+ Dreckfresser: One foot after the other; and again +

[apologist]

 

Discipline. Endurance. Such are the sides of the coins of our lives.

 

As they are spent; so they turn and turn about; revealing first one side, then the other.

 

Through their balance, the spun coin never falls.

 

So it has been for ten thousand years.

 

+++

 

 

+ Nadrotmistr Odo Thumor +

 

 

+ Taborites – Vojin Madragas; Vojin Vytaut; Vojin Baltus +

 

 

+ Taborites – Vojin-exempt Beaufort; Destanik Rokycan; Vojin ​Petrsen +

 

+++

 

Nothing too thrilling here, but I've been gradually getting more and more enthused by my Death Guard, and wanted to start a little mini-blog for them. Infantry have always been the main draw for me – and what better army for the downtrodden foot-sloggers than Death Guard?

 

Very minor conversion work here – mainly trimming away a few details that I found a bit too OTT, and head swaps to give a slightly more uniform look.

Edited October 18, 2018 by Apologist

[Krakendoomcool]

Cool, I'm excited to see an Apologist Death Guard force. They are already Truescale so that's one job done.

[Soulhunter1995]

Another Apologist thread you say? Consider it followed 

[apologist]

Thanks both. I got my first Plague Marine painted up last night. Here's the result:

 

 

 

The force will be heavily Plague Marine-based; it's the infantry that really appeal to me. To that end I've got about thirty (depending on how many get cannibalised for conversions, and how far my bits box stretches) on the blocks, including some second-hand. This chap is one of the second-hand ones that I've repainted.

 

 

Would love to hear your thoughts, and generate some discussion to spark some ideas for the background. 

[apologist]

As mentioned above, the finished Plague Marine is a repaint of a second-hand model. As a point of interest, I thought I'd post up some of the others from the batch, to show what I look for when buying second-hand:

 

 

The things I look for in second-hand models are:

• Thin paint – details should still be clear. This is less important if you're planning to strip before repainting, but blobby paint is generally a bad sign anyway. It can hide poor construction. If you can, examine them in person, or ask for close-up details.
• Quality of build – Look for outstanding mouldlines and sprue detritus, plus any nicks, cuts or scrapes. Do always ask how the model has been put together – superglued plastic figures are easily broken apart to rebuild, while poly cemented ones are more labour. 
• Construction and parts used – This is the big one for plastic kits. Unless the seller is including the leftover parts, you'll be stuck with the options they've picked. Make sure they're what you want; or you can end up with false economy.
• Basing – Although bases are amongst the easiest things to update, the base is something that is very distinctive. If your aim is for the second-hand models to fit in with your army, look for models with bases that match yours  or better still, are unbased.
• Compatibility –  This is more of an issue if your army is heavily converted or otherwise non-standard; in which case out-of-the-box models can stand out like a sore thumb. The same applies in the other direction too – cool converted models don't always fit in nicely.
• Price – The price can be the kicker in these deals. A seeming bargain can be outweighed if you can't fix them up to your satisfaction; and equally it's sometimes worth paying near-retail if you need do nothing to them.

 

 

These models are a good example of great second-hand models. I paid less than half retail price for them, they're nicely assembled, unbased and have only a thin coat of paint.

[apologist]

Second-hand is all very well, but of course it's nice to be able to more easily stamp your ideas on a figure by building it from a shiny new kit:

 

 

The central champion is from the Dark Imperium set; all I've done is trim the arms below the shoulders to swap in a plasma gun for the power fist, and alter the pose to be slightly less confrontational; and more mobile.

 

The other two are bolter-wielding infantrymen – typical examples of Mortarion's preferred troops. The backpack on the one of the right is from a Forgeworld techmarine. It's bulky enough to look good, and the asymmetry and three nozzles work well for these twisted creatures, I think.

 

I was a bit surprised to see how limiting multi-part kit was in terms of posing out of the box; but I suppose the pegs and guiding spacers are there to ensure that you don't end up with details like torso tentacles blocking weapons etc. – a bit of a necessary evil. The good part of that is that the kits is packed with bits to ensure variety.

 

One particular bit stood out – the optional torso fronts. What a clever way of completely changing the character of the models! It reminds me a lot of the lead miniatures from when I started out – the sculptor would work from a semi-detailed base dolly to create lots of variants of a single figure. Just a pleasing little retro technique :)

 

+++

 

I also picked up the basis of some cultists – I think these Cawdor gangers will work well as a contrast to show off the bulk of the Astartes. Now, just to pick some heads and arms. I want to make it clear they're not Cawdor, and also not poxwalkers, so I'm going to try and find a militia-style head. Not quite uniform, but equally not completely random.

[CMDR_Welles]

I worked two specialists out of the PM box, there were some issues with finding a torso that would fit a special weapon (Meltagun), as I had used him for a Plasmagunner. I had to glue it a little funny to get the Meltagun to fit though. It is a little odd they were like that considering how GW usually do multipart kits. 

 

The Cawdor are perfect for Nurgle Cultists. Good job! 

[Lord Commander Eidolon]

Impressive, most impressive.

 

I do hear you with the new DG range and totally agree with you about the some of the more OTT elements. I like how you've gone for a cohesive look with the helmets and painted them in Legion colours.

[UnLachy]

Had the same idea about using Cawdor for cultists, really interested to see what you use for their weapons as that has been a sticking point for me

[apologist]

Minor progress – things have been interrupted by some redecorating and other projects; but the Death Guard plod on...

 

Nurglings, sorcerer, bloat drone, plague zombies and a lone Marine. As usual, I've trimmed things down a little; exposing some more open areas and reducing the amount of spikes.

 

...couldn't resist sticking one back on this marine, though!

As usual, I've trimmed things down a little; exposing some more open areas and reducing the amount of spikes.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Apologist

[Gederas]

Hmmm..... I like it. A bit less corrupted than usual, but still blatantly Nurgle. I also quite like your paint-scheme, that's the Pallid Hand isn't it?

[apologist]

Thanks! Regarding the colour scheme, it may well be; though I based it on the old Legion scheme (Is that called the Pallid Hand these days?) and the palette of soft, pale greens, pus yellows and 'rich brown colours of doubtful origin'(!) from this Realm of Chaos illustration:

[Son of Carnelian]

Can't wait to see the cultists!

[Soulhunter1995]

I agree with Son of Carnelian :) I await your cultists with eager interest :P

[Verux]

Looking good.

[Sherrypie]

Really liking your scheme here, especially the grimy atmosphere the rich browns bring out. Legio colours don't hurt either, seeing as mine are the same :D

 

Do you have closer pictures of that drone? I've been pondering if those Hauler faceplates would make good killer robots for my loyalist splinter if one were to get rid of extraneously nurgly bits.

[apologist]

Cultists will be coming soon, I promise – I'll likely be using Genestealer cultist arms, as I've got some in the bits box. In the meantime, I've been manfully slogging through the marines and thoroughly enjoying it. A combination of the multipart Plague Marine kit, the Dark Imperium squad, the easy-to builds, and a couple of characters has left me with a lovely force – and more to come!

 

The three-man easy builds have flooded the second-hand market, and you can buy them very cheaply. With just a few tweaks, you can make some models that hide the origin nicely. My favourite conversion here is the chap on the right. The base model is my favourite from the Dark Imperium set, holding his boltgun out straight. The standard pose is great, but very distinctive. I think changing his arms gives a very different feel.

 

The icon bearer at the front still needs a backpack. The base body is the heavy weapon from the easy-to-build. I used the broken-mouthed head from the multipart kit so that the tube had somewhere to go. For a future conversion, I'd simple remove the hose.

 

Note the original icon bearer second from left. With an arm swap, he fits right in. In fact, the base model is clearly a CAD-mirrored version of the grenade throwing one from Dark Imperium. Even shares some of the details.

 

Some more specialist models here. Two with plasma guns, one with a flail. Note the scattering of green easy-build parts alongside the standard kit. I've aimed to slightly tone down the spikiness – I've used quite a few 'plain' parts from the Mark III kit, too – but chaos isn't chaos if you completely clean it up. By leaving some more flamboyant parts, I hope to improve the look of the force en-masse.

 

Here's an example of more standardised Plague Marines (well, at least as far as that goes with Chaos). Leaving things more understated leaves space for variation in painting.

 

Remaining marines. Very much enjoying building them.

 

[Musings]

I got lucky on an auction site, and received the Plague Brethre/Plague Marine reinforcement models today. Just as with the other Plague Marine kits, its very characterful – though not more so than the others. Their existence got me thinking – I wonder if the Plague Marine kit is a combiend version of what was meant to be two separate kits? A standard ten-man battleline and five-man elite equivalent? It'd explain why the Plague Marine kit/unit has such a wealth of weapon and equipment options, and why things like the Icon Bearer and easy-to-builds were released separately.

 

 

Really liking your scheme here, especially the grimy atmosphere the rich browns bring out. Legio colours don't hurt either, seeing as mine are the same
Do you have closer pictures of that drone? I've been pondering if those Hauler faceplates would make good killer robots for my loyalist splinter if one were to get rid of extraneously nurgly bits.

 

Ta. I think a bit of warmth helps to give that oddly 'lively' feel of the Death Guard. White on its own can look a bit antiseptic, so I think a bit of grime and grunge in the scheme helps. 

 

Regarding the drone, I can certainly get another picture. (I've been looking for spare faceplates from the multipart kit, but haven't laid my grasping hands on any yet.) I think the underlying shape is fairly clean; so once you got rid of the obvious Nurgle icons and the teeth, it could work nicely as a non-daemonic robot faceplate.

[apologist]

On a bit of a roll, I've built my Plague Surgeon, Lukaerna Nemoc. I had intended to build the figure 'stock', as I really like the model – but just as the glue was drying, I suddenly spotted a spare half-hood... Well, the result is below:

 

The front shows where the majority of the work has gone – at root a head swap and arm swap, it was complicated by the presence of the hood. I've used a carved-down Space Marine head to sit within the space, and add the front hood from another Death Guard miniature. For the most part, it's all plastic – the part of the hood with the tiny bell is a tentacle, for example, that I've shaved down and blended into the surface with poly cement. I have used some greenstuff for the back of the hood, but it's very minimal. 

 

 

[apologist]

Bleurgh! More Plague Marines. Very much enjoying these kits; and I'm glad I waited to build all the kits together. It's a nice way to avoid duplication and add variety without breaking the bank.

 

With a mass of boltgun-wielding marines built, I got stuck into some specialists. The heavy chem-thrower thing is awesome, but felt the static pose made it look less like a war machine, and more like a leaf-blower. A few cuts and trimming gave it a bit more dynamism; while the use of the duplicate body from the Dark Imperium set helps break up some monotony there – infecting two birds with one stone/

 

The bubotic axe reminded me of the fly-headed Nurgle champion from my youth (loved that figure), so it was cool to add it to a new marine. The central figure is unmodified (even second-hand, I didn't want to cut up this model, as I think he's pretty cool); while the blight launcher marine got reposed for much the same reason as the other heavy weapon.

 

Same marines, different angle.

[apologist]

The shameful four-post combo...

 

Built some characters. I've steered towards the pickelhaube-style helmet that I think of as the classic Death Guard (as opposed to general Nurgle marines). I like it, but I'm not completely convinced on its use on the characters.

 

On the one hand, it's a bit predictable; on the other, it really hammers home the 'faceless replaceable infantry' vibe that I love so much. I'll wait 'til I've applied some paint; that can go a long way to making characters jump out a bit.

 

Would be interested to hear your thoughts.

[Ammonius]

I prefer the helmeted heads over the bare ones, and keeping the traditional look with the pickelhaube helmets really feels like a solid choice. I especially like the helmet replacement on the Foul Blightspawn, whose stock helmet is my least-favorite among the Death Guard models.

 

I know that I'm following this topic for inspiration when I get around to building my Death Guard force, so thank you for all of your hard work so far, and keep it up!

[apologist]

I prefer the helmeted heads over the bare ones, and keeping the traditional look with the pickelhaube helmets really feels like a solid choice. I especially like the helmet replacement on the Foul Blightspawn, whose stock helmet is my least-favorite among the Death Guard models.

 

I know that I'm following this topic for inspiration when I get around to building my Death Guard force, so thank you for all of your hard work so far, and keep it up!

 

Cheers – do share what you come up with :)

 

I've finally got my paints back out, so Thumor makes it to initial daubing stage:

 

A batch of fourteen are in the tincture-pools at the moment; most at the earlier stage shown on the right here:

[apologist]

A bit more progress over the weekend:

 

 

 

Highlighting, basing and details to go but they're coming on well, I think.

 

Count the seven!

 

 

I'm using Prussian blue as a contrast in the eyes; and am planning warm orange as a second accent colour. There's more thoughts on the planning, composition and contrast on + Death of a Rubricist + here.

[Gederas]

New guy is quite spiky. I like it :tu:

[apologist]

Ta! It's not obvious from the above image that the spike sprouting from between his left shoulder and torso is actually a nurgling. In cutting away the previous arms, he ended up with a gap, which I filled using the blobby nurgling from the Lord of Contagion mini. Fitted quite nicely!