Raz's Word Bearers - Hell Follows With Them

[RazakelXIII]

@Daemonclaw - I'll likely chop off the wings over the Chaplain's head, not sure about the chestplate and knee - if I do anything with them I'll most likely cover them with impurity seals. The rosarius is definitely getting replaced with one of those little Chaos stars from the Marauder Horsemen kit. As for figure trays, I just use pick-and-pluck foam. This does mean certain models always have to go in the same place, and it can't always fit everything perfectly - I usually have to glue an arm back or fix the paint on the end of a spike every three or four trips, but it beats trying to squeeze everything into GW trays. Raz has a nice specially padded space. I keep meaning to get some custom-cut stuff from Battlefoam or something but it's always either "get boring useful trays" or "get a ton of shiny models I'll paint in a bajillion years." The models tend to win out.

Still alive, just been spending most of my time trying to find new ways to avoid painting tanks. Basic stuff done, need to sculpt flesh and candles and then paint touchups, details and stuff. Please excuse the cat hair.

These were painted with the new Citadel paints and the Army Painter Dark Tone (not-Badab Black) and Strong Tone (not-Devlan Mud) inks in as close an approximation of my old method as possible. Basecoated Dryad Bark (Rhinox Hide could also work but I went with Dryad since it was much less vibrant), two layers of watered-down Khorne Red, metallics in Leadbelcher, wash Dark Tone, wash Strong Tone, drybrush reds Khorne Red, drybrush metallics Leadbelcher, wash Strong Tone. For washing tanks (which I wouldn't normally recommend unless you're as lazy as me), I tend to wash a side at a time, then sit the tank with that side facing up, helping to avoid dripping and pooling and other nastiness. Let that side dry, wash another side, and so on.

According to a highly scientific very-serious-business test I did with the Army Painter inks, the old Citadel washes, and a paper towel, Strong Tone seemed slightly less yellow than Devlan Mud, and Dark Tone seems less greenish than Badab Black. The difference in tone doesn't seem to have affected the tanks very much at all, if anything it countered how much brighter the new paints are. I've already refilled my old bottles of Devlan and Badab with the Army Painter stuff - knew I was saving them for a reason. Washes aren't meant for dropper bottles.

Decided what I'm doing with the One Rhino - going to turn it into a spiky Whirlwind Hyperios given the impending release of Flyerhammer. I'll be getting at least two - the Hell Blades are fun, but I have a buddy with a Thunderhawk and waaay too many Thunderbolts that require additional pew-pew. Also got my bitz for the Nipplepsyker revamp together, want to finish the Predators before I start with The Sculptening.

[Biohazard]

The predators are looking really good so far. Once you add the final details to bring them inline with the rest of the force they'll look outstanding.

[RazakelXIII]

Green stuff!

Will get back to painting tomorrow. I'm aware that they look a bit... same-y, and so do my laspreds. I just never know what to do with tanks - infantry's more my thing. I think I want another laspred and another dakkapred, I'll kit them out with FW extra armor and call 'em command tanks, maybe do some conversion work so they look like they have some extra comms equipment. That'd mix it up a bit.

...I like how my first instinct upon thinking "tanks are boring" is "obviously I just need more of them."

[Lachdannan]

...I like how my first instinct upon thinking "tanks are boring" is "obviously I just need more of them."

 

That made me laugh! :D

 

Great looking tanks I think. Will look good with the additions you have there.

[RazakelXIII]

Done.

Valefor

Avnas - I forgot to do the metallic chipping along the bottom of the hull, only noticed after I uploaded the pics. It's fixed now but I didn't feel like rephotographing.

With the laspreds. Extra-sameyness!

I feel like I MIGHT redo the gargoyle-muzzles on all of them in bronze. Anyway, psyker next, unless I get distracted by other shiny things.

[Augustus b'Raass]

Raz, I've just spent my entire afternoon skipping over this entire thread and I must say I am incredibly inspired by your work. I myself have been slowly producing my own Word Bearers army over the last six months after having left 40K for about ten years. My paint style is quite different, but your moddeling... damn!

 

The banners, the candles, use of chaos warriors (have been using chaos cavalry lately), your red-painting method, use of washes, scripture. It's all been great and I honestly think about starting my own thread here.

 

Thanks again! :-)

[Chapter Master Onyxius]

Raz, you really inspired me to start my own Chaos army, (even though it will be black Legion) I am going to be using the same methods with the Chaoss Warriors though, but once I start my conversion on Abaddon... well lets just say the Dark Gods are going to have to stand by me on that one. Anyways this encouraged me to start my own thread and it will be in the honour of you and the great Abaddon! May Lorgar and the Dark Gods guide you!

[Circus Nurgling]

Nice Predator squadron.

[Wing Wong]

A truly inspirational army in every sense. It screams "I AM A WORD BEARER" at the top of its lungs.... Great work

 

Would you mind sharing how you achieve the moody/dark red armour? I have been trying to achieve something similar with my World Eaters

[PassionFruit Power]

your work is amazing you should c what u made me do to some guardsmen :blink:

[Tyrannicide]

Though I'm a loyalist, seeing that Predator formation makes me squeal and think "to hell with all the meta gaming". It's all about what looks good and that's an impressive sight.

 

Well done, man. :)

[RazakelXIII]

@Wing Wong - sorry I took so long responding, I did a step-by-step here - was responding to Crystal Geyser.

Thanks for the posts, brothers. I kinda rediscovered Morrowind there for a while (read: spent most of my free time for a month playing it), so I wasn't getting anything done. Last couple days have been a different story, though.

So, the moment I saw the Stonehorn, I knew what needed to be done...

It might be kind of hard to make out what's going on - the bulk of the GS is fur, but the mouth, nose and eyes are on fire. There's a little GS booger stuck in the nose under the fire, thought I'd scooped it out before taking pics, it has since been removed.

The other two Vindicators in the squadron:

And all three:

I'll be assembly-lining these, I hope to have them finished by the time September rolls around. The Stonehorn skull will most likely be black, I think I'm going to go with "normal" not-green-or-purple fire, and I haven't decided what I'm going to paint the fur, I'll likely do that last since it seems like it might throw off the whole model if I do it wrong. I've also ordered a Baneblade and the Tank Combo Pack from Blood and Skulls Industry, I have evil plans regarding its cannon's muzzle involving a Zombie Dragon head.

Fingers crossed for a new 'dex soon.

[Lachdannan]

Really great conversion. Can't wait to see it painted.

[Noctus Cornix]

Holy #&@$ dude......

 

Wow... Just... Just wow...

[Son of Carnelian]

Creepy! I like it a lot!

[RazakelXIII]

Smallish update, Vindicators are RED. Blotchy, but red - this was done with one layer of the new Khorne Red. Blotchiness won't matter due to the sheer amount of wash I'm going to dump on them - it should actually add texture.

I'd forgotten all about my Discords and then suddenly there they were in my bitz-box. A bit of greenstuff and some bitz-mashing and ta-da. Should've thought of using shoulderpads... whenever the last time I worked on them was. The metal tentacles are from some Drone Remotes from Infinity.

Did a tiny bit of work on the Coryphaeus while trying to figure out what to do with the too-big lump of GS I'd mixed for the Discords. Was trying to put candles next to the big horned skull but it wasn't working out - clearly the gods demanded I use this GS to give him a Word Beard.

And another thing I've been working on, a warp gate for Head-Poppin' Billy. So much GS - I'm probably going to have a big daemonic face coming out of the flames with a big screaming mouth that's got daemons pouring out of it. I have an enormous baggy full of Spawn, Bloodletter, Horror and Daemonette bits, I'll likely wait to do too much more work on it until after I get ahold of some of the new PB/Nurgling plastics - I did get a box of the new Flamers today, I have decided that they are my favorite thing ever.

Will likely do washes on the Vindicators tomorrow.

[Wing Wong]

Love your GS work as ever and the vindis look cool. Keep it up

[daemonclaw]

am liking that beastly vindy

[Midnightmare]

Coryphaeus is a beast, going to look absolute badass when done I think.

 

Love the Vindi's, excellent idea and well executed and I am jealous of your all your green stuff skillz :)

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

For the head-popper's Warp Gate, how about making it into a giant Lacros Sa- the Word Bearer's Legion symbol?

[Captain Cirrius]

I want to personally thank you! I completely fell out of the hobby for YEARS! I remember that i had an account so i decided to come back and just do some exploring through the forum. I currently have no models, paints, glue, sculpting tools, transportation, or money to my name but that is ALL changing! I'm back baby! You have reminded what I loved most about the hobby and that is the art, the customization and personality. I just spent the last hour and half reading through this thread and it is simply inspiring so thank-you thank-you thank-you B)

[RazakelXIII]

@Captain Cirrius - Haha, I don't know what to say except "You're welcome." Guess I'm doing my job as a Word Bearer, huh? :) I keep this thread going because the visions won't leave me alone at night, I'm just glad other people seem to like it. :tu:

@Thirst - Was considering working that in. Definitely want to do the daemon face, just not sure if I can make the horns work in warpfire form - it'll also be (mostly) purple, so I don't know how that'll look.

So, Vindicators are washed and highlighted. Sorry for the lack of individual pics, will do those when the tanks are done - too much of a hassle getting them every update.

Will get to work on sculpting fleshybits... now, actually, I've been on a roll with these, no sense stopping now. I'll paint those tomorrow along with the candles and possibly also do script and battle damage. Be interesting to see if I can get them done tomorrow, 3 tanks in 5 days would be a heck of a record for me.

[Wing Wong]

Great work as Always Raz. May I ask how you wash the tanks? I kniow you stated you do one side at a time and face upwards but do you thin the wash heavily so as to avoid the awful staining that washes leave on flat surfaces? Do you use a medium brush quite heavily loaded? Have you tried airbrushing the wash on?

 

Sorry for all the questions but this is something I have had problems with for years

[RazakelXIII]

@Wing Wong - I pretty much drown 'em in as much straight-from-the-pot wash as I can load on a brush. The purpose of this is twofold - 1, so that it darkens the model without me having to mix a darker color, and 2, that it actually DOES make the model blotchy and I like it that way. The main reason I wash tanks one side at a time is so it gets blotchy evenly, if that makes sense - I WANT it to get all blotchy and pool everywhere because it works when the models are this dark, but I DON'T want it all to go straight the bottom of the tank. I'll give an example, as I've never really gone to great lengths to demonstrate this before but I've been using it pretty much since I discovered the joys of Devlan Mud. Here's a closeup of one of those Vindis without any fleshybits or script on it (don't mind the eagles, I'm about to clip those off and sculpt over 'em):

It's crazy-blotchy, but cover up the worst of it with script, impurity seals and battle damage and suddenly you've got weathering and a nice worn, beaten, 10,000-year-old-ceramite texture, and with a minimal amount of effort. It's not going to win me a Golden Daemon, but I'm not really trying to do that, I'm trying to paint boatloads of Word Bearers and have 'em look cool on a shelf.

All that said, you really SHOULD thin your washes - you probably shouldn't be washing tanks much at all, maybe in spots to create that dripping effect tanks get, and in recesses. The ONLY reason this works is because these models are so dark, if you're going for a lighter and cleaner color scheme, you really shouldn't do this - if you want them darker than the Citadel paints (or whatever paints you're using) you should really mix up your own color. That's not to say it CAN'T work on lighter color schemes ever, by all means go ahead and try it, I just wouldn't recommend it.

I should also note that on both this and the Autocannon predators, I used Khorne Red as the basecoat, Army Painter's Dark Tone as the first wash, Strong Tone as the second (these are great substitutes for Badab and Devlan, respectively, since Nuln Oil and Agrax just don't give the same results), and then actually drybrushed the tank Khorne Red to bring edges out, and then washed it with Strong Tone again. Not sure if I said that when I posted the Preds, really should have if I didn't. The drybrush arguably makes it even blotchier, but, again, I kinda like it that way. With infantry I'll still be highlighting as before, likely with Mephiston Red before the first wash of Dark Tone.

And I used a medium-sized brush for these, probably halfway between GW's "standard" and "large" brushes if the pics on their site are 1:1 scale with RL, but I only use it because it's actually the biggest brush I have (got most of my brushes for free from a guy at the FLGS giving his away, except my detail brushes - those are Blick Studio Sables, size 0, been meaning to invest in some Winsor and Newtons but those are Serious Business/Money) - if I had bigger I'd use those, though it would probably result in a more even wash.

Haven't tried airbrushing, just haven't invested in an airbrush. Would definitely use it for basecoating out of sheer convenience, don't know about washing, really haven't looked into it.

[/textwall] Hope all that helps, sorry if that turned into a rant. :D

EDIT: tl;dr, don't paint like me, I'm lazy.

[Wing Wong]

Thanks for the incredibly informative response Raz. I too and aiming for something that looks great and is reasonably quick; I am fed up of 3 layer edge highlighting marines! It always ends up with my painting a unit or two and then getting bored. I really like the effect on the tanks and, come to think of it, when I have tried washing before it is the drips rather than the pools which bothered me so this may work.

 

I've just undercoated my bolter unit with the airbrush and I really should use it for more complicated stuff; apparently putting washes through it darkens/affects the colour but without the pooling of brush washes.

 

Good tip on the army painter stuff; I just thought it was the thick dippy stuff they did. Will check it out. I too am not very happy with Angrax but still have the old black in spades.

 

Again, cheers for a really detailed and helpful response buddy