Thursday 26 February 2015

Rad Chimera - Rogue Trader monsters

Alright, back to some actual painted model with the Rad chimera. What is a rad chimera I hear you say? well it's this :


Looks like a disgusting creepy creature right from a sordid mind ? Mmmmm close enough !

You may actually remember this one comes from a challenge on the Oldhammer forum called the oldhammer salvation army. The aim of it is simple as it is basically a place where you can dump models you've never taken the time to finish and that will unlikely see a brush unless someone comes to make it in your place.
That was the case for this little mutant and that commissar.

Now this time the deal was a bit different as the model to save could be considered finished but perfectible. The model was proposed once again by the excellent Responsibleone along some even crazier models (that's possible).
In all honesty I really hesitated touching it as it was so full of that retro charm that got me to take it in the first place :


The deal implied for me to make it new though so I broke it into pieces and threw the metal parts in the acetone and the plastic ones in Dettol.

That done, the plastic RTB01 marine head was beyond my ability to restore so I decided to give the model my own touch with another "face" :


And a proper rectum (seemed more right somehow, even with a tongue sticking out of it)


As often I didn't go very far to get my inspiration... First major influence was Fallout's centaurs, weird mutated chimeras coming from throwing humans and different sorts of animals in a huge tank full of toxic mutating liquid... The result always weird and repulsive :


Especially in the older editions of the game :


I thought the Rad chimera is a good concept for Rogue trader but I also wanted to tie it to the older concept of the chimera :


For it looks even stranger than the fantasy version of it as portrayed by Tony Ackland for example :

Shameless bragging about having such a gem above my painting table thanks to the generosity of some really great people
See below, you have the harpy torso replacing the goat, the ophidian tail and a mane of hair instead of the lion mane on the front. This part was were I changed from the original to make something a little more personnal, a little more futuristic and a lot more creepy.


Even if not consciously, I suppose I might have been influenced by Kingdom Death's many incredible models as these :

Someday I'd like to have the balls to buy one and paint it...


You will also notice I added 2 tentacles, well these were my way to stick to the old concept with the skaven head impaled but to give it a more symetric to show the mutation here is more due to some weird genetic mutation than to chaotic forces...

Painting wise, well... I opted for speedpainting. These last 2 weeks I was away in Canada and I managed to find some time on the plane or during evenings to read a lot of old White Dwarves between 50 and 150. I mean A LOT. And amongst those I read a lot of John Blanche's Blanchitsu, all of which chanting the merits of drybrushing and quick and effective painting tricks.

Since I had already prepared my model with a black prime and a zenithal grey spray, I threw a red glaze over the whole model and built all my highlights with drybrushes...



I have to say I hadn't drybrushed anything (apart from bases) in years... I suppose like me drybrushing must have been your first "technique" and you may have overused it as I have. But I can't tell why, there was a sort of regressive pleasure of using it againfor the whole model, I mean the only non-drybrushed parts are the bone/teeth parts and the eyes, all over parts have been drybrushed though he effect has been altered by glazes and other fancy tricks...
And since I mentionned Blanchitsu, the colour pattern came naturally with a red skin and black and white as spot colours...



So there you have it, my Rad chimera, I hope you like it, it was a way for me to get back to the brushes after a 3 weeks hyatus. Now I've finished this one, I feel fueled up to finish some that have been waiting for way too long...


That's a weird one done, next time...well, I don't know what next time will be about but it should either imply space dwarves or underhive hunters...

27 comments:

  1. Nicely done JB,

    You've improved on the original (modelling wise) & your drybrushing technique worked like a charm. I agree with you completely, about overusing it in our youth, but, I think if it is done correctly it can still yield good results. I'm all for speed painting these days, even though my output is quite poor :D

    Great lookin mutie!

    Cheers.

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    1. Good then, I sure used far less gore on my version but hope I achieved a creepier result eventually... I realy should consider taking more shortcuts with painting as what I want to achieve is maximum coolness at arms length or table top distance, not looking for competition pieces. Preshading + glazes and drybrushing are techniques I should try more in order to achieve a better balance.

      Many thanks ;)

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  2. That's fantastic, those outstretched hands are good and creepy.
    Geez those Kingdom Death pieces are pretty stellar too, wow.

    Couldn't help but notice a running 'stealer Patriarch in the background there.

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    1. Thanks Bruno ! Creepy was the target to stay in the same vein. Kingdom Death really does stunning models and one of these days I'll grow some balls and will try some.

      Good you spotted the patriarch, maybe you spotted some of his friends to be too then ;)

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  3. Very nice too JB. I like the fact that this figure has become more than *just* a chaos spawn - it is a particular entity with a defined set of origins and background. I see the adjustments to the conversion as being refinements - the original was great, but the reworked version has more clarity, and is better for it.

    As for drybrushing, it was my only painting technique for around 15 years...I still do some of it now too ;)

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    1. Thanks Jon, wthat's what I intended with it, to make the mutation more "natural" or at least chemical/radiation based rather than chaotic. I realise I should have taken a pic with the space mino next to it to have the 2 antics monsters next to each other (given that thei bear similar colours they'd fit nicely along one another I suppose.

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  4. Wow - that is cool. I imagine that's what Morgan Freeman would look like if he turned into a Chaos Spawn (seriously, check out the face in the first picture!). Love it! Back to your Grav Attack now, good sir.

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    1. I cannot unsee Morgan Freeman now !

      The grav attack has recently enjoyed some atention and he wil lget even more thanks to Captain Crooks' exciting project for BOYL 2015.

      Thanks a lot

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  5. That one broke every branch on the ugly tree! Very cool and I hear you on the 'Kingdom Death' miniatures! I'd love to give one a go someday =)
    Nice piece by Mr Ackland there too =D

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    1. Cheers ! I intend to slowly build a whole warband of toxic mutants to go along this one and the Space minotaur I did earlier.
      The illustratin by Mr Ackland is indeed gorgeous and it took me some time to find where it was published and found out it was used to advertise the C01 chimera in White Dwarf circa 60ish.

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    2. Space Minotaur?! (searches for space minotaur)

      Looking forward to the toxic warband! Have you had a look at the minis by Gary Hunt? He did a blister called 'Eco Monks' that might fit in well there. I've been trying to fit a few of them into the painting schedule but there are still too many 'Hybrid' game figs to go!
      Also, I thought that Ackland Chimera was from the beasts sectionof WFRP, but I on inpection seems it is another angle!

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    3. Space minotaur yes : http://leadplague.blogspot.fr/2014/09/space-minotaur-rogue-trader.html

      Eco monks seem quite cool yes. so much to paint and so little time...

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    1. Nice work, JB. Perhaps this is what we would have seen if Morgan Freeman had been in John Carpenter's The Thing. You lucky bugger owning that Tony Ackland chimera picture. Not jealous at all.

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    2. Well the world has always wondered how he would have looked in this movie and I had to bring an answer...
      As for the Tony Ackland original I owe it to Jon/Axiom and his great kindness. It's sometimes distracting me while painting...

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  7. Dude! That is very cool and innovative. A very "all-in" feel to it. Great work!
    /Hans

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    1. That'd be a very good way to say it indeed, all in... I went for the most straightforward approach I could find to make it grow organically, very pleasant to do things this way from time to time.

      Many thanks ;)

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  8. I'm really glad to see a model that was lurking at the bottom of a crate of someone's old lead which might have just been thrown away has instead been rescued and turned into something brilliant.

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    1. Thanks. I just realised I totally forgot to credit you for that model and I must correct this ASAP. That was a good "painting out of the box) really. Helps a ot when seeking to find the mojo back really.

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  9. Loads of character. Has the feel of something you would see in old sci fi flick like "Galaxy of Terror" and fits very well in the RT setting.

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    1. Cheers my friend ! It is indeed looking like one of those old horror movie monsters. Probably should think about making heroes to run from/chase it...

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  10. It looks great, I'm all for old school models being carved up and rehashed! More power to you!

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    1. Good, I hesitated some time about painting it in the same exact colour scheme but then opted for my own personnal twist, glad it gets people's approval !

      More power... now THAT is something I can use ;)

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  11. It screams The Thing to me, which is a good thing. The model is creepy and it looks like you put a lot of care into balancing its layout. It certainly looks very well composed to me.

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    1. Thanks ! I have to say Along the Space Mino it makes even more sense. I look forward to adding members to this strange and creepy association of Mutants from Antiquity. They have that "Level Boss" charm I quite fancy.

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  12. I love that face on the Rad Chimera. As Ed said, it is very reminiscent of the Thing... it has that expression of abject horror at its own existence. Great job.

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    1. It would indeed be quite a disturbing life to live as such a creature... I have to say I haven't seen the Thing in ages and barely remember anything of it. Maybe I should watch it again !
      Many thanks.

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