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

[Skrundle87]

Glad you went with that choice, isn't it funny looking at the first "concept piece" to the final product, I found it a laugh with my conversions

[ElDuderino]

That's definatly an improvement! Plus my head won, yay:)

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, guys! :)

 

Here's the current state of the model again, now on the last page due to the page switch:

 

 

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

Regarding the head, after doing quite a bit of experimentation, I actually realised that the option I was most happy with was ...the unaltered, original head. KBA actually managed to sum up my feelings perfectly:

 

 

#1, Kraut, and here's why: the rounded top of the helmet sans crest creates the perfect juxtaposition that makes his brutal chainsword that much more brutal. For me, the crest clashes with weapon being on the same horizontal eye line. Keep the horns for that Khorne touch and you've got one hell of a mini! Well done!

 

 

The longer I was messing around with that crest, I realised that, while being perfect visual shorthand for Roman or Greek helmets, it just messed up the silhouette in this particular case. And while I really like the helmet without both the horns and crest, I stand by my earlier assessment that the model ends up looking like a follower of Slaanesh with that head -- it's a delicate balance, to be sure, but there you have it.

The original head, meanwhile, seems to perfectly complement the rest of the composition, as pointed out by KBA. Take a look:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/9/591957-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

So yeah, I'll keep it. Sorry to those who would have favoured a different approach!
As you can see, I also swapped in a possessed CSM shoulder pad, both to add to the slightly feral look of the Bestiarius, and to make him read more as an actual Astartes.

Here are more pictures of the model. I think I'll call this guy basically finished at this point:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/9/591958-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/9/591959-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

And with his trusty pets:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/9/591960-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/9/591961-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/9/591962-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/9/591963-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

All in all, I am really happy about this model finally coming together like this! It's been quite a journey from this

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/6/591054-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

to this:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/9/591957-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

But it's still been a blast, thanks to your great feedback on the model! I realise that this may actually be the one best part of the hobby for me: Tweaking a single model until it just feels right.

Anyway, thanks again, guys! And let me know what you think!

[RolandTHTG]

Looks Awesome! Comes together really well.

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, mate! :)

So, while work on the gladiators continues, let me show you something that provides a bit of colour contrast in between all the red and bronze: Parallel to working on the gladiator squad, I’ve also been painting some more followers of Nurgle. And this time around, we are talking about some models that have been in my collection for quite some time!

Since we last saw my growing squad of Plague Marines, I’ve added two more models. And even though I have precious little love left for metal models at this point, the Dave Andrews Plague Marines from the late 90s still range among my favourite chaos models for a number of reasons:

First, they are quite iconic: With their gas masks and “Pickelhauben”, they have a decided WW1 Trencher feel — quite fitting for warriors who fight surrounded by virulent gases and noxious fumes (albeit in a slightly inverted way: One could almost imagine that the Plague Marines are actually wearing their protective gear in order to keep the fresh air out). Their helmet design also nicely combines historical sources with the “mono-horn” typical of Nurgle.

Then there’s the fact that the detail on these guys is very nice: The damage to their armour seems believable and not overstated. All of them are modelled with a trusty plague knife at their side. And there are delicious visual cues, such as desiccated heads (serving as plague grenades), small Nurgle icons worn on chains, leaking (and poorly patched up) pipes or all kinds of vile pocks and fungal growth marking the armour.

All these qualities notwithstanding, I am a little ashamed to say that the metal Plague Marines I own have mostly been mouldering away, pun intended, in my bitzbox, ever since I purchased them sometime during the late 90s/early 2000s.

That turned out to be a good thing, though, because my recent foray into the wonderful world of corrosion and decay made sure that I could finally do justice to these models — in my small way, at least.

I left these completely unconverted, both because I hate cutting apart metal models, but also because I think the models are pretty much perfect as is. My only concession to modern design was to outfit them with some new arms and bolters, instead of the old plastic versions from the 90s (clown hands, anyone?).

So, without any further ado, here are the finished models:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593028-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593029-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593030-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593031-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

The first model seemed to be built for a very classic pose, so I just added two arms holding a bolter. I really like the model’s subtly implacable look! Painting-wise, the Plague Marine was given the same treatment as the rest of my Plague Marines, with lots of rust and corrosion (and a fair amount of Nurgle’s Rot leaking out of the armour joints and vents).

The second model seems to have been designed with a more open pose in mind, so I obliged by arming it with a chainsword/bolter combo. Here’s the finished model:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593027-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593026-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

And what do you know, when I had almost given up hope, a nice and subtle crackle effect began to develop on the right shoulder pad, courtesy of all the Agrellan Earth I used in the paint for the armour:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593025-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593024-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

I also really like the pocks, dappled all over the model’s left greave. Such a fun little detail:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593023-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

All in all, these guys were a blast to paint. Plus they have really managed to age ridiculously well: They perfectly embody all that a Plague Marine should be, in my opinion, with their only shortcoming being that they are slightly on the small side when stood next to more recent models, but that could well be explained in-universe as their bodies slowly collapsing from rot. The best thing about them is how they are quite sinister without being overly twisted or mutated. In fact, part of the body horror for these guys comes from wandering what’s beneath the armour (instead of being able to see it outright). It seems like Forgeworld’s recently released Death Guard conversion kits are, in no small part, an attempt to create uncorrupted Pre-Heresy versions of these models’ design. The later metal model from the 2000s seem a little lacklustre, by comparison — I wish I had bought more of those older models while I still had the chance, because they are all great!

So, where does that leave us in regard to the overall squad? Let’s take a look:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/12/593032-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

I am really quite pleased with these guys, even though I have little to no plan to use them in Khorne’s Eternal Hunt. There’s still the 90s metal icon bearer – now stripped of his former paintjob – left to paint. And then? Maybe I’ll just spin these guys off into a small Nurglite killteam? After all, I already have a suitably decayed Terminator Lord to lead them:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/2/5/581808-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Lord%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Kitbash.JPG

I have half a mind to throw in a decayed Traitor Guard soldier or two. And a plague zombie. And maybe some hulking mutant creature? Shoot, there I go again…

For now, though, painting these guys has proven to be a lot of fun. And I love the fact that I have finally managed to finish some models that have been part of my collection for ages. Go me! ;)

Anyway, let me know what you think! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

[RolandTHTG]

Looks awesome. After the banner guy, I think you should then do a champion, so that you get to the favored number. Without another guy, you'll be stuck at 6, always incomplete. *

 

 

 

 

*Any desire on my part to see more Plague Marines should be entirely discounted. I'm doing this for the Number, ok?

Edited March 12, 2014 by TJWyrm

[YoungWolf7]

Humble suggestion for your Plague Marines: add some dark lining between the armor plates / color changes to add definition. Not necessarily black, a dark brown would work nicely with your scheme. It's an old basic technique, but it will really help in this case.

[Forté]

Humble suggestion for your Plague Marines: add some dark lining between the armor plates / color changes to add definition. Not necessarily black, a dark brown would work nicely with your scheme. It's an old basic technique, but it will really help in this case.

Dark oily brown green could work well. Drag it down the plates like rust streaks.

 

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTPyRaZgxsIJN8gkWr9ZKKfmna-h7XaQtK8gIRWaeOyhj7vzNwzNzX13TdK0A

Edited March 14, 2014 by forte

[deathspectersgt7]

Do some plague Zombies  

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, guys! :)

 

I did actually try doing some rust streaks with Vallejo Smokey Ink on the first model, in order to further the look of decay and add some extra definition to the armour, but I wasn't all that impressed with the result, so I painted over it and didn't use the effect for the rest of the models. May have to take another look at this idea, though.

 

As for Plague Zombies, if I ever spin off this squad into a Killteam, I'll definitely add a Plague Zombie or two (or ten). That would be the perfect excuse to work with the Mantic Zombies, which I think are very cool ;)

 

There already is a Plague Marine champion, though: I build him quite a while ago (which is why he looks slightly different), but that only makes him stand out amidst the squad, which seems fitting for a champion ;)

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2012/9/25/414888-Champion%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Death%20Guard%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Plague%20Marines%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

 

That's not to say I won't build an alternate one or add more Plague Marines to the squad though: Let's just wait and see where fancy takes me ;)

 

 

So while I am building up the motivation to paint a gladiator or two, I amused myself by engaging in some kitbashing. Here are the assorted results of the last few evenings:

First up, a test model for a Nurglite traitor soldier, in case I ever decide to go through with the Nurgle Killteam idea (see above): I just used some stuff from my bitzbox to come up with a fairly easy conversion:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593853-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Kitbash%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Traitor%2C%20Traitor%20Guard%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593854-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Kitbash%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Traitor%2C%20Traitor%20Guard%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

I have already started painting the model, although it's not much to look at (yet?):

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593855-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Kitbash%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Traitor%2C%20Traitor%20Guard%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593856-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Kitbash%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Traitor%2C%20Traitor%20Guard%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593857-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Kitbash%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Traitor%2C%20Traitor%20Guard%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

It does work rather well when placed next to one of the Plague Marines, though:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593858-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Kitbash%2C%20Nurgle%2C%20Traitor%2C%20Traitor%20Guard%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000.JPG

Definitely not a priority project at the moment, so I can happily mess around with it whenever I feel like it ;)

Then there's something I've been thinking about for a while: I've repeatedly been tossing around ideas for a squad of World Eaters Havocs (to represent the classic "Teeth of Khorne" and add some versatile firepower to my army). I found myself thinking about the squad members just armed with a regular bolter (and used as ablative wounds): I wanted to make them slightly more interesting, and when I sifted through my bitzbox in search of inspiration, I found myself looking at some WFB chaos warrior shields: What if I built the ablative wounds guys to resemble breacher marines, only post-heresy?

Anyway, I messed around a bit, and here's what I came up with:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593859-Breacher%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Havoc%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593860-Breacher%2C%20Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Havoc%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593862-Chaos%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Kitbash%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000%2C%20Work%20In%20Progress%2C%20World%20Eaters%20Breacher%20Wip%2002.JPG

Just a very early WIP, nothing's glued together yet, but for some reason, I really like this guy -- maybe this approach warrants some further exploration? In any case, I'll hold off on this until it's clear whether we are getting the rumoured new Havoc kit anytime soon or not. But it's an interesting experiment nevertheless, don't you think?

Oh, and I also did a very early mockup for the Cestus gladiator:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/15/593861-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

Again, we are very early in the process, so be gentle ;) Also, the head's just a placeholder for now. But even though using the Warp Talon claws seems like the easy way out, I think they are a pretty nice fit for the lsightly feral look of the gladiators. What do you think?

Anyway, your feedback's always welcome! And, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

[Skrundle87]

Love both the new models as usual haha can you do no wrong? I love how the bolte r on the havoc fits snuggly into the cutout of the shield Edited March 15, 2014 by Skrundle87

[Biohazard]

The breacher marine is off to a great start. I like the look of the shield. As for the Cestus. GLUE IT! NOW! That head fits perfectly and the pose is great. I can just picture him standing over a defeated foe and goading more.

[deathspectersgt7]

What Biohazard said about the Cestus +1

[MasterBuilder]

The boarding shields are great, and could likely hold the bolters if positioned correctly. Pretty good for ablative marines!

 

So, the cestus. Love it. I'm not sure on using claws as the original cestus weapon is a large blade fitted around the fist. It's worth researching Voldo from the Soul Calibur series, as he used a variety of claws and fist weapons, the cestus being one of them.

 

Regardless, it looks pretty good though as a stand alone piece, the posing is fantastic!

[KrautScientist]

Cheers for the comments, guys!

 

@ MasterBuilder: From a historical perspective, you are absolutely correct! I should maybe have tried something like this:

 

http://eternalhunt.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/icastfist.jpg

 

While realism cannot possibly be any kind of yardstick for these guys, though, I still thought the clawed gauntlets seemed somewhat more plausible, though. And who doesn't love a bit of Wolverine, right? ( - Snikt! - , anyone?)

 

The important thing to note here is that this guy isn't a Roman Cestus either, the basic concept was just used as a jumping off point and adapted to my needs. But I think the claws really fit the overall look of the squad, so historical accuracy be damned ;)

 

Voldo is totally awesome, though. But much rather Slaaneshi than Khornate, if you ask me ;)

[Urauloth]

I've been away from the B&C for a while which means I haven't caught up on your work in some time - very glad I have now, it's all excellent! Absolutely love those terminators, and your Nurgle side-project is coming together beautifully. Those classic plaguemarines are great.

 

What's your rust process on the plaguemarines, out of interest?

[Trysanna]

Love the Cultist, really like the shield 'Zerker, and I love Mr. Duel Lightning Claws. You work fast!

-Tarvik

[Skrundle87]

I petsonaly prefer the first pose

[infyrana]

Boarding shield marines is great (perfect choice of shield), plague marines are simply awesome, the pose on your lightning claw hero is wonderful and I can really imagine this with some gooey oozing squished bits spurting out of each end of the fist to show that he's just crushed something in his hand !

 

But the power fist model, whilst I know that you've pulled off a great pose, I'm sad to say that 'in my eyes' it looks like the typical space marine thrown full throttle at the glass window pose.  It's what happens when GW wants to cast a one piece figure in a 2D mould.  We know you can mod this just a little and make it even more awesome, I wonder if a little torso twist with one leg raised at the knee on the top of a body or rock for that quintessential IWIN pose could do it!  ..."I have the power", "I can haz cheezeburger", "I can haz muscles too" all fit right here ;)

 

I will be looking forward to the next update for sure :)

[KrautScientist]

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

 

@ A Kvlt Ghost: The secret to the rust on those Plague Marines is twofold: The first important step is that I actually paint the areas that I want to be rusty metal in brown (or rather, I undercoat with brown spraypaint over the first coat of black) and then drybrush with a lighter, reddish brown (Vermin Brown, in my case). The metal accents are only stippled and/or brushed on afterwards, which give the impression that the metal has really rusted through.

 

The second step is to mix Vermin Brown with water until its only slightly heavier than a wash, then paint it into the recesses where I want to make the rust build up: After the water dries away, the remaining paint creates a pretty convincing rust effect (I use this in recesses, holes, between armour plates etc.).

 

@ infyrana: Don't worry: If the twin power fist marine looks like a stupid internet meme, that's because he is ;) I have zero plans to actually make this into a model for my army -- I just tacked together the parts lying on my desk -- in fact, it was mainly done to illustrate how stupid the twin fists look ;)

[infyrana]

Succeeded ;D

[KrautScientist]

@ infyrana: :P

 

I worked some more on the Cestus, tidying up the conversion a little, plus I tried a different head. While the placeholder head works quite well, it is virtually identical to the one I used on the Bestiarius, and I would rather have a unique head for each model in the squad. So what do you think of this:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/16/594150-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/16/594151-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/16/594153-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/16/594152-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/16/594154-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/16/594155-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

Looking forward to your feedback, people!

[daemonclaw]

 

 

 

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/16/594155-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG

 

Looking forward to your feedback, people!

if you could sculpt one finger pointing up gesturing for them to "come and get it" it would be perfect

loving these guys nice work man

[Trysanna]

Personally, I prefer the helmet without the crest. I really like the shoulder pads tho, they look pretty brutal.
-Tarvik

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, mate! Still not 100% sure whether I should keep the crest or not...

Anyway, added a skull trophy and "repaired" the damaged cabling on the left gauntlet:

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2014/3/16/594220-Chaos%2C%20Chaos%20Space%20Marines%2C%20Conversion%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Khorne%2C%20Khorne%27s%20Eternal%20Hunt.JPG