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I like the horns, though I wonder what it would look like if you carved one of them off?

He does look amazing with all the changes you made !!!! Now for the head try flipping the horns so that they point upwards and, if the crest still fits in there without looking silly, keep it (though the hoplite crest, even if it is awesome is more of a loyalist feature). Looking forward to see what you'll come up with

Looking very cool now. Definitely try the horns pointing up.

Definitely keep the horns and crest! Maybe make the whip a dual-tailed one or from chains itself? I think it might add a little more "omf" to the silhouette of the model whilst also keeping it thematically sound. A chain whip may be a bit fineky but it could look more khornate? Just my two cents.

IMO, the first looks the best, two horns, no crest.

To my eyes, at least, the crest looks out of place. I'd go with either the stripped down helmet, or the helmet with horns.

I do love this guy's attitude! He looks bad-ass.

hey man, this thread is brilliant! I just thought I should say, on the subject of gladiators.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/583789.page

Man, that ain't head 2! You musta got some private 'voting' going on behind the scenes...

My vote is for the crest and horns. Just another suggestion re; the whip, but what about the one from Khazrak the One-Eye?

Glad to see you took the idea of the Scourge on. Might have to get back to my pit fighters at some point looking at these guys.

I'm entertained!

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

@ Markillius08: The answer to that question is pretty simple: It would look even more Slaaneshi I made a little mockup for you, though, in order to satisfy your curiosity



@ the shrouded lord: Will head over to that thread in order to comment in a minute, mate

@ Anvildude: Ah, you definitely caught me red handed there, mate: I'll willingly admit that I can freely choose to ignore public votings, seeing how these are my models and all Seriously, though: Even in those cases where I seemingly ignore feedback or go against the suggestions you guys make, the process of getting your feedback still helps me enormously when trying to nail down the right look for a certain model, so I hope you won't be too disappointed. In this particular case, the Skullcrusher kit just didn't give off the sense of that slightly feral sense of brutality that I wanted for the model, so I ultimately discarded it as an option -- that doesn't mean it won't be used on another (gladiator?) model, though.

@ PDH: I'm glad to hear it, mate

Regarding the many suggestions RE: the head and whip, here's my thought process at the moment:

When it comes to the whip, like I said earlier, I don't want it to be too flashy, hence no double- or triple-tipped whip, no chain whip and no spiky whip. Plus there's the fact that I had that whip from the Chaos chariot conveniently lying around: waste not, want not, and all that

As for the head, after doing quite a bit of experimentation, I actually realised that the option I was most happy with was ...the unaltered, original head. Fellow hobbyist KBA over at B&C actually managed to sum up my feelings perfectly, so let me just quote him here:

#1, Kraut, and here's why: the rounded top of the helmet sans crest creates the perfect juxtaposition that makes his brutal chainsword that much more brutal. For me, the crest clashes with weapon being on the same horizontal eye line. Keep the horns for that Khorne touch and you've got one hell of a mini! Well done!

The longer I was messing around with that crest, I realised that, while being perfect visual shorthand for Roman or Greek helmets, it just messed up the silhouette in this particular case. And while I really like the helmet without both the horns and crest, I stand by my earlier assessment that the model ends up looking like a follower of Slaanesh with that head -- it's a delicate balance, to be sure, but there you have it.

The original head, meanwhile, seems to perfectly complement the rest of the composition, as pointed out by KBA. Take a look:



So yeah, I'll keep it. Sorry to those who would have favoured a different approach!
As you can see, I also swapped in a possessed CSM shoulder pad, both to add to the slightly feral look of the Bestiarius, and to make him read more as an actual Astartes.

Here are more pictures of the model. I think I'll call this guy basically finished at this point:





And with his trusty pets:









All in all, I am really happy about this model finally coming together like this! It's been quite a journey from this



to this:



But it's still been a blast, thanks to your great feedback on the model! I realise that this may actually be the one best part of the hobby for me: Tweaking a single model until it just feels right.

Anyway, thanks again, guys! And let me know what you think!

What are your thoughts on the new Helbrute?

I'm really liking the model (along with the rest of this thread). one suggestion though, if you were to angle the head back slightly so that he is looking where his beasts are going rather than looking at the ground around them.

What the whip needs is the final paint job you envision it with.

All the monochromatic grey plastic is why it keeps looking under done I think.

On the head: are those horn straight vertical, or are the tips angled forward from the base of the horn? I like the way moving the tips of down pointed horns forward can make a head look subtly more aggressive.

Keep being awesome

As always, you don't disappoint mate!!!! That is one hell of a Bestiarius in one hell of a squad

Thanks for the kind words, guys! Like I've said before, this squad comes together so well because I keep getting all of this awesome feedback from you, so the achievement is yours as well as mine

@ Crystal Geyser: The short version would be that I think the model and kit look amazing, even though I am not a huge fan of the mutated look. In this case, though, they really nailed it, and even managed to include all the weapon options for once! However, seeing how I already have two painted and one unpainted (DV) Dread/Helbrute, the question will be whether I can manage to sit on my hands this time around -- the next months will be expensive in any case, given the brilliant leaked IG pics and the dim prospect of more chaos...

@ tarar2d2: Cheers, mate! Maybe I'll have to experiment with the position of the head a little more

@ Kandle: The horns are indeed ever so slightly angled forward -- one of the factors that made me choose this head, because I perfectly agree with you regarding the subtle effect this creates.

@ Legio Ultra: Thanks, mate! Much appreciated!


So, while work on the gladiators continues, let me show you something that provides a bit of colour contrast in between all the red and bronze: Parallel to working on the gladiator squad, I’ve also been painting some more followers of Nurgle. And this time around, we are talking about some models that have been in my collection for quite some time!

Since we last saw my growing squad of Plague Marines, I’ve added two more models. And even though I have precious little love left for metal models at this point, the Dave Andrews Plague Marines from the late 90s still range among my favourite chaos models for a number of reasons:

First, they are quite iconic: With their gas masks and “Pickelhauben”, they have a decided WW1 Trencher feel — quite fitting for warriors who fight surrounded by virulent gases and noxious fumes (albeit in a slightly inverted way: One could almost imagine that the Plague Marines are actually wearing their protective gear in order to keep the fresh air out). Their helmet design also nicely combines historical sources with the “mono-horn” typical of Nurgle.

Then there’s the fact that the detail on these guys is very nice: The damage to their armour seems believable and not overstated. All of them are modelled with a trusty plague knife at their side. And there are delicious visual cues, such as desiccated heads (serving as plague grenades), small Nurgle icons worn on chains, leaking (and poorly patched up) pipes or all kinds of vile pocks and fungal growth marking the armour.

All these qualities notwithstanding, I am a little ashamed to say that the metal Plague Marines I own have mostly been mouldering away, pun intended, in my bitzbox, ever since I purchased them sometime during the late 90s/early 2000s.

That turned out to be a good thing, though, because my recent foray into the wonderful world of corrosion and decay made sure that I could finally do justice to these models — in my small way, at least.

I left these completely unconverted, both because I hate cutting apart metal models, but also because I think the models are pretty much perfect as is. My only concession to modern design was to outfit them with some new arms and bolters, instead of the old plastic versions from the 90s (clown hands, anyone?).

So, without any further ado, here are the finished models:









The first model seemed to be built for a very classic pose, so I just added two arms holding a bolter. I really like the model’s subtly implacable look! Painting-wise, the Plague Marine was given the same treatment as the rest of my Plague Marines, with lots of rust and corrosion (and a fair amount of Nurgle’s Rot leaking out of the armour joints and vents).

The second model seems to have been designed with a more open pose in mind, so I obliged by arming it with a chainsword/bolter combo. Here’s the finished model:





And what do you know, when I had almost given up hope, a nice and subtle crackle effect began to develop on the right shoulder pad, courtesy of all the Agrellan Earth I used in the paint for the armour:





I also really like the pocks, dappled all over the model’s left greave. Such a fun little detail:



All in all, these guys were a blast to paint. Plus they have really managed to age ridiculously well: They perfectly embody all that a Plague Marine should be, in my opinion, with their only shortcoming being that they are slightly on the small side when stood next to more recent models, but that could well be explained in-universe as their bodies slowly collapsing from rot. The best thing about them is how they are quite sinister without being overly twisted or mutated. In fact, part of the body horror for these guys comes from wandering what’s beneath the armour (instead of being able to see it outright). It seems like Forgeworld’s recently released Death Guard conversion kits are, in no small part, an attempt to create uncorrupted Pre-Heresy versions of these models’ design. The later metal model from the 2000s seem a little lacklustre, by comparison — I wish I had bought more of those older models while I still had the chance, because they are all great!

So, where does that leave us in regard to the overall squad? Let’s take a look:



I am really quite pleased with these guys, even though I have little to no plan to use them in Khorne’s Eternal Hunt. There’s still the 90s metal icon bearer – now stripped of his former paintjob – left to paint. And then? Maybe I’ll just spin these guys off into a small Nurglite killteam? After all, I already have a suitably decayed Terminator Lord to lead them:



I have half a mind to throw in a decayed Traitor Guard soldier or two. And a plague zombie. And maybe some hulking mutant creature? Shoot, there I go again…

For now, though, painting these guys has proven to be a lot of fun. And I love the fact that I have finally managed to finish some models that have been part of my collection for ages. Go me!

Anyway, let me know what you think! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

Loving the Nurgle. They're absolutely disgusting (in the best of ways). Watching your blog had gotten me to kick my butt into gear and finish painting my own CSM warband. Almost finished my slaneesh marines. And turning to my Tzeentch dedicated ones.

Nice painting on those Plague Marines, you nailed the rust and slime effecs!!! The terminator lord is a little bit dry in comparison, though still a very nice model both conversion and paiting-wise (maybe add some Rot on him?? )
Beware of the flu this time though

Cheers, guys!

@ Nevie: Thanks, mate! I am always happy to motivate other hobbyists in my small way. Don't just focus on Slaanesh and Tzeentch, though: Khorne's where it's at for the cool cats

@ Legio Ultra: Yes, that Terminator could use some minor touch ups to bring it more in line with the Plague Marines -- a spot of Nurgle's Rot here and there might be a good way to start! And no flu for me this time, thank you Still have the antibodies from last time, I suppose...


So while I am building up the motivation to paint a gladiator or two, I amused myself by engaging in some kitbashing. Here are the assorted results of the last few evenings:

First up, a test model for a Nurglite traitor soldier, in case I ever decide to go through with the Nurgle Killteam idea: I just used some stuff from my bitzbox to come up with a fairly easy conversion:





I have already started painting the model, although it's not much to look at (yet?):







It does work rather well when placed next to one of the Plague Marines, though:



Definitely not a priority project at the moment, so I can happily mess around with it whenever I feel like it

Then there's something I've been thinking about for a while: I've repeatedly been tossing around ideas for a squad of World Eaters Havocs (to represent the classic "Teeth of Khorne" and add some versatile firepower to my army). I found myself thinking about the squad members just armed with a regular bolter (and used as ablative wounds): I wanted to make them slightly more interesting, and when I sifted through my bitzbox in search of inspiration, I found myself looking at some WFB chaos warrior shields: What if I built the ablative wounds guys to resemble breacher marines, only post-heresy?

Anyway, I messed around a bit, and here's what I came up with:







Just a very early WIP, nothing's glued together yet, but for some reason, I really like this guy -- maybe this approach warrants some further exploration? In any case, I'll hold off on this until it's clear whether we are getting the rumoured new Havoc kit anytime soon or not. But it's an interesting experiment nevertheless, don't you think?

Oh, and I also did a very early mockup for the Cestus gladiator:



Again, we are very early in the process, so be gentle Also, the head's just a placeholder for now. But even though using the Warp Talon claws seems like the easy way out, I think they are a pretty nice fit for the lsightly feral look of the gladiators. What do you think?

Anyway, your feedback's always welcome! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

Wow. I don't own chaos chaos, I am starting an army using the chaos codex, (pretty much a chapter of space marines derived from Luna wolf geneseed with chaos spawn) and this an absolutely fan-fething-tastic!
If I may, would an experienced master mind like you give me some ideas of how to convert/scratch build some spawn? I've already got one in the making.
Edit: forgot to say, those new guys look awesome!
Also, if you checked it out, what did you tink of my gladiator?

Hey mate,

when it come to chaos spawn, I guess the main question is what you want to achieve: Do you want your spawn to look like crazy, mutated flesh-things? Then go with the stock kit! Want to have them look like devolved Astartes (like mine)? The Vargheist/Crypt Horror kit would be great for that! Mutated Ogryns? Use WFB Ogres (or wait for the new IG Ogryn kit that's supposedly just around the corner) and make the models look suitably hideous by adding mutations and/or crude augmetic implants. There are also all kinds of possible beasts and huge creatures you could use as spawn: Fenris wolves, the blood beast from the WFB chaos chariot,... It really comes down to what you want your spawn to look like -- and my main suggestion would be to make them fit the overall look and feel of your army rather than treat them as just an afterthought.

As for your gladiator, I left a pretty detailed comment in your thread, you know...

 KrautScientist wrote:
Hey mate,

when it come to chaos spawn, I guess the main question is what you want to achieve: Do you want your spawn to look like crazy, mutated flesh-things? Then go with the stock kit! Want to have them look like devolved Astartes (like mine)? The Vargheist/Crypt Horror kit would be great for that! Mutated Ogryns? Use WFB Ogres (or wait for the new IG Ogryn kit that's supposedly just around the corner) and make the models look suitably hideous by adding mutations and/or crude augmetic implants. There are also all kinds of possible beasts and huge creatures you could use as spawn: Fenris wolves, the blood beast from the WFB chaos chariot,... It really comes down to what you want your spawn to look like -- and my main suggestion would be to make them fit the overall look and feel of your army rather than treat them as just an afterthought.

As for your gladiator, I left a pretty detailed comment in your thread, you know...

HOLLY CRUD YOU DID!
MY DERP IS PALPABLE!
*sits in a corner weeping and feeling stupid*
thanks for the advice in regards to what with the spawn, I'm thinking of having them all look kind of like their bodies have mutated to a canine structure, back-bent legs, rather big teeth, but at the same time keep the flesh look of the base model, and also have some armour "hanging" off of some of them.

Haha, don't worry

As for the spawn, if that is your intended look, I do have a couple of suggestions. I'll put them in spoiler tags, though, so as not to derail this thread too much

I left a comment over on B&C buddy but Ill repeat myself here. That Cestus is awesome. Just glue it and paint it :d

 Biohazard wrote:
I left a comment over on B&C buddy but Ill repeat myself here. That Cestus is awesome. Just glue it and paint it :d

Agreed - It looks so menacing and full of character.

Whoa, two of my favourite converters telling me to go for it -- that's all the leave I need, guys, thank you very much!

Nice minis, great job man! And its is so nice to Cestus coming to life!!!!!!!!!!!! I also like the breacher, (though i can't see him as a Havoc for some reason) he definitely is a nice start to a new project

Cheers, mate! I'm really not quite sure about that Breacher myself, to be honest. All I know is that I am really fond of the mockup for some reason -- and I am quite pleased with myself for being, to my knowledge, one of the first person to actually come up with this use for WoC shields

As for the Cestus, I did tidy up the conversion a little, plus I tried a different head. While the placeholder head works quite well, it is virtually identical to the one I used on the Bestiarius, and I would rather have a unique head for each model in the squad. So what do you think of this:













Looking forward to your feedback, people!

The Nurgle Guardsman looks brilliant!! really fits the death guard.

the Cestus Also looks amazing! I'd go for the crest on, as it adds a certain grandeur to him. he seems to exude a certain arrogance with his pose...