Grandfather Kurgan's Genestealer Cult, part 2

Just the base to finish on the speed-painted Genestealer Patriarch "Grandfather Kurgan". About 2 hours work so far (not including any drying time), mostly in 5 to 10 minute bursts of activity.

Grandfather Kurgan's Genestealer Cult, part 1

As I am still trying to catch up with missed monthly entries for Ready your Retinue 2016, I am trying some experimental "speed painting" techniques on a Genestealer Patriarch (for August's "Conquerors or Comets" theme):

Black spray undercoat, zenithal grey spray base-coat (at bit heavy-handed, so it's slightly more grey than I intended), a selective Mournfang Brown spray on the base then very lightly drybrushed white, lots of times with a fairly large brush.

First washes on. The blue took two coats as one layer of Drankenhof Nightshade was not enough.

Total time so far is about an hour and a half, including drying time between sprays and washes.

The Assessor: Tyloc Greften Haug

An Adeptus Mechanicus Reclaimator, who is driven to unearth ancient technology and has assembled a small team to help him.

Haug examines anything they surveyor and miner find with scanners, magnifiers, and arcane measures, decides whether it is worth loading them into the transporter to take back and sell to Guilders in town.

Inspiration - Tractatus de Nigromantia

I really love hand written manuscripts and books and a lot of my warbands will probably show this. This book is in Manchester and I really have to find time to see it in real life!

http://www.chethams.org.uk/digital_resources/digital_necromancy.html

Chethams Library 

Tractatus de Nigromantia
Due to popular demand, here is the 'Tractatus de Nigromantia', our MS Mun. A.4.98

See the pdf of the Tractatus.  (105MB)

This curious manuscript, written mainly in English, is a grimoire, or magical textbook, containing prayers, invocations, exorcisms and conjurations together with mystical diagrams inscribed in circles. There a re bizarre references to the 'Queen of the Phairies' and the 'Sisters of the Phairies' as well as directions intended to lead the reader to hidden treasure.

Read more and see some more photographs of this manuscript on our 101 Treasures page here.

The Hidden Library of Tzeentch - part 11

Part of my enjoyment of any project is my notebook that goes along with it (I tend to have one per army / warband). I don't normally share them but this time I felt like doing so. The text is mostly copied from Lexicanum entries, so don't expect any deep insight into the Hidden Library project - it's more about getting myself in the right mood for a project and exploring the background beyond reading battletomes, army books and codexes.

The Hidden Library of Tzeentch - part 10

I've finished painting another Iridescent Horror for the warband: Elyrah Spewfire.

This is a second Silver Tower Pink Horror, this time with one of the alternate Herald of Tzeentch heads from the Burning Chariot kit. I went for an "inside-out" version of the colour scheme I used for the last one.

This is the completed warband, The Unbound, so far:

Stormcast Eternal Lord Relictor - part 1

I have never really liked the "coffin-on-a-stick" that the Lord Relictor carries, but I really like the background, look and feel of the model otherwise and wanted to use one as my Silver Tower character.

So I used the staff in his right hand (without the reliquary) and added a hammer from one of the statues in the Warhammer Chapel scenery kit and reattached the base to the cut-down the staff. I'm not sure of the practicalities of having an hour-glass hung from a warhammer (!) but I think it looks cool, so I'm sticking with it!

I aim to get him painted in the next week or two as Godfather Viktor has started assembling and painting his Silver Tower models.

Blackrocks - part 5: The Charybdis Occulum (WIP)

Base colours are pretty much all down now. Onto lots of washes and dry-brushing next.

The colour scheme is inspired by the Ashton Memorial, in Lancaster (in the UK!)

More WIP Archeotech Prospectors

More members of the archeotech prospectors group. I see this team as NPCs rather than main characters, so they will either feature in scenarios or just wander around in the background while a fight is going on.

JC8, the Miner.
A heavy servitor. Too slow and plodding to be any use in combat but almost indestructible.

Tyloc Greften Haug, the Assessor.
An Adeptus Mechanicus Reclaimator with a dubious reputation.

I have replaced the heavy weapon with the servo-skull from the kit. I was planning a more extensive conversion but none of the bits I have available are anywhere near as good as the parts that come with this gorgeous model!

I didn't want to keep the axe as it is too distinctive as the Adeptus Mechanicus badge-of-office, so I cut it down to look like some kind of arcane scanning device.

Konrat & Bogen, the Watch.
(These two weren't in my original plan, so it is already getting out of my control!)
Hurrying to defend the Prospectors from harm when the alarm is raised! The underhive is a dangerous place after all...

I also won a box of Sector Imperialis spares, and a complete Promethium Relay Pipes set, on eBay for a lot less than the retail price of the pipes! This adds to my reasonable bits-box of scenery components and means the next few buildings I plan to make for the Mancunius Dome are going to be much more interesting!