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2018/08/01 19:25:01
Subject: 40k Chaos Renegades - MORE Painting?! EVEN More likely than you'd think!
So I posted a thread a little bit ago with some flailing attempts at conversations after a long hiatus from the hobby, but after a little time I think I've got a bit more of an organised idea as to an army I want to create.
The general idea of the force is to be a combined CSM and Renegades & Heretics army, consisting of mostly a mass of humans and mutants, being shepherded into battle by a small, but much more powerful, warband of Chaos Space Marines.
I'm not at all creatively-inclined when it comes to writing or background, but I've got a few loose themes to help inform some of the details of the army. The humans and mutants are inhabitants of what was an Imperial agri-world. The main mutant mass of the army are field workers; hunched over from generations of labour spent stooped down, gathering crops and tilling earth. The sparse contact with the wider galaxy and isolated population of the agri-world allowed this worker-class to devolve into the mutants they are now, without facing extermination.
Here are some mostly completed guys I have done so far:
...And some slightly less complete guys:
So they're kitbashes of AoS Crypt Ghouls and 40k Genestealer Cult Neophytes, along with a healthy dose of green stuff. The shotguns GW are selling as part of the Cult and Escher ganger kits are really lovely sculpts, and they fit the ramshackle aesthetic I am going for perfectly. I do think I am spending a little too long on these conversations - I am aiming for minimum 40 of these guys so I'll have to see how long my patience lasts. But I really want to make sure they look like fully 40k mutants and not just Crypt Ghouls with guns... Unfortunately I don't think there is a shortcut to that!
I also really want the mutants to feel more like slaves than willing servants of Chaos, I think the brands on the skin and some chains and shackles will really sell that; I'm still working on the latter for them, but I'm waiting on some tubing for that...
Posting from my mobile and not much used to the Dakka image hosting atuff so see larger images in spoiler in case they're blurry:
Spoiler:
Any comments, criticisms or vicious abuse is welcome, thanks for looking!
This message was edited 9 times. Last update was at 2018/11/02 12:56:24
Doombiscuit wrote: Wow! Amazing work! How on earth did you add those goggles to the crypt ghouls so crisply?
It's deceptively simple actually; it's just the whole top half of the neophyte head stuck onto the bottom of the ghoul head. If you cut it right along the bottom of the goggles/ straps then you don't really see the seam between the two parts at all, since there's a line there anyway where the goggles meet the face.There's a little bit of careful knife work around some of the more awkward noses but other than that it's pretty painless.
this gave me a good chuckle - who needs pants though when you have half a t-shirt and some bandages?
Iur_tae_mont wrote: Your models look amazing! I'm doing something similar with My chaos army and I was thinking about using a mix of ghouls as Mutant Rabble.
I'd definitely recommend the ghoul kit if you've not used it before - there's a ton of parts and they go together really easily. It's a bit of a pain if you do what I did and try to remove all the spines/ hairs from the torsos, but if you're not worried about leaving those on then it'd be a breeze to convert them. Good value box too.
An update! I have been working on some Enforcers...
If the mutants are the field workers of the agri-world, I want the Enforcers to be in charge of livestock. Herders and trappers, they use implements once used on livestock as combat weapons - a whip, a cattle prod and a branding iron. I want there to be an obvious slave/ slaver relationship between the Mutants and Enforcers, so I want to repeat some of the motifs here, with shackles, keys, chains etc.
Here are some WIP shots of the Enforcers so far:
You'll have to forgive the terrible mess that is the whip, it's there as a placeholder for now. I got a little overzealous with the heat bending and set fire to it :[ oh well, not much of a loss since the casting on the weapons was god awful anyway!
I used some scions legs and the now OOP </3 Renegade Enforcers FW kit as the base. I shamelessly stole the idea of using one of the corpse-heads from the Plaguebearers kits as a head for one of the guys (I would give credit but I cant remember for the life of me where I saw it!). The other two guys will have their skull helmets, reposed and maybe with a little modification. They've all got their hands full but I'll work some Plasma Pistols onto them somewhere, along with some shackles on belts and on the end of the left side dude's chains - as soon as I find a decent way to build the damn things.
I am particularly happy with the branding iron guy; I surprised myself at how close he managed to be to the idea in my head, ha. With a bit of GS I used the actual branding iron to make the marks some of the mutants. Incredibly satisfying, and I think looks pretty nice to boot.
Here's the branding iron guy and some branded mutants:
>
Spoilered hi-res images:
Spoiler:
Thanks again for looking; feel free to comment, criticise and/ or cruelly berate!
Excellent stuff. Love armies like these because there's never enough of them.
Those renegade guard for forgeworld were great kits. Too bad they've been discontinued. The cattleprod guy is nice and menacing looking.
Good use of the WHF Ghouls too.
@Snrub: Yeah it's a real shame about the kits being axed. It was about a week after I decided to do a Renegades army that they went onto the infamous last chance to buy list ...I am waiting on an order for some of the ex FW kits from some uh... less than reputable sources; thank god for China's lax view on intellectual property ownership!
I've also got a cheeky lil update!
First up a few more mutants! 12 down 28 to go! Except 12 aren't "down" their like 50% done ...a long way to go!!!
I am very much enjoying playing with the poses but the two in the centre were a real pain to get right... That's two reloading guys I've made now and I really wanna make more but they're such a nightmare to build...
Recently I've been looking at the CSM part of the army, and I've been thinking - maybe overthinking - quite a lot about it. Long preamble in the spoiler below!
(Also I am aware I'm being a little restless jumping between bits and not FINISHING anything, but unfortunately I am unable to paint anything for the next couple of weeks so :[ )
Spoiler:
So I had a look at one of the Chaos Marines I made a little while ago when I was playing around...
I know there's been a size creep with GW's products lately but eesh the marine is tiny. A big part of what I want the army to do is really have a feeling of hierarchy; I want the lowly mutants and humans to act as a backdrop to really emphasise the might and SUPERHUMAN character of the Astartes. With that in mind, the comparatively tiny marines just won't do. There's only one option left...
...T-r-u-e-s-c-a-l-e
...or A-r-t-s-c-a-l-e
....or actually I think they're both horrible misnomers so let's go with B-I-G.
There's a lot of examples online of people attempting truescale marines, and I think most of them miss the mark TBH. From what I've seen people seem to fall into one of three pitfalls:
1)They basically just build terminators. I see people use the entire terminator kit with the bulky torso cut down, and they end up with something that visually echoes a terminator marine rather than a re-sized power armour marine.
2)They take "Truescale" too literally. They aren't supposed to be Truescale humans, they're supposed to be monstrous superhumans, that are proportionally true in scale to the actual humans in 40k. I think this mistake leads to some very lanky and gaunt looking models, whereas I think there should be some considerable bulk to a space marine in power armour.
3)They nigh-on scratch-build them. A hard 90% greenstuff. Masochists.
My favourite example of Truescale marines I've seen are the Red Corsairs on the excellent blog Spiky Rat Pack (now a part of the equally excellent blog Iron Sleet):
I think they're mostly spot-on for the kind of height and bulk I'm going for. I think they're on the more high-effort end of the scale, but the only part that really needs to be sculpted is the torso so hopefully it'll be manageable.
Another part of the marines I want to address is the 'Chaos' side. I'm not all that satisfied with the direction the GW Chaos miniatures have headed lately; their armour is basically the same as loyalist marines, except more ornate and more spikey. The name of the special rule "Veterans of the Long War" is hugely evocative for me; a lot of Chaos Marines are ancient beings, and very far separated from where they began. They've been at war for thousands of years in some cases, and I don't imagine they have a nice new resupply depot full of imperial-pattern armour. I like the idea that they'd have to make repairs and replacements themselves. They have much more sophisticated manufacturing capabilities than say, they Orks, but anything they create or repair will definitely not fully match the original armour. I want there to be a lot of patched up and replaced armour pieces; a lot of inconsistency, asymmetry, and quite an eclectic feel. I also want to make sparse use of things like helmets, and have other areas like arms totally unprotected. I figure armour is a commodity, and the more complete and robust pieces will be worn by those in seats of power, leaving the ones lower down in the ranks looking a little more cobbled together. Again, trying to emphasise an idea of hierarchy, even within the ranks of the Astartes.
But yeah. That's about where I'm at thought-wise at the moment.
So ASTARTES. Obviously very WIP!
The waist area has since been shortened a little; the torso is looking a little long imo in these photos. I think the scale is about right? Any feedback would be appreciated!
Spoiler:
2018/08/09 16:45:23
Subject: 40k Chaos Renegades - More Mutants! And beginning on an Astartes...
Thanks guys. Howie - uhhh kind of? In the far future though probably... I would love to try my hand at some agricultural looking vehicles (I'm very much taken to the idea of having a load of mutants etc clinging onto the outside as sponsons), but I've unfortunately got a very long list of things I'd like to get done first, and I'm an infantry-lover at heart.
While I'm on the subject, some things I am looking to make in the near-ish future: Marauder scavvers with snipers, Militia/ cultists and heavy weapons teams, Dark Apostle and Renegade command squad, CSM Havocs, Renegade Commander, Pskyers...
Hmm now that's all typed in a list it seems like a lot! But those are the ones I have some kind of concept in mind for. I may start the Marauders some time soon; I am not planning on them being Chaos worshippers of any kind so it'd be a change of pace.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/08/10 18:09:37
2018/08/11 01:39:52
Subject: Re:40k Chaos Renegades - More Mutants! And beginning on an Astartes...
I have a minor knitpick with your embiggened marine. His legs look to short in proportion to his torso. I think his thighs need a bit of extra length.
The cowled head is a nice touch though. Makes him look a bit feral.
I'm glad you mentioned that tbh; I had just about managed to convince myself that I didn't need to lengthen the legs... That's laziness getting the best of me!
You are definitely right; the torso has been shortened a little at the waist since taking the photo, but I think I am going to have to extend the legs too.
Also, by the end of next week I will hopefully have some painting to show - yay for imminent free time!
2018/08/17 14:42:09
Subject: Re:40k Chaos Renegades - Quick 'n' Dirty Test Paint & Minor Updates!
Alrighty so I've been turning ideas over in my head for paint schemes for the mutants for a while now; in the end I thought I'd better get on and start painting one of the damn things.
I haven't painted a miniature in probably 10 years, and I didn't give this little guy nearly as much time as i should have either! I didn't paint a couple of details (gloves, grenades) as by that point I'd pretty much decided my opinion on the way the model was going...
Overall I don't /hate/ the paintjob but I'll definitely be changing it. On a technical level, the photographs I think highlight the lack of contrast; the colour blends are barely visible, the most noticeable part being on the sleeved arm, but even there it's not strong. I really need to deepen the shadowed areas next time around. My main issue is that the scheme doesn't fit in with my vision for the Astartes (I am aware that I haven't got an example of that yet but bear with me!), nor is it quite... grimy enough. It's damn hard to work out a scheme for guys who have such weird bodies and clothing.
In my limited playing around with paints I think I am a little closer to sorting out the Astartes paintjob, so I think I will start there and maybe that'll help inform a better scheme for the mutants.
Also the slow industrial mutant machine is still churning:
...and did a little more work on modelling the Astartes, I think I've got the proportions about right now:
Thanks for looking; feedback and/ or vitriol would be appreciated!
2018/08/19 03:00:38
Subject: Re:40k Chaos Renegades - Quick 'n' Dirty Test Paint & Minor Updates!
The astartes is looking much better now. However, (without trying to nitpick too much ) I wonder if the angles of his shins aren't a bit off. At the moment it looks like he's about to fall forwards onto his knees. Kinda.
But maybe that's just the angle of the photo and/or the fact he's blutac'd on/yadda yadda. He's looking good though! The head really gives him that heretic marine feel.
The mutants are coming along nicely too.
Regarding the paintjob. Yes, a few of the details need some colour, but he looks fine for a dirty farm mutant and I think if you end up having a lot of them to paint then a quick n dirty job is all you need. The mould line running down his knife arm is what's killing me though.
shmvo wrote: Thanks guys. Howie - uhhh kind of? In the far future though probably... I would love to try my hand at some agricultural looking vehicles (I'm very much taken to the idea of having a load of mutants etc clinging onto the outside as sponsons), but I've unfortunately got a very long list of things I'd like to get done first, and I'm an infantry-lover at heart.
Fair enough, though your suggestions about having loads of mutants clinging off the sides does sound good, mad max esque.
Snrub wrote: The mould line running down his knife arm is what's killing me though.
What you call a mould line, I call extra detail ...Although now I have seen it, it's there to irritate me forever. Thanks for the feedback!
So progress has been slow It turns out that if there's more to life than doing whatever the hell I want???? News to me.
I've received some Renegades and Heretics parts from the seedy and elusive vendor known as 'Z'. For those that are interested here's a mini-review of the product::
Spoiler:
Quick preface: If I were able to find legitimate parts anywhere, I would have used them. It's somewhat of a moral grey area in my eyes, and I don't feel too good about supporting this kind of practice but eh, I haven't got a choice to buy them from GW at this point so...
Casting quality was hit and miss and generally pretty below par. Some models fared better than others, but the majority of very small details were lost or distorted a great deal. The R&H kits have some very small and fiddly pipes, tubes and the like, which I think makes them a particular issue in this regard. I had planned on cutting the pipes from the torsos and using them with a bit fo manipulation, but they pretty all were casted so poorly that I had to abandon that idea. There wasn't much mould slippage or bending/warping to speak of; the issues were predominantly with the small details.
The resin itself is a little sub-par too; more brittle, softer and generally less pleasant to work with than FW resin. Also smells like death whenever you cut into it. lol.
Service was good, quick responses, quick dispatch and quick shipping.
All in all, I guess I would recommend Z in a pinch. Even besides the moral considerations, I would never choose to buy from here instead of from FW; the difference in quality is night and day. The quality was adequate but left things to be desired for sure. You might have a better time with models that are slightly less fiddly and small than the R&H infantry I purchased, though.
I've made some progress on a couple of true/art/BIG scale marines, one being mostly complete and the other getting there too. It's taken a lot of tinkering with bits and fiddling with poses to get to the point where I am happy with the feel of the models:
I've had a kind of nebulous but also very specific idea in my head for the astartes for a while now, and it's been very hard to pin down until I've had the bits in my hands to play with. I want them to be big and hulking, kind of brutish. I think going truescale has definitely helped with this, along with the slightly smaller than normal heads. I also tried to give them a slight hunch, to try and emphasise and sense of slower more lumbering motions. I think I've pulled this off mostly, though it's a little hard to keep them from looking like they're falling forwards when hunched... Backpacks will help a bit with that balance though.
I also want them to be very non-uniform and battered (elaborated on a bit more in a previous post); a lot of damage, asymmetrical armour, chairman/cloth etc. This is a fun part to play with, and I think there's a lot of potential variation here so I don't get too bored. I'm a little stuck between the gas masks and the cowls; I do love the cowls but they just aren't... grimy enough. I really want these guys to have a creepy sorta dirty feel to them, almost treading over into nurgle territory. I think the FW renegade sculpts really work well with that. Maybe I'll save the cowls for champions or something.
Let me know how you guys think they turned out; I just crave boneheaded abuse! Or constructive criticism; whichever sounds more fun to you.
2018/08/28 05:20:36
Subject: Re:40k Chaos Renegades - a bit of Truescale Marine Progress
Heretic Astartes are coming along very nicely. You've got them looking good and run down, like they would after decades with out a proper armour service. Mismatched armour piece lend themselves well to the The grenades attached to the bolter strap is a great touch.
I'm with you on the heads as well. Lumpen and malformed all the way! I'm leaning towards cowled heads myself. Adds an air of "bastard heretic scum" to the otherwise proud and noble astartes figure.
Regarding the falling over issue again, I think what isn't helping is the slightly raised toes they have. Yes, the terminator legs are modelled to be walking forward, but that doesn't help if you want them to look static.
The Space Marines look fantastic, really inspirational stuff. The only reason I don't true-scale with Terminator legs though, is if I ever actually want to make some true-scale Terminators! Not sure what I'd do then!
2018/08/28 08:50:37
Subject: 40k Chaos Renegades - a bit of Truescale Marine Progress
Snrub wrote: Heretic Astartes are coming along very nicely. You've got them looking good and run down, like they would after decades with out a proper armour service. Mismatched armour piece lend themselves well to the The grenades attached to the bolter strap is a great touch. I'm with you on the heads as well. Lumpen and malformed all the way! I'm leaning towards cowled heads myself. Adds an air of "bastard heretic scum" to the otherwise proud and noble astartes figure.
Regarding the falling over issue again, I think what isn't helping is the slightly raised toes they have. Yes, the terminator legs are modelled to be walking forward, but that doesn't help if you want them to look static.
Thanks for the feedback! "bastard heretic scum" sounds like 3 perfect words to describe what I want to achieve The issue with the cowls unfortunately is that a lot of the heads are yelling and have weird fangs (Since they're space wolf bits) and they look a little too 'fighty' for the normal CSM guys. They might look better on Berserkers? If I ever get round to making some...
And I agree on the toes point; their positioning definitely throws things off. It's a shame they're so awkward to repose... I'll give it a shot on a day when I am feeling daring!
sphynx wrote: The Space Marines look fantastic, really inspirational stuff. The only reason I don't true-scale with Terminator legs though, is if I ever actually want to make some true-scale Terminators! Not sure what I'd do then!
Thank you! And the thought has definitely crossed my mind! I am planning on some terminators at some point down the line, and I've got no idea where to start, ha.
stonned_astartes wrote: Love the detail on these man, such clever kit bashes, almost scary haha.
Thanks! 'Scary' is good in my eyes! The darker and creepier depictions of chaos have always grabbed me the most.
Also here's a quick little image of a guy I've been working on this evening:
I've cleverly photographed him from an angle where you can't see the rear portion of the cloak ...That part is a train wreck! Cloth is new to me and pretty darn fiddly, but I like the way the front portion is looking.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/08/28 19:10:10
2018/08/29 01:24:06
Subject: 40k Chaos Renegades - a bit of Truescale Marine Progress
Well I don't think i've ever seen a space marine who could slink before, but there one is! He looks like he's scarpering right off the battlefield. Even the head you've given him has that wide eyed "Oh gak I need to get out of here!" look.
The visible portion of the cloak looks expertly done. I'm sure you'll nail the other side too.
shmvo wrote: The issue with the cowls unfortunately is that a lot of the heads are yelling and have weird fangs (Since they're space wolf bits)
Bloody space wolves. Is there no end to their degeneracy?!
They might look better on Berserkers? If I ever get round to making some...
Well you have too now, don't you. That sounds like a perfect match up actually.
And I agree on the toes point; their positioning definitely throws things off. It's a shame they're so awkward to repose... I'll give it a shot on a day when I am feeling daring!
You're pretty handy with the ol modelling putty. Just give them a toe-ectomy and resculpt them. Or just cut the toes off and reallign them and fill in the gap with aforementioned putty.
sphynx wrote: The Space Marines look fantastic, really inspirational stuff. The only reason I don't true-scale with Terminator legs though, is if I ever actually want to make some true-scale Terminators! Not sure what I'd do then!
Thank you! And the thought has definitely crossed my mind! I am planning on some terminators at some point down the line, and I've got no idea where to start, ha.
I've got a picture or two saved of a true-scale termie found somewhere on the internet.. I'll dig it out and post it.
So I'm not gonna be able to do any hobby for the next two weeks or so, much to my UTTER DISDAIN. So in the meantime I figure I may as well share a few little bits 'n' pieces!
First up, a couple of mostly finished builds; Astartes & Enforcers:
The enforcers have been in their current 95% built state for a little while now and I really need get on an finish the damn things. I did start another on though :[ because I love making them. I don't have the bits to finish him off yet but here he is:
Yes, I have been playing Vermintide 2 lately.
I have also started on some little bits for a Dark Apostle. Why? BECAUSE I HAVE TOO MANY IDEAS AND NOT ENOUGH FOCUS. The plan for the Apostle is for him to be a sort of bridging piece between the two halves of the force (ie Astartes and Humans); I figure the he is the one that in a sense 'infiltrates' a given world. I envisage the Apostles to be more relatable (for lack of a better word) to the inhabitants of a world, so I want him to have a bit of tribal/ shaman sort of feel. I picked a couple of motifs that could be seen has having some kind of spiritual or symbolic significance among a slightly more primitive culture of the lowly worker-class of an agri world: fire and bones. Animal skulls in particular I think could potentially be a focus of something spiritual in such a place, and there are a lot of examples of cultures that have this leaning. These motifs will most strongly be present in what I plan to be a Renegade Disciple/ Command Squad, which will act as an entourage of sorts to the Apostle - his most fervent devotees and worshippers of Chaos.
Wow! What a long preamble for such little work! Feast your eyes on these 2 measly components I have started on! Head and Power Maul:
I've never sculpted fire before, but it kinda worked out - it still needs more work though... That seems to be a bit of a trend: Never tried it? Just wing it! It'll work! Though I do think the success of fire is much more reliant on painting than modelling. I wanted the Maul to be a little different in shape; I'm not a huge fan of the star-on-a-stick that the Apostles are typically depicted with. I'm not 100% sure on the look I went for but eh it'll do.
For the head, I used the eye panel from one of the R&H gas masks (a NIGHTMARE to trim off cleanly due to the poor quality, brittle resin), I think it ties the head in pretty well with the other heads I'm using on the Astartes. And it's not a Dark Apostle unless he's yelling something, right? Hopefully it's obvious that he's got some kind of animal skull as a headpiece - again, a motif I want to echo on some human models - it's WIP but pretty much there I think. The head is a little top-heavy in its current state, but I think a few pipes and cables coming down from under the skull will balance that out.
So yeah a little bit of a dull update maybe but thanks for looking!
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/08/31 12:46:36
...I am waiting on an order for some of the ex 
) I wonder if the angles of his shins aren't a bit off. At the moment it looks like he's about to fall forwards onto his knees. Kinda.
It turns out that if there's more to life than doing whatever the hell I want???? News to me.
