The Velsen Sector: KrautScientist's INQ28

[noigrim]

Cult assassins are pretty risqué though.

The earth covered necton head is a nice xenoarchaeology touch.

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

Really amazing work, what I love about the Inquisitor's sky is the limit on what you can create.

[KrautScientist]

Cheers for the feedback, guys! :)

 

@ Gederas: Go for it! INQ28 can be such a breath of fresh air/palate cleanser whenever one of your other projects isn't really coming together.

 

@ Auggs: Cheers, buddy! I actually thought about filling in her navel, but I was just about 100% sure that it would end up looking messy and tampered-with, and I would have hated that, so I left the sculpt 100% untouched, and I am rather happy with that decision ;)

 

Regarding possible INQ28 inspiration, just a few pointers:

 

Instagram and Facebook seem to be all the rage with the luminaries of the hobby these days, but I really don't like that trend, so I cannot direct you towards many sources -- I'll make an exception for PDH's profile, though, because he's a great guy and one of the best INQ28 converters, and also because he doesn't have a proper blog ;) You should also definitely take a look at the Ammobunker: It's quieter than it used to be, but it's still a great repository for inspirational material. Jeff Vader's The Convertorum is definitely worth a look, as is Death of a Rubricist (one of the best hobby blogs, period. Plus Apologist is also fairly active over here). Oh, and Larsonic Miniatures is an example of a fantastic new blog. This is by no means an exhaustive collection, but it's a good enough way to get started, I think.

 

@ Bjorn Firewalker: Cheers, mate! :)

 

@ noigrim: Oh, there's definitely room for a bit of bare skin and some rather risqué models here and there -- it just seemed needlessly exploitative on an Inquisitorial interrogator. I think the model is nice enough to work without the bare midriff, is all ;)

 

@ Kolgrim DeathHowl: Cheers, man! And yeah, that's probably the best thing about INQ28: that it's basically an excuse to explore any part of the 40k lore you like in ridiculous depth ;)

 

 

So here's another small update: I have managed to finish the xeno-archeologist, so meet Professor Abelard Marbray of the Bastold Imperial Akademy, everyone:

 

 

 

 

That bulky, voxcaster-based thing on his back is supposed to be some kind of portable cogitator, by the way, allowing him to file and cross-reference his findings even while working in the field. I imagine it even makes an old-fashioned “ding” sound when finishing with a calculation ;)

 

 

 

 

I built the professor to be contemplating a rusty, dirty Necron skull, as you can see, unsure whether this is an artifact of a Xenos culture or actual part of an alien. There’s even a patch of bright silver where his fingers have wiped away some of the dust and grime of the ages (although you probably have to take a close look to see it):

 

 

 

And while I was at it, I also took some proper pictures of the rest of the warband, so let's go through the other members again, if you guys don't mind:

 

First up, the Inquisitor himself: Titus Alvar of the Ordo Xenos Velsen — Inquisitor, socialite, adventurer:

 

 

There’s an as-of-yet unnamed sanctioned psyker who is also a member of Alvar’s warband. My vague backstory for him is that Alvar picked him up while he was under Inquisitorial audit for some psionic “friendly fire” caused by the presence of a Xenos artifact.

 

 

 

 

Next up,  Zekariah “Foreman” Lunn, Inquisitorial operative and veteran of the Eisenberg Factory Guard:

 

 

 

 

There's T’L’Kess, Kroot tracker and scout, and possibly the last survivor of his kindred:

 

 

 

And, of course, Millerna Acheron, scion of a voidfaring house and Inquisitor Alvar's Interrogator:

 

 

 

 

And here's the entire warband so far:

 

 

As for future additions, there are actually four more possible members for the warband. Take a look:

 

 

From left to right, there’s a Magos Xenobiologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, now on permanent secondment to the Ordos, Professor Marbray’s research assistant, a Squat/Demiurg (or whatever you want to call them — I thought it would be a fun model to throw in) and Shiv Korlund, a female hive ganger, represented by one of Jes Goodwin’s vintage Escher models.

 

Looking at the retinue now that it’s starting to come together for good, I realise that the warband definitely owes a debt of inspiration to the Inquisitorial retinue fellow hobbyist Lamby is currently working on (and, to be exact, has been for a while). This wasn’t really a conscious decision on my part, but I cannot help feeling some of my models echo the design cues you can see in Lamby’s work, and there are subtle similarities here and there that must be due to my following his warband taking place over a similar number of years. So cheers, mate! And great to see you working on your stuff again!

 

Anyway, as always, let me know what you think! :)

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent works.

[Kierdale]

Excellent, excellent work :tu:

Lovely conversions.

[lamby]

Awesome retinue, been a fan since you started this team.

 

And thanks again for the shout-out!

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, guys! :)

 

As it happens, I am already hard at work on the next two members for Inquisitor Alvar's retinue:

 

 

First up, there's Profesor Marbray's research assitant who still has *quite* a ways to go before he's finished:

 

 

The idea here is that both he and the Professor are from the Bastold Imperial Akademy, so I want them to be wearing similar attire (and have matching palettes). The two models should hopefully complement each other rather nicely, once they are both finished:

 

 

And then there's the Magos Xenobiologis who is quite a bit further a long, yet still missing a few finishing touches. In any case, I am enormously fond of this guy!

 

 

He's a subtly converted Forgeworld Servitor model. I gave him a creepy metallic claw and a suitably menacing looking servo-skull, complete with syringe, but I really like the stock model, so I kept most of it untouched.

 

As always, let me know what you think! :)

[Augustus b'Raass]

I think they both look great - but the servitor/Xenobiologist looks the best. What a creep!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Magos Xenobiologis' looks are unnerving- appropriate, considering his field of study. Excellent work. Does he remind anyone else of Count Orlok (Max Schreck), from the 1922 film Nosferatu?

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, guys! :)

 

@ Bjorn: I see where you are coming from, although I would argue the Magos is standing up perfectly erect, whereas Orlock has this creepy, bent-over pose. But the model does have a creepy vibe, which is what drew me to it in the first place.

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

Looking great, really like the paint job on the kroot model!

[KrautScientist]

Thanks, man! :)

 

So I have managed to finish the next two models for the retinue. A small caveat, though: It has been grey and rainy here for the last week or so, so the photos aren't exactly brilliant...

 

Anyway, here goes:

 

First up, the Magos Xenobiologis (who, it must be said, was already mostly finished last time):

 

 

I am including an extra angle shot, though, so you guys can appreciate the nasty looking syringe on his servo-skull ;)

 

 

 

And there's Professor Marbray's research assistant:

 

 

The objective here was to have him match the Professor himself, so I used a similar palette. I also wanted to subtly hint at a bit of a military past, maybe, hence the subtle IG elements.

 

 

 

He's looking at some kind of map, so I decided to carefully draw on some kind of floor plan (possibly of an ancient ruin or something):

 

 

And here he is next to his boss:

 

 

As always, let me know what you think! :)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Well done.

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, Bjorn! :)

 

Time for a small update. No new models for today, just some better pictures:

 

Here's Researcher Tancred, Professor Marbray's assistant:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's another group shot with his boss:

 

 

Also back from the photo studio: Magos Xenobiologis Harland Leitz:

 

 

 

 

 

And here's a look at the entire retinue so far:

 

 

As always, let me know what you think! :)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Better lighting certainly made your models look better in these photos.

[Marius Perdo]

Very characterful - somehow I missed this thread for a while.

[Atia]

Awesome work on the warband - especially the Professor, the Magos-Xenobiologis and the poor Last Kroot! 

[DaBoiKyknos]

 

 

 

As always, let me know what you think!

 

Really cool work here! The kill-team and all the conversion that came before. Could you tell me where this backpack comes from, please? 

Edited October 7, 2019 by Kyknos of Athena

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, people! :)

 

@ Kyknos of Athena: Cheers! As for the backpack: Along with the head and right arm used on the IH model, it came from that Iron Hands member of Kill Team Cassius (originally from the Deathwatch: Overkill box). Hope this helps! :)

[KrautScientist]

So here's another small update for you all: I have finished the conversion for Skuldi Kulvar, the penultimate member of Inquisitor Alvar's retinue. I have wanted some kind of squat character ever since I first laid eyes on the Kharadron Overlords for AoS -- even as stock models, they are basically the perfect 40k squats, if you ask me, with more of a steam/clock-punk-ish angle and less fantasy dwarf goofiness.

 

Anyway, here's the finished model:

 

 

 

 

Granted, for the most part, it's still a stock Arkanaut model. But I have added some visual clutter and some techy bitz to bring the model more firmly into the 40k universe. I am seeing Skuldi as some kind of explorator/collector who has fallen in with Alvar. I have some ideas in the back of my head for a squat enclave somewhere within the Velsen sector, a rather reclusive group that is focused a lot around heavy industry and organised as some kind of industrial combine. There's also some technology transfer between them and the local Adeptus Mechanicus, although it's mostly strictly below the counter (I've tried to subtly hint at this fact by using an AdMech barrel on the pistol, though).

 

This guy actually doubles as a test model for a squat warband project that may or may not happen at some point in the future -- don't hold your breath, though ;)

 

Anyway, as always, let me know what you think! :)

[Gederas]

SQUAAAAAAAATS!

I was wondering when you'd make a Squat out of a Kharadron model :lol:

He's looking good, and I do agree, they have an aesthetic that fits 40k way more than a proper fantasy setting.

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

Looks good so far!

[grailkeeper]

Maybe a small aquila on the circular but on the shoulder pad.

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, guys! :)

 

Finally, something painted again: Here's a quick look at my paintjob for Skuldi Kulva:

 

 

 

As always, let me know what you think! :)

[DuskRaider]

Ooooo... I like it a lot! The Kharadon models are great for making some Squat.