Night Lords Tallarn Commander's Chaos (Skullfiend Completed)

[Tallarn Commander]

Hello everyone,

 

I've made more progress on Wirewolf the Maulerfiend. And the perpetual man vs cat battle for the painting space continues.

 

 

Edited October 27 by Tallarn Commander

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Simon sure loves your painting table - look how comfy he looks!  At least this time he doesn't have his foot in your paints/primer.  

[Tallarn Commander]

True. Simon does make himself very comfortable on my, er, our painting table.

 

 

I finished up a Blood Wolves trooper named Krassek. When I run the army as World Eaters he will be a Bezerker with eviscerator. When I run the army as Chaos Marines he can either be a Chosen with a powerfist or a Legionary with a heavy melee weapon.

 

Krassek's Bio

Spoiler

   Aspiring Champion Krassek is a hunter's hunter. As a feral tribal warrior on Fenris he could track and kill the deadliest of native beasts, from the great Fenrisian Wolf to the Brutal Frost Mammoths. Krassek would patiently stalk his prey through ice tundra and snow-swept mountain. And then he would finally strike with unmatched zeal.
     When his tribal chief told Krassek he must begin the ordeals to become an Adeptes he was sad. He knew he would miss the hunt. But he also knew he had a duty to his tribe and to the All-Father.
    And so Krassek underwent the trials and eventually became a Space Wolf. As a Space Wolf he joined a particularly devout warrior cult. And so the eventual transition from Space Wolf to Blood Wolf was not difficult fir him.
     And as a squad leader he is sometimes allowed a small vessel and navigator and released from warband duties for a year and a day. During these sabbatical he takes up the hunt once more. He travels to the nearby Death World and stalks the most Vicious creatures he can find.

 

Krassek

 

 

I also got some more work done on Wirewolf. I finished chipping the red basecoat away with my trusty AK chipping solution.

 

WiP Maulerfiend

 

By way of illustration, here is her arm with just a basecoat

 

 

And here it is after I've chipped away at the red paint with a brush containing very hot water (the water activates the layer of chipping fluid underneath)

 

 

 

And here is the arm after I've added a layer of black oil wash

 

 

 

 

Enjoy the photos!

 

 

The Chooser of the Slain considered us worthy. Blood Wolves.

[Tallarn Commander]

I successfully installed blue glowing LEDs into Wirewolf the Maulerfiend!

 

I thank my cousin and B&S' Bonehead for all their tips and coaching on soldering and electrical circuits. It took some practice but thanks to them and thanks to numerous YouTube and other guides I managed to assemble a successful circuit with switch.

 

Here are some photos.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 6 by Tallarn Commander

[Tallarn Commander]

Hi everyone,

 

I finished painting 4 models. Huzzah! Here are some photos:

 

 

Wirewolf the Maulerfiend

 

Spoiler

"Talix trees, tall and slender, brew along the Outsides of the avenue. At least two had been decapitatedand remade into gibbets for the wirewolves. There was no point trying to avoid them. Landerson walked on, trying not to look up at the skeletal mannequins hanging limply from the axl-trees on their metal strings. They creaked, swinging slightly in the breeze."

-Excerpt from Traitor General, by Dan Abnett

 

 

 

 

Svane Vulfbad, Chaos Lord and warlord of the Blood Wolves

 

Spoiler

   Svane Vulfbad was a young pup on Fenris when he was stalked one evening by a ferocious Ice Troll. He was able to use the light of Fenris' moon, Valdrmani, to escape. Since then Svane had felt a close connection to moons and to their symbolism and power.
     Svane was born into the Fire Breather tribe and named to honor the tribe's leader Sven Bloodhowl. The young Svane proved particularly adept at hunting and tracking. One night, under a crescent moon, Svane battled a giant Remhoraz on Fenris' ice fields. Both Svane and the Remhoraz fell during this duel. But the lucky Fenrisian was selected by a Chooser of the Slain. He then survived tests and ordeals too numerous to count. Eventually Svane succeeded and became a Space Wolves Neophyte serving in a Blood Claw Pack.
     Svane served honorably for many centuries in the ranks of Blood Claws, Grey Hunters, and Wolf Guard. He performed hundreds of heroic deeds and the Skalds told countless sagas about Vulfbane. He eventually became leader of the Blood Wolves Great Company.
      But one night while leading his company on campaign beneath a full moon in the Ghoul Stars, Svane Vulfbad heard the call. From its mighty Throne of Skulls Khorne sensed a kindred spirit and it reached out to Svane Vulfbad. Boundless rage filled Svane's soul. He became aware of the hypocrisy at the Empire's core. When Vulfbad awoke from his trance he uttered these words, "I murdered thousands for the Emperor and He gave me nothing except His damning silence. Now His lapdogs yap for every life I take, while the gods promise me the galaxy."
     Svane and his entire great company immediately declared themselves for Chaos and rebelled. A cadre of loyalist Space Wolves pursued them. But, after a handful of running skirmishes, Svane and his Blood Wolves escaped into the warp.

 

 

 

Barnabas the Butcher, formerly a Dark Apostle and now a Master of Executions

 

Spoiler

     While the warband is lead by Svane Vulfbad, Barnabas the Butcher is Azrath's trusted lieutenant. He often leads smaller detachments on special missions.
     His mother was a butcher by trade. So he became quite skilled with blade and cleaver. As a Space Wolf Barnabas was quite devout in his fealty to the All Father. But his bonds to Svane were stronger. When Vulfbad rebelled, Barnabas grudgingly went along. But, over time, Barnabas became particularly zealous in his love of Khorne One Eye (Barnabas has  conflated elements of Odin into his worship of Khorne).
     Sadly, one day the BloodWolves' Master Warpsmith Crowsoul for some reason prevented Barnabas from getting into one of the warband's Rhinos with his squad. Confused and hurt Barnabas did not know what to do. He had been allowed to enter the Rhino the day before. Crowsoul told Barnabas that if he exchanged his mace for a giant Axe of Dismemberment, then he could enter the Rhino. Barnabas complied and now he is a Master of Executions

 

 

 

Mad Martigan, The Warpborn's Master of Executions

 

Spoiler

 Mad Martigan is not truly a Warpborn. He was not present on Kai when the Warpborn revolted and overthrew their Dark Mechanicum masters.  Instead, Mad Martigan is a space pirate who recently allied with the Warpborn under the promise of booty. He is a wanton miscreant who excels at boarding operations and disemboweljng enemy champions with his giant Axe of Dismemberment. He has temporarily allied with the Warpborn warband. As long as it is profitable, his war sloop will fight alongside the Warpborn's Explorator vessel Forward Into Dawn.

 

 

 

 

All six of my daemon engines

Back row: Deffy, Blood Golem, and Wirewolf

Front row: 888, BloodLady, and Mary

 

 

 

And all four Khornate daemon engines

 

 

And all four models I just finished

 

 

 

Next up: I am working 8 Blood Wolf Bezerkers/Chosen/Legionaries

 

 

Enjoy the photos!

 

 

Blood Wolves, "Tell them we follow the All Father no more"

Warpborn, "Remember Kai! Death to tyrants!"

Edited November 10 by Tallarn Commander

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Those all look great - but your yellow-black guy is particularly eye catching, as are the flame runes on Baranbas' halberd.

[Tallarn Commander]

Thanks Dr. Ruminahui!

 

 

I finished up another Blood Wolf. Skull Fiend is a member of the Company of Eight. As a Chaos Marine, he is a Chosen with pair of Accursed Weapons. As a World Eater, he is a rank-and-file Bezerker.

 

Spoiler

Skull Fiend

Skull Fiend ripped the bionic eye from a recently slain Mars worshipper over a century ago. He paid Crowsoul, the Blood Wolves' Warpsmith, one thousand and one skulls to have the bionic eye inserted. No one knows why, but through the eye Skull Fiend can see if someone is lying to Skull Fiend. As such, Svane Vulfbad, the Blood Wolves' leader always brings Skull Fiend along on parleys with other factions. The better to see if the other party is a potential alley or a mere Loki trickster who will soon die to the Blood Wolves' blades.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a WIP shot of the remaining Bezerkers

 

 

 

And here is a fun photo from a local gaming store. Mindtaker Miniatures in Vancouver, WA has a wonderful bitz table where you can sit and sift through bitz at your heart's content. It is very therapeutic to sit alongside a fellow bitz hunter and chat about 40K.

 

Bitz galore!

 

 

The Blood Wolves, "We too shall cross Bifrost Bridge someday"

[Volgon]

Man that bitz table looks awesome. I don't have a huge collection of bits but kitbashing is easily my favorite thing to do in the hobby.

 

The maulerfiend in particular is looking awesome! I've seen people use chipping fluid before but never tried it myself. How did it work for you? The end result certainly looks convincing. And the LEDs are great! Do the wires under its base or is the connection only for display purposes?

[Tallarn Commander]

Volgon, thanks for the kind words.

 

I plan on turning the LED light on before each game and turning it off after each game. That's what my friend Fred does and that seems to work well for him. The battery, battery holder, switch, resistor, and various wires are all in the body of the Maulerfiend. The LED and the remaining wires are in the magnetized removable head of the Maulerfiend.

 

I've just written up a guide on chipping. At some point I'll add pictures and put it into the Forge section:

 

Chipping Fluids

 

I've been using chipping fluids since 2017. I love 'em!

When To Use
    Here are some things I've learned. Chipping fluids are only one of many tools in the toolkit to create a situation where paint has chipped off your model. Sometimes chipping fluid might create a great effect. But in other instances you might want to create a chipped effect using a sponge, brush, or the venerable salt and hairspray effect.
     Generally, chipping fluids shine on models which are relatively free of detail and have smooth metal pieces such as shoulder pads. A Chaos Space Marine is a classic instance of where a chipping fluid might work. When you have a model with a lot of detail and not many smooth surface, such as a highly detailed Dark Apostle, then you'd be better off using a brush or sponge to create the effect. And on larger models such as vehicles or terrain, sometimes salt and hairspray is more effective than chipping fluid. Over time you will get a feel for when to use each method.

What to Use
Here are some things to have on hand when applying chipping fluid
-chipping fluid. Various products exist. My favorite is AK heavy chipping fluid. But I sometimes use AK Worn Effects fluid. The latter will create a less chipped effect. I buy directly from AK at
https://ak-interactive.com/product-category/paints/paints-weathering/all-chipping/
But I've found AK at hobby stores and online hobby vendors too.
-regular paintbrush
-water
-tea kettle
-pin
-sponge
-toothbrush
-Green scratch pad
-toothpick
-cheap or worn paintbrush
Note that traditionally chipping fluid is applied with an airbrush and not a regular brush. I've only ever used a brush and my results are sufficient. I recently acquired an airbrush and will try using it to apply chipping fluid in a month or two.

Preparing a Model for chipping
     Prime the model and then paint whatever undercoat you want on the model. This is the coat that people will see once some of the top coat has been chipped away. Common undercoat include metal, rusted metal, factory primer red, and older layers of paint.
     Or you can combine these. During WW2 the Soviets would paint white on their T34s directly over their olive drab coats. I have seen nicely chipped T34 models where the top coat is white and below that are layers of green, metal, and rust. Heck, rust itself can take many forms and I have found my rust recipes evolving a great deal over time. One part of a tank might have one set of rust colors while another part of the tank might have a different combination of rust colors.
     Then I apply 3 or 4 very thin coats of varnish over the model. I brush on Testor's Testor's Dullcote, but use your favorite varnish depending on the effect you wish to create. I like to wait at least an hour between layers so that each varnish layer can cure. But if you are gentler with your models during chipping you could probably get away with less varnish.

Applying Chipping Solution
     Next I ensure that I have a block of time to chip. I usually need at least an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half to chip. Most of this time is waiting for stuff to dry. So while I'm waiting I paint other things, eat a meal, shower, play with my cat Simon, etc. Only about 25 minutes of this hour and 15 minutes or so is spent on chipping the model.
     I then apply 2 to 3 coats of coats of chipping fluid. I don't apply too much in each brush stroke. Multiple, thin coats is key. Let the fluid dry between coats. This usually takes 25ish minutes in winter and 15ish minutes in summer. For larger models I like to apply 3 coats and for smaller rank-and-file miniatures I only use 2 coats. I've found 1 coat just doesn't cut it.

Applying Your Top Coat
     Now you are ready to apply your top coat of paint that will eventually be partially chipped away. Don't lollygag too much before applying this step. If you wait too long between chipping fluid and top coat, then the chipping fluid won't properly activate.
     I usually apply 2 to 3 thin coats. For a standard infantry model this will take about 15 minutes. I've found Chaos tends to take about 20 minutes because taking care to not get paint on all the trim slows me down.

Chipping The Model
     I usually wait 10 or so minutes to let the top coat cure properly. I've found that bad things happen and the whole effect is ruined if you don't do this. During this time I usually paint other models and put on a teakettle to boil.
    Next you pour your hot water into a mug. Then using your cheap or worn brush you apply hot water to a part of your model. The hot water activates the chipping fluid. I usually start with a leg. Now you are ready to begin chipping by lightly applying pressure to the model with your chipping implement. Then apply more hot water to another part of the model and repeat the process til the entire model is chipped.
    Your chipping implement can vary. Different tools create different effects. I switch between gentle strokes with a normal brush, more aggressive strokes with a worn brush, sponges, pins, green scratch pads, toothbrushes, and those little hook devices you use in sewing. Different tools will get different effects so I encourage you to experiment. I try to chip more heavily on the more exposed parts of a model such as towards the bottom or near access panels. And "voila!" you are done.

Edited Monday at 05:57 PM by Tallarn Commander

[Volgon]

Appreciate the detailed guide! Going to bookmark it in case I try it out in the future.