Inquisitor Savant

Here is the third and final member of my Inquisitorial warband, a savant. I was lucky enough to be invited to participate in an Inquisitor campaign at work which requires three starting characters for each warband. I decided to use the two models I have already completed and add a third. As time is in short supply at the moment due to work commitments I decided to use an off-the-peg model rather than convert a character from scratch. After some deliberation I settled on this down-trodden-looking fellow from the Death Korps quatermaster set. However, after opening the clampack I was unable to leave the model 100% untouched and so added a few embellishments in the form of a pet owl (probably the closest thing he has to a friend), a purity seal and an Inquisitorial icon to demonstrate his allegiance.

I imagine this guy to be the product of some Administratum program to produce humans with computer-like minds capable of extreme calculations in the place of AI (like the Mentats in Dune). His abilities have brought him to the attention of Inquisitor Sterne who uses him to help crack codes, gather information and decipher esoteric patterns of data. In game I can see him R2-D2ing doors and computer systems to aid the party in their endeavours.

I will post full background for my three characters once it is finalised.

-Andy.

Happy birthday, Space Marines

As you will probably be aware, this weekend GW are celebrating 30 years of the venerable Space Marine. I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you some of the limited edition models painted by the Warhammer World Studio to mark the occasion. From left to right we have a White Scar painted by James Karch, my own Space Wolf and an Ultramarine by Dan Hyams.

These models are currently on display in the store cabinet at Warhammer World. If you are in the area why not pop in and take a look.

Blood Warrior test model

Following on from my first Blood Reaver, here is another test model for my Age of Sigmar Chaos force. I followed the same method as the Blood Reaver to keep the force consistent. I’m not 100% certain about how well the black armour works on Blood Warriors but I think this is the colour scheme I will go with.

Initially I painted the face on the right arm gold like the trim but I didn’t really like the effect as it was a bit too ‘blinging’. A colleague, Stuart Edney, convince me to repaint it as daemonic flesh as though the armour is transforming and I really like the effect. It adds something a bit different to the armour and really makes the colour scheme pop. Below you can see the original paint job.

I have also started to roll out the colour scheme to the rest of the models now that I am satisfied with it.

Blood Reavers test model

I have had the Khorne half of my Storm of Chaos set in a box a while now and decided it was time to get it painted up. Here is my test model for my Blood Reavers. I decided to avoid the traditional red armour and used black instead.

Overall I am pleased with the colour scheme and will use it for the rest of my Khornate force. I just need to work on adding some non-Caucasian skin tones to the group to match the models in the AoS book.

 

Gun for hire – Imperial bounty hunter complete

Happy New Year! Instead of partying into the early hours last night I stayed in and managed to finish my bounty hunter character for Inq28 (I know, I’m so cool). It’s been a long road with this model but he is finally complete. Initially, I was uncertain how to paint him but once I’d settled on the light grey body armour the rest seemed to come together quite naturally.

I think this is one of the models I am most proud of to date. I really pushed myself out of my comfort zone on this project in terms of kit-bashing and it is the most heavily converted model I own. I am also really proud of him because he is the most original model I have created. Many of my conversions have been copied from White Dwarf or inspired by something off the internet but with this guy the whole concept and execution was my idea.

I was at one point concerned that the model had too much black on him but I have tried to paint the different black areas differently so as to distinguish them from one another. The leather coat was blended up through blue-grey highlights whereas the gauntlets were highlighted by adding khaki to black. The gun casting has sharper, more harsh highlights in pure grey to make it look like a hard, cold material to distinguish it from the fabric areas. Splashes of red were also used on the model to tie him in with Inquisitor Sterne and to add some visual interest.

Gun for Hire (wip)

 

Work continues on the bounty hunter for Inquisitor Caleb Sterne’s retinue. I am really pleased with the face as it has turned out exactly the way I envisioned him: a hard-bitten veteran of many adventures. I think the stubble and shaved head really add to this.

The colour scheme was one of the hardest parts of this model to figure out which is why there has been such a delay between finishing building him and getting some paint on him. Initially, I knew I wanted a lot of black on him but didn’t have a clearer idea than that. In the end I opted for a colour scheme which would give him an individual look but also tie him in with Inquisitor Sterne. For that reason I painted the black coat and grey armour using the same methods as I used for the inquisitor. I then added some chips and scratches to the armour and glazed the bottom of the armour plates with Agrax Earthshade thinned with Lahmia Medium to make them appear well used, further emphasising the nature of the character.

In other news, I can announce that I will be returning to Warhammer World in the new year for a three-month stint as a Studio Painter. I really enjoyed the experience last time and am looking forward to going back.

Have a great Christmas everybody!

Andy.

Miners’ Strike

Here are some more disgruntled cyborgs to join my burgeoning Pit Slave gang. I armed these guys with autoguns and a shotgun to give me a little ranged support. I’m not sure how this fits with the rules of the game but if I ever play with them I’m sure my opponent won’t mind them having basic weapons rather than pit slave weapons. I’ll just make sure that models armed with guns don’t also have pit slave weapons as they will need two hands to fire them. This should also help keep things balanced.

The two autogunners have simply had head swaps to match the rest of the gang. I also added an extra mechanical hand to one and a chainblade bayonet attachment to the other to tie them in with the Mechanicus feel of the other models. The other slave has had his autopistol arm swapped for one holding a shotgun.

The green stuff work on these guys is a little rough and will need smoothing out later but it gives you a general idea of where I am heading with this project.

Heavy Metal

As you may have heard in the news, it’s been a bit wet here in Lancashire. Not ideal weather for priming models. However, I have been braving flooding and power cuts and managed to get some models converted.

The models were inspired by Nicolas Grillet’s excellent Adeptus Mechanicus warband. While I have used different parts for my models, I have tried to keep the same kind of feel. The models are a mix of Skitarii parts which I bought a while back as a source of parts for my Inq28 projects and the Dark Vengeance cultists. They are supposed to represent Necromunda pit slaves but I have re-imagined them in line with the newer Adeptus Mechanicus aesthetic. I think of them as an Adeptus Mechanicus indentured labour force  made up of hardened criminals sentenced to a lifetime of servitude in the mines and other lowlifes and unfortunates who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and fell victim to unscrupulous slavers. The tech priests have augmented their bodies with mechanical mining equipment which, now that they have escaped bondage, comes in pretty handy as rudimentary weapons.

These are the first three models finished but I have a number of others who are awaiting a bit of green stuff. I hope to share these with you soon.

Specialist Games revisited

Yesterday was certainly an exciting day for fans of the Specialist Games range as GW announced that some old favourites would be returning to our shelves as boxed games and stand-alone products. I had always hoped that GW might go down this route as it did with recent boxed versions of Space Hulk and Dreadfleet (a clear successor to Man ‘O War) and now we have official confirmation that it will happen although we are not sure when.

However, you don’t need to wait months, or even years, for some Specialist Games content; there is plenty of Specialist Games coverage here on Miniature Miscellany in the archive.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Here are a few of my favourite projects from the old Specialist Games range that I have worked on over the last few years.

My Epic scale orks. I have always loved the old-style orks and these models fit the bill perfectly. They are so characterful despite their tiny size plus the ork range is one of the largest in Epic. The great thing about orks is that they field a collection of rag-tag custom-built vehicles meaning you can easily combine models from different eras and this just adds to the eclectic look of the force. For these guys I went for nice bright colours which help such tiny models stand out on the tabletop.

I also have a sizable collection of Epic Eldar hailing from the Saim Hann Craftworld. I always intended to paint up an army of their 40K counterparts but the age of many of the Eldar kits put me off and I switched allegiance to their dark kin instead. The Eldar were my first Epic force and I learned a lot about painting such tiny models from these guys.

I also had a real soft-spot for Battlefleet Gothic and this was the one game that I was really disappointed they discontinued. Here is my Imperial Fleet. They represent the Battlefleet Maelstrom defending the Badab region prior to/during the Badab War. If GW ever release some Space Marine ships I intend to add some Astral Claws vessels to the fleet to tie them in more closely with my Space Marine army in 40k.

I also have a nascent ork fleet which I painted up this test model for. I went for dirty metallics and red for the orks with bright green as a spot colour on the lights/eyes. I also added a tiny check pattern to add interest and emphasise the size of the ship.

Finally, Mordheim was one of my favourite of the Specialist Games range and, unlike BFG and Epic which I came to later, I played it extensively when it was first released. Here are some Mordheim characters I painted up a few years ago. Interestingly, this isn’t one of the games mentioned in GW’s press release. Perhaps this is because it is now set in the ‘World-That-Was’ or simply because the models are not radically different the the regular Age of Sigmar range. Maybe it was simply on oversight (I get the impression GW are still undecided on how many or which games will see a come back).

This is just a selection of some of the Specialist Games content on this blog. If this has piqued your interest why not click on some of the tags below for more.

Battlefleet Gothic, Dreadfleet, Epic: Armageddon, Mordheim

Inq28 bounty hunter

Another common Inquisitorial agent is the bounty hunter, individuals skilled in hunting down criminals whose skills are of great use to Inquisitors. While building this model I had an image of Harlon Nayl from Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn and Ravenor books in my head. He is described as wearing a long stormcoat over a black bodyglove and having a shaved scalp. While the model isn’t intended to be a direct representation of Harlon I have incorporated elements such as the long coat and shaved head (although I left the original Mohawk as it looked cool). I also gave him some body armour, always useful when your line of work involves being shot at a lot.

The main part of the model is made from a Cadian’s torso attached to the legs of one of the ever-useful Dark Vengeance cultists. I really like the design of the lasguns carried by the scions and converted a pair of arms from the scions kit to fit. I resculpted the left shoulder and hid my rough greenstuff work under a kroot shoulder pad adorned with an etched-brass symbol. A small holstered knife provided the finishing touch to the weapon and gives the impression that he is armed to the teeth. The rest of the model was decorated with purity seals, pouches and grenades.

I decided not to use the backpack from the scions kit as the hanging wires attached to the weapon hid the trenchcoat which is one of the defining features of the model. Instead I used a pouch from the ogryns set as a backpack and attached a space marine knife.

Overall I am very pleased with this model, especially as I didn’t have a clear idea of what parts I was going to use at the beginning, just an image of what kind of character I wanted him to be. The rest was a case of trial and error using blu-tak to try out the parts first before gluing them together.