A couple of works in progress I am preparing for Azazel’s August challenge.
One is the final model in the Nomads starter set, a Mobile Brigada medium armoured infantry – one of the best models in the entire range, I think.
And the other is a cross-range kitbash I am planning to use as a general or standard bearer for my 9th Age O&G army: an orc warlord on warpig.
Both still need a lot of work, but I’m confident that I’ll be able to complete at least one by the end of the month. Both can compete in the awesome category, I think, but who’s the most awesome?
For the next tyranid model I wanted to have a go at some of the big creatures, but I did not want to get into a major figure like a tyrant. So, here comes the old Old One Eye.
I had made a minor conversion using two devourers from the metal raptors and I was using it as a regular Carnifex when I still used to play. I like the clunkyness of the figure and the fact that they sculpted some battle damage. The pose is a homage to the ancient Screamer-killer.
This is the kind of model you could paint for ages. I put in a fair amount of time and at the moment I am satisfied to leave it like this: yes, I could push the contrast on the flesh, freehand some patterns on the carapace and blend the claws until my eyes bleed… but right now I’d rather paint more models and work toward a mass effect. I can always come back for more detail later.
I reinterpreted the barnacles (has this guy spent some time on the bottom of the sea?) as “space limpets” which, apart from spit-shining the carapace, provide some contrast colour to the mini.
For the base I used the same combination of very fine natural sand and aquarium plants, this time including some smaller ferns, and a couple of flowers, one made from a dried clove.
And here’s a group picture with the tyranids painted so far and a sneak peak of the next stage of the project.
I have finished the other two Alguaciles in the Nomads starting box.
These have been the least pleasant to paint of the whole set, but by no means unpleasant. While the woman in the centre is about the best I think I can make from these models, the other two could be improved, but for the moment I am happy to leave them like this. There are more versions of the Alguaciles with different equipment and poses and I may end up painting some more in the future.
First of all, some atmospheric music, but keep in mind that my feelings about war are very much closer to those of Mario Rigoni Stern’s Sergeant in the Snow…
I have finished the Warmachine Khadorian solo Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich, that is going to represent one of the loyalist Commissars.
I am planning to have a Commissar model, or some other model to the same effect, for every squad: regiments from Nausicaa were notorious for resisting orders even before most of them openly rebelled.
Side by side with this bear of a man, the GW Commissar looks puny and his cloak seems to be made from compressed trash. Also the earlier paint job is quite poor in comparison. I think that I should help myself to more Khadorian models for the other Commissars and eventually replace the GW one. If I ever want to have a Commissar coming from one of the central planets, he (or she) will have to be much more impressive…
Now here’s a shot of the two squads together, with the chocolate Chimera in the background. I imagine the Vostroyans to be an earlier “batch” of soldiers, already a few years into their service, and equipped with better weapons, while their brothers have just arrived and, as the war tears into the resources of the sector, have been given only some old disused lasguns and no protections to speak of.
I’ll be putting the project on the back burner for a while, but next I think I should have a go at another tank model, so that I can get more practice and perhaps find a way to improve the Chimera. Also, I was thinking of adding some Skitarii or Skitarii conversions at some point.
