Archive for ‘Chaos’
25 items.
Back into the big pile of Horrors of Tzeentch to paint for Project Change. This Blue Horror has been done in Liche Purple through to Jade Green. Not blue as such, but both colours are almost there.
Games Workshop have just released their new plastic Horrors. It’s a big departure from the third generation of truly disturbing Horrors. But, oddly, there seems to be no tip-of-the-hat to their splitting any more. I’ve yet to get my hands on the sprues themselves (but it’s my birthday soon so fingers crossed) so I could be wrong. There’s no game reason to paint them blue these days, but I’m sure people will. Here’s how they appear in blue with a little Photoshop magic.
Now, how to capture that effect with paint?
2 Comments
And back to Project Change the Thousand Sons with a modern Sorcerer from the current boxed set.
I’ve used a similar scheme to my classic Thousand Son. I mentioned I’d spent months trawling eBay for a squad of those classic models, only for Games Workshop to rerelease them alongside the other classic Goodwin traitors.
I’m continuing my focus on the Thousand Sons with the classic 1990 Jes Goodwin Thousand Son.
I’ve got ten of them! It’s taken months and months of trawling through eBay, buying one here and one there and now I finally got enough for a complete squad without paying more than a couple of quid each. They’ve stripped back beautifully too. In fact, I have one too many (the last auction I won was for a group of four) so I can test a second scheme out before deciding how the squad’ll be done.
As I’ve just started reading A Thousand Sons, I thought I’d try implementing the colour scheme on the excellent Neil Roberts cover artwork.
As you can see, Neil’s interpretation of the Heresy-era Thousand Sons features quite understated headpieces, leaving plenty of scope for them to get corrupted by the time the Battle of Terra comes.
This is an awesome model. The early 1980s Chaos Renegades were sculpted by the Michael and Alan Perry and Kev Adams. This was at a time when Chaos had a yet undeveloped visual identity, and so most models were unique mindfracks with crazy bespoke armour. They involved a lot of cross-over from the design of the 1980s Chaos Warrior, with elements or H. R. Giger thrown in. Though the sculpting quality was a tad primitive, they were full of a vibrant creativity. Here are two. (Hell, I’ve been whining about doing red without it looking Khornate too long now so I just went and painted a World Eater.)
Then, in 1990 a young Jes Goodwin came along and produced a renegade model for each major Chaos God. At about the same time Jes was working on the then-new mk7 Space Marine armour (which endures through to this day), and he took a lot of the design elements through into these Renegades. So much so they’d not look out of place in modern 40K armies, despite being 20 years old.
Interestingly, this is the first type the Egyptian motif appears for Tzeentch. Prior to this, Thousand Sons were just gribbly fungus bird marines.
And finally, I’m not sure if I’m cheating the terms of Project Change here (i.e. no conversions), but rather than model the first of the Marines with the Chaos Renegade backpack, I chose the mk7 Imperial backpack. Neil Robert’s illustration doesn’t feature the debased stabilser jets of Chaos backpacks (which I’ve written about at length here). Ah well, I’ve got another nine to paint with the correct backpacks.
A Thousand Sons has just been released by Black Library. So to celebrate I will focus on the Thousand Sons for a little. This is Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red, commanding his legion of Epic-scale Tzeentch minions.
Magnus the Red was one of four Daemon Primarchs released by Games Workshop in 1992 in Epic scale. Each of the four major Gods got one – Khorne got Angron, Slaanesh Fulgrim and Nurgle Mortarion. Pertarbo and Lorgar are the only other two Traitor Primarchs surviving in the present game setting, and both have been elevated to Daemon Prince status too, though neither have seen models. (And while I’m on the subject of Primarch models, Leman Russ is the only Imperial Primarch to have had one. Oh, and Lion El’Jonson’s Lion Helm comes with the Azrael model. Oh, and one of Horus’ Lightning Claws now belongs to Abbadon. I digress.)
The classic ‘Eavy Metal Magnus the Red is of course blue. It was painted blue by Jay Tanner presumably because blue is Tzeentch’s singature colour, and Mr. Tanner decided that the Red meant that in fact he was a ginger. Cap’n Facebeard of Warseer beautifully points out the 1992 studio colours “made him look like a 90s cartoon villain. You were always waiting for the Ninja Turtles to foil him.” It is so bizarre that during Games Workshop’s Red Era they decided not to paint Magnus the Red actual red.
With the Horus Heresy series of books it’s stated that Magnus the Red had red skin. And instead of being a goofy Harryhausen Cyclops he has a one normal eye and an eyeless sockect. I will explain away all these differences by saying Tzeentch changed Magnus’ appearence when he elevated him to daemonhood.
I decided to paint my Magnus with pinky red skin akin to some of my Pink Horrors, as I felt bright red skin would make him look Khornate. And I decided my Magnus would also be a redhead with matching orangey wings. I wanted to do his vambraces copper, but that was too many similar colours on one model.
And, to be honest, goofy as this model is it’s also sculpted in a cockingly awful fashion. See his right leg? It’s just a weird amorphous blob I despaired at painting. The back of the model looks like an afterthought. And what’s going on with his giant head, and gibbon arms? It’s either a Jes Goodwin or Colin Dixon sculpt, and I’m hoping it’s Colin Dixon as he’d just started out at the company. I fancy doing one in the blue scheme at some point.
Yellow is an interesting colour. Doubly so when shaded with the gaudy Warlock Purple. Would you experiment with that combination? I have. Here’s a 1990 Epic Tzeentch Flamer adopting the guise of Maynard Flux‘s Daemonic Familiar.
Interesting? Lurid? Psychedlic? Well, I’m a little glad I didn’t do it on a larger model. Maybe a more sophisticated approach is called for. And now I realise that going forward I should avoid painting any of Tzeentch’s bird minions in yellows to avoid comparisons with Sesame Street.
I noted with the Epic scale Pink Horror that this generation of Chaos models were laughably out of scale. Let me explain this a little more. Epic is nominally a 6mm wargame, meaning the average trooper measures in at about 6mm. Here’s the Epic Flamer next to an Epic Dark Angel Hunter.
Why this hideous scale fail?
Theory One – the Epic Chaos Daemons were done at a time when Games Workshop were simplifying the amount of detailing on their Epic-scale models for ease of mass production. This meant chunkier details, less details, and bigger models (all the better to put big chunky details on).
Theory Two – Epic is out of scale with itself. People complain about not being able to fit ten Marines inside a Rhino in 40K. Well, try putting thirty 6mm Marines inside a Thunderhawk only 10mm long. Epic models were more abstract counters representing the troop types present on the battlefield, rather than being scale models.
Theory Three – Chaos Daemons should be this big all the time, it’s the 28mm ones that are scaled wrong.
Well, anyway, Games Workshop corrected it in 1998 with the Epic 40K plastic Chaos sprues. Here’s a comparison shot.
This is one of the few examples of Games Workshop’s models getting smaller over time.
Trish Morrison’s Pink Horror Champion. His trademark grin was self-inflicted because he wanted to show his facially-scarred girlfriend he still found her attractive.
I can’t put my finger on when Lesser Daemons first got their Champions, as I still need to find a copy of 4th edition Fantasy’s Warhammer Armies Chaos. But I know the first official Daemon command models came out in 1997. (Ahhh. 1997 – when Minotaurs had great models.)
The Pink Horror Champion had an extra WS, BS, S, I and A over the standard Pink Horror. This was back in 5th edition Warhammer Fantasy, when Champions could regularly take magic items of their own rather than just being the guy at the front with a different name and an additional attack. But Daemon Champions couldn’t take magic items (unless they were a Daemon Battle Standard Bearer) and didn’t get access to any Daemonic Rewards (the Daemons’ equivalent of Magic Items). And so, with the exception of the improved stats, I can’t work out why people took them.
In modern Fantasy the Pink Horror Champion has been renamed to Iridescent Horror, and can also be fielded in 40K. There is no model for Iridescent Horrors yet, or Heralds of Tzeentch, so the Pink Horror Champion tends to crop up in both these roles. (Though the cheaper and more common approach is just painting a Pink Horror a different shade of pink – tsk.)
I did originally feel a little guilty that so much of Project Change seems to be Daemons. So, I counted up all the models the project’s scope includes, and then counted how many of them are categorised as Daemon. It’s a whopping 83% at present (not including the Daemon Engines, dragons possessed by daemons, sorcerers riding bound daemons or those weird Man O’War things I really ought to research more). And, as with this model only 74% of Project Change is classified as Daemon, I’m okay.
And, I realised that two Horrors ago I collected enough to field a 7th edition Fantasy regiment. Here they all are on a movement tray celebrating their new-found gamable status.
This is one of my Warhammer turn-offs. You spend an age painting your army, only those not in the front rank to be hidden away where the painting goes unnoticed.
Another smiley-happy Trish Morrison Blue Horror of Tzeentch (far left). Now I have two so I can split a G2 Pink Horror in half in games and have everything I need to represent it. This pleases me.
This model is a particular favourite of mine as I got it way back in 1997 when Gorkamorka was released. I’d ordered my Gorkamorka boxed set from Mail Order, and as a treat they threw in this very Horror with a note something along the lines of, “This is coming out soon, have it for free”. I painted him up even before I did my Gorkamorka mobs and used him as a sidekick for my Warhammer Quest barbarian hero – Pugnax the Pugnacious.
I’m trying a colder blue at the moment, as until now my models have had mostly warm schemes. I would like to do something more with the orange than just the eyes, so I tried the daemon-jewelery in a copper, but it didn’t work. And it puzzles me why they wear jewelery. Where does it come from? Did Trish simply sculpt it on in order to hide the rough bits of the sculpt?
And, I’m off travelling again, this time to Lahndahn (big-ben-red-bus). Ninjabread 20, rather than being postponed to the weekend just gone will just be pushed back a whole week to this coming Space-Friday. Sorry. If it makes you feel better have this dumb joke only historical wargamers will ever appreciate.
Presenting Maynard Flux, oldskool Champion of Tzeentch. Warrior, sorcerer, winemaker.
His marble-effect book I’ve decided is a spell book, so he gets The Gift of Magic. I quite like the effect, which I needed to break up the undetailed surface of the book. Well, I say undetailed, due to a combination of casting defects, the age of the model and being stripped it’s not at all crisp or clean, so it needed a pattern. I’d like to try it on larger models with flat surfaces, like Eldar, or an oldskool Land Raider, or maybe some Retribution Myrmidons.
Maynard also has Featureless Face, and Rune of Tzeentch. The rune happens to be on his featureless face, meaning it isn’t so featureless – but this is okay as THIS IS THE CONTRADICTORY NATURE OF TZEENTCH. That, and a wizard did it.
And (like Inconstantine Bowie) he deserves the runes to spell out his name and describe his attributes.
Painting one of these old Champions of Tzeentch is a welcome break from all the Daemons of late. Though, there are so many more Daemon models aligned to Tzeentch than there ever were Chaos Warriors. I may get round this by collecting five different versions of each champion – one on foot and four on each of the different Discs of Tzeentch.
This little fella’s called Screamer. But he’s not a Screamer, which is also one of Tzeentch’s daemons (unbound Discs of Tzeentch), but rather a Horror called Screamer. Most the G1 minor daemons had individual names, and this is Screamer. Confused?
I feel this guy needs to be modelled as part of a diorama with a little plaque that reads, “It was this long”.
As most my G1 Blue Horrors follow the scheme of blue with pink arms, I thought I’d try reversing it for the Pinks. I also feel that that the arms should change colour again at the knuckles. I, however, do not feel that the fingers should have bits of static grass stuck on them as the photo above has. Oops.
There are three variations on Screamer (and indeed all the Pink Horrors of Tzeentch) as there were three sets of legs each of the twelve bodies could be plonked atop. This means there are 36 variations on the original Pink Horrors which will mean years of trawling eBay and pestering people for close ups of their legs.
And now, here’s all three generations of Pink Horror alongside each other.
Notice how the first two iterations are broadly similar and could be mixed together in the same regiment, and how the third is a complete and very wibbly departure. (And notice how the G2 Horror in the middle needs to be modelled as part of a diorama with a little plaque that reads, “It was about this tall”.)
