WoC Update - Parade of the Dead

In addition to assembling copious amounts of models, I've also started painting my unit of Nurgle Warriors armed with Halberds (in pleasant, fluff-friendly batches of 3).  As I've mentioned in previous articles, I wanted to alter the standard paint scheme for these guys to reflect their 'Nurglesque' culture.

While I've always liked the idea of Nurgle, I've never been much of a fan of GW's 'wet and bloated' look.

This is not the Zombie you're looking for....

Instead, I decided I wanted to go for a 'dry and dissecated' look instead; allowing me to use the same style of miniature for my warriors without the need to drastically alter them any more than I already had.

He's no good for eatin' I mean look at him, he aint nothin but
skin and gristle....

Using the painting guide for the Mortis Engine provided in White Dwarf 385 (January 2012), I used the recipe for the banshee skins as a basis for my own colour scheme.  I say basis for the scheme because the colour mixes provided in the Painting Workshop resulted in a base-colour that is vastly darker and much pinker than shown in the pictures.  Regardless, I persevered with my newly created colour and have produced a skin-tone that possesses a suitable 'dried-up-corpse' hue.  The only issue is that any mistakes that occur while painting the areas around the skin forces me to repaint the entire section.  A little time-consuming to be sure, but the end result is more than worth it in my opinion.

The bronze is painted using my standard process, but with extra layers of blue and green washes are applied to give it a more grimy look.  I did consider going for the verdigris look, but decided against it due to the time requirement and unwillingness to sacrifice models for purposes of experimentation.  As it is, I'm happy with the results I have obtained and will continue using the process in the future.  Their weapons have been kept relatively clean as I felt that despite their lack of care they give their armour, their weapons are a key part of their identity and as such are diligently maintained.

With 2 warriors fully completed so far and a third one well on the way, I'll be changing things up a little by moving to one of the mini unit-fillers as a little reward.  With these two done, my progress stats look like this:

Miniatures Purchased: 8

Miniatures Painted: 38

Points of Painted Warriors: 272pts

Catch you later

Trev

WoC Update - Hellcannons and Heroes

It seems that so much has happened over the past few weeks that a catch-up post was required to bring everyone up to speed to just how far behind I am on my army project.  While I'm not smashing out amazing armies in a week like @elfordminis over at Elfordminis the progress I'm making is noticeable and that's enough for me.  That said, I encourage you all to check out the site above and see the amazing work he's putting out.  Definitely a positive force for our global wargaming community.

So I finally caved and decided to put a Hellcannon in my list.  While I've had one in my collection ever since I can remember, I've put off assembling it due to it's size and distinct lack of assembly instructions.  A couple of weeks back, Travis from Project Circle offered to assemble it for me to which I eagerly accepted.  Travis is very talented when it comes to assembling 'difficult' miniatures so if anyone was capable of building it successfully, it was him.  As can be seen in the pictures above and below, he has done an amazing job with it. The removable crew who fit into slots cut into the Hellcannon's base is particularly inspired and just one of the many aspects of the model that I really enjoy.

The other model I finally got around to assembling was a warrior from the Banelords range going by the name of Ulric the Defiler. Like Maagaan, the previous miniature I purchased from Maelstrom Games earlier this year, this walking mountain will be leading a portion of my Chaos Army, though in this case, Ulric will be commanding my Nurgle contingent for the foreseeable future as opposed to my entire Tzeentch Army; a prospect I find most pleasing.

Finally I have been fortunate enough to win a competition run by a newly established company that goes by the name of Avalon Painting (@avalon_painting on twitter), resulting in me receiving a substantial credit towards a painting commission of my choice.  Considering the impressive nature of the mini's I've decided to continue the previously established trend (if two purchases can be considered a trend that is) and go with Ornung the Bone Orc Shaman.  The prize will allow me to have this impressive miniature painted to their 'showcase' standard, which will no doubt result in an already superb miniature becoming even more epic once the commission has been completed.  I have to be honest here and say that I'm greatly looking forward to seeing how hew comes out in the end, and will be posting an article here as soon as he makes it home to me in Australia.

Catch you all later,

Trev

WoC Update - Nurgle Warriors

As I mentioned in my previous article, I've been working on my Nurgle Warrior unit in a desperate attempt to get them ready for Trickster's Blade.  After the major green-stuff (GS) work was completed, the Bestigor arms were fitted and any major gaps were filled using more GS.

While the conversion as a whole is a little fiddly, the liberal use of GS and plastic cement ensure a solid enough join once the drying process has completed. Amusingly for me, the command section of this unit was amongst the easiest conversions in the unit, with very little GS work required.

To keep with the theme of the army, the unit is escorting a collection of prisoners which have been captured from the defending Empire forces that the army encounters. I'm not sure yet if these slaves will come from another empire province or whether I'll stick with the livery I've used in the Tzeentch unit.  Either way, they'll provide a pleasant distraction from painting the warriors as time goes on.  Another pleasant distraction will come in the form of Nayr, the Minotaur that accompanies this unit to war. Serving as a similar plot device as the Wolves in my Tzeentch units, the Beastmen models will not only reinforce the fluff around my Nurgle element, but will also act as points of interest, allowing me to make my army a little more unique.

With the construction process complete, I can move onto the painting side of things. While the majority of the painting process will be similar to my existing units, I'm intending to make some minor alterations to the scheme to give the unit a distinct 'Nurgle' feel.

Catch you all later

Trev

WoC Update - Becoming the Ass-Master

One of the most unusual things I'm required to do as part of my conversion process is sculpting Chaos Warrior ass. Let me explain - anyone who's seen my Chaos Warriors knows they are a combination of Chaos Warrior legs and Marauder Torso. The issue that arises is that the backs of the Chaos Warrior legs are covered by a cloak for the most part, ergo the need for a posterior is non-existent.

However when they are used in my army, the legs need to be modified so as to give each warrior a pelvis and hip-bones in which to articulate his heavily-armoured appendages. Attempts in the past have produced all manner of booty, some possibly even comparable to the likes of Jennifer Lopez and the Kardashians.

Since then, I've modified the process somewhat to produce a less booty-licious warrior to wreak havoc upon the denizens of the Warhammer World. This process involves trimming the area around the butt and using less green stuff (GS) to produce more of an old-man-in-trousers effect.

From there, it's a matter of 'rinse and repeat' until enough ass to build enough for a unit. As can be seen below, I've made enough to build a unit of Nurgle warriors, all armed with Bestigor Weapons, which will count as Halberds in game.

Catch you all later

Trev