DuskRaider's 40K Nurgle - An Experiment in Flesh and Machine

[DuskRaider]

It would, however there's going to be a large root snaking into the cockpit. I didn't want to do another maw cockpit.

[Sgt. Blank]

The sword/fist knight turned out amazing Duskraider! The flesh gives it some heft - seeing it next to the other knight shows what a monster it really is. Intended or not, it also makes the other one look gaunt by comparison, which is a great dichotomy for a Nurgle force.

 

Interested to see where you're headed with the gnarl maw and how it's integrated, it's more offset than I expected. Given how the earlier knights and armiger turned out, I look forward to seeing how this progresses

[Cryptix]

You'll be filling the gaps on the gnarlmaw correct? Not being passive aggressive, just want to make sure you knew. Heaven knows I miss them all the time despite being 8 years younger then you.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Cryptix

[DuskRaider]

Yeah, definitely. I'm going to have to pick up more green stuff, I have a feeling I may be using quite a bit. Anywhere it's lifted from the carapace will be filled with roots and whatnot. 

 

I know it looks odd to folks being in the position it's in, but hear me out. If I placed the Gnarlmaw in the center of the carapace standing upright, it would look as though it were purposefully placed there, like it's a statue or something. This is especially true if the maw lined up perfectly with the cockpit, it would look too manufactured. With the Gnarlmaw back and at an angle, it gives it a much more natural (or random) almost uprooted look on the hull. It also creates an asymmetric silhouette, also giving the feeling of unease or "wrongness" with it. We as humans crave or prefer symmetry. When something messes that up, it bothers us. My goal is to bother you 

 

Having the Gnarlmaw located in the background of the model also gives me more room to work with diagonally. I can have the roots rushing forward, coming at you more. The roots will hopefully be the most dynamic feature of the model, pushing their way out here and there, wrapping around the frame... things like that. It's (un)nature taking back industry, in a way. Think of the Knight itself like an abandoned house that's been left to the elements for decades. It just so happens that those elements are Nurgle's Garden.

[Subtle Discord]

Yes! There is an art to creating a balanced imbalance, as it were. Of course, this is completely composed and (somewhat) planned, but doing it right will make it seem as if it's not. I can see where you're going with this, and I think it's great.

[DuskRaider]

See?! This man gets it!

[hushrong]

It's a tumor and I love it! I do like that you have it off to the side, growing where it may have taken root. It really makes me think of trees that just grow and whatever is in its way ends up looking absorbed. Like those pictures you see of a street growing around a bike that was abandoned in a forest or one that grew next to a sign and after time it's grown all around it.

[Sgt. Blank]

See?! This man gets it!

I get what you're going for and I think the alterations to the silhouette of your prior knights is what is great about them.

 

I guess i assumed one or more of the evil sunflower things would double as a rocket or missile pod. It still can, just with different positioning.

[DuskRaider]

Oh, no... I wasn't too keen on the idea of attempting to sub those pods as Missile Launchers. There's just too much counts-as shenanigans to make that work, IMO. I also want to maintain the Knight's origins, so any weapons will still be mechanical. Obviously I'm doing some swaps, such as the Plague Spewer nozzles for Melta Guns or the GUO Sword replacing the Reaper Chainsword, but it's still recognizable as a weapon and not just decoration (which in the end, that's all the Gnarlmaw really is). 

 

I've begun building the "bones" of the roots using aluminum foil on the carapace. One problem I may run into is keeping the Knight in pieces for painting while still having roots stretch all about the top half of the model itself. It's going to take a lot of careful coordination to make it all separate while still keeping up the illusion that it's all connected (via tangled roots). 

[DuskRaider]

So I've been working on my Kill Team...

 

 

OH HO HO, you thought I meant my Death Guard but no, I've gone and bamboozled you.

 

These are my Dark Mechanicum Heretek Kill Team. They hail from HelForge Volgan and are seconded to House Makabius. It actually worked out quite well using the Cawdor box. The nooses around the neck of each Dark Skitarii meshes well with the naming convention I have for my Makabius Knights, which is generally execution or hangman's themed.

 

My list is as follows (copied from Battlescribe):

 

++ Kill Team List (Adeptus Mechanicus) [100pts] ++

 

+ Configuration +

 

List Configuration: Matched Play: Kill Team

 

+ Leader +

 

Skitarii Vanguard Alpha [11pts]: Leader, Phosphor blast pistol, Taser goad

 

+ Specialists +

 

Skitarii Ranger [10pts]: Comms, Omnispex

 

Skitarii Ranger Gunner [15pts]: Sniper, Transuranic arquebus

 

Skitarii Vanguard Gunner [13pts]: Heavy, Plasma caliver

 

+ Non-specialists +

 

Sicarian Ruststalker [15pts]

. Transonic Razor and Chordclaw: Chordclaw

 

Skitarii Vanguard [9pts]

 

Skitarii Vanguard [9pts]

 

Skitarii Vanguard [9pts]

 

Skitarii Vanguard [9pts]

 

++ Total: [100pts] ++

 

 

So 100 points on the nose.

 

With these models I wanted a medieval type theme since they're being used as line troops for House Makabius while still giving them a dark aura. These may be subjects from the various Banner Houses of Makabius or they may be some of the less mutated population on Volgan. Overall they're still at the mercy of Grandfather Nurgle and as you can see from the unhelmeted versions are thus still afflicted.

 

I wanted to avoid making them bloated and overly grotesque. They're part machine as well as being normal mortals, so I don't see them gaining too much favor from Nurglitch.

 

 

The counts-as Ruststalker is actually a flesh construct created by Fabricator Locum Zal'gesh, one of many and who was originally revealed with the Warhound Titan. It's quite rotted and corrupted and also one of three I've assembled for what unfortunately seems like a failed project. I've posted other pics since then with other constructs hidden in plain sight as well which I'll eventually get around to showing you.

 

 

The Alpha had to stand out so I gave him a rather large Taser Goad as well as what looks like a feeble right arm. Throughout the Kill Team you'll also notice vials and syringes injected into the Skitarii. I would assume these are stimulants to keep their minds focused on their task at hand.

 

 

I wanted to convey their twisted nature without going overboard. After all the Dark Mechanicum may be bound to Chaos, but they're bound to technology first and foremost. The Vanguard helms look foreboding to me while still maintaining the Mechanicum theme.

 

 

I just want to point out how difficult it is to mate Skitarii arms to Cawdor bodies. Anyhow, you'll see another Vanguard with a twisted biomechanical limb here along with the Kill Team's Sniper. I sliced the box and skull from underneath his foot and replaced it with a zombie head.

 

 

The unhelmed Skitarii. Originally I was going to modify the heads with some bionics but decided against it.

 

 

One more of the Alpha and Comm Specialist. The Comm Specialist has an actual Ruststalker's leg. He's armed with a Galvanic Rifle since he'll usually be paired with the Sniper and thus needs a bit more range.

 

These obviously are still WIP. They need green stuff work and most are still missing their Power Cells. I'll probably do a little more work to really drive home the Chaos / Nurgle theme while trying to avoid going overboard. My end goal is to make each model it's own character. And don't worry, I have a LOT of background for these and the overall structure of a HelForge Volgan military structure which I'll be exploring soon.

 

Until next time, my Dark Brethren...

Edited August 18, 2018 by DuskRaider

[hushrong]

These are awesome! I have to say your rust-stalker is superb!

[Pearson73]

Wow, the Dark Mech team is just great, I would never have considered mixing the Skitarii with Cawdor gangers, but it's really worked out. The rust stalker/fleshy abomination is all sorts of creepy and unnatural, so hats off to you brother. Can't wait to see some paint on these fellas.

[Markus_]

Combination of the two kits makes for an impressive mob. Looking forward to see some paint on them.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

That combo works remarkably well. Great job. 

[Subtle Discord]

*Subtle's eyes glaze over*

 

Must... get... Cawdor... models...

 

Inspirational. Like I needed more ideas, but really inspirational.

[Brother Desultor]

Incredible. As creative as ever

[DuskRaider]

Thanks folks! As said earlier, the Flesh Abomination is actually one of three. Here's some pics of the three together pre-base, which I had to utilize a 50mm with them since their footprint is so large.

 

They're protector-servitor type creatures for Fabricator Locum Zal'gesh. He has a bit of a thing for flesh sculpting.

 

 

I imagine they move on all fours in a ponderous, jerky motion until a threat is detected. Then they have the ability to stand on their hind legs and are really quite agile.

 

Speaking of the Fabricator, here he is as well.

 

 

And with his Heretek Abomination attendants:

 

 

Keep in mind that I still have green stuff to add to these to fill gaps, etc. I may start on it today, along with some other horrors of HelForge Volgan.

[Dragonlover]

Loving the Dark Mechanicum stuff dude! What's the staff on the Magos from, AoS?

 

Also the tree on the Knight's looking as awesome as I thought it would. I quite like the idea of the missile pod now being held up by some of the roots of the tree...

 

Dragonlover

[DuskRaider]

The staff is from the sorcerer in the Glottkin kit, I'm not sure of his name. He was included in the lot of bits I picked up off of eBay. I still have the body, I may make a Sacristan out of it.

 

The tree is turning out interesting. I'm unsure if I'll add a missile pod, but if I do I'll most likely go with my idea of a Helbrute Missile Launcher in the tilt shield area. At this point I'm just trying to cover the aluminum foil root structure with green stuff and make it look okay. I kinda walked away from it to do my Kill Team as well, a bit of a recharge as it were.

[Augustus b'Raass]

If that row of teeth were to run around the entire outline of the Knight's cockpit hatch instead of stopping just short of it. Just sayin'...

That's been the intent from the start, no? I think Dusky is just showing us the components of this awesome Knight.

 

SO thrilled to see this!

[Gederas]

The staff is from the sorcerer in the Glottkin kit, I'm not sure of his name. He was included in the lot of bits I picked up off of eBay. I still have the body, I may make a Sacristan out of it.

 

Ethrac Glott is the sorcerer in the Glottkin. And I think you also used his entire torso with that Magos.

 

In any case, the Magos and his attendants and Dark Skitarii look awesome.

[DuskRaider]

 

If that row of teeth were to run around the entire outline of the Knight's cockpit hatch instead of stopping just short of it. Just sayin'...

That's been the intent from the start, no? I think Dusky is just showing us the components of this awesome Knight.

SO thrilled to see this!

  

 

No, the Gnarlmaw's err... maw... was never intended to reach the cockpit. It was always going to lead into a root system that feeds into the cockpit area. The maw cockpit sounds too expected, IMO.

 

 

The staff is from the sorcerer in the Glottkin kit, I'm not sure of his name. He was included in the lot of bits I picked up off of eBay. I still have the body, I may make a Sacristan out of it.

 

 

Ethrac Glott is the sorcerer in the Glottkin. And I think you also used his entire torso with that Magos.

 

In any case, the Magos and his attendants and Dark Skitarii look awesome.

Thanks! And nope, that's just a Magos Dominus model with the sorcerer head and one arm. He also has a Ghoul arm holding a corpse, really driving home that whole "I like to make things out of dead people" craft hobby of his.

[Pearson73]

You've smashed it again with the Fabricator, all the rotting dead components and the masked face work to give him the look of a real evil villain. The flesh abominations look even more horrific en masse.

[Gederas]

Hey DuskRaider, I've a question:

On your Knights, is the Black following the same recipe you used for your normal Death Guard Marines, or is it different? Just curious.

[DuskRaider]

It's actually grey not black. I know my black doesn't look very black either, lol. I followed FW's recipe... for the base color, which is Vallejo German Grey. Then I give it an undiluted wash of Drakenhof Nightshade and mix 50/50 German Grey with Citadel Administratum Grey and apply it in my usual technique. After that, another wash. Then a mix of 75/25 Administratum Grey / German Grey applied in my technique, then finally a mix of about 90/10 Admin Grey / German Grey and do the drybrush swirl. There were some comments on the Armiger that it didn't look highlighted and I agree, so I rectified the issue with the big guys.