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Hey team,

I've rearranged some posts to give a better synopsis of the project up front.

Ideas and Concepts:
Wraithblades:


Dire Avengers:


WIP:

Wraithblades:

I've done a mock up of the "Asurmen" conversion using powerpoint.

Using a ruler image, I scaled the bits using the model's base to make it true-to-scale. I like how it turned out!

It's cheaper than trying it on the real thing anyway.

I made the model colored as-is on the GW site, greyscale to represent bare plastic, and bluescale to represent what it would look like once painted... sort of.

The pose was inspired by this image.




What do you think?

I think this idea has a lot of potential. I don't know that paint will be enough to capture the personality of each PL. You could take the helmet design of each and port elements to the WB helm. Like Asurmen's mohawk, Jain Zar's ponytail, Karandras' dreads, etc. That plus some subtle paint call outs could work. Either way, good luck with the unit!

Haven't done anything similar myself, but I'm told with projects like this, consistent basing can really help tie together "odd man out" units like that.

Very interesting project! I'll be sure to follow this with interest.

I agree that some of the older aspect kits are a bit lackluster, even given their classic status.
If you are interested, I have a few Swooping Hawk conversions in my gallery. They use bits from Scourges, Dire Avengers and Harlequins. Might give you some ideas.

LordoftheSwarm wrote:

If they were painted to match the colors of their Phoenix lord does it destroy unit cohesion? If their main colors were the same with subtle callouts to their Phoenix lord, would that be enough to draw in the theme?

That is a good question.
It depends a lot on the fact that do you want them to look similar? Or is it okay to have a unit with all the colors of the rainbow?

I think I'd do it with a similar main color theme, but with subtle details like you suggested.
And I second what Youwashock and Vejut said about similar bases and helmet designs.
If you are up for it, you can try to produce a freehand of the rune that represents each shrine somewhere in the models.

Hey team,

I’m starting an Army construction thread mostly to help keep my ideas straight. I’d also like to get some feedback on choices I make before I go spending money with these wild conversions I’m looking to do…

Here is my Harlequin kill team to give you an idea of how some of these are just crazy enough to work. They are made from kitbashing the Harlequins kit with the Idoneth Deepkin Reiver models.



This thread is mostly about aesthetic choices about the miniatures but if you’re interested in how the actual list performs in some test games, visit here.

Note: I have one extra HQ choice which makes the battalion illegal. I could obviously add a spearhead detachment for an extra CP but the core rules are about to change. That being said, when 9th launches and the point values change, I will have to drop some units anyway. I’m just getting the models ready.




These are the miniatures I’ll be buying/kitbashing for each unit.


So... due to the lack of acceptable aspect warriors, this will be a very conversion heavy army. Most of my models will come from 3rd party publishers which means that some events may not allow them. This is a problem for someone who is try to collect another "forever army."

Dire Avengers:



Striking Scorpions:



Swooping Hawks:



Warp Spiders:



Howling Banshees:



Wraithblades:




While we wait for 9th edition to launch, I’d like to start in on my Wraithblade unit. Never content with the base product, I’m looking to convert each ‘blade to match one of the Phoenix Lords + the Avatar of Khaine. I’ve always fancied a hidden “Warp Spider Lord” alongside the Forgeworld Shadowspecter Lord, Drazhar, and the traditional 6 lords with the Avatar to form the full 10 ‘blade unit.

The storyline is that the spirit stones used to animate the Wraithblades are from each of the Aspect Shrines and have served so long that they’ve started to lose their sanity. Similar to the Astartes Dreadnoughts, their constant death and reincarnation confuses them and each time they fall in battle only to be brought back in a new construct chips away a little bit more of who they were. The Bonesingers realized what was happening to these warriors and convinced them that they were the actual Phoenix lords. With their renewed identity, the death and reincarnation cycles make sense to their spirits and spur them towards greater heroism on the battlefield. Now, towering above the battlefield in their wraith bodies as part of the “Court of the Young King”, they find true meaning in combat.

Here is my question. If I’m already emulating the conversions seen here…



…and making weapon swaps/alterations between the individual models, how much is too much? Imagine this scene of the Court of the Young King…



…but instead each of those models was a Wraithblade. If they were painted to match the colors of their Phoenix lord does it destroy unit cohesion? If their main colors were the same with subtle callouts to their Phoenix lord, would that be enough to draw in the theme?

I want this unit to be my centerpiece but I’m concerned if I go overboard it will clash instead of tying the army together.

If done correctly, they will pull together the various color schemes of the aspects in my army into one cohesive force.

Thoughts? I've already purchased one Kurnoth Hunter box to use as the base for the wraithblade conversion but I am still open to alterations at this time.


I'll have to do some research to see what others have done for tying color schemes together. I like the matching base idea and I'm looking at doing white helmets for the squad.

My wife has a cricut maker which can cut out little letters out of vinyl for example. I could use it to make stickers to help with the helmet runes. Imagine using them as a mask to spray white over. I'd peel them off after revealing whatever color is beneath.

I spent $100 on bits today off of ebay... still need a few more things to get this squad put together lol. They should be here in a few weeks so I can start in earnest.

I've updated my Asurmen concept to include a cape from the Deepkin range. I'll add the helmet crest next week, great idea!

I've also got a side-profile of Karandras!

Hello again,

My bits have started to trickle in so I got started on my "Drazhar" Wraithblade. I reposed one of the "Scythe" arms from the Kurnoth Hunter kit and used a bit of wire to hold the pose. I'll go back over with greenstuff once the glue dries. I want to get that done before gluing to the torso.

I've snipped off the handle for the Scythe and the other arm is a bow arm. I've replaced the weapons with the raider "rudder" pieces to be a mock up of Drazhar. The pose is pretty close so far.

I've ordered the "Blood of Phoenix" set which is an awesome value for what you're buying. I'll use some actual-drazhar bits for the hair and back pieces.

The base is just to help me get the model together. I'll transfer to a 40 mm base once complete.

Thoughts?

Ha! Never would have realized to use those raider parts as weapons. Really inventive!

Model is looking good so far.
What kind of helmet are you going to build? Is there going to be horns?

This is a really neat idea with the wraithblades. I like the idea of augmenting their helmets with elements of the Lord their representing. Similarly colouring the tunes on the helmets to match would be really great. If they have tabards between their legs could be another area to make the link to the Phoenix Lords. What’s you plan with all of the leafy bits? Will they be getting trimmed off to just leave wraithbone appendages?

Ezki wrote:Ha! Never would have realized to use those raider parts as weapons. Really inventive!

Model is looking good so far.
What kind of helmet are you going to build? Is there going to be horns?

Thank you! I was a little nervous at first because I hadn't made a concept image for this conversion prior to buying the bits. They are a little large but what is 40k without cartoonishly large weapons to hit the bad guys with?

My wraithblade kit should come in today so I can use the helmet. I'll probably pin it so that I can paint it white separately and then glue it on when it's done.

I am planning on using the horns from the Mindstealer Sphiranx kit and attach them to the helmet. I'll also put the "back vanes" from the Drazhar kit on to sell the look. This is a rough concept in the spoiler.



I went to great lengths to get "hair pieces" for each model. For instance, I have the bits for Drazhars hair and Jain Zar's hair from the Blood of the Phoenix set. I will put those on as well once the helmets come in.

I think "add-ons" such as horns, mohawks, etc plus Phoenix Lord hair pieces, on stock white helmets will get the point across while maintaining unit coherency. This is one unit dressed up as different "lords" after all.

gobert wrote:This is a really neat idea with the wraithblades. I like the idea of augmenting their helmets with elements of the Lord their representing. Similarly colouring the tunes on the helmets to match would be really great. If they have tabards between their legs could be another area to make the link to the Phoenix Lords. What’s you plan with all of the leafy bits? Will they be getting trimmed off to just leave wraithbone appendages?

Thanks! The consensus seems to be "augment with add-ons" so I'll try it!

Great idea on the tabards! The wraithblade kit comes with those and I'll make sure to add them. I totally agree!

As far as the leafy branch things, I'll probably file them down. The leaves don't seem like something wraithbone would grow. That being said, the 'organic' look of the Kurnoth Hunter bodies does make good wraithbone. I may leave some protrusions, but these probably need to be shaved down a bit.

These are my Jain Zar and Drazhar 'blades!






This is represent her spear once the glue dries and I add "Milliput Stuff"

The Wraithblades came in yesterday so that I could take another 'giant leap' forward with these conversions... Now they have heads!

To be clear, I glued a pin in place for the necks and the heads are resting on those. They are not glued in place yet. I'm dry fitting and doing what is necessary before I commit to hacking apart these models, haha.

First Up, Drazhar!



I'll have to tilt his head slightly forward in order to match the original Drazhar's pose but he's coming together quite nicely! I'll have to rethink the horns idea though... I want horns but the Mindstealer Sphiranx kit may be a little large now that I see the wraithblade head in person. I'll have to chop off the branches on his back to make room for Drazhar's awesome pony-tail and his back-vanes.

Next, Jain Zar!





Their names are too similar... lol. That hair is simply resting on the helmet, it's not glued down yet. I'll probably saw a notch in it so that it looks like it's erupting from underneath rather than a wraithblade-gone-super-Saiyan. Her hand is large enough (and my drill bit is large enough) that I might be able to file down the original Jain Zar hand off of the spear and simply slide it through the fingers. That is the best way to attach spindly weapons like these, in my opinion. Plus, I can cover up the ugly remnants of Jain's original hand that way. The hair is a perfect fit for a model of this size. The original Jain is probably running all the time to keep that braid off the ground!

And finally, The Avatar!



I am really pleased with this one. I'm still sourcing the bits for the head, but for the most part he's ready for fine detail work. I'm going to try to sculpt a bleeding heart in his left hand because the original Avatar always had that. I'll probably do mostly green stuff for the heart and a mix for the fingers so that I can keep the two apart visually based on color. I'll insert a pin into the wrist so I have an armature to work from. I also want to sculpt flames coming from the "ribs" in his sword. That seems like something the Avatar would have, anyway.

I will also be gluing tabards onto these folks as time permits. Each one will get the "shield generator" piece for their left arm so that it's as WYSIWIG as possible.

Thoughts? I keep looking over my shoulder at the models on the shelf and they make me happy.

In my army, I want them to look big and intimidating so my opponent shoots at them first. They certainly are fitting the part so far!

This is progressing nicely. The poses are good, especially Jain and the Avatar. You seem to be on the right track to giving each one the look you are after but keeping them a unit.

I’ve got to agre with youwashock, the poses are perfect so far! The helmet add ons and use of weapons are really working well. The bleeding heart will be a great bod to the avatar to

So this was a tense moment... chopping up Jain Zar's hair. Sometimes when converting, you look down at the bit and think "I've only got one shot at this...." and you just start sawing!

I think it turned out perfect... just a little GS to smooth out the hair around the helmet and wala!

Note: the hair is glued to the helmet which is simply resting on the pin in the neck.

That's pretty convincing. Nice work!

 youwashock wrote:
That's pretty convincing. Nice work!

Thanks!

This will be my last post for about a week or two. We're going on a brief vacation away from all of the quarantine nonsense! Somewhere safe, for sure.

This is my last bit of progress. I've used Milliput Stuff in the gaps and used my tool to hopefully blend it in with Jain's hair.

I also filled about half of the Avatar's gaps.





Anyway, wish me luck!

The bits continue to flow in steadily. I got the Talos bits necessary for my Maugan Ra conversion. Still waiting on the nighthaunt bits for the scythe though.

I'm waiting on Barroth's wings, Fuegan's helmet piece, and the Asurmen bits.

My next purchase needs to be another box of Kurnoth Hunters so I can keep plugging away on the base figures.

I also bought a magnetic Tablewar case to keep them all in... can't wait!

More to come. See you in two weeks!

Have a safe, enjoyable trip. Looking forward anxiously to Maugan Ra.

 youwashock wrote:
Have a safe, enjoyable trip. Looking forward anxiously to Maugan Ra.

Well then, once I purchase my next set of Kurnoth Hunters he will be my very next conversion! Thanks for chiming in.


I'm back from my trip and my next set of bits arrived! I now have Barroth, Fuegan, and Asurmen's key bits once I get the 'bodies'. I'll likely go Maugan Ra, Asurmen, and Barroth from my next batch of Hunters.



While I was on the beach, I started looking at the sea shells and various detritis in the sand and I thought "Man, this would make great basing material..." And it's free! Imagine how great the material below would look after a drybrush. It looks very organic, maybe like wraithbone?




I've got my first round of paints coming in. I've bought some Scale 75 [aomts, Warcolours Florescence, and Vallejo for inks.

The plan is to get the howling banshees and hellions together while I wait for the paints to ship from Europe. I'll test out the color scheme on the Hellions first, then the banshees, then my Jain Zar conversion.

I'll do the same for my scourges (the 3 with feather wings will be Swooping Hawks), and the incubi (I'll convert these into Dark Reapers).

The paint may take a couple of weeks to come in but after that, you won't be staring at just plain grey plastic anymore!

At first I was buying the boxed sets because I was getting free models that I probably wouldn't use (so maybe I could sell the to fund the next purchase). Now, I realize they're my test models! Anyway, wish me luck.

Take care everyone and stay safe!

Hey Dakka,

I've got a quick update on my progress.

The large pieces of Jain and Drazhar are complete. I need to do a little trimming here and there for the "branches" and the gaps on the quadriceps are terrible and need to be filled.

I looked at doing tabards for Jain but, honestly, it's too much detail. They have such great silhouettes and I don't want to spoil it with too many more add ons beyond what I've already done.

I've put together some wraithblade bodies as test models for painting (zenithal highlighted so far) and I've realized why the have so many tabards/back vanes is because wraith bodies are SO SMALL! They look gangly and don't look like T6 models. That's the magic of Eldar tech I guess... But, visually they needed big helmets, big guns, and big bits to bulk them out.

These guys don't need any help.

Jain Zar


Drazhar


Avatar of Khaine

I haven't purchased the necessary bits to finish the head, so I started on the "heart sculpting." I'm really happy with it! I haven't added the "ventricles" on top and it'll look better painted. The fingers were hard and I need to go back and lengthen the ring finger once it cures. It was hard to focus the camera enough to get a good read on the fingers but they look convincing to me!


Storage
I bought a Tablewar case (the mid-sized one) to hold this army. The goal is to use base washers and spackle to make "display trays." This will give me a finish line for the army and it keeps the army safe with magnets on the metal sheets. The drawer is pretty big and gives me a portable "workshop" to take around with me. I really like it!

Jain and Draz look sweet. Skipping the tabard was probably the right move.

LordoftheSwarm,

I have to give you points of originality, I have not seen this extensive inclusion of AoS pieces with 40K Eldar in any other Exodite themed log.

Cheers,

CB

The Avatar of Khaine statue came in so I can finally finish the Avatar conversion!



As I was scaling him up, I realized that the easiest way to add the "head spikes" and top knot was to simply saw the face off.



In dry-fitting the helmet, I confirmed this to be the case.



Thus, the Avatar was born! The helmet is a great deal larger than the others so I was forced to reposition the arm to make it fit. This is good for two reasons. 1) The height of the sword actually limited me to 2 trays plus a drawer or 3 trays without the drawer in my case. Now I can fit all 3 trays and the drawer. 2) It gives me a different pose than Jain Zar!



Here's another view of the recently sculpting hand and the hair from below.

The trio is now finished and can go for priming tomorrow!

Neat integration of the Avatar helm with the Wraith helmet. The reposing looks pretty seemless too. Great work as always!

Looks pretty good. Also reminiscent of the Alien Queen, which is very cool. Looking forward to seeing them painted.

Had a bit of catching up to do.
You have been doing some really good work with your conversions there!
I especially liked the hair on Jain Zar and as you said, it turned out pretty much perfectly!

LordoftheSwarm wrote:
Sometimes when converting, you look down at the bit and think "I've only got one shot at this...." and you just start sawing!

Ha! I know this feeling
And the dread when blowing the saw dust off the said bit in order to see how it turned out

 youwashock wrote:
Looks pretty good. Also reminiscent of the Alien Queen, which is very cool. Looking forward to seeing them painted.

Thank you all for your kind words.

It does look a little "alien" doesn't it... lol. It's the dome helmet head that makes it that way. The original face kept it "warhammer-like"

I've ordered scale 75 paints, warcolours florescents, vallejo inks, and the redgrass wet pallette about a month ago. Unfortunately, only the inks and florescents have come in so far which is holding up the project. I'll prime and practice on sprue scraps until then!

The sylvaneth-eldar mash-up works VERY well.

I got some colors down on the Avatar's leg. I spent the longest time playing with colors to get the right mix. But, the results are in.

Recipe:
Warcolours Florescent Yellow + GW Iyanden Yellow Contrast (ratio depending on "heat")
Warcolours Florescent Orange
Vallejo Red Ink
Vallejo Brown Ink
Vallejo Black Ink

It's like doing a base coat and layering up to a highlight... only backwards. The black ink looks best only at the points farthest from the "heat".

Now to finish him up lol.




My Vanari Wardens came in today so I have enough bits to kitbash 5 Dire Avengers!

Lots of variety!

That’s a nice flame effect, the inks seem to help with the subtlety of the transitions. Cool job!

 gobert wrote:
That’s a nice flame effect, the inks seem to help with the subtlety of the transitions. Cool job!

Thanks!

The inks are really nice for the transitions. What I'm finding is that the build up from Florescent yellow to black needs to go from yellow to orange to red to brown to black. If you skip a step, even if you cover it all up, you can tell.

Highlighting with black is a good exercise as well. It's good practice for when I have to do it the other way for the rest of the models.




Here's the head I'm working on too.