Cheers, mate! And yeah, definitely I have all kinds of small trinkets and =][= symbols that will go on there as soon as the BA symbols have been shaved off

So, another small update on my current INQ28 activities:

For the last few weeks, I have mostly been tied up in a pretty big painting vow over at The Bolter & Chainsword, which actually had me paint more than 500 points for my World Eaters army -- quite an achievement for a lazy bum like myself

With that project now concluded, I have put a bit more work into my conversion of the Sanguinary priest -- noting not without chagrin that Kel has recently produced a really great conversion based on the same model, while I still struggle with my own version. Oh well...

I have started to remove most of the BA iconograpgy from the torso and replace it with Inquisitorial imagery. I have also replaced the model's feet with those from an old plastic chaos warrior, in order to make them look less Marine-y: It's a small thing, to be sure, but one that I think will work towards making this guy less like an Astartes. And I have followed weirdingway's suggestion, shaving off some plastic here and there to make sure the arms sit flush against the torso. And now I am messing around with different weapons and poses. I want to keep the chainsword, but the other arm is still up in the air, so to speak. Here are the options I am currently considering:

Sword and Tempestus Scion power fist:





Sword and shotgun:





I'd be happy to hear any suggestions you might have!

While reviewing my hobby year, I have also realised with shock that I only managed to paint a whopping FOUR models in 2014:



While I am fairly happy with each of them, I really want to put more work into my INQ28 collection this year -- especially since I kitbashed and converted lots and lots of INQ28 stuff last year. So keep your fingers crossed for me, okay?

Sang priest looks good! My only query - could be wrong because there's no side on pic but - he looks kinda like he's falling backwards?

2014 models look ace

I really like the Sanguinary Priest conversion so far, but I think it's suffering from two main issues at the moment. First, it still reads as a Marine. The head is a Space Wolf head, so it has those Marine proportions. I think an Empire head would give it more of a sense of a normal human wearing power armor. The arms from the Scions kit aren't quite different enough to make it look like non-Astartes power armor on their own, so I think that a head swap is essential to making the model look like a human in power armor. The second problem I see is that the model is unbalanced. The model leans to his left, both due to the position of the sword and the slant of the base. What I see when I see this model is a statue. It looks like a statue of a Marine that has tilted a bit. Neither the power fist or shotgun options offset the left-lean, so we're left with a model that looks static.
I think there's a way to make either right arm option work, though. Either pose would require the head to look to the right. If you want to try out the power fist, angle the right arm out, so it looks like he is using the power fist as a counter-weight for a massive swing with his chainsword. A yelling or grimacing head would help a lot here to convey the emotion. This solves the balance problem because the heavy power fist is held out to counter the left-lean, and sells the impending action of the model.
The shotgun solution is even simpler. By turning the head to the right (again, a more emotive head would help this pose out), instead of casually holding the shotgun up, he's now just shot someone in the face, his arm snapped up and body leaned back from the recoil. Or, he's about to level the shotgun at some poor sucker, and is preparing for the kick. Either way, an expressive head, pointed in the opposite direction of the body weight, will lend this piece the symmetry it needs to hold together.

(also, check my email!)

I think what DK said is very accurate. A head swap and repositioning of the head and maybe right arm would go a long way. As is, at least without a repose, I think the scenic base should go or at least be altered. On the humanizing aspect, perhaps the use of a human hand rather than marine one on the left arm would help too (although may complicate the sword-arm conversions somewhat).

Like I said before, excellent progress!

Cheers for the excellent feedback, guys! I think you're all spot on regarding the "tilting" effect -- which is why I got rid of the scenic base right away: It's not so cool that I cannot come up with something of equal quality that doesn't have the model looking like it's about to keel over

Regarding the rest of the model: Dexter, mate, your feedback is once again invaluable! I really didn't want to lose that head, but when I did, the model instantly started to look 100% less Space Marine-y. I also worked on the left arm some more. Take a look:





I really wanted to keep the shotgun, so I tried grafting it onto a different scion arm -- and that worked, if you ask me. I think the model seems far more balanced now. It would even be possible to go for a more "shooty" pose...



...although I have to say I prefer the more static version -- he just looks tough as nails like that. Thoughts?

Again, thanks for the excellent feedback, guys!

Nailed it. The static pose is way better. He looks like he's standing there shaking with psycho-anger. I can see the veins bulging in his forehead already.

Brilliant head looks awesome considered some kind of casting pose? He looks like a Psyker and something like a casting hand may be an interesting option.

Made all the difference! Great choice of head

Cheers, guys! Glad you like the updated version! If have your excellent feedback to thank for this, though

Oh, and I don't really see this guy as a psyker, if only because nearly every Inquisitor I have built so far has become a psyker in the end, so it feels more interesting to finally tackle a non-psyker character for a change

Yeah definitely don't make this guy a psyker. He's Monodominant to the core!

have you had any ideas about hid backpack yet i think he would look cool with a very thin spindly servo arm

 kencotter wrote:
have you had any ideas about hid backpack yet i think he would look cool with a very thin spindly servo arm

yes!

Cheers, guys!

Not sure about the servo-arm, to be honest -- I think I'd prefer this guy's silhouette to remain mostly uncluttered.

Anyway, here are some new pictures for you:









The blood drop dangling from the rosary has been replaced with an =][= symbol. I may have to add a detail or two, but be are basically looking at the finished build now.

And here's something that mostly came about due to messing around with some bitz on my desk, among them an old Lord Solar Macharius body:







Granted, the scion arms may need some fine tuning, but I think they lend a suitably imperious air to the model that I find myself strangely fond of.

As always, let me know what you think!

Really liking the staff can't help but feel an exquisite revolver might suit the other hand rather than that rather utilitarian power fist. He looks as if he needs something ostentatious and over the top with more bling.

@ Llamahead: That is an excellent point, mate -- so excellent, in fact, that I went to work right away, in order to make it happen. Unfortunately, it turned out the devil is in the details: I had this sweet, kitbashed archaeotech-pistol all set up, and then I realised the right arm ended up looking really stupid because the gun's body and barrel were much too long. So after much deliberation, I exchanged it with the plasma pistol from the plastic Commissar, and I am now once again mostly happy with the model again -- much ado about nothing, you might say...

I'll put up updated pictures as soon as I can.

What about some sort of crazy flintlock pistol from the Empire fantasy range?

@deadmeat85: I actually have a ton of those, but anything beyond a certain length will always end up looking very strange on this guy -- and those flintlock pistols are *very* long.

So, here are the pictures I promised: I did decide against the plasma pistol after all, choosing a pretty old Laspistol instead because it was closer to the original archaeotech idea, at least in design:







Not perfect, maybe, but a compromise I can live with -- for now...

Great ide really suits the old is best ethos of the Imperium.

Yep, I think it works as well. What about one of the DV cultist auto pistols?

The second Krautscientist thread i shamelessly subscribe to!

Thanks for the kind words, guys! I really appreciate it!

@ deadmeat85: Hmm, the autopistols did seem a bit too pedestrian for this guy, to be honest. Plus they are still rather bulky.

Have to agree really like this one and an ancient old weapon seems to fit him.

Hey everyone, a small update today: Here's a touchup to an earlier conversion of mine that I did a while ago but forgot to post:

You may remember this Inquisitor/Interrogator I converted from the plastic commissar, right?



To be honest, I wasn't 100% happy with the guy before, there was just something off about him for some reason. Back when I built him, I tried a different pair of legs, which seemed promising...



...but wasn't quite there, either. But a while ago, I tried replacing his original legs with a pair of legs from the Tempestus Scions, and I think this changes the overall look of the model rather drastically. Take a look:






I think he looks quite a bit more formidable and dynamic this way, wouldn't you agree?

If more dynamic is whatyou want to express, I agree. I liked the stiffness of the former concept, though. In connection with that huzzars' breast it radiated aristocratic pedigree, some kind of "keeping composure no matter what, stick this broomstick up your buttock". The original (now the middle) set of legs was too big, but the stance was perfect. The upper set with the rocky step adds a certain vibe of posing. And riding breeches, there is nothing better to make someone arrogant jerkface than letting him wear riding breeches without any intend to ride a horse.

I think it looks pretty cool myself and has an almost western shoot out style to it I like it so much so I might copy it

The original jodhpurs of the Commissar make the legs (particularly the right) seem wider than they are where the Scions legs are just incredibly wide; he looks like he has rickets or has been riding a horse too long ;P

To my mind, it would seem more natural if the legs were closer together but that would involve removing a section through the centre of the groin/pelvis.

I do like the stance using the Eisenkern legs too though. The body sits too high but if the very topmost part of the legs were removed down to just above the bottom part of the groin then again, they would appear more natural. Without getting too fixated on groins (!) you can see that the original is 2-3mm or so higher than with the Eisenkern legs and I think that is why they look not quite right.

YES! That's the winning pose right there dude. It's true, the Scion legs are freakishly spread apart. However, I feel that's a necessity of scale. At 28mm, certain features become so small as to be unnoticeable, so GW scales those features up to compensate. This is why hands and heads are disproportionately large on most GW models. I think the widely-spaced legs are another feature that fall into this category. Sure, if you examine them up close, and compare it to drawings of an actual person, they don't match up. However, when you look at it for what it is, the wider-spaced legs enhance the dynamic nature of the model, and balance it, providing a sense of stability.

Cheers for the feedback, guys!

I am really rather happy with the new legs, to be honest: The original legs made the model look very different: aloof and noble, but also somewhat "ineffectual", for lack of a better word: He didn't look like a character who would actually get to do anything much, but rather like an NPC, for some reason. I think the new legs really add some dynamism and agency to the model. And even though he may seem a bit squat now (mostly because he's leaning into the shot), I think it's far preferable to the previous version -- Dexter really hit the nail on the head with his reply, putting all of this far more succinctly than I could have.

PDH pointed out to me that the xenos-style pistol I had put together no longer fits the model's new look all that well, and we has totally right, of course! So I replaced it with a second autopistol, adding to the character's desperado look. I also got rid of that chain running from his lapel to his gun, while I was at it, because it became stranger and stranger the longer I looked at it -- I wonder why they put that chain there in the first place...?

Anyway, this is what the model looked like after a bit of impromptu surgery:



I am also so in love with this guy at the moment that I started painting him right away. Here's a look at the PIP model. Still a couple of finishing touches to be done, and the model's still missing its base, of course, but I think this guy is mostly done now:





As always, let me know what you think!

Doesn't exactly blow me away, but it's all neat.

Welp. Now that I've caught up on 22 pages...

Let me say thank you. Thank you for this thread, as well as all the other Inq28 crazies out there and thank you in particular for showing how some of the more simple conversions look rather nice when all done together.

Kind of happy as I rather love your World Eaters thread as well, but that's the long running Chaos player in me.

So, yes, continue.

I will go now and continue my own tiny little Inq28 warband as well as my other stuff and will keep an eye on tis glory.

Have to say with the interrogator so far...the head. The head is the thing that's got me scratching mine. Perhaps some stubble or fuzz is needed?

 Baiyuan wrote:
Doesn't exactly blow me away, but it's all neat.

I'm sorry to say it but I'm going to echo Baiyuan's sentiments here too. The conversion is technically good, the pose is dynamic, but it just seems to be missing something that makes him pop - some detail or ornamentation that brings the character to life. What is his background/what motivates him/etc.?

Part of it too may be a certain element of fatigue. The model is so ubiquitous and so often used for conversions that sadly it makes it difficult to make a conversion stand out.

Cheers for the feedback!

@ DarkStarSabre: Thanks for the kind words, mate! Glad to be of help!

@ Baiyuan & Dreadclaw69: Sorry, guys, but I don't really quite know what to tell you: I am really pleased with the model, but then I am heavily biased, of course: It's my model, for starters, and I know who this guy is supposed to represent: That he has a background with the Astra Militarum, possibly even as a junior commissar, but was taken in by an Inquisitor after an event that also cost him his right arm (and possibly his left eye). I also can't quite agree regarding the fatigue surrounding this particular base model, because I've only ever seen four or five conversions of it, so it still felt relatively fresh to me. But I suppose all of this will hardly change your mind, so thanks for the honest feedback! You can't win them all, I suppose...

So, a couple of finishing touches and one base later, here's Interrogator Brynn Yulner, right hand to Inquisitor Marius Solland (the Sanguinary Priest-based conversion shown earlier in this thread):







Most of the changes I've made since the last update aren't really all that noticeable, but I have to say that I am pretty happy with the model after all.

As always, let me know what you think!

What about a little stubble on his head? I think that would look pretty good, opposed to the current cue ball look. Unless there was some fluff that I missed...

Cheers, Rawson! While there's no fluff in place yet to explain his lack of hair, much of the character creation process focused on a conversation between DexterKong and myself about how this guy looked like Yul Brynner (hence his name, obviously), so I feel kinda obligated to keep that particular look


Finishing the interrogator model has given me such a surge of motivation that I 've started on yet another INQ28 model right away. And what better way to make the most of my creative energy than to tackle a model I was really nervous about, right?

Anyway, I chose my Golden Legion true scale Space Marine and dived right in. Here's the model after the first couple of painting steps:



And here's the model as it looks right now, with some of the details already blocked in, some washes in place etc.:



Still tons of work left to do, but at least I am confident enough to show him off right now

As always, let me know what you think!

He's looking really well. Have you decided on a colour for the sword, or pistol's coils?

such a nice colour for a spacemarine chapter i really like it. are you keeping the shoulder pads black i think a cream colour would really pop on them maybea as just squad markings as the black makes him quite menacing which is also good

My first response to seeing this guy was that his skin is PERFECT. This has got to be the best skin I've seen you paint. Don't do much more to it, right now it has a strikingly realistic look to it, and I'm afraid further highlights will ruin that. Definitely don't forget to pick out those service studs though.

As for the armor, I think you're off to a great start. The armor should be brighter though, with more extreme highlights. These guys should be gleaming and polished, so I think using a bright gold for highlights, with some light silver mixed in for final edge highlighting, will really lend them the appearance of the fastidiously flashy goons we've dreamed up. For his shoulder pads, we had discussed black and white checkers/halves/quarters with red squad markings and personal heraldry, although kencotter's recommendation of cream is interesting. He's right, cream would look great. Maybe make the white (if you do white) look a bit like ivory, with some bone and cream colored streaks? Similarly, the black sections could get maybe some very light blue markings, to make it look like marble? Just some ideas to make these guys really look like they've gone overboard when pimping out their armor.

Now, I know the glowing blue plasma coils and power weapons are a bit of a trademark for you, but I can't help but feel that those elements will detract from the overall feel of the model, and sort of separate the weapons from the armor. We want the weapons AND armor to both look like relics that are meticulously cared for by highly skilled artisans.

Also, I'm posting this here instead of emailing you because I promised you I wouldn't email you back without new WIP pics for you, and sadly I don't have any yet. Loophole!

Reminds me of Tyrus he looks menacing grim and aloof one of the Emperors wrathful angels.

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

I have done more work on the Marine. Now he really doesn't photograph all that well for some reason, plus he looks pretty different in hue when seen in daylight. With that out of the way, here he is with some additional details finished (or close to finished):





As for your various suggestions:

- you can see that I've decided to go with blue plasma coils after all. I don't know, it just seems to be some kind of obsession with me, sorry I do think it rather nicely complements the colour scheme in this case, though.

- Another, more silvery highlight is very likely at this point. It may take some time, however, since I tend to deliberate a lot, and there's also the fact that I can only really work on the golden armour in daylight

- I remain committed to the checkerboard pattern Dexter mentioned -- in fact, I am painting it right now, and I can already tell you that I am certainly no Jeff Vader when it comes to painting tiny details like that... I'll probably drop the red squad markings, though: There's just too little room on those shoulder pads, and I don't want it all to look too overly busy. Then again, seeing how this guy's backstory is that he can now longer serve in combat, but has rather been seconded to the council advising the sector governor, the lack of squad markings actually works, if you ask me: It makes him seem even more disconnected from his battle brothers...


Anyway, as you can see, there's still a fair bit of work to do until I can call him done, but I'd still love to hear your feedback, so let me know what you think!

EDIT: Update time, here's my first attempt at a checkerboard pattern on the Marine's shoulder pad. Damn you, Dexter, for talking me into this





It may not be perfect, but I'll have to leave it like that for now -- I am jittery enough as it is, for having tried something so far out of my comfort zone...

Such a lovely model. Too bad he has to be dumb and not wear his helmet. :(

 Kepora wrote:
Such a lovely model. Too bad he has to be dumb and not wear his helmet. :(

Cheers, mate! I don't really want to get drawn into another discussion about the practicality of bareheaded Marines, but I will say that I also built this chapter serf to serve as a helmet bearer:

Heh. Well, I suppose that helps a little.

EDIT: Also, after seeing all of this and having my first true Fantasy battle yesterday (And a victorious one, at that!), I've found myself pondering what your maniacally brilliant mind could develop for the devious Ratmen? Their zany contraptions and insane mutations/creations just seem right up your alley, so I may be coming to you for suggestions and advice for conversion and the likes. I want to field a Hellpit Abomination, for example, but my guys are more steampunk-y then flesh shape-y, so if you have any ideas, please let me know! Currently I'm thinking of something train-ish using a Doomwheel, Empire Steam Tank, and maybe some Ork bits...

EDIT 2: Also also, what plasma pistol is that? I love the extra bulk that model has!

Yes! Man, if that's what you got on your first attempt, I can't wait to see it after some cleanup. Really nice job on the checkers. I think when you've shaken off the jitters, going back with a small detail brush, and just pushing the edges of the checkers out here and there to make them all uniform size and make sure the curves that the shoulder pad gives them are consistent. From here, it should simply be a matter of back and forth between the black and the white, until you've got it to a point where you're happy with it. I think that the splotchy nature of the white is really nice. I know this is a result of the white going on top of a black undercoat, but I think it gives it a nice marble texture, don't you?

Great looking marine and topic in general. Tell me please those decorations on his knee pads, where are they from?

Kraut, that may be one of, if not the best model I've seen from you. The kitbash is solid, the parts fit together really well. The colour scheme is simple but eye-catching, and you're doing a good job breaking up all the gold areas.

Regarding the checkerboard, I've heard quite often that the trick of them is to do a line highlight along the top corner. Make it sharp and neat, and it'll fool the eye into thinking the lines are more even than they are.

Best of luck finishing him off!

Again, thanks so much for the enthusiastic feedback! I am really happy that this guy seems to be going over so well with you, seeing how he is so very experimental for me, even though it may not look like it

@ Kepora: I'd be happy enough to throw some ideas around -- let's take it somewhere else, though -- maybe via PM?

@ Dexter: Oh, you're absolutely right about the required cleanup on the checkers. For now, though, I'll just bask in the glory of my achievement so far, if it's all the same to you

@ dubovac: Cheers, mate! Those are little ornaments from the plastic WFB Empire cannon kit, I believe.

@ Archmagos_Amadeus: Thanks for the kind words! I'll have to try that!


Anyway, I'll be away on a work related assignment for most of the coming week, and so I probably won't see my modeling and painting supplies until the weekend. So here's a final update (for now) on the Marine:





And yes, those checkers still need some more cleanup work, but at least I've managed to paint my first red jewel in twenty years or so that doesn't look like a cherry below them



As always, let me know what you think!

Just to clarify, I think Dreadclaw and I came to the same conclusion based on different foundations.
I didn't mean to criticise the modelling or idea.

All I actually meant to say, was that he looks kind of understated. When it comes to henchmen, he's not the outlandish weirdo who manages to stick out of all the other weirdos that constitute the 40th millenium in general and the inquisition especially.
Considering what he is, it makes sense of course.
It's the story that makes the character and that's also why you are naturally heavily biased, Kraut.
For you he's a fully fleshed out character, where every bit makes sense.
For me it's a solid conversion without a real point of interest and that's at least partially due to the fact, that I don't know or didn't bother to read the fluff and therefore cannot appreciate the little nods to his background story.

That gunslinger model is a solid build, but I find the bionics on that particular head to be too bulky, IMHO it unbalances the head on what is otherwise a fluidly-posed miniature. The painting is good though, particularly on the face. The Space Marine is great, although now you've painted him, you're going to have to paint his entourage as well

@ Baiyuan: Fair enough, mate, fair enough! However, it has to be said that I was consciously going for something different than an outlandish freak on this model -- I have a whole box of demented, freakshow retainers for INQ28, so it was nice to try something a little more subdued for a change. He will likely serve as Interrogator to an Inquisitor of the Ordo Militum, so the no nonsense angle actually suits him rather nicely, I suppose.

@ Turaxs: Cheers, man. I get what you're saying about the bulky bionics, but there's a bit of a story there, if you look closely: He has cabling that feeds both into his bionic arm and into his optic implants, and I thought it would be a nice way of showing how he chose a bulky set of implants like that in order to give him an edge in battle and turn a disability into an asset -- see my Ordo Militum comment above.


Anyway, in other news, I am back home with my paints and modeling supplies, and I've tucked right in: Here's Praetor Janus Auriga of the Golden Legion, whom we will call finished (for now):















I actually did perform some minor cleanup work on his left pauldron, but mostly to bring the checkers below the laurel wreath into alignment with the ones above it (well, mostly...):



I am really rather happy with the way it looks now, all things considered.

As always, let me know what you think!

Awesome true scale there Dude.

Are those the emperors children forgeworld terminator legs?

Only thing missing is a pic of him towering over a puny human. (Basically can you please do this pic thanks )

Cheers, mate! The legs are actually from the standard, unadorned Tartaros Terminators -- I just added two plastic lion ornaments from the WFB Empire cannon kit. The EC Terminator legs would have been an excellent alternative, though, now that you mention it...

And since you're asking so nicely, you shall have your scale comparison shot -- in a second, that is

Before that, allow me to share yet another model that I have just finished -- I seem to be on fire right now


I give you Sister Euphrati Eisen, of the Order of the Martyred Sword:









One thing I am particularly proud of is that I even managed to give her a beauty spot on her left cheek:



As you can see, there's some minor texture buildup on her cheek, due to the colour I used. This would normally have killed me, but in the end, I think it could represent some slight scarring on her face, which seems a nice fit for a Sister of Battle (and is an element that keeps appearing throughout most of the artwork).


And here's the scale comparison requested by JoeRugby, in order to show you how how Brother Auriga looks next to standard (read: roughly Cadian sized) humans:





As always, let me know what you think!

VERY nice! After seeing all the cool Chaos and Imperial stuff you've done, I can't help but wonder what more Iron Warriors shenanigans might look like. Or, alternatively, what kinds of cool stuff you could pull off with Tau-themed stuff!

Gotta Say that 1 aquila on the chest plate of the sister makes it not look like dark eldar

Well done.

Thanks for the scale pic.

I know originally I'd said the marine looked static, but now that he's painted up he looks great. Very imposing.

That Sister looks sweet too.

Great looking Marine mate. and a bits list on that sister is a must !

Thanks for the enthusiastic feedback, guys! Really glad you like the model!

@ Kepora: The funny thing is: If I weren't so in love with my World Eaters, I'd probably be an IW player -- they are easily one of my favourite legions! Maybe I should finally paint that Warpsmith I converted what feels like ages ago. Hmmm... As for Tau, I'm sorry to say that I don't find them all that interesting. I do have that one Tau Samurai, though:



Frok the E'do sept, obviously

@ Desubot: I think you may be right -- that aquila is possibly the most important part of the entire conversion! Strange, isn't it?

@ JoeRugby: You're welcome!

@ Medium of Death: Yeah, I didn't want him to be dynamic. Like, at all. I think the impassable, immovable look rather suits him

@ neil101: Cheers, mate! I am very happy to oblige, of course. Let's see:

- The leg and torso are from a Dark Eldar Kabalite warrior and remain mostly unchanged. The only exceptions are that amazing aquila bit (I have absolutely no idea where it got that or where it's from!) and a Fleur de Lys shaved off a Bretonnian bit.
- The head came from the plastic gunner that comes with the SoB Immolator kit
- the upper arms and the left forearm are shaved down parts from the WFM Empire Knights (from the Knights of the White Wolf, to be exact)
- the right forearm is from the Bretonnian Knights
- the bolt pistol came from the Cadian command squad, IIRC
- the backpack was spliced together from a cut-down GK backpack with a GK heraldic plate, some vents from a DV Chosen backpack and an iron halo from a servo-skull
- I also added some purity seals, pouches and decorative gubbinz that I cannot pinpoint accurately -- the kind of stuff any INQ28 modeler has heaps of

Hope this helps!

Hey, it actually looks pretty cool - and could make a good basis for an Ethereal conversion, probably. In particular, though, I'm interested in seeing what you could do with a Crisis suit. Hell, I have a few incomplete conversions; I may have to shoot one of them your way and see what magic happens! Plus, it'd be good to have for =I= stuff, hm?

You know, I did actually convert one of my cousin's old Crisis Suits at one point, in an attemp to make it look far more dynamic: I'll just have to paint it at some point, in a very clean, Gundam-esque way. Here it is:

Meh, don't fall into the 'Gundam' trope. And that head's begging for attention!

But yeah. I play Tau, and I want to do a full-on Battlesuit army with Farsight Enclaves, but that model is just so...meh. :( I'm always trying to find a way to make something like a decent-looking waist, more proportional/useful arms, etc.

Though, I DID start collaborating with a guy on ATT to make a 3d-printed Riptide-esque torso to mate with a Broadside lower half...



Thoughts?

Mate, I don't know: I'm not that much into Tau, to be honest. One thing that I will say is that the suits always felt a bit too tubby for me, given the animé look GW were obviously aiming for...

Anyway, a small update today: Don't you just love it when a totally unimportant little project works so well that it gives you loads of motivation? That happened to me today:

I was taking a break from playing around with the new Bloodthirster kit, when I came across the little Bolter Cherub that I want to use for Janus Auriga's mini-retinue. Anyway, the problem with the model was that most of the metal used to attach it to a slottabase had been cut off, so he was kinda imbalanced. Luckily enough, I still had that bit of stone from the Sanguinary Priest, and that served as a solid base for the little guy. So I added some cork and Agrellan Earth, and now the cherub has a rock solid base and is ready for painting:



Certainly nothing spectacular, right? But this then gave me the motivation I needed to start painting a wonderful, self-sculpted model that Drone21c kindly sent me some time ago. I believe the model is very strongly base on this piece of artwork by JB:



So I started painting, and while this guy is nowhere near finished yet, he is certainly getting there. Take a look:









I think he'll make for an excellent High-officiant, Arch-Deacon or even Cardinal of the Velsen Ecclesiarchy, once he's done! Thanks again to Drone21c for letting me have this amazing model!

And as always, let me know what you think!

Great work on the Sister of Battle

Cheers, mate!

Here's the mostly finished Imperial dignitary: I think I'll leave him like that for now:









You will probably have noticed that he doesn't have a finished base yet -- I think this will become a little project of its own, because I think this guy would look great with a lectern, a pulpit, or even atop some kind of (optional) walking servitor-shrine or hideous, vatgrown monstrosity carrying him on its back -- we shall see...

Hmm, nothing to say? Anyone...?

Anyway, update time: I have another model to show you today, and in a shocking twist of events, it's another model that wasn't created by me

One event that made me particularly happy last year was when Ron Saikowski got in touch with me late last autumn. For those of you who don’t know Ron (and shame on you, if you don’t!): He used to run an absolutely excellent hobby site called From the Warp, a very prolific resource for excellent hobby advice, and a site that was very important for me when I got back into the hobby in 2010, after a longer hiatus.

Ron unfortunately no longer updates the site, so I was still very happy to hear from him. Anyway, to make a long story short, Ron is still in the hobby, and I think that alone is an excellent thing!

Things became really awesome, however, when we talked about an old model of Ron’s that I really love: An Imperial mystic he converted and painted. The model has a very grimdark, Blanchian look, which was probably the main reason why I liked it so much. Now imagine my surprise when Ron simply suggested sending it to me as a gift! And he did! Take a look:







A wonderfully evocative piece or work! And it’s now mine! MUHAHAHA…erm, sorry –got a bit carried away there. Anyway, I am really happy to have come into the possession of a great model like this, created by one of my favourite hobbyists, no less! What makes this even better, though, is that the model’s Blanchian feel is no coincidence: The character was actually based on a piece of artwork depicting an Astropath by none other than John Blanche.

I think this actually further enriches an already great model! I also think that Ron has really managed to capture the mood of the original illustration. Oh, and for those of you who want to learn more about the model’s creation, I recommend you check out Ron’s original post on the matter here on From the Warp.

It goes without saying that I am really, really grateful to Ron for this amazing gift! The Astropath, named Skorin Saikov in Ron’s honour, will be a treasured part of my collection, and certainly an interesting character for all INQ28 related adventures in the Velsen Sector…

Oh you impossibly lucking snotling. That's an awesome gift Kraut. Congrats.

Good to hear Ron's still in the game, his blog was one of my favourites back in the day

That's an excellent looking miniature! I'm quite jelly! Actually gives me some thoughts to go back to converting my imperial guard and my techpriests...

Must...resist..

 KrautScientist wrote:

For some reason, the demeanour of this figure makes me think that the mecha-skull perched on his head is actually the one in charge....

Cheers, guys!

Another - very small - update today:

First up, I made a last minute addition to my kitbashed Sister of Battle:







I realised I still had a resin piece with a SoB helmet left from the 40k basing kit, and I thought it would be really neat to have her wear her helmet clipped to her belt, so I made some touchups accordingly.



And I also have another WIP model to show you, one that I am really happy with -- even more so because it was mostly a happy accident.

This is Lord Sebastianus Danver Balzepho Vlachen, great-nephew (and possible heir) to the (ailing) governor of the Velsen Sector:





The character has been existing for some time in the back of my head, and now I have a model to represent him: He's a powerful Imperial noble and a shrewd political manipulator -- and maybe even a downright heretic. I haven't decided yet
But he is a powerful and influential political figure, and I wanted the model to embody his power as well as his arrogance, with just a tiny hint of foppishness thrown in for good measure.

As always, let me know what you think!

I like the fact that he has a disfiguring facial scar. Like a fencing wound. Very regal, and yet arrogant like he's done it on purpose to be imposing. I like that he's carrying a laurel. Like he's too good to put it on his head, but still recognizes its significance.

The addition of the helmet to the SoB is a great touch, it makes her look as if she jumped into action on a short notice and didn't take the time to wear it.
As for the great-nephew guy, I like a lot!! He is at the same time majestic as , annoyed by the commoners that waste his time, a little foolish in his arrogance, and yet someone not to be messed with!! Just great

That figures got character an excellent use of the Scion kit

Thanks for the kind words, guys: I am really glad Lord Vlachen seems to have exactly the look I wanted to convey: The laurel wreath was a spontaneous touch that serves as a bit of a metaphor for his ambition and his desire to rule the sector, and having it on the model just feels so right. And while I am a bit of a GW purist normally, I think those Eisenkern legs really give him just the right posture.

Since I was really happy with the model (and feedback has been very positive so far), I've glued most of the model together now -- except for that overcoat, which will be kept as a separate bit in order to make painting the model easier:





You may be able to see the sword I added to his hip in the pictures, although the sheath is just barely visible. I thought it would make sense for a proud and militaristic character like him to be wearing a weapon like that -- but what do you think: Does he look better with or without the sword? Someone on one of the German forums pointed out that the total absence of weapons adds to the air of arrogance and power. I would love to hear your take on this!

He would have a sword and believe he was good with it I always presumed he was armed I'd thought his ring was a digital weapon....

 KrautScientist wrote:
You may be able to see the sword I added to his hip in the pictures, although the sheath is just barely visible. I thought it would make sense for a proud and militaristic character like him to be wearing a weapon like that -- but what do you think: Does he look better with or without the sword? Someone on one of the German forums pointed out that the total absence of weapons adds to the air of arrogance and power. I would love to hear your take on this!

I think that the sword is a great touch for two reasons;
1) It is a reminder of his nobility. It isn't a more obviously violent weapon like a firearm, it is refined and elegant. It gives the impression of a skilled gentleman prepared to settle personal matters via a duel
2) For when he conducts his political business it is a reminder that he is at heart a military figure, and he has the force to back up his goals.

That may also play up to his background. The sword is a deliberate addition to cultivate his image. Perhaps it is a relic of his household, from the first of his line to rule the planet after it was settled.

I think he needs a sword, but I think having it on his person isn't the best way to do it. As it is now, the sword will be mostly hidden behind his legs and coat, and if you paint it so that it stands out, that will throw off the composition of the model, I think. Instead, I think this guy needs a little minion to carry around his sword for him. On a velvet pillow, most likely.

Hey guys, something painted for a change: Here's a conversion I have been wanting to paint for ages, and now I've finally managed to do so: A veteran Hive Cop:









The base model was the pilot from the Black Reach boxed set, a great little one-off figure, if you ask me. I merely added a stun baton and some additional gear (the glove struck me as something every policeman should have for when things get rough, and the Skitarii helmet was a great fit for a security agent).

When it came to painting the model, I tried to go for a 19th century Night Watchman vibe, if that makes any sense: I am seeing this guy as a tough-as-nails Hive Cop who knows the wrong side of the monorail tracks like the back of his hand

And with that, I have already surpassed my 2014 INQ28 quota of four finished models. Here are the last few characters I've painted this year:



And, of course, Praetor Janus Auriga:



And, in closing, here's a quick look at my entire painted collection so far (more on this at a different point):



As always, let me know what you think!

Looks like a great collection so far!

My favourite is probably the sister of battle

My favourite is probably the sister of battle

Mine, too. All great characters, every fig telling a life, but she has such a beautiful face... beautiful executed. (Heh. Beauty and execution, two words that fit exactly to a battle sis!)

Brilliant modelling and wonderful painting!

A great collection. I like the range of silhouettes and poses they have. I also notice that there's a subtly consistent colour theme to all of them.

 KrautScientist wrote:
Hmm, nothing to say? Anyone...?

Anyway, update time: I have another model to show you today, and in a shocking twist of events, it's another model that wasn't created by me

One event that made me particularly happy last year was when Ron Saikowski got in touch with me late last autumn. For those of you who don’t know Ron (and shame on you, if you don’t!): He used to run an absolutely excellent hobby site called From the Warp, a very prolific resource for excellent hobby advice, and a site that was very important for me when I got back into the hobby in 2010, after a longer hiatus.

Ron unfortunately no longer updates the site, so I was still very happy to hear from him. Anyway, to make a long story short, Ron is still in the hobby, and I think that alone is an excellent thing!

Things became really awesome, however, when we talked about an old model of Ron’s that I really love: An Imperial mystic he converted and painted. The model has a very grimdark, Blanchian look, which was probably the main reason why I liked it so much. Now imagine my surprise when Ron simply suggested sending it to me as a gift! And he did! Take a look:







A wonderfully evocative piece or work! And it’s now mine! MUHAHAHA…erm, sorry –got a bit carried away there. Anyway, I am really happy to have come into the possession of a great model like this, created by one of my favourite hobbyists, no less! What makes this even better, though, is that the model’s Blanchian feel is no coincidence: The character was actually based on a piece of artwork depicting an Astropath by none other than John Blanche.

I think this actually further enriches an already great model! I also think that Ron has really managed to capture the mood of the original illustration. Oh, and for those of you who want to learn more about the model’s creation, I recommend you check out Ron’s original post on the matter here on From the Warp.

It goes without saying that I am really, really grateful to Ron for this amazing gift! The Astropath, named Skorin Saikov in Ron’s honour, will be a treasured part of my collection, and certainly an interesting character for all INQ28 related adventures in the Velsen Sector…

Glad to hear that Ron's still in the hobby. From the warp is/was one of the most awesome of places. I still refer to it. Sad to hear he's not gonna update it anymore. Really really great stuff there. Great guy but some great advice and methods to share.

Just joined in. Nice work on the Praetor. He looks very imposing. Great collection btw. Is that a Boba fett in the back? My favourite of course is the monkey with hat

Cheers for the kind words, people! I really appreciate it!

@ ThunderFury 2757 & Hruotland: Cheers, guys! She's one of my favourites as well!

@ Januine: Agreed on all accounts where Ron is concerned!

@ ckig: That is indeed my 40k take on Boba Fett -- built as a bit of an in-joke, but I like the model well enough.


Anyway, as it happens, I am already hard at work on the next model -- here's a PIP of Cpt. Esteban Revas, former regimental champion of the 165th Haaruthian Dragoons, yet another of my older INQ28 conversions:







He's not quite finished yet, and I am not yet 100% happy with the model for some reason, so any feedback you might have would be much appreciated!

Not sure how you couldn't be 100% happy with that . The only thing that I think draws too much attention is the blue sash on the leg, maybe a different color there, but really not a deal killer for me.

Looks good to me, a bit more contrast maybe.

I'm glad you painted this guy up! I actually was thinking about him the other day as I was planning out my own Inq28 retinue

My only suggestion would be to put some extra effort into his face. Right now there is so much going on with the model that "he" gets a bit lost. Add eyes, maybe an extra highlight (though that might get complicated if you're happy with the tone now...). My $.02.

Cheers
Rawson

I've said it before. I REALLY like the Reyes model, can't see a whole lot to improve on there tbh.

Cheers for the feedback, guys!

Some people over at the Ammobunker pointed out to me that the big purity seal may be a part of the problem, both because it draws attention away from the face and because it seems to be flapping in a breeze that magically ignores the helmet plume So I changed that putity seal, and here's how it looks right now:









I think it already looks quite a bit more natural., and the colours are also somewhat less washed out in these latest pictures. Thoughts?

Great color choice on this guy! The black and gold armor paired with the khaki pants and blue accent really sell it for me. I DO think that he has a bit too much contrast around his groin, to the point of being comical. From what I know about his character, he isn't the one to walk around with a giant, flesh-colored testicle-pouch on display for everyone to check out. Other than that, I think he's really great so far.

Cheers, Dexter! So glad you like him! As for his groin, sheesh, that stupid codpiece! I originally had it in a different colour, but that looked even worse. Anyway, maybe I'll return to it at some point, but only if inspiration strikes Until then, here's Esteban Revas, complete with base. I think I am going to call him finished:









Not only is Esteban one of my oldest INQ28 conversions, but also one of the characters with the most substantial backstory in my collection, so allow me to share his background with you as well:


Esteban Revas was born the second son to Haaruthian noble and famous war hero Bestrald Salazar Revas (first through the breach at Aisenfeld!). With his brother Ramon inheriting the vast family holdings, it was obvious that Esteban’s career lay with the military. He quickly had to learn, however, that this life pursuit would always be overshadowed by the exploits of a father he had scarcely known and whose only legacy to him, apart from a pair of enormous footsteps to fill, was the service of one Trooper Salvador “Sal” Koltz, a crafty and unexpectedly cunning individual, having sworn his life to serving the Revas family after being saved on the battlefield by Bestrald Revas.

Esteban served diligently in the Haaruthian military, making Captain rank in the 126th Haaruthian Dragoons before his 30th birthday and earning his fair share of recommendations and orders of merit. However, he could never quite shake off the feeling that he wasn’t living up to the Revas family name.

As is the norm with Haaruthian aristocrats, Esteban lived by a code of honour and chivalry that, though romantic, was often thoroughly at odds with the realities on the battlefields. So while the upper echelons of the Haaruthian Dragoons would pride themselves on being chivalrous and gentlemanly, the rank and file would quickly find out that honour and sportsmanship held very little value in trenches and on battlefields across the sector. To Esteban’s merit, and maybe through regular contact with his rather down to earth retainer Koltz, he saw the problems of the clashing philosophies of warfare, and while imbued with a certain arrogance and pompousness, wouldn’t tolerate unfairness and wanton wasting of lives by fellow officers. However, this led his superiors to suspect that “Bestrald’s boy” might be too soft for the soldier’s life, and Esteban found himself relegated to more and more pedestrian assignments, which enforced his feeling of failing the family name.

His one escape from this feeling was to seek out an area of expertise that would not fall under the long shadow cast by his late father, so he took up Haaruthian fencing, dedicating himself to becoming a swordsman without compare. His performance in the various contests held both on his homeworld and between different guard regiments earned him the praise of his superiors and the rank of “Regimental Champion”.

It was in this capacity that Revas was called back to Haaruthia along with his regiment when the world was hosting the Festival of the Sword Saint: The aim of this event, held every ten years in honour of the Imperial martyr Sabasto, was to select the best swordsman of the entire sector.

Esteban trained for the festival like he had never trained for anything in his life, seeing this as his one chance at eclipsing his father’s glory and thus finally proving worthy of the family name. And his efforts were even magnified when it became known that Lord Sebastianus Danver Balzepho Vlachen, the sector governor’s own grand-nephew would be attending the festival: The man’s enthusiasm for swordplay was well known, and Esteban hoped that he would maybe even be able to suitably impress him to be offered a position in his personal retinue. That would give him a chance to finally gain advancement and prove his worth.

Esteban was overjoyed when he was among those selected to serve as liaison officers for Lord Vlachen’s retinue, hoping to earn his ear and sympathies even before the actual festival began. Those hopes were rebuked, though, when Esteban’s superior told him that he was not to serve the lord himself, but rather Inquisitor Erasmus Gotthardt, travelling with the retinue. Esteban had heard whispers of the man, of course: Gotthardt had been suspected of being an accomplice in the attack on a fellow Inquisitor, but the Inquisitorial Conclave at Pervatia Secundus had exonerated him. Still, even beyond the Ordos, a shadow of doubt remained. Esteban felt like he had been passed over yet again.

His first meeting with Inquisitor Gotthardt did little to put his mind at rest: Gotthardt seemed like a frail and broken man, still weak from his questioning at the hands of his fellow Inquisitors. Still, Esteban was determined to perform admirably in his service as a guide and liaison to the Inquisitor, even though he was barely able to mask his disappointment.

Over the next days, though, Esteban had little time to lament his misfortune, for as a Regimental Champion, he was himself a participant in the festival, trying to excel for the honour of his regiment. The rest of his time was filled with answering all kinds of questions from Inquisitor Gotthardt, whose frail appearance couldn’t conceal a razor sharp mind.

Esteban’s performance in the contest was flawless: Where his superiors might have been able to stall his advance in the regiment, they were powerless against his brilliance with a pair of fencing irons: Though the festival had attracted noted swordsmen from all over the sector, one enemy after another was defeated by Esteban’s superior swordsmanship. And even Lord Vlachen had begun to notice the young captain winning such honour for both his regiment and his homeworld.

The presence of such a high dignitary was not a coincidence, of course: Haaruthia’s noble houses had long been trying to elevate their world in the sector, and they hoped to be able to interest Lord Vlachen in Haaruthia’s young ruler, archduchess Cyrine di Cristofalo Civatte. If they were able to arrange a marriage, Haaruthia’s ruling family would finally have ties to the Imperial house governing the sector, elevating the world’s importance above that of its rivals. So the Haaruthian aristocrats made sure that Lord Vlachen and the archduchess met each other at as many social functions as possible, and the fact that a Haaruthian had managed to become such a likely candidate to win the contest was an additional boon to the plan.

The final day of the competition came, and the fight between Esteban and his last remaining rival, a master swordsman from the Alcain system, drew a massive crowd. Many nobles from all around the sector were in attendance, as were the archduchess and Lord Vlachen. It was in front of this crowd that Esteban managed to best his opponent, winning the contest and becoming, for all intents and purposes, the best fencer in the whole sector.

Esteban was beyond himself with joy. He had managed to become the pride of both his homeworld and regiment, and he nearly burst with pride as Lord Vlachen himself toasted his victory during the lavish celebrations. In fact, the sector governor’s relative suggested a friendly sparring between Esteban and himself, wanting to “sample the best Haaruthia had to offer”. It seemed like Esteban was at long last given the recognition he had craved for such a long time. Only Inquisitor Gotthardt seemed taciturn and sullen, which Esteban saw as petty jealousy on the old man’s part.

In any case, Esteban was determined to perform at his absolute best during the sparring match with Lord Vlachen: The latter seemed like a man of honour, and Esteban was reasonably certain Lord Vlachen was testing him, trying to ascertain whether Esteban was worthy of his time.

Shortly before the fight, Esteban’s superior requested his presence. Esteban suspected that it was merely to wish him luck, but he was wrong. The superior made it perfectly clear that Esteban was to lose the match. Haaruthia’s future was at stake here, and the petty ambitions of one man could not be allowed to stand in the way of Haaruthia’s manifest destiny. In order for a possible match between Lord Vlachen and the archduchess to remain an option, the lord was not to be slighted by losing a sparring match against a mere soldier.

Esteban’s insides turned to ice. But he was a soldier, so he obeyed.

The fight came, and Esteban quickly found out that losing convincingly could be just as difficult a task as winning: Lord Vlachen may have been a powerful noble, but he was an average fencer at best. But Esteban did as he was told, losing the match to the nobles’ polite applause.

Then, with the battle already decided, Lord Vlachen contemptuously gave Esteban a deep cut on his cheek, using the sharp point of his dueling irons. Turning away from his bleeding opponent and facing the crowd, Lord Vlachen announced that he was disappointed that even Haaruthia’s best fencer was not able to best him, claiming the title of the best swordsman in the whole sector should, by all rights, be his. The Haaruthian nobles were only too happy to oblige.

For the rest of the night, Esteban was left to nurse his wound as well as his wounded pride, while the nobility was quick to congratulate Lord Vlachen on his victory and his newly acquired trophy. Then, as the small hours of the morning drew near, Vlachen and the archduchess rose. In a bid to woo the powerful noble, Haaruthia’s young ruler had invited him to a tour of the palace gardens by night. Vlachen accepted, and requested none other than Esteban to guard the both of them, along with Vlachen’s personal bodyguard. This was to be Esteban’s “consolation prize”. Again, he obeyed.

After strolling through the gardens for a while, Vlachen and the archduchess retired to one of the luxurious parlors to have a conversation in private, ordering Vlachen’s bodyguard and Esteban to stand guard outside. Esteban was feeling ridiculed and uneasy in equal measures, but what was he to do?

After a while, a female scream came from within the parlor, making Esteban draw his weapons and run inside to protect the archduchess. Only for a split second did he wonder why Vlachen’s own bodyguard seemed largely unfazed, even amused, by the situation.

Inside the parlor, Esteban witnessed Lord Vlachen forcing himself upon the young archduchess. Lady Cyrine was trying her best to fight him off, but this only seemed to make him even more aroused. Esteban knew about the nobility’s plan to offer up the archduchess to Vlachen in a bid for more power and influence, yet when he now looked at Cyrine, he saw nothing but a frightened child. So he demanded that Vlachen step away from the archduchess and be arrested for his crimes against House Civatte. But the powerful noble only laughed, leering at Esteban that, after all, he had promised to sample the best Haaruthia had to offer.

When Esteban remained steadfast, Vlachen ordered his bodyguard to take care of the matter, and the man drew his own weapon, engaging Esteban in a fencing duel to the death. Vlachen’s bodyguard was a masterful fencer in his own right, but in the end, he was no match for the regimental champion of the 126th Haaruthian Dragoons: Esteban killed the man and tried again to apprehend Vlachen. The noble was furious by now, proclaiming that he would succeed where his subordinate had failed. After all, he had already beaten Esteban once. Drawing his sword, Vlachen flew at him in a blind rage.

But Vlachen wouldn’t have been able to best Esteban during the contest, had the fight been on equal footing, and he learned so now to his detriment: Only a few flurries of attacks and ripostes, then Esteban sliced Vlachen's face open with a well-placed attack. Howling with pain, the lord collapsed, surrendering his weapon, while Esteban tried to console the shaken archduchess.

But then, the palace guards arrived, alerted by the commotion. Vlachen ordered them to arrest Esteban, who he said was a dangerous traitor that had killed his trusted servant and friend, and had also attempted to assassinate the archduchess. Only by Vlachen’s intervention had the worst been averted, but his bravery had seen him grievously wounded by the traitor’s hand. Esteban was immediately seized and taken into custody.

After a night of questioning and thorough beatings, Esteban’s superior arrived to present him with a rundown of the situation. The case seemed simple enough: His ambition and pride spurned by losing to Vlachen, Esteban had tried to get his revenge on the noble. He had also tried to hurt or even kill the archduchess, seeing her as the reason his personal ambitions had been shattered. He was sure to be found guilty, and death by firing squad was the obvious outcome.

Esteban professed his innocence, pointing out the archduchess would be able to vouch for the purity of his motives. His superior coldly claimed that the archduchess would do no such thing: Once again, Haaruthia’s fate was at stake. One man’s life was a small price to pay. With that, he left Esteban. Then the interrogations resumed.

After a day and a night, the questioners suddenly let up, and the door to the interrogation room opened, admitting none other than Inquisitor Gotthardt. The Inquisitor claimed that, as a member of the Ordo Hereticus, he was claiming jurisdiction over Esteban’s case on the grounds that there might be a heretical background. Though Esteban’s superior protested, Gotthardt told him in no uncertain terms that his authority in this was absolute and had best not be questioned.

When they were alone, Gotthardt asked Esteban to present his own side of the story. Esteban told him about the events that had transpired, and Gotthardt seemed thoughtful. Then he left.

The next day, Esteban was visited by his brother Ramon. Once again, he professed his innocence, but his brother only told him that he had brought an irrevocable stain to their family’s proud name. He also informed him that, as far as he was concerned, he no longer had a brother. Then he too left.

Esteban was shattered. His whole life had been spent striving to do the honourable thing and thereby doing justice to his family name. But now, he had damned both himself and his family by doing what was right. And nobody was prepared to acknowledge the truth. Esteban was just about ready to face the execution detail, and that is what he told Inquisitor Gotthardt when the old man returned to his cell.

Gotthardt had other plans. He told Esteban that Lord Vlachen had already left the planet, furious and eager to never return. Haaruthia’s nobles were in an uproar, most of them crying for blood. Esteban’s blood. However, Gotthardt had also talked in private with the archduchess, and Lady Cyrine had corroborated Esteban’s version of events, if only unofficially. In any case, there would be no way to rehabilitate Esteban, for Haaruthia’s ruling class had simply chosen not to acknowledge the truth. He would lose his rank, his title and his name would be struck from the regimental records. And he would die by firing squad. Or he could join Inquisitor Gotthardt, to become a member of his retinue.

Esteban laughed at the idea: Everything he had ever cared for was lost to him now. Why take the coward’s way out just to save his life? If that was his only option to survive, he would rather die. This was his choice, if he had any say in the matter.

Gotthardt agreed that the choice was ultimately his. However, Esteban had learned that there was a distinction between doing what was accepted and doing what was right. He had taken a decision, and that decision now made him eligible for service in Gotthardt’s retinue. The old man told Esteban that he was not offering him a stay of his death warrant. He was offering him a chance to do the Emperor’s work. He also informed him that one Trooper Koltz had tried, repeatedly and in danger of being executed himself, to intervene on Esteban’s behalf. Then he left Esteban once more, to give him time to think.

Shortly afterwards, Inquisitor Erasmus Gotthardt of the Ordo Hereticus and his retainers left Haaruthia for destinations unknown.

To date, there is no mention of a soldier called Esteban Revas in the regimental records of the 126th Haaruthian Dragoons. Lord Ramon Gaius Belsazar of House Revas has repeatedly distanced himself from the actions of his late brother who was, by all accounts, a notorious felon at best and maybe even a dangerous heretic.

The last remaining trace Esteban has left on his homeworld Haaruthia is the boarding list in the memory engrams of a servitor doing service in the hangars of the Asuncion spaceport, noting that Inquisitor Gotthardt’s retinue numbered exactly two persons more when he left Haaruthia than when he arrived.


As always, let me know what you think!

Absolutely awesome. Loved that. Nicely written and a cracking wee piece of fluff. What will the future hold for fallen Esteban?!!

Please say Lord Vlachen and most of the Haaruthian nobility are secretly heretics! it would be interesting to see Lady Cyrine join the retinue as well. Psyker maybe?
Good model and background!

Esteban looks great, I love the black armour with the gold trim, am I right in thinking that the black is metallic? (Just because to me it looks like it is and just wondering if my eyes are old!)

Cheers, guys!

@ Januine: Thanks -- as for Esteban's future, he may be Interrogator material, this one

@ Chaos Emperor: Haha, the Haaruthian nobles are basically just opportunists, but the young Lord Vlachen will turn out to be a bit of an evil bastard. I haven't decided yet whether or not he'll be an actual heretic -- maybe he's just a shrewd political animal whose maneuvring puts him dangerously close to very dangerous people...? We'll see...

As for Cyrine, while she won't join any retinue (she is a planetary governess, after all, if only as a figurehead), there will be a character by the name of Elisha Gorgo (daughter of a noble family and a hidden psyker), whose relationship with Esteban will be somewhat complicated due to the fact that she reminds him of Cyrine:



@ Calibanite Lion: You are quite right -- well spotted! I did mix the slightest touch of Leadbelcher into the black, in order to give a very slight metallic sheen to the armour, then added a generous coat of gloss varnish on top.

 KrautScientist wrote:


As for Cyrine, while she won't join any retinue (she is a planetary governess, after all, if only as a figurehead), there will be a character by the name of Elisha Gorgo (daughter of a noble family and a hidden psyker), whose relationship with Esteban will be somewhat complicated due to the fact that she reminds him of Cyrine:

I like Cyrine Fantastic arm/hand positioning for a psyker! My only quibble would be the size of her feet: she's got some clown shoes on just now

Great work, keep it up!

Didn't know Theo Lingen had the role of Esteban in the movie.:-)

Where did you come by that torso on the woman? It's really neat =)

Cheers for the feedback, guys!

@ Rawson: Thanks! Like I said, that's not Cyrine, though, but Elisha Gorgo. But don't feel like you have to keep track of all of my little plastic characters

@ Hruotland: Damn you, I simply cannot unsee that now! The resemblance is uncanny!

@ JensDK: She's one of the vampiresses from the WFB Coven Throne kit.

So, here's a little something I made right now. Isn't he cute?







All those morbid little familiars and cherubs are actually one of my favourite parts about 40k, which is probably why I've already amassed several of them



As always, let me know what you think!

i think he is really cool whats he made from

Nice familiars, that is something I am missing atm, I will have to remedy that. The flaming skull head one is cool and I think I might have enough bits to completely rip that idea off

he's sooo cute!

Really cool familiars! Very creativ and unique.the flaming skull is great. So simple, but sooo effective. They all fit so well in the crazed 40k universe
(Btw. Congrats to the 400.000)

Aw, he's adorable

Cheers, guys!

@ kencotter: Hmm, the skeleton is an ornament from the WFB Coven Throne kit, the wings came from the Sanguinary Guard kit, the head is from a servo-skull, the "cable-spine" was cut off from the servo-skull that comes with the Tempestus Scions. The purity seals on the scythe are from lord knows where Oh, and I added a small vent to the model's back that came from a CSM backpack. That should be about it


Another small update today: I came up with a small background vignette involving my true scale Astartes as part of a writeup on my blog, and I'd like to share it with you:



Praetor Janus Auriga, of the Golden Legion Astartes Chapter

Seneschal Secundus Goswinus Baehrn stood at the edge of the landing platform, his robes flapping about him in the icy breeze. Baehrn prided himself on being a thoroughly unemotional person, but even so, he had been extremely nervous, ever since the news had reached him half an hour earlier: The Astartes gunship “Falco Aureus” had made planetfall and was approaching the Hive Primus with an urgent dispatch for the Lord Governor himself.

Direct dealings with the Chapter were few and far between these days, and mostly limited to the most prestigious social functions, which was why Goswinus Baehrn had never actually laid eyes on a member of the Adeptus Astartes up close during his fifteen years in his fairly prestigious position. Under normal circumstances, the task of welcoming a representative of the Legion on Bastold would have fallen under the purview of Senschal Primus Mathewelin, but the old man had retired to his chambers the prior night, with a generous supply of amasec and Obscura and, it was whispered, in the company of several women of questionable renown. In any case, Baehrn had been unable to rouse his superior, which now left him the highest-ranking official to deal with this unforeseen event — He could only suspect that the Seneschal Primus would have to say something about this breach of etiquette at some point in the near future. In fact, there would almost certainly be hell to pay later in the day, not a doubt about it, yet even this prospect was nothing against the mounting sense of dread filling Baehrn as he saw the Astartes vessel approaching: The gunship came in low against the rising sun, as if for a covert attack run. It was a blunt, brutal shape, not unlike a fist, the roar of its engines growing from clearly audible to almost unbearable, as it drew close to the landing platform.

The gunship touched down at the very centre of the platform. Baehrn could see its golden bulk, the exquisite scrollwork and lettering in High Gothic proclaiming its many glorious years of service, yet also the scars and welts that spoke of a life of constant battles. The Seneschal Secundus drew himself up to his full height as the front ramp opened with a hiss, taking a deep breath and sending a silent prayer to the God-Emperor to grant him composure.

“They have sent us a statue!” That was his first thought as he saw the massive golden figure standing at the top of the ramp: A perfect rendition of an Astartes in gold, its armour beautifully detailed, its arms clutching a boltgun across the chest in the most iconic pose imaginable. Baehrn almost laughed out loud as relief flooded through him — the Golden Legion merely wanted to provide an overwrought – and fairly narcissistic – gift to the rulers of Velsen, doubtlessly to be unveiled during a suitably extensive and garish ceremony.

This feeling was short lived, however, and quickly replaced by utter dread as the golden figure started marching down the landing ramp in precise, measured steps.

It was all Goswinus Baehrn could do not to cringe in fear at the approaching giant, and he bowed his head in supplication instead, making the sign of the aquila. When the low purr of active power armour finally emanated from directly in front of him, setting his teeth on edge, there was only a very slight quaver in his voice as he intoned the formal greeting in High Gothic:

“We welcome thee, protector of Velsen, in this hallowed fulcrum of our realm. It is our honour to lay eyes upon thee, and thine every wish shalt be our command, honoured battle brother of the Legio Aurea. The Emperor Protects.”

“Who are you?” The armour’s speaker systems lent the voice a slightly metallic quality, but it was powerful and deep underneath. A voice that demanded instant obeissance.

“Seneschal Secundus Goswinus Baehrn, my lord, member of the household of House Vlachen and most obedient servant of the Lord High-Protector, the Emperor bless his name.”

The giant in golden armour kept staring at Baehrn through glowing blue eye lenses for what seemed like an eternity, but could only have been a few heartbeats, then he lowered the massive bolter, securing it to his thigh with a soft metallic clank. He reached up towards his laurel crested helmet, disengaging the seals with a hiss. When he lifted the helmet free of his head, Baehrn could see a grizzled face, stern and lined, yet with broad features that instantly marked its owner as something more than human, and crowned by a crest of hair so bright that it appeared white. The Astartes’ eyes were of a piercing blue, and as Baehrn did his best to hold their gaze, he felt as though he were being evaluated, no, …targeted. Then The giant spoke:

“I am Praetor Janus Auriga of the Golden Legion, envoy to Lord Commander Prabian. I am here on the Lord Commander’s orders, to speak with Lord Governor Vlachen, that I might advise him in the the governing of Velsen.”

“Advise…the Lord Governor?” Baehrn almost spluttered: “My lord, that…”

Auriga interrupted him briskly: “The Lord Commander feels that, in the light of current events, the Chapter should take a more active role in guiding the sector. I have therefore been commanded to take the legion’s customary seat on the council.”

Baehrn could barely keep his emotions in check, reeling as he was from the implications of the Praetor’s words: The Golden Legion’s seat on the council had been vacant for a very long time – so long as to make the office seem more than a symbolic gesture than anything – and he doubted even the older members of the noble houses could remember when a member of the Chapter had actually traveled to Bastold to speak on behalf of his Lord Commander on the council. The mere revelation of this latest development would throw the council in an uproar. All of this went through Baehrn’s head, as his mind raced to find an appropriate reply.

A non-committal “…my lord” was all he could safely come up with.

“I will need accommodations for myself and my retainers.” The Praetor indicated a small group of robed figures exiting the gunship.

“It will be done, my lord!” Baehrn was glad the conversation seemed to be on terra firma. “It shall be attended to at once. And I will send notice to your quarters, once the council is back in session, so that you may speak to the representatives…”

“Negative!”, Auriga interrupted: “I will address the council now!”

Baehrn almost reeled back, as the terror came flooding back in full force. “NOW? But, my lord,…the council is in recess right now. The council members will…”

“Are the council chambers still located in sector C-34 of the central spire?”

“Y…yes, my lord.”

“Good. Then I will meet the council members there.”

With these words, the giant in golden armour started to march towards the Hive’s interior, with a very agitated Senschal Secundus doing his best to keep up.

Things on Bastold were about to change.


As always, let me know what you think!

Next part please......

Agreeing with Januine... we need a part 2 of that story

Awesome! Thirded(is that a thing?) for wanting next part.

That tau samurai is fantastic!

Really nice fluff. Are the Golden Legion descended from the Ultramarines?

Haha, cheers, guys!

Regarding a possible second part for Praetor Janus Auriga's story -- it doesn't even exist in the back of my head yet. This first piece was really only intended to set the scene, so to speak That said, I believe we'll be hearing from the guy, never fear.

@ Dreadclaw69: I originally wanted them to be Ultramarine successors, but DexterKong convinced me that Imperial Fists successors were ultimately more interesting. And he was right, there are lots of cool narrative avenues worth exploring if these guys are descended from the Fists: The penchant for guarding and fortifying places, the trauma of having failed the Emperor during the Heresy becoming a double trauma, because the Golden Legion failed to protect St. Sabasto -- the list goes on and on...


Anyway, I have something to show you today: You may have noticed that, in spite of the abundance of AdMech bitz and conversion options the latest releases have brought us, I haven't really boarded the AdMech train yet, the Kastelan conversion notwithstanding. The reason is that I just haven't managed to come up with anything that doesn't feel like a cheap knock off of one of Jeff Vader's conversions. Until today, that is. So allow me to share some of the AdMech things I am currently working on:



Here's the whole crew. I am not sure whether or not this will become a dedicated AdMech warband or whether the models will end up in various INQ28 warbands. That said, I really like the idea of a warband representing a gathering of high-ranking Magi from the Velsen Sector's resident Forgeworld of Korhold and a few of their Skitarii bodyguards. One image from the 40k lore that really speaks to me is the idea of a gang of Tech Priests where each of the Magi looks very different (and rather inhuman), and the one thing where I think the AdMech releases have let us down a little is how they haven't actually given us all that many actual Tech Priests. Anyway, let's take a closer look at the models:



Something simple for starters: I picked up this servitor a while ago, because I think he makes for an excellent Tech Priest (I want him to be a Magos Xenobiologis). I switched his original left hand with a creepy claw that came from the Datasmith model, and while it's a very small detail, I really like the change: In spite of his slack face, he looks rather keen now to dissect come Xenos, doesn't he?

I also definitely had to pick up the Tech Priest Dominus, because I simply love the model. I have started assembling it, and this is what it looks like right now:





I only made two very small changes: I clipped off the proboscis-like piece of tech dangling from the Tech Priest's facemask, because I like it better that way. And I am considering swapping out his right weapon arm with a kitbashed forearm with a converted Necron hand, because the gun option seems rather OTT for an INQ28 character. What do you think, should I keep the arm I have or go back to one of the guns after all?

There's also the first member of the Skitarii bodyguard:



In the interest of full disclosure: Both the pose and the parts were lifted wholesale from one of Dave Taylor's Skitarrii. Lazy, I know, but I just loved his recipe so much

So, nothing all that exciting so far, right? Well, here's the kitbash I am really happy with: A floating Magos entirely built from leftovers:







The arms are still WIP at this point -- I may still swap them for something different. Nevertheless, I am pretty taken with this guy right now.

As always, let me know what you think!

Cracking stuff as ever. Had to pick up one of those tech priest Dominia as well. Absolutely gorgeous fig. Heaven only knows when I'll have time to get it painted up though lol

I love your conversions, especially the Dominus. I think true to form, he should not be armed with any weapon. Like he's above that sort of thing. Guns and other crude implements are what his minions carry.

Awesome work on the Ad Mech group. Your Imperial Fist successors idea is a lot better than an Ultramarine successor chapter

My Mechanicum stuff is in the mail, and I'll be converting up a Dominus as well. I think you made the right decision to leave the volkite blaster off, but I think the empty hand isn't the best way to go. Instead, why not a tool of some sort? The Dark Eldar Talos is a great source of creepy surgical bits that would look great on him, but there's really not end to the different tech bits you could have on the end of that arm. Also, your floating Magos is stunning! Where did his head come from? I think that either arm works for him, but not together. I would either add a sleeve to his left arm somehow, or make his right arm bare. I could (and probably am) be alone in this opinion, but I think the nature of the two arms are a little too juxtaposed with one another to really sell the model at the moment. But man, those cables on his head. He looks like something Blanche drew in the 90s.

Y'know, after seeing how those arms work on a Stormvermin body, the Mechanicus sets might actually make a good source of parts for a Skaven Warlock Engineer!

Glad to see you go down this way, but now I need a Magos Dominus. This floating Magos is a very good call, loving the
"You will get shot in the face" posture. Maybe he could use more cables/ dangling parts to have the cape look less monolithic ? But you are the bloke with the fig on you desk, you know best ^^

Lovly work all around, consider me a new subscriber.

Cheers for the positive feedback, guys! I am especially glad you seem to like the floating Magos, seeing how he's mostly a bit of a happy accident

PDH suggested getting rid of that boxy part on top of the weapon, and since I had actually been thinking the exact same thing, I cut it off right away -- the really cool part is that it now looks like some kind of syringe gun, which is a great fit, because I am seeing this guy as a Magos Genetor. As for the left arm, I did think about the asymmetry it creates, but I ultimately like the effect, because it enforces the notion that the Magos has rebuild his body to specifications that only really make sense to himself, with little regard for aesthetics. I also added a scalpel to the left hand, because I like to imagine that it's an affectation of this Magos to get in close when picking his specimens, cutting them out himself with a scalpel. Anyway, here's the basically finished conversion:











Oh, that's the face of the plastic Commissar, by the way

While I was at it, I also made some touchups to two other models:

First up, the leftover pistol from the Tech Priest Dominus was added to my conversion for Inquisitor Marius Solland:



I liked the combat shotgun he had before, but this particular pistol was just irresistible to me

I also made one final change to the Twist Witch Doctor I converted quite a while ago, giving him a single feather stuck into his very scalp:






It's such a minor detail, but it really completes the model for me.

Anyway, as always, let me know what you think!

So here's another small AdMech update: I have recently started building another Tech-Priest:





He's far cleaner and less cluttered than the Magos Genetor or the Tech-Priest Dominus, but I liked the idea of having a simpler model as part of the retinue as well. As you can see, his backpack has received a small lantern from the Black Templar sprue: I wanted to make his silhouette look a bit less like that of a Skitarius, plus I also like the idea of an eerie, blue lantern on his back

In fact. this model and the Magos Genetor I posted a while ago really seem like two sides of a spectrum, in a way:



And finally, the small collection so far:



As always, let me know what you think!

This warband is coming together nicely, good job!
I like how the Tech-Priest Dominus looks like the fusion of the other two Tech-Priests, combining elements of both and enhancing them...Perhaps this could be mirrored in their lore
Also, you are absolutely right about the Inquisitor's pistol, that revolver is just great!!

Phenomenal warband. Each so has very much their own character. Loving them. U seem to have an infinite amount of bitz!!

Still looking good.

Thanks for the kind words, guys!

Here's another small update on the latest Tech-Priest, as I have been working some more on that axe of his:





As you can see, I grafted on the leftover part from that one Skitarii pistol I still had left from my floating Magos. I also added a power cable that feeds into the model's backpack:

You're making me real jealous buddy. Real jealous.

Cheers, Dexter! Coming from you, that really means a lot!


Sooo, did you ever have that feeling where you just want to build something cool, and you start aimlessly messing around with some bitz, but then things kinda get out of hand, and next thing you know, you've build a biomechanic monstrosity? Yeah, well, it's been that kind of Sunday for me:



Still very WIP. As always, let me know what you think!

Not feeling the head, it's a bit flat compared to he rest.

Gotta agree with whalemusic, the head's a bit odd; maybe you can make it look more like he's wearing an electronic collar of some sort? Not sure how you could edit that bit though, since it's supposed to be the Furioso Libby's facemask... maybe replace it with a Sanguinary Guard one?

I think the face could work, but you need to tweak it a bit. I would shave away the flat space surrounding the face, and make it look like it is grafted to the front of a disgusting monster face. Even though we know it's a mask, and it's covering up something really ugly, I think we need a little less left to the imagination, and need to see hints and suggestions of the head it's covering up to really drive home the horror.

Cheers for the feedback, guys! I think I'll have to disagree about the head, though: The contrast between the hideous body and the serence mask was what really drew me towards this solution in the first place, and I rather like the look. Neil101 pointed out that there is something golem-like about the creature, and I agree wholeheartedly. As for the idea of showing more of the original face beneath the mask...I am really not sure that there's an actual face left under there: I imagine whatever remains of the creature's brain and skull have been grafted into that helmet/mask -- the creature has probably been vat-grown and enhanced to the responsible Tech-Priest's exact specifications, and I don't think they would have left anything that doesn't have a function. Anyway, just my two cents.

Speaking of which, here's the mostly cleaned up conversion as it stands right now:



This new picture affords you a better view of the creature's legs: Both lower legs have been replaced with augmetic claws. An idea I took from a piece of artwork in the INQ rulebook. In fact, I added a third auxiliar leg. both to balance the model and to make it look even less human. Plus I exchanged the buzzsaw for one of the Kastelan gun fists. And I added some tubes and cables feeding into the head from below.

Work on the rest of the AdMech warband also continues apace. I've assembled the Datasmith who will be used as a Magos Explorator. Here's a look at the AdMech warband so far:



I have also finished my first test model for the warband: I added the final touchups to the Skitarii-based Tech-Priest:







As you can see, I added quite a few details to the axe. And I also gave the model a pistol as a sidearm: The idea here was to have a weapon with a decidedly nonstandard look. It also seems like a happy coincidence that the weapon (originall built for another model, quite a while ago) seems to share the same retro 50s SciFi design as the Kastelan robots, which hints at an archeotech origin.I also added another techy bit to the priest's backpack, both to cover up a hole that was there and to further remove it from the standard Skitarii backpacks.

And here's the same model, completely painted:









But it's not all AdMech over here: In other news, I posted up a look at my INQ28 collection over at my blog, and while there's nothing spectacularly new there, I thought some of the pictures might be of interest to you as well:

First up, here are all the new (finished) models from 2015 so far:



I am cheating a bit here, of course, because the Astropath in the back was a gift from Ron Saikowski and wasn't built or painted by me And let's not forget the wonderful, custom Imperial Noble/Ecclesiarchy member in the front row, courtesy of Drone21c.

The last two models I painted before the Tech-Priest were Enforcer Remus Ingram and Cpt. Esteban Revas, both members of Inquisitor Gotthardt's retinue, so the retinue has actually grown a bit (with four member still remaining unpainted for now):



And here's the entire, painted part of my collection so far:



Unfortunately, I have just as many - if not more - unpainted INQ28 models right now -- but I am on it



As always, let me know what you think!

I do really like the mask, I just think it would have an enhanced effect with the "framing" around the lower part of the face removed. Either way though, it's a really nice model. I think I liked the buzzsaw hand better though, but I'm not certain.

I also want to be the first to say that I think that your AdMech test model is great. I don't think I've ever seen a model so well-suited for your painting style. The red and bronze just look perfectly at home, and your signature blue glow looks better than ever. You really nailed the retro-futuristic look with this guy. And great idea for the lower body too. I can't wait to see how your Dominus turns out.

Because of models like this Warhammer image will survive no matter the rules crap GW produces in this sad part of their trade mark systems.
But really outstanding work, I cant explain to you what "nice" feeling those models produce in me (dont take this as some emo stuff or fanboying I am only big admirer of whole Inquisitor scene especially ammobunker community).

Cheers, guys! I really appreciate the kind words!

I do have a small update regarding the Tech-Priest, though: Jeff Vader suggested adding some decoration to the Magos' robes, and I used an AdMech decal to do just that. So here's Magos Zoltan Phract once again, finally finished:











I am so glad Jeff Vader talked me into this, as I think it adds a certain "Je ne sais quoi" to the model, don't you think?

I love how that Astartes stands out from all the regular humies. Just like he should.

@ CaptainStabby: Cheers, mate! That was basically what made the model so challenging to build (because he needed to be really big), but I think it was ultimately worth it!

Update time: With my first test model for the AdMech warband successfully completed, I have started painting the floating Magos Genetor. Here he is, approximately half-finished:





He's still missing just about all the "special effects" that will (hopefully) make the model pop in the end, but he's getting there!

As always, let me know what you think!

The witch doctors legs could you please tell me where they are from?

If you hadn't started painting the Genetor I was going to suggest some GS to fill in the holes on the brazier type device to make it look like a specimen collecting jar.

Looks great so far.

Cheers, guys!

@ migooo: The legs are from a Skaven Stormvermin model with the torso cut off. Hope this helps!

@ Dreadclaw69: That thing seems to be the 40k version of a Geiger counter and does indeed appear on every new AdMech model, which is why I wanted to feature it here as well in its unaltered form.

@ Warboss_Waaazag: Cheers, mate!


And here's an update for you:

"There are those within our order who consider my fascination with the organic a waste of time or even misguided. To those I reply: There can be no question as to the superiority of the divine machine over the frailties of the flesh. Yet it is only by considering the flawed, organic machines willed into being by this universe, that we may find the tools necessary to mend that which was created broken."

Genetor Grendel, Discourses on the merits of the organic











And here are Grendel and Phract in a little family portrait



As always, let me know what you think!

@Kraut Scientist it does thank you ill probably do something similar if I may ?

@ migoo: Go right ahead, mate!

Update time: I have been terribly lazy for the last week or so, reeling from both the immense heat and the implications of the Age of Sigmar release. However, I have of course been messing around with the Stormcast Eternal that was included with the latest WD. Since I already have a (Marine-based) Custodes army, I decided to turn him into an Inquisitor. The model still isn't finished, but it's getting there. Take a look:









As always, let me know what you think!

Mega. Love what you're doing Kraut Scientist! Some truly inspiring work

You must have tons of bits.

Looking nice and solid so far! He really embodies the power-armored puritan to me. He needs more tech-bits though, I think. Some small bits on his legs should help the together the upper and lower halves.

Looking good so far. Nice to see someone doing something with them other than the Custodes or Sang Guard route.

Thanks a lot, guys!

@ Dexter: Hmm, I am actually pretty happy with the legs, seeing how they look decidedly unlike Astartes legs. But maybe a bit of cabling here and there, just to make the armour look slightly less medieval...? I'll look into it.

@ CaptainStabby: Huh, Custodes were only cool before everyone and their cousin were building them Seriously, though, I thought an Inquisitor was the more interesting approach for now - at least for the freebie model.

Thanks, guys!


Added some more detail to the Inquisitor, and I think he's just about done now. I felt he needed a cape, so I had to improvise a bit, but here he is:











As always, let me know what you think!

Looks very cool.

But doesn't the size bother you? He must be bigger than a Terminator.

Wow he looks really cool, actually, i think he's my favourite of all your Inquisitors... He's the embodiement of a whiter-than-white paladin in space, and that just looks great imho
One small question... Why did you convert the Grey Knights sword?

This thread is awesome. Your plastic inquisitorstuff is delicious and very neatly done. It's a bit Marsy for Inquisitor?, but hey, its very very cool.

i would be very interested in a scale shot of this guy is he almost the same as your truescale astartes

Very successful conversion with the new model.

Only good thing about AoS is the new Ork models I maybe able to cut up!

Perfect. The cape is from one of the Dark angel terminators?

Cheers, guys!

Since several people have asked, here's a scale comparison:



As you can see, the Inquisitor is indeed very tall -- but he's ever so slightly shorter than my true scale Marine, and also slightly less bulky, so he might actually work in the scale framework I have set for myself. He would seem pretty ridiculous next to standard Vanilla Marines, though...

As for the sword, I converted it because the only fitting GK sword I had left was the one with the impaled Plaguebearer head, so I had to splice in a new blade (from the Empire Wizard) and invert the way the hand is holding the sword -- it was really my way of making ends meet, so to speak

And yes, that cape is from the Dark Angels Deathwing Knights/Deathwing Terminators.

 KrautScientist wrote:
@ Dexter: Hmm, I am actually pretty happy with the legs, seeing how they look decidedly unlike Astartes legs. But maybe a bit of cabling here and there, just to make the armour look slightly less medieval...? I'll look into it.

Oh don't get me wrong, I love the actual design of the legs. There's nothing wrong with the shape of them. I just think that they need some cables and gizmos here and there, as you said. Right now, there is a perfect amount of techno-stuff above the waist, but nothing below the waist. A wire here and there would tie him together perfectly.

That's very cool. The Stormcast works much better as an (albiet quite tall) Inquisitor than as a Space Marine...

That's a fantastic conversion, and the Stormcast armour helps set the Inquisitor apart from other power armoured miniatures. My only minor quibble is the storm bolter as with it he carries echoes of the Grey Knights. Of course if that's what you are aiming for then perfect.

Do you have a colour scheme in mind yet?

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

Here's the definitely finished conversion with some very slight "techification" on the legs, as per Dexter's suggestion. I chose a fairly restrained solution though, since I didn't want to overclutter the model. I also exchanged one of the purity seals on the back with a more suitable alternative:









Regarding a possible colour scheme, Golden armour would be the obvious - but maybe slightly boring - option. Cream-coloured armour with golden trim would be cool, but there may not be enough actual trim for this to work. I am very open to suggestions

Are you crazy enough to try marble armor?

Haha, true story: I've spent the afternoon downloading images of cream coloured marble, because I've had exactly the same idea. Not sure if I can pull it off, but it's currently at the top of the list when it comes to possible colour schemes for this guy.

Great minds and all that...

Just saw you followed me on Wordpress, scrolled through Dakka, saw your blog and was like "oh hey."

I love that Inquisitor personally, the Sigmarite armor is pretty awesome for the base and I'm probably going to shift my Inquisitor's body from the Chaos Warrior base to that as well (considering its slightly bulkier and easier to work with) although I'll be waiting for the actual Liberator kit myself.

I was attempting green marble armor with one of my Eternals in my starter set, and test runs it was run to do well, but my paint skills are also not that great. I hope it turns out awesome!

Looking forward to seeing him painted up =D

 KrautScientist wrote:
Haha, true story: I've spent the afternoon downloading images of cream coloured marble, because I've had exactly the same idea. Not sure if I can pull it off, but it's currently at the top of the list when it comes to possible colour schemes for this guy.

Great minds and all that...

This is why we are friends.

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

Regarding the colour scheme for the Inquisitor, my current plan (thanks to a bit of gentle nudging from Dexter ) is is to actually attempt to paint the armour in a marble effect. I’ve already spent quite some time downloading suitable marble textures, and I think something along these lines could work really well:



I really want the Inquisitor to have a very luxurious feel, so the current idea is to combine the marble effect with golden armour trim and glossy red as an additional spot colour (on the model’s pauldrons and heraldic plate, for instance). Of course whether or not I’ll be able to pull if off painting-wise remains anyone’s guess… At the very least, Apologist’s recent tutorial for painting marble should really come in handy for this project…

In other news, I finally finished the (minor) conversion on my Tech-Priest Dominus model: The stock model is so beautiful that I didn't want to change anything major, but the huge weapon on the Magos' right side seemed a little OTT for an INQ28 character, which is why I already tried replacing it with an alternate lower arm earlier:



But while the idea seemed sound enough, the look just wasn't there. But I received a box of Sicarian Ruststalkers as a belated birthday gift, which provided the perfect alternate hand for the Magos. Take a look:









I am really happy with the result -- this is such a minor conversion, really, but that creepy metallic claw just complements the rest of the model rather well, don't you agree?

Yup, that's perfect! Also can't wait to see your marble painting progress. Try it out on a flat piece of plastic first, like a base or something, and see how it goes. I've done a marble effect a few times before just as experimental warm-up exercises, and I find that treating the colors as if they were watercolors works well. Keep them very thin and watery, and let them naturally blend and run together.

good luck with the marble fella. I trying to get a good marble technique down at the minute too for some of the armour plates on a knight titan. tricky stuff indeed

Cheers, guys! I'll be giving it my best shot


While trying to figure out what to do with all of those wonderful Age of Sigmar starter minis (which takes longer than I had anticipated), I have been working on some more models for my AdMech warband:

First up, a mostly unchanged Sicarian Ruststalker. I am so in love with the stock models that I only added a small halo taken from a servo-skull:





These are really some of the finest models ever put out by GW, and I was astonished by the amount of extra weapons and bitz in the kit (and on a mere two sprues, no less).

I also built a Skitarii Sniper that owes a lot to one of curnow's models -- I loved his idea of a sniper recalling a medieval Japanese gunner so much that I had to steal it





And here's the unpainted part of the warband so far:



As always, let me know what you think!

Oh my, how the comments keep rolling in...

In the meantime, I have finished my Skitarii sniper conversion: The model looked like it needed something to fill its right hand, so I used the stand for the rifle. I also built a neck for the head and added some pouches to the backpack. And with that, the sniper has been completed:









I also built another model from the Ruststalker kit that I left mostly unchanged, because it's one of my favourite things to come out of the Skitarii release:





I think this guy would make for a rather excellent Tech-Priest, if a rather combative one: Maybe he's a Magos Militant, overseeing the performance of the Skitarii on the front lines? Oh, I did give him a slightly creepier chord claw than the one he's normally equipped with, come to think of it.

As always, let me know what you think!

Looking good and with regards to the Age of Sigmar release I can imagine great things coming from you with it!

Very nice, I particularly like the ashigaru-style gunner. These AdMech kits are the first GW stuff that have taken my fancy in quite a while, and your conversions of them aren't making it any easier to resist buying some.

That sniper just seems to tick all of my boxes for a cool mini with character yet still keep a simplistic feel to the conversions, helped by the relaxed pose. A great little creation there.

Also, the Golem/abomination thing looks great. I agree on the mask you've chosen, that perfect complexion amongst a hulking monstrosity of a body I think looks great. Although still undecided on the gun arm as the saw looked perhaps better to lend towards it being a monstrous killing machine from hell. But that is your choice to make after all

Have fun with the rest of that painting

Cheers for the feedback, guys!

I am still messing around with the AdMech kits, and here's the latest result of that experimentation:







He's not quite done yet, possibly, but I like where the model is going. I kept thinking "Cyborg Eversor" while making him, for some reason...

As always, let me know what you think!

Cyborg Eversoar is exactly what I thought too. Very cool!

KS that ruststalker is fantastic - really shows how nasty and viscious they are. Send it in to GW, they need to update their kits!!!

So here's a small INQ28-related update: In between all the painting sessions for my converted Chaos Knight Titan, I needed some quick fun, so I kitbashed a Datascryer for my AdMech warband:











The guys over at the Ammobunker provided some excellent feedback which led to a bit of fine-tuning: I shaved off the spikes on the model's cowl (because they were too "Skavenly") and carefully realigned the display of thet "grimdark notebook" so it better corresponds with the Datascryer's head:





As always, let me know what you think!

 KrautScientist wrote:
too "Skavenly"

No such thing, KS!

Very Very creepy guy... well done!

So, after most of my recent hobby time has been spent on finishing my converted Chaos Knight Titan, let's have an INQ28 update for a change, albeit a fairly small one:

First up, I recently put the finishing touches on my "Chimeric Servitor" conversion, a model I shared a while ago. The conversion is now finished, with all cleanup work performed, and I expect I'll be painting this guy fairly soon:





I didn't add that much to the earlier version: Just some additional cabling here and there. I realise the legs will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I am rather happy with the experimental look of this guy

I also felt the need to paint something totally different for a change, so I finally had a go at a vintage Jes Goodwin Eldar Warlock I picked up quite a while ago from a sale at my FLGS. Here's a couple of WIP shots for you:







Still quite a bit of work left to be done on this guy (the sword and spirit stones, for instance, have only been blocked in so far), but I am having quite a bit of fun with the model -- there's something I just love about the elegance and restraint of the sculpt. It's hard to believe that this is actually a model from 1990!

And finally, an early kitbash that came about from merely combining some leftover bitz scattered across my desktop:







Nothing has been glued together yet, and I'll have to do lots of cleanup work, but I already rather like the guy

As always, let me know what you think!

I don't think that Warlock will ever lose it's charm. Looking good so far.

Oh MY! He looks like the perfect fit as a bodyguard for a Vlachen, doesn't he? I can see his thug-ass accompanying Sebastianus around and doing bad things at his behest. You still need to come up with a good color scheme for that House, you know.
Also, that Eldar is a pleasant surprise. I'm impressed with how well the purple turned out. I will say, that if you plan on going the blue-glow route for the sword and soulgems (and I'd wager you are), I think brightening up the gold by adding a highlight of light gold mixed with a light silver, and washed over with a VERY subtle red wash will really set him off. And there's just something about the back of his collar, the way the shadows work around where the armored collar meets his robe that really impresses me.

Good god that 'Chimeric Servitor' thing is a picture of brilliance.

Can't wait to see it painted. How's the marble armour coming along?

D

Like the Merc model the most myself. Simple and characterful rather understated for 40k

Cheers, guys!

@ evildrcheese: Sorry, mate: The marble armour's yet on hold for a little while, but I imagine I'll get around to trying it eventually.

@ Dexter: Actually, you are closer to the truth than you suspect: That Inquisitor/Officer kitbash started out as an attempt at building some Inquisitorial Troopers by combining scout bodies and Tempestus Scion helmets -- a very simple, yet excellent recipe that Augustus b'Raass used for his Imperial Fist scouts. Then I ended up messing around with the rest of a Skitarii cloak, and that's where this guy came from. But he did start out as an officer rather tan an Inquisitor, and I rather love the idea of this being the Captain of the Vlachen Household Guard, complete with a couple of troopers.

As for the Eldar warlock, I have taken some of your suggestions on board. Here's the (basically) finished model:









The model is proof of the fact that GW cannot ever pay Jes Goodwin enough money for his services. His work is never anything short of spectacular, but somehow it feels like his talent truly shines when the technical limitations of the olden times challenge him even further: Somehow he manages to turn the obvious limitations of the model (the fact that it's one piece, the static pose,...) into strengths. Brilliant!
One additional remarl on the paintjob: Since that small cape is such a delightfully RT era touch, I went for a suitably oldskool paintjob as well -- the old snow leopard look

As always, let me know what you think!

Nice. It's a classic model for a reason. I just wish that Jes would sculpt more these days. You can see his design finger prints in most of the new stuff (all the Ad Mech stuff and the Harlequins spring to mind) but its not quite the same.

Love that old school snow leopard cape

KS, how do you do your bases? Construction as well as painting? Every time I head into a new project I find myself reevaluating how I do mine, and, well, let's just say I'm starting up some new stuff and curious about alternatives

- Salvage

Cheers, guys!

@ Boss Salvage: Hmm, I actually use quite a few different recipes, depending on the model and look I am trying to achieve, but more often than not, using some cork will be at the heart of the construction. I then use a mix of cork chaff, GW modeling sand and small pieces of slate to fill the gaps and add some texture. Or I mix all of the above with some wood glue and add the mixture to the base as a paste. My recipe for painting usually involves three steps: Basecoat with a fitting colour (brown or dark grey, depending on the look I want), then some brown and black wash on top, then a thorough drybrush in the respective accent colour -- done!

That's just a very short rundown of my usual recipe, of course, but I hope it'll be of help. There's probably a more detailed post in that subject. We'll see



So today I finished painting my AdMech Datascryer conversion. Sorry for the slightly washed-out photos -- taking pictured was pretty hard, given the light outside today


At first glance, the Datascryers seem like mere menials to the priesthood of Korhold, yet in truth they play a far more pivotal role in the hierarchy of the Forgeworld.

The gathering of knowledge has ever been one of the chief pursuits of the Adeptus Mechanicus, yet the Datascryers’ task reaches far beyond the mere accumulation and archiving of data: Their task is to delve deeper into the datastreams, to cross-reference and spot hidden patterns or singularities. And to coax hidden meaning from the memory banks of ancient artefacts. Towards this end, they are often equipped with sophisticated auspex and cogitator arrays as well as powerful noospheric uplink capabilities and accompanied by coteries of servo-skulls and sensor-seraphim.

The Machine Lords of Korhold have made it their business to know things, even beyond the usual remit of their order, and none of them could possibly afford to forego the Datascyers’ service, as their ancient memory vaults are said to house both unimaginable repositories of ancient knowledge as well as vast amounts of information that, if only revealed or suppressed at the right time, might be forged into raw political power…











And here are the painted Tech-Priests I have managed to finish so far:



As always, let me know what you think!

I don't think I've told you how much I like that Datascryer before, but that's one of those ideas I sincerely wish I had thought of first. He looks like he would be the perfect member of a bridge crew. You may well see me "appropriate" some of the design concepts from him for future conversions

 KrautScientist wrote:
@ Boss Salvage: Hmm, I actually use quite a few different recipes, depending on the model and look I am trying to achieve, but more often than not, using some cork will be at the heart of the construction. I then use a mix of cork chaff, GW modeling sand and small pieces of slate to fill the gaps and add some texture. Or I mix all of the above with some wood glue and add the mixture to the base as a paste. My recipe for painting usually involves three steps: Basecoat with a fitting colour (brown or dark grey, depending on the look I want), then some brown and black wash on top, then a thorough drybrush in the respective accent colour -- done!

That's just a very short rundown of my usual recipe, of course, but I hope it'll be of help. There's probably a more detailed post in that subject. We'll see

Thanks for the rundown KS! Might add a wash step to my own basing having read this, help pull things together more. Cheers!

- Salvage

Thanks, guys!

@ Dexter: Glad to hear it! And I'd be quite happy if you were to build a Datascryer (or a similar character) of your own! After all, if they are an established faction within the Velsian Adeptus Mechanicus, it would only make sense for them to appear in your warbands as well as in mine.

Cool. I like the tall lanky one the best.

EDC

@ evildrcheese: Cheers, mate!

So here's an update on the Chimeric Servitor conversion I posted a while ago. I finally wanted to get some paint on this guy, and while model did take longer than expected to come together, I think it's mostly there now:







I like how the AdMech models I have painted so far could already function as a small warband:



Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your feedback!

Wow - that Chimera is fantastic! You've really topped yourself on this one. Cracking build but the paintjob is gorgeous especialy. Skinwork is beautifully done. Good bloody job KS

Very very creepy, the colors bring it to life. And impressive concept.

Thanks a lot, guys! I am rather happy with how the AdMech warband is finally coming together, to be honest.

Awesome. Really inventive use of bits to get a unique model.

EDC

Again, thanks for the kind words!

For the sake of completeness, here's the bit of background I've come up with for the Chimeric Servitor:



Chimeric Servitors

Where most of the Tech-Priests of Korhold favour fashioning their automata according to well-established and streamlined design templates, Genetor Grendel’s servants are invariably more artistic – and also far more grotesque – creations . For the Genetor is fascinated with the fusion of the organic and the mechanical, and so most of his so-called “Chimeric Servitors” are a seemingly haphazard exploration of those two materials, influenced by nothing more than the Genetor’s own aesthetic sensibilities. Most of them are lumbering brutes, their heavily muscled bodies crudely augmented with tools and weapons crafted from Mechanicum ingenuity. Beneath the multitude of implants and bionics, the provenance of the organic bodies used in these experiments is impossible to ascertain: Were they vat-grown for this purpose, or did they once belong to abhuman thralls or even to unfortunate humans? With the organic tissue grotesquely swollen and often covered in patches of bristly hair due to extensive genesplicing and hormone therapy, the organic parts of the Chimeric Servitors have grown so far removed from their origins that nobody can really tell where the Genetor procures his most valued specimens.

Some of these creations are quickly abandoned, their aesthetic qualities incapable of holding the Genetor’s attention for long, while others may serve their master for years or even decades, repaired and reshaped time and time again to their creator’s needs. Karras Grendel is a true artist, and even among his colleagues, there are few who can understand his mercurial moods.

cracking fig and a sweet bit of fluff to go with it - niiiicccee!!!!

Hey everyone, time for an update!

If you'll allow me, I'll begin with a bit of a recap: After only having finished four INQ28-related models in 2014, one of my hobby resolutions for 2015 was to focus a bit more on INQ28 and get some more models painted. And while I still didn't complete a deluge of characters by any stretch of the imagination, I think we can still call this endeavour a success. Take a look at the "Class of 2015", so to speak:



12 new models for my INQ28 collection, all in all. Although I have to admit that I didn't build and paint all of the models in the picture: That one Astropath model was kindly donated to me by Ron Saikowski -- and subsequently named "Skorin Saikov" in his honour:



What I especially love about the model is how it's a rather cunning recreation of one of John Blanche's illustrations:



So I did manage to put out more models. But I'll also consider the project a success because I actually completed some of my best INQ28 work so far, if I do say so myself, such as my very first true scale Astartes, Praetor Janus Auriga of the Golden Legion:



Or Sister Euphrati Eisen of the Order of the Martyred Sword:



I also began building and painting an AdMech-centred warband that has been a lot of fun to work on so far:



I painted one of Jes Goodwin's classic Eldar Warlocks which was quite a bit of fun and a very nice change of pace:



And finally, one model I am particularly fond of is my tough-as-nails Hive Cop Remus Ingram, finally finished this last year:



This is actually one of my oldest INQ28 conversions, which makes me even happier that I have finally managed to paint him -- I still like that base model enormously, by the way, and I also think the conversion is pretty clever, albeit not all that complex

I've wanted to give Remus a Cyber-Mastiff for quite a while now, although I never had a suitable model. Yet when I won the Malifaux Relic Hunters box in a raffle last year, the dog included in that kit provided an excellent base model, so I used it for the intended Cyber-Mastiff. And so my first INQ28 model this year - and indeed my first model for 2016 - turns out to be...a dog. Go figure!





I didn't convert the model too heavily, both because I rather like the stoic nature of the base model and because I wanted it to steal be relatable to as a dog, and not as a vat-grown, 'roided-out monster: I merely added some cabling running along the back, a small electrical coil and some AdMech gauges on the collar and a bionic eye to show that some augmetics had been put in place. All in all, I am really rather happy with the outcome:



I also think the two work together rather nicely, even if the dog is quite a beast:



So, does anyone have a good idea for a name...?

As always, let me know what you think!

So here's another update:

First up, a model I am building and painting for Mol's "Ready our Retinue" event over at the Ammobunker. It took me quite a while to come up with a model, but given recent events, I've decided to create a character who'll be a bit of a tribute. Here's a WIP of Inquisitor Zygmunt Vesper, of the Ordo Xenos:





He's based on a non-GW model that my cousin dug out of the bargain bin at the FLGS a couple of years ago, yet I always thought he would make an interesting INQ28 model, and now his time has finally come. He may seem a bit cartoony at first glance, although that's because I felt the occasion called for something a bit larger than life.

I also returned to one of my oldest INQ28 conversion: Iskander Gagarin, a Rogue Trader. He is one of the next INQ28 models I would like to paint, so I added a few final touches to the conversion. Chief among these was the addition of a signet ring to his pointing finger -- that was pretty fiddly business, although it all worked out in the end:





And finally, a conversion that sort of happened as a by-product to a different project: A mutant overlord made from one of the Khornate models from the Age of Sigmar starter box:





As always, let me know what you think!

Brilliant update Kraut, that mutant is positively grotesque and the rogue trader is a really colorful kitbash.
Also really fond of the tribute inquisitor, really god job finding the proper hair. At first I thought his left hand was a bit out of proportion, but zooming in let me see how mutated it was, so it definitely works !

Cheers, man! As for the left hand on the Inquisitor, it's actually not mutated, but rather a bionic hand from one of the new AdMech kits. But yeah, I thought the fact that it's artificial meant I could get away with the difference in size

I see, thanks for the precision. I'm sure the paintjob will make that clear !

Mutant is great does that mean more Lost & the Damned to come?

Hey everyone, update time: I have finally managed to paint my rogue trader conversion, easily one of my oldest INQ28 models. As it happens, I frequently feel drawn towards some of my earlier INQ28 conversions at the moment — not only due to a desire to finally finish those models, although that does obviously play a part in the matter, but also because after all the ultra-grimdark stuff, it’s enjoyable to return to the somewhat simpler archetypes laid out in the Inquisitor Rulebook: the Rogue Trader, the Security Agent. After all, let’s not forget that those archetypes seemed pretty out-there and grimdark back when the game was originally released, at least to those of us who had only been used to 40k proper at that time.

Nowadays, after several years of hobbyists doing their darnedest to come up with ever more creative and spectacular characters (and to great effect, I might add!), some of those character archetypes may seem almost pedestrian by comparison, but they do have a swashbuckling charm that I like, and returning to some of those earlier ideas just feels like the right thing for me, so here goes:



“Ceruleam est Terra. Imperator Deus est.”
Motto of House Gagarin

Iskander Gagarin is a Rogue Trader of some renown operating in the Velsen Sector, and scion of the Gagarin merchant house — a house, according to Gagarin himself, that was one of the first in the galaxy to actually sail out into the great void-sea. An outrageous claim, certainly, but House Gagarin’s trade warrant is real enough, signed and stamped millennia ago on Holy Terra, and Iskander has built a small but considerable merchant empire based on his exploits into the treacherous region of space know as the Veil of Impurity.

In fact, it was after one particularly daring expedition into that cluster of stars that the rogue trader crossed paths with Inquisitor Erasmus Gotthardt. Back then, the Ordo Xenos Velsen was hot on Gagarin’s heels, pursuing him for smuggling Xenos contraband. And so Gotthardt offered his protection to the rogue trader, expecting his continued cooperation in return — and thus did Iskander Gagarin become a member of Inquisitor Gotthardt’s retinue

At first glance, Gagarin may seem like a braggart and ladies’ man, above all else, entirely too full of himself and utterly irresponsible. But while those traits may be very real facets of his personality, the outer veneer of a flamboyant merchant king hides a surprisingly resourceful individual, and it is for this reason that Iskander Gagarin has become one of Inquisitor Gotthardt’s most capable operatives.





Along with the signet ring, I also added a hip flask to Gagarin’s belt as a last minute addition: Just because he’s in the middle of a black ops for the Ordo Hereticus doesn’t mean a real man of the world cannot take a quick sip of priceless Amasec now, does it?



And here’s Iskander next to his cyber-familiar and personal pet, PeeDee the Monkey:



I feels good to finally have finished one of my oldest conversions And as an added benefit, completing Gagarin also brings Inquisitor Gotthardt’s retinue a fair bit closer towards completion as well. Here’s a quick shot of the retinue as it stands right now:



While I was at it, I made some small touchups to the other models, such as repainting some parts of the bases so they would fit together and finally adding some Inquisitorial symbols to Gotthardt himself. One thing that I like is how Gagarin’s paintjob also functions as a bit of visual storytelling: In the retinue’s background, Gagarin and Esteban Revas are rivals and works as foils to each other. Which is why their paintjobs share quite a few similarities, while Gagarin seems more flamboyant. Anyway, there’s really quite a bit of backstory in place for these characters, and they really do feel like fleshed-out characters to me rather than mere playing pieces, which I think is a good thing.

As always, let me know what you think!

The retinue looks amazing!

That looks totally awesome. Really cool inquisitor theme.

Thanks a lot, guys! The warband is admittedly mostly based on pretty well-worn Inquisitor archetypes, but I do think it all meshes rather well so far, and I like the slightly old school charm, if I do say so myself.

So here's another small update: I have finished another member of Inquisitor Gotthardt's retinue. Once again, the model was built quite a while ago and drew inspiration from the drill abbot archetype from the Inquisitor rulebook (and the accompanying 54mm model).

Here's Father Harlan of the Velsian Ecclesiarchy, drill abbot and personal confessor to Inquisitor Erasmus Gotthardt:











Like I said, the model takes quite a few cues from the model for Preacher Josef, both regarding the conversion and the paintjob. Even so, I have tried to incorporate some touches that hint at Harlan's character: My idea for him is that he is a veteran of the Imperial Guard and was driven to take the cloth after witnessing "The Culling of St. Berthold", an event so traumatic that it instilled him with a piety born of pure fear of the forces of chaos he had to witness firsthand. The event also lead to him being a bit too fond of his drink every now and then, which is why he carries a small casket of spirits as well as his old, guard issue, tin mug around with him.



The completion of this model brings another player to Inquisitor Gotthardt's team -- only two more characters, and the retinue will be finished:



This warband was originally planned back to back with the retinue I built for Inquisitor Lazarus Antrecht (my first INQ28 warband), and while both retinues draw heavily from the archetypes from the rulebook, the idea was that Antrecht had become far more radical than his former friend, leading to his warband being composed from the more shady and sinister character types, such as arco-flagellants, bounty hunters, daemonhosts etc.:



Gotthardt, on the other hand, is far more moderate in his views, so his warband still mostly consists of actual people. He can also move through the sector more freely, which is why his retinue has a slightly more adventurous, swashbuckling feel.

Anyway, as always, let me know what you think!

Their looking great

Love this thread

Harlan is a sublime conversion. I like that it clearly shows influence from Preacher Josef, but does not come across as a copy. Instead you can see that he has his own character and background.

Looks good. I really dig the personality of each omdel

Cheers, guys!

Here's another round of updates to show you what I am working on at the moment:

I've been adding some bitz and bobs to the mutant overlord I already posted on this thread earlier. I think the model is finished and ready for paint now:







I have to say that I am really rather fond of this model, especially since it came together fairly spontaneously.

Then there's this Redemptionist conversion I put together earlier this week:









This conversion basically consists of ideas I've nicked from elswhere Migsula once built a Redemptionist using a fairly similar recipe, and the head-splice is a fantabulous idea by plessiez that I just had to steal.

And finally, there's also something new on the painting front: I am currently working on the next (and penultimate) member of Inquisitor Gotthardt's retinue: Trooper Koltz, formerly of the 126th Haaruthian Dragoons and personal retainer to Cpt. Esteban Revas:











Possibly my favourite part of the model so far is that I'be been able to paint a five o' clock shadow on its face, something I had never tried before

As always, let me know what you think!

Nice and simple. It's good to see well executed clean and simple occasionally!

Cheers, mate!

In spite of being a fairly straightforward conversion, Trooper Koltz has been quite a challenge to get right, however, mostly because I really wanted to invoke a certain look and feel with the character: In fact, Koltz started mainly as a bit of a joke character to accompany my conversion for Cpt- Esteban Revas. The latter seemed like the foppish and noble officer who would have a personal retainer to lug around all his gear and equipment, and the pile of stuff on Koltz' back was supposed to communicate that fact, with the small Bretonnian chest on top as a somewhat absurd little touch. But then Koltz really grew beyond his humble origins.

I also wanted to have the two characters work as a pair, with Koltz serving as a straight man to his, ultimately decent yet also fairly foppish, superior, and they also embody the class distinctions in the Haaruthian military, with commoners serving as the rank and file, while the nobles (with their very romantic concept of warfare) get handed the command, with little to no regard to their actual suitability for such positions.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the finished model. They aren't great, for which I apologise, but the gloomy weather outside turns taking proper pictures into quite an adventure...

I've added some finishing touches to the model, including the base and a subtle woodgrain pattern to his rifle casing. Anyway, here goes:







Being a former member of the 126th Haaruthian Dragoons, he still bears the colours and markings of his former regiment (such as a "126" that I had to splice together from two Cadian decals and a small heraldic plaque on his belt with a "H" standing for Haaruthia):



And here's a closer look at all the gear on his back:






And here are Revas and Koltz together: I really wanted to invoke the impression that they are (or rather, were) part of the same regiment, with Koltz's livery seeming like a less grandiose version of Esteban's uniform to a certain degree:



There's actually a ton of backstory there, which you can check out here, in case you are interested.

Nothing to say, eh? Oh well...

Anyway, here's another small (literally!) project that I've been working on: A while ago, I built a chapter serf to accompany my true scale Marine, Praetor Janus Auriga, and now I have finally managed to paint him:







Finding the right colours and hies for the model proved to be quite an interesting challenge: I wanted the model to invoke a somewhat medieval feel, in order to underline the Astartes' nature as monastic crusaders, so to speak. At the same time, I didn't want the serf to appear to dirty or frayed around the edges, since that would have felt somewhat unsuitable for a Space Marine chapter, even a rather archaic one. What's more, while he may be a mere menial for the chapter, his task is still an important one, and he takes pride in it (I actually kept thinking of the Bright Carvers from Ghormenghast, if that makes any sense). In the end, I realised when painting him that the trick to make him work as a model was to slavishly stick to subdued, earthy tones, except for the chapter relics he carries. That way he really seems like a caretaker of that helmet without becoming toon important, if that makes any sense.

I also added a backpack, because I wanted to invoke the impression that, in addition to carrying that helmet in a suitably dramatic fashion, the Chapter serf also serves Praetor Janus Auriga as a personal artificer. Something I really like about the finished model is the combination of fairly mundane tools (like the hammer and wrench with the more esoteric gear underneath (small caskets of what I imagine to be holy oils and unguents, and a small book containing the correct rites of maintenance for the Astartes warplate):







Here's a side by side picture of the Chapter Serf and his master:



As always, let me know what you think!

Great stuff, as always! Revas and Koltz look great together, I'm somehow reminded of Commissar Cain and Jurgen

The Chapter serf looks great as well, I especially like the small shield hanging from his belt

Cheers, mate!

Regarding the shield, I realised that I wanted another element (that wasn't the helmet) on the model to reflect the chapter colours, and golden armour was out of the question for fairly obvious reasons, so I thought that a small heraldic plate with the black and white checkerboard pattern might do the trick.

I love the story Koltz model tells. The absurd and silly chest is great.

I love the dynamic between him and his superior. The model's poses play off each other.

Cheers, man!

I finished the final member for this "mini-warband": a bolter-cherub, originally from back when Codex: Witchhunters was released:







The sculpt is not without its problems (and I realised once again that I am basically through with painting metal models at this point), but the little guy made such a beautiful retainer for Janus Auriga that I gritted my teeth together and persevered.

So here's the Praetor with both his retainers:



As always, let me know what you think!

I love that cherub. Rally awesome model and a perfect paint job for it to boot

Whenever someone asks me what warhammer is, I show them this thread in all of its grimdark, medieval, esoteric glory. You just do all of 40k's weirdness so well. Bravo sir.

That cherub is great. I'm also a huge fan of the chapter serf.

I really like the Redemptionist. Would you consider trying to make the flamer and chainsword into one weapon like the older Necromunda figure?

Thanks a lot for the feedback, everyone!

@ Januine & Warboss_Waaazag: Cheers! Like I said, the sculpt is a little clunky in places, but the model is still good fun and fits rather well here.

@ AUGmaniac: That's an incredible compliment, mate! Thank you very much!

@ Dreadclaw69: I did actually consider splicing together a weapon like that for quite a while, but in the end the danger of it ending up far too goofy put me off the idea. Plus I actually like the idea of the character having both a flamer and a chainblade as separate weapons.


So, a short update: PDH's recent concept for the Ordo Scriptorum has somehow kicked my mind into overdrive -- especially his suggestion that this illustration by the late and great Wayne England would make for an excellent Ordo Scriptorum Inquisitor:



This has been one of my favourite pieces of artwork by Mr. England for quite a while, and I have wanted to build a model based on it more than once. But I could never seem to find the right approach, until Peter suddenly supplied the right angle, and then there was no stopping me.

So I started trying out some bitz and shapes. One thing I really wanted to get right was the stunning silhouette and pose from the original artwork. So this is what I ended up with after a bit of messing around:







Not quite there yet, obviously, but it felt like the results warranted some further experimentation, So I didn't stop until I had this:









And then I added the missing left hand, complete with a scroll from the 54mm Eisenhorn model, no less



As always, let me know what you think!

As always, let me know what you think!

very very cool!!! So full of character!

Wonderful! What head is that from?

Dynamic posing! Love the way you have him put together.

Looking already really cool! Can you give a breakdown of the parts you used?

Really nice use of the dreamforge bits . also the Cherub and serf are great additions as well.

Cheers for the feedback, guys!

The bitz breakdown on the latest Ordo Scriptorum Inquisitor is as follow:

- legs from the WFB plastic Chaos Sorcerer
- torso, arms, hands and shoulder pads from the Dreamforge Games Eisenkern Stormtroopers, as those were the only bitz I had that allowed me to produce the slender look I needed.
- servitor head from the Space Marine Stormraven kit
- books from the WFB Empire flagellants
- a long purity seal from the power armoured Grey Knights (IIRC)
- a hood from the WFB Empire Wizard
- the cane was originally a Chaos Marauder spear
- the scroll in the left hand came from the 54mm Eisenhorn model, I believe
- the chest emblem is a shaved-down Crux Terminatus from some Space Marine Dreadnought kit.

Hope this helps!


In other news, there are a few aspects of the model that I need some help with, so I would love to hear your feedback:

1.) As you can see, the character in the original illustration is wearing a huge tome on either hip. I was a bit afraid that adding a second book would mess with the silhouette too much. At the same time, I also like how the model seems to be wearing those books almost like pistol holsters. Anyway, here's a mockup with the second book added:



Yay or nay?

Second question: Should I get rid of that bionic lens array on the right side of the Inquisitor's head? The illustration doesn't have this element, although I rather like the look of it. Here's a simple Photoshop mockup without the part:




Which version do you people prefer?

Third question: While I am very happy with the front of the model, the back still needs to be sorted out. I have decided to lose the huge "bionic sack of scrolls", as PDH calls it, both because I think it messes up the model's striking silhouette and because it makes more sense for an Inquisitor to have a retainer carrying all those scrolls. However, I am still struggling to find the right collection of bits and bobs to add to the model's back. Here's what I have so far:

Option A:



Option B:



Any feedback would be really welcome!

Option B IMO

I like option A (nothing like splitting the vote out of the gate).

i think keep the bionics on his head and both books but because they are so big i think the need a visual to connect them to his belt like some chain or something, i really think you should mock up the bionic scroll sack it could look so cool

I like option B.

For the head - the version with the side-lense looks more bookish. Without is the more badass warrior head.

The latter looks better, IMO, but the former seems to suit the character better.


Could maybe compromise by chopping it off his head and adding it on a shoulder mount instead?

I personally like option A. Maybe do option B but fit the key in there somewhere? I love the detail of the key

Such a great fig - I wants one now!!!!!!!
imho....
Second book - defintely yes!
I'd lose the lens array - prefer the silhouette without it - makes him look a bit more stoic and hard I think
I prefer option A - olde scroll feel, the key and the purse tell a more varied and interesting story just in themselves.

Did I mention I want one?!!! Great work as per usual KS

Looking good. I really like that the henchmen have loads of bits to carry around. Especially the guy with the little treasure chest.

The Scriptorium Inquisitor looks brilliant.

EDC

Cheers, guys! Getting all this feedback here and on the Ammobunker has been a huge help when making the final adjustments to the model. Speaking of which:



As you can see, I did go with the twin books -- the pistol holster parallel was just to good to pass up, once I had realised it existed I thought about adding some chains fastening the books to the model's hip, but while that might make the books look more plausible, I fear I am but one step away from ovevercluttering the model.

I also moved the key to the front: I like the way it hints at hidden knowledge and mysticism, but I couldn't quite get it to work in its original position. I think it works far better now.

And finally, I couldn't bring myself to cut off the optics: While the idea of attaching them to the shoulder pad, "Eisenhorn-style", is pretty brilliant, I fear the head would lose something in the process.



Regarding the size of the cane and scroll, I am not too bothered: The scroll is a pretty good match for the one in the art, plus it has far nicer detail than the smaller 40k ones, so I think it works. The cane, meanwhile, has a certain brutality that I like, because it hints at a deeper, maybe somewhat less bookish, layer of the Inquisitor's character. Maybe it's a sword cane, by the way, so it would need a certain diametre in order for a blade to fit inside...

I also couldn't help myself and added a small Inquisitorial symbol to one of the books:



And here's the finished back:



As you can see, I have kept one of the scroll bitz, but have swapped in a small Grey Knights doodad. I think it was just too obvious that all the scrolls were basically the same bit. I rather like the finished design, plus it achieves its original aim of masking the very ugly seam between the torso and the robed legs.

So yeah, I think the model's finished now. Any more bitz would run a risk of overcluttering the piece. Thanks again for all the input!

As for a possible retinue, I think it would have to have a very special feel, like the Inquisitor himself. Right now, I am considering at least one menial carrying books and scrolls (similar to a couple of models PDH is building at the moment). And maybe a hulking member of the Guild of Parchment Scroteners, doubling as a bodyguard? This model would probably be based on the Brian Nelson Nurgle Lord and use an approach similar to the conversions by PDH and Jeff Vader. Maybe I'll also have to source those scribes/assistants from the Celestial Hurricaum kit...? Anyway, I am open to suggestions for possible characters, of course!

So what kind of retinue is this guy going to have?

Hey man,

check out the last paragraph in my previous post for the first ideas on a possible retinue.

Oh derp...so he's a puritain. Thats cool I'd like to see another radical warband personally but that's just me

id say leave the array and Option B

 alabamaheretic wrote:
Oh derp...so he's a puritain. Thats cool I'd like to see another radical warband personally but that's just me

Huh. Just because he may be a puritan (I haven't even really decided that yet, you know...) doesn't mean the retinue has to be boring or anything. Tell you what, I'll just share some of my early ideas for the warband with you. Originally, planning yet another retinue was not exactly a priority, to say the least. But with the rush of having built a model that I am so very happy with, I couldn't help bashing around some more ideas. I would love to hear your thoughts!

So far, possible members include:

1. Menials/Bureacultists

Both because the Inquisitor will need something to lug around all those precious scrolls and books and because the concept of a pencil pusher gone feral is just too good to pass up! These will most likely be based on WFB flagellant bitz, above all else. The guy with the multiple eye lenses appearing in the Wayne England illustration will certainly serve as an inspiration.

2. Parchment Scrotener

Like I said, the obvious way would be to base this model on the Brian Nelson Nurgle Lord -- or a Putrid Blightking. The problem here is that PH and Jeff Vader have basically come up with exactly the kind of character I want between them:



However, I would probably use this Ork weapon for the character, as it just seems like the perfect tool to destroy huge quantities of scripture while also being ideal for eviscerating heretics:



Of course there's always a certain push to do something original with the Nurgle Lord, given the model's popularity with hobbyists, but I don't know: Why invent something new when an almost perfect template already exists? I think I'll have to sleep on this...

Beyond these characters, I also looked at the various models already in my collection to see if anything stuck. I came up with these three older metal models, for starters:



The guy with the implanted flamers in the middle seems like he would be really good at burning forbidden scripture. And yet, maybe he's a bit too on the nose and would work better for a Hereticus warband.

The Sister Repentia might make for an interesting alternate parchment scrotener. She definitely has the look and the right tool for the job:



But in my heart of hearts, I'd much rather convert a new plastic character than paint a metal one...

The servitor with the scrolls seems to be a bit of a no-brainer, though:



The model is a little clunky, but it works really well with the whole Scriptorum concept, wouldn't you agree?

Beyond those metal models, I also looked at some conversions that don't yet belong to any warband, and I think I have found some that would work pretty well with the Inquisitor:

First up, a model I originally converted as a underhive ganger:



I am actually already pretty sure that she'll be a member of the warband. I see her as a female tech ganger whose augmetic implants (I added some small plugs and cabling to her head, although it doesn't show well in the photos) allow her to perform noospheric dives. She's basically a grimdark hacker. I think I'll be calling here Alizebeth Selandrine *wink*wink*nudge*



There's also this sun cultist/assassin that I built quite a while ago:





I am still really happy with the model, and she does have that same look of "sleek malevolence", to quote weirdingway, as the Inquisitor, so I think she might be a good fit for the warband.

However, there is also this cyborg assassin, built mostly with parts from the AdMech releases:







And again, I think he might work well with the Inquisitor, because he's so slender and creepy. But he might ultimately fill the same slot as the sun cultist, so to speak, so maybe I should choose one of them...?

Anyway, here's a very early mockup of a possible warband with some of the more likely candidates:



I would really love to hear your take on this matter!

I really dig the flatulent designs that would be very interesting take. The Lord is a classic design so why fiddle with something that isn't broken so I could see how you could go with that as well. You know I could also see him with a bodyguard or two that's made out of brets and with the backpack and you know books just hang on their side. Another thing that crossed my mind is the gladiator for your shredder type guy. I do like the flamer dude he is interesting he would be a character to say the least for your warband. The one with the scrolls is a gimme I agree but your talent makes sometimes better creations. Tthe hacker is a wonderful addition. The sister would be an easy slap paint down fix no brainer. No challenge unless you wired her up. The cyber assassin is very cool.

I love the concept here, i think you are on to something! The inquisitor is pretty much perfect the way you have him now...

the other retinue members are adequate... the older metal model is a match i think.

I agree you should forget the nurgle lord idea. You actually had me thinking of a fahrenheit 451 reference there.... you know the firemen that burn the books?? maybe you could do some kind of grim soldier-fireman types. I agree with you the traditional 'spanish inquisition' style works better in a hereticus warband though.

Cheers, guys!

@ meade: Just to clarify: I think I will be going with the Nurgle Lord approach after all: It probably won't be a super original reimagining of the character but rather a refinement of some of the approaches that already exist. It just seems like the right idea for the character at the moment, and I can always scrap the model if it doesn't turn out well.

The Fahrenheit 451 idea is an interesting one, and the idea of a member of the retinue tasked with burning books would certainly fit the Ordo Scriptorum's more openly aggressive tactics, I'd imagine. I have to admit though that I am somewhat reluctant to add any flamer-wielding character for two reasons: One, the concept feels very Hereticus, due to the well established iconography and lore. Two, I am somewhat squeamish about the concept of burning books as a part of my retinue, even if it would match some of the Ordo's most openly brutal strategies. I think that having a guy who goes around with a giant chainaxe for shredding all those books fills the same role, but with the kind of silliness and audacity that makes it more 40k and less real world, if that makes any sense?

Anyway, here are my current thoughts on the models I have so far:

The Parchment Scrotener:
Like I said, I'll just be giving the Nurgle Lord a go, in spite of everything. I don't even think that my objective here is to come up with something totally crazy and original for the model, seeing how both PDH's and Johan's conversions are already very close to what I have in mind for the character. That said, I do have some ideas that might make the model look slightly different after all, but please don't expect this guy to be groundbreaking. Even so, I think he'll make for a nice addition to the retinue and a nice foil for the look of the Inquisitor. Regarding EdT's comment, I have actually thought quite a bit about blind/mute/illiterate/plain dumb servants of the Ordo, and I agree it would add an interesting angle! I don't think I'll be using an Ogryn, though, as the models just don't speak to me, or at least they don't seem like the best solution here.

The Hacker:
I think this one is a keeper, both because I like the model well enough, but also because I think she might really work very well together with the Inquisitor, once both models have been painted. I do have a plan for a unifying colour scheme -- I may even use her as the test piece to find out whether the colour scheme I have planned for her and the Inquisitor works as well as I hope. We'll see how it goes.
As for a ganger not fitting the retinue, yes well, I think it's always a question of the overarching narrative. In this case, I see her as a citizen of a planet/Space station controlled by the Adeptus Mechanicus, say a huge orbital shipyard. When still very young, she was outfitted with some cranial implants, maybe to facilitate her work as a tech menial or maybe even as the first stages of being inducted into the Cult Mechanicus. But she got away from her destined fate and joined the ranks of one of the tech gangs flourishing in the seedy underbelly of the orbital installation, and that's where she has lived for years, operating as the 40k version of a hacker, until being picked up by the Inquisitor as a member of his retinue.

Like I said, here augmetic upgrades have left her with the ability to perform noospheric dives, but to the Tech-Priests, she is obviously an aberration at best and an abomination at worst. Still, such a character would make for a useful tool in those operations that deal with the Adeptus Mechanicus, right?

The Assassin:
I think the Inquisitor will be needing at least one rather physcally oriented bodyguard, and while the Parchment Scrotener may be a good fit for that position, I would like to have another character in that vein, only more slender and agile. I was slightly in favour of the "sun cultist" (only a working title, she doesn't even have to be a sun cultist anymore) previously, but maybe the cyborg assassin would be a better fit. Then again, he does seem slightly too monstrous maybe. And yet again, the idea of an opponent approaching the entirely unarmed and icy calm Inquisitor with that ...thing then exploding into his face does seem pretty scary, doesn't it? I think this character might need more thought...


And now, as they say, for something completely different


In between all the concept work for the new retinue, I just needed to build something quick and fun and uncomplicated, and the March theme for the ongoing "Ready Your Retinue" event over at the Ammobunker - "Spring Forward" - provided the perfect excuse to do so, so here's my entry for that, a pitslave gladiator:









I had already been messing around with those bitz halfheartedly, but the model refused to come together until I added that Ork power tool yesterday

And while I was messinga round with Ork bitz, I also added a trophy pole to my mutant overlord:



I am normally *very* reluctant about adding back banners or trophy poles to models, because they end up looking very silly more often than not, messing up the model's silhouette. But I thought this guy needed that precise pole ever since I started building him, and I like it a lot. It also has the added benefit of adding another layer to the model, so to speak, as the base model is surprisingly two-dimensional.

Anyway, as always, let me know what you think!

Love the gladiator. The mutant loooks great too! The banner adds to the character nicely. Gave me an idea. ;-).

Absolutely awesome stuff, keep it up and I'll keep checking it out

Great stuff as usual

Really inspiring to get making a inquisimunda war and myself

Your conversions are fantastic. That's a kind of stuff that should be really fun to paint !
Full of personnality, great attention to details. I dig the sun and cyborg assassins.

I'm loving all these conversions, but I think that cyborg assassins my favorite so far .

Great stuff. I like the puffy sleeved assassin with the blood angels mask, but then I like some Empire in my Imperium, as it were. Parchment Scrotener is such a great name you've already won no matter what model you use.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

@ kestral: Cheers, man! Just to clarify, though: I cannot claim ownership of the Parchment Scrotener idea, as the concept was invented by Little Brother over at the Ammobunker INQ28 boards. Credit where credit is due!

Anyway, here is something for you to look at: My mostly finished pitslave gladiator, painted this weekend. I give you [i]Grimspyke,[i] the Impaler, former gladiator champion in the fighting pits of St. Sabasto's Reach:










As always, let me know what you think!

Looking brilliant, I love how the yellow accentuates the industrial aspects of the mechanical weapon, while the more grimdark parts retain him in the Inquisimunda flow.

Another brilliant and characterful miniature, as always with this blog.

Wow Kraut great choice with the yellow not sure what it is but its made me fall in love with this model great job!

Looking good man. Can't wait to see more

Oh I like the yellow! His impaler arm looks might imposing. I have been subbed to this thread for a long time, and I am always amazed at the seemingly endless flow of creativity you have. Nice work, cant wait to see more!

Excellent stuff! I especially like the pit spike arm. It fits really nicely on that body. His head is very clean, has he just had a respray?

Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone! I chose the yellow because it felt appropriate for a gladiator fighting in the pit to use brightly coloured armour, almost like a stage outfit of sorts. Plus I wanted the colour to recall heavy duty construction machines, of course. One thing that I need to point out is that there's quite a bit of sponge weathering on the armour plates that doesn't really show up all that well in the pictures, so the armour is not quite as clean as it looks.

So, here's the next small update: Building and painting that pitslave gladiator was so much fun that I couldn't help converting another one This time around, I wanted to push the slightly grotesque angle of pitslaves and the loss of humanity due to crude augmentation even further, and there's nothing that works quite as well for that as contrasting a massive Ork Klaw and an arm stump, if you ask me:







Ultimately, the pitslaves and the mutant overlord I recently posted may end up as the first models of a loose group of former slaves that have managed to escape the slave economy of St. Sabasto's Reach, a world within the Velsen Sector. Here's a short outline for the world I wrote:

St. Sabasto’s Reach

An extremely rich hive world grown fat and depraved through slave trade and the exploitation of its mutant lower class.

The world originally earned its name when the Imperial Saint Sabasto rested here after his great victory on the fields of Belzifer, before engaging in the last stage of his holy crusade for the defense of Velsen against the forces of the Arch-enemy. While Sabasto's crusade army was still magnificent at this point, it had also suffered heavy losses (a fact, it is argued by some contemporary Velsian historians, that conrtibuted to Sabasto's eventual defeat within the Veil of Impurity).
When the Saint contemplated the price in blood paid for the reclamation of Velsen, he decreed that the entire world of St. Sabasto's Reach would be given to the orphans of the slain and that the Imperium would see to it that the children of martyrs would never need to go hungry. This spurred the planetary populace into religious fervor, and countless orphanages and scholae were opened in the saint’s name, earning the world bynames like “The Planet of Orphans” or "The Oprhans' Cradle".

However, with a slow decline in piety and a general economic recession, many of the world’s orphanages have had to close over the centuries, while others have turned to a far darker trade, giving the world’s epithet a new, sinister meaning. It is true that Imperial organisations like the Schola Progenium, the Ecclesiarchy and even the Inquisition still maintain a presence on St. Sabasto's Reach and recruit from the ranks of the homeless orphans, choosing the most talented or devout to serve in their respective organisations. And in the deeper levels of the world's hives, missions and orphanages still offer a real, if meagre, chance for survival to this day. Yet that is only one face of St. Sabasto's Reach. For at the same time, the world has also become the biggest fleshmarket in the entire Velsen Sector, providing human resources in a very literal sense, from mutant workers to household servants. Moreover, it is rumoured that there exists a slave for every kind of service in the almshouses and slave pits of St. Sabasto’s Reach, and the masters of the world have long prided themselves on being able to cater to every taste and desire, no matter how “eccentric” it may be.

Another mainstay of the world’s culture, the countless circuses and fighting arenas, are also fueled by a constant influx of “material” from the slave pits. At one point, the world's renowned Circus Imperialis served as a front for a cult of chaos worshippers and was purged by the hand of Inquisitor Antrecht. But even after this upheaval, the remaining slavelords and ringmasters of St. Sabasto’s Reach quickly regained their step, slightly realigning themselves in the resulting power struggle and carving out a new pecking order among themselves. Because the Inquisition's issue was never with the slave trade itself, but with the presence of heretics, and so the House of Blossoms, the Angelflesh Lodge and countless other establishments like them continue to ply their dark trade to this day...

I think a group of former slaves would be an interesting concept, plus it would allow for all kinds of different character types, including pitslaves, mutants, workers and some more exotic members. I don't consider this a high priority project at the moment, but it's still a fun diversion.

Anyway, as always, let me know what you think!

One-armed powerfist maniac is amongst my favorite archetypes, and your lad here is a fine example

Dig the construction yellow punchspike chap too!

- Salvage