Khorne's Eternal Hunt - KrautScientist's chaotic WIP thread 2024: Baby steps...

[KrautScientist]

Thanks for the kind words, guys! I am really happy to see such enthusiasm for my new Lheor conversion! :)

 

I have made some further tweaks to the model, trying to cram in as many elements from the artwork as I could while also not wanting to make the model seem overly busy. Anyway, here's the finished conversion:

 

 

 

 

 

And here's the artwork again, so you can compare the two:

 

 

The latest additions include that additional skull above the gun barrel as well as the various pieces of chain dangling from Lheor's armour. I did consider adding some more spikes to the helmet crest, but ultimately decided against it: That helmet seems ostentatious enough as is ;)

 

Can I also pick the forum's collective brain for a second? What would be a plausible way for him to wear a backup chainaxe on his belt or his backpack? Suggestions very welcome!

 

Oh, and I've also finished that icon bearer as well, replacing his pistol (because the old one featured an ammo feed that no longer behaved in tune with gravity after I changed the pose of the left arm ;) ):

 

 

 

As always, let me know what you think! :)

[Evil Eye]

The icon bearer is looking much better for the tweaks, I'm really liking him so far! Lheor looks wonderful too- for the chainaxe, remember that a lot of Astartes wargear has (in some fluff) magnetic attachment points for sticking directly to armour. That being said I'd say the best place to mount the chainaxe would be just below his backpack, on the rear of his belt.

[CaptainStabby]

I like the Banner Bearer, I actually clipped the top off that banner to make a bigass axe for one of my guys. :D

[Isengrin]

Those pesky ammo feeds...never up to any good. But now the pistol arm neatly runs parallel to the standard. 

 

New Lheor is awesome! Your character interpretations are all a joy to look at. But I'm struggling to come up with a suggestion for your chainaxe as I often find myself facing the same problem. Putting it on the backpack looks a bit weird to me because it's already sticking out a lot and then you just excaberate that. I usually try to find a smaller version of whichever weapon I want to use, shorten the hilt and then position it somewhere on the belts.

[jaxom]

Khorne may be all about blood and brass, but whoever designed the helmet in that artwork must love aluminum. Having said that, hot damn! That's a great model!

[theNublet]

Really digging the icon bearer now, but I still feel like he looks just a bit unbalanced. Maybe if you tilted the entire model just a teensy bit? Though if you did that I guess the head would need to be counter-tilted as well. I dunno, maybe I'm getting nit-picky.

 

Other than that though, his pose looks much more natural now, good stuff!

[KrautScientist]

Cheers for the feedback guys! Those are some very good points regarding the axe -- I was already doing test fits, and the belt feels like the most sensible area. That being said, there's a very real danger of making it all look overcluttered and awkward. This aspect definitely needs a bit more thought...

 

As for the idea of tilting that icon bearer a bit -- hmm, interesting: That could be done at the basing stage and would add just a bit of forwards momentum to the model. Interesting! I'll definitely give that a try!

[Atia]

Oh ma gawd that Lheor is awesome! What parts have you used for him?!

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, Atia!

 

Phew, off the top of my head...

 

• the body, left arm, heavy bolter and backpack are from the new vanilla CSM
• the ammo feed for the bolter came from the Havoc kit
• the shoulder pads are either vanilla CSM or Havoc pads (I think they are vanilla CSM, though)
• the breastplate came from an easy-to-build Primaris Intercessor
• the right arm came from the AoS Blood Warriors
• the head came from the Blood Warrior champion from the 1st edition AoS starter box
• the secondary, smaller skulls for the backpack came from Kranon's backpack

And that should be it, apart from some skulls and chains that you should be able to source from basically any GW kit ;)

 

Hope this helps! :)

[Augustus b'Raass]

Sorry, I just realized I had missed this post.

The Heavy Bolter Berzerker is just... wow. LOVE IT! He looks brutal and I commend you for having the balls to give him an unmodified loyalist torso. I know the artwork asks it, but still. So cool! 

Now, the icon bearer I am not a partiular fan of. And it's nothing to do with the bits themselves, but more about the pose: that Icon is super top heavy and even with superhuman strength I would at least make it so that the pole is perfectly vertical from all angles. And even then, I don't think that that body works with that icon - the body's pose suggest a light running tread, which IMHO plays down the suggested weight of the icon too much. And even then, as his right foot is forward, I would suggest putting the icon in his left hand - remember, when walking, humans -and almost all four-limbed creatures (except giraffes and some horse breeds)- cross their limbs. Your aim is for the mini to depict a follower of khorne, right? Not a giraffe. Just kidding about that last bit of course, but consider my three points.
 

Edited March 26, 2020 by Augustus b'Raass

[Filkarion]

Ok, finally I have some time to comment your amazing work

 

I LOVE the axeman. You nailed it so much and so well it kinda hurts. It's perfect and also painted so well...

Let me try to pick up some favorites... It's hard this time

Great head and posture, he seems mad with anger but in a cold, bitter, solemn way that really get the executioner feel.

The axe is wonderful, I do not get all the bits, I guess lots of AoS Khorny guys cut and paste, I only know the models in the old base set...

The blood is just enough! That is really a not so easy thing to do, as exaggerating is so easy, so I prise the result.

The legs are so solid, the conversion invisible and the proportions are fantastic, and it si difficult when merging 30k and AoS parts, as they seem to have quite different scales.

 

On a side note, what are you using for base? I am finally basing some chaos and I could really use some suggestions

 

Great work!

 

About the heavy bolter guy. Well others have prised a lot of things of the model and they are so right! I do not know the character well (I will read talon of horus someday, I promise!) but you captured the drawing perfectly!

One thing I really like is the broken cable from the heavy bolter itself. I do not get if it came from the standard model or you modified it a bit... Anyway I love it, as it suggest him using some gun emplacement, then loose patience and simply rip it off to use it as a handled heavy weapon. Really capture the "ranged frenzy" feeling!

[Graymane]

Superb as per usual KrautScientist. Love your work and looking forward to seeing more as per usual. :)

 

Cheers,

 

GM

[OakRiver]

For Lheor's chainaxe, could it be chained across his power pack? Given the size of the chainaxes, there might not be sufficient real estate to mount in attached to his waist - unless you know someone who can 3D print one, but maybe at 80% size

[Gederas]

For Lheor's chainaxe, could it be chained across his power pack? Given the size of the chainaxes, there might not be sufficient real estate to mount in attached to his waist - unless you know someone who can 3D print one, but maybe at 80% size

The Chainaxes from the Forge world kit (the ones without hands) would fit perfectly fine on his waist imo.

[OakRiver]

 

For Lheor's chainaxe, could it be chained across his power pack? Given the size of the chainaxes, there might not be sufficient real estate to mount in attached to his waist - unless you know someone who can 3D print one, but maybe at 80% size

The Chainaxes from the Forge world kit (the ones without hands) would fit perfectly fine on his waist imo.

 

That could work. I wonder what it would look like with the chainaxe hanging from a chain, between the body and the power pack

 

[KrautScientist]

Cheers for the feedback, everyone! :)

 

@ Auggs: Seeing how the model is an attempt at recreating that earlier model (albeit vertically flipped), I don't really have much leeway about changing the position, alignment or the side of the icon arm, buddy. I acknowledge the fact that the icon itself is pretty big, but ultimately I think I'll be keeping it like this -- it's the coolest Khornate icon I currently have in my collection, and I also already have this small fluff idea in the back of my head...

 

@ Filkarion: Cheers for the kind words, mate! :)

 

I mostly use various pieces of cork for the base (although I am rapidly running out of my favourite variety). As for the cable on the bolter, that's a part of the stock heavy bolter that comes with the vanilla CSM. The bolters from the Havoc kit all have those massive power cables and ammo feeds, but I liked a rather more stripped-down design better for Lheor, precisely because he seems like the kind of guy to just rip a weapon from its moorings, as you described ;)

 

@ Greymane: Cheers, man!

 

@ OakRiver & Gederas: I do have some of those FW chainaxes, and they still seem like a slightly awkward fit. But that last mockup seems like a workable idea -- cheers! I'll make sure to give it a try! :)

 

For now, two small updates for you:

 

The first one concerns the icon bearer again: Seeing how I have become much more proficient at creating GS cabling over the last ten days or so, I decided to rip off the previous cabling and re-do that part for a smoother finish:

 

 

While I was at it, I also inserted a really thin wire underneath the cable, in order to bring the design even more in line with the model that inspired it in the first place.

 

I have also been working on this guy, who may or may not become a champion:

 

 

As always, let me know what you think! :)

[Evil Eye]

That new Champion looks great! I'd be tempted to tweak the angle of his head a bit to look more like he's aiming his pistol, but that aside he's promising!

[Lexington]

I have also been working on this guy, who may or may not become a champion:

 

 

This guy is incredibly striking, but the position of his left arm with the axe bugs me - feels like it should be held lower, and out to the side just a little, balancing out his outstretched plasma-aimin' arm.

Edited March 26, 2020 by Lexington

[DuskRaider]

I love the dynamic posing of that Champion. Of anything, maybe have the left arm a little lax, like he's not concentrating so much on hefting the Chainaxe and more on his shot.

[KrautScientist]

Thanks, guys! :)

 

Regarding that latest champion conversion, it obviously still needs *lots* of work. I am also having mixed feelings about this one, and here's why: The model started as a late-night attempt of wanting to do something with that leftover CSM champ breastplate and one of the - supremely awkward - Wrathmonger/Skullreaper bodies (those really haven't aged all that well). So it mainly became a case of mashing together many different bitz with lots of plastic glue.

 

Now on the one hand, I do think the model is already looking pretty cool. But there is also a 'structural dodginess', for lack of a better word, to the whole thing (on account of basically brute-forcing the conversion process) that I normall try to avoid on my current Astartes conversions. Anyway, TL;DR: Still lots of fine tuning needed.

 

Here's where the model stands right now:

 

 

The torso and arms actually came as one piece, hence the pose. I also kinda like the muscled arms, so I am slightly loathe to cut them off. The axe might still need some tweaking -- DuskRaider is correct, though: I want him to look as though he's busy lining up a shot.

 

I also think the angle of the head mostly works, even though he's lining up the shot out of the corner of his eyes ;)

 

 

Here's a look at the model's back:

 

 

Now let me remove that backpack, to show you how awkward it all still is:

 

 

At least I have already managed to graft on an official Astartes backpack connection port , but I think this illustrates how I'll still have to make quite a few adjustments before I can call the model done.

 

In other news, here's a last (unpainted) update on the icon bearer:

 

 

I've added a length of chain to his right wrist to feature yet another element from the old metal icon bearer. But now he's ready for undercoating -- if all goes well, I'll take a stab at painting him this weekend.

 

As always, let me know what you think! :)

[Mendi Warrior]

Your conversions are mindblowing, absolutely beautiful!

 

Regarding the latest champion, what about raising the arm and axe so as to convey the idea that he is indeed lining up a shot, it could be point-blank, but at the same time readying his axe to smash through his next victim? Arm slightly raised, axe higher and slightly more inclined back. Just a thought. Eager to see the next steps.

[Sagentus]

Eeally like the champ Kraut!! The idea you have done on the back is ingenious, ill have to give that a go. The only thing I think that needs doing is to turn the head a bit more to where hes aiming

[theNublet]

Is he based on this dude? Seems tough to adjust, maybe just go with the original's pose and turn it into some kind on pole-chain axe? I feel like a pole really is the only way to make that work, unless he's, like, strangling a Guardsman with the off-hand or something.

[noigrim]

The pistol would look better pointing on the direction of he head or viceversa

[Surreal Cruelty]

I wouldn't brute force the head angle.  The helms all have computer assisted targeting, so it isn't strictly necessary for him to even look down the sight angle of the plasma gun, as long as he can see where he wants the targeting reticle.  The model is dynamic enough that he looks like he is still in motion, in the process of taking aim.

 

I would also argue, this is a case of rule of cool.  You like the muscled arms, & the pose looks good, the angle of the head mostly works, and you can claim the character is "So bad-ass, I don't even have to turn my head 90 degrees to look at you before I shoot you."

 

I would maybe change the angle of the axe, and move it a bit more inward at the wrist towards the center of the body, but still lines up with the vambraces.  Other option could be to try a heat-gun and very carefully try and repose the left arm a bit.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Surreal Cruelty