The Knights of Everfair

[ZeroWolf]

That's a nice looking Knight  Love the shield!

[lalabox]

Thank you!

Here are the other armigers i've been working on, including the wip photos.

 

I've really really really wanted to make this tri-barrelled melta gun for a while. the dual one is pretty cool, but it feels slightly flat. The thermal spear already has some neat triangular profiles going on from certain angles, so I thought that this would balance it out nicely.

 

 

 

I used the claw things from the charadonite ogryns. I wanted it to look like a spear, so I filled in the end with greenstuff. Since my partner has a bunch of chaos knight stuff, i got to use some of the spare chainsaw things for my conversions, which was super nice. I like to think that the pneumatic stuff just opens up a bit after the spear has initially gone in, preventing vehicles and other mechs from just pulling away.

 

Painting was kind of slow, but it's been very nice


 

And the finished armiger

 

 

The head is from Taro Modelmaker. I kinda love it for this model. I also used the waist extender, which I'm not super sold on in all circumstances (I love the really bent over gait of the standard armigers) but i think it works really well for this model. Using streaking grime and ak mud effects is really really fun. I have a bit of a problem where it does give things a bit of a yellow tinge (not as much as the white-balance on my camera, but still) and so I have to be really careful to preserve the blue colours of the model, including the fact that the white is all highlighted up from fenrisian grey.

 

It's a bit the result of the camera white balance (and upping the contrast, saturation a bit), but it is funny just how clean and bright it all looks before the streaking grime goes on



I also made these nice shoulderpad conversions, which I think work well for this model. I like the big shoulderpads on the rest of the armigers, I think it gives them a nice profile, but, like with my other large knight, it's nice to mix it up a lot.

 

 

Finally, here's also another one. I've actually now also done the streaking grime for this one, but I'm still trying to get my hands on a certain type of plastic (like, just clear plastic that you'd use for cover sheets to booklets) so I can pour the resin for the fountain feature. My partner has a 3d printer, so we actually worked on making that little fountain together so it would fit perfectly on the base, and we also have another piece that will help hold the plastic in place as I make the dam.







The volkite arm can move between the two positions. I've got some magnets holding it in each position, altho at this stage it's not so clear if it's the magnets or just the friction.

Finally, i've been working on one last helverin to round my armigers out to 6 (although looking at points amounts, I reckon that I'd go 2 knights 7 armigers for a 2k list) (altho i have pre-ordered a cerastus lancer, and going 3 knights, 3 armigers also sounds neat). I've painted it a lot more since this photo, and it's actually nearly done if i can figure out how i wanna paint all the freehand on the main carapace, but this is a nice photo of all of them.

[Firedrake Cordova]

Really nice work - the checkerboard and diamond patterns look great!

[lalabox]

Thank you so much!

Diamonds and checkers are pretty much where i taught myself how to do freehand and im really happy with how it just pops in general

[ShortCircuit]

That freehand is awesome! I also love the custom spear look, very unique

[Naryn]

That triple melta and the custom spear are soooo cool. With the fancy shoulderpads that Armiger is so unique, it really stands out. Great work!!

[lalabox]

Also, it's probably going to take me a couple months to put together (i do want to see what parts Taro makes for it) but god damn the cerastus lancer is one of the most well designed kits i've ever seen.

i'm kind of in awe just looking at the sprue

 

still gotta figure out what sort of pose i want to do for it. I'm thinking charging with the shield up in front, sort of like this pose. but i'll have to play around with the kit and dry fit things a lot before i get to it.

It's also cool bc my partner also picked up a lancer for her chaos knights, so it'll be fun to work on them together.

[lalabox]

So, I've finally finished my 6 armigers. I'd previously planned out a 2k list that used 7 armigers, but the 10 points increase that just came out means that the 7th no longer fits, unfortunately. I might still make some more, because i like making them so much.

I'm going to take some better photos using the ring light later, but for now i'm pretty happy with these ones.

 

 

 

 

The resin pour went pretty well, but despite getting to play around with my partner's dremel i couldnt manage to polish it clean.

 

But yeah, I feel like i have a pretty cool force of armigers now

 

 

Also, yeah this cerastus is bloody huge. I am once again somewhat stuck with not being able to get my hands on some basing material. Unfortunately, the store that used to sell the 2mm thick mdf is currently out of business, and i can't quite find anywhere selling the same hex pattern that i used for some of the other tiling.

I'm still also waiting to see if taro or another maker makes some new shields, since i'm not incredibly sold on the base energy shield.

 

But anyway, this thing is the size of a barbie.

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

The decorative work on the armour panels is very impressive  

[lalabox]

Yeah so ive still been slowly working on these over the past 2 years

 

the cerastus turned out pretty nice. I used a taro shield, which was great. Ive started using enamel streaking grimes and mud effects, which has been very interesting. Mostly using turps to clean it off, which has the effect of not stripping the paint underneath, but instead just kinda making it ripple a bit? idk, it just becomes a bit more textured.

 

Obvs also i've been trying to use transfers more

 

 

The above photos were taken on my phone, which doesnt have a very good camera, but the colours are probs a lot more true to life than the ones I took on my partner's phone, even if those photos did turn out a bit better. 

 

 

I also made a pilot for the cerastus. Haven't quite thought up of a name yet.

 

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:4opniyyaxdpbekg7kqdxyrqs/bafkreiecg4muawjd4m4d7sq2em32qfutjyaujyanekol7u5doq5jmzurhe@jpeg/

 

 

I also ended up making this armiger using all the space rocket pods I'd amassed.

 

 

and also i put leaves on the base later

 

 

But yeah, it's turned out to be a pretty good force. Me n my partner joined a local games group and i've been running knights along with some of the solar auxilia as breachers. I still want to keep on slowly working on them, maybe add another big knight at some point. It's a pity that i'm not particularly interested in the dominus chasis (aesthetically i just dont like it as much), but I'll think of other stuff to put in here. I'm less driven by getting models for playing games, as much as I just like making and painting them.

 

 

[W.A.Rorie]

Wow  Love the weathering and conversions. Rocket Armigers is awesome!

[Firedrake Cordova]

The Cerastus looks great - I really like the heraldry (and there's loads of it!) and the power effect on the lance.

[Valkia the Bloody]

Wow, just wow. These knights are amazing. Great free-hand! 

[The Pounder]

Your army is stunning!

 

The freehand you’ve done is next level.

[Heraclite]

They're just gorgeous.

I really like your pilot, a nice deviation from the standard pilot from the canis rex kit

[lalabox]

thank you very much!

 

I really feel like i've come a long way with my painting and freehand (even if I then end up taking a year or two break from painting and feel like ive forgotten it all again) and focusing on these two-colour heraldry patterns has really been a great thing for practicing. 

Also i really really like enamel weathering effects and using them almost feels like cheating, although they also work best when used in concert with the rest of the painting techniques that ive learned. 

 

Also, it's kind of funny that i was lamenting not really knowing what i want to do next with this army, and then a new sort of knight unit just got announced. it'll be fun to play around with that model when it comes out. 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Your heraldry is some of the best I've seen, so I'm really looking forward to seeing it on the new Destrier.

[BadgersinHills]

Beautiful painting.

[lalabox]

So, the new destrier kit really is one of the greatest kits i've ever had the pleasure to work with. It's so poseable and modable and it's just a delight. Like, fully articulated legs! ball and socket hip joints! poseable toes! ball shoulder joints!

it's everything amazing that they learnt from the cerastus kit thrown into a really cool little knight. It feels so large and detailed, even though it is only about half the size of a questoris.

I'm defs gonna have to get a second one at some point, especially one Taro releases some parts for it. I'd love to do some cool things with making a dedicated melee version.

anyway, because the kit was so poseable already, i kinda did minimal converting. I magnetised all the weapons options, including making the ammo drums reversible, so the gatling gun and grenade launcher can go on either arm. I also found the gatling gun to just be a little stubby, so i lengthened it with some brass rod

 

I also wanted to mess around with the stubber, and try something a little like the Jeff Tibbetts stubber conversion. I had a failed attempt with some plastic tubing (I just couldn't get the holes to line up, and the plastic kept deforming), but this works nicely (so long as you don't look too closely at how the holes line up)

 

 

I also magnetised the plate on top of the cockpit. I haven't actually painted the cockpit yet (once again, i am caught up on designing a pilot) but the plate basically just snaps on and off easily. the magnets actually guide it into place. 

 

Anyway, I'm immensely proud of the finished model. Big thanks to my beautiful wife who took photos for me on her dslr and then edited them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steaking grime and enamels really is a such a cheat. But also, this is probably one of the first models where i look at all these closeups of my freehand and go "yeah, that's very good". Usually, it's a little more sketchy and messy up close, but these lines are smooth and crisp here. 

 

Also, i did finish this model and post some photos in other places about a month ago. And then last week i suddenly got a bunch of repost notifications and then this happened???? whadda hell

 

 

Anyway, amazing kit, i love it a lot and i really wanna get started on another one at some point. 

Edited August 1 by lalabox

[kabaakaba]

Excellent work! Clean and neat (except for the grime, of course).  And freehands are top notch.  I usually don't like a lot of rust, but your performance of the notes looks very good. And Gav's comment approved this.

[lalabox]

And a couple more detail shots that i couldn't fit into the last post bc file size limits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My general preference for a semi-gloss sheen that kinda matches what the raw paint looks like after being painted on does make photographing a little difficult, but oh well. I'm not huge on matt varishes

 

I have also built and undercoated the spear, but i just haven't gotten around to painting it yet. 

[lalabox]

15 minutes ago, kabaakaba said:

Excellent work! Clean and neat (except for the grime, of course).  And freehands are top notch.  I usually don't like a lot of rust, but your performance of the notes looks very good. And Gav's comment approved this.

thank you!

yeah, with the rust, i really really like the process of painting it with the typhus corrosion and rust pigments, but i'm also constantly having to check myself and not go too far with it. Like, i like these knights looking ancient and worn and dirty and a kinda corroded, but i'm still aware that i'm not painting, like, junk rigs or anything. 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Really nice work!

[Crevette]

I won't hide from you that I love Imperial knight armies, but this... this is probably one of the best I've ever seen. I'm in awe of the exquisite craftsmanship of the symbols, emblems, and other liturgical details that can be admired on the various armor plates... truly, bravo!