Marco does something

[MarcoSkoll]

Right, it's time to be looking at which characters I'm doing for the next IGT, in the hope I can get them out of the way and give myself a free schedule to work on the Warhound.

I've been throwing around three (maybe four) ideas for what character to do, but I think really I have to come back to Katlien Vance, seeing as she's been on the back burner for two GTs now and her warband contains some of my favourite character concepts.

But I'm starting over, given that my skills have rather advanced in the two years since I started those models, and I think I can do a lot better than my first attempts.

All the character designs are getting a slight tweak and dust-down, even Katlien herself. While she was originally based on contact card art, I want to redo her default wardrobe to make her design more unique - while it's nice to base models on artwork, the characters then become a lot less interesting to draw. (Although there's no reason to say that her contact card art isn't somewhere in her wardrobe.)

However, right now, I'm approaching her Interrogator, Nyi Laysen, first.
Short version of Nyi's story for those that don't know/remember: She was formerly assigned to Inquisitor Kriul, who Katlien executed on various charges. Katlien decides that Nyi is more valuable than she is guilty, and thus takes on the girl. These early events, and the fact that Nyi has never agreed with the severity of Kriul's sentence (but does not deny the charges), have very much coloured their relationship since. Suffice to say that Nyi is not subservient, but a strong personality who is not afraid to disagree with her Inquisitor.

Now... this is going to take a bit of jiggery pokery, seeing as the forum limits image heights to 600 px, but my digital art looks crap if I resize it that much. (Okay, I admit it, I just split a 900px version into two across the middle)



Full version and large version

Now, if you recall this old sketch you may notice the core idea isn't really changed - just filling in gaps and neatening up. I couldn't turn down a chance to do some of my favourite ideas, like the Aquila choker, the tactical corset (a semi-real idea. The company made some, then "disappeared") and a holstered carbine - they hit the right mix of crazy awesome for 40K.

Aside from the fact I'll likely add a few more trinkets as my bitz box allows, I am also playing around with an alternative with a shorter skirt and longer boots. Link here. (However, I'm kinda thinking that if I make such a change, she may also need taller heels on those boots.)

Her colour scheme is still WIP - the only thing that's set in stone is she's black. Well, she's actually mixed ethnicity, but she takes more after her father than mother.
However, my popular theory is black/dark greys as a primary colour, red as a secondary and gold/yellow as a spot colour. That said, maybe more lighter tones to contrast her skin might work. Suffice to say, my colour theory could do with work.

~~~~~

Beyond that, I'm still working on exactly what I want to do with Inquisitrix Vance and Drill Abbess Canton.

I'm thinking I might mix in elements of the design of Inquisitor Adrastia (from the DOW2 "Retribution" expansion) into Katlien, as there's some parallels between their designs.

Vera will probably have a more intricate design than she did, as the original version was a little plain with not enough detail (even for a religious character). But, whatever happens, she's not going to lose the Callahan Pattern Auto-Las.

[Hadriel Caine]

Nyi looks great. I actually like the concept image as is- as opposed to the shorter skirt. Some lovely details. the Aquila choker is v cool. I had imagined a carbine being bigger but that's probably from an over-exposure to GW and it's scaling issues.

[MarcoSkoll]

I actually like the concept image as is - as opposed to the shorter skirt.

I probably agree - or at the very least, the boots need a change. The buckles and straps work for shorter boots, but extending it all the way up the leg makes her look like she's into casual bondage.

Maybe cut off below the knee, or simplified straps to something more functional would work... but no, I think I'm likely to go with the longer skirt.

I had imagined a carbine being bigger but that's probably from an over-exposure to GW and it's scaling issues.

You're not entirely wrong. This one is definitely on the small side of carbines (the scale puts it at about 18" long) - that's partly because I envision it having a collapsing stock, partly because this one's more "pistol with stock" than "shortened rifle".

[MarcoSkoll]

I've thrown some flat colours at the concept art to see what's what.



Large version

I originally played around with a lighter grey on the outer skirt. However, I think the lighter shade and its large area made it an unintentional focal point, so I've darkened it back.

An alternative is a slightly red hair colour - her mother is Pexiran* (same planet as the angry cyborg comes from), and they have a genetic disposition for such things.
*Her father was born on Pexir, but his parents were refugees from the Ilithyian equatorial regions.



I quite like this as a hint towards her ancestry, but it may end up looking slightly out of place, overdoing the red shades overall and/or making her look like a certain popular singer.

~~~~~

Anywho, I think I've exhausted reasonable limits of working on Nyi's design. Which probably means I need to go through my reference folders to give me a wider range of ideas to work from for the other two.

[Trasher]

The concept art is really cool Marco, and judging by your other models, this'll be great! What about having her hair in that reddish colour, but only at the base, showing she has coloured her hair? That way you can show ancestry without being afraid it'll take over the model. The gun makes me think of the MP7, is this intentional?

[Hadriel Caine]

Perfect! The colour mock ups are great. The darker grey was a good choice. Charcoal and maroon are very much complimentary. Perhaps mix in a bit of a warm brown in the highlighting stage of each to tie them together and add warmth. I love the idea of red roots showing through. Should be easy enough by painting the hair red then overbrushing with the darker colour and working into the end of the strands.

I actually like the yellow a lot and am now imagining the mini in NMM...

[MarcoSkoll]

What about having her hair in that reddish colour, but only at the base, showing she has coloured her hair?

While a quick mockup looks kinda cool, I think that might be a little optimistic regarding my painting abilities - blending colours, particularly on such a small scale as to be doing it on each lock of hair, isn't really a strong point of mine.

I'm also not necessarily sure if she's the type to dye her hair. Some of my characters might (and do), and some have had alteration of their melanocytes*, but I'm not sure if Nyi would have that drive.
I know she's got some concern for her appearance, as is evident from a lot of her clothing choices being more form than function (that said, I designed said clothing, so she's not off to a great start) and her unusual choice of haircut... but I'm not sure about whether I'd say she'd be dissatisfied enough with her natural shade to want to change it. Mind you, it is a possibility to add to the list.

*Changing the colour the hair grows. Mostly this is just a part of rejuvenat (at least how I envision it) to counter-act greying, but some characters have had it done "unnecessarily". No more so than Maya Avens, who had it such that different parts of her scalp now produce separate hair colours.

The gun makes me think of the MP7, is this intentional?

It won't be dissimilar, but it's a pistol calibre weapon rather than the miniaturised rifle rounds of the MP7. (That is, it's using the "Pistol carbine" profile from the RIA, rather than the "Light PDW" option.)

I actually like the yellow a lot and am now imagining the mini in NMM...

Yes, a lot of what you see there will be brass and gold NMM, as opposed to the flat yellows it is at the moment. I quite like doing NMM, as and when I leave myself enough time.

~~~~~

In case it's not clear, I should point out that this is probably not the final pose. I needed something neutral enough to make for clear character design, but wanted something more interesting than arms hanging by the side or held out sideways as in many concepts.

[MarcoSkoll]

Given it's the start of the new year (ish) and I picked up some new models at Christmas, it's probably worth enumerating the various things I have to work on. This is probably not going to be very interesting, as it's mostly just pictures of models I bought because I liked them, then me muttering about what I could do (with very little idea about how these models might form groups), but if I don't get some ideas going, they'll never start.

~~~~~

Two previously started projects:

The assassin and smoke daemon from the first post.
Alyx Paige (or not, as the other characters in the Dark Heresy game are discovering), the assassin, is a slightly problematic subject matter, as the RP is still progressing. She's quite different now to what she was, and I actually need to work out the specifics of her appearance.

And the daemon - much though I like the idea, I've not got a lot of ideas for who he can be joined by. However, more on that later in the post.

~~~~~

And now for something different ...

Valten conversion:



Bought him as part of the Storm of Chaos, never really used him, don't play WHFB any more, etc, etc. So, an excuse to do something new. (Not sure what I'll do with the horse, but meh).

The weapons are place-holders (although I'm not beyond doing it), and the legs are obviously unfinished. The maille sleeves will probably be smoothed over to give something more like on Battle Sisters. Various Sigmarian iconography will get replaced.

I'm thinking he's a good candidate for a more fiery Inquisitor. Not quite a burn them all Monodominant (as "incinerate everything, then shoot anything still moving" isn't very interesting roleplaying wise), but certainly hard-line than most of my Inquisitors. Possibly Ordo Malleus - it's just what I think of looking at the armour. (And I don't do many Malleus Inquisitors.)

I'm imagining I'll find ways to combine him with other GW models I'm re-purposing (following my withdrawal from the core games) or perhaps sourcing on eBay, such that I have a second kosher warband to use at WHW.

~~~~~

And quite a large model backlog, by manufacturer.

Spyglass/Eolith (although a lot of this is bought from Heresy after they got the rights):

Autumn, Si'Rene, Kaylee.

I've previously mused over the concept of Si'Rene being a tribal swordswoman with some anachronistic technology that had been exchanged in trades with her tribe. That's still the plan, although I don't yet know who she will work for.

As for the others, I still have no concrete ideas. Autumn might make for a noblewoman or something ecclesiastical with adjustment. Kaylee... I'm almost tempted by the concept of her as a dissident, travelling around and generally starting a ruckus. Either could make for a psyker.

Wyrd:

Sonnia Criid, Victoria.

No solid plans for Sonnia, but I can't help but see that the models has the air of being an Inquisitor.

Victoria is due to be the basis for Interrogator Regin, more commonly known as "Gala". There'll be at least a head swap involved, and she'll be rearmed with a Accatran pattern lasgun. This, however, will be a Carthaxian warband, as Gala works for Inquisitor Rhodes.
(As for why she's called Gala, it's a nickname her upbeat personality has earned her. If you imagine The Doctor, particularly the Ninth Doctor, and his silliness, you're about there.)
She will likely end up alongside the earlier assassin on occasion, given that they both work for the same Inquisitor (although not normally in the same cell).

Corvus Belli:

Ariadna Para-Commando, Nomad Reverend Custodier.

The Para-Commando is probably due to become a bounty hunter or mercenary.

The Custodier, as I believe has been earlier mentioned, is intended to become a techpriestess.

I have also got Father Lucien Sforza and the Yuan Yuan blister on order.

In the former case, I'm seeing either a gunslinger... or quite possibly a 28mm version of Inquisitor Skoll.
In the latter case, they'll need ridding of their airborne deployment packs. The male, particularly because of the tattoos the studio paintjob gives him, is a chaos cultist in my mind, someone to go with the smoke daemon.

I'm not quite sure what I'll do with the female. Maybe a resculpt on the torso armour and then some kind of swordswoman - but even if she doesn't necessarily end up in INQ28, she's a nice model for something else.

Statuesque:

Rosa, Tilly Tumbleworth.

I've actually got two Rosas, but the other is mostly just for painting. I've got a conversion in mind for her, but it's going to take an order getting here with the weapon she needs.

Tilly is another case where I've not immediately got ideas, more that I liked the model. But some kind of infiltration operative, a Sam Fisher of sorts, might go somewhere as an idea.

Privateer Press:

Kaya the Wildborne, Rutger Shaw

Don't know what I'm going with Kaya, beyond perhaps Death/Feral world warrior/shaman. Probably less bare skin. Likely a haircut, but maybe replacing the entire head.

Rutger might be interrogator or merc material. But that's perhaps a bit formulaic.

~~~~~

Anyway, boring post was boring, with little interesting modelling content, but as I say, I need to get ideas moving. Some concept sketches may follow.

One piece of other news - I'm considering resculpting Asandrea. Like I've said before, I don't think I really achieved full potential with the model - it was the first 32mm sculpt I'd completed in years (if at all, given my only previous attempt ended up about 40mm) and I'd like to try and improve on that earlier attempt.

[Gilleon]

Interesting Valten conversion you have there, curiously it is near identical to a character concept i came up with a while ago, except the "head" on his shoulder and cloak was from a death world beastie. Looking forward to what you come up with though.

P.s. You do like your female characters don't you. 

[MarcoSkoll]

Indeed I do. I buy the models I like - and given I generally find the subversion of gender roles and the exploration of strong female personalities more interesting than the "traditional" orientation of things, that usually works out well for me.

Sometimes I do have characters who "have" to be one gender or other, but most of the remainder tend to default to female. Which, really, shouldn't be thought of differently to those players who default to their characters being male.
And is certainly better than throwing in females to try and pretend there's gender balance (or to be love interests).

One problem with approaching my interest in gender subversion from the other direction is that putting men in "feminine" roles usually either a) puts them outside of the scope of the Inquisitor game or b) is considered to be somewhat weird.
In the former case, the Inquisitor's housekeeper doesn't really need to make the game. In the latter case, people's opinions of having courtesans in a warband are usually more favourable than those regarding the group's gigolo.

~~~~~

Back to the original point - there are some blokes on the way. I've raided a (or rather, the) box of old GW stuff I got given by an acquaintance, and there's a lot of stuff I'd plain forgotten was in there.

[MarcoSkoll]

As a somewhat radical notion in that "Marco actually combines two models, rather than just sculpting all the bits he wants to change", I've found a load of old Dark Angels models, most of them missing parts, in amongst the stuff a mate gave me. A paint strip later, Azreal has donated some legs that might work:



I do have Ezekiel's body instead - the books and keys are Inquisition type stuff - but I like the suggestion of motion from Azreal's legs and'd prefer to add the books and stuff separately if I must.

This version may need Valten's cloak redoing entirely (to change the direction of motion), but I have just found that if I give the upper body a bit more twist and forwards lean, it gives a really nice dynamic pose almost like he's surging forwards into a fight.
I think that would only take redoing the left edge of the cloak and some of the folds on the back of the robes to really sell it.

~~~~~

The list of other parts from that crate includes the main body of Asmodai, which might make the start of a priest's robes with the head, arm and backpack mount removed; a shotgun scout who appears to have been repainted at least twice, but who I think would convert into an Arbitrator (They can make good non-marines, I recall a nice conversion of one into an Elysian many WDs back); a few old metal Catachans and a plastic Ork driver that's given me ideas.

My own old stuff has revealed the mounted Bretonnian damsel that came with the one I first bought years ago; lots more scouts; Elrond - his legs are visibly short (although, actually, I think it's his arms and head are too large, confusing where the waist is), and fixing that would make him scale in to perhaps be a sword-master of sorts; some old style Dark Eldar that might serve as an armature for a Battle Sister; and enough battle standards that I've got some odd ideas about an Inquisition herald.

~~~~~

Also added something else to the non-GW stuff, probably to be arriving tomorrow. The guy I order Infinity from breaks down some of the multi-model boxes to sell on the models as people need 'em. Some of the left-overs he had on his list from boxes he'd broken down for others intrigued me, so I added those.

One may just be destined to become a display piece, but I think the lady Order Sgt, with the religious design hints, could perhaps make a more lightly armoured (maybe armed?) Battle Sister.

(Some of the PanO military orders stuff does have monastic/crusade aesthetics that could make it drop into Inquisitor relatively easily. He's not on my list, but I've thought for a while that De Fersen might make a nice power armoured Inquisitor with relatively little GS work.)

[Hadriel Caine]

I often ooze enthusiastically about minis generally... But an inquisitor based on Valten and Azrael. Spot on. Can't wait to see progress. Add books if you want but stay with that pose!! The plasma pistol looks a bit too marine-y for me. I'd be tempted to go for a FW one or a guard pistol. But that's just preference.

Same goes for the chains word - I feel it lacks the elegance of the pose and the intricacy of the armour.

It sounds like that's a great box of tricks and I fondly remember the Elysian conversion of which you speak. I'm sure I replicated it somewhere...

Looking forward to more.

[Koval]

The plasma pistol looks a bit too marine-y for me. I'd be tempted to go for a FW one or a guard pistol. But that's just preference.

A plasma pistol is a plasma pistol. As far as Imperial ones go, they all look the same, with the exception of some older (and possibly OOP?) Imperial Guard officer models where the difference in shape is only subtle. The only ones that are notably different are the ones used by Chaos models.

[Radu Lykan]

i think one of the chaos plasma pistols might look better, they have more details than the loyalist version. i also agree that the chainsword is a bit plain in relation to the rest of the model, maybe etch some words/patterning up the casing? or swap the sword for a blessed weapon of some sort, just spouting ideas 

[MarcoSkoll]

To quote an earlier post,"the weapons are place-holders" - this is still only a test assembly as things go. When I need a left-handed pistol and a right handed CCW with gauntlets, there's only so much choice if I'm not going to go butchering.

If I were sticking with at least those types of weapon, I have the plasma pistols from what I think are the Chaos Marine and Berserker boxes (those aren't visibly heretical, so they could work) and I have ideas about maybe grafting together the hilt from Asrael's sword (it's broken through at the narrow section) to a spare Striking Scorpion chainsword (which has a more slender and elegant "blade" than most Imperial ones). That angled hold though... it might look off.

I'm not sure I will be staying with those weapons though. There are various questions to answer like whether I'm going to treat this as power armour, and those answers may raise more questions like trying to keep him from dominating games.
Still, Valten's armour was made for a god - so this guy clearly ain't going to be subtle whatever happens...