Why do the easy way, what you can do the hard way? An ode to oldhammer

Let's face it, we are lucky. We have the opportunity to have a hobby (not everybody does, and we should remember it sometimes...) but even more than this, we are lucky enough to have chosen a hobby with so many aspects that we can lose ourselves totally in it without ever getting the chance to accomplish a tenth of what we'd want to!

What is the thing that lead me to thinking about this? Simple, a super deal on ebay which got me to get my hands on 21 gorgeous models for only 30£ with PnP included :

I can imagine that fellow oldhammeres are starting to salivate while normal people are starting to worry about my mental sanity (did he really buy that pile of crap for 30£?).

Orktober : the final entry

Do you remember the 27th night of Orctober?
War was changing the mind of defenders
While chasing the clouds away

Our hearts were bleeding
In the key that our souls were singing
As we fought in the night
Remember, how the rockets stole the night away, yeah yeah yeah

Hey hey hey
Ba de ya, say do you remember
Ba de ya, dancing in Orctember
Ba de ya, never was a cloudy daaaaay

Read more: Earth Wind & Fire - September Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Ladies and gentlemen, here we are, at the end of this beautiful month of october (more because I was born in october than because of the weather let's face it...).

I painted my very first greenskins for the orctober event and I painted the only ones I had. These came in the form of 3 skarboyz (from 91) and a 2nd ed gretchin from the starter box.

Since I had actually no experience in painting orks (or orcs), I decided to have a good look in this very good tome "Waargh the orks" is. It proved a very nice read and I actually learnt lots of things, one of which being that orks actaully had quite a good background at some time. I really loved the "no non-sense" approach of ork philosophy and th elogic behind the ork spread across the universe.

I also had a lot of interest in Ork phisiology with the description of eye colour, the rubber like skin and lots of these. It's these points I kept in mind durng the whole painting progress, trying not to be influenced too much by the painted modelsin the book (though I used the banner and devices depicted. My Skarboyz are as goff as can be I guess but looking through the book ade me realise that if I was to make myslef an ork army (highly unlikely though), I would definitely do a bblood axe one. The picture in the book with the mek repairin g the dreadnought is absolutely brilliant. Dark, not too grim with this slice of surreal which make it perefect for me :

Juggernaut, lack of personnality and some green teaser - Battle Chaos Part 28

Today's champion is the Juggernaut. He has the head of a juggernaut and hence has the most fearsome headbutts you can find in the wastes. I imagine his axe is merely here to chop cadavers and bring the skulls back to Khorne's throne. Even is mace tail sweats blunt force.

I really like the fact he shares his whole body woith Mr Bloodletter head from my previous post and though gives a totally different feeling.

Still not much on funky painting or markings, he is one of the champions I purposedly left with little marking to have a "clear" unit, while some other models get more attention and colours (an dare yet to be seen as you've understood).

Khorne champion with the face of a Juggernaut

(Com)Passion and Warfare - Battle Chaos Part 27

Howdy guys,

Compassion and warfare it is today. Warfare, you know about it, the idea is very simple : shoot/kick/punch/stab the other guy(s) in front for whatever reason you can find. And when it gets to this, you want the best. In the warhammer multiverse, the best you can get is khorne worshippers, simply because that's their job, hobby, and when they get home, they even get some more because battlefields are their home.

I suggest you hire this guy if you have some warfare around (for over situations, maybe you can hire the A-team). This one packs both fantasy and sci-fi goodness with a demonic face and a scorpion tail just so that you know he's not here for the tea. The guy even has the severed skull of his first date hanging form his belt.

I love his bluntness, and his "you're next" attitude. Both weapons are in the air just like if he's asking to himself with which one to slay you (realising he can slay you with both at the same time for added fun). 

At the end of the day, when you sit in your couch with a cup of tea, a newspaper and you chat with your wife, this guy takes a big bag and takes all the skulls he can to Khorne's throne, whistling and shooting people in the face.

Khorne champion with face of a bloodletter

In hot blood - Battle Chaos Part 26

Today's champion is one I like a lot and always have. I love hime so much it's actually the second version I have (the first one ended sawn in many pieces which I may show just to prove how a single chaos champion can provide so much awesomeness to so many models)

I kept very close to the original paintjob I had done some 20 years ago apart from the thick enamels I used at the time.

I'm still not very happy with the photo which gives a bright flat red wheras the real paintjob has a more red to orange contrast (looking more oldschool actually) but anyway.

The sword has been painted to look like a frost sword with frost coming out of the guard.

Khorne champion with horns and frostblade.

 The shield has some fancy freehand with a device you might have seen in a previous post. It's not excatly clear from the photo but I used the boss of the shield to make the eye stand out. I may give it a gloss coat to make it shine a bit more.

 

I tried to find some of his other incarnations like the one from the combat cards (also seen in the Slaves to Darkness books). This version is really good if you forget that horrible lipstick. The flame pattern on the leg armour is reaaly good though (I copied that on the mechanical champion earlier if you remember). Mayb it's not make up and it's just he's been licking his red hot sword just coming out of the forge but anyway, its looks awkward.

 

Funny to see ow on some illustrations, details of the model are shown but in another way. the skull sympbol on this picture is on the actual model but in the drawing it looks like a jewel planted in the forehead whereas on the moel it looks like some hot-iron marking. I wonder if the illustratyions were made beforehand, after or at the same time as the models where sculpted?

That's all for now but we still have some other chmapions to see, plu swe're still in Orctober and can hopefully expect some news from that front...

For whom the blood flows (and a new Fantasy football team) - Battle Chaos Part 25

Ok, we have seen 3 of the Khorne champions this far. Today's champion is one which as suffered some serious wounds from my conversion spree during youth. My teenager self used to cut parts form every Jes Goodwin chmapion or warrior to add mutations to my chaos space marines.

Some of the casualties have been fixed to their former state and some like this poor chap have been fixed just how I could.

Instead of a halberd which doesn't strike me as a Khornate weapon, I decided to add some spiked mace instead. The tail being gone too, I simply gave the champion some plastic tail from the chaos spawn sprue (a real treasure if you use it as a bits box and not to make spawns...)

Khorne champion with the face of a bloodletter

 The flesh parts were painted normal but with a redish glaze to make it look like burnt or wounded because of too much mutation. I also added some points on the armour to add some contrast in the pure RoC fashion which gives a "living" touch to the armour.

Same champion as can be seen in "The Slaves to Darkness" book

Same champion fighting a Slaanesh champion

Another thing I wanted you to know is that you can now buy some excellent FantasyFootball Beastmen from Beastface Miniatures :

I feel doomed because I somehow managed to avoid the Blood Bowl frenzy so far but this might very be the first toe in a pool of madness.

Gone with the kill - Battle chaos part 24

While I grandly enjoyed reading "Waaagh the orks" and the very nice background you can find in it, today's update is about some more of the Khorne champions. The 2 I 've chosen this time go together quite well since they're built on the same base and both bear a mutated arm.

The main goal for these 2 was to try to make some sort of blending from flesh to weapon for the former and from flesh to claw for the latter.

The first one is one we don't see quite as often as the others and that's a pity for it's one of the more heavily mutated champions. I tried to saty as natural as possible on his left hand and weapon to enhance the fact it's the only human part left.

The snake horns have benn blended from flesh to black but the result is not up to my expectations.

 The second one is very nice too but as silly as it may seem, my main issue with him (just like for the others) was to choose the right hair colour. I wanted something chaotic but not too bright and not too flashy. Then I thought of giving one of them red hair and explaining the champion had been bullied by morons all his life (stupid kids in his youth till inquisitors when he reached adulthood) because of his hair. I decided to let him keep his natural red hair since it's most likely what made him put his first step on the path to chaos to seek revenge. 

My intrepretation of the model is clearly less colourful as the one which can be seen in the Slaves to Darkness book with the traditionnal checkers :

I realise that so far I haven't been able to paint leather flesh or other parts in another colour than a natural. This is mainly due to the fact that to me, gods like Nurgle and Khorne have little if any interest in cosmetics, hence why I painted them all champions in a similar fashion (that and all-red for Khorne tends to enhance the martial look). This will change with Slaanesh and Tzeentch champions whose nature will tend to add some diversity.

Orctober

OK, Let's make this one clear, I've never really been big on greenskins. But why should that get in my way of painting some.

Erny is actually having a Green challenge at his place and though I wouldn't normally paint orc(k)s, I've decided to attend just for some change (and to have a good excuse for not finishing the rest of my stuff huhuhu).

But, being somehow not attracted to greenskins leaves me with almost nothing to paint.

Nevermind, let's just go find something in my own "to trade" list and OH miracle! I just happen to have 3 skarboys from 91.

The paintjob is horrible (drybrush overuse), the models are bruised because most of their carrier has been to act as targets for my airsoft gun practices with my younger brother. But this is as good as can be. It's from 91 so oldhammer enough for me, plus the sculpt is good.
Nothing that can't be fixed with a good acetone bath and some greenstuff here and there plus hey! these are skarboys so I guess such battle-hardened veterans can come with some bruises !
Problem is I don't have enough arms for the lot so they most probably will get muscled recent arms (which look quite good on them actually).

Not being as knowledgeable on orks as I am on chaos (thanks to the Realm of Chaos Bibles), I guess my next move is to go get the information where it lies :

I could also look in 'eere we go! but what I'm looking for is fluff so far so this will be good enough.

I'll try to get WIP shots but I'll only show them wen the models are done and I've won the competition MWHAHAHA.

My only concern now is : where did I put my goblin green?

PS : What a shame to realise my 50th post is about orks, seriously... sorry people.