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That's the way to kit-bash!

The design of the brothers is great so far. What I especially like to ponder is the chemistry between them from the perspective of gameplay. Is the big one so stubborn that he'll randomly obey his little brother's commands? What happens if the other one dies, does the one still living go frenzy? etc.

There are so many ways to make them interesting! okkiW is also designing similar characters for our Inq28 scenario, only they are Siamese twins of sort.

Thanks izeColt!

I usuallly don't get excited about rules at all, but you're right: In this case, there are some interesting possibilities: Maybe the smaller brother doesn't always get through to the bigger one. Maybe the bigger one is easily distracted, or scared of certain noises or what have you. I think it could be fun to have a character that's very powerful but can be distracted or immobilised by clever playing. That said, the concept of a smaller and a bigger character is quite interesting to explore from a visual perspective as well. I first got the idea when I found that "basket" for the Gnoblar model in my bitzbox and was instantly intrigued It's also a concept that would probably be much harder to pull off in 56mm!

I already saw okkiW's concept, of course. That sketch alone is so good that it really makes me thrilled for what he is doing with the concept. Makes it a close second to your Inquisitor

Another small update on the brothers: I tried a different weapon on the bigger brother's right arm in order to see if I would like it better than the gauntlet and added an ammo feed to his weapon. I also gave him a respirator over the lower half of his face (ignore the dangling canister, as it can easily be cut away). Take a look at the changes:





None of these changes are permanent yet. So, what do you think: gauntlet or club? Resirator or no respirator?

I also laid out all the different bitz I may yet be using on the model:



If anyone has another idea, let me know!

Nice additions. Although I do prefer the orignal gauntlet, and I'm a no for the respiator!

Thanks, tipios!

Actually, I think I'll go back to the gauntlet -- it just seems to make more sense for the character. Like I said, I'll also add more cabling: The cables you can see in the third picture will be added to his weapon arm, running from the weapon to his back or something like that. I will also add one or two of the electrical coils, probably to his shoulderpad.

Still not sure about the respirator, though. Maybe I'll just have to wait until I painted the face and re-evaluate the whole thing then. I think the respirator helps in "40kifying" the model, but it takes away a lot of expression. But it's only a small bit, so I can still add it when I don't like the painted face

Another question: Do you think the smaller brother should get some kind of weapon (a Laspistol in his left hand, for example)? Or should he be entirely defenseless withouth his brother?

Pipes idea sounds perfect. If you give gun to little brother, I think it will lose a lot of character.

^ i agree, and i also am not a fan of the respirator, as he had an interesting face

big guantlet is an awesome weapon choice. I third for no weapon for the little brother. as for the respirator i think it should be hanging off of his pack that the little guy can slap over the bigguns face. just my nickle for the day.

Thanks, guys. I guess the smaller brother will have to go weaponless then

While I am still working on those two, let's have a look at another finished model in the meantime:

The Chrono-gladiator is yet another archetype oozing the kind of gothic science fiction horror that defines the setting of 40k and Inquisitor. There’s just something inherently wrong and sickening about a creature only able to prolong its life by fighting and killing. So it was clear that I would have to build one of those guys as a part of my INQ28 exploits.

Fortunately, the Chrono-gladiator was once again a nice fit for Inquisitor Antrecht’s retinue, because even someone like Antrecht, who prefers working from the shadows, will sometimes have to employ a more direct approach or face one of his many pursuers in combat. It makes a lot of sense that he would choose to use servants that are not too bothered about his methods. And his alliance with Magos Zeiss should make it easy enough to keep all kinds of biomechanic abominations in working order. So with the consideration of plausibility safely out of the way, I once again started cutting and glueing:



All things considered, this guy was one of the easiest conversions in the retinue. I used the body of an old Ork boy I had built ages ago, replacing the hands with two crude chainblades from the same kit. There’s just something about those primitive Ork weapons. Hmmm…
The left arm had some bandages at the wrist which were a perfect fit for the crude implant, while I masked the left wrist with a very old shield that came from Advanced HeroQuest. It does manage to add a little bit of “Blanchian” madness to the piece, I think.



The head is from the ever useful Crypt Ghoul kit. The fact that it’s much too small for the muscular body makes the model look misshapen and malproportioned, like he turned the steroid use up to eleven, which, come to think about it, is probably exactly what happened.
I added a shaved down CSM backpack and a small tube running into the model’s neck to represent the mechanisms injecting drugs into the gladiator’s system during fights.
All that was left were some bits and bobs. I added a purity seal as well as a Mechanicus seal to the model. And of course an hourglass that he uses to keep track of the time he managed to “save up”. And with that, the model was ready for painting:



Looking back on it now, I was kind of ambitious with the paintjob, trying all kinds of new things. First of all, this was the first model where I managed to figure out a working recipe for pale, somewhat sickly skin: Paint it GW Dheneb Stone, the wash liberally with GW Ogryn Flesh. Done! Fortunately for me, I managed to load up on Ogryn Flesh before the new paints were released. Phew!

I also tried to paint some blue veins on the model’s skin, trying to make it look like the skin was slightly translucent (like real human skin). It worked out rather nicely, I think. You can see the effect on his arms and neck.



His clothes were mainly painted in muted browns and greens, so they would offer a nice contrast to the skin but not draw too much attention away from the more interesting points of the model. I used the shield on the right arm and the purity seal to add some accents in red.









And finally, I tried adding lots of scratches to the model’s chainblades, making it look like he has been using them to parry lots of attacks. By washing with Badab Black between applying the different “layers” of scratches, I tried to make it look like some of them were more recent than others.

All in all, I’m rather pleased with the model. He’s certainly not a main player in the warband, but I used him to try all kinds of things that were fairly new — at least to me. I also wrote up a small piece of background just now in order to get a feeling for how he and Antrecht could have crossed ways for the first time.



Chrono-gladiator Klytus

The main tenet of the Istvaanian creed is that it is unending conflict alone that allows the Imperium to prosper. What better embodiment for this philosophy, then, than a creature that can only prolong its existence by fighting?

Inquisitor Antrecht first saw the being called Klytus in the slave pits of St. Sabasto’s Reach, fighting for his life in more ways than one: The Chrono-gladiator’s internal clock was just about to run out, leaving him with only seconds to live, and so he tore through his opponents with wild abandon, desperate to prolong his existence. Then, as a cruel kind of recurring spectacle, the ringmaster would reset his clock after each fight, keeping him suspended in a stasis field until the next time, repeating a cycle of desperation and slaughter over and over again. Antrecht was disgusted and fascinated in equal measures.

When Antrecht’s investigations revealed the planet’s Circus Imperialis to be a front for a cult of daemon-worshippers, the ringmaster sicced Klytus on the Inquisitor, promising him to end the vicious cycle if he managed to take Antrecht down. It turned out however, that he had misjudged the gladiator’s will to live after all, for it was him that Klytus turned on instead. He had been a plaything far too long, and if he had to die, he would at least take a dangerous heretic with him.

As Klytus lay dying, Antrecht intervened, for he hated to let a useful asset go to waste. Magos Zeiss managed to keep the Chrono-gladiator alive and he became a member of Antrecht’s warband. From now on, the time he won in battle would be his to keep.

The long years of chemical treatment and crude surgery have all but erased the man Klytus may once have been. The real or imagined transgression that originally led to his fall into slavery and to his transformation has been lost forever in the mists of the past. All that is certain is that his body is now disfigured and misshapen, useful only as a tool for killing. And whatever remains of his mind is impossible to guess, for he is taciturn and solitary when off the battlefield, his frenzy and brutality snuffed out. However, Lazarus Antrecht has begun to suspect that something of the man may yet be left inside the beast, and he sees Klytus as a handy tool as well as an entertaining continued experiment…



C&C always welcome!

Kruat awesome work on the gladiator like his fluff alot. Really liked the assasins fluff to made it seem like i was reading a black lib book *thumbs up*.
on the paint scheme that is a great idea might have to nick that if you do not mind. keep it up and cant wait to see more!

Thanks, alabamaheretic! That's quite a compliment!

By all means, take all the ideas from this thread that you can carry I'd be honoured if this thread could serve as an inspiration to other hobbyists!

I have a horrible time painting skin thats why all my marines have helmets on lol.
you should pop on by and see some terrain and other crap i been working on too might give you some inspiration

I wonder, what is your Mandalorian equiped with when you play Inquisitor?
My curiousity overcame my lurkyness...

Great model, KS! He still looks a little orky and I was worried when I saw the WiPs, but your paintjob really seems to have carried it - like you say, the tiny head works in his favour to show off his ridiculous musculature! I think his skin works really well, too. I love dheneb stone for skin - absolutely gutted that mines almost empty and they've discontinued it

Chrono-gladiators seem like they'd be a lot of fun to play in =I=. Kind of take-no-prisoners, feral assault for when diplomacy has failed. A useful asset to have, and you've done well characterising him too - love the hint of intrigue in that final sentence.

Your warband is really coming together, keep it up! Looking forward to seeing what you do next

@megabambam: I am quite honoured that my thread managed to overcome your "lurkyness". Concerning the Mandalorian, I haven't really played a game of Inquisitor yet, so I also haven't planned the weapons loadout on my models. That said, the Mandalorian would probably get a collection of grenades (since he is holding some) as well as a fancy sidearm: Maybe a needle pistol with different toxic ammo. Or a Bolt pistol with a selection of different ammunition. He really is a professional, so that should probably be reflected in his armament. I am always open to suggestions from people more rules-savy than me, of course

@Scarper: To tell you the truth, I was kinda surprised that the Chrono-gladiator really started to become a character in his own right when I wrote the fluff. Again, thanks for the kind words on my writing. Like I said earlier, your fluff from the "Pimp my Wizard" competition was quite a large inspiration for me, so it really means a lot

so KS enough of the blushing more of the updating

seriously dude keep it up.

I didn't actually see that part of your comment the first time you posted! Thank you so much - I don't think I've ever really inspired someone to write before, that's a huge compliment! You're genuinely (IMHO) a really talented writer - assassins and pit slaves are detached enough that they'd be really hard to humanise, but I think you've done so incredibly well. The fact that you liked the stuff I was writing has me hugely chuffed

Your warband is really inspiring - it's fantastic to see a group with a story behind them

Thanks a lot, guys!

My next update will focus on my World Eaters (although the models I am going to showcase could easily feature in the odd game of Inquisitor as well - you'll see what I mean tomorrow). But I might get some work in on the Twist brothers during the weekend, so don't worry: I'll keep it coming

@Scarper: I don't want to overdo it, but that fluff was seriously fantastic! The bit about Easthollow collapsing and about the "fallout" resulting from it just felt so plausible and natural. I think it's always much more of an achievement to flesh out the actual world of 40k on a day to day basis instead of describing huge battle scenes with tens of thousands of participlants.

KrautScientist wrote:Another small update on the brothers: I tried a different weapon on the bigger brother's right arm in order to see if I would like it better than the gauntlet and added an ammo feed to his weapon. I also gave him a respirator over the lower half of his face (ignore the dangling canister, as it can easily be cut away). Take a look at the changes:





None of these changes are permanent yet. So, what do you think: gauntlet or club? Resirator or no respirator?

Cool conversion! And I like the "Masterblaster"-like design. Its very cool.
I would prefer the gauntlet for the right hand. And I like both versions with or without respirator.

Cheers, Logan! I'll definitely be using the gauntlet after all. It's just a much better fit for the model. I remain unsure about the respirator, so I suppose I will make that choice once I've painted the face. If it looks good enough, then no respirator. If it needs a little something, then the respirator goes on

sounds like an awesome plan

Haven't checked this blog in a while.....

but I'm glad I finally got around to it! The crono gladiator looks awesome, I really like thge pose. The paintjob is also really good.

Looking forward to seeing your next projects

Greetings from northern Scotland!

Merlin

These look great, Kraut! I'm impressed with the level of personality and detail you've brought into the models.

Thanks a lot, MrMerlin and unluckyguardsman!

@ MrMerlin: Schöne Schottlandreise wünsche ich

@ unluckyguardsman: Cheers, mate! It's actually quite easy to imbue Inquisitor models with lots of personality: Each model you complete feels like a whole squad for a regular 40k army in terms of gratification, so it's in your own best interest to really pay attention to the details Plus these guys really come alive once the model is finished, so it's also very rewarding from a fluff perspective.

so any paint yet?

I quite like the respirator but the cannister dangling needs to go. I would also use some cables or pipes maybe like the ones from the Dread legs or even some of the dread weapon arms and have them running over his shoulder or smaller hoses from his head aka Bane in the old Tim Burton Batman movie.

Thanks, guys!

@ alabamaheritic: No, no paint yet, since I am still ironing out the last parts of the conversion. I am looking forward to painting him though, so it probably won't take too long before I do

@ Biohazard: Once again, you are reading my mind, buddy Already added some leftover cables from a Dread kit and an electrical coil on his shoulderpad. However...

Biohazard wrote:] ...or smaller hoses from his head aka Bane in the old Tim Burton Batman movie.

Sadly, it wasn't a Burton movie. Which was the whole problem, if you ask me

Anyway, I'll post up a picture of the model's current status soon.

Yup thats my bad!

Alright, guys, I promised you some new pictures of the brothers. Here they are:









Like I said, I added some cabling and an ammo feed to the weapon. Oh, and an Ork sight Also hollowed out the gauntlet which was quite a bit of work. I'll have to put a suitable Ork hand there, eventually.
The smaller brother got a bit of "decoration" for his hat as well

All in all, I didn't do too much work on them, but I guess that's because there isn't that much left. With a model like this, it's easy to go a bit overboard with the details, so I guess I'll force myself to keep it simple. Just one or two additional bits, and they should be ready for painting. What do you guys think?

they look very impressive really excited about paint on them