The Velsen Sector: KrautScientist's INQ28

[KrautScientist]

Hey everyone, just a quick update about a recent experiment: I bought myself one of Greenstuffworld's textured rolling pins (the temple one) that can be used to create bases, and made my first attempt:

 

Here's the base with the freshly created design:

 

 

 

Here's what it looked like with the undercoat in place:

 

 

 

Amd here's the finished base:

 

 

 

 

While there's still quite a bit of room for improvement, I'd say it's a solid first attempt.

 

My main reason for going with this design was that I was looking for less underhive-y look -- I wanted something to suggest the courts and halls of power, so to speak, of the Velsen sector. Which is why the first finished base in this style was given to my conversion for Lord Sebastianus Danver Balzepho Vlachen, nephew to the Lord Sector:

 

 

 

Funnily enough, the "temple" design might just as well be called the "INQ28" design -- there's a smattering of quasi-40k-esque symbols present in the design, including a small "28" plaque, for crying out loud ;)

 

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

[noigrim]

You can always pick out details with gold

[Augustus b'Raass]

Lovely base there, Kraut-y! 

As it happens, I bought the rolling Factory Ground rolling pin to create my own underhive. They're amazing! 

[KrautScientist]

Cheers for the feedback, guys!

 

@ noigrim: I did consider that, but I didn't want to draw too much attention away from the model, at least not for my first test piece. But yeah, I'll definitely be looking at that option in the future!

 

@ Auggs: Yeah, they are great, aren't they? I will say that I ultimately decided to go for a stone floor rolling pin because it relies less on sharp angles -- it's kinda tough to get a hang of using these things at first, don't you think?

 

 

So, while Nurgle's Rot keeps scything through continental Europe, and with all kinds of things being cancelled left and right, I find myself with some extra hobby time on my hands -- what a weird dissonance...

 

But anyway, here's a peak at one of my upcoming projects. I am going to build an entourage for this gentleman here:

 

 

 

Amnon Helix, a rogue Genetor, formerly of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and one of the Velsen Sector's resident boogeymen. The model was originally converted quite a while ago, but for an upcoming hobby event in Germany, I want to give him some followers to represent his lab assistants and creations. This is going to be a really creepy retinue -- lots of distressed flesh and pointy augmetics -- anyway, here are the first test models:

 

First up, one of Helix' Haemonculites, his lab assistants, so to speak:

 

 

 

 

The model was mostly based on one of the "Unmade" models for Warcry, with a few added augmetics.

 

And there's also this guy, because every self-respecting Heretek needs a hulking monstrosity in their warband:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still lots of work left to do on this project, but I think I may be on to something...

 

As always, let me know what you think!

Edited March 13, 2020 by KrautScientist

[DaBoiKyknos]

What´s the base model for this bodyguard/ monster thing?

[OakRiver]

 

And there's also this guy, because every self-respecting Heretek needs a hulking monstrosity in their warband:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still lots of work left to do on this project, but I think I may be on to something...

 

As always, let me know what you think!

 

Did the Heretek infect a servitor with the flayer virus as an experiment? 

[Augustus b'Raass]

Wow, three new guys in a row! Love the dude based on the Unmade mini from Warcry - they're so creepy and you've hauled that over to INQ28 perfectly. Inspiring!



Also @ Oakriver: that's a loooot of unnecessary quotation and quoted pictures there, buddy!

[KrautScientist]

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

 

@ Kyknos of Athena: The base model was one of those big mutants that carry the WFB/AoS Warshrine of Chaos. I got it as part of a bitz drop -- although the model was missing most of its upper third, which made it perfect for an experiment like this. The right arm came from the Skaven Hellpit Abomination.

 

@ OakRiver: Haha, I would not put it past him Seriously, though: I think the ragged cowl will most likely be painted as burlap or some other kind of fabric, seeing how there's more than enough fleshy areas on the model already.

 

@ Auggs: Cheers, buddy! I will say that I think my first conversion is still a bit too safe -- but we'll see how this develops

 

In the meantime, I keep tweaking the Gholam model, making smaller adjustments here and there:

 

 

There's still quite a bit of detailing left to be done on this guy

Edited March 16, 2020 by KrautScientist

[lamby]

KS - that base for Lord Sebastianus Danver Balzepho Vlachen is awesome! so simple but fits the character.

 

Fantastic!

[KrautScientist]

Thanks a lot, mate! Knowing your own bases, that is high praise indeed!

 

 

The extra hobby time has been great to let the mind wander and experiment. To wit, I have two new models to share with you that mostly came about through idle exploration:

 

Enter exhibit A: A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to be able to snap up the female vampires from the WFB/AoS Coven Throne. If you ask me, those are some of GW's coolest models, and I have cannibalised them for several projects over the years. I also still had the main vampiress left, only missing her head and parts of her arms. But the model was really too cool to moulder in my bitzbox, so I made this lady here:

 

 

 

 

I don't know yet whether I want her to be an eccentric noble or a crime lord (or both) or some kind of conspirator -- for now, it was just fun to delve into the Blanchitsu look to create her She'll eventually be floating on a comfy antigrav chair (you can already see the early beginnings of my attempts at kitbashing the chair).

 

There's also another project that I hadn't managed to start on yet: Back in February, the Wier Brothers (of "Between the Bolter And Me" fame) started a challenge with the subject of using some of the new Ossiarch Bonereaper models to create some creepy, rather more skeletal and/or biomechanical Eldar (to bring the Eldar back to their somewhat Gigeresque Rogue Trader origins). The brothers were also awesome enough to send me one of the models from the Mortek Guard kit to experiment on.

 

I was slow to start, however, and when I did, things just refused to come together. But I soldiered on, and now it finally feels like I might be on to something:

 

 

 

 

The conversion is still rather messy, and some cleanup is definitely required, but I think I am getting there...

 

As always, let me know what you think!

Edited March 18, 2020 by KrautScientist

[Evil Eye]

I'm in violent agreement that the Coven Throne vampires are some truly delightful sculpts. I'm very fond of the acolytes, especially the younger one, whose demure appearance is completely at odds with how she's idly tracing patterns in a pool of blood. And that conversion you've done is quite magnificent, the cable "hair" being my favourite touch.

 

And that Eldar is absolutely perfect. The Ossiarch parts look right at home as more Gigeresque wraithbone armour. I can't wait to see how it progresses!

[KrautScientist]

Cheers, mate! Yeah, I could go on and on about the details on those vampires -- the fact that they are looking youthful and rather beautiful, yet have the claw-like hands of crones. Brilliant! Back when the Coven Thorne was first released into the - then fairly standard fantasy WFB - I simply loved the sheer audacity of its design.

 

As for the "Ossiarch Eldar", here's the finished model:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am actually really happy with this guy (?) at the moment, but that's probably because the project seemed like such a trainwreck before it finally all started to come together. I mostly made some fine tweaks to the arms and legs, working on the joints between the various body parts and tweaking the pose.

 

There's zero background in place for the model, but I kinda like how ambiguous it seems: Is it some new kind of Exarch? A wraithbone construct? Some sinister kind of Drukhari warrior? Or a pre-fall revenant?

 

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

[Tristan2583]

Hey Kraut. Long time lurker, first time poster. Have to say, your blog, amongst others, is a constant inspiration. With regards your latest model. I absolutely love it. Only thing I'm a bit dubious about is the head. That's a personal thing, I'm just not a huge fan, but the rest of the model is glorious! Keep up the good work.

Tris

[Evil Eye]

That Eldar just gets better and better. And it's given me a newfound appreciation for the Ossiarch kits, which is saying something as they're one of the few AoS factions whose aesthetics rub me the wrong way normally.

 

One idea I did have for him/her was going full retro-40K and sculpting some stiletto heels onto the feet. Utterly ludicrous of course, but perfect for that bizarre yet awesome look that permeated the older art. Not a necessary addition by any means, but just a thought.

As far as background goes, I think leaving him/her totally ambiguous would work nicely. The idea of this unearthly thing stalking the sector, bringing ruin wherever it went with nobody knowing anything about what it actually is, would be perfect.

 

But yeah, awesome work. Though now I kinda want to see a Wraithlord done in the same style!

[OakRiver]

Cheers, mate! Yeah, I could go on and on about the details on those vampires -- the fact that they are looking youthful and rather beautiful, yet have the claw-like hands of crones. Brilliant! Back when the Coven Thorne was first released into the - then fairly standard fantasy WFB - I simply loved the sheer audacity of its design.

 

As for the "Ossiarch Eldar", here's the finished model:

 

 

 

For the "Ossiarch Eldar", are you thinking of painting him in the burning scheme like an Avatar? Perhaps it was a smaller shard from when Khaine was shattered.

[Dosjetka]

The Ossiarch Eldar figure is intriguing. Is this purely a modelling project/exploration or do you have any lore ideas to accompany this particular model?

[Midnightmare]

These latest creations a very grimdark mate, especially liking the monster Gholam dude! The single eye lense I do like in combination with the shroud, very sinister looking

[KrautScientist]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! :)

 

@ Tristan2583: Cheers! Regarding the head, while it wasn't my original choice for the model (I ruined Yvraine'd head on my first attempt of coming up with a suitable head), I had wanted to use that particular Dark Eldar helmet for quite a while, because I love how stylised and statuesque it seems. Which is why I think it works here: It shows an idealised, stylised Aeldarii countenance, which seems like a good match to me (and also grounds the model, with all of its bony elements) in the Aeldarii look a bit more firmly.

 

@ Evil Eye: Thanks a lot! No high heels, unfortunately -- but that's mainly because I want to keep their gender somewhat ambiguous. And yeah, you're pretty much right on the money regarding the provisional background for this model: 'Sinister Eldar spectre stalking the sector' sounds about right ;)

 

@ OakRiver: While there definitely is a resemblence with Avatars of Khain (come to think of it, the model would even work as an Epic/AT-scaled Avatar, minus the severed head), I think I'll be going with a rather more bony colour scheme, so as not to obscure the Bonereaper parts too much.

 

@ Dosjetka: Up to now, it has really mostly been a conversion challenge, first and foremost, although I would love to work out a way in which the model makes narrative sense as part of my INQ28 collection -- see some of my thoughts above for some preliminary ideas.

 

@ Midnightmare: Cheers mate! The cyclopean Armiger head was what really kickstarted the conversion -- well, that and the tentacle/cable maker ;)

 

 

 

So, another productive day (hopefully) away from the plague: I have made some tweaks to the grimdark mamzel. Here she is, with her chair now suitably built up:

 

 

 

 

 

I am actually rather happy with the way she's been coming along, although some work remains to be done: Ideally, there would be some kind of step for her to rest her feet on, but when I tried to cobble something together, I realised that an element like that would obscure most of the lower front of the chair, defeating the exercise of having a floating chair to begin with. So I'll probably have to feature her feet in some way, or add more fabric. Anyway, we'll see...

 

Here's a look at the chair without its occupant:

 

 

 

As you can see, I added another cushion (made from GS) to elevate her to the right height and make for a smooth fit. I then used what I believe are mostly Sentinel bitz to tech-up her chair a bit (with some Chimera flamers as antigrav emitters).

 

And because I had basically lost my marbles a bit at that point, I even made her a little retainer: I used a plastic Nurgling to create a pudgy little cherub whose funtion is basically that of an ambulatory fan:

 

 

 

 

 

My original plan was to actually have him on the chair as well (on one of the cushions behind her), but maybe that would be a bridge too far? Should I keep him separate? Suggestions?

 

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

[Elzender]

The mamzel is coming along amazingly! For the feet rest, might I suggest a prostrate slave/servitor? A bit over the top and probably defeating the purpose of the floating chair altogether, but I think it would fit the arrogance and disregard for lower beings of Imperial Nobility. Edited March 21, 2020 by Elzender

[Midnightmare]

Maaaaate both of these are fantastic conversions. Mamzel and pet, both down right creepy! Keep them seperate imho, there style ties them together perfectly B) Edited March 21, 2020 by Midnightmare

[noigrim]

Separate is cool

[OakRiver]

I love these new conversions. For the mamzel, are you painting the skull as bone, or as very thin skin stretched over the skull, following years of rejuve treatments?

[PowerHungryMonkey]

Love the Mamzel, love the chair and LOVE THE MIDGET! These guys are just exhuding bucket-loads of Blanche. Also really puts me in mind of the the Bosch-esque art from Mordheim.

 

P.S. great use of classice heavy flamers for the chair repulsers

[KrautScientist]

Cheers for the kind words, everyone!

 

@ Elzender: Haha, that's a really cool idea -- I immediately thought of that hiding Imperial soldier from the older metal giant as a possible bit Ultimately, though, a prostrate servant/servirtor would lead to the same problem as some kind of footrest: obscure too much of the chair behind it and possibly draw attention away from the model. That being said, I think I have come up with a possible solution, as you'll be seeing in a second.

 

@ Midnightmare & noigrim: Yeah, I guess they'll remain separate pieces -- I kinda like the idea of the little guy hurrying behind the floating throne, trying his best to keep up

 

@ OakRiver: Definitely bone: I do really see this as a mask, not her actual face, and it's why I chose a slightly bigger skull, to show how an actual head might still fit under there. Also, weirdly enough, while I have yet to decide on a final role for her in her masked identity, I do actually have a pretty firm idea of who she is underneath the mask, in terms of the Velsen Sector's overarching lore...

 

@ PowerHungryMonkey: Cheers, mate!

 

 

So, I find myself having unexpected amounts of fun with this latest project

 

First up, like I said above, I may have found a solution for the situation with her feet: As I still had the flowing skirts from the other two vampires, I have started shaving down one of them to fit the mamzel:

 

 

 

It still obscures a bit of detail here and there, but it's not too distracting. The element will still need some shaving down, of course.

 

And I also couldn't help creating another cherub for her, loosely inspired by a cherub appearing in a piece of John Blanche artwork from the second edition 40k rulebook. In it, a cherub is wearing the cutest little pseudo-napoleonic uniform, so I tried to channel that effect:

 

 

 

 

He is carrying a little hourglass, as if to say: "This is all the time you get to plead your case with the mistress..."

 

As always, let me know what you think!

Edited March 22, 2020 by KrautScientist

[Biohazard]

Mamzel is looking great, I LOVE the cherubs. Especially the guy with the uniform :tu: