Hunter's Instinct - Blackstone Fortress Dahyak Greekh (Kroot) and Beastmen

I have a soft spot for Kroot with capes. There are probably around a dozen kits and collections I regret parting with, and one of them is my little Kroot collection led by Anghkor Prok from one of the few Gamesdays I went to. I played Tau right when they very first came out, and I always liked the Kroot line (more than the main Tau one, especially in the early days) which has unfortunately gone nearly unsupported: one ancient plastic kit, three equally ancient metal kits (one of which didn't need a model), two variants on an Inquisitor-scale model, and a little Forge World stuff. More than that, I've also had a soft spot for underdog mercenaries, rabble, bandits, or otherwise independent forces for as long as I can remember, from Warmachine mercs to Malifaux Outcasts to Astral Claws/Red Corsairs, to any number of post-apocalyptic settings including Mordheim (another regret). I'm going to be personally honest here: I think this sensibility might be the most typically American part of my lifestyle, very much influenced by the ideology if not always the aesthetic of Westerns, etc.

Noblesse Oblige - Kingdom Death Lion God modification

This was a salvage operation, and I don't think I would have done it if the Lion God weren't scheduled to be variously upgraded by new content, such as the Silver City which I'm anticipating even if the kickstarter has dragged so long "excited" is far too strong a word.

Bovine Brawlers - Blood Bowl Beastmen

A quick post on some conversion work. My client wanted an all-Beastmen team, so rather than clone poses I tweaked the human models, with their new heads (the simpler and more dynamic part: I feel like a good head swap and positioning is always the most efficient way of altering a model), and by pretty much recreating their legs, only using some core sticks of the originals to keep them a bit sturdier.

The minotaur below was a much more minor conversion, just an attempt to make the mane more consistent with the Beastmen aesthetic.

Three tons of him. - Kingdom Death Sunstalker review

As I sometimes do, this is a hybrid hobby article and review. 

In short, I have a love/...meh relationship with this expansion.

Ghosts of the Past - Monochrome Kingdom Death bosses and survivors

Continuing an older commission that got lost in posting and life, I'm happy to post a complete core I've done in a style that honestly surprised me.

Dead Man Walking - Night Lords Dreadnought / Hellbrute

A quick one, today. This guy is basically stock, minus a couple horns I cut off to give a lower profile. What was by far most interesting to me on this project was trying to reconcile the organic/biomechanical sensibility (which I feel tends to approach overly cartoony designs) with my Night Lords (which are generally quite subdued, to counter the overwrought aesthetic of bats 'n' lightning.  I tried to go with a sick, vaguely Akira-esque blending of flesh into machinery: I thought that simply making the organic forms metallic (so closer to organic metal) wouldn't read, while a clearer delineation between flesh and metal when I was laying down colors honestly made him look weirdly naked.

I'm not going to do a ton in this style, but I'm pretty happy with how he looks, since it gives me options on how to do others when I want to.

Compulsion to Repeat - Kingdom Death White Lion set

This guy is practically where it all started, for me and KD: the White Lion is the first monster I painted, and one of the earliest KD models I painted.

He was also the first that I converted, I believe the first base I cast, and one of the first I later revised, all of which I've done a lot in the years since.