How do you model your plague knives?

[Urauloth]

I'm working on building a squad of plaguemarines at the moment using the FW kit, and I'm mulling over various ways of representing their plague knives. Now, FW themselves went with the basic chainswords, but that never feel quite "right" to me - as noxious as a rusty chainsword is, it seems too ordinary. While I'm thinking of ideas, I thought I'd cast a net out and see what other folks here do in the plague knife department.

 

Also going to toss an idea or two out and see what people think. My current thought is to cut down chainswords to the hilt, keeping the knuckle-duster handguard, and then replace the blade with something suitably decrepit looking like a WHFB skeleton sword or even a blade carved from plasticard.

 

I was talking about this on twitter and a friend of mine said "give 'em hammers" - I assume he jests, but it made me think: a plague knife is a CCW with poison, there's no need for it to be a literal knife. Might other suitably rusty melee weapons work? I could throw a few swords, axes or picks in there, as long as it's obvious that they're not power weapons.

 

Anyway, your knives, if you'd be so kind...

[PipX]

I'm thinking of doing my  future squads with rusty plague knive/chainsword bayonets or with stuff from the possessed mutation sprue with a clear resin/water effect leaking off like acid or poison. The plaguebearer kit gives you a few spare plague weapons too I believe, which can look nice on champions or to add variety. Different weapons would work pretty well I think, maybe pick a theme and base the weapons around that? Like siegework kind of stuff where a pick, stabbing knife, or a hammer would be useful?

[Grazcruzk]

While I haven't actually done it yet, I've got plans to make something similar to billhooks for my Plague Marines.

[Ammonius]

After some thought, I decided on plague hooks:

Here is a closeup:

 

I used actual fishing hooks (#8 cricket rig), cut them to length, and used superglue and greenstuff to cover the barb and give the hooks a thicker, more uneven look. Nothing says "Tarpit" like seven hooks.

[Verbal Underbelly]

I've used WHFB swords on my Nurgle raptors; they look ace. Or how about doing a trench spike on your guys?

[Urauloth]

Those hooks look great. I quickly bashed together a prototype for my knife design:

 

http://i.imgur.com/QwM73DQ.jpg

 

Seeing it in closeup I realise I filed the beginning of the blade and the remains of the chainsword hilt at an odd angle, I'll correct that, but the concept seems solid. Needs a pommel, obviously, but I haven't decided on one yet.

[Chaeron]

Love the idea of hooks.

 

I'm quite happy with chainswords - it's the poison and filth that they are imbued with, rather than being specifically a knife as aforementioned.

[Urauloth]

The kitbashed knife on a mocked-up blu-tacked plaguemarine:

 

http://i.imgur.com/wPjJh1h.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/zstVxb2.jpg

 

Still deciding if I like it.

[Ammonius]

I like how the kitbash knife looks like one of those knuckle duster trench knives from WW1. An Astartes scale, poisonous trench knife :)

[Chaeron]

I think it looks class mate - very well done. Corroded but appropriate.

[Urauloth]

Cheers! And yeah, WW1 trench knife was definitely the look I had in mind. I think I'll cook up a few more of these, thanks for the feedback.

[Ravenfeld]

Man you guys are killing me!

 

My DG (now years old) just have basic combat knives that are all rusty but the Hooks! Man the HOOKS! AND the Trench Knives! You're going to make me disassemble them and remake them..no, don't try and stop me. The damage is done.

 

Thanks a lot!

Raven

 

PS: No but really, I am now torn between hooks and trench knives... I think the hooks feel more "chaosy" but the trench knives feel more "death guard" given their gritty nature. I mean I could see the DG using Trench Knives as their CCW pre-heresy too. Damn, you guys just blow me away!

 

PSS: Amonnius, I love you're paint scheme too, fresh yet still very much Nurgle. Mine are just the standard mucus green, though their tubes are all intestines. Was considering mixing up the scheme a little bit, make em more unique! Yet more inspiration, thanks!

[Ammonius]

@Ravenfeld: Thanks for the praise, and don't try to hold back inspiration!

[Xin Ceithan]

I really like the hook idea.

I am currently using a mix of CC weapons from catachan knives and WFB ogres and beast men for my plaque weapons.

hammers do not seem nurgly to me. For plaque or toxic weapons I' d imagine the need cut or pierce armour and skin to create the initial vector for toxins or disease....(yes, a hammer will do that and quite messy, too. Still....) Now hooks and flails.....

[Urauloth]

How well do you find the ogre weapons scale with power armour? I've never seen a whfb ogre "in the flesh" so to speak, but they look pretty huge.

[Xin Ceithan]

The ogre weapons are quite large but not totally out of proportion. The huge swords can be used for two handed ones on power armor and the ogre butcher cleavers are more swords than knives. fit quite well on the chains word hand guards if you cut them analog to the pics above. The spiked punching dagger/fist thingy makes a wicked alternate power fist.

[disease]

where are the swords from in the pictures above?

[Ederan]

thats a pretty sweet looking weapon, my friend!! Myself, I am using the extra knives that came with the Ork Boyz box. Not too large, nor small, and while rather plain I want to decay them a bit or something. They're just so small I haven't worked up the courage to touch em since I just barely have enough to kit out my 3 Plague Marine squads.