Khorne's Eternal Hunt: World Eaters and some Traitor Guard

[SpecialIssue]

Oh lord, I love that flier. Perfectly suits Chaos, unlike the totally campy style GW went with in their recent kits.

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, SpecialIssueAmmo! I really appreciate it!

[Vesper]

Oh boy, that is one mean army.

You have to tell me how you painted the blue swords of the Huntmasters, it looks so awesome !

[chapter master Benji]

I love the renegade commisar. The only one converted from the DV box ive seen other than the one i built for my buddy. Jolly good!

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, guys!

 

@ Vesper: Oh, that's actually pretty easy! Let me break it down for you:

 

1.) I work over a black basecoat.

2.) Mix Vallejo Halcon Milenario Turquoise (GW Hawk Turquoise or its newer version will also work) with a little black to darken the colour. Paint the whole area with that mix.

3.) Using a thin brush, pick out the edges of the blade with the original Turquoise colour. This will obviously be much easier if the sword has serrated edges (like a Bloodletter sword or most chaos weapons).

4.) Finally, mix the Turquoise with a drop of white and slowly build up a gradient toward the tip of the weapon, adding more white as you go. Of course you can change the effect by adding more and more white or starting lower and lower towards the hilt of the sword. In my case, I just used a little white and kept the effect to the tip of the blade.

 

And that's it. Hope this helps ;)

[Vesper]

Thanks, that's nice !

[Urauloth]

I'm a huge fan of Marshalfaust's drake conversion, and it's great to see another take on it - I've been wondering how a forgefiend head would fit on there and I see it looks fantastic.

 

I don't think i noticed it in your WiP thread, but seeing the whole horde here in one place; you've used a darker red on your traitor guard than on your CSM, haven't you?

[the emperor is scottish]

What parts did you use for your guard champion. He looks Amazing. I'm loving this thread and will be following with great interest.

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, guys!

@ Vesper: You're quite welcome

@ A Kvlt Ghost: To tell you the truth, I only used that particular head because I wanted to keep the head Marshalfaust used for my Forgefiend Both heads will work with the Heldrake body rather nicely, though it may be necessary to construct a small, additional neck portion to disguise the joint.

I actually don't have a WIP thread here on B&C, since both armies were already well underway when I joined the forum. I may open a WIP thread, although I am slightly worried that I might overexert myself posting on too many forums In any case, everybody interested in my WIPs is always welcome to check out my blog at http://www.eternalhunt.wordpress.com

Oh, and you're quite right about the red! While the reds on both armies start off as GW Mechrite Red washed with GW Agrax Earthshade, my World Eaters use a thin coat of Blood Red over that, while the Traitor Guard uses Red Gore, which I think makes for a better contrast against the dark grey fatigues.

@ the emperor is scottish: Cheers, mate! Regarding the champion, I am not to sure which one you mean, so I'll just give you the recipe for the two that I think may be the ones in question

First up, Lord Urash:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2012/6/1/372628-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Marauders%2C%20Platoon%20Command%20Squad%2C%20Renegade%20Militia%2C%20Renegades.JPG

This is a really easy kitbash: The legs are Cadian, the torso, right arm, armour plate on the right arm and cloak are from the WFB Chaos Marauders. The left arm came from an AOBR Space Marine Terminator. The skull trophy is from a Dark Eldar kit. The small chaos symbol is from the Marauder Horsemen, and the head is a CSM head with some small horns added to the forehead.

And then there's the Khornate champion:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2012/7/27/394857-Champion%20Of%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%20Militia.JPG

He was a bit more work. The torso is from the WFB plastic Chaos Sorceror Lord, the left arm is a regular CSM arm, the right one is from a Bestigor champion. The severed heads held in the right fist are from the WFB Zombie kit, IIRC. The scarred head is from the Cadian command squad (one of the best heads ever produced by GW, if you ask me!), and the legs are from an old plastic Necromunda Goliath ganger. Oh, and the skull trophy came from the Skullcrusher kit, although skull trophies really aren't all that different to find across GW's kits

Anyway, hope this helps!

[the emperor is scottish]

Fantastic mate. I love your convention work, it's all so organic. Although I'm sure you put hard work into each one none of them look out of reach even for the most modest of tinkerer.

 

I was planing on starting a corrupted blood angel force. A grand company that followed horus into rebellion but after seeing your thread I might start a gladiatorial styled WE force.

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, mate! Those conversions are really far less involved than they may look in many cases. Anyway, I you won't hear me dissuading anyone from building a World Eaters force -- it's a great legion for characterful conversions, if you have a bit of creativity!

Speaking of which...

As you have seen, I really enjoy trying to come up with conversions and kitbashes that put a spin on the ideas presented in the codex and make the respective selections from the book fit the look and feel of my army: My Chaos Spawn are former World Eaters and still retain some of the gladiatorial feel typical of the legion. My champions and officers are “Huntmasters”, accomplished hunters out to run down their prey. Indeed, most of my army is designed with the hunting background firmly in mind, and for each entry in the codex, I try to come up with a model that is not only clearly recognisable, but also makes sense within the context of the army’s overarching theme.

The Dark Apostle HQ selection was one that had me stumped so far. You see, for me, the Dark Apostle will always remain a character type firmly connected to the Word Bearers legion. I also wanted to build my own model for a possible Dark Apostle instead of the Finecast one released by GW (though the model is, of course, really cool). So after a bit of thought, I figured that I had two possibilities:

1. Make the Apostle a Word Bearer that had been assigned to the 4th assault company during the Great Crusade and had been staying with them ever since.

2. Come up with a way to create a “Khornate” Dark Apostle that made sense within the framework of my army’s background.

While the first option may be pretty promising from a narrative standpoint, I somehow just wasn’t feeling it: While the Dark Apostle Azalon actually appears in the background of Khorne’s Eternal Hunt and definitely had a hand in their corruption, he’s a character I would maybe like to spin off into a separate army project one of these days. So I thought about making my own apostle as a member of the 4th assault company.

Several Khorne players have come up with some kind of “blood priest”, inciting his brothers to even greater rage during battle. But while that idea was also very cool, it still wasn’t what I was looking for. Instead, I thought about what the members of Khorne’s Eternal Hunt would possibly use as a means of bolstering their morale and drive them forward. And since it’s a hunting party we are talking about here, the answer was rather simple: a horn.

My Dark Apostle would be a hornblower, wielding an ancient and treasured artifact to call the warriors of the 4th to arms and order them forward. To my mind, it makes a lot of sense that the sound of their most revered warhorn should serve as a surge of motivation to the legionaries of the 4th!

So far so good! Now when it came to actually building the model, everything boiled down to a lucky coincidence, as is so often the case: When I swung by the FLGS the other day after a particularly horrible day at work, I couldn’t help but treat myself to one of GW’s brand new plastic Chaos Lords.

While I hadn’t been 100% sold on the model before, this guy is actually pretty great once you see him firsthand! So I sat down and did a couple of really easy changes to the model to transform him into my “counts as” Dark Apostle. Take a look:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/2/8/461638_sm-Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle%2C%20Huntmaster.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/2/8/461641_sm-Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle%2C%20Huntmaster.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/2/8/461642_sm-Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle%2C%20Huntmaster.JPG

As you can see, it didn’t take much to make the model look quite different: I carefully cut off the hand holding the glaive and used a different head. Oh, and I also “converted” the base to fit on a 40k round base. Apart from that, in a move that is fairly atypical for me, the model remains very close to the original design.

While the head that comes with the model is much nicer than the pictures in WD would have you believe, and while it has a really interesting “Herne the Hunter” vibe going on, it was a little to over the top for the look I wanted to achieve. So I used a champion head from the Skullcrusher kit instead. The Khorne rune on the forehead is quite a nice touch, and while I had originally planned to shave off the small set of horns, they somehow really complement the rest of the model rather well, don’t you think?

Granted, this guy still looks very much like a WFB model. But even though I might have been slightly tempted to make an even more involved conversion out of this model, I was too in love with the lines and silhouette of the model to further cut it up. And while I am not one to be easily swayed by GW’s marketing speak, their gushing about how great the model’s sword and cape are designed is, for once, really true. Take a look:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/2/8/461644_sm-Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle%2C%20Huntmaster.JPG

What’s really great about the new Chaos Lord is the depth of the model: He doesn’t look nearly as flat as the plastic models of old. However, this also comes at a price: The parts only fit together in a fairly specific way, so if you want to convert this guy, you should keep that in mind.

That said, it should be fairly easy to swap in a couple of new forearms (and weapons) and the neck cavity will accept pretty much any head you choose to put there. The model could even conceivably be left off the sculpted base. Beyond that, though, converting this guy could get pretty complicated though. Still, knowing people like GuitaRasmus, PDH or migsula, I think we can rest assured that we will be seeing a couple of rather striking re-designs sooner rather than later…

Another word of advice: If you want to make painting this model a lot easier for yourself, you should think about what to glue together and what to leave apart before painting. Personally speaking, I would advise you to work in these four sub-assemblies:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/2/8/461647_sm-Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle%2C%20Huntmaster.JPG

A: You can definitely glue together the base and small rocky outcrop with a part of the model’s right foot on it. If you want to keep the glaive, this will be quite a bit more complicated, since the weapon potentially connects sub-assemblies A and B. Since I just cut it off, I made my life that much easier

B: The cape and forearms can be glued together: You can still add or remove the rest of the body © afterwards without a hitch. Again, see above for possible difficulties if you keep the glaive in the model’s right hand.

C: The model’s main body and right lower leg can also be glued together. There’s really only one possible position here. Even so, you might want to dryfit this part with sub-assembly A to make sure everything fits together.

D: Whatever head you want to use should probably be kept separate until after painting.

Oh, and one more thing: This guy is huge! Especially if you use the sculpted base! While he is a little less bulky than a Terminator, he almost reaches up to the same height as my Lorimar conversion (base included).

All in all, I am really pleased with this guy right now: I think he makes for a rather convincing Dark Apostle in the context of my whole army. And I can also recommend the WoC plastic Lord, even though the price is nothing to laugh at.

Before breaking out the paints, I seriously considered adding a backpack to the model to 40k-ify it a bit more. Yet after trying several options (regular CSM backpacks, old Space Crusade backpacks, still sporting that semi-organic look of the Rogue Trader days, and even one of the new Dark Vengeance Chosen backpacks), I found out that adding a backpack would always mess with the model’s silhouette, especially with the nice flowing lines from the huge warhorn along the model’s horned head and down its left shoulder to the left hand. So I decided to just leave it off and come up with a fluff explanation for the unconventional armour: After all, it could be a relic from the Dark Age of Technology, a custom job from the Dark Mechanicum or even a prized chaos artifact: In any case, I would rather have a cool-looking model than be 100% correct about background minutiae all the time ;-)

Anyway, this model was a joy to paint, mostly because I managed to glue everything together at the start, instead working in four tidy sub-assemblies, as suggested in my earlier post. So while every area of the model remained easy to reach with a brush, the different components could just as easily be slotted together whenever I needed to take a look at what the complete model would look like.

The different portions of the model could be finished independently from one another, so I always had something to do while waiting for a particular colour to dry. The first part that was actually finished was the base (with a part of the model’s right foot):

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470485_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG


The colour did a good job of blending together the sculpted plastic rocks and the bits of cork added by me.

Here’s another snapshot of the PIP model, with the base colours and washes in place and some areas of red just receiving their second coat of colour:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470484_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

As for the overall colour scheme, I stayed true to my tried and true recipe, with dark red armour, bronze trim and very pale skin. The one deviation from my usual approach was that I chose to paint the model’s cape in a dark turquoise to add in an additional spot colour.

All in all, this guy was finished fairly quickly, in about two sittings. The first one took about 2-3 hours and ended with the model mostly complete. The second sitting (about one hour) was just to finish the fine detail, add a few visual flourishes etc.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s the finished model:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470471_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470472_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470474_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470470_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470476_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470477_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470478_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

As you can see, I added quite a few accents to the cape, in order to give it as much depth as possible. The pictures also nicely show off the depth of the sculpt. It really is a lovely model!

Here’s a couple of additional detail shots:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470479_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

Even though I tend to limit the use of chaotic mutations for my World Eaters, the horned head works rather nicely in this case. The Khorne rune is a nice touch as well.

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470480_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

I had originally planned to paint the runes on the horn in a small OSL effect to show that they are glowing with daemonic energy, but I feared that would have made the model look a little too busy, so I chose a different, simpler approach. I feel this might have been the right decision.

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470482_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

In hindsight, maybe I should have painted a small planet into the gaping maw on the model’s right bracer. It would have looked even more like a stylised representation of the World Eaters’ legion badge…

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470483_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

I think the armour of the model comes together rather nicely. Oh, and I also added a skull trophy before painting — the codpiece was looking a little funny, and a few dangling skulls are never the wrong way to go with a follower of Khorne…

Lastly, here’s a closer look at the base:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470481_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

I have never been a huge fan op piling huge amounts of skulls on bases, but I hink it works this time. The base also fits in really well with the bases on my other models.

So with that, the model was complete. I am rather happy with how it turned out:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470475_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

As is my usual custom, I also thought about the models actual background, and wrote a short piece of fluff to add a bit more depth to the character. Check it out:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470473_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

Huntmaster Stian Gul, Bearer of the Horn of Leires

Many forces of the traitor legions let themselves be inspired by the flaming words of heretical preachers and orators, among them the fanatical Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers. Yet the warriors of Khorne’s Eternal Hunt have little tolerance for sermons: For them, war itself is the sole worthy act of worship, and the sounds of hunting horns, howling chain weapons and pounding artillery are all the inspiration they need. And so the task of fueling the fires of their belligerence falls not to any preacher, but to Huntmaster Stian Gul, also called the Apostle of War:

Even in a force of superhuman warriors, Gul is an arresting presence: Clad in full baroque plate of uncertain origin, his head crowned with a set of horns, Gul resembles the appearance of the archetypal god of the hunt as described in a million different mythologies. He wields the Horn of Leires, a huge warhorn etched with runes of dark power, said to be fashioned from the horn of a Greater Daemon. Its sounds incite the legionaries’ rage and bloodlust far more than any sermon ever could. And it is well, for Stian Gul is a mysterious and taciturn figure, only seeming truly alive at the heart of battle, while shadowy and reclusive between engagements.

Those who have to face the World Eaters’ 4th assault company in battle fear the mournful sounds of the Horn of Leires, for they signal not only the beginning of battle, but also the fact that the Apostle of War has come and demands his due, to be paid in blood.


C&C always welcome! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

[Urauloth]

I was hoping you'd get one of those new WHFB lords and do something interesting with him, and well, damn, you certainly did.

 

Is that horned head from the skullcrusher kit, and if so are we going to see more bits from it in future work?

[eetdestroyer]

Thanks a lot, mate! Those conversions are really far less involved than they may look in many cases. Anyway, I you won't hear me dissuading anyone from building a World Eaters force -- it's a great legion for characterful conversions, if you have a bit of creativity!

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/5/470482_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Counts%20As%2C%20Dark%20Apostle.JPG

 

In hindsight, maybe I should have painted a small planet into the gaping maw on the model’s right bracer. It would have looked even more like a stylised representation of the World Eaters’ legion badge…

 

 

 

 

Nuts to hindsight bro, just do the WE symbol anyway. It would look great, and give the model just that little extra 40k edge to tie it into your force properly.

 

Also, the runes on the horn could be filed with a simple red wash. It wouldn't be as busy as OSL and still look badass, but what you've done already still works.

 

Everything else I love. Keep it up man.

 

\m/

 

 

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, guys! I really appreciate it!

@ A Kvlt Ghost: To tell you the truth, I have already begun sprinkling the bitz from the Skullcrusher kit all over several squads, plus I will of course be building the Skullcrushers themselves as World Eaters Brazen Knights. Concerning the conversion opportunities, here are two small teasers, unfortunately still unpainted:

Lord Captain Lorimar, Master of the Hunt:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/1/9/450712-Axe%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Huntmaster%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

The model uses a set of "bunny ears", some pauldrons and a set of tilt plates from the Skullcrusher kit.

World Eaters Champion:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/2/6/461049-Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Dark%20Vengeance%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Skull%20Champions.JPG

based on a Dark Vengeance Chosen. The torso and right pauldron are from the Skullcrushers.

Hope to get these guys painted soonish...

@ eetdestroyer: Well, after talking about it, it was clear to me I would have to go back and add that World Eaters logo So I did. The results where maybe not as spectacular as one might have hoped, though: It is a very small area after all, and I seriously suck at freehanding. Anyway, here's a snapshot:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/6/470919_sm-bracer%20detail.jpg

Sorry for the blurry picture! Will try to get a better one up soon!

Keep the comments coming!

[Firepower]

Still one of the most blatantly 'We will kill you!' Khornate forces I can recall seeing.  Ornate but still quite effectively brutal in appearance.

 

:tu:

[Captain Semper]

You posses great skill KrautScientist - both in the paintign and the modelling department! I also like the mix of fantasy and 40k minis to produce a more goth and archaic look for your force. The Heldrake has to be my favorite - but Lorimar also looks pretty mean!

 

Keep it up! :tu:

[KrautScientist]

Thank you kindly, gentlemen! I really appreciate the kind words!

[deathspectersgt7]

what else can I say.

[chapter master Benji]

so much inspiration.

[KrautScientist]

Again, thanks a lot, guys! Glad you like the army! ;)

[KrautScientist]

Okay, people, time for another addition to my World Eaters army:

To be fair though, today's update won't deal with World Eaters in the strictest sense of the word, but bear with me here:

I’ve been thinking about converting some Space Wolves that have fallen to Khorne for a while now. Not for gameplay reasons, mind you, I just like the thought of a squad of Wolves transformed into berserkers in the heat of battle, discovering the wrath of Khorne that lies within them. And I guess they could be used if I ever decided to run a squad of "regular" CSM along with my berzerkers.

In any case, I think that a squad like that would be a great way of getting a slightly different perspective on traitors. You see, the original traitor legions have been at this game for so long that they have fully renounced their loyalist origins. And while there may be all kinds of anger, resentment and bitterness among them, they can at least feel assured in the knowledge that their entire legion joined what they considered to be the “right side” during Heresy (except, maybe for the Alpha Legion, where things are slightly more complicated…). But what about a Space Wolf who has to come to terms with the fact that his rage and subsequent betrayal have estranged him from the rest of his chapter forever? There should be all kinds of tasty, chaotic emotions and self-hatred there to explore, from a narrative standpoint. This was the beginning of the story of one Joras Turnpelt and his fellow traitorous Space Wolves…

Joras Turnpelt was once a member of Einar Longbeard’s Great Company, and served as the Wolf Lord’s second-in-command as well as his trusted friend. When the company found itself facing the warriors of Khorne’s Eternal Hunt in battle, the fighting turned out to be extremely bloody and unforgiving, due to both sides’ ferocity in combat. With the battle dragging on, the Space Wolves found themselves slowly bleeding out from the costly engagements. And to make matters even worse, Longbeard and Joras did not see eye to eye regarding how to proceed: The Wolf Lord knew that the Space Wolves were in acute danger of losing the battle and wanted to consolidate their forces, maybe even order a tactical retreat, while Joras would hear none of it. Seething with adrenaline and beginning frenzy, he wanted to press on and obliterate the enemy, and ordered an attack in direct defiance of his superior’s orders. During the ensuing fight, Joras eventually flew into a berserker rage, slaying his own Wolf Lord, who was trying to intervene. This act of betrayal shattered the great company, with the brethren falling on each other as well as the World Eaters. In the end, only a small band of warriors remained, defeated and encircled by the warriors of the 4th, shaken by their own actions and ready to be killed. But Lorimar let them live, feeling that Joras, in the depths of his rage, had found something dark and powerful. The Master of the Hunt was intrigued.

Ever since, Joras and his remaining warriors have been fighting alongside Khorne’s Eternal Hunt, adopting some of the 4th’s traditions while also keeping themselves apart in other respects. And Joras has become known as the “Turnpelt”, considered a despised traitor of his own chapter and hated enemy by the sons of Russ…

Anyway, so much for my preliminary background sketch. As for the modelling part, I built a couple of test models using some really badly painted SW bitz and some rather rough Khorne berzerker parts that I had picked up from different auctions, rescued from the depths of several bitzboxes and the like:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/1/25/456687_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Renegades%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

To be honest with you, I cannot help but shudder inwardly at their partly painted horribleness, but that was quickly remedied by actually getting some new paint on the models, right?

So when it came to actually painting the first test model for the Khornate Wolves, I wanted it to still look fairly close to the original Space Wolves’ colour scheme, yet with parts of the armour picked out in red and bronze to serve as subtle clues as to the Marine's new allegiance. I also wanted the armour to be more of a dark grey, as opposed to the bluish grey of GW’s loyalist Wolves paint scheme.

Anyway, I chose this model for my experiments:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/1/25/456684_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Renegades%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

I think we can all agree that, for this guy, any coat of paint would be a huge improvement

So the first step was to get the model undercoated, and I chose to use Army Painter's Uniform Grey for that. I had never worked with Army Painter spray cans before, and had only recently read a horror story about someone ruining a couple of models using them, so I was really careful. My worries were unfounded, however, since It turned out that the paint worked almost like GW’s undercoat, only in a different colour. So this is what the model looked like after undercoating:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/22/476280_sm-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

Surprise, surprise: It turned out that Uniform Grey wasn’t nearly as dark as I had hoped. In fact, it looked pretty much exactly like unpainted GW plastic. Here’s a comparison shot with an unpainted Marine leg for reference:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/22/476281_sm-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

With the grey much lighter than anticipated, I felt tempted to call this a failure altogether, abandon the project and return to painting more Blood Bowl Orcs, but I persevered. After all, no telling what the rest of the paintjob might yet achieve, right?

So I picked out the details in different colours: GW Mephiston Red for the shoulderpads and parts of the armour, Vallejo Tinny Tin for the armour trim and decorations, GW Boltgun Metal for the weapons, flex fitting, cables etc. and GW Snakebite Leather for the teeth and bones. Here’s what the model looked like after this step:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/22/476282_sm-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

So my first lesson with using grey undercoat: The model will look even worse with just the base colours blocked out than when I use Chaos Black. Not exactly a reassuring observation, to be sure…
I knew better than to stop now, however much I would have liked to throw away my brush in frustration. I was reasonably sure applying some washes would save the day once again…

So here’s the same model after a healthy dose of GW Agrax Earthshade and GW Nuln Oil, respectively:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/22/476283_sm-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

Definitely better, if only because there is much more depth to the model now. The armour came out looking slightly worn and dirty, but I guess I like the effect well enough. I then added GW Bleached Bone to the areas of bone, GW Dwarf Bronze to the edges of the armour trim, and I painted the model’s eye lenses a piercing blue:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/22/476284_sm-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

At this point, I thought the model looked okay, but still quite a bit lighter than I would have liked. I was afraid this guy didn’t read as a traitorous wolf, but rather as a member of the 13th company at best. Would I have to rethink my whole approach?

I still kept plugging away at him, finishing the details, painting the backpack and adding a chaos star decal to his left shoulder pad. So here’s the finished model, photographed this time without the garish flash

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/22/476286_sm-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/22/476285_sm-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/22/476287_sm-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves%2C%20Paintjob%2C%20Renegade%2C%20Space%20Wolves.JPG

So what would I call the result of this exercise? Slightly inconclusive, to tell you the truth. While the grey armour is quite a bit lighter than I would have preferred, I have to admit the model has grown on me. I guess for the next models in the squad, I will have to maintain a delicate balance with the parts I use: Enough SW parts to make the models' loyalist origins obvious, but also enough CSM parts for their new allegiance to become clear and to make them look like actual followers of chaos instead of just some members of the 13th company...

My next model in line was actually Joras Turnpelt himself:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/1/25/456683_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%20Wolves.JPG

All in all, this guy was inspired by DRommel’s excellent “Ljotolf
the Kinslayer” model, so I used the same head. I wanted Joras to look like he was about to be rushing forward, swinging his axe in wide arcs, which was rather easy to achieve with the walking/running SW Terminator legs I still had. I also gave him a single Lightning Claw, just for the heck of it (I really like the asymmetrical look achieved by this).

When painting the model, I started by basically repeating the steps I had used to paint my first test model: Since Joras’s armour consists of quite a few more chaos bitz, I was reasonably sure that he would read as a follower of the dark gods well enough, even if painted in a colour scheme similar to regular Space Wolves. So I got to work and finished most of the model in a pretty reasonable amount of time. Take a look:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/24/476775_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt%2C%20Khorne.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/24/476776_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt%2C%20Khorne.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/24/476778_sm-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt%2C%20Khorne.JPG

As you can see, the overall recipe is indeed identical to that used on my test model. For the face, I used my tried and tested recipe for pale skin. And I added a small OSL effect to the eyes on the breastplate. The Lightning Claws on Joras’ right hand were painted blue as well, and I had something similar planned for the huge axe at first. However, it ended up looking too much like some kind of toy, so I went back to a fairly straightforward silver colour.

Before the model could be called finished, I had to add the cape and base. Regarding the cape, I wanted to make it look as dusty and grimy as I could. And the base would follow the same approach as the bases of my World Eaters.

After a short while, this is what I had come up with:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477822_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477823_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477825_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477826_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

Some skull trophies were added to the cape, to make Joras’ new allegiance even more obvious (I also wanted to obscure the small
“smoke stacks” on the cloak, since they seemed slightly silly to me).

Note the dirty and tattered cape:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477827_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

The effect was created by drybrushing multiple times with GW Graveyard Earth, which led to a very dusty, dirtied look. Unfortunately, the photo eats up some of the subtle shades, so you’ll have to take my word for it: It does look really dusty when seen up close!

It’s also a nice coincidence that the cape nicely complements the model’s overall pose, adding to the sense of movement.

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477828_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

When it came to Joras’ face, I wanted him to be pale and slightly haunted-looking, and I guess I succeeded reasonably well:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477829_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG


Maybe he’ll need one more pass of GW Leviathan Purple in the deepest recesses to make him look even more drawn.

And finally, the base: It goes without saying that I couldn’t resist adding a small loyalist touch…

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477830_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

And here’s a comparison shot with Joras and one of my World Eaters Terminator Lords:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477831_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

I like the fact that Joras has a pretty distinct silhouette, seeming quite bulky (mostly because of the cape).

All in all, I am pretty pleased with the model: I think the paintjob nicely captures the fact that Joras is a warrior in transition: While there
are still some strong clues as to his loyalist origins, several other visual elements make it perfectly clear that he now follows a very
different master.

And finally, as is my usual routine, let me also give you a little piece of background starring the character and depicting the start of his descent into darknes...

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2013/3/27/477824_sm-Blood%20Wolves%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Joras%20Turnpelt.JPG

When Joras came to, he was kneeling at the center of a circle of traitor legionaries, disarmed and bleeding from a dozen wounds. He
looked around, seeing his surviving brothers. Now that the frenzy had left them, their eyes had the glazed-over dullness of someone who has just escaped a nightmare, only to wake up to an even more horrifying reality. Joras understood them perfectly. He was feeling the same.

In front of him, the circle of red and bronze parted, and an enormous figure emerged: A hulking traitor wearing a baroque suit of Terminator armour, the surfaces of which were encrusted with heretical symbols of the Blood God. The Chaos Lord’s gaunt features were entirely without expression, his dark eyes bored into Joras’. This had to be the monster itself: Lorimar, master of the World Eaters’ warband known as Khorne’s Eternal Hunt.

Tapping reserves he hadn’t realised he possessed, Joras threw himself at the traitor, his fists his only weapons, a blood curdling howl on his lips. He didn’t even see Lorimar move, as he backhanded him across the face with his armoured gauntlet, sending Joras
sprawling to the ground again, where he had to draw a few ragged breaths before looking back at his enemy.

“Fight me!”, Joras roared.

“There does not seem too much fight left in you, loyalist dog.” The traitor’s voice was impossibly deep, a dark growl that chilled Joras to the bone. Joras got up again with a wordless below, rushing at the Chaos Lord once more. This time, Lorimar swiftly drew a long, wickedly serrated blade, burning in an evil glow. The daemon weapon’s point came to rest against Joras’ throat, pinning him where he stod. “Fight me!”, he howled with frustration. Lorimar made a grating noise in his throat. It took Joras a moment to realise it was a chuckle.

“Fight you? Look at yourself: You are weak, broken, defeated. There would be no honour in taking your skull now. Besides…”, Lorimar’s eyes were aflame with cold fire, “it seems you took your first prey in the eyes of our Lord Khorne. It would not be right to take your life, now that your path to true glory has but begun.”

“Do not mock me, monster!” Joras growled. “This is madness!”

Lorimar chuckled again: “Oh, to be sure. When you killed your lord and gave in to your anger, it was madness that lay hidden within you. When you tore through both my warriors and your own brethren, it was madness that made your heart race. You howled with frenzy, …brother wolf, and something deep within you howled back. Indeed, madness has transformed you. The
change is quite …uncanny.”

“Kill me then.” Joras whispered, suddenly feeling very tired.

Again, Lorimar chuckled. Joras wanted to make him shut up. Tear out his heart like wild beast. Rip off his smirking head and hold it aloft, howling out his victory and then… Joras felt his rage subside. And a terrible, yawning feeling of horror fill his guts with ice. Lorimar seemed to understand his thoughts, and he locked gazes with Joras once more. His next words were almost gentle:

“Oh, I might kill you yet, brother wolf. But not here, and not now. For after all, we now serve the same master.”


C&C always welcome! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

[Brother Nezulius]

So much win... 

[deathspectersgt7]

Sweet this should make the wolves howl . Great looking models.

[Montuhotep]

Excellent work, as ever - what did you use for Joras' axe?

[Brother Ambroz]

Wow, this thread is amazing. So many awesome looking HQs. Will you be doing a prince anytime soon?