Khorne's Eternal Hunt - KrautScientist's chaotic WIP thread: Fine-tuning Eightbound...

[Mechanist]

You see for me forge world always does a Duel on their 'big' base dioramas and I recon that Aquila is big enough for something more than a few line troops. Obviosly not on the smaller gaming section but to have someone worth fighting that would be cool. Did old girlyman get involved in the shadow crusade? or is there anyone specific that Angron went up against? after all the full display wont need to be on the same gaming table as your 40k. 

Or maybe just a more generic character if you need to set it both 40k and 30k. 

[Midnightmare]

Don't forget, if you are struggling for room, you could always extend the 'display base' to suit. Obv not too massive, but could help balance it more if you feel you are pushed for space what ever you decide to go with. Edited August 17, 2016 by Midnight Runner

[KrautScientist]

Again, thanks for the continued feedback, everyone! :)

 

@ Noctus Cornix: Cheers, mate! Very glad to hear you like the project. Now as for the points you raise:

 

I am actually really happy with the way the head with the various cables has come out. Here's the highest resolution version of the Alex Boyd artwork I could find:

 

 

And while the particular style of the piece certainly allows for a certain interpretation, I would argue that the majority of the cables are implied to be basically as red as Angron's skin, with the darker tones mainly being shadows added to show the mass of cabling and its texture. So I basically tried to adapt that look.

 

I also wanted to capture the feeling of various cables at various stages of "transformation", for lack of a better word: There are metallic cables, red cables that already have a distinctly organic look (and somewhat more gooey texture) and, finally, fleshy tendrils that no longer really look like cables altogether (and some stages in between). Now to paint the red cables in a darker colour would make them look like an external element, but I think it's key to enforce the look that the nails have actually become a part of Angron's very being upon his ascension, and I think the paintjob I have on there right now really brings that across.

 

As for the Ultramarine's belly plate, however: Gosh, you are right -- it's a bit of a problem, isn't it? I doubt I'll be taking it off at this point, to be honest, with the Marine being completely painted and all -- but maybe he wasn't cut apart with the axe but torn apart by Angron himself? That would explain it, wouldn't it? But yeah, well spotted ;)

 

@ OSS: I actually love that plastic Fleshhound and really hope GW will be releasing a whole box of plastic hounds designed after that basic template -- but I don't really want to have to wait for that, and I would also rather have a unit of Fleshhounds than using them all up on what is essentially a decorative base ;)

 

@ BrotherJim: Cheers, mate! ;)

 

@ Midnight Runner & Mechanist: Some great food for thought, guys! Just to avoid disappointment, though: Keep in mind that the objective here is to base Angron (who is and will remain the undisputed star of the show) and not to build a massively awesome FW-style duel scene, especially with an enemy of equal footing with Angron. Some poor Ultramarines? Sure. But certainly not Dreadnought or Primarch. Sorry ;)

[Brother Aiwass]

You see for me forge world always does a Duel on their 'big' base dioramas and I recon that Aquila is big enough for something more than a few line troops. Obviosly not on the smaller gaming section but to have someone worth fighting that would be cool. Did old girlyman get involved in the shadow crusade? or is there anyone specific that Angron went up against? after all the full display wont need to be on the same gaming table as your 40k. 

Or maybe just a more generic character if you need to set it both 40k and 30k. 

Maybe a couple terminators? Nothing that can be era-related.

[KrautScientist]

...you know, actually I think that you guys just aren't listening sometimes...;)

[Midnightmare]

Oh lawdy no, I would just use a couple of Tac marines on the base, no more, as you do not want to detract from Angron, even with the full 'base' :) just imho

 

EDIT - Kraut you got in before me

Edited August 17, 2016 by Midnight Runner

[Brother Aiwass]

...you know, actually I think that you guys just aren't listening sometimes...

What?

[Thousand Eyes]

Glad you are going to keep the base fairly simple compared to the main show itself.

[DarkVen]

So you've done it.

I feel like I'm a step ot two behind you. That make me angry. I need to work harder.

 

 

Really though, I can't say anything but just admire your Angron and the approach you taking on him, to get it look even more cooler. I think additional Astartes would make perfect addition to the base, underlining his, ehm, size and brutal force not even super-human could possibily withstand.

[KrautScientist]

Thanks, guys!

 

Just to clarify, I just think that Terminators would up the ante too much, creating more of a diorama and less of a display base for Angron -- like I said before, I think it's a tough balance to maintain.

 

DarkVen, no reason for jealousy, mate: When it comes to painting and sculpting, you are light years ahead of me. But I do have my moments, and I will say I think this Angron conversion is one of them ;)

 

So, work on the base(s) will continue shortly, but I really needed to do something less involved today, so I finally made some slight touchups and adjustments to some of my 30k World Eaters -- doing this during the ETL would have felt ...improper, somehow, but I believe it's fair game now, right?

 

So first up are some guys that you might already have seen a while back, a Plasma Gunner and Triarius for my slowly growing collection of tactical veterans:

 

 

The Plasma Gunner remains unchanged, but I've tweaked the helmet on the Triarius and like him much better now.

 

I've also finally managed to put the finishing touches on my 30k WE Contemptor, and I am really happy with the finished model:

 

 

Quite a bit of cleanup on this guy, including the drilling of barrels and exhausts. Plus I finally sorted out that brutal looking Iron Halo around his head cavity. And maybe my favourite small addition to the model: The stubby fingers of the BaC plastic Dread were carefully lenghtened using fingers from a 40k Furioso Dreadnought:

 

 

And last but not least, I also had to convert a new character. Now here's Huntmaster Bardolf, one of the first Huntmasters I originally built for Khorne's Eternal Hunt:

 

 

He was one of the first more involved conversions I did after getting back into the hobby a couple of years back, and while the conversion does show its age a bit, I am still enormously fond of this guy, mostly because he was my go-to Chaos Lord in all those smallish 500 and 750 points games when I re-learned 40k. As a consequence, his various victories and losses really turned him into a character rather than a mere playing piece, and helped me to figure out what I wanted Khorne's Eternal Hunt to feel like. So I thought it would be fun to build a younger, uncorrupted version of Bardolf, from his time as a fresh-faced veteran sergeant during the Heresy:

 

 

The idea here was to take several elements from the 40k model (the pose, the weapons, and a couple of bitz) and incorporate them into the 30k version as well, while still making him seem like a more restrained 30k character (and also a sergeant and not yet a powerful commander type):

 

 

And since even the World Eaters still occasionally used slightly more conservative Astartes warfare tactics back then, I also made sure to add a standard bolter in addition to the axes ;)

 

 

I am pretty happy with the finished model, and here's a comparison shot showing Bardolf now and then:

 

 

So yeah, those are some of the 30k World Eaters that I would love to paint in the not-too-distant future:

 

 

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

[Vairocanum]

30k Bardolf looks awesome! Seeing your different versions of the same characters is really cool, I like how you get to see how they started out and how far they've fallen. 

[Flint13]

Great work, man.

 

I'm always in favor of more axes. Bardolf (the teenage years) definitely looks the part.

[Evil Eye]

That Contemptor is really a thing of beauty. I love how you've used the Juggernaut collar to frame the head. I must pick up a Contemptor at some point for my Slaanesh/Nurgle force.

 

I know you hate working with resin on the whole (and there's the issue of cost as well...this isn't shaping up to being one of my better ideas) but I'd love to see you tackle one of the FW Contemptors, if only so we could see some more unorthodox loadout choices (twin CCWs, two different ranged weapons, or one of my favourite loadouts- at least aesthetically- twin heavy bolters). I don't know if the plastic Contemptor accepts the arms from the FW range if you want to cut down on resin headaches/wallet bleeding.

Also, once Angron's done, for your next big project I'd like to see you tackle a 40K scale revamp of one of the old, silly Epic scale Khorne models (the Doom Blaster, the Death Dealer, the Cauldron of Blood, the Blood Reaper etc) and make it awesome. Or alternatively a Blood Slaughterer, but based on the old wheeled model rather than the new(er) FW model.

 

Speaking of Angron, he is looking pretty damned good isn't he? I love the base you're building for him!

[DarkVen]

No offense intended Kraut, so if I sounded this way, I beg your pardon  again, your Angron is stellar!

 

As for the 30k stuff, I absolutely love both contemptor conversion and the earlier version of Bardolf. This is the best type of modelling for me personally - to get nostalgic after a few years of gaming and to reassemble one of the first favourite minis with new skills one have achieved in years of converting and painting. As always, looking for painted version of the 30k version, comparing the "old" one with the most recent one!

[Brother Aiwass]

The young Bardolf looks like he's going to serious bussiness. You managed to update the old one very well. The crested dude is mean too. You did a very good job (as usual) khorne-izing the Calth minis.

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, everyone!

 

@ Squigsquasher: Hmm, to be perfectly honest, the idea of building a resin Contemptor holds very little appeal for me -- I'd much rather take another painfully vanilla, pidgeon-toed plastic Contemptor and cut it apart and kitbash it to the warp and back in order to make it look like it belongs to a specific legion -- that's a far more fun challenge to me than having to clean up warped resin parts. At 46 Euros a pop, though? Not very likely. So I am currently seeing any Contemptors in my immediate future -- sorry ;)

 

That Epic Daemon engine idea of yours, though? That's interesting. In fact, I have been thinking about something like that on and off for quite a while. It may not be in the immediate future, but it's definitely a project that would be fun!

 

@ DarkVen: Oh no, mate, no offense taken at all! And cheers for the comment! :)

 

@ Vairocanum, Flint & Maximvs: Much obliged, people! :)

 

So to stay with the 30k vibe for a moment here, a recent bitz drop from fellow hobbyist Helega has finally allowed me to replace the missing cape on my Forgeworld Angron:

 

 

 

 

 

A slightly tweaked version of the chain cape from the WFB Chaos Lord on Manticore seems like a pretty ideal replacement for Angron’s standard cape — the conversion isn’t quite finished yet, but I do think I am on the right track.

 

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

[Fenbain]

Well done on that cloak for Angron, I like it more than the version on Forgeworld's original. It might not have the same level of detail or match the artwork as well, but it looks far more practical and less unwieldy. I believe it is also more in character for Angron's disdain of status and titles. Great job :-)

 

The Daemon Prince Angron is also great work, though I think you've missed out on an opportunity to make it really standout by not including the distinct and identifying Angron shoulder pauldrons. I'm curious why you decided against this, as everything else about the model seems perfect.

[Augustus b'Raass]

Wait what? That manticore chain cape seems to be made for angron. I think I even prefer it over the original.

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, guys! :)

 

Regarding the cape, yeah that bit is a bit of a godsend here and really fits the model rather well, even without any further tweaks. Interestingly enough, it's actually a bit closer to the description in the BL books where Angron is said to be wearing a cloak made from chain mesh (instead of the mixed fur and chains design of the FW model). But yeah, I basically needed a replacement for the original bit, and this works really well, I believe.

 

@ Fenbain: Cheers, mate! There were several reasons for making the pauldrons look slightly different, chief among them that I feel that the pauldrons are the weakest point of every single Daemon Primarch Angron conversion I have seen so far. Every. Single. One. Even the fantastic versions by Reg, on the French forums. The pads end up looking gooey and slightly awkward. And if even those people who are far better sculptors than me cannot do the element justice, then what could I hope to accomplish?

 

The other reason was that those pauldrons are a callback to the shoulder pads Angron has as a mortal in the old artwork by John Blanche and Wayne England -- but then the Forgeworld Angron already changesd that element, going for a much more streamlined, Cataphractii-style type of shoulder pads, so I felt I was basically allowed to deviate from the old design in this respect. And I really like the pauldrons I have on there now, as they do recall the old ones while also featuring a big enough level of detail to match the Bloodthirster bitz -- but then again, such things always come down to personal taste, of course.

[Teetengee]

I'm glad someone brought up the bit about the marine's gut plate making a sliced death unlikely. To be honest, I thought (particularly given your attention to detail) that he had been ripped in half this whole time. Maybe put the other half under angron's foot or some heavy machinery/marble to show how he ripped someone in half without dropping the axe. Otherwise perhaps a little splatter on Angron's face/mouth and some teeth marks on the marine's legs to show where Angron tore them off with his mouth before eating the more manageable sized piece. That would also mean placing the legs either where they dropped from the large jaws or were spat out on the ground?

Additionally, because of the concave curve of that axe, I think it should have the blood spread a little further from the center because of how it might catch people on use.

Finally, the other side of the overall aquilla. Would you be up for accounting for (dead or alive) a full unit of marines (10, or 5 if veterans) somewhere on the whole of the display? (not the whole base though). I think it would be a neat touch to show just what our game represents happening as if caught in snap shot. Plus, you could have a group of three or so futile advancing with bolters among their dead comrades on the other wing, and that might look neat.

Edited August 20, 2016 by Teetengee

[Mechanist]

that cloak was basically made for that model nice find. 

[Mechanist]

Just saw your blog post on my feed. Armies on parade, 3 Angrons , 3 time zones (Fighting pit slave, Istavan and 40k) 3 sets of supporting characters, that sound like 4 foot square of pure awesome.

Though might want to consider next years as I really wouldn't want to rush that. In fact if you do go for that sort of time scale maybe we could set up a B&C event and I'll definitely join it as have a few concepts for my own daemon knight and that's not a bad time scale to finish it and some supporting cast of my own. 

[~Drakzilla~]

That cloak works surprisingly well. You'd think it'd be over the top but it fits.

 

On a related note, even though your Angron is already finished, have you seen VonKessler's Daemon Angron? His conversion nailed the shoulder pads, and is probably the best Angron I've seen. Well, before yours that is.

 

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/619983-.html?m=2

[Olis]

Hot damn does Bardolf and his two amigos look on point. Very cool, very characterful. :tu:

[Andvarr A]

Hot damn does Bardolf and his two amigos look on point. Very cool, very characterful. :tu:

Bardolf, Vaskir and Kommerov the three eaters *rimshot*