Ed's Heresy Kill-Teams: Custodians and ruins

[EdT]

So, here's a short story inspired by this classic bit of artwork; were it not for the board rules, I’d make a Kill Team of these guys…


Academic Rivalry

Three Years after Istvaan

Arkan Jhost, formerly of the University of Dali Chasma, scratched at the unfamiliar starched collar of his dress uniform and glanced up, sighing, at the glory of Parsifal Prime hanging above him. Not for the first time, he wished he was on the relative safety of the capital world rather than stuck in the reception plaza of one of the planet’s orbital habitats.

His companion shot him an irritated glance. “Stop fidgeting.”

Jhost pouted. “I’m an academic, Lennox, not a soldier. This uniform is ridiculous; and why do I even need to be here?”

Quaestor Kal Lennox turned to his charge and rolled his eyes. “You’re here because the Supreme Legate has ordered you to be here; he thinks you can ensure there are no misunderstandings with our guests. Frankly, I still think he needs to be completely convinced of the sense of your proposal; but the stalemate has gone on too long. His masters want results, and if he can’t get them…”

Lennox trailed off. Sustained military deadlock, even in a relative backwater like the Parsifal Dominion, had a habit of attracting the attention of the Legiones Astartes. And the consequences of that, even if it led to victory, were too terrible to contemplate.

Behind them, a door hissed open and two full sections of Parsifal’s Planetary Defence Force marched in, followed seconds later by the corpulent form of Leonid Obregon, Supreme Legate of the Parsifal Dominion. Quaestor Lennox immediately snapped to attention; Jhost smiled and nodded until he noticed his companion’s furious glare, and then, reddening, gave a sloppy salute of his own. The pair of caryatids floating at the Supreme Legate’s shoulders giggled.

The Supreme Legate cast his eye around the plaza, nodding in approval at the red and black banners hung around the walls, each bearing the Eye of Horus. “Ostentatious enough for them, I hope,” he remarked to Lennox casually; “I haven’t worn this many medals since my inauguration”.

His gaze fell on Jhost. “And you would be our translator and cultural advisor, I take it?”

The academic tried not to roll his eyes. “I’m a xenoanthropologist sire, not a xenodiplomacist”, Jhost remarked sourly, “but I am happy to provide assistance in any way that I can. I trust you read my paper?”

Obregon cleared his throat. “Of course. But why not summarise it for me anyhow?”

Jhost sighed. “As you know, Sire, it has long been my contention that one cannot view each Xenos in isolation. As different species interact, they absorb influences and ideas from their neighbours. The Ork is no different to any other Xenos in this sense. Overwhelming evidence- both archaeological and xenoarchaeological- exists to show that since the time of the Alien Wars there has been an Orkoid subculture revolving around the imitation of humans. Orks have and will adopt human customs- in a garbled form, of course- and even some cultural values. I theorise that this is something to do with their kind’s natural adaptability; did you know, for example, that reports towards the end of the Ullanor campaign suggested the construction of crude war engines designed to copy the engines of the Adeptus Titanicus? Cross-species cultural fertilisation is a fascinating topic in itself; for many cultures during the Old Night, Human-Ork trade and cooperation was entirely commonplace.”

Obregon smiled with satisfaction. “Something the Expeditionary Fleets soon put a stop to.”

Jhost’s lips pressed together in a moue of irritation. “And how many fascinating cultural artefacts and practices have been stamped out as a result? In any case, my point is that since Ullanor, Orkoid society has been in a state of great flux. The relative weakness of humanity during the Old Night had allowed something of a blossoming of indigenous Orkoid culture, free of foreign influences. The Ullanor Crusade decisively put an end to this period, and in the years since many Orks have gravitated back towards human norms. You see, the Ork respects the strong, but humanity had smashed their greatest achievement with comparative ease! Who better to imitate? The humanophile Orkoid subculture- generally typified by an axe motif- is rapidly growing to become dominant in Ork society, the natural consequence of a human-dominated galaxy. The great academic Miles Zasprov once said…”

“What Professor Jhost is saying,” Lennox interjected, sensing the Governor’s attention drifting elsewhere, “is that we have a military opportunity. Orks follow the biggest and most dangerous leader around. And who is the most powerful leader in the galaxy if not the Warmaster? He was the one who threw Urruk from his tower after all, not the Emperor. We need troops if we are to secure this sector. And we all know that however many you shoot down, there are always more Orks…”

The grand double doors on the far side of the plaza groaned open, and a terrified-looking man in dress uniform dashed out. “Sire, they’re-“ he began, only for a massive armoured arm to shove him aside. Even twenty metres distant the noise of cracking bones could be heard. The PDF troopers behind the Governor gave a shout of alarm and raised their lasguns; Obregon’s pet carytids chittered in terror and hid behind their master, weeping. Alll the humans in the room tensed as, marching in double file, twelve grim-faced Orks toting heavy-calibre weaponry entered the plaza and scanned their surroundings. Lennox had just enough time to perform a double-take- marching?- and then the leader of the visiting delegation entered, and he forgot about the other Orks entirely.

The new arrival stood almost twice the height of the humans opposite, and almost twice as broad. It nonchalantly held a massive axe, longer than a man, over its shoulder, and its jutting jaw, massive fangs and heavy brow were familiar to any human who had watched the propaganda vids after Ullanor. After that, however, the resemblance ceased. Instead of the crude leather, beaten metal and furs sported by the majority of his race, the Ork warlord wore a massive, stained and patched black greatcoat, covered in gaudy decorations and gold braid. A tiny, emaciated cousin of its kind peeked out from behind its legs, occasionally cackling. Beady red eyes peered out from beneath a huge peaked cap stamped with crossed axes, and after casting a brief glance around the room, it gave a massive, unintelligible bellow. The other Orks, all wearing steel helmets and dull grey versions of their master’s uniform, crashed to attention in a passable imitation of human military discipline. The warlord nodded, and turned to his hosts.

“Wotcha fellas,” he rumbled, “glory to Horus n’dat.”

Supreme Legate Obregon, trembling slightly, stepped forward and raised his hand. “Greetings, friend. You are Gorstomp?”

The Ork grunted, then waved a finger in admonition. “Gen’ral Gorstomp, Boss of Da Fukkest Uppest. Gotta show propa respect, guvna.”

Obregon gulped. “I know you Orks like a fight, and I’ve heard that General Gorstomp and-“ he frowned, before turning to Jhost, who frantically waved him to continue- “your unit are the best fighters in the sector. You know the Warmaster- he’s the strongest warrior in the galaxy- and he has asked me if you will join forces with him to fight the armies of the Emperor.”

Gorstomp nodded as solemnly as was possible for an Ork. “I know da Warhamster.”

Jhost moved forward, but the Supreme Legate had already realised it was unwise to correct the Ork on Horus’ title, and waved him back.

The Ork continued regardless. “S’common innit? Yer get a Big Boss, and den his Nobz wanna be Boss demselves. Den they settle it old-style; first one to die is da loser. An’ all da other Nobz, they gotta choose sidez.” It grinned and waved its axe. “Den there’s big barney. Empra and Warhamster, dat’s biggest barney in Galaxy.”

The Supreme Legate smiled. “So you’ll join us? You’ll join Horus to fight the Emperor?”

Gorstomp bellowed with laughter. “Leave it aht, guvna! Might fight, might not. Whatcha payin'?”

Obregon pursed his lips, disappointed. He had hoped the Ork might join the campaign for the fun of it, but he had prepared for this eventuality, and had scraped together the best offer his meagre resources would permit.

“Three supply ships,” he said, “stuffed full of guns, ammunition, supplies- slaves from the surface of Parsifal Secundus too- everything you could want! If we give you this, will you fight for the Warmaster?”

The Kolonel grunted, thinking. “Six ships, humie. Den we fight for Warhamster.”

Obregon shook his head. “I can offer you four ships, but no more. Think what you could do with all those guns!”

Gorstomp gave a gurgling chuckle; the runt-creature at his feet gave a sycophantic cackle in response. “You deff?” the Ork asked. “Six ships.” He paused, and sighed, as if deciding to make a valuable and embarrassing concession. “Six ships pleaz”.

Obregon rolled his eyes at the Ork. “That’s not how negotiation works,” he said. “I can go no higher than four.”

The Ork’s brows knitted together for a second in extreme concentration. “K. New deal, guvna,” Gorstomp rumbled, his massive mouth stretching into something approximating a smile as he leaned forward, forcing Obregon not to gag at his foul breath. “Howz dis? I take everything,” he gestured with his enormous hands, checking cautiously that Obregon was following his line of argument, “an’ we killz you. Dat work?”

Obregon frowned, confused. “What…”

The massive Ork shrugged. “Shut it, you slaag. Da Empra, he pay in teef. Lotsa teef. Not stupid ships. Do ‘em, Boyz.”

There was a hail of explosive shell-fire as the Orks covering the human party turned their weapons on their hosts. Jhost dived for cover, yelling, as the air filled with bullets and the occasional las-bolt as the surviving PDF troopers frantically returned fire. Shaking, he lay there, eyes closed and hands over his ears, until the vibrations on the floor ceased. Is it over? He thought. After what seemed like an eternity, he gingerly opened his eyes; the top half of Lennox’s head stared back with sightless eyes. As he recoiled in horror, he heard a voice.

“You’re a poor excuse for a Xeonologist, Jhost.”

I recognise that voice. What? Jhost forced himself to look up at the rest of the room, and immediately wished he hadn’t; blood and viscera covered almost every surface, and PDF bodies were everywhere. Only one Ork had fallen in the fighting, and two of his colleagues were busily wrestling over his equipment. Gorstomp was standing over the body of the Supreme Legate and appeared to be enthusiastically eating the legs of one of the dead man’s Carytids, which was wailing piteously.

“I said, you’re a poor excuse for a Xenologist.” A bald human in a uniform almost as gaudy and ridiculous as Gorstomp’s walked towards Jhost, a vast Ogryn, presumably his bodyguard, following in his wake. Jhost looked at the new arrival, uncomprehending.

“Tarkonen?” he whispered.

“You were never one of the quick ones, were you Arkan?” the man said, smugly. “Yes, Ilya Tarkonen at your service. And which one of us has the better claim to the Endowed Chair of Xenology at Dali Chasma now? I told you that you had completely neglected my paper on xenoeconomic practices,” Tarkonen remarked, walking forward, the Ogryn following in his wake, “If you had read it, you would have learnt that the internal Orkoid economy operates on a dental standard, the weaker Ork in a power struggle having their teeth removed by the victor. The Sigilite kept abreast of my research though. He realised how it could be utilised. Do you realise how many Ork teeth were on display, or kept in storage, in the faculties of the Sol system? I have been provided with a warehouse full of them! And so Gorstomp here, and klans like him, will fight for the Imperium.”

He paused for a second. “Oh, and by the way; the argument about Orks following the greatest leader?” a self-satidfied smile flashed across his face, “Discredited, as again you’d know if you’d kept up with recent academic developments; but then Venusian graduates always were laggards. In fact, in multiple cases Orks have been observed to side with the underdog when dominance struggles arise, because of the greater opportunity for warfare and plunder.”

Gorstomp looked up from his meal. “Warhamster is winnin’. Dat no fun for us,” he interjected helpfully.

Tarkonen nodded. “Quite so, General.”

Josht looked on, utterly uncomprehending. “I don’t understand…”

“I’m going to miss our academic rivalry, Arkan,” Tarkonen sighed, before shaking his head. “But then I am no longer an academic. I am the Sigilite’s official emissary to the Blood Axe Klans now, and you are part of my past.”

He turned to Gorstomp, pulled a gaudy medal from his hip pocket, and, giving a crisp salute, pinned it to his breast. The Ork grunted in approval and pounded his chest in a sloppy, but enthusiastic Imperial salute of his own. “Thank you General,” Tarkonen said, “The Emperor will be pleased. The station is now yours; take whatever you want, weapons, slaves, supplies. Oh, and you can kill this one now too.”

Gorstomp grinned obscenely. “Cheers mate,” he rumbled, then looked down at the terrified form of Jhost on the floor; “Gotta warn you- dis gonna hurt.”

***

[Brother Dallo]

I have to say, that's awesome. I especially like "the Warhamster". There's nothing to stop you making a kill team for them, and hosting them on another website, and sharing the link with us. I'm sure Dakka, or Da Waagh would be happy to see them. 

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Dallo

[EdT]

Been making lots of progress on the new Kill Team and also on their more ambitious successor ,but nothing is quite ready to show yet apart from some bases. My flag is now properly based and I'm just waiting for my sheet of masking symbols to show up before I can move forward on it. Here's where we are so far with that;

 

 

 

And here's the flag with the just-about finished bases of the next Kill Team, whose paths will cross with the team to come immediately afterwards. They're considerably more vibrant in person, but I suppose it's not the best time of year for photos!

 

[malika666]

Hmm, which other forums do you post at? It's a shame you can't post Xenos here, so I'd love to see them somewhere else! :) The Ork story is just hilarious, really digging it. Will you also make the Orks 'true scale'?

[EdT]

Hmm, which other forums do you post at? It's a shame you can't post Xenos here, so I'd love to see them somewhere else! The Ork story is just hilarious, really digging it. Will you also make the Orks 'true scale'?

Glad you liked the story! I haven't done anything on these guys beyond thinking of the theme, but I may do something in the future; have a stack of things to do first though. If I do ever get round to them, I'd post them on Warseer; I'm a member there but haven't posted there since it was Portent- so quite a long time ago, all things considering...

Edit: Oh, and on the true scale thing, I don't think they'd need it actually. I do Astartes that way to make them bigger, but I generally stick to 'true' 28mm for baseline humans and Orks already tower above them with no problem.

[lokkorex]

When i get around to making a warband of great crusade orks, i'll base them on ogryn-sized models, because i believe it was mentioned normal Boyz were the size of nobz in the great crusade, meaning the legions had a harder time fighting them than the 40k chapters are.

[EdT]

When i get around to making a warband of great crusade orks, i'll base them on ogryn-sized models, because i believe it was mentioned normal Boyz were the size of nobz in the great crusade, meaning the legions had a harder time fighting them than the 40k chapters are.

 

I think that makes sense pre-Ullanor, assuming the Orks were from (or remnants of) Overlord Urg's Empire. These Orks are just a bunch of Freebooterz though, so I don't think they'd have the opportunity to grow to the same size. Were I to do it, it'd also let me use some of Kromlech's excellent Orks in uniform....

 

Anyhow, changing the subject away from filthy xenos, I was fiddling around today and, clearly subliminally influenced by the new Star Wars trailer, I made a energy-based power sword for somebody to use; seems like the sort of thing a Rogue Trader or a particularly flashy Lord Marshall would strut around showing off.

 

[Dantay VI]

Very nice, is that a dwarf gauntlet?

[EdT]

It is, yes- it originally had a hammer, but I thought the hilt looked nice and light-sabery. Not sure where I'll use it but I'm sure something will come up- reckon it should look quite nice painted.

[lokkorex]

I see a hand, but where's the arm and the rest of him? :)

 

Also, is the Sword the beginning of the next warband? (Kill-team sounds so puny)

 

( Jedi-squats? )

[malika666]

Hmm, or a Rogue Trader and his entourage?

[GhostMalone]

Book4 ahoy

[EdT]

I see a hand, but where's the arm and the rest of him?

Also, is the Sword the beginning of the next warband? (Kill-team sounds so puny)

( Jedi-squats? )

The sword might be used on a project I'm working on, yes- not the next team but the one after that. I'm not 100% sold on whether to use it or not though, because it doesn't neccesarily match with the rest of the aesthetic; I'm going for Alien with a dash of Dan Dare, and I'm not sure where an energy sword fits in with the space suits and rayguns.

Love the idea of Jedi Squats btw, presumably that's when you use the force to pull the planet up towards you...

Hmm, or a Rogue Trader and his entourage?

Funny you should say that! I finished the flag I've been working on; see anything on this old image that looks familiar?

[miteyheroes]

*excited*

[EdT]

This will be my entry for this month's "March of the Legions", although I'll take some better photos for that...

 

 

10- Kai Hau and the Dust Clad of the XIX

 

 

“To those who call themselves ‘Loyalists’, I say this; loyalty must be earned. For long centuries we scoured the stars for our gene-sire alongside our cousins in the XVI; when at last we found him, he overturned the sacred traditions of our Legion, condemned us as tyrants and cast us out into the outer darkness. It was only then that I realised that our true father had been with us all along; blood means nothing compared to comradeship. The only one who has earned my loyalty is the Warmaster. I spit on the Ravenlord; He is no father of mine.”

-Lieutenant Commander Kai Hau, formerly of the 7^th Battalion, XIX Legion

 

The XIX Legion, or Raven Guard, was one of those that remained faithful to the Imperium in the wake of the Warmaster’s treachery. However it would be naïve to believe that the every member of the Legion remained loyal. The Ravenlord’s actions in the days after being united with his Legion left a lasting legacy of bitterness amongst some of the longest serving Terrans under his command, and for a small number, this anger would eventually be expressed in a repudiation of the Primarch and all he stood for.

 

When the Primarch of the XIX took control of his Legion, he began a major cultural shift in his command. Corax’s background as a freedom fighter and crusader against oppression sat badly with the ‘might makes right’ Xeric tribal philosophy of his Terran veterans, and while the majority of the Legion transitioned to the new ways, there remained a rump that was reluctant to abandon their traditions. There hold-outs were dealt with ruthlessly; the Ravenlord essentially cast them out of the Legion, removing them from the command structure of the XIX and scattering them in ‘Nomad Predation’ fleets sent to pacify the fringes of the galaxy.

 

Many of these outcast XIX remained Loyal to the Imperium and their Primarch come the Great Betrayal, but one who did not was Lieutenant Commander Kai Hau. A proud warrior of Xeric stock, Hau had fought for the Legion since the earliest days of the Great Crusade, and proudly maintained the traditions that had distinguished the XIX since that time. For a time after the Ravenlord’s union with his Legion he escaped the general purge of his comrades by finding favour as a liaison officer for joint operations with the XVI; however after the Akum-Sothos cluster campaign and the withdrawal of all cooperation between the two legions, it was clear that Hau’s usefulness to the Primarch was at an end.

 

[Pict Capture TE/875-11S-114] - Lieutenant Commander Kai Hau of the XIX Legion. Rembrancer's Note: Facial tattooing was a common honourific amongst Terran veterans of the XIX before their union with the Primarch. Addendum: Eye of Horus on left knee denotes Warmaster's Commendation.]

 

The unfortunate Lieutenant Commander was given command of a few hundred Terran veterans and, like so many of his kind, was exiled to the distant Halo Stars. For the next half century, Hau and his comrades languished in obscurity, fighting unknown wars beyond the Galactic fringe and appearing only occasionally in Imperial records; however, it appears that some contact was maintained with their old friends in the Warmaster’s legion, and at some point before the Isstvan atrocity, they were recalled to join the traitor cause.  

 

Fortunately for the Imperium, Hau and his comrades never made it to join the bulk of the Warmaster’s forces. Around the time of their summons, his strike force took serious casualties in a major engagement, quite possibly the result of internal infighting. While resupplying at a concealed cache in the crystal forests of Satva Tertius, they were chanced upon by the Rogue Trader Fouwé Tor, who had also been engaged in exploration of the Halo Zone and was completely ignorant of the warfare spreading across the Imperium. The renegade Astartes, not realising this fact, launched an immediate attack on the new arrivals; however they had badly misjudged the military capabilities of Tor’s vessel Anastasia, and their Strike Cruiser was quickly disabled, trapping them on the planet’s surface. Refusing all offers of surrender, Hau was eventually cut down by the massed volkites of Tor’s landing parties.

 

 

[Pict Capture TE/875-11S-115] - Terran veterans of the XIX Legion, unknown company]

 

Other ‘Dust Clad’ were more successful. As early as the Coronid Deeps campaign, enough members of the XIX had joined the Warmaster’s forces to organise a demi-company; by Dwell and Molech three whole battle companies wore the whorled grey of the old XIX. It is certain that the Dust Clad were at Terra with their adopted father; their ultimate fate after the Warmaster’s death remains one of the many unknowns of that disturbed period.

 

[Pict Capture TE/875-11S-116] - Lieutenant Commander Kai Hau of the XIX and comrades as they appeared during the Satva Tertius engagement]

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: Oh, and while I'm here; look what arrived today! Unlike most of my models, I've built these four as stock; the only change I've made is shaving off all the Solar Auxilia iconography, as these guys are under the personal command of a Rogue Trader. Some of the others have been cut up though;  a very nerve wracking experience!

 

[Argent aquila]

Great stuff! traitor Raven Guard true to their roots. I'm quite the fan.

Are those axes fantasy bits? They don't have the tell-tale power pack and wire for 40K power weapons.....

also,if only i had the money to afford cool models like those auxilia.

impatiently awaiting more.

[Brother Vidius]

Great work as usual Ed! Inspiring stuff!

 

They look like the plastic Chaos warrior axes from Fantasy.

[EdT]

Glad you liked them, they are indeed the WHFB Chaos Warrior axes. I felt it fitted rather better with the background about Xeric weaponry than the standard Power-Axes did. Better photos soon!

 

Anyhow, I made some progress on the armsmen. They'll be rather dirtier when finished; I want the whole team to look like their void-suits and equipment are well-maintained, but get a lot of use. Think Alien.

 

 

I've also made some progress on one of the Rogue Trader's companions, a Navigator. Still lots of work to do there and he's only tacked together, but it's getting there! I'm just doing a spot of GS work on the torso which will hopefully make my (hopefully quite fun) concept work nicely.

 

[EdT]

So, today I've mostly been making a display base for my Rogue Trader and her entourage. It's a bit of a departure for me, but I'm treating it as basically just a massive version of a normal model base, and that seems to have worked so far. Here's a step by step...

 

I started off by finding something to use as the foundation. A christmas cake base was the perfect size, and was also (as you can see from the photo) rather cheap; exactly what I was after!

 

 

 

I wanted to give the terrain some relief- no point in having an entirely flat boad! So I took some leftover plastic clamshells, cut them in half so they would lie flat, and used some PVA glue to stick them to my cake base. This will give a rough base that I can refine in the next step.

 

 

 

The next stage was lots of filler (or spackle, as the Americans call it). This was cheap stuff I bought a while back for making these muddy bases, and given that it was only a couple of quid then I've definitely got my money's worth. I ended up using the whole of the remainder of the pack, adding water in a bowl until it had the same consistency as houmous or a very thick cake batter.

 

Having mixed the filler, I slapped it onto my base, making sure to cover all the plastic clamshells and sculpting things to look fairly realistic. I wasn't too anal about smoothing the finish, as there was still another layer to come. Having waited a bit to let things begin to set, I began to place some dummy bases around to indicate where the various team members will stand and ensure that they'll be stable on the final display. I also took the opportunity to place some clusters of the brilliant Anarchy crystals I've been using. While the filler won't stick them to the base very well, it'll mean they're much easier to secure with superglue later on, as the base will have moulded itself to recieve them.

 

As my Rogue Trader has a support vehicle, I wanted to have some tyre tracks on the base. This was easily done; I just took a wheel from the vehicle and rolled it in the direction I wanted down the setting filler, making sure that the distance between the two tracks was the same as the vehicle's axle width. In the photo it looks a little wonky but it's not really; the terrain dips on one side. 

 

 

After a couple of hours everything sets, and the below is what the whole thing looks like at that point; like some sort of weird cake. This is the best time to secure the crystals properly, so I took each one off one by one and put a blob of superglue underneath before pressing them back into the hollow they had come from. After ten minutes they'd set themselves rock solid.

 

 

 

...and with that done, the next job is the final layer. I covered the whole thing, apart from the crystals, the bases already in place and the tyre tracks, with PVA glue and sprinkled over a load of cork granules of various sizes. After waiting a few hours for everything dry, I picked up the base and shook it over a bowl to remove the excess; I also tidied up around the edges and removed the bases. The result was this;

 

 

With everything dry, I went outside (which also helped clear some of the excess cork given how windy it was) and gave everything a good spray of varnish to secure everything in place. Now it was time to paint...

 

 

The first stage was a black undercoat. I put this on with a brush, so it took quite a while! Obviously a spray would have been much quicker and easier, but that would have meant I'd have to mask all the crystals or stick them on the base after the painting, and from doing the bases of my Dust Clad I knew that was a recipe for lots of cursing as it's impossible to remember which crystal goes where. I used a cheap black acylic from an art shop, not anything decent. Having let that dry, then it was the first coat of the turquoise colour;

 

 

And that's where I am at the moment. There are three more coats of paint (and one wash) to go before it's done; hopefully I should be able to do that tomorrow.

 

Oh, and while I'm here, I made a bit of progress on another front too; here's a taster...

[Brother Dallo]

That base looks great. Thanks for the step by step. Nice to see that, while looking good, a display base doesn't have to break the bank. I have to say that I like the Navigator too. Great combination of bitz.

 

Judging by the size of the bitz, I'm guessing that the arm belongs to some kind of Ogryn or large servitor?

 

Dallo 

[EdT]

Glad you like the display base. The whole thing was very cheap to do; leaving aside the things like varnish, cork etc that I already had lying around, the whole thing probably cost less than £20, and the majority of that was the crystals and the paint.

 

And speaking of which, it's now finished! So here's the rest of the process. First, I gave the thing a wash;

 

 

And when that was dry, I went over the whole thing with the original base colour and a small brush, finding the odd areas where the previous coasts had somehow missed the filler or cork. Here's where being able to spray would have been an absolute godsend! With that done, I did my first drybrush;

 

 

Then a second and third, of progressively lighter shades;

 

 

...and the painting is done! Now, all that was left to do was to give the whole thing a final coat of matte varnish to seal it. This has the side effect of fogging up the crystals, but that's not a problem; when the sealing coat was dry, I went over them  with some gloss varnish and they really sparkled. With that everything is done! Here's a shot that shows how the display base matches with bases already done in this style;

 

 

And this means, of course, that with the aid of Photoshop I can now do things like this...

 

 

[EdT]

And one more quick update, along with a Christmas joke;

Q: What do you call a (rather WIP) Ogryn with a spacesuit and a multilaser?

A: Sir

[JackDaw]

Man, look at him. Awesome.

[Brother Dallo]

Well that joke was cracker worthy.

 

It seems that my guess was right.

 

Dallo

[SalvationOfReason]

Damn thats pretty. Nice work on the step-by-step for the display, and that Ogryn is looking nice so far.