The Observer's 30k Stuff - Holguin Conversion

[Vairocanum]

Really nice and gritty Iron Warrior! Nice decal use as usual, definitely looking forward to seeing more!

[Dagoth Ur]

VIII

 

I still remember the day he was brought before us. Of course I remember, I am Astartes, but amongst a lifetime's worth of memories, a  few shine brighter than the rest. The Eight Son, the Bloodking of Nostramo, the Child of the Night, but also Konrad Curze. The Phoenician Fulgrim stood at his side as he observed us; his sons. Konrad was...beautiful, in his own, bestial and grim way. It was not the beauty of benevolent deities cast into gleaming bronze, but the regal aura of ancient, cthonic gods that wandered between the realms of light and dark. Much like us, Konrad was fear incarnate, weaponized terror itself; created to be the ultimate punishment.

Back then, there had still been clarity in his eyes. They had not been the murk of smoky waters, but the gleam of obsidian and moonlit oceans. Konrad was broken, even then, and we knew. We feared that a second Angron had been brought to his sons. In many ways he was less broken than the Red Angel, in many others he was so much more fragmented. Most important, he loved us. Not in the way Sanguinius, Russ or Vulkan loved their sons, not so open and certainly not with such fervour. One might call it admiration, I suppose. Konrad saw that we understood the lesson he was taught on Nostramo, that fear is a weapon, a neccesarry tool and not a toy to heighten ones senses. Terror was to be used as a means to achieve compliance, and not be inflicted for its own sake.

I believe that is the reason he hated what the Night Lords became, and why he tried to purge the Nostraman ways from our legion. But eventually, Konrad ceased to be, and the Night Haunter was all that was left. I visited him often during his demented days on Tsagualsa, and I wept silently at the sight of what once had been my father.  A great predator, once wrought in sable pelt and armed with sharp talons, had been reduced to a blind beast with matted, grey fur and splintered claws.

I choose to remember him as the broken angel that he had been; the deliverer of ultimate justice that was driven insance by his own darkness and betrayed by the very man who devised him for one purpose and one alone. I swore, that the Nostraman ways would never prevail amongst my men.

We were never Night Lords, but the Children of the Night.

Never the Night Lords, but simply the VIII^th.

 

Sariel "The Duskwalker", Praetor-Primus of the "Crimson Sons"

 

My heart pounds like a drum.

My breath is ragged and shallow.

My lungs burn with the fires of oxidation.

My limbs shake with lactic shock.

Beneath umbral skies I run.

Pain makes me feel alive.

Pain helps me stay awake.

I hate sleep, the dark of closed eyes.

For I dream only of death.

 

Nothing is truly forgotten, until it is.

Who am I?

Konrad Curze. Night Haunter.

Is there a difference? Yes! No?

What am I?

Primarch. Weapon. Fear.

What is my purpose?

Death.

Did I choose this?

Yes and no.

 

What is the first thing you remember?

Darkness. Fire. Darkness again.

Who found you?

Nobody.

How did you survive?
What bleeds, can be killed. What can be killed, can be eaten.

Who gave you the name Konrad Curze?

Nobody, this name has always been within my mind, but it is not who I am.

Who are you?

Night Haunter.

Why?

Because I must be, father.

Because your vision demands it.

 

Nostramo, you foul globe, why must you cast your curse upon me?

Why must I dream of lightless days stained with my blood?

Why must your ilk corrupt my sons?

Why must you corrupt their purpose?

The prison pits of Terra are empty.

The taint runs too deep already.

My legion slips further from me with each day.

With each day I hate the Nostraman-born more.

With each day, the count of Terrans grows smaller.

With each day, I slip deeper into insanity.

I know what I must do.

But do I have enough time?

Or will the Night Haunter devour me?

 

Konrad Curze was a broken king

Of him, the harpers sadly sing

Whose realm in death became free

Was traitor to brethren three

 

His claw was long, his mind was keen

His sable soul afar was seen

the countless stars of heaven's field

Were swallowed by his opal shield

 

But long ago he rode away

And where he dwelleth none can say

For into darkness fell his star

On Tsagualsa where the shadows are

 

"What light doth break through my soul, brother?"

-------------------------------

[Dantay VI]

Holy crap that is amazing.... Worthy of AD-B himself!!

[Isengrin]

Just look at that! A conversion of the Night Haunter himself. There aren't many of those around. Great work, with both the model and text. Did you have any problems with re-positioning his legs?

[Luna707]

Awesome conversion! I always love seeing people change the primarch models

[Dagoth Ur]

Rubrum Scorpionem

 

 

Purge the taint, wherever you may find it.

 

Creed of the Red Scorpions 4^th Company

 

 

>>>>>>Pict Captures 999289437-23 to 25<<<<<<

>>>>>>Depicted: Sergeant Meran, I^st squad, IV^th Company<<<<<<






--------------------------------

 

Hello everybody! I painted up a Red Scorpion, just to see if I'd enjoy it, and despite expecting it to be a bland experience and a bland scheme, it has actually been quite satisfying! I will definitely paint some more :)

 

@Wolf_Priest_Dantay: High praise! Thank you kindly! :)

 

@Isengrin: Thanks mate! The figure was an ebay save, poor bastard was caked in some flaky paint and the claws and cape were missing. The legs (Well, the right, bent one), were a pain in the posterior to get to line up correctly, otherwise it was just a simple saw-job. The amount of marks, cuts and similar was what made me go with a PVA glue and towel skirt and cloak.

 

@Luna707: Glad you like him mate! I always liked the sculpt itself, but the pose was kinda naff, plus the figure was a cheap ebay bargain :)

 

Here is an updated pic of Konrad; I've added a few bits and bobs.

 

I've added a belt-plate and two skulls, as well as an extend pair of claws on the left arm, and a pair of retracted ones on the right arm. I'll add some chains and skulls to the cloak too (Need to get some first). In other news, I've been thinking about designing another space marine chapter. The main colour will be:

 

Orange :D I won't be going for a halved/quartered scheme, but instead large, weathered panels of soft, almost pastel orange, with ashen-blue/black accents and a few white checkers here and there. I'm eyeing up at doing either an actual Iron Hands successor, or a White Scars successor. I'm leaning towards later, as the chapter culture will be heavily modelled after the warrior-poet culture presented in Chris Wraights writing, but from a more mediterranean/arabic perspective (Think the Osmans, Berber, Turks, Bosnians and so on and so forth).

 

So, that is all for today! It might take me some time to post again, since finals are in 3 weeks. Hope you enjoyed the update! C&C is, as always, very welcome! Have a nice day :)

[Nomus Sardauk]

In other news, I've been thinking about designing another space marine chapter. The main colour will be:

 

Orange :D I won't be going for a halved/quartered scheme, but instead large, weathered panels of soft, almost pastel orange, with ashen-blue/black accents and a few white checkers here and there. I'm eyeing up at doing either an actual Iron Hands successor, or a White Scars successor. I'm leaning towards later, as the chapter culture will be heavily modelled after the warrior-poet culture presented in Chris Wraights writing, but from a more mediterranean/arabic perspective (Think the Osmans, Berber, Turks, Bosnians and so on and so forth).

Awwww, and for a second I dared to hope you were making a Godslayer from the BotL, ah well. Regardless, I like the sound of this new chapter you're brewing up, Arabian-themed chapters are even rarer than Far Eastern ones.

Edited November 27, 2017 by SanguiniusReborn

[Dosjetka]

That Red Scorpion looks fantastic. :tu:

 

Good luck for your finals!

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

I really dig your style, man. Been sharing your Curze repose with the Night Lords players in my local group.

[Vairocanum]

Brilliant update! Saw the Night Haunter over on instagram but full sized pictures truly do him justice. Love his repose, and that Red Scorpion looks fantastic as well! Looking forward to seeing your custom chapter completed!

[Thousand Eyes]

Any chance of non-filtered versions of the night haunter there please?

[Dagoth Ur]

Hello folks! Thank you for the many nice comments :)

 

@Chaplain Dosjetka: Thanks man, glad you like him! Also concerning the exams, may your word reach the Emperor's ear.

 

@BrotherCaptainArkhan: Thanks man, glad you like the way I paint. Thank you for sharing Konrad with a wider audience! :) Any responses you'd mind sharing?

 

@Vairocanum: Glad you like Konrad mate, certainly is a labour of love! :)

 

@Thousand Eyes: I am not quite sure if I have any left and I cannot take any more since I primed the figure. I will have a look on my phone and pm you the respective pictures, if there are any. Is there anything in particular you were curious about?

 

Alright, today I only have the primed Konrad repose to show you:

 

As you can see, I've used the same basic blue that I use for my Alpha Legion (Which is Vallejo Model Air Signal Blue and then progressively highlighted with more white). The only difference here, is that the figure was washed with thinned Drakenhof Nightshade, not the greenish blue wash. I want to go with a more washed out, pale blue with the barest hint of green in it as it reminds me of very rainy, gloomy nights. The metal will probably be a very beaten silver, the cloak will be black, and I will try to keep the gore to a minimum.

 

So anyways, that's all for today. C&C is, as always, very welcome and appreciated! :)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Impressive work on the Night Haunter.

[Blindhamster]

Nice work with night haunter. I love the "alas poor yorrick" pose

[Soldier of Dorn]

Lovely use of the Fall of Gil-Galad, brother. Don't suppose you've been listening to Clamevi de Profundis' hauntingly beautiful version for inspiration, then?

 

The blue is quite lovely. Wasn't sure about it at first, but then I read your rationale for it, and it's incredibly apropos for the desperation and tragedy you are approaching the Night Haunter with.

[Thousand Eyes]

@The Observer no need for other pictures, I just wanted a better view of the conversion to be honest. The filters cut out a lot of the good work. Loving the progress.

[ToyShip]

That Curze repose is the best I have seen. Not that I have seen many, but damn that is cool! Looking forward to see what you do with the orange marine!

[Dagoth Ur]

Hey folks,

 

@Bjorn Firewalker: Thanks man!

 

@Blindhamster: Glad you like him! I wanted to give him a standing, calm pose, but was a bit befuddled with as to what to do with his arms, until I noticed that I could open his claw on the right arm, which would be just perfect for the given pose :)

 

@Soldier of Dorn: Why, you'd suppose correctly good friend! CDP's reinditions of the Legendarium's poetry are amazing and of an unparalleled, haunting beauty. The blue came to me as an idea while looking at BCK's own night lords, specifically that one tester he made that lobs a grenade. His figures had a beautiful, pale, rainy quality to them, but ultimately, their blue was too rich for what I had in mind. I wanted to capture that same rainy, dreary feeling, but in a more desaturated manner. Then I remembered that I had the same thought process with my Alpha Legion and this lead to this beautiful ashen blue I so love. The Night Haunter, as well as another regular Night Lord, are serving as a proof of concept. I am looking for a differentiation from my AL through the tone of metallics (Silver in the case of the AL, beaten and blackened bronze for my NL) and supporting colours (Emerald Green and Gold for my AL, red and black for my NL).

 

@Thousand Eyes: Ah alright, next time I'll be sure to keep the unmodified pictures. Thanks for the kind words! :)

 

@ToyShip: Thanks a bunch mate! Now that finals week is over, I should have much more time to devote to the hobby again! As soon as my ongoing commissions are finished, that is.

 

Well, today I have more WiP's of Konrad Curze! Have a look:

 

As you can see, some of the Lightning Bolts are a bit unsharp and wonky. That is not neccessarily a bad thing, as I can still go back and rectify that with diluted Airbrush paint, but it is good to have a rough outline in place at the very least! The metallics are nearly finished and as soon as the ink on the red parts has dried, I can weather the figure. After that is done, I will move on to the face, cloth and various skulls. For the base, I will be going for a very pale, almost moon-like surface with spare, bleached vegetation.

 

That is all for today! Hope you like the small preview. C&C is, as always, very much appreciated and welcome!

[Kurgan the Lurker]

 In other news, I've been thinking about designing another space marine chapter. The main colour will be:

 

Orange I won't be going for a halved/quartered scheme, but instead large, weathered panels of soft, almost pastel orange, with ashen-blue/black accents and a few white checkers here and there. I'm eyeing up at doing either an actual Iron Hands successor, or a White Scars successor. I'm leaning towards later, as the chapter culture will be heavily modelled after the warrior-poet culture presented in Chris Wraights writing, but from a more mediterranean/arabic perspective (Think the Osmans, Berber, Turks, Bosnians and so on and so forth).

 

So, that is all for today! It might take me some time to post again, since finals are in 3 weeks. Hope you enjoyed the update! C&C is, as always, very welcome! Have a nice day

 

 

 

One more for the Cult of Orange!

[Dagoth Ur]

Rubrum Scorpionem

 

 

Purge the taint, wherever you may find it.

 

Creed of the Red Scorpions 4^th Company

 

 

>>>>>>Pict Captures 999289437-41 to 44<<<<<<

>>>>>>Depicted: Kaleb, I^st squad, IV^th Company<<<<<<

--------------------------------

 

Hey folks, had a bit of a break today from commission painting and finished a quick Red Scorpion!

 

@Kurgan the Lurker: Indeed! Just you wait 'til I break out my Escher gang, orange everyhwere ;)

 

Also, here are some more WiPs of Konrad!

 

As you can see, the armour is finished. I have now primed the cloth black and the bones in Rakarth flesh, as well as the face in a 1:1 mix of Rakarth Flesh and Cadian Fleshtone.

 

So, that is all for today. Hope you enjoyed the small update and the Scorpion. C&C is, as always, much appreciated and welcome!

[deathspectersgt7]

Scorpion looks Great  but no Fluff.

[Vairocanum]

Konrad is looking great, looking forward to seeing how you do the cape. Also those red scorpions are gorgeous, you've nailed them perfectly!

[Dagoth Ur]

Hey folks!

 

@deathspectersgt7: Thanks man! Yeah, I don't know, I just had a bit of a writer's block for non-Horus Heresy related stuff for quite some time :/

 

@Vairocanum: Thanks man, I've just recently discovered what a joy it is to paint grey, as odd as it may sound!

 

So, I've actually started working on the orange marine and, well, the scheme has taken quite a wild departure! Have a look:

 

I've introduced quite a lot of dark-grey to the scheme, for two reasons: On one hand, it is an ideal backdrop for transfers, freehands and other coloured decorations. On the other hand, it has this sort of retro-y, sci-fi feel that many of the original RT-Era schemes had. I am still debating what sort of chapter symbol he'll have, maybe it'll be a sickle-moon circling an ember, maybe it'll be a wolf head (A culturally important symbol for southern-slavic cultures, especially serbia and montenegro), or perhaps something completely different. We'll see!

 

Well, this WiP is all I have for today, hope you like where he is going! C&C is, as always, very much welcomed!

[Kurgan the Lurker]

What color Orange are you using for your base?

[Dagoth Ur]

I prime the figure in white, then basecoat everything with Vallejo Model Air Orange until I have a nice, rich coat. After that, I give the figure a zenithal highlight of VMA Orange and VMA White (3:1 ratio), and then one final, gentle highlight with VMA Orange and VMA White, but at a 2:1 mix ratio. After that, I wash all orange surfaces with a mix of GW Fuegan Orange, GW Agrax Earthshade and GW Lahmian Medium (3:1:1 mix ratio). Bit laborious, but it gives a nice, soft orange that resembles the flesh of a tangerine. Hope this helps :)