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Slaves to Darkness


BrotherJim

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I want to start a Slaves to Darkness Warband. I'm going to focus primarily on the Chaos Knights kit. It's probably my favourite Warhammer Fantasy kit. I love all of the Slaves to Darkness range, but the Knights are really special. I think I will be able to carry over a lot of the conversion techniques I developed for my Chaos Space Marines.

I want to use this project as an opportunity to break my army builder mentality. So I will convert the knights as a group up to a certain point, then I will focus on completely completing one over the course of a single weekend - highlights and all. 

I am notorious for biting off more than I can chew, I think focusing on one miniature at a time will be a good way iron out my finishing techniques and build a bit more confidence about finishing miniatures.

I think I will go with a greenish Nurgle style colour scheme as it pairs so well with my shoddy conversion techniques. Using the Chaos Lord on Demonic Mount for some design cues, I noticed he has a tentacle for an arm. A tentacle. Hmm. I also noticed that all of the chaos knights have designated left arms that hold the shields. That's kind of boring. 

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The main thrust of this project is that I want to spend more time working with green stuff. I can make cloaks, tentacles, horns and bones, sculpt pus and boils, and try some other things. I will equip them with all of the bits available on the sprue as well as kitbashing mainly the zombie sprue I think. There will be lots of skulls and sprouts. 

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Alrighty I was hoping I would be able to get away with just gluing the shoulders directly into the joints. But once I really set to the conversions everything just collapsed. I'm really heavy handed; lacks finesse, you might say. 
Cludgeon would be the best word to describe my conversion style. I didn't even realise I just invented a word.
It's like bludgeoning someone with the backside of your axe. You know like; he's trying real hard, but I'm not even using the sharp side of my blade here.

I guess what I'm saying is that my hobby is where I come to relax and unwind. My hobby is fun, not a serious thing - although I do take it seriously - I also want to have fun with it.

So I will name the first guy Kludge. Anyway, the point I was trying to make was that I have to infact pin the shoulder joint, then attach the shoulder itself and treat it like a universal joint. First fixing the shoulder to the body, then drilling and pinning the elbow aswell.
For now I am using the Chaos Space arms to make a start, though I won't have any hard and fast rules about how I work around the left arm situation. The tentacles are a good cheap and universal option, but I will try a bit of everything to achieve certain goals. The aim of the game is to treat each one like and individual hero or character, and so each one should be different from the last.

Just some photos to show the work

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ok, got the shoulders done, tomorrow will be the shoulder pads and maybe ill try making a cloak or two first.


Had a little fun trying to capture the moment. Will need to figured out a good way to photograph them and finalise the details.

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Greatest miniatures ever.


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Got some more progress on Kludge and his gang or misfits. 

A new lord appeared quite ahead of schedule.

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Ok so, it's been awhile since I made a cloak and I thought I would just give it a shot. This is my first try. I also had some zombie parts which are allowing me to make a start in the general direction I want to go. I think it will be worth building up the other 5 men, and bidding my time for another week. Next week I will grab the zombie box and skeletons boxs and go over the top with my kitbashing.

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Looks like I smooshed it a bit

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But at least I have an idea now of the general flow.

I'm rather pleased with how Lord Stodge is shaping up. I'll want to do some work to intergrate the zombie corpse, perhaps with some cables implying it is some kind of drip fed Sorcerer's device. Perhaps some Outgard or AOS28 connection.

Either way Lord Stodge and his brave band have become well and truly lost traversing the shattered realms. Relying solely on the guidance and signs given to them buy great Papa Nurgle and interpreted by the now Nameless Lord Sorcerer.
 

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So I did the bases and finalised those first five guys.

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Now i have set upon the nest five.

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Showing some work on pinning the arms.

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The next five are coming together really fast, I didn't get to take many photos

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Let me know what you think so far. I really like the miniatures and so I dont want to damage them with conversions. I might try shifting the theme around and going with my own brand of Khaos Knights. I think I have converted them enough so that they are unique and characterful without me needed to go over the top much further.

Cheers


I'm having fun with this lot so I took some extra photos to help show them off. 

From here I will need to experment with fuirther techniques and colour schemes. I think I want to go for a grotty Blanchian style, something like maybe terracotta>yellow orche> bleached bone with lots of sepia and brown washes. Problem is then I will have to find a scheme for the actual bone areas and come up with a contrasting base scheme aswell. Could get tricky. Going with a pre-determined colour scheme will be a safer bet, though less exciting.

A green Nurgle theme might work equaling as well, and will allow me to focus on actual painting and finishing techniques.
which is a goal of the project.

hmm...

Here are the last five.

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Phewy ok I have just transcribed all this from the ammobunker, so we are happening in real time now. Hopefully there will be a bit more foot traffic here.

I'm taking a break from space marines for a little while, if you have interest you can view my collected works here http://s3.zetaboards.com/The_Ammobunker/topic/9031963/1/ its all space marines, all the time.

I'm going to collect the lord on manticore next

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Thanks guys :)

 

So I got the last 5 done. I'm pretty happy with them, I've started experimenting with different ideas, using the tubes as corruption, and making tenetacles to bulk them out a bit more and give them some character. It was a happy accident actually, I kept rolling out way too much green stuff and I didn't want to throw it away, so I thought; oh well, tentacles for everybody! 

I'm not sure if I will kitbash them further or not, I'm really fishing for advice on this one. I have already sealed the bases, I feel if I bulk the miniatures up too much then I will need to bring up the bases to match.
Seeing as I have already sealed the bases this will be a chore to build them up.

For now let's just enjoy the pictures while I muse on the decision. I could buy the zombies box and some scenery for basing, or I could just buy 10 more knights. The only pressure I'm feeling is my desire to paint the miniatures asap.

Patience young Jimmy-son, soon your time will come. There are some really great value boxes for the Slave to Darkness too, plus I think I know what I want to do for my Lord on Demonic Mount. It will require me to push strong with theNurgle theme.

I was really impressed today as I did alll the work on the weekend and didn't stop to take photos or even look. So it's like I'm laying fresh eyes on them, I forgot how much I did too.

Soon colour! 

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Thanks! It wont be long now as I have just picked up the zombie sprue for some extra parts to kitbash. Once i've got the general idea down i will paint them two by two. Could start painting as soon as tomorrow.

 

Thanks again for all the comments and support, I find them really motivating.

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Ahh yes so a bit of an explanation recap. Basically I haven't started painting yet. This will be the last round of W.I.P photos.

I bought the zombie box and had a little fun with it. I didn't go too overboard as it just didn't seem nessessary. I actually need to remember to leave some space to actually do some painting. 

Things spiralled dangerously out of control, I ended up doing all the jobs I thought I wouldn't. I used the snazzy little grave stone to do some basing, along with some plastic tube which I will attempt to make look like tree trunks.

So I did some basing. 

I also added lots of small and random details, it was hard not to get carried away, but I don't really think they need too much.

I made a banner from green stuff, added lots of sprouts and pores which I later gently melted with my lighter. You'll see where I forgot to be gentle and accidentally singed them a little.

Everything was pretty straight forward. I'm not very good at sculpting with greenstuff, but I'm really good at taking shortcuts.

Ok so what's important is that I now need to zone in and focus on two at a time, finish the jobs that need doing and prep them for painting. I'm getting lost chasing my tail around in circles creating more problems then I solve at the moment. It's been fun; but it's time to finish them up.

So the last crazy mirad randomia of WIP photos. They came out backwards in my imgur so I'll do my best to put them back in order for your viewing pleasure.

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INSANE CLOSE UPS!!! 

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Phewy we made it.

Now just to choose two and make it happen.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Alrighty well I have been busy helping my girlfriend move house. It was actually a really good bonding experience for us, which shows how I've matured over the years. Normally these things are a complete disaster. Imagine me carting a bed, fridge and washing machine up a crooked flight of stairs only to reach my destination where upon I had to assemble 15 sets of IKEA furniture before I could even sit down and have a rest. (I didn't carry them all at once, or alone, but still it was effort.) Did I mention the bed? There was also a giant mattress.

You know all that stuff, real world stuff. I'm going to start my Cert 4 in Leadership and Management, my company will pay for it. This is excellent news, so I will need to commit myself to that. Things are getting serious, I'm going to have to quit the gym. 

Thankfully I could never quit the hobby. Further thankfully my glorious new girlfriend embraces me embracing the hobby. Further furtherly I have been painting and writing again, and very much enjoying myself.

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This will (hopefully) be the last work in progress photo. I've painted Bodge up to this point where I am confident, but now the doubt is setting in. Questions nag me like 

Should I do something fancy for their weapons blades?

What colour should I paint the base rim? Black? Graveyard earth?

What spot colour should I use? Particularly the chaos runes and stars? Red? Yellow? Maybe blue? I feel like purple.

Should I use grass tufts on grey bases? Will that look weird?

Should I highlight the silver?

I want to incorporate some tinny tin/bronze, on the weapons and a shoulder pad. 

Should I convert them more?

How cool are these miniatures?

Have you seen the Voodoo Forest?

I have a whole list of excuses I was going to make, about [pants] brushes and this and that, but I think they will get better as I go along. I'm confident enough to paint them in twos.

Please advise me.

I still need to add some rust but other than that I'm not certain about those things mentioned. Normally I'll start a few more so I feel like I have options but I know I need to fully finish everything before starting more or this will spiral out of control very quickly. Once I get everything bolted down I will start writing fluff and presenting them properly like in all the fancy threads here abouts. My fluff is zany though, especially now I'm all bitter and angry grey beard.

Cheers!


Ok I'm just jazzing out a little bit because I want to see some more angles on the big screen. My room is like a hyperloop. I sit at my desk looking at pictures of my other desk which is on the other side of the room. It's the best/laziest way to really look at the miniatures.

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So I've just decided to keep things simple and all I've done is throw down some rust effects and weak orange glow, finished the base with black and I'm happy to leave him there. I don't want to dally for too long.

I will write Bodges fluff at another time. Right now I'm try to work out the best way to photograph and present them.
Also painting the next two.

Cheers

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I think I'm happy now, will drop off insane close ups shortly

I changed the bases and added more colour.

Thanks!

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Ok insane close ups.

This is Bodge, First of Many, Killer of Things, Sipper of Tears.

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This is Kludge, The Reapers Son, Halfhand, Thrice Named.

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Lord Stodge, The Anti-Hero, NeverBorn, Keeper of Things, Thus Named.

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Still little bits and bobs to do but I'm confident enough to move on to the next two. Happy to get all my colours sorted and the bases suit the theme much better. I want to buy some trees to help with backgrounds. I know I promised some fluff but it's becoming to distracting, I just want to paint for now.

 

please let me know what you think, next two coming up as we speak!
 

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I've always stayed away from knights because their poses bore me to tears... and you[ve turned them into something of pure dynamic awesomness.

I love the poses and the kit bashing, they now look as scary as they're supposed to be in the fluff.  such awesome work and looking forward to seeing more.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Keleb Daark! prieciatit

 

Thanks a bunch Digits! I'm musing about what to collect next, I love the old Chaos Warriors but I don't want to go down that path, they are a bit too static nowadays. So I think I'm going to avoid infantry and just collect monsters, Chaos Spawn, Demon Princes, need to work out what to do for my Lord etc maybe some Plague Drones.... I want to have fun with the theme for awhile and just build stuff, maybe focus down and do a skirmish style Warband with some conversions...

Anyway finally I have some progress to show. Basically what happened is that I packed up all my stuff and took it to my girlfriends so I would have something to do there (there is no internet there ATM)

I got myself all set up at a little side bench, and while I was there I became enamoured with this minimalist approach to the hobby.
Once I came home I immediately threw away my desk. Once it was out the obvious thing to do was to move my bed out of the corner and set myself up there.

Now my room's Fung Shui is at maximum and I can better capture the daylight. I took some photos while I was at the missus' but they were gloomy and underwhelming. Now I am home I have taken some fresh photos in the crisp daylight. 

I need to buy I new work/bench/desk and I have been going back and forth a lot to IKEA, maybe I will try the hardware store. At any rate I want it to be about the size of the temporary containers I am using. I'll want to be able to move the desk around easily and probably get a free standing lamp. I am much happier now in my living space, everything feels much more fluid. 

So until I get a proper desk and a new lamp I am just fluffing around reviewing all my miniatures. I've decided I want to finish my Chaos Space Marines so I will be returning to my 40k thread soon enough.

Here all some sunny photos from the Chaos Wastes of the sourthern hemisphere (what until summer really kicks off, the light to lady was muted by some clouds.)

Thnks!

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I know what you mean about the warriors.  I ended up using a box of bestigors for my great weapon warriors as I feel I've served my time painting chaos warriors in  the past!

I'm inspired by your knights though, and I suppose, making the poses more dynamic is a by product and benefit of the round bases as you're not worried about whether they'll rank up or not.

I think your direction will work really well, especially if you approach it with the same eye as your knights.

Due to real life constraints I pretty much paint and build on a small area, and everything else is packed away in the same boxes you're using until I need it, so I know where you're coming from.

Keep posting, this is all great stuff.

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Kaleb - thanks man, appreciate the feedback. Hmm the besitgors could work well, I was considering the Gor-herd or Ungors. I like the beastman range enough that I probably wouldn't want to convert them too much. But they definitely suit the theme and era I'm going for.

 

Yeah the round bases and more dynamic miniatures is about the only good thing to come out of the End Times I feel. Sometimes I get a bit depressed about it.

 

Thanks again - the search for a new desk continues! I'm sure a solution will present itself.

 

Soulsmith - yeah thanks I thought about that (think I may have seen some?) I wouldn't might having a go at the little Blood Reavers too. They seem a little too buff though. Recently I picked up the Poxwalkers and I thought I might try to make them into Chaos Warriors or some description. 

 

I think the Poxwalkers could work well with my Knights once I strip all the tech and sci-fi bits off them. The scale is alright for me. One thing that really kills me is scale. I actually really like 28mm models. Can you imagine my agony? 

 

Anyway.... the quest continues! I'm going to take a break and work on my CSM so I'd love if people could check that out in the Ammobunker 40k section. 

 

Thanks!!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

You're conversion work here is an inspiration for me. I just did some minor conversions on a Sorcerer Lord to make him nurgley and he looks good, but your work with greenstuff is just above and beyond what I can currently do. Do you have any videos or resources you found helpful along the way during this project? Or is it all experience? 

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