CLXXIX. Legen: Sir Pelial and the Craven Cur

 

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Pelial's new four-legged companion is the final member of his retinue. The hound minis come from North Star and Warlord. I only needed one for the knight's warband, but this was a great opportunity to cross all of them from my list of unpainted minis. They'll come in handy for a variety of scenarios. Among the seven I've got there were four unique sculpts, so I slightly converted the three duplicates. When I saw I had all these different poses, it occured to me that I could capitalize on that and tell the dog's story solely trough images. Since the protagonist is an animal that doesn't speak, it's fitting, and it was a lot of fun to try. Please let me know how I did.

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The day of the game is getting close, and more and more work from the participants is getting revealed. Most post on their Instagrams. Helge's knight, retinue and giants (1 2 3 4). Rebecca's fish-riding knight and cent-squires (1 2 3). Mikkel's knight (1). Vladimir's rhino knight finished (1). Tommy has made this monstrosity: (1). I'm really impressed by all the models my friends have created for this project. And there's more coming!

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In the meantime, I've built the fourth and final peasant house for the table. This one even has an upstairs. A windmill is next in queue; the largest scenery piece for this project.

CLXXVIII. 28 the Magazine

28, a new free fanmade magazine focused on unique and personal projects in the Warhammer hobby, has already been teased trough social media last week. It's created quite a buzz. Now we have the website up, so head over there for new information. You can also find 28 on Facebook and Instagram.

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Instagram

Volume one is due this autumn, and the team are very excited about bringing this to the reading public.

CLXXVII. Stormcast Questor and Penitent Acolytes of Sigmar

New faction for Isles of Brume. Centered around a Stormcast Questor sent to Isles on a mission known only to him and his god. Apparently he is looking for something. Gradually, a whole penitent cult formed around the wandering golden demigod, following him wherever he goes.

So, this is another take on the Stormcast from me. This time I didn't use a Stormcast model as the base, but I did end up with a Dark Souls-ey look once again. The model I used was Biologus Putrifier from 40K, whose forward striding pose I find very fitting for my Questor's background.

I acctually started working on this faction a long time ago. First I came up with the Questor, when I thought about how I wanted to represent Stormcast Eternals in AoS28. They are very, very rare on the Isles. Tremendously powerful, foreign to the islanders, mysterious. This Questor is more like force of nature, most people get out of his way rather than engage him. They have heard what happens to those who cross his path. Since he has very limited communication with locals, but they find him fascinating - they come up with their own interpretations of him. This penitent cult writes down everything he says, and chronicles his travels. These make their sacred texts, which are ever expanding as they learn more about Sigmar from his golden warrior prophet.

Religious zealots and this sort of imagery are the staple of Inq28. But when I look at what the AoS28 crowd has made to date, I don't see this popping up that often. I wonder why this is so.

 

The Acolytes accompanying the Questor are based on metal flagellants and warrior priest. I made a press mould of a Stormcast mask to make their masks, and I sculpted tall hoods reminiscent of those worn by Catholic penitents. A few more subtle modifications were done, where necessary. 

So I had them saved in the form of sketches, and I slowly gathered the minis I needed (mostly older metal stuff). Now there's a warband competition at Blog dé Kouzes, so I decided to put the first five models in my schedule. There's a lot more coming in the future, including a converted Screaming Bell.

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Since I'd taken out my cemetery scenery, I photographerd the Mirrogoi faction, too. Recently I've tweaked and expanded their backstory into something more interesting than 'they're undead and they worship Nagash'. Here it is:

Mirrogoi is an ecclesiastical state, governed by the Pontiff. The highest functionaries are all clerics and monks hailing from all across the Isles. The Necropolis is a burial ground for kings, nobles, saints and other honoured individuals, whose bodies are transported from their homelands to be interred in majestic tombs on the island. Many Brumean states have had or still have this agreement with Mirrogoi.

Death clerics continue their service beyond the grave as different forms of undead; there are actually very few living people on the island at any time. Higher priests are adept at necromancy, and their powers are also used to maintain an army to protect the tombs, and the bodies and treasure within them. The bone army consists mainly of the poor, criminals and other unwanted or unclaimed dead, vanquished enemies, and of those who volunteer their remains for the task. Precious bodies of those buried in the tombs are, of course, left at peace. Outsiders are normally permitted on the island only for funerals, pilgrimages and other necessary ceremonies which are arranged and performed in collaboration with Mirrogoian clergy...

CLXXVI. Peasant House Step-By-Step

When I published my peasant house I got a lot of requests for a more detailed account of the build. I have completed two more of these cottages now, and I tried my best to document the process for those interested. If you have questions, you are welcome to ask in the comments. I'll be happy to discuss it further.

Materials:

• polystyrene
• balsa wood (1mm, 2mm)
• DAS clay
• MDF base
• pelt of a teddy bear 
• masking tape
• PVA glue
• superglue
• pins
• wooden toothpicks
• wire
• blister pack
• insect net
• paint

The core shape was assembled from polystyrene, toothpicks and masking tape. It's sturdy and easy to build upon, so a good choice if the house is closed (no playable interior). The base is MDF.

First, I grabbed 2mm balsa and got started on the roof. That's only the parts of the wooden roof structure that would be visible. No need to bother with the rest since it will be covered with 'thatch'.

Next comes the wooden framework of the walls. Also made of 2mm balsa, glued with PVA.

The walls were then filled with DAS clay. I do this with my fingers and leave it uneven and messy. Only I always make sure not to leave fingerprints - having those showing is on the same immersion-killing level as having mould lines on a painted mini. Water helps smooth things out. Before applying the clay, I smeared some PVA on the surface for DAS to adhere better. If your polystyrene has a textured surface, do sand it smooth. The texture will show in the overlaying clay when it cures. You can still fix that with another layer of DAS, but it's better to prevent it from happening at all.

While the clay was still wet I added more detail to the overhang of the roof. It's just toothpicks, cut in half. Pointy end stuck into the wall just under the roof.

That's the big stuff done. Moving on to the detailing.

Leaded windows. Insect net, blister pack plastic. I cut the shape with scissors, glued them to each other with superglue and then on the wall with PVA. Built the window frames around the glass. Easy.

Doors. 1mm balsa. First, basic shape and size. Then it was marked and cut into planks. Each plank got wood grain engraved. Each distressed around the edges. Then all glued into place in the door frame. The 'empty space' behind the door was prepainted black, since it would otherwise have been hard to reach. Thinking ahead saves you from frustration later.

Metal detailing on the door. Blister packaging, pin heads, metal rings. Glued with superglue.

Painting time. Sprayed white. Grey and brown glazes on the wood, some staining on the whitewashed walls. Rust on metal.

After the messiest part of painting is done, the teddy fur thatch can be glued into place. I prefer to do it this was to avoid fur getting in the way when painting the underlying wood.

The fur thatch is best done by cutting horizontal strips and pasting them onto the roof, starting from the bottom and slightly overlapping. I used pins to fix it all in place until the glue set. I pulled them all out afterwards.

You will notice it looks very fuzzy. To make it more like straw, I applied a mix of water, PVA and light brown paint. Used a large stiff brush and brush only in the downward direction, following the flow of the hairs. This is also how water would normally go down the roof during rainfall.

After this, the roof will be pretty drenched and it will take time for it to dry. Best leave it overnight. When it was completely dry, I added the chimney, the wooden ridge, and some planks nailed to the roof. The latter are mostly an aesthetic choice, since they help break up the large, relatively bland surface.

It's the little extra details that really help sell the scenery piece as a house someone inhabits. A simple, rickety ladder can be made from balsa and cut up toothpicks. For a tidier and sturdier result, harder wood is recommended.

This water pitcher hanging on the wall was made of a wooden bead, a metal ring and a bit of wire:

Bits leftover from kits, or bits designed for dioramas and basing are also good for this. I add these little bits at the end since it's easier to paint them separately from the building.

As you can see, it is not complicated and it doesn't require expensive materials nor tools. The more time you spend on it and the more attention you give to details, the more spectacular it will be. And you can always go back and work on it some more, add a little thing here, tidy up the paintjob there. I will leave these as they are for now, since I have a few more pieces to build before the deadline. But nothing is stopping me to snazz them up more at a later date. 

Cottage No.2

 

Cottage No.3
 

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In other news, I'm still making minis. I have shown this image somewhere else already, but I want to include it here as well. Second Bloodfiend is done, the Custodian finished, and a little piper devil is the newest arrival to the green group. Bosch for the win.