Thursday 12 May 2016

Champions of Law season 2 - The titan of Solkan


Alright people, now I hope you're not tired of the champions of Law because I've decided to start the new season of the show !
I've been able to come up with a solid group that enabled me to play warband based games like Mordheim and Frostgrave. Now I've loved painting this group and I have loved playing with them too. There's still plenty of ideas I had that haven't seen the light of day though so I thought after a break I could start a new season of their story and see where this leads.



One of the concepts that I was th emost eager to do was to have a beastman or even a greater demon. Well let's say I scratched both itches on one go !
First of all, I needed to have something cool and which would bring back a lot of energy into this project along with a new scale. That's why I thought about doing a Greater demon or Titan.

With very little material to work from like with everything related to the gods of Law (something which is both annoying and pleasant to be honest) , I tried to base my creation on the old concept of titans of Law :

Extract from the Citadel journal - Autumn 85, picture from Solegends
Tall warrior : perfect ! Perfect and hunky body ? well sort of ! I only changed the head and wings to give the model a more regal look. My first idea was actually to give him a baby fat face but I just couldn't find the right model.



The model has been done with parts coming exclusively from my brother James from the funky Wenis Rodeo. The most knowledgeable of you will have recognised the Nick Bibby minotaur as a base with a Jes Goodwin eagle head on top and a pair of wings I just can't remember the origin of.


I had to sculpt some leather straps and a bit of armour just to be able to get the Law symbol and some gold parts on the guy. It also reinforces the martial look I want amongst my lawful warriors.

Painting wise, I've kept the same usual palette with the addition of Kemhri brown for the skin. I needed something richer on such a large creature so I added marine blue in the recesses and some reddish glazes in some parts (veins, nipples and all) to give a richer look. 
The colours are voluntarily natural because the way I see, Chaos has to be openly weird. Law is just as unnatural as chaos in essence but it's all about the idea of thinking you're right. Natural colours on such a creature makes it look creepier than if it has pink skin and yellow wings.


Now if you want to know the whole truth about this model, I have to give you one final information about it. All the sources of inspiration I've talked about are genuine. But see, as I mentioned earlier, all the parts come from my beloved Crooks and we just happen to talk a lot via messenger. Amongst all the silly things we say, theres usually quite a load of stupid stickers and these have to be the most frequent I use :


I know, it's ruining the oldschool cred of the whole post... But you have to know it all started when we agreed I had to make a model of that stupid eagle. I first thought I'd do a mexican wrestler with spandex and all but the concept evolved to a greater demon of Law in the twisted process that was mine...
The name remains though, he is the Cheagle aka DON CHEAGLE...

One final information is that I hesitated a long time to give the clenched fist a snake whip or some OSL to represent an inner glow. I let both ideas aside because 1) I'm lazy and 2) I thought the idea of the demon using blunt force was more intersting than magic or something which could very well become a tiring joke.

So here he is, the first model of the 2nd season of the champions of Law ! There are many more to come (about 15 I'd say), this should bring the warband to the status of small contingent and it should also open the doors for new games like Warhammer and especially Dragon Rampant.



43 comments:

  1. Absolutely stunning mate, I'm gonna go find a hat to wear so that I can take it off to you

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    1. My pleasure mate, Looking at him, I find he's not far from something you could paint yourself (with a bit more talent and style but still).
      Glad you like him, I've loved painting him so much I even got back home to paint during lunchbreaks !

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  2. Fantastic work JB - a really elegant and exceptionally well executed conversion. The painting, is lovely as ever.

    I really like the noble yet slightly comedic aspect to the figure. He looks like he has ZERO sense of humour!

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    1. Thanks, those words couldn't please me more really, this was exactly the feeling I wanted to convey with this guy !

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  3. Top draw stuff.
    Have always loved the minotaur sculpt and you have used it in a very imaginative way.

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    1. Nick Bibby is a living legend that minotaur is incredible, didn't realise it until I painted it but I should have know better really.
      Thanks mate !

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  4. Excellent choice of minotaur for the torso, my favourite. And I've a penchant for winged minotaurs too, so you can I inagine my glee at seeing this post!

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    1. The model is great really, the muscles and general proportions are simply stunning, this one's no zebrataur but he's winged at lest ;)
      Cheers mate.

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  5. Amazing start to season two! Great adaptation of a classic model.

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    1. Cheers ! The rest of the season will be varied and revisiting other classics ;)

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  6. I can't believe you covered his knob up. The minotaur is a serious bit of sculpture in miniature, the musculature, the fat, the hair - everything on it is dead on. Technically one of the greatest, if not THE greatest pieces of sculpture produced by citadel, and no wonder that Nick does what he does now.

    Top job on the character and paintwork.

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    1. AHA ! I made sure it wasn't covered ! I adjusted teh belly plate so it sort of hides the genitals but they don't cover them. I'll spare you the appropriate angle to see it but I excluded the use of a loincloth for this exact reason !
      The model is undoubtedly a classic and as usual, it's only while painting I took the full measure of Nick's talent.

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    2. Oh thank goodness for that. I remember being blown away when looking at it in the blister-pack. It's quite shockingly naturalistic in style when compared to the majority of figures coming out at the time. It's unmatched, unparalleled!

      The colours and the eagle, slightly reminds me a bit of Uncle Sam from the Muppets.

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    3. It is Nick's talent to make fantasy concepts look real.
      Can't say I had thought about uncle Sam though I can see the link, must have been blinded by Enki Bilal more.

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  7. As I said on Facebook absolutely stunning! The inspiration is hilarious, but you have turned it into a very awesome piece. I think you are right the earthy realistic tones make it kind of creepy, I imagine him just staring at you like a pigeon in the street, then bashing your skull in LOL.

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  8. Dude, that is brilliant! Mad, no doubt, but utterly brilliant. Beautifully converted giant magic eagle man with a superb paintjob? What's not to love!

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    1. I bet you say that to everyone. ;)
      He's been a great pleasure to work on really. I don't like to push putty much but for this one it wasn't a chore as it can be sometimes and the painting was just nice thanks to Nick Bibby.

      Cheers man !

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  9. Excellent conversion - I would perhaps have been tempted to paint the beak red to make it stand out more, but - pure excellence.

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    1. I've actually given reddish glazes around the mouth but it doesn't truly show on teh pics, the whole skin has more variations actually but my poor photo skillls got in the way !
      Thanks a lot ;)

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  10. Awesome conversion, everything is right about it, from the general stance to the sculpted details you've added. Great work here.

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    1. Well the general stance is just pure Bibby goodness really, that man knows how to sculpt muscles and ace poses for sure !
      Thanks mec !

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  11. Brilliant. Love the inspiration for it. You've taken that and made a miniature that looks very different, but fits your warband beautifully at the same time.

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    1. You make it sound like it was challenging when I just glued some bits together and painted them the usual way !
      All the crédit goes to Nick Bibby for That awesome minotaur.

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  12. My initial reaction was of shock – aghast that anyone would hack apart such a beautifully sculpted classic minotaur mini! >_<

    But that passed and I was overcome with an intense feeling of appreciation for just how cool this demon is. Small (looks like a vulture to me, although I know it’s an eagle) head on that bulky body lends to a feel of strength and I like how it’s positioned, adding loads to an already wonderful pose.

    Your GS additions are fantastic. Reminds me I have neglected my fantasy/scifi stuff for too long…

    Seriously, super loving this fellow. Can’t wait to see what’s coming next!

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    1. If that helps, the Head was seperate do the only real desecration are couple of pinning holes in the back !
      Thanks a lot !

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  13. That's awesome! Looking forward to another round of the Champions of Law

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    1. The others light take a while but I'm eager to work on them !
      Thanks !

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  14. Wow, stop the machines !
    The beast rises :) Both the idea behind this monster and the converting and painting are AWESOME ! I just love the idea of a titan and linikin it to good old Solkan is just one of the greatest piece of fluff I've read about Warhammer in years. Just the things I like and enjoy in this world. Remind me of the old WFRPG bestiary strange creatures. And the painting is particularly sweet. A whole army on this theme will surely be a great piecon any table. Hope your forces of law will grow to that point.
    Very well done !

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    1. With 15 more models and given the size of some of them, I bet it will upgrade the force a bit !
      I really enjoy exploring those bits left aside of the wonderful warhammer lore. I'm taking liberties by making this band borderline between Law undivided and a pure Solkan force but who cares ?
      Thanks a lot mec !

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    2. And strangely, the miniature and the colors you have chosen strangely match with your blog's banner :)

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    3. Well I just followed the same palette as for the other champions of Law really, that said, I think both the champions of Law and the banner have a bit of Brian Froud inspiration so that might explain the desaturated earthly colours that tie this all together.

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  15. Very nice realisation of the concept there A-man.
    The humourless Sam the American Eagle vibe is palpable and amusing :D

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    1. Humourless characters are often the most funny because of the constrast they offer. This guy is all about that really ! Muscles over a beer belly, I like the hypocrisy and self contradiction in lawful warriors really.
      Thanks ;)

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  16. Wow! Love this JB. The wings are beautifully subtle and the green stuff work is extremely well done. An old mate of mine was always a big lover of Solkan. I'll have to show him this.

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    1. Can't say Solkan is my favourite god, I tend to prefer the undivided concept but the Dredd side of him makes him fun to play with really.
      Thanks Ed !

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  17. He looks Boss JB! I think his smallish head actually accentuates his proportions too....which is great.

    You guys & your messaging shenanigans....do your wives both know of these elicit (and no doubt depraved) conversations? :D

    Top shelf.

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    1. The smaller head was a bonus yes, I tried with a bigger head and smaller wings but that was the best combo really.
      What happens between bros stays between bros, you should know that ! ;)

      Cheers buddy !

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  18. The Gods of Law are not amused by you fabulous conversion.

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  19. :D When I think you cannot surprise me anymore, dunn! You take another twist!
    Absolutely fantastic piece, haha. Now I see why in LotR, when Eagles come at last, they always save the day...

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    1. Eagles of Law are the business ;)
      Thanks amigo!

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  20. The wings are from Marauder, used on griffons, pegasi and certain giant eagles (I have a very disgruntled Karl Franz griffon thanks to this model mec). So this makes it a Bibby/Goodwin/Cardin blend. As good a hybrid as any could wish for! :)

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