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

[Teetengee]

I have had that happen to several models this year. At the very least, it should look fine from a tabletop perspective. Hopefully it doesn't bug you too much. And if after a few months it really is wearing on you, you can always strip it and paint it again next year.

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, guys! :)

 

I think OSS may have a point: The thing about this "accidental" basecoat that's really growing on me is how it actually makes many areas look like actual metal -- the kind you'd expect to see on a heavy duty machine like this. Looking at some areas of the Knight, I actually feel reminded of real life metal machine parts, which is pretty cool -- almost makes it worth the extra work, after all ;)

 

Fortunately enough, the judicious use of washes and drybrushing is slowly starting to add more depth to the problematic areas. Here's an update for you:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731860-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731862-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

First of all, I needed a little quick fun, so I actually finished the head:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731861-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

This gave me the motivation I needed to carry on with the rather thankless task of giving the metal some depth -- but like I said, it's slowly starting to work:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731863-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

The legs are the farthest along, currently: I've added a healthy dose of Typhus Corrosion to create built up grime:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731864-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731867-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

Plus I've also taken quite some time to make the leg pistons look fairly realistic:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731865-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731866-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

Both elements were heavily inspired by JeffTibbett's fantastic Knight thread -- I may lack Jeff's patience, attention to detail and dedication, but some of his ideas were fortunately easy enough to adapt to my own, rather slapdash painting style ;)

 

The engine compartment is also starting to look as oily and grimy as it should:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731868-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

Tell you what, I am actually starting to feel rather happy with this guy, after all!

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/27/731869-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

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

[JeffTibbetts]

Hey hey! Looking great, man! Messed up base coat? Heck no. Play it off like you meant it, because it honestly looks fantasticly ancient and workmanlike. Just the way it should. I love the way the funky textures from the base mix with the Typhus grit. 

 

It's funny you mentioned my knight, because I was totally looking at the way you did the pistons and thinking, hey that looks really good! Just like the Queen's pistons. 

 

The best thing about seeing how people adapt some of the things I did on her is that you guys and gals are all doing it so much more efficiently. Great results, but without nearly as many steps and all that. I love it. 

 

I still wish I had done the interior before. I think I've said it before but yours is one the best out of the many interiors I've seen. The engine block really helps, but I like how relatively unadorned the cockpit is. Very simple and utilitarian, without too many screens and extra bits. That's the way I imagine it as well. 

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, Jeff! Not only was your thread a huge inspiration, but the pictures of the Queen also became a bit of a lifesaver when I was all panicky and thought I had messed up an expensive model: Taking a closer look at your model revealed that you had gone for a rather similar texture on your own Knight, which convinced me that I could save my own model, fuzzy undercoat and all ;)

[JeffTibbetts]

Yeah, not only the texture but also the dull color. I mixed non-metallic with metallic for my base, and then did like a million layers to get that. You managed it with one spray. I understand that texture can 'drink' paint like the wash, but overall the effect looks great to me. Pitted, rough-cast iron. I think it was in the Knight's Companion book, but there was even mention that some of the Knightworlds used sand-casting techniques, so that texture is perfect for that look.

 

One of the strongest pulls that drew me into knights originally was the idea that they were very build with very practical technology, far from the mechanicum's pseudo-religious rituals. Some houses have of course adapted to that, some more than others, but certainly some still hold fast to a certain pragmatic viewpoint that simply can't be found in the Imperium at large. I see them as allies to the Imperium, but with a sort of outsider's gaze. This is in contrast to heavily AdMech aligned houses like the one BattyBattyBats created, and that's cool too. 

 

They're all a bit different, but yours seems to fit in well with the ancient outsiders end of things.

[Aasfresser]

I have to say, I really like the texture your misfortune with the spraycan produced there. Looks a bit like unpolished fresh cast metals. And now forth you go, paint, paint!

[KrautScientist]

Thanks, guys! :)

 

@ JeffTibbetts: It's always easier to find a way to achieve an effect when you've seen other people tackle the problem and come up with a great solution -- actually, about 80% of my painting style consists of finding stuff that I like and then simplifying it enough for me to be able to pull it off ;) Seriously, though: Let me reiterate that your thread is probably the most valuable resource to me right now (and you better believe that I have put together one heck of a scrapbook for this project ;) ).

 

Anyway, here's another update for you. It's slightly frustrating that all of the photos are looking so similar, when the model in front of me looks so much better than it did yesterday -- but the camera just eats up some of the more subtle touches. I guess it cannot be helped.

 

I've finished the bronze areas (adding some subtle verdigris in some places, while I was at it) and cleaned up the red. Save for a few details (that will probably still take me a couple of hours to sort out, but yeah...), the Knight's "skeleton" is approaching completion:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732061-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732062-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732063-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732064-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732067-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732075-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732068-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

I think I am pretty happy with the look of the metal as it is right now -- it finally feels like I have managed to turn this ship around for good! And to think I briefly considered putting the model in a box and never think about it again... ;)

 

A couple of detail shots:

 

The engine compartment, now with a bit of verdigris:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732069-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

The various weathering effects really work together rather nicely now (I tried not to go overboard with the verdigris effect, because I didn't want the model to look to "colourful" because of it:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732070-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732071-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732072-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732073-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

And finally, what may be my favourite detail at the moment: I painted the small vials on the sword arm so they looked like liquid was sloshing around inside them -- something I borrowed from JeffTibbetts once again -- it makes sense that those vials would contain some liquid lubricating the chain of the big sword or something like that:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732065-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

And a closeup:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732066-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.jpg

 

Not GD level painting, certainly, but I am stupidly happy about having managed to pull this off ;)

 

So yeah, as always, let me know what you think! :)

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/28/732074-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

[Dragonlover]

It looks awesome, can't wait to see it with some armour plates on it!

 

Dragonlover

[Teetengee]

I like the eyes.

[JeffTibbetts]

Thanks again for the kind words, sir.

 

Oh man... He's looking better and better. You really nailed the liquid effect, man. That's some great work. I STILL to this day have seen almost no other knights that messed with this detail. I deliberated a lot about what these were, and it was other members of the board that let me know these systems are common to lubricate chainsaws. I thought it was a gore vacuum at first. 

 

I have a short list of knights that I'd be okay with letting my Queen Bee go on a date with, and yours is on it now (even though he's a "bad boy" and would probably be a terrible influence on her). I can't wait to see what the armor plates add, but already with the subtle conversion work and the excellent painting and weathering, it's becoming something very special and unique. 

[Daemon2027]

I think the Knight is looking really good. The metals look great, I imagine he has been fighting on a world with acid rain. Can't wait to see the plates on him.

[Augustus b'Raass]

Yes, Kraut. You're acing it. Pretty damn good. I cannot wait to see this baby with armour plates and a shield.

 

One thing that is a bit meh to me - and I apologize for not spotting this when he was still in pristine plastic grey - is the fact that the fire from the rear-most exhausts do not go up. A little bit of greenstuff could've solved that easily. I guess you could say he's blastign his engine so hard the flames sprout out so fast to ignore gravity slightly, but the flame bits are too 'easy' to reflect that kind of power, plus, the Knight's pose doesn't really warrant the power required for such a power surge. Am I being too critical? :/

[Teetengee]

Clearly it's because of how quickly the knight just ran toward the enemy....

Edited July 29, 2015 by Teetengee

[Andvarr A]

I said it in thaimler's thread, and I'll say it in yours...that is some fantastical work right there. Every inch of plastic, every cut, slice, chop, weld, and whatsamadingus...

 

Just magnificent, and one that's tugged on a person who came into the hobby in the 1990's with 2nd edition 40k. That is some major inspirational work right there....

 

...boom!

[Edit]that was odd...it literally duplicated the post within....Danny smartphones

Edited July 29, 2015 by Andvarr A

[KrautScientist]

Thanks for the kind words and feedback, guys! :)

 

 

I have a short list of knights that I'd be okay with letting my Queen Bee go on a date with, and yours is on it now (even though he's a "bad boy" and would probably be a terrible influence on her).

 

Aw, no! Harrowthorne has been around since the Heresy, so he could be her Great-great-great-...great-grandfather ;) That's still quite a compliment, though, Jeff! Thanks! :)

 

@ Auggie: Nah, you definitely have a point, mate: It's been bothering me too, to be honest. The problem is that those things had to be attached at an angle in order for the top carapace to remain removable. Personally speaking, I have settled on those flames being some kind of exhaust from the Knight: Like he's venting excess warp energy or something like that in a burst, which is why the angle seems to defy physical laws a bit ;)

 

Aaanyway, I got a bit tired of all the weathering, so I painted the pilot. Here's the - mostly finished - Baron Augustus Melchia Harrowthorne:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/29/732393-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/29/732394-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/29/732395-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/29/732396-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

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

[Augustus b'Raass]

AWWW! You named him after me? And even made him look like me (i.e. bald as a billiard ball)??? That're so nice! :D ;)

[JeffTibbetts]

Nice work. And for argument's sake, really I'm talking about our knights' machine spirits dating, not the pilots. ;) Age is just a number to a machine. 

 

Have you thought about adding some more visual representations of the neural link? The usual 40K head tubes come to mind, but it could be something different for knights. I think of the pilots eschewing physical controls while they're linked in, based on much of the fluff describing the feeling of their body actually becoming the knight. As in, when 'plugged in' I feel like they wouldn't even notice or be aware of their physical body. That's just my impression, though. How do you see it working?

[Andvarr A]

AWWW! You named him after me? And even made him look like me (i.e. bald as a billiard ball)??? That're so nice! :D ;)

Well you know what they say about imitation and all that....

Nice work. And for argument's sake, really I'm talking about our knights' machine spirits dating, not the pilots. ;) Age is just a number to a machine.

 

Have you thought about adding some more visual representations of the neural link? The usual 40K head tubes come to mind, but it could be something different for knights. I think of the pilots eschewing physical controls while they're linked in, based on much of the fluff describing the feeling of their body actually becoming the knight. As in, when 'plugged in' I feel like they wouldn't even notice or be aware of their physical body. That's just my impression, though. How do you see it working?

You know, my brain went all robot jox there for a moment. I think I know what you mean....

[Andvarr A]

Thanks for the kind words and feedback, guys! :)

 

 

I have a short list of knights that I'd be okay with letting my Queen Bee go on a date with, and yours is on it now (even though he's a "bad boy" and would probably be a terrible influence on her).

 

 

Aw, no! Harrowthorne has been around since the Heresy, so he could be her Great-great-great-...great-grandfather ;) That's still quite a compliment, though, Jeff! Thanks! :)

 

@ Auggie: Nah, you definitely have a point, mate: It's been bothering me too, to be honest. The problem is that those things had to be attached at an angle in order for the top carapace to remain removable. Personally speaking, I have settled on those flames being some kind of exhaust from the Knight: Like he's venting excess warp energy or something like that in a burst, which is why the angle seems to defy physical laws a bit ;)

 

Aaanyway, I got a bit tired of all the weathering, so I painted the pilot. Here's the - mostly finished - Baron Augustus Melchia Harrowthorne:

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/29/732393-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/29/732394-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/29/732395-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2015/7/29/732396-Chaos%20Knight%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Daemon%20Knight%2C%20Harrowthorne%2C%20Imperial%20Knight.JPG

 

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

He looks like charles from xmen.....or a really grumpy aristocrat who isn't getting anymore tea....

 

Anyway it's bloody marvellous lad

[KrautScientist]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! :)

 

@ Auggie: Haha, cheers! I thought you might like it -- Augustus seemed like a pretty fitting name for a scion of a Knight household ;) The bit about the hair was entirely coincidental, though ;)

 

@ JeffTibbetts: Mate, don't get me started, because I have been pondering that particular question for ages ;)

 

Seriously, though: My honest reply is that I am willing to accept any kind of pilot interface as long as the artist in question really, really nails it. For instance, my understanding is that control of a Knight is heavily based on some kind of neural interfacing, where you actually control the machine with your thoughts, right? But I also love the idea of some kind of mechanic control, and when it's well realised, I think it really adds something to the model. Take Jeromgb's absolutely fantastic cockpit here: It's very retro, almost WWI in a way, and the pilot is much more "hands on" than my own take on the matter, yet it's perfectly executed and absolutely believable, and it really sells the concept of a pilot doing his darnedest to stay one step ahead of his opponent.

By the same token, if you look at Forgeworlds Titan Princeps models, they all seem to have some physical controls as well as neural interfaces -- and I think it really makes sense for a setting as eclectic and retro-futuristic as 40k to fall back on a mix of both ways. What's more, given the fact that the Knight Households are such a very ancient remnant of pre-Imperial times, with each machine a millennia-old artifact, I think it's totally conceivable that there are as many types of interface as there are Knight worlds.

 

As for my own model, I wanted Harrowthorne to have some kind of physical control, but I also wanted him to look very dignified and noble, which is why I heavily based him on some of the aforementioned Princeps models. Your Queen Bee, on the other hand, would warrant a far more active and mobile pilot -- I think it's fun to imagine her clutching some kind of control stick or steering wheel, similar to Jeromgb's model above.

 

As for the actual points of interface on my model, Harrowthorne is rather extensively augmented, as you can see: In addition to that, there's some cabling on the back of his head, and his throne has several parts that look like ports for a possible interface, so I imagine him to be plugged into those.

 

@ Andvarr A: Haha, that's just the look I was going for, because Harrowthorne is one very, very grumpy noble ;)

[Augustus b'Raass]

Wot, seriously? I was just claiming you named him after me for :cusss and giggles, but you actually did?!?!  Dude that's so nice. And humbling. Especially considering the fact that that is the second time you named a model in your army after me AND considering that my 'name' has very Khornate origins: it's actually the name of my first ever Chaos Space Marine Lord, who was Khornate - because Augustus is the eighth month  and b'Raass is a portmanteau of 'brass' and the Dutch singular present word for rage: 'raas'.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Augustus b'Raass

[JeffTibbetts]

I agree with all of that, K-Sci. I think there would need to be some physical controls for cases when the neural link was weaken or damaged. Sort of a manual over-ride kind of thing. So, yeah, there has to be something. I struggle to imagine a pilot handling all the different weapon systems, as well as wielding the ion shield, in a manner that would allow them to do everything they do. Especially with the new knights, having up to 5 weapons each targeting a different unit. 

 

That said, the cockpit you showed in your example was so, so cool. I love the idea of them being crammed in there, monitoring a dozen screens and jamming buttons left and right. Perhaps, since the knight has a limited consciousness of its own, the idea is that the pilot sort of indicates where to go and what to shoot, while the machine does most of the complicated telemetry and creates firing solutions for them. That's an interesting way to think of the powerful link and bond they might have without simply jacking in. I like both interpretations, personally. 

 

And you're right: anything can happen. I'm quite sure that the physical controls, however, would be just as practical and down to earth as the other components on the knights. 

[Andvarr A]

@JeffTibbs well the 90's movie, robot jox had a suit interface with controls that were hardwired to the machine for the weapons systems, but the rest of it was through the suit.

 

That would be something to see on a knight pilot.

[Andvarr A]

@ Andvarr A: Haha, that's just the look I was going for, because Harrowthorne is one very, very grumpy noble ;)

I can see it now "bloody sending me out before letting me finish my tea! Earl grey isn't cheap you know...tosh I say!"

[Daemon2027]

I'm guessing the pilot would need to have some sort of over ride on systems to, say cooling a weapon system or the engine, shutting it down, turning it on, navigation, and comms as well. The pilot looks perfect to me.