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

[Lucerne]

Firstly, love your work. And following.

 

For the artel orks, have you considered making casts of the legs and salvaging the bits? If not, we seem to be getting more Ork stuff- including what looks suspiciously like a kommando's arm- soon.

 

Quick question though- are the Death Guard Heroes notably taller than their regular counterparts?

Edited January 25, 2020 by Lucerne

[Sgt. Blank]

The Knight looks wicked and the shoulder pad does add to the overall effect - nice work!

[Mechanist]

With the hunch forwards that looks super sweet from the front and sides.

If you do go with that I would just add a tiny bit more to the back to hide the ball and socket joint at the smooth sphere looks a little odd and seems to draw the eye because of it.

Possibly because of the line of the hips below and the engine sections above.

Maybe a couple of pipes and a little bit of chain to break up the two straight lines.

 

The forward hunch really suits the rest of the model though so well worth keeping.

[Atia]

Cute as usual, and that head really looks propper dark mechy!

[DuskRaider]

Thanks everyone!

 

@Lucerne: I'll be honest with you, I haven't given the Kommandos a second thought. I would like to see Artel release a more comprehensive line but that doesn't really seem to be their business model, they're more interested in selling small squads and character models for INQ28 and whatnot (and they're damn good at it too).

 

@Mechanist: welp... the only problem with that is last night I primed the model. Let me see what I can do, but while I want it hunched over a bit I don't want to get overzealous with the posing. I could try to roll some tubing and just paint it but I don't know how well it would hold up on bare green stuff. The reason I say this is because we've gone back to highs of below freezing again... yesterday was my only opportunity to hit the model with some primer for at least the next couple weeks.

 

Atia... thank you and don't you quit being you, lol

[KrautScientist]

Another exquisite Knight conversion -- I don't see how you keep coming up with original ideas for these ;)

 

I love the asymmetry created by the single pauldron and the Dark Mechanicum business achieved by adding all that cabling and the second set of arms. Not a huge fan of the head this time around, although that's just a matter of taste -- it definitely is a clever conversion.

 

Anyway, fantastic job, as per ;)

[DuskRaider]

Thanks Kraut! The head was a last minute addition when I was planning this. Unfortunately with my lack of FW heads and feeling the options that come with the Chaos Knight don't really for my force, it was my only option.

 

That being said, I'm actually pleased with the end result. The transition from resin to green stuff and finally plastic is a lot more seamless in person. I was apprehensive going into it and if it didn't work I was out of ideas. Any future models will feature the FW Mechanicum heads of they ever show up... but I do actually like this pattern idea with the extra arms. Next time I may see if I can get someone to 3D print up AT Reaver legs instead of buying a whole kit, though.

Edited January 25, 2020 by DuskRaider

[PowerHungryMonkey]

DR, love that last knight. So hunched and gribbly. Really just gives off a creepy arachnid vibe. More like that please

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

That knight looks like a giant dark mechanicus magos. Great job. 

[Augustus b'Raass]

Jesus Christ, I've been away for five months and you churn out three Knights and build a fourth. And you did all the bases. 

 

That last Knight with the four arms looks fricking fantastic already. Love the use of third party bits!

[DuskRaider]

@Auggy: HA! Didn't expect to see you around these parts. To be fair, not ALL of the Knights are based. My older ones are still waiting for me to get to theirs and even my most recently painted Knight's base is waiting for plaster before I can spray that too. But it's a lot more than I had before (none). Yeah, I've been a bit busy with more large, expensive models that I don't need and probably couldn't afford. And technically I've got four Knights built and awaiting paint if you count the Armigers ;)

 

Edit: I also just wanted to say that thanks for pointing out the third party bits thing... the aftermarket companies have really stepped up and taken the task of providing for Chaos Knight players to take up GW's slack in a huge way. From themed armour kits to weapons and everything on between, there are more and more companies supporting us Traitorous Knight guys and it's really appreciated. There's a list of a lot of companies currently supporting Chaos Knights down in the Lost and the Damned pinned Resources post, as seen here:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/293331-lost-and-the-damned-resources/?p=5343231

 

If you play Chaos Knights I suggest checking it out and if possible support them. Obviously the more business these folks get, the more they'll produce.

 

 

@BCK: you're right, it does look a lot like a Dark Mechanicum Tech-Priest. I hadn't even thought about that!

 

@PHM: I think it's the "fangs" on the head. They do remind me a lot of a spider (which gives me the willies).

 

I'm going to start painting the Rampager tonight, so maybe by the end of the week I'll have a completed model!

Edited January 27, 2020 by DuskRaider

[Krakendoomcool]

Two more completely unique knights!

 

I love the industrial look with the pipes coming out the top of the one with ALL the meltas.

 

The second one I think is the most Dark Mechanicus looking of the lot. Like a knight sized version of a tech priest or something. The extra limbs are such a good idea and work so well with the sort of hunched over pose with all the cables drooping down.

 

Amazing to see you powering on with these.

[rednekkboss]

Jesus Christ, I've been away for five months and you churn out three Knights and build a fourth. And you did all the bases. 

 

That last Knight with the four arms looks fricking fantastic already. Love the use of third party bits!

Proud of him with his bases, huh Augs.  They do look frikkin awesome!

[DuskRaider]

 

Affiliation: House Makabius / HelForge Volgan (formerly Forge World M'Pandex)

 

Designation: Umbra Keres

 

Pilot: Unknown, Presumed to be Abominable Intelligence

 

Origin: Unknown. Abhorrent-Pattern thought to originate from HelForge Sarum. Frame has been extensively modified by HelForge Volgan and has at this time been designated Nyx-Class Frame.

 

Notes: Where it was once thought that HelForge Volgan / House Makabius was in possession of very few Abhorrent-Pattern Questoris Knight frames, this theory has been violently disproven.

 

In the closing campaign of the Iron Harvest, House Makabius began deploying a new class of Knight, given the moniker Nyx-Class. Although widely variable and often outfitted to perform specific tasks, this new Knight had proven to be extremely capable in close quarters combat and specifically when pitted against rival Knights.

 

This example, Umbra Keres , was a widely feared frame encountered in the death throws of of Forge World Antioc. It's been described as often times simply appearing out of the fog of war and essentially assassinating high priority targets such as Scions, Champions and even disrupting squadrons of Onager Dunecrawlers and larger Cybernetica units.

 

This armament was often seen as a hard counter to House Cadmus' deployment of Breach Shield / Javelin modifications to their Scions which itself was a response to Makabius' proliferation of Harpoon-equipped Dominus Tyrants. The extra combat arms were used to sever shield arms (which were often times also Thunder Gauntlets), attempt to sever Javelins or to overwhelm the enemy with a flurry of close combat attacks.

 

Modified arms have been seen equipped with a variety of bladed and chain weapons, even some smaller variants of Thunder Gauntlets.

 

There is belief that most, if not all, Nyx-Class Knights fielded by House Makabius are not piloted at all but are essentially massive Abominable Intelligence Constructs on a scale not seen since the Heresy. Bio-scans show no organic pilot present and reaction times show a higher intelligence. This, as can be imagined, is extremely concerning and this intel had been passed on to Fabricator General Raskian of Mars.

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

I absolutely love it. I like the mis-seated carapace, the extra arms, the hood, the drill, the hanging cables, all of it. Excellent work.

[DuskRaider]

Thanks, it was a lot of fun building and painting. I've primed the Despoiler and Moirax Armigers as well, so they're next.

[DuskRaider]

 

Affiliation: House Makabius / HelForge Volgan (formerly Forge World M'Pandex)

 

Designation: Tristis Est Spe (originally Forge Guardian d27μ043)

 

Pilot: Haures Makabius

 

Origin: Presumably Mars, but may predate Unification.

 

Notes: Tristis Est Spe is an incredibly old Questoris frame. Dataslates and pict-captures from the reclamation of Forge World M'Pandex list Frame d27μ043 as pre-existing technology but in inoperable condition. It's origins are steeped in mystery; some believe this frame to have been manufactured in the dark days of Martian expansion while others theorize it could have been birthed on ancient Luna.

 

What is known is that this Questor was originally used to guard the Golden Forge at M'Pandex's technological peak, but had been all but destroyed when the Forge fell to an unknown Xeno enemy.

 

The survivors of M'Pandex, lost in ignorance and degeneracy, worshipped the inert hulk of d27μ043 as a demigod. Post-reclamation, d27μ043 was simply a reminder of the Forge's dark past and was left to molder in the darkest recesses of the Golden Forge.

 

Until the Heresy. When House Makabius was received as an attendant Knight House, they were gifted d27μ043 among other Dark Age treasures.

 

To witness Forge Guardian d27μ043, now fully functional, marching along the masses might of House Makabius and still wearing the storm grey and gold of M'Pandex must have been a shock to the Tech Adepts of Forge Mezoa.

 

Over the millennia, d27μ043 was re-forged time and again and christened Tristis Est Spe... Hope's Cadaver. HelForge Volgan's reverence for the fabled machine seems to be little if at all. Despite relatively little mutation in comparison with its age and time in the Warp, there has been little attempt to properly maintain this frame. Field repairs have never been properly updated and Tristis Est Spe has essentially become a second line asset (or at least should be considering it's current state). The frame's original struts and pistons have seized and lost strength, requiring further bracing to aid in not only locomotion but simply the ability to avoid the effect of gravity itself. The original fusion reactor has long since died, replaced instead by what seems to be a thermic combustion plant transplanted from one of the innumerable Malcador Battle Tanks found in Volgan's weapons stores.

 

All of this does not take from Tristis Est Spe's combat ability. Over the millennia, this frame has proven to be the bane of many an armoured column, Armiger pack or foolhardy Knight pilot. To underestimate this hulking menace is to invite one's demise.

 

 

Affiliation: House Makabius / HelForge Volgan (formerly Forge World M'Pandex)

 

Designation: No individual nomenclature, each Construct belongs to a Pack

 

Pilot: Unknown, believed to be Helm Slaved Servitors or Abominable Intelligence

 

Origin: HelForge Volgan

 

Notes: The Moirax Autonomous Constructs found stalking the battlefields dominated by House Makabius have plagued the minds of many a Mechanicus Tech-Priest for millennia. Their construction is unmistakably Volgan, yet the technology that animates these machines is unknown. Various theories have floated about, from Servitor-brains Helm Slaved to a Scion or Seneschal to daemonic possession and even the most frightening: Abominable Intelligence. These machines take their secrets to the grave; upon deactivation from damage received, they are programmed to detonate.

 

Most Moirax Armigers encountered in combat carry dual LasLock armament. This deadly weapon turns the Armigers into walking turrets, spewing hot death at an alarming rate. What is already a horrific display of power is further enhanced by the revelation that the Moirax hunt in packs, often focus firing on a specific target of their master's desire before moving on to the next.

 

Thankfully, their numbers seem to be relatively low when compared to other Armiger patterns, though that isn't much comfort to their victims.

 

The above pict-captures show two Moirax Autonomous Constructs of Pack Kerberus prowling the fields of Sector 8g77-1 of Forge World Antioc.

 

Well there we go.

 

These were fun to do. I really wanted to go all out with the Moirax, but I couldn't find a good way to do so. Originally there was cabling connecting the LasLocks to the power source on the rear of the Armigers, but the green stuff cables kept falling off and deforming. I was also worried I would be going overboard with the cables and hoses.

 

The Knight itself was fun to do. I wanted to use more white on this model than usual, so along with the head I also made the Thermal Cannon shields white. It's a change from the mostly sable models I usually paint. Overall, I wanted a more "throwaway industrial" feel to it. It's sparsely decorated, more function than form overall. I'm still not 100% sure it fits with the rest of my Knights, but whatever.

 

Lastly, here's a picture of my last few Knight sessions. I still need to do bases, but I've also started gathering parts for the next one: a Castellan Tyrant. Thanks to Taro Modelmaker's recent release, this should be quite interesting. I just have to figure out if and how I'll modify the weapons...

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by DuskRaider

[PeteySödes]

Super badass! Love the models and the write ups, looking forward to the tyrant!

[DuskRaider]

Super badass! Love the models and the write ups, looking forward to the tyrant!

Thank you frater. The Tyrant is probably 2+ months off, I still have to get the model itself and some more parts before assembly begins. I have plans for one more Despoiler while I'm at it and I still have to round out the Moirax squad to three.

Edited February 13, 2020 by DuskRaider

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I love everything about Tristis Est Spe (originally Forge Guardian d27μ043) - from stitched together carapace and massive fuel drums (both on his back and his fusion guns), to the forest of smoke stacks and reinforcing, struts on his guns and legs, and its rusty and jagged fusion guns.  Plus, I also love its backstory of a once revered relic, twice abandoned and forgotten but now given (sinister) life and purpose again.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Dr_Ruminahui

[DuskRaider]

Thank you kind sir! It was definitely a lot of fun to construct. The kit gave a lot of inspiration to where I wanted to go with the model. It's a very utilitarian armour design underneath all of that corruption which aided in the idea of it all. Edited February 13, 2020 by DuskRaider

[HorrOwl]

outstanding work! 

[Shovellovin]

Those are some vicious knights that you have created. I like that besides putting a lot of work into the models, you also develop backstories for them. It must be a blast to play against your Death Guard.

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

I need you to base them and then give us battle reports at some point.

[Pulse]

Amazing!