Mortarion - less comedic, more sinister (I hope) WIP

[Brother Desultor]

One thing that bothers me (and some others from what I've read) about the new range of Death Guard figures/characters from GW is the unnecessary inclusion of "cute" Nurglings and other marshmallow-like blobs that are supposed to represent smoke..

So with the new Mortarion in hand, I thought I'd try and do something more fitting for the Death Lord, Prince of Decay. I built the model removing all traces of Nurglings and smoke, substituting censors where applicable. I also decided to remove what I felt were the unsuitable wings and replaced them with the wings from a Terrorgheist. These fitted surprisingly well into the same location as the originals and need just a little application of green stuff to finish them.

Here's the stage I'm at currently. The next thing is to use heat to gently reshape some of the chains so they're more dynamic, and do the same to the wings to give them more of a menacing curve.

[Closet Skeleton]

I like the stock wings but its always good to see what the other options look like. Personally I'm thinking of just leaving all the censers off.

 

I've heard that someone has tried the Empire General on Grypon wings but haven't seen the pics myself.

[DuskRaider]

Actually, I really like this idea. I was considering Cockatrice wings, but these also work quite well (and I'm not sure the Cocktrice ones are large enough).

[Brother Desultor]

I think the size of the wings has fortunately worked out well. After all, there's only so much you can do when comparing wing sizes on the sprues in the shop.

A couple more images that hopefully show the overall sizing:

[Charlo]

Considering I am planning on using the EXACT same wings I'd be very interested in how you did it!

 

Glad to know it looks exactly how I wanted too!

[thamier]

inso aprove of this in so many ways , great job ! less cuteness now!

[Brother Desultor]

Thankfully it was easy enough, certainly easier than I was expecting. Simply flatten off the relevant area of the Terrogheist wing muscle you want to attach to the wing mounting point on Mortarion (this is where you can choose the angle of the wings. I'm going to add more curve with heat treatment). I then used a pin in each for additional strength, plus Superglue. You could use epoxy glue to make sure it's a VERY strong bond but as I won't be moving the model once it's done, then that level of stability is not an issue for me.

 

If you choose the same weapon options as I did, as in the scythe in the right hand, then be aware of how you position that right wing as the scythe handle can get in the way. The other issue I have is that parts 46 and 54 in section 2c of the build instructions won't fit under the wings. I'm going to have to glue them into the sockets in the tanks first, then allow them to set before applying some heat to get them to fit under the wings. Either that or make some new ones from green stuff. But that's with the wing angle I chose - any other position may not affect them.

[Charlo]

I think i'm going to go for the other arm build, so hopefully won't be any major issues.

 

Honestly looks awesome dude.

[Brother Desultor]

I think i'm going to go for the other arm build, so hopefully won't be any major issues.

 

Honestly looks awesome dude.

Thank you.

[Closet Skeleton]

Actually, I really like this idea. I was considering Cockatrice wings, but these also work quite well (and I'm not sure the Cocktrice ones are large enough).

 

They are not. The citadel finecast Cockatrice' wings are about 40% the size of stock Mortarion's. Gryphon wings are about 20% larger than Mortarion's.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Even incomplete, your Mortarion looks impressive and menacing. What colors will you paint him in?

[Brother Desultor]

Even incomplete, your Mortarion looks impressive and menacing. What colors will you paint him in?

Thanks. As to the colours I'm uncertain as yet, for him and the rest of the new DG. Part of me wants to do something that reflects back to their original legion colours, but with suitable rot and decay. But then I feel I should pay homage to Papa Nurgle and go with the green they adopted following their fall. However as I'm such a slow builder/painter I think I've got plenty of time to make the decision.....

[Antarius]

 

Even incomplete, your Mortarion looks impressive and menacing. What colors will you paint him in?

Thanks. As to the colours I'm uncertain as yet, for him and the rest of the new DG. Part of me wants to do something that reflects back to their original legion colours, but with suitable rot and decay. But then I feel I should pay homage to Papa Nurgle and go with the green they adopted following their fall. However as I'm such a slow builder/painter I think I've got plenty of time to make the decision.....

In case you're interested, here are my thoughts on the matter and what I did for my own Mortarion:

- personally, I think it makes more sense that the DG kept their original scheme and it just got corrupted (they can barely be bothered to keep their stuff in working order, so it seems unlikely that they would bother to repaint their armour).

- dark wings and robes make for a good contrast with whiteish armour and reinforces the "Angel of Death/Grim Reaper" look nicely. The only problem is that you need to make sure that his face stands out from his armour and that's a bit more work if you go with pale whiteish armour.

- I also left off the Nurglings andI snipped off the censer-thing over his head as well as some of the chains. I find that it gives him a more menacing look and a more clearly defined shape, which looks like it's what you're going for too. A relatively subdued paint job actually accentuates this effect, ime. As well as perhaps being easier to get done - and you should definitely hurry up and paint him :)

 

Also, your Mortarion looks great!

[Brother Desultor]

Always interested in feedback and suggestions, so thanks for yours.

I agree with all of your points, especially regarding the state of their armour - why indeed would they repaint it when it was being covered by boils, sores, rust etc. and ruptured by horns and other extrusions. On the other hand, the change to green could be as a result of their corruption over millennia rather than a respray. For example, the white PVC windows and doors used in many houses turn green and slimy over the years if neglected. Hmm, I may have just convinced myself into going down this route....time to do some test models methinks.

As to the censer on his pack, I too did think of removing it completely but then I decided to cut off the smoke and stacks, and replace them with the barrels from melta guns.

 

Would love to see photos of your conversion too.

Edited September 29, 2017 by Brother Ophamion

[Antarius]

Always interested in feedback and suggestions, so thanks for yours.

I agree with all of your points, especially regarding the state of their armour - why indeed would they repaint it when it was being covered by boils, sores, rust etc. and ruptured by horns and other extrusions. On the other hand, the change to green could be as a result of their corruption over millennia rather than a respray. For example, the white PVC windows and doors used in many houses turn green and slimy over the years if neglected. Hmm, I may have just convinced myself into going down this route....time to do some test models methinks.

As to the censer on his pack, I too did think of removing it completely but then I decided to cut off the smoke and stacks, and replace them with the barrels from melta guns.

 

Would love to see photos of your conversion too.

If I can figure out how to upload them directly to the site, sure. I've sort of given up on posting photos since photobucket decided to become a paysite.

[Guiltysparc]

I like his fly wings, but these are pretty righteous too.  Definitely gives a more death-esque, grim reaper type feel.  Can't wait to see how you throw paint at him.