Queen Bee Knight -- Thank you! Please read the new post

[Battybattybats]

Glad i could help :)
Sketch looks like a really good fix and narrative addition. I'm looking forward to seeing the results.

[JeffTibbetts]

Alright. The fiancé is out of town and I had a little time to hobby. I wanted to get some of the Queen's little detailing done on the torso before moving on to the serious weathering that's coming up soon. Worked on the pouches, weapons, etc. last night for a bit.

In case you missed it way earlier, Aurelia keeps a bunch of emergency supplies in the alcove under the Queen's shoulder armor. She's got a pistol (which is way too big for her to use, really. It's just to make her feel better), a few grenades, and a bunch of tools for emergency repair jobs. I haven't decided yet if she's cold enough to have looted these off Eagle Eyes astartes she fought with, or if they were given to her. I'm leaning towards given, but she's pretty resourceful so I dunno... I love the idea that she climbs around on the metal frame here, like a monkey, and grabs stuff when she goes out. The thought is that her Throne Mechanicum never leaves the cockpit anymore (since she's Freeblade) and when Aurelia's lady-friend takes a hit and needs to be patched up in the middle of battle, she can pop out, grab her gun, a grenade or two and some tools, and scramble around to make repairs. I just love the thought of it.

This is a little icon that she installed right behind where the ion shield is mounted. I've toyed with the idea of this housing sacred oils and unguents, specially prepared, to appease the machine spirit when this fickle piece of tech is on the brink. While I see Aurelia as being very practical and eschewing many of the pseudo-mystical practices of the Mechanicus, there is some tech she just can't wrap her head around. She's a nuts and bolts kinda gal, so welding, bolts, metal, etc. are all no problem. Even wiring is no big deal. But, for things like the ion shield and stuff like the throne interface, she doesn't fully trust herself to fully understand the tech. Plus, like any sailor or soldier who's intimately familiar with the things their life depends on, there's a lot of superstition and old ritual that is followed where luck plays into something. For that reason, when she feels like it's needed, she'll go down and pop open this shrine, anoint the machine with sacred oils and say a little prayer. She's a bit embarrassed by it, but she figures she way as well do it. It seems to help (or maybe it just helps her feel better). The metal skulls here are highly polished as well, is stark contrast to the crusty metal around it. I also used a little yellow glaze to give the impression that the metal is actually shining. Incidentally, you can see just how crusty this is up close.

On the other side, there's not nearly as much added kit. She does keep a camo roll which doubles as a blanket/bed roll for cold nights in the field. Also note the little toolkit that she keeps by the heavy stubber, to use when it gets all jammed up. Oh, wait, what are those in the back?

The eggs! I'm not quite done with the nest yet, but the eggs came out pretty well, I think. I can't remember exactly what layers and order I painted it in, but it had a dark gray base, followed with Nihilakh Oxide for that chalky texture, khaki spots, Agrax Earthshade, more Oxide... There are a bunch of layers. Again, I know it's a little silly, but I think it's got some pretty cool symbolic meaning. This machine virtually never exists in an Adeptus Mechanicus hanger. It's HERS, and she maintains it with her own familial group of hand-picked, personally trained natives of Tonatzin. She keeps it out there, with them, in a small village they all live in. That means it's in the jungle. And in this jungle, there are many birds of paradise. Heck, maybe they're even from the famed Jade Eagles, namesakes of the Eagle Eyes marines. I quite like the idea that she saw the nest at some point, and decided to leave it right there. Surely they'll die, but to remove the nest would most likely kill them anyway. She just left it. While she's no stranger to death and murder, she likes to think she only kills those who deserve it. Amazingly, with the heat exhaust ports close by but not right on top of them, the eggs are still intact. She's sure they'll fall out one of these days, but she's keeping the hope alive and checks on them every morning.

Haters gonna hate, probably. :D

That's all for now. Next up, finishing the nest itself, but then the fun part on the other side: I'll be painting up the Howling Banshee exarch pole arm blade she has strapped on the shoulder cage. That should be fun. Then, I should be ready to do the washes.

[Zujara]

Love all the little details, they fit the character you are building very nicely.

[MagicMan]

The little details are great, even the eggs! Worse case scenario : breakfast.



Will they be covered up with the shoulders on, though?

[JeffTibbetts]

Love all the little details, they fit the character you are building very nicely.

Thanks! I'm having a blast creating this character and thinking about what she's like.

 

  

The little details are great, even the eggs! Worse case scenario : breakfast.

Will they be covered up with the shoulders on, though?

Yeah, of course. That's half the fun, though. It's like an inside joke. I checked, though, and you can just barely see through the cracks and from below. It's still worth it, if only to help me understand the character better. I was thinking this morning maybe I should magnetize the shoulders, but I dunno if I'm going to do that yet.

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

This is badass. I want to get a Knight at some point for the modelling possibilities and this is fantastic inspiration for that. I love the eggs, nice little touch there, and the way you've tied in the Knight pilot with the Eagle Eyes marines.

[JeffTibbetts]

This is badass. I want to get a Knight at some point for the modelling possibilities and this is fantastic inspiration for that. I love the eggs, nice little touch there, and the way you've tied in the Knight pilot with the Eagle Eyes marines.

 

Thanks! This kit is phenomenal, and it's just expanded my imagination so much. In fact, I'm so interested in the fluff of this pilot and her Knight that I've re-written some of the fluff for my chapter to accommodate a shift in their attitude and leadership. When she joined with them and moved her base to their home world, it really opened up the eyes (pun intended) of some members of the chapter. She represents a humanity they're in danger of losing, and also the way she shirks the Adeptus Mechanicus--politically by giving them a little of what they want but stringing them along to serve her own purposes--instead of giving into their whims and losing herself... It's inspired some of the Eagle Eyes. 

[MagicMan]

I definitely think you should magnetise the shoulders, would be a shame to lock away all that detail for ever!


Where have the Eagle Eyes been recently...?

[JeffTibbetts]

I definitely think you should magnetise the shoulders, would be a shame to lock away all that detail for ever!

Where have the Eagle Eyes been recently...?

Well, they're in a bit of a transition. I did a test mini using new recipes and actually doing some weathering/damage! I mentioned before I've been inspired by your Marines Errant. On my test mini I tried to do more realistic damage and it looked weird, so I'm going to do the more painted on type that you do. I'll have another test up with that sooner or later. Basically I'm sitting on them right now. But, the fluff is always moving as I mentioned. They're very much alive in my head.

[MagicMan]

 

 I did a test mini using new recipes and actually doing some weathering/damage! I mentioned before I've been inspired by your Marines Errant.

Eek, scary stuff! And cheers pal! 

 

The sponge thing works great for bright colours like bone and white, but ive found with darker colours its alot easier just to paint it on. Especially if you want chips and damage rather than ''This dude just came down a chimney'' look, lol. 

 

 

My advice would be paint little splotches of your highlight colour on, then paint over that with black, leaving the bottom edge showing the highlight colour. Takes a bit of practice, but I think looks fairly decent. :)

[JeffTibbetts]

I did a test mini using new recipes and actually doing some weathering/damage! I mentioned before I've been inspired by your Marines Errant.

Eek, scary stuff! And cheers pal!

The sponge thing works great for bright colours like bone and white, but ive found with darker colours its alot easier just to paint it on. Especially if you want chips and damage rather than ''This dude just came down a chimney'' look, lol.

My advice would be paint little splotches of your highlight colour on, then paint over that with black, leaving the bottom edge showing the highlight colour. Takes a bit of practice, but I think looks fairly decent.

Oh, I thought you did it the other way around. Dark then light. Sweet pro-tips! Thanks.

[MagicMan]

You can do dark then light, i used to, but its a little fiddlier trying to get a nice thin line. Try both ways. See whats easier for you!

[JeffTibbetts]

You can do dark then light, i used to, but its a little fiddlier trying to get a nice thin line. Try both ways. See whats easier for you!

 

Right on. Thanks again! 

[sockwithaticket]

Such cool little additions, I love the explanation behind them. Freeblades are definitely more interesting mainstream Knights. Good to see her coming along.

[Battybattybats]

I love the eggs!

(If they are Razorwings when they hatch if they imprint on her she'll end up with some extra defence when not meshed with the machine!)

I find the shoulders on my knight so snug they won't need magnets or glue and i just sit them in place, but if yours aren't then definitely magnetise, those details are way too cool not to show off.

[Ace Debonair]

The Queen Bee continues to be awesome.

This is going to look so damn cool when it's all done.

[JeffTibbetts]

Thanks for the kind words as usual, peeps! I'm finally feeling excited to get back into finishing her. I'm over my slump and ready to rock it out. Haven't even started her arms yet, and the base needs a lot of work. But that's okay.

[Xenith]

Great to see you back working on this, it's a true labout of love and obsession, and is looking brilliant!

[geektom]

Hey man, everything looks fantastic, and I love how you are telling a complete story through this model. Inspirational, really.

 

One funny thing: when I first saw the icon, all I could see was a baby/embryo with a skull head. Took me several seconds to figure out what I was actually look at, lol.

[JeffTibbetts]

Okay. Got a couple more hours in last night. I'm almost ready for the oil washes and weathering pigments on the torso, which is super exciting. First, though, a couple more details on the torso.

Here's a detail I think many may have missed so for, since I hadn't painted it. A trophy from a previous victim. In this case, a Howling Banshee exarch.

I was a little excited to paint a classic Eldar gem (don't tell the Black Templar fanatics around here!). Base Xereous Purple, I think, blended to a dark brown on top, then Genestealer Purple on the bottom, a blend of that and some pink whose name escapes me, and then added white a couple more times. I've always liked the effect these give. A dot of white of course and then I glossed it with red-tinted Future floor polish. I also did the little node on the power weapon, only because I always used to do this when I painted Eldar back in the day.

The rope is actual thread, with super glue (or maybe it was actually white glue, it's been a while) on it to stiffen it up.

The story here is that she was fighting some Eldar, obviously. This was fairly early in her career as a Freeblade and she was really feeling the gender prejudice of her family. During the battle, she saw some Howling Banshees and was really stunned by their grace and exoticism. She engaged these warrior women, and she was excited to test her mettle against them as worthy opponents. She slew them, of course, but during the fight she was very impressed with their bravery and strength. It left a certain mark on her psyche and for the rest of the battle kept thinking about them and the courage it must have taken. After the fight was over, Aurelia was assessing the damage to the Queen, and she saw her shin armor was rent. Upon closer inspection, she found the tip of this blade lodged into it. The tip of the blade had actually nicked the front-facing piston. The handle must have snapped when the Queen raised her foot to crush them. Once again, Aurelia was impressed with the Banshees, and she kept the blade and lashed it to the cage around the gun-arm shoulder. She likes to look at it to remember the deadly tenacity of those women. It's become a talisman to her now, and she believe it imbues her weapon with power and her chassis with grace. To see the Queen Bee move and fight, one might be inclined to agree with her.

And the other bit I'm excited about: EYES. Finally, she can see. Also, now you can see the cracked eye-lens as well. I had a heck of a lot of fun blending this. I think I mixed no less than 6 or 7 shades, and ate a gross amount of paint in the process. Lahmian Medium tastes funny. I went back and added custom shades as well with the base blue (old Royal Blue I believe).

I capped it off with a blue-tinted Future floor polish gloss to add some pop. I'll be doing just a bit of OSL effects, but I want to keep it very subtle.

How do you guys feel about the crack? I originally wanted to paint the cracks white but it looked wrong. I had to change it.

[KrautScientist]

Coming along very nicely! Love the cracked lens -- such a characterful little touch, and extremely well executed as well!

[JeffTibbetts]

Thanks, K-Sci. I may add some tiny white highlights on the edges of the cracks but I might just leave it. Haven't decided yet. 

 

Also, thanks for all the likes, peeps! Wow. 

[KrautScientist]

If you want to hear my opinion, leave it like that. The effect looks very nice as it is, and I wouldn't risk ruining it by yet another layer of highlights.

[JeffTibbetts]

If you want to hear my opinion, leave it like that. The effect looks very nice as it is, and I wouldn't risk ruining it by yet another layer of highlights.

 

Who wouldn't want to hear your opinion... That's crazy talk? And yeah, I think you may be right. I should worry more about how much OSL I'm going to add and how. I've never done it, but that goes for 70% of everything I've done in this project so far. Why not add some more new techniques to my arsenal? 

[Ovidius Incertus]

The eyes look great.  My only qualm (if you can call it that) is the relative monotony of steel on the face.  The brass and the eyes look excellent, but I think a touch of another metallic, like a copper, in a strategic spot might go far.  Maybe a copper on the hose coupling (or whatever they are) on the "outer" hoses?  With just a tint of verdigris in the recesses to bring a pop of non-metallic softness.  I think that might really add to the visual interest without distracting from the eyes.