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Hi everyone,

I’m Max posting from Germany. I mostly like building, sculpting and converting models for fun. Had many breaks in the last 25 years in which all the stuff spent months and years in storage due to many moves and jobs with limited private life. I love SciFi, especially the 40K setting and the Sisters of Battle are my favorite faction.

Towards the end of last year I decided to try and build an Adepta Sororitas Kill Team from a yet to describe order minoris. I know it would be easier to just convert the upcoming plastics, but I’m doing this mostly for the fun of building and maybe games with friends using homebrew rules, so I don’t think I need to wait for the plastics. My idea was to scratch build the entire team, because I was never too fond of the metal models and wanted more modern (especially in terms of proportions) and unique models for a long time. While doing so, it turned out to be that much fun I thought about building a little 40K force. I have unassembled Exorcist, Rhino and Immolator in storage anyways and they would finally find some use.

For the infantry I set myself the following goals:
- All basically scratch built or at least converted
- No two identical models
- All should look like official art and fanart and have typical equipment and insignia
- Proportions should be like Veridyan, SoS, Celestine and the Geminae and not like the metal models
- Usability in 40K games is secondary (I don’t play competitive)
- They should be as awesome (at least to me)

I’ll use this thread as a kind of log on the project and will introduce the girls in the following posts. CC, questions and discussions are welcome of course.

Cheers, Max.


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This is the first one I finished in Nov. 2018. A so far nameless Sister Militant inspired by this piece of art: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/02/37/ff/0237ff4320f34d5ee2fc9efaa5ff9151.jpg



Made mostly from Brown Stuff, Magic-Sculpt, press molds for many details. Scale is in line with Celestine, Veridyan and the SoS, so they should fit well with this year's releases. Detail press molds are from Celestine for the legs, left hand and the front of the torso, Shoulder pauldron eagle and fleur from one of the Geminae, face from a Raging Heroes Jailbird (not the hair though), backpack from Veridyan.

The next minis I made were 3 Sisters Superior or Celestians. I know normal Celestians can't have the Power Sword / Pistol combination in official rules so far, but I think it would make sense if they could have melee weapons like Power Swords, Power Maul, Power Axe or at least a Chainsword in addition to a Bolter Pistol, Inferno Pistol, Handflamer or Plasma Pistol. Many Celestians probably were Sisters Superior before being raised to their new rank.

This one has a Plasma Pistol and a Power Sword.



This fine warrior is awaiting her enemies on a windy cliff.



This one is just turning around.



And here's group shot of the first four Sisters.

Thanks, MacPhail! On these I used no wire aside very few pins. Brown Stuff with Cyanoacrylate hardens quickly, I use this to combine parts molded or sculpted separtedly or to create internal support or a kind of 'armature' when needed. I'm curious how far my ambition gets me with this.

Thanks, Mmmpi! I guess in the course of this year it will become quite easy to make similar (or better ones) with the new plastic models. :-D



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The next models I made (Dec. 2018) are a group of Dominions with meltas and a Sister Superior with Power Sword and Inferno Pistol. Dominions have no specific models in the official metal range, so far you have to use standard Sisters (mostly with specialist weapons). I think Dominion models should be charging, attacking, breaking enemy lines being the most aggressive and hot blooded warriors of their order. So I tried giving them more active poses.



Briefly thought about giving all Dominions headbands, but had already sculpted the hair of the others.

“I’m gonna need two Eviscerators for this heresy” - Palatine Sister Evie



As a martial arts mistress of the Order of the Cleansing Blade Evie wields a double bladed Eviscerator Glaive to mow down all those who refuse to repent. Countless men have lost their heads over and due to her.



She’s the last model I made 2018. Scratch built from Brown stuff, Magic Sculpt and also a little Green Stuff. Detail press molds from Celestine, Geminae, Sisters of Silence, Verydian, a borrowed earring (Fleur on the hilts) and the face of a spare Raging Heroes head. It’d be great if Palatines could become a HQ choice in the new Codex.

Veteran Sisters Repentia Inferna and Nora

"The fog was thick as Cadian pea soup. Only when I heard their inspiring hymnals passing my desolate position, I became aware that an attack must have been ordered and left the trench. Out of a sudden hissing flames cut the fog apart and engulfed the traitor’s pillboxes, instantly silencing any defensive fire. The hungry growls of a few dozen super-sized chainswords rose all around me drowning the death cries of the incinerated. Then I found myself amidst this storming horde of wild furies in crimson red rags throwing themselves and their eviscerators into the smoldering breaches the flamers had cut." – Report of an unnamed Guardsman on an employment of Sisters Repentia



Idea behind the models: a few Sisters Repentia - only the strongest and incredibly lucky ones - do not die easily. They survive many battles and become veterans. Armed with a combination of Eviscerator and Heavy flamer they form the suicidal spearhead of their repentant force, breaking up enemy formations, which are then cut down by their junior comrades in repentance. They might also form the bodyguard of the Mistress of Repentance or other Sisters of elevated rank and most happily give their life to protect them.

Had this idea when I saw the Pious Vorne model from Blackstone fortress. The weapon looks impractical, heavy and without power armor, you’d better not skip gym to often to use it. That’s why I made them quite buff. As usual made from Brown stuff, Magic-Sculpt and also a little Green Stuff (head cloth and some seals). Detail press molds from Pious Vorne, Prodos Crusader torsos and Escher arms. Heads are failed attempts from other models, which I hid under the red cloth. Also rotated the flames to make them parallel.

Thanks Mothsniper! It's basically the color scheme of the Order of Our Martyred Lady (from which the Order of the Cleansing Blade descended) with some minor changes for the higher ranked Sisters.

“I love the smell of burning heretics in the morning” – Legatine Sister Xandrine

Xandrine is not only one of the most skilled warriors of the Order of the Cleansing Blade, she also serves her fellow sisters as a shining example and spiritual leader. Into battle she carries the legendary Eviscerator ‘Sweetteeth’ and an antique hand flamer she calls her ‘Little Lighter’.



Built out of more than 25 individual parts made from Brown stuff, Magic Sculpt and very little Green Stuff. Detail press molds from Celestine, Geminae, Sisters of Silence, Verydian, Pious Vorne and the modified face of a spare Raging Heroes head.

She is based on this illustration by Lars Bundvad: https://www.deviantart.com/vanagandr/art/Sororitas-433554528

Thanks, JohnHwangDD!

They are between 32 and 36 mm from Sole to top of their hair depending on their pose. They are leaner and much taller than the offical metal Sororitas, but in scale with modern releases such as Escher gang, Celestine and the Geminae (at least 35 mm when they were standing), Greyfax, Sisters of Silence, Verydian (37 mm!) and e.g. Pious Vorne (33 mm). So I think they might coincide in scale with the upcoming plastic sisters.

Thanks for the suggestion. Your are certainly right about resin casting of some parts making this more time efficient in the long run. I'll consider that. So far I use surplus putty (I always mix too much) to make pieces such as shoulder pads or backpacks by pushing it in some press mold and cleaning it up later.

Was asked if I did’t want to make a Sister with a helmet. I did. Here she is.

The latest three members of the Cleansing Blade represent the Holy Trinity of Bolter, Melta and Flamer.



They are inspired by an image by Anna Steinbauer: https://warhammerart.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/AST001-Sisters-Of-Battle-Cover-650x975.jpg

Some more pictures:

I had tried to put a skull under the foot, But I did not like it and removed it before painting. Found it better as it is now. Do you think it looks bad or wrong the way it is? Could have also simply put her on a 32 mm.

Yes, I like these red gowns, too. Might try to make some battle torn ones (as often illustrated) in the future.

I think bases are a good way - aside the style and the color scheme of the miniatures themselves - to forge models into an army. As long as they do that and have something in common, things like skulls, rocks or plates to enlarge a base are ok and sometimes even beneficial as you show. Didn't like it on the Sister mentioned above, though. The skull looked like it was about to roll of the base.

Also, got a new Sister...



Sister Hospitaller Edwina from the Order of the Healing Fire. She is deployed to the Order Militant of the Cleansing Blade as a Combat Chirurgeon. Edwina and her Sisters have taken a vow to preserve life. However, witches, xenos and heretics are not seen as life, but as a disease that needs to be purged. Therefore, the Sisters of Order of the Healing Fire are just as capable in dealing mortal wounds as healing them.

Thanks JHDD!

I had the regular (metal) one, too. Thinks it's one of the best minis, maybe the best mini of the old Sisters range. I couldn't find it recently, though, when I went through the boxes of shame for hours. Hope it's not gone and just hiding somewhere.

I liked the face as it is (from Rogue Trader's Sanistasia Minst), so I decided not to add a mask.

A group shot, while assembling some more of them.

Thanks! I hope I will!

I'm thinking red long skirts (Delaque or Pious Vorne like) or long loin cloth, purity seals, somewhat muscled (Jailbird or Escher like), bald or with red cloth executioner masks, no power armor (but probably SFW), mighty Eviscerators, scars, cool poses, screaming, ravaging, repenting. Not too far off the standard design and in line with Veteran Sisters Repentia Inferna and Nora pictured above.

They are currently not my priority, though. Still building Heavy Bolter Retributors and some Stormbolterettes, also have released two Rhinos from storage for Repressor conversions and there are still some half-arsed converted Saint and Geminae mid-paint as well as a Melta Dominion I forgot on the desk... Many ideas, days are too short.

Saint Sepherine and her two Geminae Superia. Sepherine once was a young Novice Advance of the Order of our Martyred Lady, a Novice of ardent zeal as well as highest purity. She was trapped, tortured for weeks and at last burned alive by an infamous witch cult millennia ago. Whenever times seem hopeless for the Order of the Cleansing Blade, she may appear on the battlefield as an avenging angel cutting and burning heretics and xenos alike. She often is accompanied by two long gone canonesses of the Cleansing Blade, who merciless ravage and ignite all enemies of the Emperor while defending their Saint.







Every order needs some Saints, so I converted a set of Celestine for the Order of the Cleansing Blade and painted them in the order’s colors to make them fit in. I wanted blades and fire. Celestine got two flaming swords and the birds had to move. The Geminae are supposed to be former canonesses in the official lore, too, however the models looked almost like standard Seraphim. Therefore, I added a torch, changed the weapons to different swords (Dreamforge) and homemade Stormbolters. They also got Verydian or Ephrael like skull boobs to make them more canonessy. The swords of all three are Incinerator swords, which set anything they touch on fire, even matter that usually does not burn such as steel, ceramite or the stone cold heart of your ex.

Thanks a lot!

“Those heretics will soon taste our steel. Deus Imperator vult, Sisters!” – Crusader Captain Maria de Moriet

Countless Crusader Houses exist across the Empire. Unlike the Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas, who are orphans raised by the Ecclesiarchy, the Crusaders of the Sisterhood of the Crimson Linen are without exception highborn daughters of nobles, who voluntarily traded the extravagant luxury of their decadent families for a simple life of asceticism, piety and merciless bloodshed in the name of the Emperor. Just as these armswomen admire the Adeptus Sororitas for their zeal, they are themselves respected by the Sisters of Battle for their unbreakable dedication and close combat proficiency.







Felt like building Crusaders to run along with my Order of the Cleansing Blade. Female Crusaders such as the Sisters of the Silvered Sphinx or Cassara Novia. The old two official models may be rather static, but I think such a stoic, space-saracan-awaiting pose fits Crusaders well, so I tried to keep that feel. What I like the most about the old Crusader models, though, are the hooded bathrobes. Immediately felt connected to them. I mean, who doesn’t like wearing them all day? Of course my custom Crusaders had to have hooded bathrobes, too.

Made from Brown Stuff and Magic Sculpt with press molds from Geminae, Celestine, Sisters of Silence, the Eldar Ranger and Missionary from Blackstone Fortress, faces/hair of Prodos Crusaders, shields of Raging Heroes Knights of the Chalice and last not least the back of the robes of a GW Crusader and some of their inquisition signs.

There are no uneven surfaces on robes, that's just some minor battle damage.
Seriously, from the pictures I think the robes of your priest are very good and could have been painted in whatever color you like. They look good in black, though.

Took me also some time to decide on the robes of the Crusaders. At first I wanted to make them black like most Crusader robes in official and fanmade art are, but I also wanted some red cloth on the models and I really like painting red robes, so I went for red robes in the end.

Thanks, Captain Brown!

Thanks, NotVaughan!

Honestly, I don't plan that much on that project at all. The ones I like the most were rather spontaneous ideas I followed through, while some planned Sisters are still unfinished, because at some point I wanted to do something else.

I think I already got enough Sisters for a Kill Team, I don't know if I will really make an entire 40K army from putty. I'm still motivated, though.

That said, I don't know if I will cover all codex units, it's well possible. I make them mostly for the fun of making them. Playing with them is secondary.

Well, currently I can only offer you my take on a Canoness. Had a number of Canoness plans, but she’s a good example for a rather spontaneous mini, which defied all those plans. Good thing is an order can (and should) have more than one Canoness, so I can still add a different one in the future. For now I wanted a very tough and a little battle torn warrior type of Canoness. Please meet Alessa.

“Understand Sisters, faith can cut as sharply as any blade, so our minds and hearts shall and must be red and bloody just as our blades.” – Canoness Alessa of the Order of the Cleansing Blade

Alessa served the Order of the Cleansing Blade for more than two decades as the Sister Superior of a Seraphim squad when she was elevated to the position of a Battle Canoness. Her favored weapons are the infamous power lance Longinetta and a master crafted bolter named Breka. Her equipment is decorated with the skulls of long gone pious warriors serving the cause of the Emperor even after their death. Her pet cherub Lucky supports her in battle and will gnaw on the ankles of any fiend foolish enough to approach her. Alessa is always found where battle is toughest, preferably leading deepstrikes into enemy territory. Recently, some young adepts of the Administratum voiced the opinion that jump packs should no longer be appropriate for a Sororitas with the high rank of a Canoness. Alessa however does not seem to care a whit about such blasphemous ramblings.





Scratch built with Brown Stuff, Magic Sculpt, a nail and eggshells from more than two dozen parts with detail press molds from metal Celestine (cherub), metal canoness (sword, incense thingy), plastic Celestine & Geminae (legs, backpack, shoulder pads), Sisters of Silence (fur pattern), Veridyan (chest plate), metal imagifier (rear tip of Longinetta), Greyfax (face (sort of) and hand) and probably some parts I forgot. Longinetta is a reference to the "real" Lance of Longinius. Therefore, a real nail had to be used in the lance.

JohnHwangDD wrote:Oh, I like her very much!

Meer_Cat wrote:I've really been enjoying your work and meant to post something long before this. It wasn't until I backtracked and read everything from Item 1, Page 1 forward that I realized you were casting and fabricating your own figures, albeit as composites from a myriad of sources plus your own brown- and greenstuff work.

All I can say is: extremely well done! The poses are realistic, the articulation is terrific, the proportions are perfect. The figures attract visual interest as individuals and in groups are very distinctive.

kestral wrote:Been seeing your stuff in the Gallery - tremendous. I also didn't realize how much of it was original.

Really good work bringing everything together on these.

Captain Brown wrote:More very nice work Max Moray.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks a lot, guys! Glad you like them!

Meer_Cat wrote:Frankly, GW would be lucky to be able to hire you in as a figure designer- especially to help with some long overdue modernizations for the Sisters of Battle range.

I look forward to following along as you introduce more pieces.

While this sounds like fun, I hope GW do it a lot better than a hobbyist with press moulds and epoxy putty. I like quite a number of releases from the last years (SoS, Escher...) and I love the plastic Celestine and Geminae, which I took as my main source. Actually, I also hope they have their designs done already if they want a release this year.

“Their blood is my offering. Their last breath is my prayer. Their death is my faith.” – Death Cult Assassin Sonexa of the Temple of Xoss

For my first death cult assassin I had to use something of Knosso Prond as the latest official death cult assassin release, but the head had to be all different (I wanted a face to paint) as well as the pose. As weapons I made tonfa blades… and the hair had to be some kind of dreads of which I am not sure if they are hair or mechanic parts. Made with Brown Stuff and Magic-Sculpt as well as very little Green Stuff. Detail press molds from Rythali-in (chestplate), Jailbirds (face, legs), Knosso (arms) and Veridyan (skull knees).

youwashock wrote:Your skill at fabricating completely convincing minis from a variety of sources is amazing.

Thanks, youwashock. Some of these parts just belong together.

JohnHwangDD wrote:OK, I really like that DCA - fantastic work!

Thanks for the suggestion to make DCA. Was/is fun.

For this death cult assassin (2/3) I started with Knosso Prond. Again head (now a face from a Prodos crusader) and pose had to be changed, as weapons I built more tonfa blades and the hair had to be dreads. Made of Brown Stuff, Magic-Sculpt, very little green stuff and using press molds for details. Edit: wrong pic, Edit2: Didn't like the red legs...



For my third death cult assassin I also started with Knosso Prond using detail press molds, but went for a different pose and head. Left hand was made with a press mold from a Jailbird. Made of Brown Stuff, Magic-Sculpt and very little green stuff.

“Their blood is my offering. Their last breath is my prayer. Their death is my faith.” – Death Cult Assassin Sonexa of the Temple of Xoss

The Temple of Xoss is an ancient death cult dating back several millennia. Nevertheless it was frowned upon by the ecclesiarchy due to its lack of hymnals and its questionable obsession with the blood of their enemies. With the beginning of the Sorex incursion countless Khornate cults rose on the moons of the namesake planet, entire guard and pdf regiments turned traitor and it was expected that the Temple of Xoss too would now reveal its true nature as a cult of the ruinous powers. But this forecast proved wrong. Not one of the Death Cultists turned to Chaos. When the traitor forces were about to overwhelm a contingent of the Adepta Sororitas, it was the three Mistress Assassins of Temple of Xoss, who eliminated twelve fearsome leaders of the Chaos hordes and lost their own lives in this suicidal mission. It was only their pious sacrifice, which allowed the Sisters of Battle to defeat und finally purge the superior traitor forces. Since that day the devotion and loyalty of the Death Cult Assassins of the Temple of Xoss have never been called in question again.

"Here we bloody well are, and here we bloody well stay. Hold the line, Sisters!" – Sister Superior Vassina

Scratch built a squad of Heavy Bolter Retributors encouraged by their leader. Rending Retributors once were a major threat on the battlefield, but the variability of the model(s) was rather limited. Wanted to give mine different and more defensive poses compared to my storming Dominions. Used Brown Stuff, Magic-Sculpt, Green Stuff (for the belts) and press molds for details from Celestine and her Geminae as well as Raging Heroes’ Cruz, which I like so much I had to copy the pose and the gun (modified). The Storm Bolter of the Sister Superior is my own design mix, which I also used for my converted Geminae.

Thanks a lot, Boss Salvage!