Night Lords 18th Battle Company (Treadhead)

[confused]

Instead of revising, I read through your log, all 43 pages of it, joined B+C and now feel i should tell you that you make some gorgeous models.

 

Really wish i could sculpt on my Night Llords as well as you do on yours.

 

Basically i just wanted to say i'll be following this as you add more, you and ADB have inspired me to redo my own NL's.

 

Awesome work.

 

Confused

[Doghouse]

I have to say I really like the wings on the back pack, it gives it a very sinister profile.

[malika666]

BTW, did you check the latest FW newsletter? It has Astral Claws' shoulderpads in it, lion heads...Nostraman Lions...Terminators...remember my past suggestion? ;)

[Dan The Deamon]

Doghouse, I must say, i like them too. Recently however I've been missing the creative mark on some projects, and have to send those feelers out to see if what I'm producing looks worthwhile.

confused, thanks man. Welcome to the B&C. Reading all 43 pages is daunting work, i've tried it once and barely got halfway through. If you started at the beginning, you'd notice that my GS work, kitbashing, and painting started off with some trouble. Keep chugging away at what you carve, paint, and model. Getting better is like growing older, it just takes time. Saving certain aspects until you're more comfortable with them; sculpting and painting for most people, just prolongs the process of getting started and doesn't prepare you much. At least that's what i've found.

Zincite, here's an update for you!

robot530

That guy is wicked Dan! My recommendation in general would be to not get sidelined by sticking to modelling formulas. Lots of skulls may work on one model and not on another. Be pragmatic and do what works.

You speak words of wisdom. The only reason I was compelled to give him 18, was that i managed to luckily fit 18 on the dread, then came up with some hair brained reason why. The reasonable corners of my mind immediately thought fitting 18 on a power armor was pretty delusional, yet i can't describe why i still tried it. ;)

It led to almost completely wrecking the model as i tried to salvage what i could. The legs were destroyed for days, and i spent a couple weeks brainstorming and building some new versions of them. I tried these...

which by definition may have been cool, but i didn't have the leg required to make the pose natural and authentic. He ended up looking off, and i had to re-evaluate.

fast forward a bit, and i've recently got him to this point..

Back to a neutral stance where I may have lost some really nice composition but decided to move forwards. Not a fantastic picture, as i only took it to compare it to a change i was considering, this;

...Which I fell for pretty hard. Since the days of Star Wars: Galaxies an abysmal mmorpg in the mid 2000's, I've been a sucker for halberds. I started the Pike-man skill set because i loved the look of a giant pole-arm with wicked blade, regretfully it turned out to be the single worst class in the melee category, which was handicapt further from a pretty mediocre game system. The love never left, and back on page 1 you can see where i tried a polearm on my old lord, which was never executed rather well.

i'm caught between the two weapons at this point, as the model is pretty much wrapped up in most other categories. The blade on the polearm wouldn't stay the way it currently is, i'd have to give them some evil modeling love, similar to the sword, but i'm still undecided. I've gotten some good insight already, but would love some more.

What do you guys think?

Dan

[carnosaur93]

you should give him the wing-axe from your old "chaplain"... its mighty night-lordy, and he IS an executioner afterall, so what could be better than an axe? ;)

[Firepower]

First of all, nice to see an update and a reworking of this model.

 

Now then, I'm inclined to side with the sword. It's hard to describe what exactly I see in the aesthetic of the sword (particularly the natural hilt as well as the brownstuff wings) but the best I can sum it up as is 'sleek and pointy.' This is a facet, as idiotically described as it is now, which fits the Night Lords very well in my opinion. See the previous argument of big, dull and broad wing-heads over sleek and scary ones present now for example. It just fits.

 

The Halberd, not so much. The blade in particular is just too broad in my opinion. It looks more like a machete on a stick (which is fairly cool in it's own right, but out of place on this particular guy). If its blade could be modified to be about as wide as the sword, it'd probably fit the sleek n' sexy n' scary look that this guy has going, but as is it looks unfitting.

 

Just my humble opinion as ever of course. There's something to be said for personal preference as you outlined for the Halberd, too.

 

Edit: Actually, I think I have a clear way to sum up the Halberd model~ it's stuck in an identity crisis between a spear and an ax, without the iconic simplicity or beauty of either. A fat indiscriminate and brutish blade atop a long and elegant haft.

Edited June 3, 2011 by Firepower

[Dan The Deamon]

you should give him the wing-axe from your old "chaplain"... its mighty night-lordy, and he IS an executioner afterall, so what could be better than an axe? :P

I literally spent days contemplating that very action. Then thought without the axe, the termi lord would be somewhat incomplete, and i couldn't find a suitable replacement weapon for him. I made a handful of similar axe/wing styles from some older bits i had, but none worked that well, which led me to the sword.

 

malika666

BTW, did you check the latest FW newsletter? It has Astral Claws' shoulderpads in it, lion heads...Nostraman Lions...Terminators...remember my past suggestion? msn-wink.gif

 

I did see those not moments ago, and thought the same thing. getting those expensive kits in order to build semi fluffy termi models didn't seem particularly appealing. Considering making biggerized termis are a pain in the rear, and I have more than i can fit in the lists I currently play. Maybe someone, somewhere will take that plunge. It has some pretty cool hobby potential, just isn't for me.

[Trysanna]

Welcome back Dan,

Glad to see you have been working on the executioner, I really like the new pose. He doesn't feel as cluttered as he was. As for the weapon, I have to say I really dig the sword. The little bone piece and the bat wing on it make it feel like it belongs on the model. If you could do something like that to the pole arm, it would feel like it belongs with him too.

Cheers

Edited November 7, 2013 by Tarvik

[popkhorne]

I honestly like the sword alot, and just think big swords in general are really cool, but for the model in question i think id go for the halberd as it just looks more natural to me in that pose. I think i already said this a few posts back but the way the executioner has his arm up and the sword not resting on anything looks weird to me. so in short epic model as always and once again my vote for the halberd. if you dont end up using the sword on him though i definatley would say reuse it as it looks awesome.

[confused]

Wow Dan thanks for the encouragement.

 

Personally i think the sword fits better with the models flow (aesthetically it just works better - I think firepower mentioned sleek lines and how the sword added to them). Just my feeling though.

 

Cant wait for the next update - i love the use of the enforcer head and am interested to see how you paint it up.

 

Keep up the amazing work.

Confused

 

ps would you please post up a quick tutorial on how you sculpt the bat wings? I've been trying but they just wont come out the right shape. Many thanks.

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

If you're on the fence about the halberd, recall that First Captain Sevatar of the Night Lords used a chainglaive as his personal CC weapon during the Heresy. I think your guy's halberd fits the Night Lords fluff delightfully. :D

[Quixus]

i'm caught between the two weapons at this point, as the model is pretty much wrapped up in most other categories. The blade on the polearm wouldn't stay the way it currently is, i'd have to give them some evil modeling love, similar to the sword, but i'm still undecided. I've gotten some good insight already, but would love some more.

 

What do you guys think?

What's wrong with the blade, except making the weapon a glaive instead of a halberd?

Besides preferring glaives to halberds aesthetically, I like it if the weapon looks like it has been looted from a Grey Knight even though the Night Lord unfortunately would have to use such a weapon as a regular CCW.

 

BTW how does a Chain halberd look like? are there chains on the pike and hook as well?

[Soulblight]

Im in sutch an awe over your works that i almost dont want to write here in fear that my mispelling and grammatic mess will somehow destroy your creativity.

 

But if you can let that pass, i would want to point another weapon that I think could work; The humble Sickle.

 

With this weapon you can keep the halberd theme, get something between an axe and sword and that still looks frightening.

 

Just my 2 cents...

 

(Do please excuse my poor english, im not use to write in it anymore.)

 

Edit: Tried to insert picture of what a good looking Sickle. Failed.

Edited June 4, 2011 by Soulblight

[Quixus]

Are you sure you are talking about a sickle and not a scythe?

[noxfel]

I must say, as a fellow night lord player, I am exceedingly impressed the more of your stuff that i see, jaw has not left the floor for a good 44 pages of epic, now as far as your most recent awesomeness goes, i love the glaive, but feel it should be wicked-ed up some, or i would love to see a return of that mace you made forever ago, either way keep up the good work

[Dan The Deamon]

If you're on the fence about the halberd, recall that First Captain Sevatar of the Night Lords used a chainglaive as his personal CC weapon during the Heresy. I think your guy's halberd fits the Night Lords fluff delightfully. ;)

something like this?

I ended up taking it off the zerk who finally got painted. I made mine after reading Brothers of the snake and trying to apply it where i could with Night Lords. There's so much spear work, spathia if i remember right, and the final fighting between spartanesque marines and orks was killer.

confused

ps would you please post up a quick tutorial on how you sculpt the bat wings? I've been trying but they just wont come out the right shape. Many thanks.

next one i do up i'll definitely take some pics. I've done it half a dozen times and i've got a good few tricks and tips for it.

All of the replies about the sword just working make total sense to me. I love the sleek dangerous edge, and how it has a conrad vlad carstien(sp) 40k look. no wonder it's a good fit on a son of another Konrad.

I love the glaive/halberd/spear look. I think what i like the most about about it on this model is that his other hand if free. Not holding a pistol, a weapon, or something else to complicate a long hafted weapon. So when he is done beckoning his prey over with his off hand it is free to take up the fight in earnest.

Edited June 4, 2011 by Dan The Deamon

[Wicced]

fantastic stuff Dan, didn't think the executioner could get any better, but you pulled it off :wink:

 

i'd go with the halberd/glaive, because i love polearms just like you and built a raptor with a chainhalberd recently ;)

plus the halberd/glaive fits the "executioner" theme better than a sword in my opinion.

[The Nephilim]

Wow. I've been gone way too long. This is some amazing work, Dan.

[Zincite]

Me likes the update. Edited June 13, 2011 by Zincite

[Firepower]

One thing I just pieced together which has been bugging me: previously, the sword's hilt rested on his thigh and really added to that casual "I'm waiting!" look. Granted the new shorter bone-tipped hilt looks cool, but that was a subtle little effect that I thought was quite unique ('at rest' badasses are relatively uncommon and all). :lol:

[DarkVen]

I've read this topic for a fourth (or more) time. And all I can say - Dan, you are cool. Your works inspiring me, while I'm working on my own NL's warband.

Still, I can't understand, where you take all this skulls from :D

The only sadly thing is that you gave up with raptor's helmets.

 

I'm really waiting for an update B)

[daemonclaw]

great stuff and old skull face is awesome ,cant decide which is the best pose for me as both are great

[gaurdian31]

Love the use of the enforcer mask for your executioner.

[Marshal Rohr]

I wonder if A D-B took the idea of a chain-glaive from that model....

[Evil eyeball]

Very cool Obliterator models