Monster March - Stormfiends/Kastelan Robots Week 2

Well, I'm on target to get these guys finished. I've completed all of the teal armour, and basecoated and washed the skin down. I also added a base coat to the base, so I've made a start on most of the areas. I added a few more parts to them too and finished the gap fill since my post last week.

I'm painting them as a batch together as there are a lot of mixed colours, and I can't be bothered to do it all twice! It is starting to feel like a bit of a strain though. I think I overdid it in February, so after I finish these two, it'll be time for a break from 40k for a while. There is a local painting competition coming up soon too, so maybe that'll give me a bit of a break from it all.

Just to prove that I'm making decent progress, I've painted their backs too! I really like the little brain rats on their backs, although I'm a little confused as to how they were supposed to fit in fantasy with brain rats that seem to have some type of psychic hoods on them on the models. I know Skaven always had a lot of technology, but really?

Anyway, that rounds out this week's progress. We're about half way there, and I'm probably over the half way mark, so things are looking pretty good.

40k Skaven, Finished Transuranic Arquebus Squad

Just a quick post to show one of the units that I painted for this year's Squaduary. They were a bit of a last minute addition after I had finished the 10 man Vanguard unit, and I didn't get to post any individual pictures of them at the time.

The arquebuses are actually conversions using Jezzails from the Dragoon kit (somewhat ironic that they're called Jezzails, just like the classic Skaven models). I had to build the rests for them, and I was careful to make sure that they matched, so I used some spare rails from the Onager's Eradication Beam that I had 2 of.

It's cool having 2 finished troop choices and an HQ anyway, as it feels like the basics have been taken care of.

I'm still working on a pair of Stormfiends for the army for Monster March, so check back later to see how I get on.

40k Skaven Sicarian Infiltrators - Gutter Runners in the 41st Millennium

To say that I'm proud of these conversions would be an understatement. They might just be my favourite thing from the army so far!

I have to admit that I really love the standard Sicarian models, so I was a bit hesitant to start carving them up to make them more Skaven-y. I ended up doing a lot of carving about to make them. I had to repurpose a lot of parts and  having 3 or four arms on each one seems to be the theme that I've gone for this time.

I've used some Storm Vermin leg plates to create the Samurai-type armour on the tops of the arms.

Probably the best picture of the squad. They don't always look quite true to life in the other shots where I've singled them out, but this one nails it. Apologies for the half painted one at the back. He was a bit of a salvage from an older project.

I managed to get them looking good by taking the Stormvermin bodies and cutting them at the waist on the front half. I then merged those parts onto the Sicarian legs and arms with some greenstuff to fill in the gaps and make the robes. They do still need a bit of work to fill in some of the areas that I haven't gotten round to. In particular some of the gaps around the eye lenses and sensors that I grafted onto the Stormvermin heads need a bit of work. Handily, the backpacks gave me a number of cool bits to add to them to tech them up suitably.

If I can keep working well, I'm hoping to batch these up for undercoats and basecoats with the airbrush at the same time as the 2 Stormfiends I've been working on for Monster March.

Threatening, or singing? You decide! I couldn't help but use the chord claws to create cool poses.

Special knife ... for stabbing. I sahved a few heads flat to get a different look from the standard Stormvermin.

You can see how the build is put together a bit more clearly by looking at the backs of the figures.

Well that about sums it all up. I think I've achieved what I set out to with these. I really liked the idea that they would be a support unit; a bit like the skirmishing Night Runners. For that reason, I wanted to go with the guns. I also really like the Taser Goads as I think they look great with the Skaven aesthetic. All in all it was an easy decision to make for the armaments.

 

Well that about rounds it out for now. Check back later to see how I get on with the next wave of painting!

Showcase: Converted Onager, 40k Skaven Tank - "The Doomcrawler"

I finished painting this conversion as part of Squaduary, but I didn't get the time to take proper photos of it, other than the group shots with the army. I thought it would be cool to do a little showcase with more angles, so people could get a better look at it.

I'm really happy with how this thing came out, especially with the paint all finished up. I felt like it needed a crewman to really tie it in with the rest of the force and to make it clear what force it belongs to.

The original build was inspired by the Tachikomas from Ghost in the Shell, and the blue colour certainly brings it home. If you missed my earlier posts, this thing is basically an Onager with the cab flipper 180 degrees and joined to the back of the main leg section with a custom joint. Almost all of the pieces used are from the original Onager kit. 

I had originally thought of equipping it with the Iccarus Array, but when I sized up the parts I chose the Neutron Laser as it was the only gun big enough to fit the stretched out frame. Despite the increased length, it still balances really well on the base, and the build is as solid as a rock; although some of the is probably due to the great bond you get with plastic glue!

I'm happy with the crewman too. He has a little radio and control stick to give orders with. The radio voice piece actually connects to a little transmitter on his belt, but I forgot to take a picture of it. I painted him separately from the main tank, but he is the only part that was separated for painting. I might have broken it up more, but the extent of the conversion wouldn't allow it.

I'm still working on the army. I've got some Stormfiends that I'm working on for Monster March, and I've also been working on another unit that I'll post about tomorrow. Until next time then...

Monster March 2018 - 40k Skaven Stormfiends/Kastelan Robots

With a very successful Squaduary out of the way, I thought it was about time for a rest.

Or Not...

So I signed up to the very next painting challenge that came along!

If you missed it last year, Monster March is an event being run by Sword Master over at Path of an Outcast. Much like Squaduary, the event is a month long painting challenge. As the title suggests, the theme for this one is "monster" or something big and monstrous.

For my part, I've pledged a pair of converted Stormfiends to be used as Kastelan Robots for my 40k Skaven/Mechanicus force. I think painting them should be quite manageable in a month, especially compared to the quantity of models that I put out in February. They should give me a good boost in points and add some much needed backbone to the force. If I have the time, I'll also add a Datasmith to the force, as one would traditionally accompany them into battle.

I've had these models since Christmas, and they were one of the main inspirations for the force. I don't think they'll need too much conversion, as they already look like they belong in 40k, so with any luck a few techno-bits skilfully placed should do the trick. I also have some other units in the works, so there should be a steady stream of posts coming over the next few weeks as work continues.

I have done some more extensive work on one of them; building a large double handed twin heavy phosphor blaster. I'm most happy with the little mechanical arm and leaver set up. These pictures are still very much work in progress, so there will be more work and more filling yet to come. In particular, the gun needs more work, but as this is a challenge that will be running all month, I wanted to get a post up to introduce what I was doing.

The shoulder mounts look better in person, maybe it's the pale colour of the resin compared to the rest of the model?

The mechanical arm is my favourite part.