any suggestions on how to highlight the red sash up ? in the past i may have used a red ink. but i dont have any. i was going to give it a gloss varnish , but again i only have mat , so as a last resort i was going to use the wet effect? but i would rather use a good highlight coulor , i wanted it to keep vibrant red and not go orangey or pinkish ? and i cant take the blame for the barrel as this model was posed by my son, and although i did give pass on the original advice by vik also he and i just thought it was better left as was.. on the other hand if it was my pose i would certainly have changed it...dirty barrel boy.. probably does'nt know which end to shoot from anyway, bloody nobles
@Chibi hi matey , i agree the black undercoat is a bit much for colours , can you buy a grey primer in a can from games workshop? i am a canned airspray paint junky and i dont want to go back tonight josephine i have to undercoat my minis thanks again fella
@Vik again trust me modesty is not a problem ...Pride and rude xmas shoppers maybe though. yeah your right about the perry minis have small heads compared to say cadians , but i didnt want to use that excuse just yet! i should really read up some tuts on painting again , i do believe i posted one in weety's blog. might pop back over and see what it said.
i used tallern , then orgyn wash, then lots of other washes i was happy with the white on his jacket not musch so with his pants ..go figure , i think i wussed out a bit with Antal , will go back and finish him good.
@scrazza ..thanks mate I know i know.. the funny thing is i really enjoy painting i find it very zen , like sticking on rivets on a steamship well i have plenty of undrcoated models i would like to paint before crimbo.. infact i would go as far as saying i intend to paint all the Praxian guard by crimbo!
@PDH hey mate , good to see you again well i tried to take you advice about flash and gun barrels , but its in the dirt lol, although the gun could use a few trims here and there.. well i did buy my self a pin vice and drilled all the big Praxus guns..well one anyway oh and the commisars bolt pistol and yes i tried to cheat with the base instead of mixing up my patented mud sloop i just used fresh from a tube brown stuff well its quick and easy but , not good enough for these guys. so i will definately get the good and messy stuff out
probably does'nt know which end to shoot from anyway, bloody nobles
best excuse ever...and yep as you both modeled this piece i think it should stay that way...if children contribute stuff to this hobby they certtainly should be encouraged to do so more^^
so in a part he takes credit for the finished part too^^ send my regards to him. and tho the barrels is stiking into the ground... i dont know exactly how lasguns work...as this is lasertech i think they would work regardless of dirt in the barrel...after all whats dirt compared to heavy steelplate armor or other things to shoot through...really the small bit of dirt will just be shot away with the next round...not something to be done with an aoutocanon or a bolter...as you only fire light veven compressed light with a lasgun...
and by the way, me i have recently done faces with dheneb stone and then washed it with whatever took my fancy atm...
@ vik dheneb stone i havent got that one , will test it out cheers mate. qoute Vi dont know exactly how lasguns work...as this is lasertech i think they would work regardless of dirt in the barrel...after all whats dirt compared to heavy steelplate armor or other things to shoot through...really the small bit of dirt will just be shot away with the next round...not something to be done with an aoutocanon or a bolter...as you only fire light veven compressed light with a lasgun... "
thats what i thought as well tbh
@ PDH the leather is snake bite leather , with a gryphon sepia or devlan mud wash i think , i then blended out with a wet brush from the centre, i used a darker wash , devlan mud for the sides
mini update, i have changed Antals hair to a nice golden yellow, There was something not quite eight with the brown , it blended too much into the other colours and washed him out .., I had always envsioned golden hair for the heir but black worked as well, i think the blonde phelps pick up the epulletes, and ties him together more, I know Vik doesnt like a them heroes blonde, but although he is Of noble blood i never saw him as my hero just a fact of selective breeding to stand out from the crowd i too dislike the idea of golden haire wonder boys in film and fictiobn , but in this case i think its justified. i also changed the stock to wood , and added a gold icon to tie into the other gold objects , i still want to do his base in a nice mud . I think i took too many photos , but i like capturing different aspects of the models , and i couldnt decide which background suited him the best, i also found that i enjoyed seeing the effect of differnet colours against the blue white or gold. , i felt like a fashion photographer trying to capture differnet moods of Antal well i doubt i will be painting up any more models before crimbo , but i shall like to finish Antal.. i was thinking of adding a custom stock as i am not very happy with the wood effect, we will see.. i also re painted his face and added EYES yippee! i much prefer this lighter Antal and i am quite pleased with him , i think he still needs work , but he's nearly there.. ok eneough chat.
these new pics of antal are very good. someof them are infact really eyecatching and are character shots that could be right out of a model picorial like you said^^ i lkie the way you did the eyes and man it is a real pain to paint them right and not to get them like looking as if the model is about to explode or something^^. i am not sure that the wooden stock is done yet as the brown lacks a bit of substance the former stockhad instead... folded stock...well i am not so sure about that but as the lasgun has no recoil the stock would be only for stability at any time so if you can do so: pull it off^^
and no need to apologize for to many pics, all had enough justification and i expect you had to wade through lots more^^
and also regarding the base...next to your arty antals base blended in just about right i´d say, so maybe you do have to see bases in context and not sepereate...just a thought^^
Aye up folks..
@ Cain Cheers fella , Yeah he's got wanderlust like a any pro male model , he has only one good side and moody look , like a napoleonic 40k Zoolander
@Sageheart Thanks for the ideas matey , i think i have a cunning plan.....i was thinking of using a red or white leather , cushion style stock , like the backs of expensive chairs , i thought i could sculpt one to either side ,..or green stuff something eles maybe , if not your stock it is! i have always like meatal folding stocks , maybe i could build an ornate gold one cheers again
@Scrazza thanks i like photography and i would like it better if i had a camera instead of a vid camera..maybe i should just post videos it would'nt be much more difficullt ..another pic , our killing me... i might try that actually i did posta pic earllier of it shooting but that was very low res..watch this space.
@VikThank you sir, i am quite happy with his face , but one eye looks like it has eyeliner and the other dosent over enthusiatic touching up man it is so difficult painting eyes , i have so much respect for people who can and your right about them looking like the are gonna explode lol so true , or cross eyed or too close together man the problems are endless yep the stock isnt finished i am not happy with it , i did paint lots of small lines , but the wash covered em up , the base kinda looks okay , but it will get jazzed up. only the best for Antal
i have had this washes over painted on details too....thats a reall bugger...
i am not entirely sold on the whole posh stock thing...but after all your mini your vision...if i may have my little say i´d just drill out the stock from the side and let it look that way as a mesh stock a bit like the one from a HK UMP
then the metal one of the first isntalment would look really good...i wouldn´t over posh antal even if he is not the hero type but just a mere noble food stealer^^ then at least he could earn his mens respect by not only prancin`around in fancy armor...and i lol´ed when i read wanderlust...very romantic ^^(i mean literature romanism...)
Oooh i like that idea. might give that a bash with my new pin vice drill, thanks , as for Antal , he must be on his Grande Tour, Christmas tree next l.
Oh dont be starting any Monkey business about Antals Gender He is one hundred % Alpha Male, just because he wears new romantic Adam and the Ants style get ups doesnt mean he is any less a man and that quick fumble with his cousin when he was 14 , was just "Confusion" besides he likes ( Guyliner TM ) brings out his cobalt blue eyes...well thats what " Heirs and Hair magazine says in this months 40k and the Enlightened Man section , anyway.
Hey, I wasn't casting any aspersions on his manliness And as to the cousin thing, he's of noble blood, he's genetically disposed to 'fumbling' with his kin
do you really ask about it shooting to quick or what?
last i heard there are ointments for that...oh god there are seemingly no boundaries on how far you can push a methaphor...
vik
by the way, we have survived the santas visit and without any major crashes and still went to church...its always nice to see so manyx young people starving for attention and nevertheless being such unpleasent singers...well if i had to actually pay them for that i would probably want my money back...
@ Manoknok Will we be seeing more Napoleonics from your stable anytime soon mate?
Hello everybody , Hope you all had a great xmas and New year, i have finally managed to shrug off the winter lethargy with a healthy dose of that 386 billion billion megawatts.per second ball of gaseous orange stuff in the sky ( and no that is not my behind before anyone asks ) So i have been working on Antals New Model Army yesterday and got a bit done I finally have the whole gang based and primed ( Yay ) I made a new heavy weapons team ..lascannon and have started painting the Newly converted Noble Long Rifles Into Regular Noble Rifles. I have had some concern over the tau weapons and didnt have enough lasguns at hand so i decided to use the normal perry arms and be done with it! i have finally decided the colour scheme for the army , blue and white and red for the infantry green , cream and gold for the noble rifle men and blue and white for the cavelry, red and white for the heavy weapons teams all troops with red shakos
I also threw in a few pics of some stuff i picked up on ebay before crimbo, cadian heads, medics and wounded , and It was logan and Rohans Birthday on the 20th and they recieved a cadian heavy weapons team boxset and a catachan one from thier Uncle ....explains why i made a new heavy weapons team I didnt realise how much stuff you got in those boxsets , I have included a pic of there work so far,and a when i picked up the oldschool imperial army guys i found a nice little conversion as well , so thats it for now, i am still working on the comic its a slow burn and the manufactorum neeed to learn about electrics , and have a great idea for my next project , but for now i am happy painting these wonderfull Perry miniatures,( I recieved a Bernard Cornwell book for christmas ..Rhe Fort and i bought myself the Sharp boxset , so i have plenty of inspiration. oh yeah i posted a pic earlier of Kaiser Wilhelm and he had a great skull and cross bones hat, Well for those that didnt know , like me , it turns out that that hat was from a cavelry regiment called the Hussard de la Mort http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussards_de_la_Mort [url]http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=hussard+de+la+mort&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=883[/url
i mention it becuase i picked up a couple of vostroyan models and i think the generals hat is a perfect match http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1251734_99110105201_IGVostroyanCmdsqdmain_873x627.jpg
man thats so cool, seeing your stuff freshly up here again...
seeing your pics and now with the true perry guns and all i think it all will look tremendously cool. i will look so much forward to all these minis getting a great paintjob from your hands.
nice presents for you...er ... logan and rohan^^ that is...
thanks for your reearch link of the hussards de la morte...they lok really cool, but whats to be expected of soldiers clad in black and with skulls to their shakos??
and yer bang to rights with the vostroyan officer loking very much the part...
for my part i am not so sure with the red helmets on the heavy troopers but i bet you have some research pics for references as i think you saw something to do that...the noble and the green and cream will look great and also your scheme for the cavalry will look really good. for my self i am very itchy to paint agian too... the ranks on my shleves have greatly increased due to a lack of composure at ebay ...all on my evergrowing sins..
and finally if thats wahts in store for us to see, then may the sun shine for all eternity on your desk^^
Hey Vik Glad to see your still trolling the Forums and not FLying skywards to pastures new with your Beautyfull yet functional Airship....Whats that ...Its not finished yet ... bah !! There is a war on you know , we need those airships asap!
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement , I also think that the perry minis look better with their own weapons , although i like the heavy weapon teams as well , i guess this army was always going to be a bit of an experiment , and i am happy that i tried the 40k weapons but not too sad to see them go , as i can play a few skirmish games of blackpowder now that i am brushing up on my Napoleonic history as i said erlier i think the sci fi look can be achieved by the environment as much as the guns, just need some nice tanks now , got my eye on the fantastic Tadpole tank
or something like this Custom build i think though As for the Heavy weapons guys, i didnt realise shako meant the whole hat i thought it was just the pompom part so your right about that sorry only the pompom will be red
qoute "for my self i am very itchy to paint agian too... the ranks on my shleves have greatly increased due to a lack of composure at ebay ...all on my evergrowing sins.. "
you could always say that part of the army is still equipped with rifles and muskets because modernisation is slow - I remember there were rules for muskets and rifles in the old 2nd edition and even though they are inaccurate compared to a lasgun the massed ranks would still blow a few holes in an enemy. It would be fun to play with those old rules and see if ranks of muskets could see off greenskins
well hte muskets bullets surley are a caliber to be reckoned with, but they lack the piercing quality needed...all those thick hides would bounce the bullets off...
so red pompoms? that would be a real good treat...
and the tadpole will be a great thing to add and although it is a style mixture it is a really good one and will blend together real well...
your sun god links...well if someone ever wanted to make an "emperors sons´s army these would provide an extra large amont of names to use...
about the airship...always pleasing how your able to put your finger where its doing the most hurt^^ yep the airship is indeed needed asap but i took a short (hopefully) leave of absent in the building hall and went on to paint some minis so to better understand for whom i built it in the first place...
cheers for a force of raging chevaliers (thats french for knights...)...
for crude german accent always say something like:
vot izz der problem? can i help you viz somthink?...ah here comes ze spritzn and zis vont hurt a bit...."
@Perkustin Lol thanks matey , are you still writing in the dakka fictionsection i havent checked it out for a while , any more of your great and engaging Story ...?
@Vik rofl too funny
I remember ex coach of the German Football team Jurgen Klinsmann saying during Euro 2008; 'God! Ze Germans are strong!'. It's a bit of a catchphrase amongst my brothers and i.
Assalaamu alaykum
@ Weety , Thanks thats a great idea , i have the 2nd ed around the house somewhere , infact thats the only version i have at the moment except for that coaster in black reach.
@SilverMk2 Red gore! or blood red hey guys need some help with colours i Cant decide weather to go for , any sugesstions?
i say the right one, but i would opt then for a matching feather in white too and i would expect brass/gold nobs on the unifom then ....
they will look really great^^
@Perkustin
@Vik
Well i went for the left one thanks guys , i was tempted to do the white chest but i figured the young Antal figure will be all cream, gold and white but i did go with the suggestion for the white pompon it looks very regal for these young Nobles , not quite finished yet these are just base colours but i will be adding depth ,and highlights. If anyone has any suggestions for detailing iam all ears
It seems the archaic painting engine has shaken itself back to life :-P Making good progress i see, the scheme looks excellent. To adress the gun question i dont think it matters, not worth butchering the lovely models and to be honest lasguns are too big imo. Just noticed the huge amount of rough riders, look forward to seeing them painted. Oh meant to add, according to the tau codex kroot have muskets that have been slightly enhanced by the tau to fire some kinda fancy laser bullet so maybe Praxian guard have similar technology.
I tell you what would work - if you could get hold of rogue trader lasguns and shorten the barrel slightly - they are skinny enough to fit, but quite hard to get hold of I suppose
I've been looking for a pic of a lasmusket. I am thinking of just cutting a couple of bits of plasticard to it look like the vixtrix/perry muskets have catridges and those things on the top of las guns...I guess where the laz is.
@Vik I chose the red because i think it will help tie the whole army together but i agree they do look rather Proud
@Madmarty Thanks mate
@Kenshin620 , hey matey good to see ya again , thank you.. And no i havent ,but will check em out now you mention it ! thanks again.
@Manoknok well thats just Awesomer than i could thank you for ! as for the las rifles good luck matey , i gave up! but i do think the draggons fit the ig arms nicely , i just didnt have enough
@Weety I actually have some of them with the twenty or so i bought for the diorama , trouble is you need hands as well as the hands are sculpted to the guns mainly , and tbh it would be a shame to nick em off the oop troops
@Perkustin Surely iam not that Archaic ...whats that darling...i am! ....Okay then you win! dont forget the elbow grease honey!
Thanks for the idea about the tau rifles i have used that in my fluff , kinda and thanks for the nice comments also i am actually really looking forward to finishing them off so i can work on either the cav or the engineers ,i think the old guard infantry can wait.
So i did some fluff for them more to come later and some nice pics
Notes on the Praxian Noble 9th Battalion 1st Copiae
The Noble 9th Battalion is an officer training academy attached to to wider regular Praxian Guard
Or Praxus Planetary Defence Force (PDF) .
Entrance is limited to the Imperious Noble Households and high ranking members of the Adaptus Terra, Imperial Army and Imperial Navy. As such the Academy accepts recruits form a wide variety of backgrounds. Entrants may be submitted from the age of ten years , and up to the age of twenty five. There is no sexual discrimination and enrolment lasts for a minimal duration of 3 years. Although in practice many recruits who find it too difficult may have their contracts unwritten for a fee.
Its role is to provide a relatively safe place and structured military training program for well heeled
Families eager to instil a regimented and authoritarian lifestyle on their often autocratic young heirs.
Many military commanders send their children to the Noble 9th , to learn the art of war and officership in a relatively safe environment. Up until they reach the admittance age of the military proper. The academy has proved popular within certain military circles , who's parents are eager to see the offspring pushed hard at an early age. Conversely many Ruling houses send the precocious youths to learn the art of self sufficiency or keep them out of politics and even rival houses assassination attempts. Some callous houses send their heirs to this remote planet to ensure they can retain leadership until ready to pass it on , there are even stories of Young lovers from opposing families banished to the Noble 9th to avoid scandal.
The Academy was set up not long after House Adalais wrested control of Praxus from Lyonas the misguided of the powerful Voltaire Navigator family. An embarrassment they still haven’t forgiven.
Praxus with its huge Vulgus workforce had little respect for the ruling Noble household. And were often prone to Robespierreien revolts.. Bartholomew de la mar Adalais had the forsight to propose a Noble guard to subdue the populace. Fitted with custom archaic finery from antiquity , to remind the Vulgus of their station.
The Noble 9th , or Ignoble 9th as the Vulgus saw them, tore retribution and fear into the Vulgus.
Immune from prosecution. They freely murdered , raped and ransacked their way into notoriety as NOBLES TO BE FEARED.
The revolts are few and far between now , and much of the Noble 9ths remit is palace guard duties
and parades. They are drilled hard to keep them in shape and mischief at bay.
And even now these Fops and so called soldiers when dressed in the Finery instil a unspoken fear into the hearts of the older generations, fear and obey.
why has good fluff be so very grim and leaves so much uneasy feeling? i know for sure that nothing in your fluff is even rudimentary autobiographic, so ha´is being pulled off for achieving a piece of short literature thats true to a grim theme. did i make myself clear? normaly i would think it takes a thief to catch one but you´ve proven that saying wrong! for my part i can only sy i am not that talented to jump over my own shadow as to create fluff i would not deem just. but then i seldom do that^^ but one thing as i tend to stay in character when making up fluff is that i created a multi racional army as i think this is the right way...i probably should play rather tau...but well i wnat a cool army...
which brings me back on topic as your army gets cooler by every pic you show us...the poses look now much better and i really like those guns a lot. the colors look very smooth and i have to ask what did you do to the helmets? what colors did you use? real good brassy effect there...
will be nice to see them with painted bases then...
sometimes your work is like french restaurant food, tastes fromidable but the plates are hardly covered...
@ Perkustin , Thanks mate i really respect your writing skills fella so it;s a great compliment the Vulgus and Plebian appear in the comic eventually, and i plan on moddeling them queing for the Manufactorum.
@ Vik You see through me like a thin veil in the blowing wind. Of course your right i am no fop but i have encountered a few in my time i recall a gig i did in my youth for the University of bath was particularly foppish, but tv is also a great source of inspiration , Sharpe's stuff at the moment is very apt , and dont put yourself down, Now who's fishing for compliments i have read your Airship fluff as well as your Earth Angles stuff, and both are are a great read , in fact i demand less painting and more writing and if you thought that was dark you should read this ..... Enjoy but be warned Permenat emotional scarring lay ahead, not for the faint of heart!
A Noble Story
Guntar drilled them too hard, was the young Major Taliens first thought. The majority of the new recruits were soft. Sons of high ranking Adaptus Terra diplomats. These boys had no desire to join the Imperial Army or Navy, and one broken neck or stray shot could lead to weeks if not years of bureaucratic tape and unforeseen cutbacks or worse still, trade embargo’s. Roughly translated as a disciplinary . These boy could barely carry their own carbines let alone their packs
and provisions plus the daily 10k quick march. No these boys were pampered and soft , not worth risking a court martial training these buffoons for a war the would never see. I doubt even the Imperial commander would fear a Noble coup if he saw these idiots in training. Maybe he should get an invite , then we may actually be allowed decent rifles instead of these pathetic pea shooters.
No Stick them in the finest and put them on parade, the stupid Vulgus would know no better, to them we are all dandy devils to be feared and respected , Talien winced at the thought of being mistaken as a House boy Fop and not the steel eyed focused driven man he had become , and gave a wry smile at the thought of the pathetic hoards cowering in fear from these useless bastards.
Give them 6 more years and they may very well become half the man I am now he thought. Recruited at 12 his Patriarch an elderly Imperial Commissar he never met, Had him pulled out of his simple aristocratic life of painting and poetry, and sent here to learn the art of war. He had made captain by sixteen and major at his last birthday. Eighteen years old and commanding over a thousand souls. He got hard just thinking about it. His Patriarch would be proud if he still lived, the old bastard.
The Major's horse whinnied but he held her firm and looked down his long nose to the hulking brute that was his drill Sergeant , Unlike that poor sod he thought.
To Talien Guntar was a man to be despised, but also feared if the stories were true. The bastard child of a house whore on Phalanx. His Patriarch was a Admiral of the fleet , of some renown.
Ashamed and embarrassed to find out he had such an heir, The Admiral petitioned the House for his expulsion down hive. Fortunately for him, Guntar's Matriarch was very influential and Guntar or half – caste as became known , was allowed to stay up-spire in the care of House Ossa . He was taught alongside the other Ossa brats as a Noble, by the Imperiums finest scholars. But he was always the outsider , destined to never fit. At first he tried to play along with the bullies , just make a game of it, but it didn't stop them , eventually he grew tired of the beatings , he grew strong, and his spirit never broke , unlike his bones. When his mother died at the hands of an overenthusiastic
Acro wipping by the Infamous Troubadour Comedy del Art's Deviant, “Malange” Guntar was turned out of the Noble house , the only protection between him and expulsion by the Admirral's Enforcers. Desperate he sought out a new family, the notorious Noble House Ossa's Brat gang The Vipers . Who had a long held reputation for hunting underhive scum.
Impressed by his physical stature , the Viper lead Spryer accepted his request to join them , so long as he completed the initiation, to bring back an underhive scummer alive , and go toe to toe in a shiv fight to the death.
The Vipers extreme initiation test, had ensured it was a Brat gang to be reckoned with , weeding the soft fops from the brainy brawlers
Guntar was stripped of everything he owned save pants and a needle pistol with a heavy tranquiliser and dropped into the underhive to stalk his prey.
Instead of heading to the usual hunting grounds , the Heraklees territory or the pit slave market to find a tough and worthy opponent. That would impress his peers.
Gunter delved deeper and deeper into the murky sublight world , of the underhive.His world became slums and shanties but still he continued down and down until the light ebbed away into a smoky glimmer in the dome roofs. His choked throat burnt with the acrid smell and his eyes streamed . He hoped given time he would become used to the smell , but he sat and waited and watched for three weeks and it smelled worse than ever. The sump crawlers were no match for his raw strength and he followed them through tight airless passages ways and fallen tunnels , to their feeding ground. A lush and verdant moss covered chem deposit. It was here that his patience paid dividends, the whispering bodies shuffled
in an aimless motion, covered by loose rags he could barely make out their contorted faces. He waited and watched like a seasoned underhiver , as they went about there business collecting Sump shrooms. A patience rarely seen in the spire born.
Mutants these sick and twisted reflections of humanity were shunned by even the scummy lowlifes of the under hive , these disgusting wretches had no friends in the spire save their own kind , and ridding the hive of such abominations was every hive dwellers right , no duty! He resisted the temptation to gag as a small, what could maybe pass as a child collected a maggot riven Shroom inches away from his hiding place. Its hands were a writhing mass of worms, and its soulless eyes glared balefully vacant into the dimly lit sump pool. He followed the group back through the silent tunnels , careful to mask his scent with the acrid goo, who knows what senses these beasts have.
Through a riveted bulk head, he could see a small camp , a fire glowed in the centre and faintly lit the shifting bodies. From his recent observations he knew that they left in groups to collect the sump shrooms every other day. Its was relatively easy to catch one alone shifting in and out of the shadows , and as he crept toward his prey it turned to face him.
He stood frozen midstep, there eyes the only thing in common , searched each others for answers. but the young mother bearing a fat belly offered no resistance. As he ushered her from the shallow light in the pitch black tunnels.
During the journey back up-spire the girl did not speak nor struggle. It was as if she accepted her fate from the start. She had always known this day would come , she was a victim of circumstance in a universe of hate, the Imperiums dirty little secret, the guilty reflection of humanities corruption vilified more vehemently than the Heretics or xeno's , born into a debt she is unable to repay. The end would be a release , she welcomed the the thought of being free from this man's hell, only her swollen belly gave her pause .
Guntar did not bother to think, the Hulking young man placed one foot in front of the other , lost in the rhythmic motion until he and his prize stood in the marble centre of the Vipers challenging room .
The girl had become more agitated the closer they drew to the beautifully ageing hab sphere dome.
As if she somehow sensed her impending demise. But without fail the harder she struggled the tighter Guntar held her chain.
Now surrounded by the baying crowd of delinquents , she grew wide eyed scared. Her mutated belly heaved with stress, her eyes darted from one distorted mask to another desperately seeking a safe face in the maddening crowd.
Guntar stood motionless, staring dispassionately into tightly wrought coils of the serpent design in the centre of the circle, he noticed how similar it was to to his preys skin. Although he new he should feel repulsed as he watched her clamour hysterically from one gang member to another, her scaly hide reflecting the bright dome lights. He felt only pity for the terrified creature.
The cackle and cheering was intense, and the poor girls heart pounded at her chest as frantic as a sump rat digging its hole. A hot flush swirled her head dizzy and she tried to scream , her deformed maw letting out an inaudible shriek faces spun and merged into a cacophonous wail of laughter , eyes and teeth.
KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL
The demented crowd was verging on uncontrollable , when the lead Spryer began to talk...
“You have done well Guntar.”
“You survived the underhive and brought back a great prize”. The Spryer was indeed impressed by Guntar's success. Less than one in ten initiates return from the lower habs,
in fact the last 4 had not returned at all , and the 6 before that had been captured and ransomed back up-spire. Failing the initiation , bringing shame on their Houses and the Enforcers to the Vipers Door. Baron Dysarno the IV has a strict no Noble below the Guild line policy. Only Spryer's being the exception.
But still there was something strange about this whole initiation , for a start Guntar had been downhive for a month , this is the longest any Viper has stayed down unless they were captured , this showed great skill and tenacity, a valuable asset to be sure , but why a mutie Sure the are a rare find for a Brat gang. But a female one?, not only that a mutie with child! , the thought sent a cold shiver down the Spryer's expensive cadium plated servo spine. He shrugged involuntarily . Surely Guntar knew this would be highly irregular, the Vipers respect strength as much as guile ,a full Blooded Heraklees warrior would have made a better impression he was sure. Such a small quarry would no doubt provide very little entertainment once the fun starts.
But alas as the Badland Comedy del Art troubadour's say ..the show must go on..!
“Now you must prove yourself in single combat”
“If you win, you shall become one of us. Lose and you forfeit your life and your quarry goes free”
The Spryer drew two ceremonial daggers from their sheaves, and tossed them into the centre of the cold marble serpent ring.
The clatter of the knives brought the girl back to her senses , and she turned to face her captor.
She did not understand what the tall man in the strange armour was saying , but she knew what the daggers meant. Like in her tribe when a man upset another in a bad way , they dealt with it like this.
But not the women ! We were valued, and certainly not with child!
In that instant she knew all the stories of the daemons in the spires were true. There would be no mercy and no escape unless she went through her captor!
Guntar stared at the daggers. The Fantastically wrought handles curled into a wavy black serpent blade, that contrasted with the polished white marble in an absolute way. Now that’s the sort of crafts man-ship you can only get up-spire he thought.
The girl grabbed up both daggers in a flash , and like a caged cat waved them threateningly in front of her face. The crowd howled and shrieked with delight at this surprising show of courage.
Guntar noticed how quickly she now moved compared to her sluggish meander on the way back up-hive.
The big man did not move …why? She thought. Is this the game , part of the ritual. What ever the reason , she knew this could be her only chance. She had to protect her Baby.
Glinting masks and warped smiles blurred as she lunged toward her tormentor. One knife slashing at his face down to his cheek bone, the other stabbed into the soft flesh of his abdomen she felt the blade lodge fast as it graced a rib.
Guntar had watched it all in slow motion , his hands refusing to engage with his brain. He stared into her fearful eyes as she lunged at him and saw only remorse. What have I done ? Why did I bring her here? I am sorry. Am I sorry?
His consolations were abruptly stopped by the wincing pain to his left cheek. His hands flew to his face instinctively to protect it, followed by an intense burning in his gut!
“ARRH!”
“You fething mutant bitch, you stabbed me”!
Guntar's eyes dropped to the highly ornate handle protruding from his abdomen.
“You fething dirty Mutant Bitch! “
“How dare you stab me ! You Dirty whore!”
Guntar forgot the pain as watched the terrified girl drop the knife from her twisted fingers and back away, shivering. He thought he noticed a puddle appear on the floor as he clasped his burly hands around the the young girls scaly neck and choked the air from her infected lungs.
“ die Mother “ dripped from his blood stained lips.
The lifeless girls body dropped to the stone floor like a mannequin without strings.
The crowd fell silent.
With the focus of a skilled surgeon he proceeded to cut her belly and remove the child.
The Vipers stood aghast as he held aloft the child.
“AM I IN? “
The Vipers reputation as scourges of the underhive was writ in blood that evening. The myth of the baby snatcher is told to both human and mutant child alike, by mothers warning of the dangers of playing away from home near lonely sump holes or chem wastes.
But the man responsible for that heinous myth would not be there to bear witness.
Appalled by his uncouth and unsporting behaviour, the Vipers for the first time in history gave up one of there own to the Enforcers. His Patriarch the Admiral, recently bereaved of three of his sons, rescinded his decision to have him sent down hive , fearing a complete loss of heirs, he instead had him exiled to Praxus to train with the Noble 9th. With the exception that he is not allowed off world or to ever achieve an officers rank.
Major Talien: “Sergeant Guntar”
Guntar: “Sah”
Major Talien: “ Have the boys rested and sent back to barracks”
on a total text unrelated note: i think after that truly soul scaring piece of story the pause created with that many empty lines was a bit of a breather, deeply needed after that read...
guntars tale is of an analogical treat...he as well as the mutant woman have had much endured and i think all in all he was the one that suffered even more because his time for peace and forgivingness is long to come and he has thus to face is deeds for his whole life... a cruel and easy win that will make him pay for it his whole life...
man if we was sitting in a pub and you was to tell me that story although a good one you was to be sure to feel a thumb or two after that from me... this is a bit as if you molested my soul...darn...but it was my fault i was warned and i kept on reading^^
how long does it take you to write things like that? does it flow easy or do you have to crumlbe lots of paper tries?
Amazing! I was sucked in by all the incidental details and could form an amazing picture of the environments and wretched scum you populated the story with.
Cheers guys i reaslise my writing style may be a bit strong for some people , but i cnat help thinking in a grimdark future where there is onl war, life would be dirt cheap. i wanted to show the consequences for living a such a future, especially for the extreemley privaliged and not so privaliged. I had no intention to make people upset, just a little uncomfartable. There behaviour is exactly how i immagine it would really be, but i realise some peeps just want 40k as a relief from real world stress's and strains.
@ Vik Sorry man , but would you really want happy grimdark stories?
I write them in bits and pieces and throw them together at the end with some savage editing, although this one could do another edit. No crumpled paper but lots of loose sheets.
@Perkustin , Cheers , I really wanted to convey the much forgotten world of the Spire tops , like back in the old confrontation rules, they hinted of a world that was never fully realised , and i miss the idea of Spoilt Imperial brats toughing it out with the wild west of the lower habs. the Vipers are actually a gang from 40k confrontation art if you remeber? I shall post some nice pics later.
Its also gave me a chance to add some depth to the Hydra System , that Praxus resides in . And a few hints to my next project!
Really, really good. Dark, for sure, but that's the way it's supposed to be. The spyrers are cold blooded, dehumanised murderers, Guntar sounds exactly the kind of person they'd attract. Quality background, and I love the way you covered time passing - that always seems to be something I struggle with. I'll be keeping an eye out for more
on no way will i opt for a tme version of your writing skills...ever!
and you gave a warning for the faint of heart...all reading on where there on their own accord...
really looking forward to more of your shattering stuff mate^^
and by the way every one knows this here: good medicine must taste bitter for swet medication never works...
and as a writer you have a dute of teaching and steer your readership as well as entertain them!
Not aware of 40k Confrontation, though i appreciated that you thought i would know it . You have me in a dilema though; do i want to read more of your fiction or see more of your painted models!
@Scarper Thanks Matey glad a fellow scrivener approves , i really dont know anything about the spryers so i hope i captured the feel of them correctly, the time passing thing just sorta happened , i generaly dont think these things through very much
@ Perkust and Vik ....Models for now
So i finished the Noble 9th and took some pics. Well i still need to finish off their faces and tails actualy but near enough!
The Wonderfull mug is by Dakka's very own Weetyskemian44 , and i highly reccomend them.
so you ordered a light blue mug...looks really top notch...one of these days we have to reveal the artistic designer behind these wonderful creations...
*looks at above poster*
your nobles look verrry good, the trousers look like real expensive leather, the brass/goldish helmets look (loss for words).
your decission for the colorschemes of the nobles has really paid of! very sharp (hurhur) dressed men there...
one minor (really minor) point to add from me...i would wash their feathery pompoms on their helmets. dont know really what wash, maybe a selfmade grey or a blueish one?
also i noticed your nobles tend to drag their muddy and murky neighberhood with them all the time despite their obviously clean clothes and surrounding terrain...(hint for new terrain to be made?)
and i further noticed a very remarkably kind of vegetation... is this a rare plant thats flatten itself in times of great noise in its surrounding area, a special lifeform of Praxus?? like the terran Mimosa pudica?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica
and then my special needed for this thread social comment...:
as a fellow inhabitant of the striving empire i notice with utomst regrets and distaste the rather cruel behavior of these noble serving men. is this the good and decent behavior of a certain kind of noble men to act on your fellow underprivilegede man to take potshots against nearly unarmed men? these poor and lost souls just took their weapons out for a well deserved cleaning and airing and where shot out of mischief and boredom? with all respects to the commanding officer i herby present my utmost regret about such uninspiring behaviorism and hope that these otherwise jolly good chaps get a very soon oportunity to show the youth today a better presentation of our decency and upbringing...
your faithfully servant of the empire, sir rupert crimpbottock
Sweet. Espeicially dig the blockade; 'GET BACK SCUM!', Your creative photography again creates some great scenes. They are looking nice, only one model bugs me and that is the guy holding a flagpole with a musket seemingly hovering below his fist, what's the deal?
@Chibi , Hey fella thanks for the tip and thanks for stopping by.
@Weety , aye not bad , gonna go and snog a cuppa tea from it now
@Vik Well i was undecided if a wash would kill the brightness , but now it does look a little too bright compared to the rest of the model. So i think i will give it go Yep you are right . More muddy scenery is required, consider it on the list Flat trees lol , they are like the ones from early 90's video games 2d . Well really their from the dungeons and dragons board game.
Rupert crimpbottock esquire..
Dear Sir , thank you for bringing this unscrupulous behaviour to my attention. As colonel of the 9th battalion it is my duty to keep these rapscallions in shape sir.But i have been having a devil of a time since that damn upstart Talien has been promoted to Major! I swear if i that buffoon General von dom does,nt retire soon , i fear the whole 9th will be run by bloody babies! I assure you sir that this matter will be dealt with in the most severe way possible , I shall see that these boys have their leave cancelled for a month, and that bounder Talien gets a damn good talking to.
@ Monkey , or should i say Teacher I tried so hard to make sure their was'nt any spelling mistakes i completely forgot my grandmar or is that grammar , well i have no excuses except i bunked off school alot will try harder next time sir! appreciate you took time to read it , it's a bloody trawl
@Perkustin , Thanks mate, well our quite right about that rifle! i wanted him to have a weapon but wanted it to be visible, the pretty weak compromise was that i made it look like he was holding the weapon cocked , you sometimes see this in sharpes rifles etc.. so the can shoot qiuckly . But i didnt make the cocked meatl part seperate oh well , never mind , i may redo him eventually.
dear sirs, with great satisfaction we recieved your helpful answer.
it seems that indeed the guard is going down the hill thses days for sure. if us upstanding citizen weren´t there i would truly fear for the continuity of the whole empire. there is such thing as style and if you get the wrong officer material these days i think i there is the time to make demands for corrections on the highest level. but as long as there are a fine bodiment like yours to take reason and act regarding to concerned citizen there is stil hope.
may the emperor protect us and guide us to highness and giveth us power to purge the rotten,
I really dig the model! Though I think you should have some kind of a small conversion for the Muskets to make them look like some kind of Lasgun-ish thing. From what I remember feral worlds will sometimes have their own ways of making Lasguns that look like what they use. Renaissance recruits would probably just have their gunsmiths taught in a way to make Muskets and then add on some kind of a Lasgun ammunition box to make them shooty. Just an idea, they look good either way!
@Grayspark cheers mate ,the models are nice , perry miniatures unmounted dragoons ithought about adding stuff but , iam becoming a bit of a purest it seems ,and i guess thats what our immagination is for right
well i composited some nice old wd confrontation pics for a dakka discussion , and i thought they would look nice in my blog , especially since Perkustin mentioned he did'nt know much about confrontation.And i guess the vipers in the nobles story were inspired by these guys so , it kinda seemed right to pay tribute to those great artists Martin Mkenna , Tony Ackland and of course Sir John Blanche
Careful Neil's Ego might explode lol. He will declare himself the god emperor of awesome and start a crusade...
No i am pretty sure it can take some more .... " Darling your Dinner was lovely."..wait a minute arhh.... No!!
I got better... no harm done , only my subconsious and who needs that!
@ Everyone Thanks for the Awesome comments guys , i have had a great day today , i recieved a nice pressie to my self in the post and worked on some fluff and did some nice converting ! i have even made a special character Hero! for the praxian guard , although he is more of an Anti hero to tell the truth.
Well after a helpfull chat with Vik , i decided to make good on a blog promise i keep making and get some armour into the praxian guard! well after a bit of research i decided to forgoe a custom build just yet , too much to do with painting already and buy a lovely Emhar Tadpole. WWI Male Tank, this is a slightly longer version of the famous MKIV and Mk V, ww1 british Tanks, i plan on converting it a little and adding a Neutron Laser Projector, based on the lovely forgeworld Valdor Tank hunter http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Imperial_Guard/Imperial_Guard_Super_Heavy_Tanks/VALDOR-TANK-HUNTER.html well enough chat more pics right i know the score.... will be adding some fluff for the Praxian Peoples Hero Valrick soon , i also updated the cav , and got rid of the tau shotguns from the veterans and added more nice chain lancers! btw the dead guy with a m4 next to him is going to be a Autogunner
well as my jaw is used now to hang for itself while looking at your blog i must say this is (again) some awe you got me in (hehehe)
so the tadpole looks BIG, did i say BIG? well he will be a truly worthy engine of destruction for the praxean forces...
did i see rudolph the rednosed reindeer? at this point i thought i´ve seen it all on your blog and then i saw the wolfen rider...holy gak...now your walking minefields...will be a nice thing to behold how you will use and paint up the regular toy into a mean fighting steed...but be careful, as much as it has potential i see a shotload of comments comming for that...or i might be in error^^ who knows...the saying stranger things have happened i will spare us all as it is a forum for strangeness here so we get 100 kinds of strangeness on a regular basis...
so all we mere mortals can hope for is more...
also a good choice there for the banners, is that indeed copperfoil? really nice idea there...one question for the chainlacers? how do they operate them? will you do smething for switching them on? (off would be ridiculous as it is so easy to stick the lance into someting or someone...)
and even further, will be waiting how you remodel the M4 into a autogun...
Hey Fellow Modelers in perpetual servitude to the commotose undead zombie that is the emperor.
@Vik The tadpole, is actually smaller than i thought, but it looks nice though ,i hope i can do it some jutice.
Reindeer is Yakult from princess minonoke , i was considering making it the mount for Valrik , but its a bit small, the horns fell off a while ago and i have been meaning to replace them.
the reindeer token is from a chocolate reindeer for the christmas.
The wolf is a toy from gi joe , and the base is from a starwars at at figure. i look forward to trying to do it justice.
oh yeah i made a mistake the autogunner is actuall going to be a heavy stubber.
man your madibles are obviously to slack ;-)
@ Perkustin , thank you , the effect was completely by accident originally , i didnt have a camera , and had to use my vid cam , i accidently shot into the sun , on a pic called catchans clash on the 1st page of the blog , and vike commented on it, said it looked real, so i thought i would continue with the effect, i have a new camera now but its batteries are dead so i went back to the vid cam , low resolution and into the sun seems to work at adding movement, i alo think the flag helps , its kinda filmic i think , the effect.
@Chibi , i heard that as well mate , they usually use all in one pieces i think and these were supposed to resin or hard plastic, but the ones in the box are a flexible rubber , so hopefully it wont be too difficult.
@Shingouku Thankyou matey , it helps that i dont have toor stick to regular printed rules , anything goes so long as it sits withing a believable fluff , i think.
@ Monkey Lord tomatoe of squeezy tube Land actually ;-)
And i put in the scale shot because i saw your scale reference pics in your blog , " nods head "
@ Yggs Thank you Yggs i appreciate that! i was worried they looked a bit off scale tbh,
Managed to squeez a little work in today i Finished the stubber conversion, and i am quite pleased with the final pose , still needs a little more cleaning before priming but i got the look i was after and actually think i squeezed some charcter movement and story onto such a small conversion, But then i would sorry for the qaulity of pics , its night and i have no flash This is the look i was trying to achieve..
Wow that is a really good reintepretion of the Korpsman. All it needs is a little clean up on the joints and it will look pretty cool. Is he cocking the stubber? As you freely admitted it is perhaps a little dark to tell. One thing i would recommend is maybe looking for a pointing hand for his free arm, i think that would really add to the piece.
i like foremost his pose, looks as if he is checking how good is last burst went...
also who would have thought that replacing the mag would change the look of a M4 in such a way as it now really looks like a heavy stubber, the head is a really good choice for me, consider that idea so much stolen if i get ever my hands on such weapons...
and again about the mag, the FW one is tiny compared to yours, and thus yours looks more brengun like sometjing i can only highly praise as it is one of my favorite heavy weapons of all time...only bested in my opinion by the gatling^^
@ Perky , Ava heh! well your either Catholic or you've been brushing up on yer latin salutations . Hail to thee to squire! It goes well Thanks , in fact i am bustin' with ideas at the mo , which is a bit unfortunate as i had though the creative modeling aspect was just about done with Antals Army , i thought i would be brushing sonnets on scrolls right about now but no! It seams that inspiration strikes when i least expect it. Thanks for the tips on the guys , the heavy stubbers arms are only blue tacked at the moment , so an arm swap would be a cool idea , unfortunately i only have right arms that are pointing these perry minis tend to come with lots of fixed left arms and free right arms, whic in turn means there is'nt many left arms spare . Although infact i posed him like that as though he had picked up his bayonet to defend himself from a nearby attacker, but do agree a pointing arm would probably look better. He does look like he is cocking the weapon, just a coincedence that works i want ted him to look like his hand was holding the gun somehow .its not a perfect job but after a clean up i think it will pass.
@Vik Thanks Mate , your right he does look like he is checking where his ranging shots went , complete accident i assure you , i had to lean him over this way so he would fit on the base , you always notice my happy accidents. as for the bren gun it must have been in my subconscious , although i thought that had been blown up i purposely cut down the mag but left it slightly bigger to give it a unique look instead of just a straight copy, also the reason why i dent change the barrel that much. I had headaches getting the stock on then i lost it and found it again after i posed him , so its staying off for now
@Shaso!
Yep busy bee little old me , making minis and drinking tea thanks for popping in matey.
@ Weety , i can think of a few things , but those days are behind me now
So another update , i am on fire at the moment , no bathing eating or anything eles really but plenty of modeling good job you cant smell me through your moniters . So i started the Tadpole , it looks like it will be a fun build ,a nd i found a great website full of detailed high res reference pics http://ilovewargameing.21.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=781
I have put together the sponsons , and i had a dillema , do i use the fantastic 40k weapons that my boys got in their heavy weapons teams boxsets! , or do i go pure blood and make it as referenced? Now i have see a few nice 40k ish tadpoles and they looked good , but i do like the simple plain look of the protective machine gun and cannon gun housings on the sponsons. Bailey my oldest son said he thiks the autoguns look cool and should go 40k , but my primitive looking army makes either way possible? i have put got out all the big heavy weapons i could find , and i agreed that the autoguns suit the vehicle the best , although i didnt try the lascanonns or bolters because they didnt fit , i would have to do some serious cutting to get the heavy bolters to fit and the lascannons in my oppinion defie the point of having an archaic and mythical compact Neutron Laser Projector as the main turret.
if you use the autogun you will need to not use the protective housing that surround the front of the normal cannon, as it doesnt fit, i made my own with aluminum from a squeezy tomatoe tube. i have also shown a few ideas for a main battle tank and a flame tank along with Valrick's arch enemy Actaeon , i promise some fluff in these two heroic characters soon.
also Rohan made a nice sneaky crawling guy froma dead model , i think he has inspired me to make a siper from this guy.
btw the screen shots are from the fun 40k mod for the Ancient but great operation flashpoint , i highly reccomend this great old jem i have been playing it for ten years and if you can look past the dated graphics , you could create some nifty missions with the editor along with this cool comunity mod. link to mod , watch out for annoying popups though
http://ofp.gamepark.cz/index.php?showthis=10756
I think the autocannons look great on the sponsons, if i remember right autocannons are an option for the sponsons on the Valdor (definitely the Malcador) so would fit great. I am not sure what you could do with the smaller weapons though. The scale looks to be a pefect match btw. Do you think you will be going for interior details? Seems pretty ambitious but i guess if it's the centrepiece. Finally what about gothic/decorative detailing do you reckon you'll 'grimdark' the tadpole up?
As for the other pictures, my goodness you are a mad miniature scientist, next you'll be building an Airship lol........
are the pics with the FW Krieg soldier and the Scout converted one the sponsons of the tadpole? if so, i need to get hold of a model in 1:36 soon for me...the size looks really good...
your scratchbuilt/kitbashed tanks i am not sure if i should call them frightingly or genius...very original and your certainly not the man i would leave unchecked in the vicinity of my kids toychests or even my camera stes^^
the camera turret is a sight for sore eyes and be sure of that^^
the autogun works really good for the sponsons , but if i was you i would not go there, and use only the given guns of the tadpole...i tend to kep my conscience as clean as it gets, even so it is tarnished enough^^ as is...
also will you be giving us some fluff about use of dinos as rides? would be nice as i dont for now see it fitting with the frail but vailiant praxeans to use such lizards...
and the more i see of your bren gunner the better i like him...be sure to produce more good ones as so he doesn´t stay my favorite^^
smelly war-gamer! Lol sorry I had to laugh at that. Get in the shower and dont forget to scrub behind the ears - the tank sponson is cool and I love that tank with the humongous gun - what is that? personal fav is the dino-rider!!!
sorry its a quick answer guys i forgot to do it before i posted
@Perky cheers i went with the auto cannons , the scale is near perfect. even better for the perry models, i doubt i am gonna do the interior , maybe next time, and i am adding gothic detailing about now.
@Vik sorry mate i didnt have any dkok minis in thses pics , maybe you mean thetank commander head? but yes they are on the tadpole sponsons , kids toybox's beware muh hah ha ha ! ( vanish's with black cloak)
@Weety soon i promise
@Monkey Cheers mate , i did go with the auto cannons as you can see, and the dinosaur is from the heroscape boxset , i had to hack off the ork that was sat on it
@ Shazo just had a look at that thanks for the heads up , looks like a good one.
Hey guys another small update , nearly finished the tank , turns out it was a tricky build no small part due to 2 elemants of the instructions being wrong, i made the tracks up as sprecified and it turns out that they were for the Mk5 version so i had to lengthen them , and also a slight misprint about the box on the roof , it was shown the wrong way so it took a while to figure out what i had done wrong I guess it would have been a quicker build if i had not been converting whilslt building, or at least if i had the design fully worked out before i started. i actually managed to keep the sponsons moveable something i normally fluff! so i am, in the process of making the main weapon , i wanted some kind of archaic laser or tesla style gun , but got to thinking about the old graviton gun or conversion beamer prototype weapon, still thinking obn how to implement this But i also finished the last beast rider special character, he is based on Ashitaka from the studio ghibli movie princess minonoke you may also notice that Valrick is inspired by this movie a little also , a great movie btw and if you havent seen it here is your chance http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/3371638 conversion beamer fluff http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Conversion_Beamer Graviton gun fluff http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Graviton_gun
Awesome, didnt have to wait long, luckily you're a quick worker! Really like the implementation of 40k weapons on the tank wonderful work. Wouldn't put the tank commander on though, kinda clashes with the 'trundling fortress' look of the tank. Where on earth did you get that goldfinger style laser weapon? IT IS SOO COOL!
Traitor: 'you expect me to surrender?!'
Praxian tank commander: 'No mister Heretic i expect you to DIE!'...
How wide are these in comparison to Land Raider track links? I have a LR I picked you cheap that I am turning into an Ork BW, but it has no treads, and these look pretty cool...
the main gun really says tesla to me^^
read the fluff about the graviton gun and it is a good one, but following the fluff would work best with some inquisitor?
what will you do with the tracks of your tank, will they be fixed in a way? as i understood you they are made of rubber? so do they put the construction of the model under stress? and what about time? might the tracks rot as some sort of rubber sometimes does? as i never build a set of a tank myself i think your info might be very usefull for future projects here...
your ineterior crew looks really good, how will you make it possible to see them after full assembly? or are you one of these rare artists that create a "tomb" of art, seal it with glue and smile inwardly whenever you think of the beautiful mystery you only know of...? that would kill me good sir^^...
so here is me hoping you do some really out of the box creation and doing the interior completly and still showing and also keeping the tank full funktioning in the battlefiel under the rule wysiwyg...
your reindeer looks really good, your greenstuffskills look like you getting better by the project!, that rider is a very good headsculpting work!
i could have said more but the dark character of your pics doenst allow me more^^...seems we have to help this artist for more sunny weather^^
Hey dakka , Bonan vesperon ( Esperanto - Good evening)
@Perkustin hey matey, i have been burning the candle at both ends receantly and i still dont feel like i am getting enough work done. Thanks , i did try and make it 40k without losing that ww1 feel , i didnt want it becoming too futuristic or too archaic , its quite tricky i find. your right about the tank commander if i do use one it will be removable , but i think i prefer it without now , so cheers. The weapon is a radar thingymybob from the 40k bastion set.
Traitor " okay ,...just let me see what time iam dying with my custom watch...."
Tank commander " No! "
Traitor "Okay, can i write a farewell letter to my fiance with this specialy built pen....."
Tank commnader " No"
Traitor " alrighty then, maybe i could just ......BZZZZZPTPFF! ARrrhh.....!
Tank commander " arh bugger i forgot the blasted countdown , and the whole commence firing deathray speach! "
@Silver , them young nobles gotta know how to dress to catch them heiress's at all those fancy masked balls you know yeah i was going to do something with the interior , but had a look at the plans on how it should look and bottled it
@CTGAMER , sorry matey , i dont have this one and i have never owned a land raider , if they are the same as the tadpole, am iam not saying they are. they are about the width of the rhino.
@Vik i thought tesla as well , but the sound of the name i dont like for 40k . it reminds me of victorians , i think because it has his nameas the the thing. i realise that sounds strange when iam using napoleonics figures and ww1 tanks i suppose it could be a new dark age tesla ! i corrected the info link for the conversion beamer as well. But all that fluff is relatively new , when first collected the marines could be equiped with nearly any weapon, and conversion beamers and other exotic weapons were abound ! , its only now that the fluff has added it for inquisitors only . Besides i think this tank is so old it could well have belonged to an inquisitor having said that i still havent decide what the weapon will be.
@Hey Chibi ,glad you like
@ Manoknok. Thanks manoknok. i have really enjoyed this build , even if it has taken me from painting
So the tank crew take a well earned rest ,shirking their duties to enjoy the spectacle of a brute strength arm wrestle, whilst refitting the damaged sponsons of the ancient prototype valdor tank hunter.
oh boy do i get sentimental and envious at the sight of your tank fully built in the setting sun (?)...that is a true beauty...
loved the armwrestling scene was fun to see the two officers aproaching and the probably haranguing the viewers and challengers alike for their lazyness...again great storrytelling and the camerangles are spot on!!!!
i just recently takled to shrike about the cane wielding officer arm, i will buy thsi special armk on ebay as it is a real hearets disire to get that thing for my next comander mini...a must have...
and i hope i will be the first to spot that: a lveley conversion of the minisculed level: the amocrate sporting two bolterbags standing on the ground right before the wrestlers... that is such a coooool idea! i cant compose myself for a million here! consider that idea stolen no matter what you may be angry about me^^ rember copying is the easiest way to show flattery^^
That was hilarious!!!! The blatant gambling, the yawning man, the arm wrestling and then "drop and give me 50 and go say 200 hail emperors in the shrine or you will be cleaning the heads with your tongue!!"
@ Chibi , cheers matey , i took a break from building the tank as much as they did It took me and age to work out what PDQ meant is it pretty damb quick
@But sir i have just eaten i really enjoyed making this piece , it was cool trying to figure the poses, good idea getting the billy club , its really characterfull , i got mine form bits and kits http://www.bitsandkits.co.uk/cadian-command-arm-with-swagger-stick-p-4418.html 25 pence a bargain! and deel free to make that conversion of the bolter box , mine was just covering something up thanks agin Vik
@Perky , its funny you did that because i was trying to find a pic of the ipad , and i made it but after but i couldnt upload without dirupting the sequence and the colour i want for the tank is kinda dirty old Ancient forgotten relic , i think. not a single colour as such more a blend of earthy metalic colours . with some bright graphics to make it pop , oh and lots of mud!
@Weety Glad you like i didnt realise that guy was yawning until i looked again , i assumed he was shouting , but after you mentioned it , it just looked right
@shazo Thanks Mate , i hope the paint job will tie it in a bit more. i need more sunlight and new lithium batteries for my camera, as i have used all the kids joypad batteries and am on to the vid cam again
@MonkeyThanks Monkey
@Whoa great praise indeed now if only they were painted
@the good green Thnaks , its comming together now , if only i had someone to play with
So thanks for all the lovely comments peeps, i do enjoy telling stories if you hadn't already guessed I have started the paint work for the tadpole conversion aka prototype Valdor aka The Arclight , i wanted a muted and old colour scheme , one that would blend in , nice and subtle, the last time i painted something this size , was the on rails gun , and i was dissapointed with the gun itself , the sheild and the housing. this time i did a bit of research into weathering , i found some great techniques here. http://site.scratchmod.com/Home.php but unfortunately all of his use either powder pigments , or a airspray gun. I have neither but i do have loads of pastels and lots of time. I tried to copy his techniques using my powdered pastels and water , i was pleasantly suprised by the results , i also tried the hairspray/salt technique , but i think it really really needs an airbrush for this, so you dont disturb the crystals.
i did however persist, and found i could paint on a brown / black undercoat , for rust .. and then put pastel shaving directly over the top , mixed with a little wash , these made good rust colours, i also tried out using oil pastels on Bailey's rhino , which had been painted with gloss, red spray paint , , i got good results using wash and pastel podwer over the smudged in oil pastels. Its a simple process and i think it looks okay. For the Arclight i first went with a steel blue look , but after the hairspray and salt , i dappled catachan green over for a faded camo effect.
its no where near as good as if it was with an airbrush and expensive pigments , but i did enjoy experimenting.
sorry if the pics are a bit dark will pist some tommorow in the daylight when i do the otherside.
really cool looking tanks you got, the rhino was a great apetizer for the main meal...tadpole surprise... you really have to do a deepsea diorama one day...that look was initself priceless. after your prutal treatment i actually flinched at what horrors you comitted to the tank...gosh that must have hurt you evenly too as much as it did the tank...but all is well that ends well so they say and rightfully so as the nearly finished tank looks ...loss for words again... do yourself and of course us a favor and give your fandom a nice coupla pics form outside the bunk so that we better can pareciate your painting kung fu...
your not so secret admirer Vik
btw i know what you covered up with that amobox^^ got the same prob here in my bitsbox too...seems we both cant make both end meets^^ (meaning have a box and a seal ^^)
by the way neil, i just used your link and some nasty many bits are on my way to the springtime germany now... thank god the bitzstore accepts paypal^^... that way i can get a sh...load of bitz and still save a million^^...expect some nie conversions real soon^^
@Perkustin Thanks , i really tried to follow to the letter that scratch mod guys video tutorials, it took some sitting through but i think his work is unbelievable, i really am thinking about investing in a cheap airbrush now.found some on ebay with aircompressors for £90
@Mike Cheers buddy it's all down to you you know, if you hadnt introduced me to the world of powder pigments on your blog i wouldnt be making a big mess now
@Yggdrasil, You bring compliments as the tree of life bears fruit.
@Manoknok, Thank you, arhh bugger , i new once i went hollywood technicolour you wouldnt be happy with europen coffe house art movie style. well at least i spare you the subtitles
@Shazo , it probably has, well the warp anyhow , which is as close as you get to hell i think in 40k. thanks i think i need to get hold of a pigment fixative to seal the rust so it doesnt just fade away with use.
@Vik ...my god this has to be the firts time you wasnt the first person to reply.... tut tut tut ,as fans go vik , thats just slacking (kidding)
Tadpole suprise lol urhgg ! i think you can probably buy that in some dodgy resteraunt somewhere , infact isnt that what cavier is it would be fun to do an underwater diaroma , i dont think i have ever seen one
cool stuff vik glad the link was usefull , unfortunately they get out of stock easily i have found. look forward to seeing what you come up with .
so i havent been able to work today ...shopping chores .. boo! but i did take a few outdoor shots of the paintscheme , it looks a bit light now , i think it needs some more washes . good job i picked up some babab black nad devlan mud , i suppose shopping can also be YAY!
Nice work with the pastels there, looks great. I don't think it's too light at the moment, think it works as is. If you do add more washes be careful not to ruin the pastels, probably want a light spray of sealer first.
just for future projects, who was that übergenius that introduced you to the work with pastel crayons?
in the light of day i think it is rather bright looking now, so a wash or twoo should help you there, but badab black? i would use here probably devlan mud then...
well seems i cant make it first base anymore...guess i have to work on my fan know how^^...
but i want to point something out here... all that praise for jsut two sides for now...well that has to count for something^^ have you thought about what you will be doing next with the rest and specially the tracks? oh boy i will cross fingers for ye!
and this also raises another question... what about all those holes still empty and the rest of tthe tank unpainted... is the tank as such completly glued or is it to be easyly torn apart for further treatment and assembly?
and who will you treat the rubber parts of the treads?
even more questions my friend...so the balls over to you!
Tank is looking better and better Mate! Hope we are gonna see some mudslinging attrtion troops to go with it. I am sure the Noble 9th have lesser troops to do the dirty work. P.S @Vik plus Neil, you guys should take part in 'Face time Febuary' am weirdly curious as to what you look like... Admittedly my avatar isn't the most clear pic of me but hey...
@Monkey , can you reccomend a sealer mate , i was going to buy the gw purity seal, but i then found out it is satin as opposed to mat? i think i will wait and see what it looks like fineshed before i decide. i guess a sealler might darken it anyway
@ perky. yeah i guess the engineers will be testing this baby out.
and as for that other question ....take your pic
That's me. Am doing my best unimpressed face. Unfortunately i couldn't find a picture of me marvelling at Neil's Amazing minis/Fluff/Artwork. Now that me and Vik have shown ourselves it's up to the big dog. Will you step up to the plate, Neil101 master of Praxus? HEY thats cheating! Lol. ( Perkustin Wishes he'd thought of a mask rather than showing his true hideous countenance)
Wow, that is superb work on the tank neil! The weathering is really well done and has a very realistic tone to it (actually I thought the last pics were reference ones of the real tank!)
well neil as one of the few who didn´t freak out for seing your true likeness i can asure all others that the ben grim (the thing) and venom give a good overall view of him... face and character, now you have to choose which is which....rofl...
at perkustin... seems an awful lot of pics shows you with beverages...hmm do i see a pattern there? or is it me thats just envious about other getting to relax with a nice straight drink...hmmm again...
@ scarper and @ cain thanks , i cant believe how easy it is to make things look good with pastels they take all the credit not me
so i did a litlle more work today and last night , i base coated the rest of the tank with a dark brown acrylic , then added pastels powders. this morning i added washes and did the hairpsray technique again for adding the camo , idont think it was as succesfuill this time , but i think i used a sponge last time and this time i used a brush , i wanted the other side to look as similar as possible , i then scraped off the crystals and adde more washes and pastels , i also drybrused some boltgun metal on the tracks.
still to do more rust , the new side is less rusty but the camera hasnt picked up what their is Then decals and tracks maybe a base and finish
the amount of authentics looks is devasting...
there is a frighting level of artistic growth in you man...i am deeply astonished...no pun intended...
man that color is right out of the past...you have some secret timemachine in your garden shed or what?
you pillboxes will be looking good...now with all that know how on your side there is no stopping you. i know that view quite good, my workspace looks to the unscholled eye as it is a wasteyard...all stuffed with used packages from reallife things...
those alien minis look like they could serve very well in a game as nids...really your toybox must be overflowing^^
i really have to see that i learn those weathering tech but there is no doubt you´ve mastered it in whole...^^
@ HF Izanagi thanks mate , i think i went a bit far at one point and had to pull it back , i wanted an ancient beast that looked like it had been around a while , rediscovered .
@Vik cheers matey , it's deceptively simple with the pastels , my shed is actually a time machine but i use it soley for watching myself when i was skinny and thinking bugger!
i have looked around for a while for suitable materials to use as the bunkers , i wanted plastic so i could dent and weather it well , lets see how they turn out.
i cant reccomend that scratchmod guy enough i had to change his techniques to suit but i think he is on the right track. i manged to achiev the chipped paint effect i wanted today, buy using a cotton wool stick water and a thin layer of waterd down paiant as the paint to be chipped , i am very pleased with its effect. and i guess it will replace the hairspray technique.
@ he he he ! ya sarnd jus lark me , old muther , cept yeh bain forget ta say love tat the end arn it! I kind of thought i could use em in the gdkc if i sisnt use em in this! bugger!
@Llamahead , yep his goose is cooked for sure.
Got some more work done today.
finally maged to creat some graphics, still need to add a few more imo.But iam very pleased with the paint chipping method i found , just paint on a thin layer over a dry undercoat then use a wet cotton bud to swab off the paint when dry. the undercoat was left untoched , but that could be because its had a a coat of hair spray a few days ago, but i doubt it.
i also did some rusty exaust pipes and the energy weapon .
Ace. The trundling fortress appears to be finished. I really like the remnants of the white and red paint. Another touch i like is the glowing blue powercells, makes it look sci fi without going overboard.
as perkustin said before the nearly faded red and white stripes gives this behemoth a real feeling of old and used...
if you ever get into the filmindustry then give old Lucas a kicking and redo the whole bloddy starwars movies as they tend to make the last three movies with way to less weathering for the techthingys...
nice repartee about the time machine^^, this was just priceless...
and again i am only in for fourth comment post...dang thats what making new minis gets you in...by the way got some vets to show off as well^^ hint, hint^^
how many layers of paint did you need for that really nice and glowy feel for your energy weapon? also do we see there an attempt at OSL ? really good matey, thats the next step... i think your very brave and talented to try out all the things we like around here and you fully succed in doing so!
with all the new techniques your mastering we have to find you something new to test out...
by the way nice color choice with the faded red and white stripes...cant get any more classic than these...and they are perfect match for the brown rusty combination...someone has done his homework with the colorwheel...^^
good work mate (praisewords get short around this blog as there is the need of so many for this work here^^)
consider me a fan, despite being a friend already^^
@Perkustin Yep i didn’t think it was , as i still had to add more decals and mud but i have decided that that can wait until i make a muddy game board.
@Shingouki Thank you sir. The minis are from my children well from heroclix actually a few years old now but you still should be able to pick up a boxset.
@Monkey Thanks mate, i wanted to get the curled and chipped paint effect but , i think i need to experiment a bit more for that one.
@Vik Cheers Matey , i always wanted to work as a props guy in the film industry. shame i never went to school really and now ILM are all 3d graphics I am really proud of that glowy gradient . its the first time i have ever achieved it just a few layers , no osl yet i tried it on the on rails gun and i think it needed more effort and your right I am enjoying learning new techniques and watching and learning from other peoples blogs and work. For me its a really nice part of dakka, sharing ideas and techniques
and of course red and white , no other fancy colours would do this rusty bucket justice.
so i finished the Venerable and Ancient Arclight super heavy tank. its exactly the same as last time you saw it except i added a coolant leak and posed it in a nice setting, no mud yet maybe later when i finish more Praxian guys.
Notes on The Venerable Arclight
The long story of this antiquated and dignified tank starts in the dark early days of the early Imperium, when the emperor still walked as a Man amongst us. Designed by the fabricator general of Mars , during the Great Scouring , Its role was to cross the many trenches of Istvaan V seeking out its traitorous imperial army brethren and laying waste to their malcontented plasteel hides. Its Arc generator a relic of great import, as the smaller more compact sister to exalted Valdor Tank hunter, long thought lost during the apostasy that followed .Its history became shrouded in the fog of a ten millennia long war. No one alive knows how and when the bulwarked beast arrived on Praxus, Its possible the revered fortress
was stationed here in some long forgotten war . But if no one can be sure with any clarity when it arrived . We can be sure when it was rediscovered.
First sighted by pdf pvt Lions during the winter months of the "black years" the deplorable and heavy handed repression used by the Adalaise house to remove the many Agri farmers, praxus cultivators, and grox herders from their land ,and into the newly built , Industrialised hab zones , as a manual workforce for the recently arrived Adaptus mechanicus and their innumerable Manufactorums.
Pvt Lions vox transcoder record.
pvt lions "Sir i think i see something by those trees "
Cpl Frenx " look you bloody idiot ,we're the only things out here for at least 20 clicks ,i can't imagine those friggin farmboys are gonna freeze their nads off chasing us out here can you?
pass me those binocs yeh bloody vulgus scum."
Pvt Lions " Sir i saw it again , it kinda big and moving really slow"
Cpl Frenx " hang on i cant fething see anything through these... Oh ,wait.. I see.. turns out your not as blind as i thought.. looks like those Inbred eejits have gone an got themselves a Praxus harvester, bloody slow things though , it will take them a lunar cycle before its anyway near the gates! ...bloody idiots , no wonder they ..
Pvt Lions " Sir whats that blue light ? i thought the harvesters had red ....Pzzttsssssssssssssssssssssssss!
Vox transcoder end transmission.
The Arclight was used with some success against the ruling house pdf, slinking in and out of the many Praxian wild forests, to strike at the heart of their noble repress ors, at the behest of the Vulgus partisans. But eventually a critical feed back loop in the arclights Archaic generator resulted in a total system malfunction killing all twelve of Praxus's most successful rebels in an uncoiled Tesla outburst.
This event marked the end of the Black years, with no heros left to stand up for them the remaining Farmers from all over praxus signed the Plebian treaty.
I the aforementioned land owner, bequeath all worldly possessions
to the Imperium , To be held in liu by the Imperial commander
at this present time
Noble House Adalais Imperial Governor
Bartholomew de la mar Adalais
I submit my will to the Divine Emperor of Mankind and willingly
agree to the law of The benevolent Adaptus Terra
To be upheld by said imperial Commander.
i also agree to become a diligent worker for the imperium of man
Setting aside any impure thoughts. I shall be pleased to be put to work
for the imperium as to benefit my fellow Man and bring the illuminated
words of the ecllisarchy into my heart .
As a loyal citizen of said Planet Praxus it is my duty to better myself and
and the imperium through hard work in whatever manner said imperial governor deems
correct at this time being a Plebian worker in the Manufactorums of the Adaptus
Mechanicus I shall endeavour to bring the light of the holy emperor into my heart and
mind in all my daily workings.
With the newly governed Praxus in a state of peace the many agri farmers now formed the first manufactorum Plebian workforce but the increasing imperial demands on production forced the overstretched Plebian workforce to be reinforced with huge amounts of vulgus workers repatriated from the nearby Phalanx Hive lower habs. This separation of class and wealth within the Industrial habzones and cities of Praxus has caused many cival uprisings. Especially when the Manufactorums stopped recruiting the vulgus lest they embraced the the cult of the Omnissiah
But even with the constant threat of cival war the antediluvian war machine Arclight has not set track outside the Grande Manufactorum for over 300 years. Its secrets , slowly unravelled by the Fabricator general Vector Rakiel. Technically the Arclight still belonged to the Adaptus mechanicus when imperial governor Bartholomew de la mar Adalais made a gift of it to tempt the secretive cults renouned Lord Magos Exploratus Vector Rakiel to set up even more Manufactorums on Praxus. It obviously worked as the machine cult has expediently created a wealth of Manufactorums in the past three centuries, no doubt still searching the Praxian wilds for more Military archeotech.
I liked that fluff was a good read. I especially liked the 'sell your soul' style contract. Another thing i noticed was the last sentence 'no doubt still searching the Praxian wilds for more military archeotech'.... Lets hope they unearth something soon
respect...here we have a classic occasion of egg an hen...was the fluff formed after the tank or the tank after the fluff...either way it is a perfect match like wise...
now the whole appearience of the arclight makes so much more sense... beauty doen´t need sense...just has to be there... but you gave a beauty a sense to function within...
so dont harm your work in calling this behemoth a rusty bucket! period!
reading and patching up your up to know voiced fluff it seems we are smoothly led to beheld a big outbreak of social catostropal explosion...the tensions between the different social groups... a seemingly tolerated if not forced development will erupt in the future...this is my guess here...
or in other words: this does not bode well...
but consider me a stickler to your story^^...cause i still got a feeling your out for a happy ending or even a sad but warm one...^^
'Setting aside any impure thoughts'.....I think I'd have stayed a rebel
Nice bit of fluff for the tank too, although I think a few lower case 'I's have infiltrated your text (You knew I'd comment, didn't want to let you down )
well i was brought up with no means to get hold of tanks and stuff...military toys where abolished in west berlin...we tried to be peaceful all day...
had to built my weapons of destruction from lego these days then...^^
Rust on tanks can be dodgy.
The ones in museums may depend on the condition they were in when obtained by the museum and the level of restoration, or not as the case may be, Vik.
In theatre they may not have a long enough life to get rusty! eek!
Although battlefield recovery was practiced.
Would think that in the 40k universe tanks would be slavaged as much as poss? so the rust would be part of the paintwork! In any case Neil's tank has the rule of cool!
Ah happy days with the Airfix figures and tanks for us as kids
hypocrysy all the way...
sticks and legos get you eventually the same pices to play with as would actual toy guns and tanks...so nothing could prevent that...even today in the nursering school of my youngest i saw a kid playing shoot down crocodiles with a toiletpaper cardboard roll...for a gun...if your fantasy spins around guns and warfare there is little stoping you...in the end all that forbidding toyguns only made it parttime worse...
and well the museum wasn´t all that cracked up as it could have... lots of cool stuff in shabby poses you might say... as if they didn´t put enough heart in the work for it...so probably rust after bringing it in the museum it is...
That tank makes me so very jealous! I love the rust effects and the way you painted the tank really tells the tale of it "life" if you will Great job , top notch and Chibi"s Rule Of Cool title is well deserved
Wow thanks guys really apreciate you ugly bunch showing yer love like that an all , it was the longest and most focused paint job so far , but i am very happy with the results, so guess it goes to show you get out what you put in right i think i need to invest in some proper pignments though and a fixative next time , i still havent completed it to a high standard lie edge highligting but meh! that' il do donkey!
@Perkustin thanks perky it was a quick one but needed to be done , cant be having any inconsistancies in the fluff now. obviously not up your expressive standard but , you might like the next one.
@Vik yes chicken egg egg chicken tadpole valdor et al.. thanks for reading and giving critical feed back mate , i see you patching together the story bit by bit , hope i havent given too much away just yets , still need something left for the comic
@Monkey we all know your a cheeky monkey ,...monkey you would be the tempting voice of tzentch if you were a chaos god , all magical and wayyy to bad for you own good! and as for Teacher Monkey , i guess its lines again then , IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Must try harder with my terrible grammar getting there at this rate i will be a top class writer , dont give up on me jsut yet! i wrote jsut
@Silver Thanks mate pastels take some of the credit the rest goes to my manager and my fans for their unwavering support Thank you " bows and starts crying"
@Kenshin , well comming from a tank expert like your bad self thats a worthy compliment , i shall put it on my table next to all my unworthy ones
@Shazo as above ^^ no seriously cheers mate i might get the kids to try that out , i did it once with a cardboard box , and starwars figures looked really funny!
@Chibi thanks mate i love the rule of cool , sounds like a saying from the fonze HEY!!!!
@commader cain, doubts ! take that man outside and have him slapped with a wet kipper! kidding just a smoked one! cheers matey . it was a bit of an experiment.tbh
@TyraelVladinhusrt first thankyou but i only play with ma boys for fun, second that is such a cool name please tell me its your real one
@madmartykmf Cheers buddy thats a lovely comment the rust was dead easy with the pastels , i actually felt like i was cheating somehow and you know the score thanks guys and..Keep em comming
phew that was a lot of lovely comments peeps , my head is too heavy to lift now and i have a serious case of blancheitsu so i hope your all very happy with your selves, and just for that I am going to reward you with a great big fething wall -o- text or Fluff for Valrick and notes on Praxus as i like to call it..... get ready......
Valrick
It was the kind of day where the heat makes you lazy. Kalien's long limbs lolled languid, in the warmth of the hydra systems twin stars. He was lucky to have the day off , not all the manufactorums had closed. Even in this oppressively stifling heat , the former agricultural worlds industrial quarters were still pumping out chemical clouds. It's original summer season , protracted artificially by the intense year on year pollution from the sprawling omniscience factories , who's dense smog hung low like a broiling blanket.
“Yeah I am lucky” he assured himself under his breath.
For if the capitol city was under a bedroom swelter sheet, then the manufactorums were the searing kitchen ovens.
Kalien could only imagine the sweltering humidity , generated inside those torrid cordite and plasteel hell holes on a day like this.
Even in the harsh winter months , when the city rivers froze mid-flow, the manufactorums ran hot.
Their toxic effluent corroding the once pristine canals. Plebians fortunate enough to live close by the heat sinks during winter, now paid the price in perspiration.
The balmy summer months normally a welcome break after the bitter cold , were starting to chore.
People looked back to a time before the treaty , the black years and before the dual vexatious seasons.
He had often heard tell of the time precedent the Aquila held Praxus in its vice like talons, long before he was born , when she still had a third and fourth season. Stories halcyon , talked of , like an old friend that hadn't been seen in an age , but who's time spent together was simple and fun. Elixir memories recalled as cool raindrops hitting your face on a hot day. Praxa tinted nostalgia that only people who weren't there first time around could conjure. Of Autonomy, wild flowers , rolling grass hills and teeming forests alive with multitudes of animals. Red elk , wild Grox and even giant land lizards. Where the only tithes were agricultural , to produce enough meat to supply Phalanx hive with grox burgers and the occasional medicinal or red dye praxa shipments to the Imperial army. Unlike the barren rocky tundra that surrounds the city now, or the palpably oppressive, bureaucracy within.
Prickly heat crept up his legs like irascible fire ants , snapping his conscience back to the present soaring temperature.
“This is going to cause trouble” thought Kalien. The heat en-kindled the tumultuous Vulgus , their discontent raising as ineveitably as the temperature. Friction between the work-less proletariat and the manufactorum's Plebian workforce was at an all time high. Whilst , Much to the Imperial governors dismay , production was at an all time low.
It was much this reason, that made kalien so surprised that the Plebian servitude obligationist's (PSO) petition for a forty eight hour rest cycle , had been approved , albeit amended to a twenty four hour cycle, to be taken in shifts over forty eight hours so as to not let the manufactorums stop running. To a Plebian like himself this was as much a gift from the divine Omnissiah himself.
As a level three subjugate ancillary obligationist , Kalien was constituted to work sixty days before the nominal twenty four hour leave was permitted. Only nineteen days into this work cycle. The thought of another forty one night shifts in this relentless heat was excruciating. But it could be worse he acknowledged he could be a level one and have to work day shifts. None of that mattered now though, with at a good sixteen hours left , life was too short to waste in side the crowded city walls. His exit pass in hand Kalien strolled casually through the huge reinforced ceramite gates. “Happy days indeed “ he smiled a radient smile. The two border gaurds crouched over a ammo crate , dice and creds in hand , didnt even bother to look up , just raised a gloved hand and nonchalantly waived him through.
A pang of guilt shot though him as he ambled past the tripod mounted heavy stubber , its slick gun metal grey barrel covered in a fine sheen of oil and dust.
“ How many Vulgus has this taken “ the morbid thought clung like a magnet until it was out of peripheral vision . Groups of Vulgus are not allowed within fifty metres of any border control sites , he recalled to himself , having to clearly display their papers and aproach in single file along the faded and chipped red designation lines. Plebians had no such hassle a simple exit pass and you were free to wander in and out of the cities at will , of course if you failed to attend your work parole dutifully that privilege could easily be revoked . He thought he noticed a brown stain in the dry dust , and wondered if this belonged to some over eager Vulgus. Kalien didn’t himself know why the Vulgus were treated so brutally. After all not every Vulgus , came from Phalanx, and even of those that did many were now on their fith and sixth generation , some just refuse to worship the Omnissiah , or had lost their Plebian status, not all were hive bottom scum , dragged here to full fill roles that the Plebian's would not or could not do. And I guess if I were brought here on the promise of a better life clean air and good honest labour on an agri world, to be confronted with the squalid wretchedness that is the Vulgus quarter , no work except IG recruitment and the intolerably permeating gaze of the Adaptus Terra , maybe I would be prone to rampancy? But even as he thought it he didn’t believe the words as the formed in his mind. The Vulgus were scum , they owed no allegiance to anything or anyone , they were all muggers and murders , and would kill you as much as look at you !. If they were not kept in check they would surely run amok and cause no end of strife. He found a familiarity in his words that gave him comfort, and the world seemed in order as he stepped his heavy groxhide boot over the worn blue line.
Kalien stood quite still for moment taking in the surrounding barren beauty, breathing the warm afternoon air deeply in through his nose , until his chest heaved , then slowly releasing it back out in a deep sigh.
“beautiful”
He could barely keep his excitement contained. This was the first time in almost six months that an exit pass and free time coincided with a trip outside. He stood quite still and soaked up the atmosphere , he loved the contrast between the brutaly smooth , ceramite, utilitarian walls of the Praxus prime and the barren and rocky tundra that lay before him. To both sides the wide open expanse of dry grass quilted the rolling tundra to the distant hills and on to the high peaks of the grey mountains. In front of him lay the bulkcrete carriage way , it rolled on in a staright line for almost five clicks then dipped down into the winding lush valleys where the level six attendants and servitors used the giant manufactorum machines to harvest the valuable praxa flowers. A long held personal ambition of kalien's , was to be a level six harvester, and spend every summer beyond the claustrophobic city walls , driving a behemoth and answering only to his biometric servitor. A dream that hard work and good faith in the Omnissiah would no doubt provide for him given time.
Beyond the vally of the praxa flower, where the bulkcrete road swayed east , through an impenetrable unamed forest , lay his goal for today.
A secret place that only he new about , The old reservoir. Built nearly three centuries ago by the Infamous Bartholomew de la mar Adalais the founding father of the present Praxus. To supply the the then rather small capitol city with fresh clean water. It was a bit of a white elephant as it was only used for a mere six years , until he had repatriated , several hundred thousand migrant vulgus from Phalanx , to the build the newly commissioned manufactorums. The then new reservoir could hardly cope with the huge demands suddenly placed up on it , and was seminally decommissioned and replaced with pipe work to the expansive Deam freshwater lake , 300 clicks north. A feat that required several million vulgus , who subsequently became the first unemployed vulgus on Praxus, An event that brought Praxus to the attention of a young Inquisitor Vendrake.
Fortunately for Kalien the reservoir was built upon a freshwater spring , he could not imagine a better place to shirk off his worries for few hours, than bathing in the cool crystal clear waters of the secluded sanctuary.
The walk was tough. He could have made it easier on himself by using the carriageway , or even hiring a grav bike. But the latter was expensive, and besides he wanted to experience all the sights and sounds life outside the walls had to offer not be encased behind a plexi glass sponson.
His heavy boots clunked and his ankles twisted as he slogged over the rocks and stones of the tundra, and into the trudging damp quick grass of the valley below. In the distance where the road veered out of sight , he saw the gnarled trees of the unnamed forest's edge. A short-cut that shaved hours off the main route adding even more desirable bathing time.
A hard earned hour later , his sweltering hide gasped for air, beads of fresh sweat ran down his back like a stream , soaking the Mechanicus red coveralls a dark brown and mingling with the previous hours salt stained pattern. He cursed himslef for not bringing more water as he sipped the final dregs of tepid liquid from his hip flask.
He had been here half a dozen times , but now he saw it again he hesitated . The twisted black roots grasped out at him like the tormented souls of its past. The reservoir lay a mere fifteen minutes amble through the inky black forest , nothing compared to the 2 hours plus round trip on the carriageway.
But still he waited , trying to draw courage from both suns like a solar battery on half charge.
Valrick.. The name was innocent enough , but the stories that surrounded that name was more than enough to strike doubt into any man.
A mythical legend amongst the downtrodden Vulgus. A true hero that paid more than lip service to his title , a kind hearted man of honour who champions the weak and desperate. The wild man of the Forests who tore retribution through the elite upper classes and stalked fear into the hearts of every high-born.
For every rule there is the exception , he , that rarest of things a noble Noble
Valrick the terrifying to his enemies and Valrick the champion to the Vulgus
Or so the story goes....
The unlucky thirteenth child of King Ymir and queen Modir, Valrick was born Under the name of Prince Naroke Valrick on a distant pre blackpowder world called Che Austri. Rediscovered by Imperial Rogue Trader Ulsheki kindheart. Entrusted to Ulsheki by his mother to protect the boy from a superstitious ritual slaughter , Valrick travelled upon Ulsheki's armada “the diligent womb”back to interior space , Given a fenrisian wolf cub to help sooth his culture shock , the young hunter soon became introverted and withdrew from contact with anything but his faithful cub Rag.
Worried about the physical and mental health of the child the ships physician , lobbied Ulsheki to let the boy return to his homeworld . Ulsheki a benevolent man saw in Valrick similarities to his own humble start in life. But ever the business man , Ulsheki refused , not wanting to jeopardise his many commitments over the young boy. In its stead Ulsheki took the growing lad aside and offered him a life aboard his ship , granting the boy freedom when they found a suitable world. The young Valrick had learned many things during his years upon the Armada , about the terrible state of the galaxy and the many horrors within it , his new formed skills although commendable never satiated his thirst for the hunt and to live off the land , something that was never going to be possible if he stayed amongst his new found family. It was only a matter of time before the young man became aware of the insular Argridustrial world Praxus. Ulsheki duly sent an envoy to talk with the imperial commander about taking the boy into custody until one day he might return with a ship bound for his homeworld.
In no time at all , Valrick, for the second time in his short life , packed his belongings and said farewell to his family , to join a new batch of Imperial Nobles in an induction to life in the Noble ninth officors academy , on the former Agricultural planet Praxus.
In many ways the Noble ninth was a perfect match for Valricks unique background , he was born a Noble , and had travelled the galaxy amongst some of its most wonderfully bizarre characters. Gleaning secrets that no regular citizen would be privy to. But his animalistic nature could not be so easily tamed. He longed to roam free hunting and fishing like he did as a small boy on Che Austri , although intelligent enough to realise that even if he could return to his home world , it would never be the same. He needed to find a happy medium and with the Noble ninth and in Praxus he thought he had.
His first years in the academy amongst the other well heeled Nobles went without incident , Valrick eager to progress through the ranks to enable himself to join the Commissars regular hunts. His ability to talk plainly and see things clearly was a great advantage in the hunts and combat training , but a huge disability when it came to socialising and moving within the complex and scheming political circles of the officers club.
He had noted the dismissive way in which the other Nobles treat the native people , but put it to one side as to concentrate on his military career. Which to all intents and purposes was going extremely well. His Natural ability with both close quarters and ranged weapons and his ease in the saddle , not to mention his rather unique steed , brought him to the attention of the Commissar, who was on the look out for a new officer of the hunt. Impressed by his discipline and lack apparent flaws except his insistence in worshipping a wooden idol , the the commissar promoted the young man to lieutenant of the hunt. A huge responsibility . All was going seemingly well up this point , only wishing for more free time to hunt by himself, and not with his brash and noisy peers. Valrick saw little of Praxus in the preceding years , stationed permanently in the academy barracks , the young man was only allowed into Praxus prime with a senior officer.
But his new found status saw that change, having to move into the Imperial governors palace proper, so as to be at the beck and call of the Commissar. It was during this time he discovered the horrendous plight of the Vulgus , the constant subjugation of the lowly palace staff reminded him of his former life on Che Austri. He could do little to help though , as Nobles and Vulgus were not allowed to socialise. The Event that saw this change started with an innocent request from the Commissar , to deliver a note to a dashing young captain by the name of Actaeon. As Valrick approached the senior officers quarters , he heard screaming and crying , throwing open the door he found a half naked girl being beaten by the young officer , insisting she “clean his boots again or by the emperor she would be sorry “ At this Valrick snapped , all the rage he had subdued and controlled since he had to leave his home world , came crashing to the fore like a tidal wave on a breaker. Taking the startled captains baton , he proceeded to beat Actaeon for every injustice he had ever witnessed and said nothing , to within an inch of his life.
Panicked and scared , Valrick fled the palace with the girl and his now huge fenrisian wolf , to the inner-city squalor of the vulgus quarter . News spread of his Noble rescue of one of their own , and the usually hostile Vulgus , welcomed the young Noble into their homes , his white wolf and strange off world ways bringing much wonder to the usually drab and monotone lives of the poor.
It stayed this way for a many months , with Valrick learning all that he had missed from the fascinating and resourceful people , they told him stories of old hive life and how the Nobles mistreated them , he even learnt about the famous twelve partisans who rode the iron beast of the wilds , fighting for the rights of the common man during the black years. He hid from patrols and kept a low profile, in and out the dark alleyways and underpasses of the impoverished domicilia. Until Retribution was poured upon the impecunious wretches like burning sand. It stated with reduced rationing and ended in outright civil war. The broken Vulgus refused to give up Valrick , he was one of their own , and as the the nobles new too well , family counts for everything.
Realising he was only hurting his new found friends , the honourable young man abandoned for the last time his family , for the Praxian wilds. Unsatisfied with this turn of events the newly recuperated and promoted hunt major Actaeon , layed waste to the Vulgus Domicilia , with carte blanche given by his superiors , to teach the scum a lesson he formed the dreaded riders de la morte. These evil minded murderers , formed specifically to drive terror into the vulgus , hunted the indigent souls on jet black steeds in the dead of night, seeking out lone victims to enforce their curfew.
Upon hearing this the enraged Valrick swore an ancient Che Austri blood oath on the Praxian Nobles. Undiminished the Riders of death continued , until the fateful night that saw seventeen of the Ignoble horse and man ripped limb from limb by the terrifying lone wolf and its blood drenched rider. The Nobles never did send the black riders into the Vulgus domicilia after that. Although Actaeon escaped with his life he too vowed revenge , but upon his former subordinate the Wild man of the woods. To this day the Noble 9th have a ceremonial forest hunt at midnight on a full moon , to initiate new members of the dreaded riders de la morte. Many never to return , neither body nor horse ever found. All subsequent attempts to locate the illusive exemplar have failed. The Noble 9th hunting parties that still venture into the forest do so only as an initiation such is the power of the myth. It is said that if you pass through a Praxian forest and you live to tell the tale , its because your not a Noble.
Valrick has not been seen in the Vulgus domicila for many years , but for the odd sighting of a giant white wolf and occasional dire howls on a full moon. Many believe Valrick is just biding his time, and will return to champion the Vugus again when he is need the most. The optimistic myth living on in their hearts and minds.
Kalien felt none the better for recounting the tale to himself. As he stepped into the tenebrous forest , sunbeams that danced merrily on the canopy leaves failed to penetrate the interior and fell like lost hope onto the tangled floor. The fact that Kalien didn't really believe the myth failed to stop his heart pounding like an Arbites maul. It was only when he felt the radiant warmth on his skin again that he realised he had held his breath for the last hundred yards to freedom. The cold chill of the forest evaporating as he gazed upon the sparkling water. Though as he stripped and dived in the cool and refreshing lake , he couldn’t help thinking would he have walked through that wood if he was a high-born.....
The answer was simple , probably not.
just commented on your other thread of fluff...great read...praxus needs an avenger as much as it needs hope for better times ahead...
i think your marching to a verrrry brutal climax here....!
and me old aunty edith says: first to comment...again^^
holy moley...or as i am not tought beginner in cockney....blimey!
saw that wolf before and i thought will this work...? read your story of win and vengance and thought will there be a matching and worthy mini?
how could i be so unfaithful...whoa, the wolf looks ace... the eyes had me the sec i layed them on this mini....the fur is really cool, thats something you should definatly expolore more here... maybe with your new shiny and upcoming secret project?
the base looks stunning and hints of the dark wood...have you ever heard of the myth of the green man? had a firiend once (was by the way a big mononoke fan too) an he wrote stories about a god that represented the ghost of nature with a green avatar...and he had followers that tended to be special...fleeing civilisation and hunting down enemies of nature and peace...your vlarick could be a good one among them... sadly all he produced is in german...
back on topic you mini is a very cool looking one...and i love the deatils like leather trousers and the pouches on the wolf.
the only bit i am a bit unsure about is : do i see purple there on that jacket of his? odd choice there but all could work in other daylight setup agian... could after all be that i misstook the color...
@Vik Cheers again matey , I think the nice black backdrop and natural light , gave these shots some depth , my paintbrush failed to achieve, so credit to Ifalna for that tip ;-)
i tried to research some natural wolf pics for the pattern. tempted to create some more beast riders, they are fun!
The story you mentioned by your friend sounds great , very much like mononoke or valle of the wind , I have heard of the green man stories , but only receantly , a few years ago i ran an arts in the community project in our local park , collecting a load of old cobble stones that were disused, and invited familes and kids to create artwork on the stones , which were in turn hidden around the park for posterity. And some young girl painted the green man on one , she explained the myth , and since then i have noticed them everywhere! on buildings etc..
The jacket is a dark blue with red cuffs , i wanted to show that he was once a noble and had worn the bright colours of the nobility with pride. but now carrying everything he needs on his steed, but the daylight has brightened it somewhat.
if one is on the search for the grren man you will get very lucky in britain i huess, more so if you´re willing to search through wales scotland and ireland too...
churches and old buildings en mass...
i will try the dark background setup too, saw that recently on another thread too and i lkie that very much...
and consider me a big fan of valrick and all future comrades of his^^ until the nobles tremble in the night when they hear the howl of the wolfen riders^^
I love the natural colouring of the wolf and the photographs are great quality as well. Lol now all you need is another more feral army to accompany him.
@Chibi , cheers matey, i didnt know what sheela na gig were until you mentioned them, did a bit of research , and turns out its mediaval porn those canny masons !
@Monkey, Yes, maybe a little too big to be honest! but looks good on the tabletop, next to the tiny perry minis. glad you liked the fluff fella, .....but wait no grammatical errors... or are you just being kind
@Vik , i see lots of gargoyles , oh wait ... thats just the mirror Valrick is humbled by your words , but assures you he wants no fame , only JUSTICE!
@Pekustin Yeah the photos do the model a great deal of justice i assure you Though i did try to get a more realistic paintjob by adding browns , as opposed to an heroic one. i think his size makes that unecessary Thanks Mate.
@Yggdrasil , Thanks for reading mate , dont worry about the other , it is pretty verbose. And what can i say , such a great compliment from a man who is fast becoming a legend for his corrupted beauty round this ere parts i bow humbley...
@Manoknok Thanks Manny
So been doing some kitbashing lately , added a cloak to the heavy stubber and Introducing Sieth the outcast Plebian Mutant , and Actaeon riding a giant land lizard , receantly augmented to "counts as sentinel" status by the AdMek
at first i loled at the giant lizard...and then i thought well some of the parts i hold most dear in our lego collection...and then i thought, for a sentinel this is quite a good idea, the use of bits like perkustin said, is very good of choice, and you even kept true to the rules as far as i am able to to understand...so this is really a good conversion of a beast^^
but i have to ask, what did you use for that leathery looking collar? thats a really good piece right there...looks a bit either from an GI Joe fig or possibly a mobile pouch...
your heavy gunner looks really good, the dynamics in the cape are really going with the wind so to speak^^... only downtime here is the fingerprints you certainly also have spotted when sculpting...as i have recently dabbed with FIMO i know fully well the horrors of unmasked hands...and i choose to do so more as gloves really suck when working with putty...but after all GS is fileable...
concerning your outcast mutant i bid my time for when we can read a bit of fluff about "it"...as i think your currently brewing something nice together for this character...
@ Perky , Zoids , at the moment i think the scarab footplates is all that works about this creation, well , gonna have to work hard to make this one work
@ Vik , your right to lol mate , the idea behind this guy is confused and needs some focus and , gonna do some research and see what i can come up with , i just cant seem to make this work , just yet.... I was thinking of adding an obvious Ad Mek vide , lots of red cloth and purity seals and gothic 40k iconography. Or replacing the head or at least changing it to a beaked head and cutting of its tail , like a flightless bird. ...lots of ideas but nothing solid just yet.
@ all any lighting bolts of lucidity would be most welcome in shaping this into something that resembles a belieavable 40k beast.
on the contrary... i think you truly have created a nice model here thats working...of course if the artist has a different vision then there is only one rule:
rule 1: artist is always right...
rule 2: if artist is wrong read rule 1...^^
i guess you used quite some good looking bitz here... and they all give a hell of 40k look in my opinion...the only negotiable bit i see is the backside armor...i cant picture that beast doing a retreat, so no real need there...the head armor and collar looks good to say the least...maybe you can check the need for that battery type of looking thing on its breast...the one bit benaeth the collar...
as for the head... maybe a bit of cutting here to better fit the headarmor would be good...a small lobotomy never hurt^^...*gejafgjhwbrbsdfjldl*
one thing i might ask myself when making this beast is nevertheless...can i only build one pice of this or am i able to make at least a squadworth of them? so would you be able to have enough of all bits to at least built three of them? this would look tremendously good on a table...
Nice couple of additions there. Seith looks like he'll be a bugger to paint though if he's already stuck to the base.
I think the sentinel-beast is heading the right way, agree with Perkustin, the feet are really cool. Only real issue I see is the head armour, but as Vik says, chopping a bit, or possibly all above the jawline, should fix that, make it more of a cyber-head than bits on top of the head.
lol sounds like alice in wonderland...:"off with its head..."
but yep, cut off the upperpart of the head and put something computerlike for 40k looking inside the cap...then it would have a nice and complete look...
Well thanks for the ideas guys , your insights help me visualise a new and improved mount with a clear aesthetic, i Did what you guys reccomended and lopped off its head , it was too high , and upset the balance of the mini in my oppinion, who said dino's were in the golden ration The the Ad mek Genetor really went to town and did a great job of bio lobotomising and servo replacing many parts Even the once proud Actaeon sits motionless like a Servitor tied to his steed through will alone , the symbiotic transmutation complete. quite happy with its pose now so thanks guys , will prob do more to it , before its done though.
started Acteaon fluff , in the form of a diary , with a nod to Silver Mk2 for his inspirational work in dakka fiction will update the diary as i update the model,
By the Emperor ! Can these Vulgus do any job right? If I am to be selected for promotion to Hunt Major , I will be dammed if I shall turn up looking like a serf ! Is it too much to ask , to expect one's uniform to be cleaned to a presentable standard .I shan't be seen unkempt . We are not all content to be seen sporting ragged coveralls , or the limp robes of the scruffy Mechanicus.
If this happens again I fear I shall not be responsible for my actions!
Hospitium Data log vox castor entry personnel Audio log Date 10th semester 4th Cycle 7th lunar 009M42
[“They say I am lucky to ...cough... be alive, they say I took a beating that most men would have succumbed too,...cough..... I should be happy to have not lost both eyes..cough....I don't feel lucky. Why..cough.”. End.]
Hospitium Data log vox castor entry personnel Audio log Date 10th semester 4th Cycle 15th lunar 009M42
[ My injuries are healing better than the Medics imagined , I have an appointment with the egineseer in two days , the medics say that they don't perform biotic operations. My attacker has a name now, Valrick A newly commissioned officer of the hunt no less ..cough.. he has fled to the Vulgus quarter apparently. As soon as I am fully recuperated , I think I shall pay him a visit.] End
Great news, My injuries are fully healed. My new ocular appendage , is working much more efficiently than my previous eye. My greatest thanks go to the imperial Enginseer ( and to think I once looked down on the freaks in red ) And to top it off , The commissar has promoted me to Hunt Major . My first task was to create a Noble riders company dedicated to myself first and foremost. I named them Riders De la Morte for their duty will be to seek the death of my would be murderer VALRICK ! Emperor save those that try to stand in my way.
Love the second head has that accidental anthropomorphised (erm...) look you get in some car fronts (mainly newer Peugeots,renaults and citrons). If you can understand what i am struggling to explain. I would recommend trying to shape the legs of the rider to better fit the model, at the moment they are the weak link. EDIT: has it been given Avatar style rotary wing unit thingies? If so cool idea.
hello...Actaeon ...and we did tell you, you could poke ones eye out with a valrick...but did you listen...naww...see what that gave you? nobles these days...
on a serious note, very nice fluff, love the diary style... the vox part was best, *cough* reminds me of old school star trek episodes...
this will be a very good plot, i will enjoy thsi very much... hell i do it atm already^^
concerning your steed of Actaeon ... i thought you just cut off the upper part of your steeds head... like the upperjaw with the pat of the skull needed...the rest would be then sealed with the bionics ant the shell you used at first... now i am a bit confused as what you done afterwards... as i understand your pics the head and neck is completly out of the mini...and you redid a complete headneck part, aslo the compartment for the rider is now more to the neck/head part than as before the back...well this could work. for the head by the way i prefer the secon one too, as something looks suspicious about the first new one...
but one thing i have to tell, the imediate asociation i had in my mind when seeing the new model was: duck...for some reason i saw a hightech version of a duckling...i think this mainly derives from the now a bit much thicker backside due to the bits put there...
as for perkustins thought about the legs of Actaeon ...i think whats missing here is a good looking saddle...then the whole thing of the compartment comes way better together...
will his steed be named like valricks?
oh so many questions...
cheers mate, and don´t get let me taint your inspiration...
It's a bionic Gabbleduck You certainly chopped it up more than I was expecting. Good job though. Also, second pic, what are those dread-like legs from?
@Perkustin, Thanks perky , i get what you mean , , infact i find peugeot cars quite scary, the sports ones look reall mean , and the girly ones look like dolls....Shiver!! Your right about the legs on this build looking too skinny, now i have a better look , it looks a bit too much like a bird, removing the armour has helped with this some-what now. the Armour does look like the up thrusters doesnt it , and thats the 3rd time someone has said Avatar an this build in a sentance ... feeling a vibe now i think they look like ladybird wings
@Vik Cough...Cough.... thanks ....cough..! Glad you like the fluff, thought i would make this a bit easier on myself and wright in the first person, i fancied a change , and want to experiment with this short story.
well as for the head , ...in for a penny in for a pound ! let it never be said i am a man of half measures besided i couldnt resist saying OFF WITH ITS HEAD! knife in hand And yes this is the duck and cover version well i think it was a brave experiment and i will keep some elemants but the duck like wings are gone for now! its funny how you cant see something untill its pointed out. Now i see it clear as day , and they had to go , although i did move them around a bit first as to experiment. I really like the meachanical saddle , almost like a gun turret , but i think it was overshadowed here, now it looks better i think. And this steed has no Name just a serial number." I " i also like the second head , but now i have a new one one that requires your learned input matey
@Monkey Just need some Orange suace and were all set , Well , you live and learn .. and i have learned that, those fat backsides do no justice to this build , so to the scrap heap they went, Thanks for confirming , my bird like suspicions . i have opted for a more streamlined version for now , but tested out a few other options first. And i knew you would eyeball those legs Those my kitbash compatriot , are from the heroscape board game. I have no need for them Monkey , i snatched his top half for the dino! And would happily donate them to Mad doc Grimsnik or Upzags workbench..., after all Bashed's boys have to look forward to something pm me if you want em matey , i might even chuck in some spare sharks i have laying around ...
@Weety Thanks Weety
so more conversions , dont you hate the fact when kitbashing , you think everything looks right one day , come back the next and its like what happend , i thought that[i] looked good! so first thank you all for the feedback , i dont normally feel the need to ask for help when kitbashing , but this build is just bloody hard It helps now i have a clear idea for what i want to achieve, but still .... Well i hated the duck look, and it had to go but i experimented with a new head and its okay , looks like a robot hammerhead shark imo . but i stripped back the shell to see more lizard , i will add plenty of tubes i think . just cant decide which head , i think the skinny gun head original head 2 , but he new one has some nice qualities.. So unless you guys hate the original i will probably go for that. I would still apreciate to know what you think though
this compartment you made here in this pic looks apealing to me... somehow i would rather want to see a bit of more protection for the rider...
the gear on top you formerly used for basing looks wrong in place...i wouldn´t do that...
love and totally beg you to keep that look of exposed metal spine... this is classy!
i am still a bit unsure about the head... there is little or beter non soul to it... i know your probably aim for just that...but it lacks for me a bit of this anthromorphic look as here some of the fellows have posted about car faces...for now there is no face... the hammerhead looks good but is out of scale to the rest of the body...and designwise i don´t think it is fitting for the overall look...again i am sorry for criticising you so much on your work here...i just think your onto something really cool, and your bits founds are waaaay bigger than mine^^... if by anychance you still have some spotlights of some tankssprues than i would use these for some reference of a human techinfluence... we humans like to create our stuff like god failed to do us^^...
in this pic:
do we see a CSM backpack for something like a mouth like thing at the head? this is a cool aproach, as it remind me of mandibles or something similar from spiders...
if you want to keep the hammerhead under all consequences, then i definatly recommend another pair of dinolegs as support... then also you would get much better to your original inspiration of this:
The final pic with a mass of 'mechadendrite' feelers would look ace. I like the shape of the new new head neck armour (with a scorpian and 3000 written on it) but i do think it would look better with some purity seals/skulls etc as at the moment it looks too high tech. As for the robo tentacles i envision them coming out of the 'shoulder' bits of the neck piece ( just below where it has the scorpian and 3000). For the organic part of the creature i would sugest a whole array stim injectors much like the arco flaggelllant model (Damien 14xx?) you link. Plus one leg should have some form of bionic caliper style arrangement.
You know what?! Here's a pic lol. Couldnt fit in the stim injectors.
Wow cool input guys ,and your both absolutely right, about all you said , , thanks for the drawings perky, my comp died a few days ago and i have yet to reinstall any software , like photoshop... but now i have the dillema , .....well gonna go out for awhile and think on it...
cheers again
ouch, thats almost nowadays as if a familymember at least gets ill... i remember when i had to give my laptop once for repairs into a mech hand...got that piece of junk never back and after half a year of waiting got my money back instead to buy me a new one...well made a better deal^^ but still half a year withou...%/&(/%§&%§% argh... feel your pain...
That new head is pretty cool, and like where Perkustin takes it, but it's a bit overbearing for the body, especially if you add the 'dendrites. I think the second head fits this guy better, and you should keep the other head for a quadraped. And I actually like the look of that with the 'headpiece' on, feels a bit more ad-mech, especially with a bunch of scroll-work, seals and candles hanging off it
The candles were the most inspired addition, if neil takes nothing else from the pic it should be the candles lol. Infact next time i do an imperial army there will be alot of candles, i can just imagine a Russ with track guards and turrets generously topped with melted wax. Thats it, i am decided, a candle based imperial guard army is next on the ledger.
that reminds me of an old witchhunter theme...bell, book and candle...and a pin for pinning the truth about if the wimmen is a bloody witch...
by the way...the word candelabra in german is a swearword^^... means armleuchter and translates into english so far as gakhead...^^ (god using swaerwords is so hard here^^)
always to the fore to lend a hand in the misty world of swearing...after all a mindset from the gutter has to be cared for... otherwise your bound to get civilized... and who wnats that?
it´s like the cheesecolored skin of winter... the merest sunray can spoil it with tan...
hmmm... this could be actually a trick of the eye combined with what my surounding familymembers say about my odors...the chicken skin is very discribing in nature... texture and all...
well as i have lil kids i get dragged all to often in a week out in that sunlight... you can imagine how hard it is to keep a noble shade of skin on my likeness in such circumstances...
"What is this! whats all this shouting about , whats going on here i wont have shouting here.. this is a local shop for local people! " So back in da gutter, didnt take long speaking of candelabras i have an update yeh but first i would like to thank You Monkey,Perky and Vik ( sounds like a comedy trio ) for all the creative input , it really did help , with the brain freeze i seemed to be having well i got over it and took all of your advice well.. not all but most. The candles were a cool idea thanks perky and your right about the head monkey , funnily enough i had tried that head on a quadreped...( rhymes ) and it worked a treat. so i finished the conversion ..i think? doesn't look so hot at the moment but , i hope once painted it will tie a lot together.. what do you guys think less gothic?
as some artist i think once said , Not sure if i like it ...but its what i meant
oh, nearly forgot ... fluff first
Diary Entry 11th semester 4th Cycle 8th lunar 9794M41
Hunt Major Actaeon , Riders de la Morte
Bah! Damb and blast. Buggering feth! Filthy gutterscum! Valrick has escaped me!
Those damnable bloody filthy hive bottom gaks warned that feral monkey and his mangy hound that we warranted him! I was this bloody close. I could smell his fething stinking hound , his pungent scent is in my BLOOD! I will have my revenge on this coward. I have asked the adaptus Provendum to withdraw rations to this sector. I guess the rank of Major has some useful privileges.
My men have started questioning those thought culpable in his desertion. Its paramount I wrap this up presently , I am already behind on my new found responsibilities. The quicker I have him in custody the better. He cant evade me forever.
Diary Entry 11th semester 4th Cycle 13th lunar 979M41
Hunt Major Actaeon , Riders de la Morte
These bloody headaches, will they ever cease, I have had no success in tracking down the Criminal Valrick. , his accomplices are doing a fine job of hiding him amongst their own. And the ridiculous
Arbite, judge Lion , refuses to send in her enforcers , what is the point of an Imperial Arbite if not to help capture Criminals and subjugate unlawful citizens? “Its not my jurisdiction” bah! Do I have to do everything myself. The only positive to come from this weeks , fruitless endeavours, is the Vulgus have started to react to the rationing...hits em where it hurts.. well if no one else shall help I think I shall speed up the progress. I have ordered my riders of death, to enforce the curfew. Someone must know where he is ?
Diary Entry 11th semester 4th Cycle 15th lunar 979M41
Hunt Major Actaeon , Riders de la Morte
Ha! I knew it ! If he was in the city I would have had him by now. Valrick has fled to the wilds. I have conformation. The young Corporal Talien beat the truth out of a rioting Vulgus after curfew . This boy has potential. Well the Vulgus didn’t know where he was exactly ,if he did he took it to his grave!
If it weren’t for these confounded headaches I would be out their right now. the medics say its probably the Occular implant. Some times it takes a while to settle in . The Commissar has asked me to Organise a ceremonial Hunt for the Young heir, Antal . I told him if he could just wait a few more days I shall be fully focused on the job. I have to find his lair soon. But, If I cant have the man I shall have his friends... I ride with the Morte tonight, we shall feast on the dead, and I shall have my revenge.
the steed now looks a bit like a tech version of Seith reindeer steed...the lascanon cables...nice idea...the back now looks very suitable for your damian inspiration...and i really love the base... this is very cool and athmspheric looking...what are the bottles for?
and it seems Actaeon has still some more prostetics work to endure...
this si shaping up real nice now...
and i like the fluff...am i unfair to say i hope valricks going to do Actaeon in for good?...^^
Love the Cable Antlers they look Gnarly. I think Atm it is hard to tell exactly how cool it will look when done but i suppose the pudding is in the eating (painting?). Reading the fluff i think only the Snarly voice of Sean Pertwee would suffice in a movie Starring Actaeon. A thing i really like is the way you have made Actaeon a dark mirror of Valrick both in fluff and model, espeicially now that he has exchanged some of his humanity for machinery, great touch!
@Vik Thank you matey ,head aches , aye he needs some sleep no doubt The bottles are from the wfb old edition boxset , from the dwarven pony , all chopped up tsk wishing ill of the nobles will get you in big trouble
@Perkustin cheers i, thought gnarly as well , (pans laberynth actually) sean pertwee , would make a good valrick actually, il give him a bell your right it hard to tell anything at this stage , its all in the head until its done . Glad you noticed the mirroring of Valrick , i thought he should be as opposit as black from from white.
@manoknok thanks for the vote of confidence mate
not much of an update , showing some work in progress of a side line , i have been wanting to try some true scale minis for a while , and i finally sat down and started kitbashing them , very early yet obviously , will take this slow as a background task. primed Actaeon, sorry no fluff just yet.. and sorted out his colour schem a micture of crocodile and the deamon thorn thing from pans laberynth oh and damien and admek i also thought i would show the lovely Dark Eldar Perkustin kindly sent me , i have been wondering how to base him for a while , but i think i have settled on an Amethyst stone.
oh and i finally got around to sorting out the praxus timeline proper, so i changed the dates in the actaeon diary to reflex this
Fluff+++++++++
014-021.M31 - The Great Scouring/////
Unknown1 "Sir We must retreat...all is lost .... "
Unknown2 "And leave all that we have gained ....NEVER!"
unknown1 " There is no hope for us if we stay... we should fight a retreat back to the Eye and return when it is safe.... we must abandon the machine...."
Unknown2 "Notify the Primarch, It is in his hands now..... "
The predator based Chaotic is my fave so far, the one 'weilding' the two guardsmen. I think the (masterchief?) legs would look better as legs for marines personally. The mutated guy is cool as well, barely any refinement is needed to complete him. The only chaos marine i dont particularly like atm is the twin Heavy bolter, seems a bit much to me. Nice amythyst rock, perhaps he is claiming i for its refractive qualities, just what was needed for some new weapon/torture device. Are you just using the predator bodies for scale (bang on btw) or are you gonna use 'em largely unmodified? EDIT forgot 'bout the crazy demon vessel engine/ drednought, great start + Amazing skills on creating something so dreadlike from random bits (Neil's children cry as he drags another of their beloved toys into his manufactorum dungeon, cackling wildly as he goes).
Thanks Perky, Theyre going to be a full conversion given time and luck although i do like the look of them sans armour legs , kinda like they just said sod it , emperors not the boss of me anymore , not wearing those sodding things anymore.
so another mini update .
just some praxus fluff and pics , that have been sitting around awhile gathering dust. hope you like. thought it was time to start showing more info to those that want it about Praxus.
Is it wrong i am drawn to the 'other' portion of the population? What is it that lurks in the filth of lower Praxus, forboding music plays in background..... BTW that first pic is MIND BLOWING: hieronomous Bosch meets giger via Frank Herbert (Not an artist per se but i think you get what i mean). EDIT: Any idea of population total i think hive worlds have in the region of a few trillion, if i remember right praxus has one not counting the capital?
So thats true scale...! It will terrify all the normal sized minis to death, they will be like "aaaaaahhhhh Godzillllaaaaaa" and running for the bunker. And those true scale marines will get back strain after an immortal lifetime spent bending down at doorways and squeezing themselves into rhinos.
I think I'm just reacting badly due to a subconscious fear that minis are getting bigger and bigger every year and that when I am old and frail they will be bigger than me. The 'mini' store will be like some great multistory car park full of kids with fat brushes exclaiming how easy it is to paint the new bigger 41st edition space marines, as they scale the scaffolding surrounding the marines torso.
yesterday i saw your TS Marines.. and i was a bit ...hmmm... the predator ones doesnt look too bad to me, but i saw some scout mixes and thought they are pretty leggy... meaning the legs do mostly for the TS part... and thats looking out of sclae to me...
the predator mini is probably meant to be a TSCSM so the use is probably cool in the mix^^
dont get me wrong you certainly are no match here for posing good sir! this is story telling at its finest... again^^
probably the slaanesh marine is the best of the lot for me, dont know what buts and things you used...but you did great there...
and then to your drawings and charts...
the first one literally made me loose my jaw...seriously get your slef together and get to school to get a damn degree chap... you have a duty here...this art has to be somewhere else too to get seen in the whole world...lest it might be forgotten to early... i see artgalleries anbd museums and such things... your name must be known. this is no flattering from me, you probably know me quite good, if you do crap i tell you, if you do art...wish i was there with you to kick you in the bum for letting that stuff collect dust!
probably should keep my lid shut know...*comes back* arghhhhh
and now to something completly different:
charts for fluff... never seen this done...you took the hobby to the serious level... i see some kids in the future doing school projects to interpret these charts and write examens about what could have been done in such situation...to solve political/economical problemstructures...
*comes back again...* i refuse to talk about individual artsketches until you unpacked your whole range of things done on that subject!
Hey fellow creators of new worlds and extra dimensions
I have a small update but first things first, thanks for the comments
@Kenshin thanks Kenshin , they are halo and predator action clix , but the big dino is heroscape added plenty of greenstuff now to hide theri humble origins
@ Perky , cheers matey, i actually made a piece of work entitle other whilst at Uni (Vik ), just some graphics and poetry. i think we are all drawn to the unkown where hhere their be dragons...quite literrally in in gw worlds i havent naile d down the poulation just yet , somewhere in the region of 25 million i assume , the hive i have mentioned is another nearby world called Phalanx within the same hydra system, should of cleared that up ealier , time for a system map methinks thanks for the nice comment on the artwork , its actually the intro to praxus , but just in rough, i have much trouble tightening my work, as i really respect the lose style of blanche, really captures emotion and feleling rather than just form and design.
@Manoknok Cheers agin , you always say the nicest things matey Well i took yur advice , and have been working it up since my last update , poor old actaeon got boted behind him in the que Changed hime a bit mind , but the emphasis is still the same.
@Weety man your comments made me really laugh , the thought of fat kids with paintbrushes up scafolding. arh , you know thats where its headed. maybe i will be able to get paintbrushes for my farmers hands then i really wanted to show how huge these buggers would be , and working with the tiny perry minis really pushed me to see the opposite scale of 40k . i had an image of a civillian comming face to face to groin with one of these giants and just thinking WTF , thats why we worship the emperor , now i get it!
@Vik well sir your write me an epic compliments again, thank you sir , i did do a degree a few years back , but with it been contemporary art i am not sure if it counts ( counst as half a degree but i didnt do any illustration on it , i save that stuff for my true passion . stories! sorry i havent no more image to post just yet , but , you really make me feel that it is worth posting when i do so thanks for that. the charts were written as research for the comic as to better understand the world and its people . i love the fact that you create the place then it creates itself , if you get what i mean any how update time now.
so i have a few ideas floating around my nogging , a few dioramos ect.. but i started working on the csm they are chaos undivided btw , just thought i would do one for though. cant keep Actaeon waiting for long. forund some cute mini dinos from tk max just £4 bargain , and one will work for a grox at long last http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Grox not sure whic one though , i also found some really nice dinos from Papo the french toy company , these are seriously cool , huge and really well detailed posed and painted and all that for a paltry sum of £6 to £12 http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=papo+dinosaurs&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wf gonna pick me up some for sure.
Wow! Speechless. Excellent work. Hmm judging from the rust is he an Iron Warrior? Well it seems you can add sculpting to your skills now. Out of interest where did you get the legs for the unfortunate guardsman? They dont look like cadian ones.. EDIT: I also spy an Iguanadon!
the first thing now i noticed was the falling helmet of the unfortunate guardsman...very cool idea... that is one hell of a cool diorama... your TSCSM (cool abbreviation eh?) your GS is really good, and i never expected an outcome like that scenic cooldom^^ i dont think the IG has time to wet himself...case of instant broken neck.... and you give the ewathering treatment so artfully self induced with the teadpole tank now to a CSM...this is for sure some trophy hunting project...i think a comepetition is definatly something you should partake now...
the dinosaures looks like your now going way back in time and redo artfully your childrensdreams...with a vengance...nice show of the fight between the soon to be grox and the praxean soldier...^^
if i could make one suggestion or rather a hopeless plea:
getting a canvas like your
praxus top pic Praxus prime bottom pic
for my own collection...just in another ratio not a page upright but instead more like sideways..., that would sureley be a walldecoration for my hole in the ground that would transform it into a palace....
Love the two guys just chillin' under the palm trees. 'Ohh, I've got a touch of cramp in my thigh, could you give us a massage?' 'Bugger orf, I'm having a kip'
Hey guys sorry for the long pause to reply got a bit drunk because its ma birthday tommorow 35 i think , and because i cant afford a long haul holiday , i thought i would make one anyone one want to join me on my seculded Island for rum and coconuts suprise
and special thanks to Baiyuan for his insperational necro thread , and especially for the chain on arm idea
@Madmartykmf cheers matey
@Killmaimburnkillmaimburn thankyou , i reserched migsula and hits the spot for ideas , so thanks to them too.
@Perkustin qoute "Wow! Speechless" thats a first kidding glad you like matey , iron warrior eh ? your giving up are you well arlight , you win , he is a bloody minded World bearer! good spot with the legs they are from the halo actionclix usmc soldiers , you can pick em up on ebay for about a pound , they are more realisticly proportioned than the cadians and much cheaper than the elysians qoute " EDIT: I also spy an Iguanadon " doyouthinkhesaurus
@Weety Thank you Weety , thats very kind of you to say , if not stricly true but i do enjoy the tactile aspect , sculpting is the new painting i didnt want a proper reconstruction of a csm , partly beacuse i am too lazy and partly because i wanted to create a mood rather than a design. maybe next time i shall try getting a more realistic look .
@Victor yeha helmet added some needed movement, cheers glad you like the tscsm and yes you are right , all the weathering used so far is what i learnt on the tank.
as for competitions , well ... thank you matey see i accepted a compliment without saying anything self effacing Dinosaur ...rarh .. who dosent like dinosaurs . they are the stuff of dreams.
@manoknok cool song manny never heard that before , but yep it does suit the giant thanks. you now me random and slightly surreal and i cant take credit for the Grox picture , its from rogue trader . and thank you , thats what i was trying to achieve.
@ PDH , Hey Peter thanks mate, this is how marines should look imo , all nasty and bad tempered , and thats just the loyal ones
@Scrazza Thank you Scrazza , he is a bit of a bad ass isnt he
@Monkeytroll Dinosaur Rarh ! and if you like the diroma i think its safe to say you may like this update matey , thanks i didnt think any Astartes would appear in hear but , their terrible lure , just screamed make me or i shall destroy you , fool! not sure where it will end up , but its safe to say it will probably be a diorama
@ Commander Cain Random is my new middel name , replacing surreal , and formely bizzare thanks commander
so update time , thanks all for the feedback and nice compliments , you can all come on holiday with me now so me and Bailey my 1st born 12 year old had some qaulity time together at the weekend , we thought at 11pm we should build a diroama , and went for something simple and classic , he really did a great job at building sculpting and apinting and i am very proud of him , we took a while trying to decide on the correct mini , the dark eldar catching a fish with his spear was a close second along with the terminator who rolled but alas we went with the classic Pretorian officer , we both hope you like it , and it was much fun to create . Thanks a bunch Peeps.
well i won´t congratulate you just now for your birthday as it is ´morrow...so this has to wait...
what i can congratulate you for is that superb piece of sweet art. this one has it all...theme, message, mood, and humor...
i lkie how you used the wounded praetorian to make him look like he relaxed in the sun...hard to imagine a praetorian ever relax but well you made an unforgettable image now^^
the watereffects are pure gold i have to say... i don´t know how you achieved that but this is so realistic...amazing...and the sand and water blending from one to the other...the lil foamy bubbles on the wateredges...
the cloudy skybackground is so ...just awsome realistic...and i have to say you got a wonderful moment with the light... the shadows in one of the later pics create a really good ambience...did you glossy varnish the water? or is that a treat from the watereffects?...
what did your son built, paint on that diorama? you two made a big thing here, feel very proud the both of you!
it seems that in some time you need a showroom in your house to give all of these creations like that island of dreams a place to be admired and honored...
tomorrow my wife will get a notebook for herself to do some surfing on her own... and when i have checked and built and done everything that needed to be done i will show her this here as her first thing to look at...so she sees something truly beautiful for a first time...
Arhh Vik your such a charmer i hope she likes it, kinda reminds me of those 1980s holiday brochure pics at the moment. but in diffent light it takes on a new meaning again. thank you for you nice words , i shall be sure to pass them on to Bailey ,we are qute proud of this one , because it brought us quite close at a time when we seem to be at loggerheads a lot the he helped in every aspect , but specififcally he created the island and the front water effects , oh and the board its based upon. we were lucky with the light , it was quite a thing , the clouds parted as soon as it was finished , maybe it really is an island of dreams / wishes . or is he stranded without water, making the best of it before its all over or taking a contemplative moment before the final battle. who knows? i really tried to recreate those little toches of foammy bubbles , glad you noticed , and the water is not glossed just water effects and tiny white highlights on the crests of some waves .
a bit of a brochure feel is certainly there... but in a rather good way... like now that we see it we think about where to spend our holidays...so inspiring in the best way^^
me a charmer... now you must have mistaken me^^
hmm seems to me i should think deep about such a project for my oldest and me too... the therapeutic outcome is rather a good one it seems^^
For some reason I though it was just water and the wind was up - then I thought maybe it is blue food colouring and jelly... He looks like he is relaxing because there is bugger all else he can do - love those moments.
Hey guys ,Thanks for all the lovely Birthday wishes , they really did make my day! you guys are such a lovely bunch of coconuts , and thank you for the nice comments on the Island Diorama well i have been a bit busy this past week , birthdays tsk , I met my mother for coffe and she insisted on buying me a present , so we headed to the nearest comic shop and i picked up a box of Dust laser grenadiers ,
http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=laser+grenadiers&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=859 which are perfect for The Plebian Manufactorum workforce , , maybe the Plebian servitude obligationist millitant wing. they are also a close match to the scale of the perry miniatures , slighltly smaller than the dkok , but would sit well in any ig army imo. just need some vulgus , ad mech and ecllisaticals now. I also picked up a couple of warmachine minis for my current and next side line project which i will get to in a minuite .
@Vik i say go for a project with your eldest , he may well suprise you and produce a master piece i know i under estimated Bailey's skills.
@Weety lol real water , well that would have been easier thank you. but food colouring and jelly , now that is surreal , wheres the pan , yep those moments are heaven , like enforced relaxation, good if your a compulsive worker
@Tqsplinter Thank you Tq i had a cool day yes it does look a lot gerry anderson i think its the water and light , and beach , and clouds , and...
@HF Izanagi, cheers mate the light did most of the hard work , ..and bailey did the rest , how is dragon age 2 , i really like the first one. ?
@ommander cain Thank you , the sand was a last minuite , kinda , something doesnt look right moment .. and arrh , wet sand ..yeah thats it
@Monkey He was very chuffed with this comment
@Manoknok .. he he he , it was like creating a diorama in the fastest time ever , because i didnt want to be too sidetracked from praxus as for strange lets just say
Milligan , Gilliam , Adams, Lynch , Kubrick , and Dali are my bed fellows glad you approve sir.
@Madmartykmf , thanks , that will be 2 dollar sir..
thanks again for all the well meaning comments
so where was i... arh yes.. well Praxus i s my baby , my one true modeling love and the manufactorum is that ever illusive dream pushing me on ,to strive higher until i can do it justice. and the comic is my wicked concience , wipping me and chasticing me for not working on it everyday. what started off as a random blog is still random , but now with a vision , of creating a world , within a fiction , of celebrating the moments , over looked by gw or power gamers, i have noticed a theme throughout my work so far , and its to tell a story , Praxus and the hydra systems is where these stories shall be born , i shall try to link everything i do to a narrative thate makes sense of humanities place within the 40k universe. The little and insignificant moments that have nothing to do with the huge wars going on in this vast galaxy. Praxus is the Anchor to everything. With this in mind i decide to expand upon some of the characters, i have written about . This will be my oppertunity to create scenes and models not suitable to the perry minitures or even games workshop minis, which i do love . I shall start with a diaroma basedupon the exploits of Rogue trader Ulsheki the kind hearted ,
first mentioned in the valrick story. I have longed to create a I28 or necromunda warband ever since i joined dakka, but i wanted to show a civillian life even stronger, but now i think i can do a bit of both , have my cake and eat itso to speak Well i finally stumped up the birthday cash for some nice , miniatures that i think i can work with in creating Ulshekis warband, i will be making it primarilly for a diorama, so i am limited to certain action poses, but i still think their will be enough room for conversion within the group, i managed to get a copy of rogue trader by fantasy flight games, it has some nice artwork withing it and i shall be using this as my insopiration along with the blogs of PDH molotov etc , as i think these represent the look i am after, as for the theme of the dioram it shall be a cross between the mummy, indiana jones, grimdark40k, fireflyand startrek. i have ordered some really nice minis for the scene , which is the biggest i have ever done i think, I have started work on it already , Acteron still waiting to be basecoated i have built a drop ship based upon the
Arvus lighter by forgeworld http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Imperial_Navy/ARVUS-LIGHTER.html its a kitbash of sveral starwars models and a gi joe tank the other pics will be of the metarials i shall be using on the board , i found plastic plants are a handy addition to my bits box !
During the this build i may well start work on the characters from Phallanx hive , i have been planning on recreating the Hive spire top along with Baron dysarno and his vainglorious retinue, including the deviant bad lands troubadors comedia del arte, and the nefarious Vipers brat gang. wow i thinks thats it sorry for the ramble , just taking stock, btw i picked up the fabulous paul kuato model from maow miniatures . oh yeah and the deamon goat thing is for the wip truescale world bearers diaroma.b oh
gosh, i had the feeling since you layed low for quite some time after the sunset dio that you would come up with something big...
well...
big would be only saying the half of it....
after i googled the name paul kuato i saw the mini... looks like that arnie movie mutie from total recall...cool and very classic... darn that makes me feel old already... remember still seeing the movie posters...ungh...
your pressmolding attempts look really good...i´ve been meaning to try something like that from time to time too...bythe way...your into necrons too now? i have those old spacecrusade? minis too...PM me if you want to know more about that...
and those lizards... well we´ll see what you do with those...
and also with troubadors comedia del arte this will be at the very least astounding... i think you will have great oportunities with such a nice model...^^
by the way... i feel such a donkey for not actually congratulating you to your near 50th anniversary... i am such a forgettful old fart... taking my mouth ful and writing i will congrat you not before and then forgetting it altogether...*insert galactic facepalm here...*
the dust tactics...well be sure to my envious deepest feeling to them being in your fold now... they are a pricey bunch these^^ and good looking.... tho with a new kind of base...will be fun to see how you will neil them up a treat^^
and then if that all wasn´t enough you come up with that giant and hulking beast of a beautiful ship...looks a bit like a rhino that had a very brief affair with the slave I of boba fett...and again you showed great skill in photography... if one person on this board ever was in need of one of these
to get even closer pics to his minis, then it would be probabvly be you...
the view of vostroyan soldier coming out of the hatches is something like from the alien movies...lots of flair^^
you´d made a good movie producer...
and more thing... my wife now has now her own laptop and i showed here some greater moments of your blog... the current island in the sundio and then the making of the tadpole...i literally had to refix her jaw...nuff said...
cheers mate...this new dio will be the next big thing here... you now us peeps at dakka we cant stay feeded and sated for too long... we will ask for more soon enough...^^
Cheers guys just really trying to sort out what on my list ;-)
@scarzza ,Thanks , Matey looking forward to painting it up, its a starwars droideka, xwing transformer , xwing model and an old gi joe tracked tank thing. glad you like matey.
@Vik , yep forget to congratulate me on my one special nerer 100 though day ..;-) that camera looks very handy , i want one! the dust guys are pretty nice , not too expensive , but iaonly wanted these dont need any more of them ;-)
and yes bobba fetts slave nearly made it into this ship, if you look real close you can see it at the base of the monolith in the 1st pic , lol.
i am looking forward to these litlle side projects.
@ Moltar Thanks Moltar , it was pretty easy once i had the basic shape , . still adding those cables were a bugger though. good to see you again matey.
Nice update neil. Good to hear you have an overall plan to it all
Lovely bit of kitbashing on the drop-ship, very nice. Were all the wires part of the tank or have you added those?
Big-ass demon beastie
That diorama is a little on the large side.
I recognise SpaceWreck, not one I have but think it's from a 'series' of sci-fi art books. Late 70's early 80's, stuff by the likes of Foss, Dean, Burns etc.
Or it could be something completely different...
he folks thought i would post a regular update on this build so it doesnt run away with me
@ Perky , cheers good to be missed yep dropship will have a nice heavy re entry weatherd effect , already scratched it up some.
@logg_frogg Thank you sire yep, now to hell with random or surreal , Quirky is my new middle name
@weety and @ Monkeyha ha , the test worked i knew if i placed a book in the pic you or Monkey wouldnt be able to resist it low and behold you both comment on it its a pretty cool book picked it up second hand for 50p last year, lots of nice retro 70s pics , and nifty litlle stories too! [url http://www.khantazi.org/Rec/TTABooks/TTABooks.html[/url]
@ monkey cheers not so much a plan , more of a upside down roadmap , to a different country The kitbash was a bitch to be honest , be then i found these bits and it all fell together nicely , the cables are from my monitor , hope i dont need them again the cock pit is the droideka and a bit from the landspeeder storm.here are most of the bits
litlle update , i wanted to use cork fro a nice cliff face and have a easter island style totemic necro head but didnt have any cork to hand, so i went with a mayan olmec feel ruined temple , with a forest overgrowing it , i have plenty of ploystyrene , and liquid nails , so no melting roughed out the shape today , gonna prime it tommoror and strt work on the jungle , not sure weather to go with the totemic necro heads , or not just yet. ordere another mini for the rogue trader retinue , i think this guy with some conversion will make a convincing RT captain.http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/images/uploads/privateer/PIP31061.jpg" border="0" /> trying for a s close alook to this as i can get .
@ medabee cheers matey , was a bit tough finding the right shapes but , we get there if we persist right?
spacewreck 50p!!! So lucky! I will have to go to more carboots to get such a bargain. 36 squid on ebay. You are right, me and the monkeytroll are book perves.
Your drop ship kitbash is inventive! many different parts - makes it look very intersting like it was built out of various scrapped space craft
next week we will go to a fleamarket... i hope i will be as lucky as you are with so many nice toys to chop up as you see fit...
the now totally different looking scene looks really cool... lots of potential and there is definatly an idny feel about the whole thing...if we look hard enough will we see a big round boulder...?
always a pleasure how you get these things and materials together...dont feel attacked, but i think we all (scratchbuilder and kitbasher) create a new artform: waste artists...
its like a redigestion of forms and materials, bringing them into new dimensions and thus creating a analogy of our world with a new message so sublime that only the artful can decipher them... art for the artful...the meaning and the use is in itself...
5op he he he , i went back for about a week to see if they had the rest , the artwork is no chris foss or ron cobb but its still has that ancient airbrush feel to it, might post some pics form it, i know it made the front cover of white dwarf , waaaay back inthe day like issue 23 or some such.
My teacher at uni said , that all artists do is recylce junk into something better. like an alchemist , bringing different elemants together to create a new form. so deffinately no offence take , its a high compliment.
Yeah, that's the one I aws thinking of, I have Great Space Battles and Spaceships 2000-2100 (what happened to those then?) from the TTA series, awesome stuff, had them since I was a nipper. Nice one finding it at a carboot, picked up some great stuff at those
Nice big crumbly castle-ma-jig there. And is that something about Lard Art and warhamsters beside it?
Think I have the Land Art, is that a taschen book? And the hamster one Think my old man has the Great Journeys, and I've probably seen the aztec/mayan art one before, but my ancient art books tend towards Asian art.
alchemist... now that is a real old and vernarable trade...and since this is all written communication here i tend to be a bit careful beforehand as one might get the words in a different than intended meaning... defiatly was meant as a rather crude form of compliment tho^^
Automatically Appended Next Post: by the way this mini is übercool^^
he is the one with the needle too. i like the cadian model though. but this was cheaper!
! i have to stop my self from having impulse buys i can least afford! and will never paint. ( keep in focus neil) Antal needs his army, its funny because the more modeling i do the more i want to play again. i think when i finish the praxian guard i will do a battle report with the boys! something for us to luck forward to finishing them for!
its like i love snow , but my snow readyometer doe not start working for at least 2 weeks! hope you guys keep wrapped up,but glad it gave you time to have a looksee , mate, i am trying to finish some stuff off, but i get so easily distracted, did that come accross 
, i think i wussed out a bit with Antal , will go back and finish him good.
no small part due to 2 elemants of the instructions being wrong, i made the tracks up as sprecified and it turns out that they were for the Mk5 version 
kicked out of it! Awesome job
That's me. Am doing my best unimpressed face. Unfortunately i couldn't find a picture of me marvelling at Neil's Amazing minis/Fluff/Artwork. Now that me and Vik have shown ourselves it's up to the big dog. Will you step up to the plate, Neil101 master of Praxus? 
and i cant take credit for the Grox picture , its from rogue trader . 
