The Lichborne - Homebrew Warband

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Your colour blends are great - but in particular, that purple is beautiful.  And although I personally would have gone with a greater contrast (I know, we've had this discussion at least twice already ), I think you've done a great job in differentiating the blues in the magic and on the armour.

[Volgon]

Been making progress a little bit at a time, almost done with the blue sections now.

 

Not really sure what I want to do with the etching on the shins. I abandoned my original plan pretty early as it wasn't going to work color wise. I've been thinking of doing the runes themselves (the bits that look like letters or numbers) in red as I have red runes on other minis in the army. The lines I might just leave dark blue, but I had thought about tinting them other colors using glazes:

• darker red than the runes
• burgundy (unifying color between the red runes and the purple cloth)
• purple (don't like this too much as I don't really want the purple runes to meld with the purple tabard)

Actually thought today about maybe using a metallic, that could look cool. Something really dark like the gold I used for the crozius or Warplock Bronze.

[Tallarn Commander]

Looking nice. Yes, doing the runes in a bronzish or metallic color  would work well. I would hesitate to add additional colors to the lines on the shins. That might make the model too busy.

[Pearson73]

I think bronze would look really nice. I struggle to see purple working so close to the robes, and it could get a bit busy with red.

 

I'll echo @Dr_Ruminahui in saying that you've done a great job in keeping the blues distinct and not loosing any details through using similar colours.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Looking great!  I would do the runes the same way you did the eyes of the skull (the one on the skeleton stick, not the spirit skulls), though going up to a brighter white.

Edited July 28 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Volgon]

@Tallarn Commander@Pearson73@Dr_Ruminahui Thanks for the feedback folks! I think I'll probably wait until everything else is complete before making a decision. I do think the shins look a little monochromatic and could use another pop of color. I plan on trying a new recipe for the black trim but it should still read as quite black so that shouldn't change the color composition much. I think a dark color would be best as to contrast with the vibrant blue. According to color theory the complimentary color for my blue is around the red-orange range so those would be the obvious choices, but the line work with a dark metallic is pretty intriguing...

 

I thought about painting the rectangle "plate" that the runes are etched on (that section right below the knee pads) in a metallic, similar to the box art on the new Logan Grimnar model. I didn't end up doing it but I could always paint over what I've done if I think it would look good.

[Volgon]

I posted in the Stronghold thread but not in my own so, the Soulsmith is complete and so is my Call to Arms vow! Extremely happy with the result. I tried a lot of things on this guy. The ectoplasm/spectral stuff was something I hadn't done in quite a while so it was good getting some practice with that recipe again. The various bone areas were a new recipe which I think will become my go to, and on the bone bits specifically on the armor I went with a more patchy/rough look on purpose to emulate some weathered bone. The purple robe came out absolutely fantastic; it was one of those cases where I had an idea going in and executed it pretty much exactly as I'd hoped.

 

The jacket on the other hand was the complete opposite. I had seen a cloak on Reddit I wanted to try to emulate, but it didn't really work out, and by the end of it I didn't even realize how close in color the jacket was to the black armor/trim  I tried to salvage it with some brown glazes in the recesses to give it some color and the illusion it's maybe a dark black/brown/grey leather. I think the end result is ok but the color isn't really what I was going for.

 

Speaking of black armor, I tried a "real" recipe on this guy. At first I wasn't really sold on it, as I really want the armor to look MATTE BLACK and not blue black, or brown black, or grey black, or glossy black, etc. I have a very specific look I want and I've been struggling to get a recipe that ticks the boxes I'm trying to accomplish: matte black while still retaining a slight bit of contrast. After completing the entire mini though, I think I'm really pleased with how the black trim came out. It still reads as very black while having just a little bit of contrast for some visual interest. I think the black trim on the model's right (our left) knee is maybe the best blending I've ever done? It's a bit cheating with how dark the colors are but to my eyes the blend is nearly seamless, I am so happy with that area in particular.

 

Let me know what you think!

 

 

Not sure what is next up for the painting block. I've been inspired seeing other people's Saturnine Dreadnought conversions so I've been putting mine together slowly with the intention of using it as a Brutalis Dreadnought. I should have most of it assembled after next hobby session so after that there will be the usual: testing out poses, figuring out what greebles to put on and where, etc. However I've been considering a palette cleanser; I've had a Night Lords Praetor mostly finished that has sat in my pile for a while, and the new Captain Centos is a beautiful mini that I think would look great in Fire Hawks colors with some minor converting. 

Edited August 18 by Volgon

[Volgon]

Been scratching the kitbash itch lately with a dreadnought based on the new Saturnine kit and a non-named necromancer squad leader:

 

The Dreadnought is very WIP, still missing all the greebles. Chains, skulls, trophy racks galore! I think I'll try to clip away the warband embossing from one of my infantry shoulder pads so that I can glue it somewhere on the dreadnought. 

 

The necromancer is a repurposed model. I believe I had posted him much earlier in the thread where he was meant to function as the Grimaldus proxy until I converted the one I painted up recently. I'm not completely sold on the ghost yet; I will do something involving it but there are a lot of options for ghosts that I can use and many different ways I could position it so this is just one example. 

 

Let me know what you think!

[Tallarn Commander]

Both WiP conversions look like a lot of fun. I suspect the hilt on the dreadnought's blade is a mockup and that you will add a longer hilt at some point. 

[Volgon]

It is a bit of a mock-up, yeah. That specific sword (from the Great Unclean One's kit) comes with the model's hand wrapped around the grip so I had to cut it away. I don't think I have anything from a kit that works as a big sword handle so I cut up a piece of sprue and used that for now. I want to bulk it out a bit more so that it looks less like it's floating in the palm. Longer handle, wrap some chain around it, find a pommel decoration, etc. It's just low on the priority totem pole for now.

[Volgon]

Mostly finalized my next painting project, the Barrow Lord (Captain) of First Company. I've posted him before but worked on cleaning up certain details and adding some more of my own. He will also have his own stylized base in the same vein as the Gheistmonger, just not pictured here.

 

The only thing I am not satisfied with is the sword. While I do really like the design, it feels like it's missing a touch of undead flair. I considered a few other swords (Abaddon's Drach'nyen, too recognizable, and a few of the large blades from the Ossiarch range, but too skinny compared to the model's bulk). The only one I've found that I like would be the sword from the Varanguard kit with the spectral face but that kit is far too expensive for one bit. I think I'm going to try doing something on the blade's blunt edge; either sculpting or (preferably, I hate sculpting) finding a spine/rib bit that I can place down the length of the blade. I think that would be a really cool detail.

[Volgon]

Hey all, worked on a few things. For the Terminator Lord, I added some embellishments on his sword which I like a lot. I initially tried sculpting but didn't like the way things came out, so I cut up some plastic bits (a Kavalos Deathrider helm crest and a rib cage from Pete the Wargamer's Dead Animal Bits kit). Very fiddly to put together but looks pretty good. The only thing I'm not sure on is whether I should add a few more super short ribs near the hilt of the blade.

 

Secondly did some modifications to the necromancer posted previously. Wasn't really happy with the pose and it felt a bit over the top for just a squad leader. I am much happier with the new version! The weapon is still TBD; it won't be the chainaxe but I haven't given a ton of thought to what I should replace it with. I'm thinking a sword from one of the Ossiarch Bonereapers kits. Some of the nadirite weaponry has aesthetics I think match well with both the undead and spellcasting nature of a necromancer.

 

That's about it on the hobby front. The terminator is ready for priming but I'm on a painting hiatus at the moment as other hobbies have taken precedence. I don't like starting a project and then taking a break in the middle of it so not sure when I'll get around to painting again. For now I'll probably just be posting kitbashes.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

The sword conversion looks nice - I think you've done a good job getting it closer to what you want.

 

I really like the new guy, and think the axe looks great with him - for what its worth, it also makes him (if he has a holster somewhere) a legal model for the best Aspiring Champion load out, which is heavy melee weapon (the axe) and plasma pistol.  Personally, you've got a great sense of motion, and the axe really lends itself to that pose.  Plus, with the prevalence of swords amongst your other models, it gives him some nice differentiation.

 

If you give him a knife instead, he could also be legally fielded as the in-squad legionaire psycher with balefire tome, which would also be a good fit for the model (though, it think you might have already done one).

[Volgon]

Thanks for the feedback @Dr_Ruminahui! I really like the reworked guy as well, much more than the previous iteration. Your take on the axe is a good one; I should clarify that it isn't the silhouette/pose I'm looking to change (IE by swapping the whole arm, I very much like the arm as is) but simply the weapon he wields. I don't think much would change overall. I would just prefer something more in line with the aesthetic of my warband and a chainaxe isn't really it.

 

I just remembered that I have a copy of Vrosh Tattersoul, the Exalted Champion from the 6th (?) edition Dark Vengeance set, and he has an axe that I think might be a suitable swap. It looks somewhat similar to the aesthetic I'm going for. If painted appropriately I think I could sell the look as a spirit/ghostly type weapon.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Do you mean this guy (with a knife rather than a chainsword)?  If so, its pretty much the same axe as is in the legionairies kit, if that's an easier source for it.  There is also a very similar axe in the chosen kit.

 

Personally, I think the chainaxe works great with the model, and its distinctiveness from your models' other melee weapons is a strength rather than a drawback, but defer to whatever you think is best.  That said, I don't know if the knornate symbol on the axe is a problem for you.

Edited September 17 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Volgon]

@Dr_Ruminahui Yep, that's the one! The reason I was considering it is because the axe has a bit of a daemonic or spiritual look to it. It has an eye and the "rips" or holes on the axe don't look that far off from a Nighthaunt ghost. I think it could fit thematically if painted in the same scheme as I painted the ghosts on the Soulsmith.

 

Re: the details, also definitely need to be worked on. His axe arm still has a Black Templars emblem on the shoulder pad and I did notice the Khornate symbol on the chainaxe. The core of the model (body/head) are done details wise as this was an old conversion that I had cleaned up but repurposed.

 

Perhaps this can show off what I mean by the axe design:

Edited September 18 by Volgon

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I had actually misremembered it as being the one with the eye in the middle of the chaos star - had to go look at my own model to confirm that it does indeed look like the one above.  I didn't get my own looking so face like, though.