Marco does something

[MarcoSkoll]

Fair calls.

The yellow of the cloak is actually a LOT less bright than my first two attempts (I thus had to strip her back twice before this version), and nor is it quite as saturated as it looks in the photo. But yeah, it could do with a bit of differentiation from her dress. Maybe I'll wash or glaze her dress to shift their tones apart. (I'd prefer not to have do it on the cloak, as that would need a redo on the silver patterning.)

As for the face... I tend to err on the side of caution with watering down paint having had a few too many occasions where my highlights decide they want to be in the crevasses. So yes, the 10 layers for the face* does add up a little bit!
*Dark Flesh; 2:1 Dark/Tanned; 1:2 Dark/Tanned; Tanned; 1:1 Tanned/Dwarf; Dwarf; 2:1 Dwarf/Elf; 1:2 Dwarf/Elf; Elf; 2:1 Elf/White

In truth, I could probably be more conservative about the early layers, only painting them in areas where they might actually show, and thus cut back on the overall number of layers in any one place. The top layers should be opaque enough on their own that  dropping the base layers where they're unneeded wouldn't affect the final result.

[Keravin]

She really came together in the end.   She's a lovely model.

[MarcoSkoll]

Right, yesterday I returned from my local GW having exchanged my IGT winnings and a 50 pence piece for The Emperor's Will, a box of Fenrisian Wolves and Lelith Hesperax.

That 50 pence means the spending rules I've held to for eleven and a half months haven't held up flawlessly, but meh. I'll live.

Anyway...

~~~~~

The Emperor's Will offers exactly what I wanted - lots of ideas, as well as bigger and better versions of some of the art I've had earmarked to use for a while.

While I know Kaled would have preferred captions, I'm not too fussed by that - My real only complaint with the production is the forge world spread page. JB's one with the titans being built in the background...

My problem here is this picture appears to have been scaled up too much from a poor digital copy and is notably pixellated. While an iconic piece, it really should have been higher quality, left out, or at the very least scaled up using a better algorithm.

Other than that, the book works out well. But yeah, possibly not one for those with other artbooks, as I know I've seen some of these in books I've borrowed (but it's good to finally have copies of them myself).

~~~~~

Moving on, the Fenrisian wolves turn out to be pretty massive at 32mm scale (imagine a 300 kg wolf and you're about there). They're still big at 54mm scale, about Great Dane size. A good thing though, as if you want to introduce dogs into Inquisitor, you probably want them to look like something to take reasonably seriously.

As I earlier suspected, basically mono-pose with two halves of each body, two halves of each head. All moulded on one big sprue (although it's broken into three for the box). There might be some opportunity for swapping or repositioning the heads, but largely it's "like it or lump it".
Still, not bad as 54mm canids and while not exactly cheap, you still get five for about the same kind of money as a 54mm human from most manufacturers, and that should be enough to add as a minor scenario element - guard dogs or wild animals - or supply characters with canine companions for quite a while. Maybe both.

~~~~~

And finally, Lelith is the first chance I've had to work with Finecast (now almost a year after its release), and as I've also worked with Lelith in metal, a fair comparison. Finecast isn't hugely relevant to 54mm players, but obviously increasingly common for the 28mm community. Due to the delay, what follows is therefore probably old hat to many of you:

Not massively impressed. It's all pros and cons. Mould lines are easier to deal with. Glue is easier. Less weight. It cuts easier too, so she's presumably easier to convert - but as she's just for painting as is, I won't be testing this in any depth.
But of course, she didn't have air bubbles or bits of the mould stuck in her previously. (I don't see why they can't use mould release and hose the models off in the factory if they have to make a fuss about "no washing needed").

Detail... hmm. I think as is, it's mostly a con of the matt surface, and doesn't exactly manage to push past what Corvus Belli's metals manage (at two thirds the RRP). In fairness though, CB do use a 5% lead mix that holds detail better than lead-free whitemetal, and GW has their reasons to avoid lead.

~~~~~

All in all though, I'm content with my choices. The Emperor's Will should spawn several characters, the wolves should add to my collection of scenario resources and Lelith... well, I like her. While she's not directly relevant to Inquisitor, she's for display and thus a chance to improve my painting skills (and seeing as I may have to face RobSkib for the next IGT hobby competition, that's very necessary).

[Keravin]

The converting aspect is the big benefit of Finecast, especially now I've gotten over my fear of cutting up Forgeworld as well.   Not had any models where the weight difference has factored in yet and unlikely to.

[MarcoSkoll]

The weight isn't a big deal, but it should make models less likely to topple and need less counterweight in the base.

The Finecast material does have, I find, quite a strong similarity to hardened green stuff, which I enjoy working with. But with the  difference that nobody has ever complained about green stuff going floppy and deforming on warm days.

(And if they have, they're a muppet. I've dropped GS into boiling water - testing it as a paint removal technique - without any damage.)

[Keravin]

It was more weight on big sections such as wings on some of the larger monsters.

[MarcoSkoll]

After some delay, I have taken better pictures of Lady Riemann.

There is also a larger download version.

[Dolnikan]

A magnificent model, these pictures really make her come out very well.

[MarcoSkoll]

Seeing as I'm not sure anyone attending the Twin Arches actually has a 28mm Navigator model they can lend to the cause, I figure that's enough of an excuse to cook up my own.
(That said, I'm not sure there'll be enough attendance to need me to run the Navigator sub-plot, but I might as well be prepared such that I can run it at 28mm.)

The bitz box (or more accurately, the "vat of ill-advised purchase ideas that never went anywhere") has offered up a suitable sacrifice to the cause:


And I'm thinking perhaps this, although I may tweak the details (I have, essentially, just referred to the 54mm navigator)


Thinking I'll leave the four fingered hands (Navigators are, by definition, mutants), although not sure I'll leave the Ethereal's icon in his left hand - I quite like the possibility of turning it into a sheathed sword.

Option two would be to leave him with the "hoof" feet:


... which I don't dislike from the mutant angle, but hooves are often associated with "evil" Chaos mutations and it may leave the base model too recognisable.

Any thoughts?

[Kaludram]

Option two would be to leave him with the "hoof" feet:

... which I don't dislike from the mutant angle, but hooves are often associated with "evil" Chaos mutations and it may leave the base model too recognisable.

Any thoughts?

I concur with the assessments that keeping the hooves would be both too recognizable as a Tau miniature as well as lending itself towards an apparent Chaos taint.  I recommend actual feet and like your sword idea...perhaps an ornamental long knife or dagger though since I don't see Navigators as the heaviest of fighters.

[Koval]

Definitely a bandana or forehead-covering as well; exposing a Navigator's third eye isn't a brilliant idea unless he's either using it for something, or trolling everyone around him.

[Keravin]

Posted up my Navigator in the community thread.

[MarcoSkoll]

@Kaludram: Probably a good call on the not-hooves. Although I hate sculpting feet.

As for the sword, I want it to look a little bit more lethal than that - the grimdark is a dangerous enough place that I'd be honestly surprised if an important individual like a Navigator were only ornamentally armed. (Particularly given the circumstances in which he might find himself in an Inquisitor game).

@Koval: Who says he isn't?

The third eye is an area where I may end up going with artistic licence, because I'm quite sold on the idea of the hood, and "bandanna under hood" won't necessarily be very obviously "bandanna under hood" (particularly at 28mm) and won't make for great visual shorthand for a Navis Nobilitai in the same way as  a visible third eye.
(Also, the artwork of hooded navigators I can think of tends to avoid such things. I'd suppose that's a job the hood itself is meant - if failing - to be doing.)

@Keravin: Oh, that's what you meant.

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

I am really liking how this is progressing!

[MarcoSkoll]

Not immediately related to Navigators, but to finally add the pictures of my INQvitational warband (that should have been up months ago):

Inquisitrix Asandrea Corvus & Lord Markus Karlmunn:

Rear

Sister Kerrel Roane and Epsilon-47:

Rear

Cerys Vayne and Sian Vayne:

Rear

Plus a couple of WIPs I don't think I ever posted: