WarriorFish's AdMech and Knight House Blog

[WarriorFish]

Having recently acquired a Knight I am very keen to get started but in a feat of herculean will power I have postponed it until I do my duty and finish some other projects first. I can't remember the last time I was so excited, as a follower of the Omnissiah and unrepentant tread head a Knight is like a holy grail! This delay will also provide me with some time to do the necessary footwork in creating a back story for my Knight House before starting.

 

I've read the codex and I have my own ideas, but I found the level of detail in how the houses etc can work to be a little lacking. Is it mostly a case of running with what exists and keeping with the knightly themes of honour and duty? I'd like to have my cake and eat it though so I was thinking of an Imperial aligned Knightly House that has a tradition of free blading in a similar way to being oath sworn.

 

For example being sworn to a particular crusade, person or quest where the Knight will have half the house's colours and paint the other half as something representing their allies or quest. Or perhaps having this as normal, so all Knights will have half of their suit painted in their own heraldric colours etc similar to "original" knights?

 

I don't think I'll be getting lots of Knights, perhaps this will be the only one which is why I'm trying to get a bit of both in but I'm not sure if this works within the established lore. Any help gratefully received!

 

edit: updated topic name and tags to better reflect what the topic has become: my home on the B&C for my AdMech and Knight projects

[JeffTibbetts]

There's a precedent for doing just that without Freeblading, and the knightly houses have a fairly wide swing in terms of local culture. The Companion book might be worth tracking down if you can find it, as there's a fair bit more in terms of fluff and even some of the design ethos behind the knights. 

 

Freeblades, in every example I can think of, ditch their original colors completely. It's a mutual thing, as their house doesn't want them flying the flag either. But there are plenty of knights that, when oathsworn, take on elements of the army they're fighting with. I think it's a cool idea, personally. 

[Brother Paen]

I like the regalia and banners and ornamentation that Knights have. That being said, my Household ended up in the same green paint scheme as my I.G. which I envisioned them supporting. I may change this to give them more character.

 

I would suggest giving your Household a color / heraldry scheme that pleases you and simply add a removeable / replaceable back banner to show allegiance or Fealty to another of your armies.......Good luck, cant wait to see what you come up with.

[WarriorFish]

I see, thanks for the replies. From what I read the only way a free blade could retain their house colours is if they're a last survivor and even then that's unusual, and the House is going to be very much alive and well. What I was thinking of was having half or some of the model to be very heraldic in nature, perhaps almost harlequin with lots of little bits and bobs, maybe chequered and stuff? I'm keen to try and push my painting boundaries and this is a perfect opportunity.

 

So perhaps it would be better to just incorporate the heraldic stuff into the colour scheme? That way if I get a second Knight I can just do completely different symbols and such on his suit to tell his own story and that of those who wore the suit before him. Does that sound like a better idea?

 

Another question; I'm assuming the different heads are directly associated with the Knight's allegiance? So the skull mask and beady-eyes ones are for Mechanicus Knights, or can you use whichever you like?

[JeffTibbetts]

I see, thanks for the replies. From what I read the only way a free blade could retain their house colours is if they're a last survivor and even then that's unusual, and the House is going to be very much alive and well. What I was thinking of was having half or some of the model to be very heraldic in nature, perhaps almost harlequin with lots of little bits and bobs, maybe chequered and stuff? I'm keen to try and push my painting boundaries and this is a perfect opportunity.

 

So perhaps it would be better to just incorporate the heraldic stuff into the colour scheme? That way if I get a second Knight I can just do completely different symbols and such on his suit to tell his own story and that of those who wore the suit before him. Does that sound like a better idea?

 

Another question; I'm assuming the different heads are directly associated with the Knight's allegiance? So the skull mask and beady-eyes ones are for Mechanicus Knights, or can you use whichever you like?

 

You can use whichever head you like, but the implication is that mostly just the AdMech ones use the skull mask. And like I was saying, I think you can do the color scheme the way you want and NOT make them FreeBlades at all. Seems like the way to go, since if you add additional Knights it would be, in my mind, odd for them both to be Freeblades from the same house. Becoming a Freeblade isn't just about deciding where you're going to fight or with what army. It's a conscious decoupling from your house, their colors, and their traditions. You CAN go back to it later, but it's rare. Think of it like the Amish kids (if you're familiar, basically religious ascetic colonies) who leave the group and lifestyle behind and go explore before deciding what they want to do. Some come back, most don't. In any case, they're TRYING to get away and that's what makes them Freeblades. 

 

What you're describing is much more like Oathsworn to my mind. That means they're still part of the family in every way, but they make a (sometimes permanent) secondment and pledge to fight in a certain campaign, against a certain enemy, or with a certain allied force. It's very common in those cases to mark that allegiance out on their armor in some way. 

 

It's your idea, though. Which one of those sounds more like what you had in mind? 

[WarriorFish]

That sounds about right, the house's colours can easily make room for additions to mark the bearer/s and still allow room for customising. The house can have a long tradition of sending forces to aid others or complete quests etc Especially since I've not made any decisions on the house's colours yet. All my armies have green on but I might like to do something different for a change. Perhaps a purple or blue?

 

I like the skull mask but I'll see how it goes, all the Knights I've seen seem to have obvious links between allegiance and head so it might not look right. Thanks for the help!

 

I've not even opened the box yet (how's that for resolve?) Soon though my precious... I'll be sure to create a WIP topic here when I have something to show

[JeffTibbetts]

I'm shocked, literally shocked, at your fortitude. Your WP score must be like, what, 10 at least? 

[WarriorFish]

They don't let just anyone be a Commissar :P Thanks both for your help, I'm feeling a lot more confident about what I'm going to be doing now :tu: I'll work on the fluff as I mull over colour schemes, hopefully I'll be creating my WIP topic before the end of the year though I've just remembered my black spray paint is almost empty!

 

Is there anything in particular I should note, for example tips for building the kit or painting?

[JeffTibbetts]

Not to toot my own horn or anything but feel free to browse through my blog (click the bee logo in my sig) as I document every facet of my build, including tons of planning steps. The kit itself is fanTAStic. The most fun I've had in recent memory, hands-down. So well designed. It's a fairly straightforward build if you keep it bog standard. I reposed the legs (the hard way, mind) and magnetized almost everything so if you're interested in investing that level of time into it, it's worth it to do a little research. There are tons of folks who built interiors and pilots as well. I may do that some day but I haven't yet. I think a lot of it is just planning out where you want to put all the markings and heraldry. There's so much room for all of that, you can go pretty crazy with it. Freeblades, as a rule, seem a lot less adorned with minor honorifics and kill markings, while the heraldry on regular knights is rich with meaning. Their kills and honor marks can literally tell their story on their armor. Just depends how much you really want to get into it. 

[Brother Paen]

I like the idea of an oathsworn Knight out Crusading with a Force, maybe as part of his duty to the Household. I've thought about a Deathwatch Kill Team with a Knight in support, everyone getting experience and taking it back to their parent units.

[WarriorFish]

I think it'll be cool, especially if you get to go to town on heraldry and honour marks. I'd like to do a lot - not as far as interiors but I want to magnetise it too so I can have both weapons :) I will check out your topic Jeff :tu:

[JeffTibbetts]

There are much easier ways to magnetize, mind you. I've not seen another one that actually made it possible to do both weapons accurately, though. Ususally people just swap out the front of the weapon and maybe the ammo and that's it. That's the easy button if you're looking to roll fast and don't care as much about the details. Pick your poison. 

[Battybattybats]

There are precedents for these. The codex mentions Knights joining up with the retinues of Rogue Traders (Now where's THAT character option FFG?) and the companion mentions Knights joining titan legions permanently as well as temporarily.
 

House Hawkshroud already festoon their knights with the emblems of those they fight alongside, so your having your knights incorporate colours as well as symbols would be well within the bounds already established without them needing to be freeblades.

The beady-eyed face is just an unarmoured head, and while mechanicus might have a greater preference for the skull faceplate armour there's no reason a non-mechanicus knight can't use it. In fact one of the freeblades GW show us has a converted faceplate, if you look closely the top half is the skull but with the visor from another faceplate over the lower half!

http://www.ephotobay.com/image/012-11.jpg

[WarriorFish]

Good to know, thanks a lot! I'm not too fussed about making the weapons perfectly swappable so compromise is ok, not like anyone will really notice or care. I'll get to really go into detail on the heraldic parts and adding elements from campaigns and armies, should be a lot of fun :)

[WarriorFish]

It is once more time for my beady eye to turn to my Knight... I will soon be vowing my Shadowsword for the ETL but it shouldn't take me too long to paint up. With a little bit of luck I should have the time to add my Knight as my fourth vow. Don't worry, I'll be creating a topic for it here as promised Even if I don't feel I have the time for it during the ETL, especially as I want to work hard on it, it will still next on my list of projects

 

So it is time to start planning ahead. Since I got my Knight the new kit has come out, I gather it's quite interchangeable but having not seen the bits in person I'd like some clarification on them. Is it a simple case of the same type of magnetising for the arms? What about the carapace armament? I'd like to make the Knight fully interchangeable but without having to purchase the new kit (yet). I tried a search but couldn't find much, has anyone got some pictures/tutorials for this?

 

I've been pondering stuff and I'm settled on on some things such as the personal heraldry (a rose) but I'll need to think about the house's details. I'm also undecided on colours aside from green and probably some white but plenty of time for that Thanks in advance

[anselneo]

I suggest you get your hands on a knight companion, it describes in much detail how the knight color schemes work. Usually it's one half the house heraldry and the other half is personalised. You can even go in the way of house Hawkshroud, which uses it's own heraldry and then the other half which shows the alliances. Might be an interesting mismatch for both :)

[Frater Cornelius]

Well, Freeblades do not have a set colour scheme. If you only have a single IK then that might be your best option anyway.

[Father Mehman]

It is once more time for my beady eye to turn to my Knight... I will soon be vowing my Shadowsword for the ETL but it shouldn't take me too long to paint up. With a little bit of luck I should have the time to add my Knight as my fourth vow. Don't worry, I'll be creating a topic for it here as promised Even if I don't feel I have the time for it during the ETL, especially as I want to work hard on it, it will still next on my list of projects

 

So it is time to start planning ahead. Since I got my Knight the new kit has come out, I gather it's quite interchangeable but having not seen the bits in person I'd like some clarification on them. Is it a simple case of the same type of magnetising for the arms? What about the carapace armament? I'd like to make the Knight fully interchangeable but without having to purchase the new kit (yet). I tried a search but couldn't find much, has anyone got some pictures/tutorials for this?

 

I've been pondering stuff and I'm settled on on some things such as the personal heraldry (a rose) but I'll need to think about the house's details. I'm also undecided on colours aside from green and probably some white but plenty of time for that Thanks in advance

 

It's all interchangeable and magnetizable from my understanding, Lord Commissar. The Carapace Weapons slot in the hole on the top of the Knight. Now, the Missile Launchers share the same body so, if you want both, your best bet is to magnetize both facings. The AA gun is separate so you'll have that one no problem.

 

For the best information on heraldry don't look at the Knight Companion. There are some fantastic websites that deal only in the subject of symbols, colours, and other devices. These make the Knight so it's best to look at the source.

[WarriorFish]

Looks like I'll need to do my research before starting, at least enough so I can paint the model for the ETL as I can always return later for embellishments and the like. You'd think the codex has all the stuff you'll need... Do you have some of these links Meh? I don't want to make a mistake when coming up with the colours etc!

[Father Mehman]

I meant to post these when i commented earlier but now works just as well !

Linky 1

Linky 2

 

Hope those help!

[WarriorFish]

Oho, thanks Meh turns out the red rose idea was quite prophetic for the character who will wield the Knight :) I'm assuming the colours are symbolic for the heraldic shield more than anything else, so the Knight itself can be other colours without issue?

 

My armies have green, white, red and gold on so I may represent these on the shield too. I'm all excited now, I might sneak some Knight assembly in tonight...

[Father Mehman]

The Heraldic Shield is wholly symbolic and, of course, this is where we see devices, symbols, the House colours, etc. As long as your Knights share the same uniformity in all but two places (the Knight's right shoulder and left knee are reserved for the pilot's personal heraldry), you have a properly coloured Household.

 

Have fun with it !

[WarriorFish]

I'll keep that in mind, thanks a lot Meh. I have another project to finish first but I'm fairly optimistic I can get the Knight done for the ETL. Maybe not with all the fancy details but I may need to do a lot of practising before I attempt them anyway :)

[WarriorFish]

I've finalised the details for the Knight and pilot, I'll be saving the rose for the next Knight. How else am I going to get the additional weapon options? ;) The finer details can wait for a proper right up and such, the Knight House in particular as I've only noted a couple of things about them so far.

Here is my current progress, the legs are finished as far as gluing before painting goes:

I magnetised the feet so I should be able to just glue them to the base and have a much easier time transporting her :)

I marked the feet and directions, though on reflection I'm not sure why :P The torso is just in a dry run at the moment, as you can see the waist connection is also not done as I need to figure out a good way to have this removable too for transportation. The torso section will have a fair bit of uneven weight with the weapon arms too so it needs to be done properly for it to work.

[Frater Cornelius]

Man, after working so much on Cerastus Pattern legs, the original ones really look static and stumpy. If I am going to build a Questoris one, I will definitely cut those legs and repose them.