Emperors Children The Judgment on Kadeth - Dr. Ruminahui's Emperor's Children

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Thanks, Warriorfish.

 

First, I would like to share some pictures of my other main distraction (after videogames) from painting.  This is my neightbour's cat Grace - she likes to come by our place when she wants yummy wet food, when she wants petting, when its cold out or when she's bored. We love her and wish she was our cat, but she is not.

 

https://imgur.com/gallery/JOmqdov

 

Next, my progress on my maulerfiend - I'm a bit further than this, but my desk lamp burnt out which means I needed to take pictures while the light was still good:

 

 

Its really coming together - I'm getting close to the final stretch.

 

I got the chaos half of the new chaos/eldar boxed set, so am already working out what I'll do with the fiend.  Pretty sure I'll do another maulerfiend, but I plan to be much more aggressive in converting it - if everything works out, it will look like it is pouncing with its jaws open.  Anyway, I'll be sure to take photos of it when I take my saw to it.

 

Annoyingly, the minis didn't come with their bases - not a problem for the other minis, as I have lots of extra 30 and 40mm bases - but I will need to order up a large oval base for the fiend from GM before I go to work on it.  In any event, all that will wait until I get this fiend done and potentially whatever other projects I may want to do first.

[Tallarn Commander]

The Maulerfiend is coming along nicely. I look forward to seeing you do justice to the new Chosen models. 

 

And Grace is adorable. Those are some great photos of her amidst the snows of Alberta. :) 

[WarriorFish]

Good progress, and already planning the next one :P I was tempted by the box but it wasn't quite enough I was interested in, looking forward to seeing what you get up to with them :tu:

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Got the box with the figures I painted for my late friend at the dawn of 3rd ed.  I'll be photoing and hopefully posting them this weekend.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Had a sleeping kitty in my computer chair on Saturday, which prevented me gaming on my computer.  Here she is, though she work and sat up when I came in to take her picture.  She managed to steal the spot from me when I was in another room taking pictures of the models I had painted for my late friend, which I intend to post later this week.

 

 

 

I instead used ithe time for painting - which allowed to power through painting the body of my maulerfiend.  I then worked on the tentacles, finishing them Tuesady evening.  Will be doing some OSL from the green parts once I have it fully based, as some of it will be on the base.

 

Here are some pictures:

 

 

Don't have the usual set up for pictures, as my lamp died on the weekend.  Going to have to figure something else out, as these don't look quite right.  Anyway, finishing the model meant a lot to me as my late friend commented several times in the last few weeks of his life that that he was looking forward to seeing it done.

 

As well, I chopped the teeth out of the head of my new maulerfiend and seperated the jaws, then glued the right and left halves together.  To get the jaw to open this wide (they can onloy due so as they aren't mounted to the neck knob) I will need to either clip the front most flesh cable on the neck, or cut a slot out of the lower jaw to fit the cable into - I'm more inclined to do the later, as I think it won't be much harder and will look better.

 

 

Obviously, I will also need to rebuild some teeth, and the gums where I cut a bit too much off.  Have some ideas knocking around in my head regarding the tteth, but most likely will carve them out of plasticard.

 

Next on the painting board, though, is my 4th obliterator, as that's what I've pledged for the Anger & Arrogance painting event.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[WarriorFish]

Good stuff, I particularly like the white chevron that is very neat and looks nice - I might steal this idea :P I'm starting to lean back into my CSM too...

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Thanks!  I found the white stripes on my hell drake really helped the model pop, so I'm trying to incorporate some white into all my vehicles, as otherwise they can kind of turn out to be just purple masses.

 

For trying to get straight lines on curved surfaces, I really recommend picking up a roll of painters tape - the seal between the tape and the model usually isn't tight enough that you can use the tape directly as a border when painting (at least not where it crosses over trim or other raised or low areas), but it sure proves handy for drawing a line with a pencil and using that as your marker for painting.

Edited March 10, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Painted the stuff I did my my late friend here: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/373556-a-trip-down-memory-lane/

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Finished my 4th obliterator - this is one of the guys I did the arm swaps on, was well as a weapon swap for the shoulder gun.  Its my first vow for Anger and Arrogance.

 

 

Pretty happy with him.  Note, in addition to the arm swap got the head from the Dark Vengeance hellbrute - I had a hard time making it fit (the multipart hellbrute heads are definitely easier - that's what's on my other conversion) which is why the face is tilted downwards to much. Still needs to be based, though - I'll do them in a batch, probably just before the end of Anger and Arrogance in May.

 

And the back:

 

 

Here are some pictures of the 4 together:

 

 

First one if with the model he shares the torso and legs with in the front with him.

 

 

And this one with the obliterator who has the same arms.  If I ever do a third pair, I think I will swap one arm and cut off and repose the other for the two models - hopefully that will make them distinct enough from their breathern to look like different models.

 

Next up is my second venomcrawler, though I'm thinking of doing highlights on my maulerfiend, so that may occur first.  In any case, it will be my next Anger and Arrogance vow.

 

[Edit] - looking at the pictures I realised I forgot to paint the eyes growing out of his armor on his left side (your right), so I took and reposted more accurate photos.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Tallarn Commander]

Now you have dotted your eyes and crossed your t's. :)

 

Your oblits look great. I especially like the Sigil on the shoulder pad.

[WarriorFish]

Excellent work Rumi! You wouldn't realise there were two mono-pose models with all the work you've done, they will surely reward you with effectiveness on the table top :tu: I'm keen to see the Venomcrawler as it's a nice model to paint anyway but you've done some conversion work there too :)

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I decided to highlight my maulerfiend, and finished that.  As well, I painted the little melta arms that you can take instead of the tenticles.  Note, my new lamp has a different bulb than the old one which makes the colours a bit off.

 

 

You can't really see them at all from the front.  Here's a pic from the front right, that shows one peeking out from behind the arm.

 

 

Here's a better view of them both from the back.

 

 

I'll post some more pics of it once I've finished the basing and the glow effects.

 

I've also thrown some paint at the venomcrawler:

 

[WarriorFish]

All the lining in really makes it pop, and of course you can't go wrong with some magnetising :P

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Thanks, WF.

 

 

I've worked a little bit on my venomcrawler, but haven't really had the painting bug so haven't done more than that.  Instead, I've been working out how to repose and build my second maulerfiend.

 

This post is pretty picture intensive, as I thought it might be interesting to detail all the changes that need to be made and the various decisions and thought processes relating to those.

 

So, this conversion started from the thought that the original pose of the maulerfiend is rather lackluster and detracts from an otherwise excellent model.  I did a slight adjustment of pose with my first maulerfiend, but wanted to make this one look distinct from that.  For starters, I wanted to make the model have an open mouth as the head is very distintive such that any other model with the same head would already look to similar even if differently posed.  As well, my opinion is the head is too static and "contemplative" for any more active or agressive pose.

 

Change 1:

 

 

I will be rebuilding the teeth, probably with plasticard.  Previously, I has thought I would need to clip the cables on the neck to get the mouth to open wide enough, but was happy that I don't think I'll need to, as I think the mouth will open wide enough without further modification - though I'll have to see how it looks with teeth.

 

 

Change 2:  This is a picture with the head & neck with the body.  This is the straightest that you can make them, as the leftmost spike on the neck prevents the neck being raised/straightened any further without twisting it.  This is also a good picture of the magnet I put in to allow me to swap between the tenticles and meltacutters.

 

 

This is of how I would need to twist the neck to get it clear of the body so as to have the neck be more in line with the body.  It looks a bit wierd, so I'm more likely to just remove the last spike instead.  It is also a good picture of the top of the mouth, showing how I'll need to sculpt a palate before I glue the teeth on.

 

 

This picture shows (its crappy but the best I could get) shows the strut I greenstuffed in place to stop the magnets from falling into the model (where it would never be recovered if fully assembled and likely difficult to replace).  I ultimately also glued a second strut in place as I was unhappy with the placement of the first.

 

 

Change 3: So, with the open mouth, I thought the most interesting pose would be in mid pounce, with both arms raised agressively.  Doing so requires me either clip the piston attached to the arms so it fits in place, or (as I did with my previous model) remove it so that the piston fits into its original hole (just beneath the front of the arm) and then rebuild the rod so that it attaches to the arm.  I'll probably do the latter again, though its more work.

 

 

Change 4:  This pose does pose a problem in that the two hands are doing different things - the left (your right) is clawing, while the other is giving a fist bump.  I will be cutting up the clenched hand and reposing it (with some pinning) so the fingers are in a similar pose to those of its left hand.  This will likely be the hardest part of the conversion.

 

 

To get a pouncing look, I would need to straighten the legs.  These are rear legs, with paint brushes indicating where I would need to cut, pin, repose, and (to a small extent) resculpt them.  Given that all of the weight of the model would likely be supported at a precarious angle by these two legs, I'm concerned that the reassembled legs would be prone to breaking.  It would also be a lot of work.

 

Change 5:  So, instead I plan to use the larger front legs from the forgefiend, which will give me greater length without needing to cut them appart.  Here's what it might look like with them in a pouncing position.

 

 

Another option would be to put them more upright, and have it in a position used by the main character in Monsters Inc. when he is scaring people (see: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9nPRAk4mWSY/maxresdefault.jpg ).  This postion would be more structurally sound, but maybe not as interesting.  Anyway, it would look something like this:

 

 

One thing that is interesting is that the larger legs are much wider set than the original rear legs, forming move of a "v" shape.  I think this is a boon as it will make either of the 2 poses more dynamic.  Here is a picture from the front showing what I mean:

 

 

Now, regardless of the pose, a couple of further changes need to be made to the legs.

 

 

Change 6:  The leg (even if I used the smaller rear legs) has a strip accross the front designed to have the leg attach to the foot at the appropriate angle.  This part is indicated by the paint brush, and would prevent the legs being attached to the foot at the angles required by either the pouncing or scareing pose.  So it will need to be removed.

 

 

As the larger legs attach at a different angle (discussed above), it leaves a large flat area at both the front at the back of the "hip" with no detail - the brush points this out. 

 

 

Change 7: Fortunately, the hip armor for the smaller leg mostly fits, but will need some trimming to make it look right - it looks stranger from the front.

 

Anyway, any recommendations as to posing are appreciated.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[WarriorFish]

You're really going to town on this, it looks to be coming together nicely so far - the assembly bug is proving useful :lol: You're being wise by taking it slowly as such large conversions tend to come together as they go especially when you're looking for a dynamic pose (as a "living" creature) :tu:

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Got a bunch done on it today, so I'm not sure if I'm "taking it slowly" - however I am putting an amount of planning and forethought into it that I don't normally give to my conversions.  I thought it might be interesting to lay that out here.

 

 

Finished converting the fist into an open hand.  The first picture is showing how I cut up the fingers at each joint and then pinned then as a straight finger.  Second shows the top of the finished hand - its a good thing its chaos, as those fingers are neither straight nor bend normally.   Third picture shows the palm side, where I have green stuffed the gaps (I will paint it like flesh) and built that round thing on the palm, which for some reason is on the other hand but not on the other.

 

 

I decided to go with the larger legs and the pouncing position.  Here it is with the legs, but not the feet, glued on.  Looks like I will have to do some modification to the feet to make them join naturally to the legs at this ankle.  Oh, it also neck glued on - I took off the rearmost spike and then trimmed a tiny bit off of the front tip of the body carapace to allow the fit.

 

 

Here it is from the front with its tenticles, with some copper wire sticking through it that I will use to pin the arms, as they will be held on mostly by greenstuff and need some support if anyone uses them to pick up or hold the model (as is bound to happen).

 

 

Here it is with one of the hip shields on - getting it in place required some trimming of the inside of the shield and the leg underneath and was a bit tricky as it was difficult position it so it didn't interfere with the tenticles.  You can see the greenstuffing fixing an area where I over trimmed.  The shield doesn't block the front flat area on the tip, but when the tenticles or meltacutters are in place that area isn't visible.

 

Oh, I also greenstuffed in a roof to the mouth and rebuilt the gums on one side where I had overtrimmed the teeth - didn't feel it warranted a picture, though.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[WarriorFish]

There's no way you can put this much effort and work into a model quickly :lol: I've thought about repositioning fingers but this is really going the extra mile, when it's done it'll surely be the first Maulerfiend you grab when you need one for a list :tu: Keep us updated on the progress pictures Rumi!

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Well, I've been plugging away at it all week in the evening after work (except yesterday, when I took a break) and have finished it.  Here you go:

 

 

I consider it a success and a failure - a failure in that I didn't quite get the look I was going for  - it has more of a  eating grin than a roar and its position is more of a lunge than a pounce - but a success in that it is still a very different and far more dynamic pose that makes a lot more "sense" than the original.

 

One thing that differred from my original plan is that I didn't move the pistons on the arms, as I found on further examination that doing so would leave me with nowhere to connect them to on the arm with them in this position. Instead, I trimmed them to fit in the new pose. This does leave me with the original holes under the arm pits to do something with.  Spare Fiend of Slanesh claws are an option:

 

 

They look kind of goofy - I'll likely just greenstuff over the holes.

 

Not sure if it will be my "default" maulerfiend as you suggested, WF - not because I don't liek the pose, but more because I also really like the pose of my other fiend. :)  Which sees the table more will likely depend on whose paint job I like better.

Edited April 7, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Valkia the Bloody]

Great work, I would definitely call this a success!

[WarriorFish]

All the effort was worth it, great work! I agree that filling the gaps would be best, I think that short of some serious work changing the model this is as close as you can get to a pouncing pose so it has turned out very well I'm sure you're looking forward to some normal painting after all this conversion work, but I'm looking forward to it too Can't wait to see it done!

[Tallarn Commander]

Wow! What an incredibly dynamic pose.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Thanks guys, I'm glad you like it.

 

Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting some paint on it, but I don't think it will be anytime soon - I'm currently working on my second venomcrawler, and after doing it and my first maulerfiend back-to-back, I think I'll need a break from vehicles for a bit.  So, I imagine my next project after the venomcrawler will be to paint the master of executions and maybe the lightnign claw lord I posted previously.

 

As for my next build, it will probably be this guy who I picked when getting supplies (needed for plastic glue, and the toothpicks I turned into maulerfiend teeth):

 

Don't think I'll do any real conversion to the model, either than magnetizing its options (which, based on the assembly instructions, for the mouth device on the mount may be challenging - both options are opposite ends of the same piece, with the unused option being used as the connector between the head and body).  Thought he might be useful with my 5 new-ish daemon engines (2 venoms, 2 maulers, 1 drake), especially if the rumours regarding our next codex are true and he will be dropping in wounds such that he can benefit from the character targeting rules.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[WarriorFish]

Cool, we've a lot to look forward to then - keep up the progress Rumi you're definitely on a roll :tu:

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Didn't feel like painting this past weekend, so assembled my lord discordant instead.

 

 

The options are magnetized.  I'll likely go back and greenstuff around the magnets some to hide them.

 

I left the head armor off on purpose - think the model looks cooler without it.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[WarriorFish]

Nice, was it much work to magnetise? I keep thinking about my Disco Lord lately since it sounds like there won't be an EC codex any time soon so looking forward to seeing him done :tu: