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.

Cheers, mate! I agree regarding the crest, although I am still not 100% sure whether I should keep it...

Anyway, added a skull trophy and "repaired" the damaged cabling on the left gauntlet:

Sorry buddy I honestly prefer the 1st head. Have you thought if maybe adding the horns to the Crushers head and using that on the Bestiarius? I feel the way you had the Cestus was perfect.

Where are the Cestus from?

Nice head alternative, i think that (though i feel that crests should be an Imperial Space Marine's decoration) the crest actually suits this helmet very well. Now it falls to you to decide wich one of them will get each head.

I have mixed feelings on the head. The crest makes him look more arrogant and flamboyant, whereas sans-crest is much more cruel and lethal-loking. So, depending on which attitude you're going for, the crest affects it in a big way.

I think I prefer it without the crest, then the original head, then the crested version....

I like the current crested head. It's a more complicated setup, one that's decorated, but I think that fits with the sort of prideful character who would chose punching as his primary attack in the 40K universe.

Cheers, guys!

Seeing how the Bestiarius was already PIP at this point, I really needed to use a different head on the Cestus, since I want each model in the squad to have a unique face or helmet.

 Crystal Geyser wrote:
I have mixed feelings on the head. The crest makes him look more arrogant and flamboyant, whereas sans-crest is much more cruel and lethal-loking. So, depending on which attitude you're going for, the crest affects it in a big way.

I think that's basically the perfect way to put it! Lethal and cruel would be excellent for a follower of Khorne. Flamboyant and arrogant would be perfect for somebody choosing nothing but a pair of clawed gauntlets to face his enemies on the battlefields of the 41st millennium

I think I'll just let it rest for a while, in order to make up my mind. I can promise you a more substantial update very soon, though

Kraut, I just have to say that time and time again i find myself visiting your blog and marveling over all of the new conversions and paint jobs you so diligently work on. Your miniatures are fantastic and because of that, i often visit to see what new thing you have come up with, or to see which great idea i can use next . Keep up the good work! (blood for the blood god!)

Thanks, wolfmerc, that's very nice of you to say! I aim to please

Which is why you get that promised update today: I've been busy painting, and here are the results:

First up, the finished Retiarius:







Seeing the photos up close now, there may be one or two areas that could do with a slight touch up, but I am generally happy with the model: There’s a very nice sense of movement, which, I think, really fits this particular gladiator’s fighting style.

Here he is together with his “opposite”, the Secutor:



The next model I painted was the Bestiarius:









Again, I might go back and add some last highlights, but I think you already get a pretty good impression from these pictures. Here he is, complete with his hounds:







I am pretty happy with both the new model and the ensemble. And choosing the whip instead of the chains means the gladiator is far more flexible (and could be used for different beasts as well…).

I do of course realise that he doesn’t have any rules per se, but this was mainly a fun project, and I am quite pleased with the result!



Here are the two newly painted models together:



I actually managed to paint both of these in one day, with is almost spectacularly productive when compared to my usual standard…

So, as you can see, the gladiator squad is coming along rather nicely. As of today, there are seven painted models in the squad. Here they are, assembled for a family portrait:



That leaves me with the Carnifex and Cestus to paint. And after that? I’m not sure, actually: My original plan was to stop at eight, but these guys are serious fun to come up with, so don’t be surprised if I decide to add yet another model or two…

For now, though, I am pretty happy with how the squad is coming along. And all mostly thanks some really kick ass suggestions by fellow hobbyists. Thanks a lot, people!

It goes without saying that I’d be interested to hear any comments you might have! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

All I can say is wow. All of your models are painted to such a good standard and the way you portray the world eaters makes me regret starting a black legion army.

Yes paint!!! I really like your paint jobs man, don't know why you are so modest about them (though i hoped for a glow effect on the halberd ) And have you tried the severed head on the Carnifex yet?? In any case looking forward to see him and the Cestus with colour

@ M138: That is very kind of you to say! And don't worry: I'm sure it's possible to make a BL army suitably cool as well. And if not, well, there's always the option of creating a small detachment of allied World Eaters, you know

@ Legio Ultra: Cheers, mate! This isn't (false) modesty or anything, I really don't consider myself that much of a painter. I do know how to create easy painting recipes and fairly workable colour schemes, though, so that usually works for me. But my World Eaters usually look far better together than they do on their own. Oh, and I did actually consider some kind of glow on that halberd, but I didn't want the model's equipment to look too fancy compared to the other guys'. May have to give that some thought, though. Hmmm...

I did try adding a severed head to the Carnifex, btw, but it ended up looking far less cool than I had imagined: The left arm is just a bit restrictive in how it's constructed, plus I only had the same old severed head from the ork boy kit that I've been using a bazillion times or so... May actually stick with the dagger, it's really managed to grow on me.

A small update today, but one that was a lot of work to put together After longingly looking at pictures of the new Helbrute kit this week, I surprised myself by not running out to buy the kit, but rather grabbing that unpainted DV Helbrute I still had sitting on my desk and finally starting to paint that instead -- and it's about time, too, seeing how it's been quite a while since the release...

Anyway, even though I am normally not a huge fan of the mutated, fleshy look, both the new Helbrute and the model from the DV box are amazing pieces. As I can attest to now, the DV one is certainly not a lot of fun to paint, though.

It took what felt like ages, but now it seems the model is slowly starting to come together. Take a look:





Still quite a lot of work to do on this guy: He's missing virtually all the metallic highlights and lots and lots of small details, but I think he's finally getting there. I'd say the model's about 60-70% done at this point, and the final third of the way will hopefully move it from okay-ish to pretty cool, at the very least.

The one thing I am already fairly happy with is the face, though:



As you can see, I left the model mostly unconverted (which feels particularly lazy after seeing Biohazard's outstanding new Helbrute conversion ), but I really like the model a lot as is. I just got rid of the stubby melta arm -- the one truly bad piece of design on an otherwise beautiful piece, if you ask me.

Anyway, let me know what you think

I love the way your color scheme works on the Helbrute. What a beast!

The face and armpit tentacles look great. The metallic's highlights will help a lot, but I like the overall paint scheme so far.

Thanks a lot, guys! This is the kind of model you can work on for hours and hours without ever getting finished...

Painted some of the details and added the (rather subtle) metallic highlights:



I also created a little "special effect" on the model's back:



Changes are now coming in small inrements rather than in leaps and bounds, which may just be a sign that the model's slowly getting finished, I guess? Still some more work to do, but I think I may be getting there.



Let me know what you think!

EDIT: Aaaand he has a base:



The model's not yet finished, of course, but I figured handling this huge lump of plastic would be easier if I mounted it to a base. Plus all the areas that are hard to reach now are done anyway

Here he is with his colleagues:



That leaves me just one Helbrute short of that most elusive and devastating of formations: The Barbershop Helquartet of Dooom!

The Barbershop Helquartet of Dooom!

Haha. Awesome.

Brute is looking great and seems to be coming along nicely. Will the blue eyes get any form of pupil? Are you planning tho leave them just glowing blue? I'm surprised he sizes up so evenly with the other dreads/brutes. I didn't realize he was scaled so evenly. The hellbrute always appeared larger in pics. They look great in the group shot.

Cheers, Moltar! Yeah; I really have to imagine these guys breaking into song at any inopportune moment now, thanks to my own, stupid imagination

The eyes are done: I like the glowing effect, plus it's an element that appears here and there in my army, so it makes for some added visual consistency. And you're quite right about the scale: I was pleasantly surprised by that as well! What's more, not only is this guy perfectly in scale with more standard Dreads, but seeing them next to each other also instantly makes you realise how similar the model is to them, structurally: You can really imagine how he has evolved from the more mechanic shell into what he is now -- that's clever design for you

After spending all weekend painting the Helbrute, I needed something to scratch my converter's itch, so I sat down and began work on a World Eaters gladiator wielding a meteor hammer. Here are the results so far:







I also cut my thumb working on him. Again. Oh well, Blood for the Blood God, and all that, I guess...

Let me know what you think!

Cool theres something about the flail which always feels brutally khornate

Very nice one, this gladiator rocks (reminds me of the Spartacus series )!!!

Thanks, guys!

@ Legio Ultra: It probably would have been, but in this case, I only had the leftover mace head. So if I decide to use that weapon for any termie lord, I'll rather pick up an undamaged weapon arm to work from. So using the leftover bit on the meteor hammer wasn't really that much of a loss

I've tidied up the conversion a bit, and some guys pointed out that the head was maybe looking a bit too bulky. I did want to keep a rebreather head, in any case, because I think it nicely adds to the model's brutality, and then MasterBuilder came up with the perfect suggestion over at B&C. So here's the updated hammerman:







So, all in all, that leaves me with these three gentlemen to paint:



As always, let me know what you think

EDIT: Turns out I couldn't quite leave the hammerguy alone, though: I found myself thinking about a comment made by Midian / ElDiablo over at B&C: He suggested that a longer end of chain dangling from his left fist possibly might look even cooler: I secretly agreed, so I made one more addition. As a bonus effect, the model is now wielding an actual meteor hammer (or at least a reasonable approximation of that weapon):



Let me know what you think!

Very nice choice of head and nice addition to the end of the chain.....I can already see him chrush heads into tiny pieces

Smashy Smashy. Really brutal. For some reason your comment about Helbrute Barber Shop has Bohemian Rhapsody running through my head. Cool. So you think you can stop me and leave me to dieeee.......

Cheers, guys!

@ Legio Ultra: Someone on one of the German forums actually suggested a bigger display base for this gladiator, complete with a fallen opponent whose face has been bashed in...

@ Llamahead: Stop it! The idea of this guys breaking into song during battles already cracks me up enough as it is


I added some final touches to the Helbrute model you saw in my last update, but the changes are nearly invisible at this point, which is always a sure sign of the model being finished. Here are some photos of the completed model:











And, once again, with the rest of the "boyband":



Actually, just imagine these guys doing the Michael Jackson "Thriller" dance routine -- or Smooth Criminal...



“No. No! Not the sarcophagus… Khorne damn you, you disloyal curs, just kill me! JUST KILL ME!”
- Khalos the Ravager, last words prior to Helbrute internment


Anyway, I am pretty happy with the model, to be honest. However, there’s the problem of tieing him into my army’s background:

You see, I try to come up with a background for any squad or bigger model I use, and a Helbrute/Dreadnought is certainly big and impressive enough to warrant his own name and story, right? Well, therein lies the problem:
One of the defining factors of Khorne’s Eternal Hunt is that its members cling to their martial honour, in spite of suffering from the bite of the Butcher’s Nails and the steady degradation of their sanity over time. For them, apart from periods when they are “lost to the nails” during battle, the thought of permanently devolving into mindless beasts is the ultimate horror. And in order to slow down the inevitable decline of the company, those physically or psychologically corrupted beyond redemption are organised into separate suicide squads, to die in a last blaze of glory before their corruption spreads to their brethren.

Roughly the same goes for the company’s Ancients, of course: So the last two Dreadnoughts I built for my army exemplify opposite ends of this spectrum, with Khoron the Undying remaining mostly sane, in spite of his millennia of internment in an ironform (with the danger of finally succumbing still always present), while Marax the Fallen was already forever lost to the nails prior to being transformed, so for him the internment was an eternal punishment, and his function is to act as a reminder to his brothers what their fate will be if they permanently give in to madness and anger.

So far, so good, right? But now I have this third Dreadnought/Helbrute that is visibly mutated and corrupted and seems just as angry as Marax, if not moreso. So where does he come in? How do I explain him as a character? And what will be his name?

I agree that this is not really a huge problem, and I will certainly present the model proudly alongside all the others, even without any background or justification. But as someone for whom the background of an army is an inseparable part of the whole project, this does bug me — so in case you have any suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them!


Oh, and there is another thing I want to share with you today:

The most terrible fate (at least from a hobby perspective) recently befell fellow hobbyist Legatho: A fallen tree crashed into his garden shed during a hailstorm, where most of his various hobby materials were stored, and almost all of his models were lost in the deluge (check out his Ammobunker thread for the whole story, complete with cringe-inducing photos). Seeing the results of that catastrophe made me realise that I wanted to help, and so, a couple of other guys and me each sent Legatho some bitz in order to help him rebuild his bitzbox.

And then the most awesome thing happened: I had also included a converted World Eater in the package, a model that, for one reason or another, I had never bothered to paint: I just thought it might be a nice personal touch to send along something World Eater-ly, along with the other stuff.
Well, it turned out that this was the first model Legatho chose to paint following his personal hobby Armageddon. Take a look:





He also made some fitting additions to the model, like the Ogre gut plate and some additional skulls and chains. And I particularly like the spears on the base, since they closely echo the basing motif I used for my own model for Lord Captain Lorimar.

The best thing, though, is that Legatho included a small plaque on the base as a further shout out:



That one really made me smile! All in all, I really couldn’t be any happier with the outcome: I think Legatho really managed to do the model justice with his paintjob, plus it was great to be able to help out a fellow hobbyist! And I really love the thought that a “goodwill ambassador” from Khorne’s Eternal Hunt now resides in France. Way to go, brother-slaughterer

The best thing, however, is that Legatho seems very motivated to keep building and painting models, and I think that’s really admirable! I am not sure my own hobby mojo would have recovered from a hit like that, but there you have it! Anyway, helping out felt good anyway, but as you can see, I also got an awesome hobby moment out of it as well!

So yeah, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

Could the hellbrute have been Marax's right hand Dead, only he didn't hold his form as well.

Could there be a middle ground between them wracked by torment and mutation due to a duel with a champion of Tzeentch and cursed with spawndom unless he was entombed into a Hellbrute. The mutations wracked him but the champion was saved sane but brutalised.

Koralon distinguished himself early as a fine Huntsman, and a master of combat on the Hot Dust. The skulls he harvested were plentiful indeed, and his strength and martial prowess were always on the ascendant. Eventually however he attracted the attention of Khorne too often and started to receive gifts of mutation. Once these had become too obvious he joined The Lost, volunteering for the placement before his commanders chose for him. Somehow he survived his first three engagements in a suicidal role, and despite increased mutation kept - barely - a hold on his sanity. During a battle with cultists and daemonkin on Torday VI the squad of Lost he was attached to stormed an enemy-held complex which was believed to contain a warp-gate supplying reinforcements, and appeared to be succesful in bringing down the gate - once they had entered no-one was seen to leave the complex throughout the battle. The fighting in the area raged for a further two days before the Hunt was concluded.
During a search of the complex Koralon's body was discovered atop a huge mound of corpses, or so it seemed. Despite the loss of both his lower legs, an arm, and multiple other wounds there was still life in his body, and he was heard to murmur 'the hunt never ends..'. This was taken as a portent and his remains - badly damaged but having lost all the mutated parts - was interred into a sacrophagus. It was many battles later that the first signs of physical corruption began to manifest in the dreadnaught's form, but again Koralon kept from devolving into a howling beast. Gradually his war carapace has been gifted with further mutations by Khorne, and so far he has retained some form of sanity, and continues the hunt as Koralon the Lost, ever eager to take suicidal risks in order to harvest more skulls.....



..or something along those lines maybe?

Monkeytroll's got something similar to what I was thinking. There's Khoron, who's (relatively) sane and unmutated- then there's Marax. who's insane and relatively un-mutated.

This guy could be, like, completely sane, yet cursed with mutation after mutation and too gifted in combat to die in battle, even in suicide missions- the rage is him channeling his anger at Khorne's continuing 'gifts' while worshiping his god all the more.

Monkeytroll is on to something there, maybe he has a hint of conflict with pleasing Khorne over his life of suffering? Food for thought.

And Holy cow, i headed over to Legatho's thread, that's terrible. It's a bit inspiring to see him rebound so quickly, jumping back into the hobby after all that he's lost. I have only been in 40k for a few years and haven't had much time to amass a collection like he has, but man, that really sucks. I wish I could help.