Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

While I like GW?s chaos biker figures well enough, I wanted to push the concept a bit.  According to the codex, ?The bike is almost an extension of its rider. ? The roar of the beast?s engine is the growl of a snarling beast that fires the damned soul of its rider to acts of greater recklessness.?  Wonderful stuff, not really captured in the figure.

And I?ve always loved the WHFB chaos knight figures.

So, I tried bashing the two concepts together, and come up with this:

http://www.dorkamorka.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_chaos%20bikers%20unpainted7.jpg

That?s the basic concept.  The idea is that a daemon possesses the bike, symbiotically fusing with the chaos space marine when he rides.  Which I picture as sinew, cables, gristle and gore knitting the two together, while demon claws clutch at the wheels and drive the creature forward.

Here?s another version:

http://www.dorkamorka.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_chaos%20bikers%20unpainted4.jpg

The plan is to use modeling chain for reins.  In most cases, I?m leaving off the chains until I?ve painted the rest of the models, to make painting easier.  But here?s a test of the concept:

http://www.dorkamorka.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_chaos%20bikers%20unpainted9.jpg

And finally, here?s the aspiring champion:

http://www.dorkamorka.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_chaos%20bikers%20unpainted3.jpg

Let me know what you think.<?

Hang on, let me try posting the images themselves:

[edit: nope.  Sorry, I'm not figuring this out.]

I think you've hit gold here. They look 100% chaotic psycho-killers, wich is what you want to. I cant wait to see some painted pic's.

really nice work

I like them other than the join where the neck meets the bike. I think you need to bulk that out some more to make it look better proportionately. Other than that great work. I captors the feel of the bikers tremendously.

Where did you find the oval bases?

Thanks for the feedback, and bbb, for the help posting the pictures.
The oval bases (which are magnetized) are sold by Gale Force 9. (I hate the look of rectangular cavalry bases among my round ones.)

You, sir, have a twisted mind. And I mean that in a good, chaosy, sort of way. These things are far better than the GW version and much more in line with what seems to be going on in the Warp.

I do agree with Rygoth's point, though, and feel that the neck joint might be improved in some ways.

*This is going straight into the 'inspiring stuff' folder...*

JF

Please paint them in Alpha Legion colours

Nice work... They're going to look rather nasty when they're painted.

I would agree with the suggestion to bulk out the necks, though... would help them look a little more chunky and intimidating.

It would possibly also be worth converting the bolters into combi-bolters. If you just slice off the barrel and the other sticky-outie bits on the front, you can reattach two barrels to make an easy over-under combi-bolter.

The Aspiring Champion could also do with a little more tendril-ness. Out of the squad, he should be the most fused with his ride... I'd suggest maybe removing his entire lower body, and starting your tendrils from there.

Very original though... looking forward to the finished product.

They're great.

GW should have taken this appraoch to Chaos stuff, really doing something to make them different from vanilla marines.

The front wheel needs an axel to hold it in place though.

My favorite thing is probably the chains/reins on the one
bike. Very nice.

I want you to do one like this:

Great feedback -- thanks, guys.
I love insaniak's idea about modeling combi-bolters. And about making the champion particularly tendrilly -- although since I've already started painted the first one, I think I'll have to wait and have a go at a second model for that.
Regarding axles for the front wheels, my initial idea was that the clutching demon claws actually kept the wheels spinning and attached to the bike. But when modelled, it does look kind of odd, I agree. I think I'll attach Ben Hur spike-axles.

I'm still mulling over suggestions about working on the neck and/or neck joins. To my eye, the flamer heads fit pretty well with the rest of the model -- almost the size of a steed, but more sinuous and snakey, as demons should be. And then I wanted the join to suggest a kind of eruption from the bike, tinged with corruscating demon fire. Let me paint up one or two of them and see how it turns out.

Meanwhile, thanks again for the kind words,. I'll post painted versions when I finish one and get pictures.

coolness!

i dig it (except maybe for the long horse/beast neck...maybe thicken it up more)

i've been sitting on the same idea for more than a year (well not a chaos knight rider anyway).

i have 100+ wheels and cheap source of green stuff and a ton of epo-putty, but was too damned chicken to try it out.

they look neat.

thank you for inspiring me. you have just solved my problem of purchasing 30 bikes. all that money can buy a whole lotta beer instead.



and yeah, that meatloaf bike works too.



-g