BCK's Thread of Stuff: Maybe not eldar...

[Greyall]

Holyjesuschrist! Maesteros looks superb...

Edited July 2, 2015 by Greyall

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Holyjesuschrist! Maesteros looks superb...

 

Thanks!

 

Alright, I'm thinking of doing two of these guys now - one that's a Terran XIII Legionnaire before the finding of their primarch and all that, and then another from Ultramar. This very rough sketch here is going to be the one from Ultramar.

 

http://i.imgur.com/WN0Cfgi.png

 

He'll be a Praetor, and I wanted his armor to be inspired by the old Roma stuff. Not 100% on the pose, the helmet plume (one with a 'base' like this, a stem like my Dusk raider, or a stem turned sideways instead of a mohawk type), or even what the arms will be doing just yet.

 

 

[Slips]

If you could add in detailing like this:

 

 

To really up that "Artificer Armor" feel, I think it might help? Dunno if you're that comfortable with GSing such fine detail though

 

..Actually, some of the Recent Imperial Fists stuff with the Filigree all over it (Command Squad) might actually work pretty well for this..

Edited July 2, 2015 by Slipstreams

[DuskRaider]

I think it mostly works, I love the plume. The only thing I'd say is maybe try to make the helm show moreso that it's still an Astartes piece? Looks very Roman Centurion (and I can tell it's a helmet and not bare face), however perhaps it's a little TOO close to the inspiration?

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

If you could add in detailing like this:

 

I've tried doing really fine filigree detailing like that before and I dunno if those sculptors are using greenstuff or something else, but I can only roll out the greenstuff so thin before it starts to break apart, and it would be too thick for detail that fine. Plus, while I want his armor to look a certain way, one of the rules I set for myself when finally committing to a XIII marine was that it would not be covered in details and bling like something from 40k.

 

I think it mostly works, I love the plume. The only thing I'd say is maybe try to make the helm show moreso that it's still an Astartes piece?

 

Any suggestions about that?

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

That pic above was actually from last night, and here's some progress from today.

 

http://i.imgur.com/XxJuIpy.png

 

Trying out a translateral suspended plume and originally was only going to remove the rivets from the legs for that artificer armor feel, but the trim around the leg armor is frustratingly fragile and broke in several places while I was working, so off it all came.

[DuskRaider]

I'm trying to think of some kind of suggestion to my proposed issue. I'm not sure, to be honest. I don't think there's a way to add cabling or venting without ruining the model thus far, and it looks awesome. It's not easy taking a design cue from 2,000+ years ago and using it on something 30,000 years in the future.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

If you want to get technical about it, it's not really a helmet design from ancient Rome. For some inspiration - as I have done quite a few times in this thread -  I did some looking around on the internet for real sources and came across something called the Ribchester Helmet (that I linked to the wikipedia page) found in Ribchester, Lancashire, England in 1796.

 

http://i.imgur.com/qAtUXo1.png

 

It's one of only three helms ever found with a face covering, and they were only used by soldiers of high rank at ceremonies or cavalry tournaments. I was struck by how much the face reminded me of the Sanguinary Guard death mask helms, especially the eye slits. Ok, that would be cool to do, right? Save that idea for later. I keep looking, and most of the Roman military helmets look something like this:

 

http://i.imgur.com/QAaBX5Z.png

 

The design isn't really going to work all that well unless I remove the little boxy earmuff things from the sides of the space marine helmet, which I didn't want to do, and those round, curvy cheek plates would be difficult to keep symmetrical. What to do now? Watch a movie, of course. In Ridley Scott's Gladiator, I finally saw a helmet shape I liked, both with General Maximus at the beginning of the film in Germania:

 

http://i.imgur.com/Q8lal3h.png

 

And with the Praetorian Guard back in Rome:

 

http://i.imgur.com/2skvpcC.png

 

Thing is, I couldn't find anything that pointed to real Roman helmets ever having that forehead design. It could have been influenced by Greek helmets, but only a little. It's either something that's been exaggerated over the years, or was completely made up in the first place. Which seems fitting to me that some genetically enhanced proto-human 30,000 years in the future wants to have some armor fashioned to resemble the soldiers of Old Roma, and they get it almost completely wrong.

 

So I cut the front off of a MK II helm and a Sanguinary Guard death mask and combined them. I built the cheek guards to simply follow the natural lines of the sculpted face, added the forehead bit, and increased the dome of the helm some. I showed Hyenas and Flint to see what they thought of it, and Flint said it reminded her of a termie Captain from an Ultramarines graphic novel.

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/651x939q90/538/5p6zR8.jpg

 

Coincidentally, in the first speech bubble, he's shouting the same lines Maximus did in Gladiator while his cavalry is flanking the Germanian infantry through the forest.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Brother Chaplain Kage

[Marshal Rohr]

It's artificer made, you don't need to justify it's design. It follows the old blanche concept art for a legion captain. I did something similar but lacked you'r green stuff skill, and abandoned the project Edited July 3, 2015 by Marshal Rohr

[Dantay VI]

Wow that is pretty epic, Looks like he should be drawing a sword like te command set model or posed with 1 hand on a sword pommel a la the GW sternguard model set. Maybe a shortened gladius style version though?

The helm looks ace in either plumed version.

Maybe a small Ultra symbol, in the centre of his chest (pectorals)with the 2 top parts of the Ultra symbol going out to the shoulders but tapering. Either that or lightning bolts to signify Terra. A belt with the dangly things (pteruges), but if you want minimal ones then use those from the cataphract armour.

Edited July 3, 2015 by dantay_xv

[DuskRaider]

I demand justification, only because Rohr said not to. In any case, now that I see the Mk. II back, it seems better. Just to clarify, I really like it (reminds me of the helm the one gladiator wore in uhh... Gladiator). With paint it will all pull together really nicely. I definitely wouldn't change the plumage, however. It looks absolutely perfect in it's original configuration. Edited July 3, 2015 by DuskRaider

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

It's artificer made, you don't need to justify it's design. It follows the old blanche concept art for a legion captain.

 

Well, I was sharing more my process and some info I dug up than justification, but I appreciate the support. :)  Also...

 

http://i.imgur.com/RAZ2Tar.png

 

 

Just to clarify, I really like it (reminds me of the helm the one gladiator wore in uhh... Gladiator). With paint it will all pull together really nicely. I definitely wouldn't change the plumage, however. It looks absolutely perfect in it's original configuration.

 

Yeah, I think I'm sticking with the translateral plume. It looks good.

 

Wow that is pretty epic. Maybe a small Ultra symbol, in the centre of his chest .

A belt with the dangly things (pteruges), but if you want minimal ones then use those from the cataphract armour.

 

I know I'll have to sculpt an Ultra symbol or two, and I'm trying to work up to it, but right now it still gives me the dry heaves every time I think about it.

 

Now, speaking of the pteruges, it's time to drop some knowledge bombs on you guys. I've seen that word kicked around the various 40k sites for a while now, and when I finally looked it up, it's not at all what I was expecting - it's an entire skirt made of layers of cloth or leather strips of varying lengths.

 

These are pteruges, displayed by ol' Gaius Julius Caeser himself:

 

http://i.imgur.com/UveuNSv.png

 

And something a little more recent.

 

http://i.imgur.com/8Im904s.png

 

I found out that what most people are thinking of when they say pteruges is actually a belt and strips of leather adorned with studs, decorative designs, etc, with a weight at the bottom to keep them in place, called a balteus.

 

http://i.imgur.com/7ecp2DA.jpg

[sheep]

Dropping knowledge bombs like a champ, and producing extremely well thought out models. You're the whole package.

[oldschoolsavant]

 

Hell hath frozen over

 

 

Ooooh, has BCK painted something to completion ?

 

Oh.

 

Never mind, carry on. 

 

(I'd go with a muzzle/faceplate in one hand. Even damaged and discarded on the base....?)

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

 

 

Hell hath frozen over

 

 

Ooooh, has BCK painted something to completion ?

 

 

HEY! You wound me, sir! I'll have you know there are no less than two completed minis on the previous page. Two! ON THE SAME PAGE!

 

http://i.imgur.com/MuDZ5.gif

 

Hopefully, this one will follow shortly. I found a lovely dark blue color I want to use on him. Not sure what you mean about the muzzle, though.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Brother Chaplain Kage

[oldschoolsavant]

Two ? Don't push yourself man, you can only do so much !

 

/checks

 

Yep, quite nice, although the DR is a tad undercooked (pink) for my taste. As for muzzle, Mk2/3 is flat, Mk4-7 juts out, and muzzle seems a better catch-all, like beakie for Mk6 alone. If you stick with an older/artificer/open look, perhaps a better description would be a mouthpiece or rebreather ?

 

Actually, the thought of samurai mouth plates just occured......or go completely bonkers with a pteruges veil ! 

[Forté]

Actually, the thought of samurai mouth plates just occured......or go completely bonkers with a pteruges veil !

Menpo. That's what the faceplate on Samurai armour is called ;)

[Adeptus-Alaska]

Don't, I repeat, don't change a damned thing on that helm! It is inspired, it is epic, it is complete.

 

Ahem, so now that you've revealed the secret of somehow looked through my concept sketch book, and stolen this idea, all I can say is.......

 

 

Well done, seriously, just pure win.

 

I had almost the exact same thing planned, the only difference is I was going to drill out the mouth, keeping the upper lip, and adding an open mouthed warcry face....so I could sculpt a grill in the open mouth.

 

 

But I really like yours.

[GhostMalone]

Blanche blanche blanche blanche blanche

 

I wound you good sir!

 

But in all seriousness love the XIIIth legionary, I do believe he needs gladi

[DuskRaider]

What's wrong with Blanche? I've always appreciated his vision of 30 / 40K. Very gritty.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

I'm not a fan.

[Adeptus-Alaska]

Blanche blanche blanche blanche blanche

 

I wound you good sir!

 

But in all seriousness love the XIIIth legionary, I do believe he needs gladi

 

"gladi" as in two swords?

[Adeptus-Alaska]

I'm not a fan.

 

yeah, me neither. sure, some of it's..............OK but, I prefer mark gibbons. but that's just me

[Daemon2027]

I like the concept with the Ultramarine. Not 100percent on the helm but I think once it's painted it will all tie in.

The thing with Roman military gear is that they were very functional, the took the hoplite helm, realised it restricted periphal vision so developed the style we know today. A face place would be even more restrictive so I can't see it being used in battle. Of course a Space Marine doesn't need to worry about that.

I think pteruges on arms may be a nice touch.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

I finished my ETL vow yesterday, just barely.  Long story short, I didn't like the normal weathered blue Crimson Sons paint job on the Cataphractii despite trying 3-4 different ways of going about it, lost my motivation, and about a week ago, I decided I wasn't going to fail it and hoped I hadn't given myself too little time for a mad dash. So, that meant I had to come up with a new paint scheme.

 

The leader of this squad of termies is a praetor I named Vitury Vidorin and with the background I've started to write for him, he originally came from an area with a good mix of Rus and Asiatiac peoples and their belief system has the color of death and mourning to be white. Their reaper, ferryman, etc, also wears white, but not the bright bleached stuff reserved for funerals, but off-white that's a bit dingy. I imagined him possibly repainting the armor for his squad and himself to reflect the idea that they have taken on that aspect themselves, of delivering the living to the next realm with impunity.

 

So, I was having a tough time with blue and decided to go with white instead - a color I'm exceptionally bad at - with a severe time limit. Good idea, genius. My only hope lay with the new airbrush I've been trying to wrangle into submission.

 

Here's the base color I put down as a test, using the praetor figure because I was still working on him when I base coated all the other termies in their blue color.

 

http://i.imgur.com/PytCkt5.png

 

Not bad, right? It's Cryx Bane Highlight (CBH) from the P3 line, btw. While I thought it looked awesome, I quickly found out that the unique feature P3 paints have to dry to a harder, almost plastic-like, satin finish was a total pain to spray through an airbrush. Even with a little more flow aid than I normally use for acrylics, I was constantly getting paint drying on the tip of the nozzle. I used the Reaper colors Yellowed Bone and Linen White to build up the brighter white color and leave the CBH in the low spaces as the shadow. Then I went to brushes, building up the shadows with more CBH and Cryx Bane Base.

 

The next problem was what to do with the shoulder pads. The Crimson Sons have a red left shoulder pad and the standard blue color on the right, but I didn't want to go red, white, and blue, and thought that keeping the right one in the white color might be going too far with the monochrome look. I settled on black because it's easy. Originally, I had painted the trim bronze on the few termies I made any progress on, but after looking at this guy for a couple of days with the trim still white, I decided to leave it that way. The only exception would be on the shoulder pads because they're encircling the Legion icon and numbers. Nearing completion:

 

http://i.imgur.com/vQUhFCm.png

 

And finally finished.

 

http://i.imgur.com/AG4U0c8.png

 

With the squad.

 

http://i.imgur.com/ZCtkpID.png

 

The squad pic is total crap, and I set about making a light box today and had a go with with praetor in it.

 

http://i.imgur.com/8CrI7Am.png

 

Not bad. The red showed up a lot better, but I was only using two lamps with my previous set up and I think I'll need a third one with the new box.

Edited August 2, 2015 by Brother Chaplain Kage