Night Lords 18th Battle Company (Treadhead)

[Ahrimannine]

Hi Dan,

 

I have just read through all 41 pages of your work - absolutely top notch conversion work - you have brought such a rich character to your models - Bravo.

I must admit - I want to know how you go about making the 'dan scale' marines too - do you use plasticard or something else to make the extensions?

 

Thanks!

[Seregon]

I'm pretty sure it's been mentioned somewhere, but where did you get those small resin(?) skulls you use here and there?

[Dan The Deamon]

All the skulls i've been using are from a couple of sources;

 

The Chaos marauder horsemen comes with a handful in there already on chains and ropes. Back when they first came out a whole gang of us got ten or so boxes and cracked them for the goodies. thankfully everyone was excited about the Mohawk/punk marine heads and left the totems untouched. I used them exclusively for a while, until i ran out somewhere in the midst of the zerk squad.

 

After that i began tearing apart WHFB skeleton boxes to get the jaw-less, or messed up skulls. Then i'd drill a little dimple into the top of the head and attach a chain from the marauder box set. besides coming with skulls attached to chains it also had chains with stars, hooks and some with nothing on the end. I have plenty of those left and that's what i'm resorting to these days.

 

The terminator chaplain Zhufor came with a bunch of skulls, i just carved them off the spots i didn't like them and added them to different parts of the armor. I don't have a supply of resin skulls, i wish i did. I tried casting them a couple of months back but without the proper resources they didn't turn out great so i scrapped the idea.

 

i'm going to have to make some bits orders soon just so i can ensure that my next couple of guys have their required totems. I'm going to need another 18 of them...

 

working on a tut for my biggerizing method. Will be ready for viewing in a couple of weeks when i compile it all professional like.

[hushrong]

I look forward to the tut! All I will need then are supplies and fresh 'victims' to work upon. I would love to make a small squad with even just an ounce of character that your minis give off.

 

Your bitzbox must also be one of the Great Wonders of the Hobbyist World...

[Dan The Deamon]

The further my army finds itself in a largely completed state, the more and more i want to add special characters into the mix to flesh things out just a bit more. I originally planned on this guy being the power armor version of my abbadon conversion, since i planned on stealing his axe and helmet, but the further i moved along with carving and building him up his personality changed into something much, much different. I'm still on the fence on whether or not he would be included as a chaplain of some sorts, or play him as a sorcerer, or lord. One thing i'm comfortable planning on is keeping him on foot, and without a jump pack, and he's got a comfy spot waiting for him with my zerks.

The half baked fluff that i've sculpted into him, is that he's the judge of whether or not the penitent marines have earned their right to re-join their battle brothers, in their older squads, or if their actions have fallen short of the company's standards, and must be put down. He is essentially my company's executioner, and following that, a bad, bad marine to find yourself having to fight.

backpack and shoulder guard are awaiting bits, and i promise they'll be worth the wait.

Dan

[Rik84]

that guy is just pure win

 

love the helm, whats the face from?

 

cant wait to see him painted

 

rik

[Lord Antares]

love the helm, whats the face from?

 

I believe that's a FW Renegade Enforcer mask.

[Wicced]

fantastic conversion brother dan!

 

though i think a night lords company wouldn't need a chaplain or executioner, because i think the own claw members would judge and punish a wayward brother :tu:

 

nonetheless it's fantastic model and i can't wait to see it painted

[Firepower]

Ohhhh....mean looking. I must know the source of that ghoulish skull you've made into his face.

 

But, personally, I think his pose is a bit....flat-footed? Sure, I mean not every single marine has to be leaning side to side or running, but he seems almost awkward in how stock still he's standing, especially juxtaposed to the almost casual positioning of his arms and sword. The waist up says "Hey, Bob, good to see you. I might kill you today," while the leg's say "Sir, Yessir!" A very slight twist of one leg (and especially the foot) outward to imply a more natural distribution of weight on his hips might look better.

 

At any rate, it's fun to see the new GK bits being so thoroughly and expertly defiled with treasonous brown stuff after such a short wait :tu:

Edited May 5, 2011 by Firepower

[Dan The Deamon]

fantastic conversion brother dan!

 

though i think a night lords company wouldn't need a chaplain or executioner, because i think the own claw members would judge and punish a wayward brother ^_^

 

Not in my war band. We've ensured a loose structure of discipline. Two important rules, maybe the only two, who knows;

 

#1 : Don't kill your legion brothers, as we cannot afford to loose combat readiness under any circumstances.

#2 : Do not destroy, desecrate, or render the company's war gear unserviceable, due to excessive customization. our resources are finite, and arbitrarily decommissioning serviceable equipment is derogatory.

 

As much as I love 10th company, first claw, and the lovely mess they are unfortunate enough to find themselves in, I do not believe they represent the 8th legion in its entirety.

 

One thing I enjoy about the Night Lord series, is that it one underlying theme present in everything about the books, is that the tenth company are seeing the worst of their days. This is certainly parallel to a great many other warbands, and a wonderful way of portraying just how difficult it is to be a renegade astartes, but I don't think the authors intention is to portray the belief that, to be a company of Night Lords, you must be in a state of disaster.

 

The way i imagine my night lords, during the same time line as the 10th company's struggles, is contrary to the idea of fractured war-band. From the 18th's point of view(which is really just saying my point of view) they view their legion brothers with remorse and sorrow, for seeing brothers, sharing the blood of their primarch, as a shadow of their former glory, struggling to maintain a grasp of survival, much less fight the long war, is a sorry sight to witness.

 

They would most certainly help, although that is to say, if they were even aware.

 

You think I like dropping bat wings all over my models? I know they are ridiculous concept on the top of a helm, but it's my way of showing legion pride damnit!

 

soapbox?

Dan

[Dan The Deamon]

he seems almost awkward in how stock still he's standing, especially juxtaposed to the almost casual positioning of his arms and sword. The waist up says "Hey, Bob, good to see you. I might kill you today,"

 

Awesome, i'm glad you saw that, as it was kind of my main goal, to create a marine so arrogant and imposing that the prospect of walking to his next kill was beneath him. That was also a theme I tried to convey through the modeling of my penitent squad. That they were so brutal and arrogant, that the fact of hurrying to their next kill, was just inconveneit. I then made sure that they had the menace and anger to show that when they did make it there, they were going to make you pay for having to walk.

 

So with that in mind, this guy was created to lead them, and my mind immediately decided the baddest of the bad, he was just going to stand amongst his squad, and call his enemies to him casually standing bored until they showed up, while his squad wadded through fire before him. So i'm glad you brought the legs up, I was intending a casual stance, however if it looks more strict then i'll have to tweak it. Thanks!

 

Dan

Edited May 5, 2011 by Dan The Deamon

[MagicMan]

From the waist up, hes pure awesome.

 

Legs look kinda awkward, though.

[GooseDaMoose]

Bloody brilliant again Sir!

 

Where is the sword from? It almost looks like an Empire bit with technogadgets stuck to it; very executioner-esque!

[Lexington]

As much as I love 10th company, first claw, and the lovely mess they are unfortunate enough to find themselves in, I do not believe they represent the 8th legion in its entirety.

 

One thing I enjoy about the Night Lord series, is that it one underlying theme present in everything about the books, is that the tenth company are seeing the worst of their days. This is certainly parallel to a great many other warbands, and a wonderful way of portraying just how difficult it is to be a renegade astartes, but I don't think the authors intention is to portray the belief that, to be a company of Night Lords, you must be in a state of disaster.

Dude. Yes.

 

Not to be on my own soapbox about this sort of thing, but I think a lot of players will read novels like A D-B's Night Lords series, Reynolds' Word Bearers series, etc., and assume that the structure of a given warband is, necessarily, the structure of all warbands that display that Legion's colors, and mimic it in full when it comes to their own armies. I mean, it's understandable. Chaos is, y'know, chaotic and all, and well-defined military hierarchies that can be transported onto the tabletop are something that exist in a lot of other 40K armies, but I feel like it makes Chaos less characterful than it might otherwise be. My own Word Bearers don't do the Coryphaeus/First Acolyte thing, because I like using other titles, and because it feels like ten thousand years means that a lot of vocabulary gets mutated within these little social structures. It's lots of fun to make this stuff up, and I highly encourage others to do it.

 

...hey, how'd that box get under my feet, and why does it smell like lye?

[Firepower]

You think I like dropping bat wings all over my models? I know they are ridiculous concept on the top of a helm, but it's my way of showing legion pride damnit!

 

 

Well...ermmm...actually... :(

 

I think some batwings on the demon visage that guy's wearing would look rather cool. Like you said, nothing wrong with a little pride in the chapter's symbol. :D

 

Anyway, glad I could help with the legs. I think simply twisting his left leg a few degrees outward would work wonders for the "I'm waiting!" pose.

[cathar the great]

Legs look awkward and a tad too long, waist up is great. The batwings on the blade are just awesome.

[Wicced]

i get your point of view, but somethin inside me still rebels against the chaplains.

i think they're just another useless loyalist institution.

 

don't get me wrong, i loved ADB's night lords series but i don't want my own company as wasted as 10th company ;)

but i wouldn't want an executioner or chaplain kinda guy, if someone steps outta line in my company, the warbands leader or a champion is gonna judge and punish him if necessary.

 

just my 2 bleached trophy skulls, it's your company and your decision :D

Edited May 5, 2011 by Wicced

[subtlebrush]

Oh man. That "chaplain" is just so damn awesome I cant stand it!

[hushrong]

He looks great! I didn't think too much about the legs though until reading other peoples comments regarding them.

 

I really like the use of the renegade faceplate and what I think is the GK sword hand. I also like his role, I think it is very unique.

[Dan The Deamon]

if someone steps outta line in my company, the warbands leader or a champion is gonna judge and punish him if necessary.

 

Perfectly said. My company is organized enough to have made it a job position, one that rather...motivates the initiative of those marines aware of his presence.

 

I think some batwings on the demon visage that guy's wearing would look rather cool. Like you said, nothing wrong with a little pride in the chapter's symbol. whistlingW.gif

 

I've got my sketchbook out scrawling all sort of updates to this guy when i have the opportunity. Winged crests or some other contraption are in the works, still fleshing that out.

 

Lexington, I'm glad, through this particular media, we are able to see eye to eye. You summarized the perfect points i think a ton of players aren't getting.

 

Off to see if moving the legs is approachable without ruining the model.

 

Dan

[HellChyld]

Dan good to see your nightlords and their brothers from the slpha legion are still flowing well. Might have to come down and see them and see if you can help me fix my mental block. looking forward to seeing your sketches too

[Surreal Cruelty]

With the executioner theme, you could run him "counts as" Khârn, operating similar to a Commissar, and having the need to occasionally meet out punishments mid-battle.

[popkhorne]

really liking how the executioner is coming along, great as always but in the interest of being constructive instead of just awestruck:

a suggestion

 

The sword looks kind of odd in its current position as the sword is very large and probably heavy, space marine or not it seems kind of awkward (like his hand would get tired) just holding it out like that, so maybe he could rest it on his shoulder or have it stuck into the base like the dark angels company master or something, I mean it looks fine as is, but right now the sword seems sort of weightless like its made of Styrofoam or something

 

also have you ever considered attempting to sculpt your own winged crest onto the head? wings definitely look like they would work on this guy and if they ended up anywhere near as good as your raptor heads where 'im sure they would be amazing.

Edited May 5, 2011 by popkhorne

[Retributis]

Sword is fine as it is I think. You can see that it's resting against his leg so he's not supporting the entire weight with his arm/wrist.

[Natanael]

That guy is a beast. That's all I have to say about that.

 

- Natanael