Dreadful moments always last too long - A Night Lords blog

[acrowsperch]

Ahhh that's such a shame about your conversion it was going so well. 

I agree with the spike on the shoulder of the sage, I think it interrupts the flow of the models foreground/background (if that makes sense) since it juts right in between that space between shoulder and head.

 

With your lord I think the corpse grinder horn is a bit much, but the rest of it is great-- maybe you could sculpt a ridge that draws the eye from his face to the insignia and vice versa? That way eye movement wouldn't be too interrupted and the vertical flow of the model would still be intact, with somewhat minimal change to the chest. 

Currently, with the left arm, you have that skull-jaw (skaw? maw?) and skulls-- why not do something completely different on the otherside, since the right arm will be holding the weapon that kind of asymmetry could balance out the arms-- have one super busy on the shoulder and the other super busy next to the hand. Just a thought.

I'm for the twinlinked bolter. Talos fan 100%

[Master Umbra]

Edited August 27, 2020 by Master Umbra

[Valkia the Bloody]

Well, I think this is a work of art.

Cannot wait to see him finished and standing in Midnight clad.

[Yosef Hausakluif]

Wow! Sometimes when we are forces to rebuild something it’s a pain, but pays off due to editing and not being tied to the old model. This is one of those instances for sure!

He looks great; and look forward to your posts of progress.

[Captain Incompetence]

That model is looking absolutely amazing. I think you really nailed the highly ornamented gothic armour. It looks like something straight out of a piece of artwork.

[Sandalphon]

Sooo many skulls! And just enough bat wings! ;) Seriously great work can't wait to see this waking nightmare completed (but am enjoying the process!) Feels like it's reached some kind of vampiric final boss transformation

[KrautScientist]

I love seeing the new Lord take shape -- looking great so far!

[Master Umbra]

¡Hola!

Holy winged skulls, Batman! So many replies this time ^^.

Well, I think this is a work of art.

Cannot wait to see him finished and standing in Midnight clad.

Oooh, thank you! Neither do I! I was kind of bummed because this stripping paint debacle means that that moment will come even later. Probably it's for the best. I am happy that you commented, your NL are looking absolutely great!

Wow! Sometimes when we are forces to rebuild something it’s a pain, but pays off due to editing and not being tied to the old model. This is one of those instances for sure!
He looks great; and look forward to your posts of progress.

Exactly! Now I can see that I have improved a lot in my converting skills. I just need to balance my painting skills to do them justice! Comments like yours motivate me to keep going, thanks!

That model is looking absolutely amazing. I think you really nailed the highly ornamented gothic armour. It looks like something straight out of a piece of artwork.

Thank you kindly! That is exactly the intention ! It is precisely the artwork that got me into WHF (back in the days) and WH 40k.

Sooo many skulls! And just enough bat wings! Seriously great work can't wait to see this waking nightmare completed (but am enjoying the process!) Feels like it's reached some kind of vampiric final boss transformation

Uh... what if I told you that there are plenty more skulls and bat wings coming ^^? Thank you for your nice words! Yes, I can't wait to fully depict this guy as the effing badass he should be.

@Kraut: Thanks man! Yes, it is exciting indeed! I wonder how he will look like in the end .

Anyway, unto updates. A few days ago, I mentioned that the Undead Blood Bowl kit has some awesome pieces. Truth is, I was only purchasing some particular minis through a bitz site. Actually, the whole kit is gold! I also mentioned that I was trying to resist the temptation of purchasing the whole kit, since now the bitz site that sells the pieces separately hasn't been re-stocked in quite a while. Well, this arrived yesterday:

I am weak, but there are sooo many good pieces. I already started tinkering with it:

I wasn't really fond on the former Raptor jump pack, so I just went ahead and ordered a Blood Angels one. Me being me, I knew I would modify it a lot. So I grabbed the BB Mummy shoulder pads, some grills from a couple spare backpacks and started working. Here are a few more shots:

Bad thing is, glue melted some of the cabling on top (see front pic). I will have to fix that with some GS.

Today I received one of the last two bits orders I made recently (the Khorne Skullreaper head will arrive in the next one, Kraut ^^). Here is a snap shot that will help me plan a bit the next steps, even tho I have some ideas already:

- The legs: I will just go ahead and use the actual Havoc shin guards. That will help give a more cohesive look between the Lord and the honor guard. Of course, I will modify them (I plan to include the previous demonic head to one of them and some studs in the other).

- The chain-glaive arm: I mentioned that this model has already enough trimming and details as it is, so I wanted to somehow recover some bare armor surfaces that I can actually paint in blue. I ordered this Stormcast Eternal arm because of the staff details (wanted to go with a Varanguard one, but they just won't be re-stocked...) AND the angle of the hand. In the previous version, I thought that the positioning of the weapon hid a lot of details (the badass demonic face in the shin guard specially). Since this Stormcast piece is holding the weapon leaving most of the handle behind, I think it won't cover that many details. The hand angle also helps.

I also think that I will just go ahead and use that lion head for the backpack. The greensuffed one I did is not bad, but well...

- The torso: I think I will chop the abdominal armor of one of those Havoc chests. You know, they look way more badass. It also helps that it is in some sort of angle, so I hope it will match the body positioning.

- Special mention goes for this Hellbrute head that I just found irresistible:

Yes, I know that the cabling is an issue. I still remember what a PITA modifying the Oblit head was (I used it in the Master of Executions conversion), but it just looks too badass. That doesn't mean that I will ditch the Corpse Grinder one in favor of this one, tho. But maybe I will make it optional, dunno. Specially if the CG one doesn't turn out good enough.

And that's all! Again, thank you for your kind words, guys . I feel super motivated right now.

Cheers!

Edited August 29, 2020 by Master Umbra

[Doghouse]

Very nice stuff, the thought and attention to detail that you have put into this has really paid off. That is looking amazing, well done.

[Master Umbra]

Hi there!

Thanks dude! As always, I feel honored by your words!

Ok, some more progress on the Lord:

Dry fit as a mock-up. I took those two pics late at night. Since then, I have been working in the legs:

Some thoughts:

- The weapon: I am super happy with how it looks now! Changing the handle was a good idea. I also like the new vambrace (I shaved the details, still need to decide if I will do anything else with it. I removed the tip of the bottom from the original and placed that blade from the former version. I think it looks quite good! The engravings I will pretend is some Nostraman script.

- The legs: I love how beefy they look now. I painstakingly shaved in a roundy fashion the rear part of the demonic face. I actually went ahead and cut it apart in some places so it fits the shin guard shape a bit better. For the other leg, I again shaved the details and added some spiky studs, because you never go wrong with that. GS work is in order tho. Since I took these pics (interesting how the ones taken last night look way better), I also filled down all the annoying glue residue. However, I went overboard and removed too much from the original legs, so I will need to fill that with GS.

- The chainmail: I actually took that from one of the Havoc torsos and cut it to make it fit the original codpiece, removed the Chaos star gardment and replaced it with a Oh-so-VIII meat hook. GS work for gap filling is in order.

- The pose: I don't know. Since I removed too much from the original chest plate, the chest now is twisted to one side, as if he is turning to his left. I decided to go along with this and make him point an enemy with his weapong. Do you like it? I am a bit unsure myself.

Cheers!

Edited August 30, 2020 by Master Umbra

[Valkia the Bloody]

Still think he looks amazing and I also like the pose of pointing with the glaive.

It is great to what levels of details you are going.

Looks like a lot of work.

I only can imagine that he might be a bit of a pain to paint, though.

[Verux]

The glaive and pose are great!

[Master Umbra]

Thank you both! I have just thought an idea behind the pose: he is actually walking around his challenger, like in a duel, while pointing at them with the tip of the spear while he makes a snide remark, VIII Legion style.

[Master Umbra]

Edited September 1, 2020 by Master Umbra

[Valkia the Bloody]

Wow, watching this is like seeing a conversion master-class.

As a humble beginner I just try to take it all in.

They look great.

[Verux]

This latest batch of nightmares has really taken the conversions to another level. Love it.

[Sherrypie]

Dang, this is some quality converting you have here. I love the gothic individuality that's emanating from each one, yet cohesive in the vampiric theme. Solid.

[Sandalphon]

The horror!

[Yosef Hausakluif]

Wow!!! I’d say you nailed it. The editing and converting you’ve applied since your ‘Re start’ was def a good thing; these are one of a kind and truly inspiring. Father Konrad would be proud! (IF he cared about his sons)

[Master Umbra]

Hey!
 

Wow, watching this is like seeing a conversion master-class.

As a humble beginner I just try to take it all in.

They look great.

 

Damn, I am humbled. I am far from a master, tbh. As you see, there is lots of stuff to clean. My goal is to be as neat as possible, but you guys sure motivate me to keep trying. Also, "humble beginner"?? Seeing your thread, I would say that you are far from it!
 

This latest batch of nightmares has really taken the conversions to another level. Love it.

 

Thank you for your kind words! Now I just need to paint as neatly as you . But I will do my best!

 

Dang, this is some quality converting you have here. I love the gothic individuality that's emanating from each one, yet cohesive in the vampiric theme. Solid.

 

Thanks! As this is meant to be a small project (in which I already spent a lot more money than I intended), that is exactly my aim. I fell in love with Night Lords when I first read the Night Lords trilogy, as many other people out there. One key aspect was the individuality of each character, not only First Claw, but even those background warriors as well. The Night Lord covenants always reminded me of this Vampire Counts illustration:
 

Each one of them look like a total badass, which they are. I simply love what GW did with the Vampire Counts aesthetics, and I am looking forward to what they come with when the Old Word finally comes, but that's too many years ahead. From these illustrations come a lot of aesthetics decisions, like "chest spikes", spines protruding from the back of the armor, etc. Anyway, I always felt that NL had so much visual potential! Thanks to the switch to plastics, I can more or less mirror what they look like in my mind. Mind you, I could do way more (segmented armor is a big missing factor in the vast majority of the models), but my current level limits me to this current iteration of them. I am sure there is people out there that can pull this aesthetic way better than I do. I am actually surprised no one seems to go for it?

Anyway, that you all for your nice words! You help me to keep pushing forward ^^.

 

Cheers!

[BadgersinHills]

Lovely stuff. Incredible converting. 

[Master Umbra]

The horror!

Beautiful, isn't it? ^^

Wow!!! I’d say you nailed it. The editing and converting you’ve applied since your ‘Re start’ was def a good thing; these are one of a kind and truly inspiring. Father Konrad would be proud! (IF he cared about his sons)

Yes, I was checking my previous pictures and I am glad to have stepped up my photography skills a bit... I also lol'd about your Konrad remark. Then I wept when I let the truth of it sunk in .

Lovely stuff. Incredible converting.

Thank you kindly!

So, small update, specialy made for @KrautScientist:

I still need to fill in the lower portion of the jaw, and also took the occasion to shave the Chaos arrows from the chainaxe. Man, that was tough. Lastly, after my previous musings about NL aesthetics, I wanted to experiment with some segmented armor pieces. I quite like the result! Now, I need to make the paint job look good enough when the time comes ^^.

Cheers!

[Valkia the Bloody]

Not to say that the original miniature was bad, but this is definitely an improvement!

[Master Umbra]

[Lysimachus]

These are beautiful, really impressive kitbash and conversion work! Love the choice of skin tone too, very, very Night Lords!

 

To be honest, I'm not so sure about the armour colours. When I looked at the first painted mini, if I hadn't seen the rest of the thread I would have identified him as an Alpha Legionnaire with the blue/green combo and silver? I do like the idea of more subtle, sneaky NL but I think you could still do a darker version while keeping the traditional spot colours of red/gold?

 

That's just my opinion though, the scheme as-is is still beautifully painted!