The Ninth Circle - Blackstone Fortress Rein & Raus and Traitor Guard

 

I wish regular old Cadians looked even half as good as these scum.

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.

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.

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.

The Halls of the Past - Silver Tower collected, complete painted box

I realized recently that I've actually completed my Silver Tower collection, but never remembered to consolidate them into one big, snazzy post, so, here's a little trip down memory lane.

Traditionalist Radicals - Blackstone Fortress Black Legion

I've painted lots of red & gold & black, and I'm personally a fan of jade, so I decided to do my own take on Black Legion, that heralds back to their Sons of Horus days, which I just find so much more stylish.

The Faithful - Taddeus the Purifier & Rogue Psykers

Taddeus is... probably my least favorite of the Blackstone heroes. I don't really like playing cleric-type characters (I actually often do

, trying to make it work, but it rarely does), and I think his face is, well, one that only a mother could love.

Terror tactics - Night Lords Raptors

Continuing in my favorite mode for my Night Lords collection, these Raptors are a kitbash of a whole bunch of eras.

Spoils of War - Mordheim Beastmen Raiders, part 2

One bit I really like about working with heavy object source light is playing tricks with color saturation.

Back With a Vengeance - Night Lords Revisions and Additions

So, there comes a time in basically every project that's allowed to sit around me long enough, that I decide I need to fix something.

A-Hunting We Shall Go - Mordheim Beastmen Raiders

Okay, I admit it-- when I was a young 'un, I always kinda wanted to do a Beastmen set when I played Mordheim, but had way too many gangs already. So, it was pretty neat when someone not only liked an object of my nostalgia, but wanted me to work on a group I'd never approached.

What is Best in Life? - Silver Tower Ogroid Thaumaturge + Darkoath Chieftain

Silver Tower's update, in the Darkoath Chieftain, is actually one of my favorite recent GW models, since I think he has a really classic fantasy barbarian vibe, and the face really seals the deal, with the kind of threatening smile. Despite baloon-like muscles and some oversized weapons, I think the model has some surprising subtlety.

Craaaww! - Silver Tower Tzaangors

I have a particular love-hate relationship with these Tzaangors.

Rekindled - Tzeentch Horrors

I'd always liked the splitting theme with the Horrors, so I was pretty excited to see this mechanical element finally return after (I'm pretty sure) more than a decade of absence.

Free Prize Inside! - Review of the New White Dwarf Format

So, this was my first White Dwarf issue purchase since, IDK, early high school?

I bought it because $9 for a magazine and a $30 model (that I could sell to make back the cost if I didn't like it), seemed completely risk-free. Plus, I do generally enjoy GW's board games and wanted to check that out.

Building A Religion- Silver Tower Acolytes

Having missed the train with Warhammer Quest back when I was a kid and not that in to board games, I decided the new edition was a good time to try it out. I went with the goons first, and did a few variations on the Kairic Acolytes, in part to be able to tell them apart, but mostly to break up the repetition.

Join the Mob, Join the Mob! It's All Over. - Dark Vengeance Chaos Cultists

 I've been pretty thoroughly impressed by Games Workshop's snap fit minis for the last few years, and their Cultists are no exception.

A Real Firebrand - Black Legion Demon Prince conversion

This big dude definitely ranks right up there with my favorite 40k projects.

The End of the Beginning of the End - Kingdom Death's Butcher, and settlement years 18-20

Khorne, eat your heart out. Actually, no, I think this guy might do it for to you.

Meat Sack - Night Lords Oblitarators

So... yeah. Obliterators took a bit of work to get them both to a point I liked and one I thought at least kinda' fit Night Lords.